NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 15 December
15-12-2009
by Sylvia Leatham
PhDs are good for business: report | Smartphone users can't switch off
PhD graduates are of huge benefit to Irish enterprise and are critical in attracting investment, according to a new report from the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (ACSTI). The report, 'The Role of PhDs in the Smart Economy', says that Irish R&D firms that employ PhD researchers have rates of patenting 2.5 times greater than similarly active firms that do not employ PhD researchers, as well as vastly higher collaboration rates with Higher Education Institutes and other firms. The study notes that while just 29 percent of R&D active firms employed PhD researchers in 2007, these companies accounted for 70 percent of business expenditure on R&D. "In the coming decade a capacity to produce graduates with advanced researcher skills will be critical in expanding the mandate of foreign multinationals already located here and attracting globally mobile R&D investment," said Tom McCarthy, chairman of the ACSTI. The report can be downloaded from www.sciencecouncil.ie.
Digital office equipment supplier Ricoh Ireland says it has won a contract to provide a 'green printer' network for the Department of the Environment. Ricoh says its Eco-Line machines -- remanufactured multi-function printer, copier, scanner and fax machines -- will reduce energy costs and the number of machines currently in use, and will lower emission levels throughout the Department. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Fitfone, a mobile application aimed at helping users keep in shape, was formally launched on Tuesday. Developed by consultant neurophysiologist and sports physician Dr Conor O'Brien, the Fitfone's technology was the winner of the NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme in 2006. The application, which is being launched in conjunction with O2, can be downloaded to certain Nokia handsets, where it uses a combination of GPS and a patented algorithm to assess the user's fitness. The app can then devise a customised exercise programme around the user's individual fitness level.
Apple products are among the most searched for items in the UK this Christmas. That's according to online analyst firm Hitwise, which says the iPhone attracted 1.75 percent of all product searches and 14.01 percent of all mobile phone searches in the week ending 5 December. The second most searched for product during that time was the iPod Touch, while the iPod Nano came ninth in the list. Meanwhile, in games, the Xbox 360 was the third most searched for product, ahead of the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3, and Nintendo DS. 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' was the most searched for video game in the week.
More than three-quarters of smartphone owners won't be able to fully switch off from work this Christmas, according to a UK study by mobile phone price comparison website Rightmobilephone.co.uk. In a study of 1,053 smartphone owners, 77 percent said they would not be able to take a proper break from the office this Christmas, as their Blackberry or iPhone would prevent them from being able to relax completely. Of those who said they will be checking their smartphone over the festive period, two-thirds plan to do it on a daily basis. It's no surprise that the study also found that 49 percent of respondents predict their smartphone-checking habit will cause a row with family members this Christmas.
Micro-blogging site Twitter is gearing up to launch its first service specifically aimed at businesses. The feature, which is currently being trialled among some users, is called 'Contributors' and will allow businesses to manage multiple contributors to an account. "The feature appends the contributor's username to the tweet byline, making the business to consumer communication more personal," said Twitter in a blog posting. The idea is that consumers will be able to see the names of individuals who tweet on behalf of companies, "so that users know more about the real people behind organisations".
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 