IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 8 October
08-10-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Microsoft's IE antitrust case nears end | Dell to launch Android smartphone
The Irish Times reports that mobile applications will be a key growth area for the newspaper industry, according to Irish Times MD Maeve Donovan. Speaking during a public interview at the National College of Ireland (NCI) in Dublin, Donovan said the Irish Times, in common with the rest of the newspaper industry, needed to work out how to manage the migration to digital platforms. Asked about digital revenues, Donovan said Irishtimes.com, which removed its pay barrier in July 2008, was "not paying for itself at this point in time". The company would continue to examine ways to enhance earnings from its digital platforms, including the possibility of charging membership or subscription fees for some online content, she said.
The Irish Independent says that Finnish company Tecnotree is to cut around 80 staff in Ireland, as reported by ENN on Wednesday.
The paper also says that Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe may be forced to change his mobile phone number after students played a prank on him. O'Keeffe's number was read out loud by Cork Institute of Technology Students' Union president Gearoid Buckley, who urged students at a protest rally to text O'Keeffe to express their opposition to cuts in education. When O'Keeffe answered his phone, he heard students shouting "No to fees, No to Fianna Fail". He turned his phone off, but when he turned it back on later, it was full of messages from students. Buckley declined to say how he managed to attain O'Keeffe's personal mobile number.
The paper also reports that shares in mobile phone software maker Zamano have risen 138 percent since January; making it the Irish stock exchange's 10th best performer so far this year. The rise came despite a disappointing 44 percent fall in first-half sales, reported last month. Zamano currently makes applications for Apple's iPhone and rival smartphones.
The Irish Examiner says that one-third of business leaders would recruit new staff if the present 25 percent R&D tax credit was increased to 35 percent, according to KPMG's 2009 R&D survey. Small, medium and large companies all said they would create new research jobs under a revised tax credit regime. To date, only 17 percent of those surveyed have ever claimed R&D tax credits. By contrast, 28 percent have applied for R&D grants. "Some work needs to be done to raise awareness of R&D tax credits," said KPMG tax partner Michael Lynch. "It is possible people out there think you have to be wearing a lab coat to qualify for these tax credits. However, if you are processing something on a factory floor, then you are carrying out research."
According to the Wall Street Journal, the EU has indicated it would accept a settlement proposal outlined by Microsoft that would end the European Commission's pursuit of antitrust charges over Internet Explorer. The Commission said it will "market test" the proposal, under which Windows users in Europe would get a "ballot screen" allowing them to choose a browser other than Internet Explorer. The market test will seek comments from Microsoft's rivals and others in the industry. Both the EU's competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes, and Microsoft's general counsel, Brad Smith, said they expected the case to be wrapped up before year-end.
The paper also says that Dell plans to launch a smartphone that uses Google's Android software on the AT&T mobile network, according to sources. Dell is expected to launch the phone in the US next year, these people said. With an AT&T deal, all four major US mobile networks would carry phones using Google's Android operating system, a key step in the search giant's attempt to extend its dominance to mobile phones. The phone would be Dell's first dive into the US mobile market. The device has a touch-screen instead of a keypad, and a camera, sources said.
The Financial Times reports that the US Department of Justice has begun a preliminary investigation of the mainframe computer market, potentially drawing fresh scrutiny of IBM. Big Blue said it understood a competitor had been approached by regulators over the issue, and that it would "co-operate with any inquiries". The interest from the Justice Department appear to echo a similar enquiry opened by European regulators two years ago, though the precise focus of the DoJ's review could not be established. IBM has historically dominated the mainframe market.
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