IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 23 October
23-10-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
R&D tax breaks on the cards | Expert warns of social network ID theft
The Irish Times reports that better tax breaks for research and development are likely to be among proposals brought forward by the Government in the Budget. The goal is to make it easier for companies to undertake research in Ireland, according to Conor Lenihan, Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, speaking at the launch of a report titled 'Delivering the Smart Economy'. Read more about the report on ENN.
The paper also reports on the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 and says the operating system has generally been receiving good reviews.
The same paper says that Nokia has filed a lawsuit claiming that Apple's iPhone infringes on its patents. Read more on this story on ENN.
The paper also reports that Microsoft and Google have signed deals to include real-time content from Twitter in their search results, as noted by ENN.
The paper also says that people who post apparently innocuous information on social networking sites could leave themselves open to identity theft, according to a computer security expert. Speaking at the RSA conference in London, People Security's chief security strategist Hugh Thompson said that while posting on social networks has grown, "there hasn't been a commensurate education about what information we should be sharing". He called this information "gateway data", which seems harmless by itself but when combined can help an attacker build up a detailed picture about a potential target. "Bad guys have got to be able to leverage that information at some point, and we've arrived at that point," he said, adding that this would lead to attacks on companies as well as individuals.
The paper also says that online payment firm 3V Transaction Services has signed new deals that pave the way for the firm to bring its pay-as-you-go 3V Visa vouchers to the Canadian market. The agreements with financial institution Peoples Trust Company and Vendtek Systems were signed as part of an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Canada. Under the deal, Peoples Trust Company will become 3V's issuer in the region, while Vendtek Systems will act as a distribution partner.
The paper also says that the Irish operations of OpSource, formed following the all-share acquisition of billing software company LaCayla last year, are set to triple in size following the successful rollout of a new product for its parent. The Dublin office led development of the recently launched OpSource Cloud, a software application that allows customers to secure and manage their own platform for internet applications.
The paper also says that Zapa Technology is launching a new funding round, which it hopes to complete by Christmas. The company has already raised EUR2.5 million from Delta Partners. Zapa deploys near-field communications (NFC) to allow consumers to use their mobile phones to buy goods, use store loyalty cards and receive discount vouchers, among other things.
The Irish Independent says the Football Association of Ireland has blamed a technical glitch for its website only taking applications for the most expensive tickets for Ireland's match against France next month. Fans who logged on to register their applications for the game could not apply for EUR22, EUR42 or EUR62 tickets but instead had to choose the premium EUR82 ticket. A spokesperson for the FAI said that phenomenal demand wreaked havoc with their computer systems and eventually led it to crash for a period on Wednesday evening.
The Irish Examiner reports that an EU consumer commissioner survey has found that online shoppers across the EU experience widespread problems when trying to make purchases. Irish consumers fared among the worst, with close to 70 percent of those trying to buy online unable to do so, as traders refused to provide cross-border services. For Irish shoppers, some 70 of 100 popular products could only be found cross-border. Of the rest, 40 percent were much cheaper from foreign retailers. Similar results were found in most other EU countries. In all but two countries the chance of succeeding in buying online from a retailer in another country was less than 50 percent.
According to the Wall Street Journal, online retailer Amazon.com posted a 69 percent surge in third-quarter profit. The e-commerce giant said income for the quarter grew to USD199 million, or USD0.45 a share, from USD118 million, or USD0.27 a share, a year ago. Sales increased 28 percent to USD5.45 billion, thanks to a 44 percent rise in sales of electronics and general merchandise. Amazon forecast that fourth-quarter sales would grow between 21 percent and 35 percent to between USD8.1 billion and USD9.1 billion, with operating income projected to rise between 10 percent and 56 percent to USD300 million to USD425 million.
The Financial Times reports that wireless network equipment maker Ericsson has recorded a bigger-than-expected decline in third-quarter earnings. Net profits were down 72 percent from last year as mobile operators cut back on capital expenditure. Third-quarter revenues fell 6 percent from last year to SKR46.4 billion, while net profits were SKR810 million, down from SKR2.84 billion. CEO Carl-Henric Svanberg said there were signs of improvement in many of Ericsson's biggest markets but there would be a time lag before the company felt the benefits.
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