NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 27 August
27-08-2009
by Emmet Cole
Funding for Irish tech firms grows | Nokia unveils Linux-based phone
Irish technology firms raised EUR110.7 million in the first half of 2009, up 7 percent on the previous year, according to the results of the Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) VenturePulse survey. The number of companies raising funds increased by 35 percent to 66, compared to 49 in the same period in 2008 and 29 in the first half of 2007. First round funding represented 22 percent of funds raised. Seventeen Irish-based venture capital funds and private investors were involved in 111 investments representing 67 percent of funds raised. Meanwhile, 17 international funds and private investors participated in 19 investments, which accounted for 33 percent of funds raised.
Social networking sites Facebook and Bebo account for approximately 43 percent of customer internet usage with mobile provider Three Ireland, according to survey results released by the operator on Wednesday. Facebook is the site of choice for pay monthly customers, according to Three, with Bebo the preferred option within the younger pre-pay market. On average, 50 percent of mobile social networkers access one of this type of portal per month with a further 25 percent accessing two portals per month.
Irish IT distributor Clarity has secured a distribution partnership deal with global education technology company Promethean. As a result of the deal, Clarity (part of the Westcoast group) is set to invest EUR1 million in new employees, additional facilities, Irish marketing campaigns and the implementation of a nationwide channel partner programme. Clarity will sell Promethean's ActivClassroom range of ed-tech products, including ActivBoard interactive whiteboards, interactive education software and a portfolio of accessories and spares. Promethean has seen a 225 percent increase in sales of its ActivBoards in Ireland between 2007 and 2008.
Google launched a suite of Irish-language translation tools on Wednesday that will enable Irish-speaking users to find and view search results on foreign language web pages in Irish. Using the Google Translate service, users can translate specific web pages or text, as well as search English web pages using Irish keywords. The results can then be translated from any of 51 other languages into Irish. Users can also paste text or a URL from a web page in any of the 51 supported languages and receive a translation into Irish.
EURid -- the private, not-for-profit organisation contracted by the European Commission to manage the dot-eu top-level domain -- has revealed that 66,129 new dot-eu domain names were added to the dot-eu registry during the month of July. This amounts to a 12-month high in new registrations and a rise of 15 percent compared to July 2008. Renewal rates stayed strong at an average of 81 percent, which is somewhat higher than the industry norm. The figures are part of EURid's 'Quarterly Progress Report, Second Quarter 2009', which will be published next month.
Dublin-based travel software company Datalex has reported a pre-tax loss of close to USD1.5 million for the first half of this year, up from the USD800,000 loss the company made in the same period last year. The company claims to have reduced its total cost base by 6 percent over the same period last year to USD16.4 million. While transaction revenue increased by 40 percent to USD7 million, overall revenue fell by 11 percent to USD14.4 million.
In more news of results, Mamut Group, a Norwegian software solutions and internet services provider to the SME market, has reported operating revenues of NOK251.4 million in the first half of 2009, compared to NOK123.5 million in the second half of 2008. The Mamut Group, which has offices in Dublin, also reported an operating profit before depreciation for the second quarter of 2009 of NOK24.9 million, compared to NOK23.2 million in the year-ago quarter.
Mobile phone maker Nokia has unveiled its first Linux-based mobile phone. The new N900 phone, with cellular connection, touch screen and slide-out keyboard, will retail for around EUR500, excluding subsidies and taxes. Nokia is aiming to combine Linux with its existing Symbian mobile phone OS. The company also unveiled a new 'Solutions Business Unit', designed to improve integration between its phone operations and new mobile internet services offerings.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 