IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 15 December
15-12-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
VMAD launches anti-bullying software | Gov plans Silicon Valley innovation centre
The Irish Times reports that Europe's Cern complex has just broken the record for the highest energies achieved when smashing atomic particles together. The Large Hadron Collider, built into a tunnel under the French-Swiss border, broke the energy record on Monday morning. The previous world record was held by Fermilab in the US.
The paper also says that Interxion has confirmed its new EUR12 million Dublin data centre will be completed early next year. Read more on this story on ENN.
The Irish Independent reports on the launch of a new website for young people by the Crisis Pregnancy Agency. The site, www.b4udecide.ie, was set up to provide trustworthy information about sex for teenagers.
The Irish Examiner says that Irish firm Virtual Mobile Application Development (VMAD) has created anti-bullying software for mobile phones. The network-independent application has been approved by Trinity College's Anti-Bullying Centre. The downloadable application, called Bully Stop, can be configured by parents to stop their child receiving abusive texts, picture messages and calls from identified and unidentified sources. It also has a password-protected call log that allows parents to review the content of all text messages.
The paper also reports that the Government is establishing a secretariat in Silicon Valley through a EUR200,000 investment. The grant has been awarded to the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) to assist with the establishment of the full-time secretariat. Former Intel chairman and chief executive Dr Craig Barrett will become chairman of the ITLG. This is the first step in the establishment of an Irish innovation centre which is expected to open in San Jose early next year.
The paper also notes that domain registry LetsHost.ie has cut the cost of its registration fee to EUR9.99, as reported by on ENN on Monday.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is "working hard" to fill orders for one of its newest desktop computers, even as reports mount that the machine's screens are malfunctioning. Mac maker Apple said it was running roughly two weeks behind in fulfilling orders for its 27-inch iMac desktop computer. The machine has been among Apple's strongest selling devices, according to analysts. The machine's debut has been marred by reports that its displays have malfunctioned, however. Customer postings on Apple's website have suggested the computers' screens have arrived broken and cracked. Others say the screens have malfunctioned. Apple declined to comment on the complaints.
The paper also says that Google is in talks with Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA to sell its upcoming phone, dubbed Nexus One, at a discounted price for the operator's customers, according to sources. Google is talking to other mobile operators about similar arrangements. Google plans to begin selling an Android-powered phone that it designed to consumers directly through its website early next year, sources say.
According to the Financial Times, Microsoft is being accused of plagiarising the design and code of a start-up Asian micro-blogging site. Plurk has published a post on its company blog claiming similarities between its own site and MSN Juku, a micro-blogging site Microsoft recently launched in Asia. From the graphics to the navigation, MSN Juku appears nearly identical to Plurk, which launched last year, the post says. Dave Thompson, a spokesman for Plurk, said that the company was not intending to press charges against Microsoft at this point. "Our main goal is just for Microsoft to shut that site down," he said.
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Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 