IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 11 September
11-09-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Apple approves Rhapsody iPhone app | Motorola unveils Android-powered phone
The Irish Times reports that a UK scientist has said paper-based voting systems are completely open to fraud and manipulation, and only properly designed electronic systems that include encoding and concealment of ballots offer any chance of security. Dr James Heather of Surrey University's department of computing was speaking at the British Festival of Science in Guildford. He and colleagues in Birmingham and Luxembourg are developing a tamper-proof e-voting system that will give the voter a receipt and a way to confirm the vote was used by checking it over the internet.
The paper also says that researchers at NUI Galway have developed a new website navigation interface called Atom. The interface presents navigation links in concentric circles rather than the traditional linear menu approach. When a user clicks on a central link or file, a series of related links open in a circle around it. A patent has been filed for Atom, and commercially the interface is being offered in several models -- for one-off use, for multiple instances within a larger organisation and for re-selling.
The paper also reports that rising costs, a demand for more energy-efficient products and increasingly complex requirements are some of the challenges facing the semiconductor industry, an international conference has been told. Northern Ireland played host to the IEEE's System on Chip Conference this week. The increasingly complex design of consumer electronic devices is inflating the cost of design for new products, said Christoph Kutter, vice president of technology and innovation in Infineon's wireless solutions division.
The paper also notes that Google is developing a payment system designed to help newspapers sell their articles online. While advertising will remain the main source of revenue for news, a paid model can provide additional revenue, Google told the Newspaper Association of America. Google said its Checkout product could be adapted for newspaper sites.
The same paper notes that more than 500 websites have been nominated by 600 people for the second annual Irish Web Awards, which will be held in Dublin on 10 October. A shortlist will be announced on 18 September.
The paper also says that FleetConnect, a provider of Wi-Fi internet access systems for trains, buses, coaches and taxis, has said there have been 100,000 sessions using its Moovbox technology. By the end of August, over 68,000 passengers had used the service, which is offered by a range of coach operators.
The Irish Independent says that residents of Mullinahone, near the Tipperary/Kilkenny border, are travelling to a local graveyard to get a broadband signal. Businesspeople are angry that their village is so poorly served that they have travel to Kilbride cemetery several times a week to download internet content and check e-mail. The cemetery is located within the Vodafone broadband coverage area for nearby Callan town. A petition calling for broadband and improved mobile phone coverage in the area was set up last week and has already collected about 300 names.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has said it will allow rivals to sell access to the digital copies of millions of out-of-print books it has amassed, but the move did little to appease critics of the search giant's digital book plans. After a US congressional hearing on Thursday, Amazon.com said it wants to work directly with rights holders and not through Google. However, Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild, applauded Google's decision, saying it would generate additional book sales.
The paper also says that RealNetworks' subscription music service, Rhapsody, has been approved for use on iPhones and iPod Touches, the first time Apple has allowed an on-demand music streaming program on its devices in the US. The initial download will be free but new subscribers will have to pay USD14.99 a month if they want to try it for longer than seven days. The service will allow users to queue up any of some 8 million songs, and create custom playlists that will stream to the device as long as the user is receiving a mobile signal or in a Wi-Fi hotspot.
The Financial Times reports that Motorola has unveiled its first Google Android-powered smartphone, a touch screen device designed to compete with Apple's iPhone. The 3G and Wi-Fi enabled handset, called the Motorola Cliq in the US and the Motorola Dext elsewhere, is the first of a range of new devices aimed at reviving the struggling US mobile maker's fortunes.
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