IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 19 November
19-11-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
Skype in talks with mobile operators | IT changes could save thousands: Openplain
The Irish Times reports that Skype has said it is in talks with mobile handset and network companies to install its internet telephony service. Skype has already formed a strategic alliance with Hutchison Whampoa's Three Group and is now seeking similar tie-ups with other mobile operators and handset makers, according to Russ Shaw, Skype general manager for mobile. "We'll have some really good things to share about additional carrier relationships. That will be around next year," he said. He said the list of potential partners included mobile operators in China, but declined to be more specific.
The paper also says that 150 jobs are to be created in Dublin by software firm Bentley Systems, as reported by ENN on Wednesday.
The same paper says the Institutes of Technology Research Alliance has launched a graduate education programme, as noted by ENN.
The paper also says that a new online service has been launched that connects the owners of rental properties with local authorities seeking accommodation for those on social housing lists. Landlords can submit their properties to the website, www.click2.ie, for a fee of EUR24. The property's suitability is then assessed by the local authority and, if accepted, the website provides the owner with the documents required by the relevant authority to enter its rental scheme.
The paper also says that Moorefilm Ltd, a company that produces and sells computer-generated 3D medical illustrated images and animations, has brought a High Court action alleging that another firm is reproducing and selling its material. (Update 11.3.10: The Irish Times has since removed this story from its website. The legal proceedings have been discontinued.)
The Irish Independent notes that the paper's iPhone app has spent its first two and a half weeks at the top of the Irish paid-for app charts. Launched on 21 October by Independent Digital, the iPhone app has so far been downloaded by thousands of readers, who can view articles and pictures from the paper for a one-off charge of EUR2.39. Independent Digital managing director Ian Byrne said the Independent was the only Irish national newspaper with its own iPhone application.
The paper also notes that businesses could save tens of thousands of euro and stave off redundancies by making simple changes to IT systems, consultants have claimed. A study of the IT usage in 10,000 firms by software company Openplain found that almost two-thirds of workers leave computers on all night. Switching off machines at night and cutting back on software orders could cut costs by EUR62,000 a year, Openplain said. The study said that most companies only use 70 percent of the software they have bought.
The Irish Examiner says that Fexco, the Kerry-based financial services and online travel bookings group, saw pre-tax profits grow from EUR1.44 million in 2007 to EUR19.8 million last year. The low profit in 2007 was due to impairment costs on some of its investments and the winding up of one of its subsidiaries. Consolidated group turnover for 2008 was down 5 percent to EUR191.2 million, according to accounts just filed.
The paper also reports that social networking sites have been criticised for failing to provide a help button for children who are targets for bullying or sexual grooming. The criticism was made by former Co Down police officer Jim Gamble, head of Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), a law enforcement agency which traces online sex offenders. Gamble made his comments as he was launching the 'CEOP Report' button, which is to appear on every person's profile page on the Bebo social networking site.
The Financial Times reports that Spotify's hopes of launching its online music service in the US are being held up by record labels' concerns about its ability to convert users of its free service to paying subscribers, according to music industry sources. The company said last week that a US launch now looked unlikely until early next year because of the complexity of the US market, where it would need agreements with thousands of music publishers. However, sources in three of the four largest music companies told the newspaper that record labels' financial concerns were a greater hurdle.
The Wall Street Journal reports that consumer electronics firm Sony has said it expects to be back at traditional profitability levels by the end of the fiscal year through March 2013. The firm is implementing a wide-ranging restructuring plan to reposition itself as a force in next-generation 3D TV and gaming. In a statement, Sony said it expects to restore its operating profit margin to 5 percent in fiscal 2012 as it overhauls its structure. Sony has already cut 16,000 jobs, or about 5 percent of its global workforce.
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