NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 7 August
07-08-2009
by Deirdre McArdle
O2 to consumers: 'try before you buy' | Lone blogger real target of web attack
Mobile operator Three Ireland has added so-called Mofilms to its 'Free stuff' platform on Planet 3. Mofilms are specially-made short films typically about 5 minutes long that are suitable for small screen format. The free service is available to both pre- and post-pay Three customers and is powered by mobile enabler Gorillabox. It comprises of a range of mobile videos funded through advertising in the form of 10-second adverts placed at the beginning and end of the content video stream.
Meanwhile, another Irish mobile operator, O2 Ireland, has launched a 'try before you buy’ initiative for potential mobile broadband customers. Prior to signing a contract customers can now 'borrow' an O2 mobile broadband modem for a 72-hour trial period. "We're confident that once customers borrow the modem and try the service they’ll want to continue using O2 mobile broadband," said David Hodgers, Head of Products and Services, O2 Ireland. To borrow a modem customers are required to leave a deposit of EUR75, which is refunded at the end of the trial period. The initiative ends on 31 August 2009.
Translation and testing firm Lionbridge has posted second-quarter revenue of USD98 million, an 11 percent jump from the first quarter. Total gross profit was USD32.3 million, up USD5.1 million from the previous quarter. Non-GAAP earnings came in at USD3.7 million, or USD0.07 per share, an improvement of USD0.10 per share from the prior quarter. Lionbridge said it expects third quarter revenue to be in the region of USD93 milion to USD98 million.
In more news of results, IT services firm Logica recorded sales in the first half of 2009 of STG1.88 billion, up 6 percent on the year-ago period. The firm surprised analysts with a significant rise in net income from STG5.2 million for the first half of 2008 to STG21.2 million. Outsourcing revenue, which accounted for 36 percent of total sales, rose 10 percent on a pro forma basis to STG681 million.
It has been confirmed that a massive denial-of-service attack, which targeted sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Google in the last two days, was directed at one individual. A spokesperson for Facebook told BBC News that the strike was aimed at a pro-Georgia blogger known as Cyxymu. The spokesperson explained that a botnet was directed to request Cyxymu's pages "at such a rate that it impacted service for other users." It is still not known who perpetrated the attack or why they may have targeted Cyxymu and his accounts, although several reports have suggested it may have been Russian hackers.
Alibaba.com, a Chinese e-commerce firm, is to launch a USD30 million marketing push in the US next week. The campaign aims to introduce US entrepreneurs to Alibaba's English-language site, which offers everything from wedding dresses to gadgets. To date, the website has seen slow growth in the US market; only 1.3 million of the English-language site's 8.6 million customers are based in the US. Alibaba.com works by charging suppliers for listing their items and for extra promotion, it does not broker deals between suppliers and wholesalers.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 