NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 2 September
02-09-2009
by Emmet Cole
Google apologises for Gmail outage | Strencom lands Big Fish
Google has apologised following Tuesday's two-hour Gmail outage. According to the company, the problem occurred when some of its servers were taken offline for maintenance and the other computers could not handle the extra traffic. Gmail was hit with a four-hour outage in February and a 20-minute outage in May. The free version of Gmail is the world's third most popular e-mail program, behind the free e-mail services offered by Microsoft and Yahoo.
OTP Bank, Hungary's largest bank, has selected Norkom Technology's Anti-Money Laundering and Watch List Management products in an effort to comply with the 3rd EU Money Laundering Directive. Norkom builds systems that help tackle financial crime and improve regulatory compliance. The 3rd EU Money Laundering Directive requires financial institutions to implement a risk-based approach to their compliance operations management. This requires companies to match the degree of risk presented by each customer with an appropriate level of monitoring activity, investigation and prioritisation.
Jobsearch.ie has been re-launched as a free jobs posting portal for Irish employers and agencies. According to Director Jim Murray, this is "an inevitable step" within the online job board business, and while the site has been optimised for search engines, it will now incorporate social media into its job advertising strategy. At present, all jobs on Jobsearch.ie can be 'tweeted' and there are plans to launch an application that will allow users on Jobsearch.ie to access their contacts lists on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media. The site has been operating for five years within the Irish market and attracts ups to 75,000 jobseekers a month.
Business IP services provider Strencom announced on Wednesday that it has won a EUR100,000, three-year contract to provide telecommunications and managed services to Big Fish Games, the online games provider. The news follows a recent IDA announcement that Big Fish Games is to establish its European headquarters in Cork, creating 100 jobs. The new Strencom system will ensure connectivity between Big Fish Games' US office and its European headquarters. Strencom is providing 24x7 network monitoring and connectivity including a 100MB Internet connection into its Cork office.
AirSpeed Telecom, the telecommunications company which operates a nationwide licensed wireless radio transmission network, has appointed Simon Lindsay as Business Development Manager. Lindsay will be responsible for developing new business within the enterprise market as well as developing strategic relationships with key clients and partners. He joins AirSpeed Telecom from EasyDentic Ireland, where he held the position of Dublin Sales Manager.
DSG International, the parent company of IT retailers Currys and PC World in Ireland and the UK, has reported that PC World's like-for-like sales in the UK tumbled 15 percent in the 16 weeks to 22 August, with "significantly lower" sales to business customers. Like-for-like sales of UK electrical goods slid 14 percent. Across the group, like-for-like sales declined 6 percent -- a 3 percent improvement on the 9 percent slide seen over the previous year. DSG raised STG310.6 million from investors earlier this year to speed up its store revamp programme in the UK.
The Minister for Education & Science, Batt O'Keeffe, launched the 2009/2010 season of the F1 in Schools Technology Challenge, supported by the Irish Computer Society and Discover Science & Engineering. This year, teams will be challenged to build 25cm model cars made from balsa wood and powered by compressed air canisters. Students can register online until 16 October.
Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has unveiled three new phone models with improved social networking and music functions. Following a deal with Facebook, Nokia will let users of some its handsets update their location and status directly to the site through a Nokia Ovi account. That feature will premier on the new N97 mini phone, which will retail for EUR450 when it starts shipping in October. The company's new X6 phone will feature 32 gigabytes of memory, play up to 35 hours of music and has a 3.2-inch touch-screen. It is expected to retail for EUR450. Meanwhile, the compact X3 features direct access to Nokia's music store and features a built-in FM radio and 3.2 megapixel camera and has a suggested retail price of EUR115. Both devices are set to ship during the fourth quarter of 2009.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 