NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 7 January
07-01-2010
by Deirdre McArdle
TerminalFour wins EUR1.6m funding | Google ups bid for On2
Chorus NTL is to create 50 new jobs at its Limerick contact centre facility. The positions will focus on customer support, sales, finance, human resources and technical support and will be based in the firm's National Contact Management Centre.
In more news of jobs, web content management company TerminalFour has announced that following its securing funding of EUR1.6 million it will create 15 new jobs by 2011. This will bring to 50 the number of people the firm employs. The new positions include sales, pre-sales and customer service and will be based in Dublin. The investment was led by the Ulster Bank Diageo Venture Fund, managed by NCB Ventures, with investment also provided by the AIB Seed Capital Fund, managed by the Dublin Business Innovation Centre (DBIC).
Virtualisation solution provider VMware has appointed Mark Newton as regional director for the UK and Ireland. Newton joins VMware from IBS, where he was in charge of European sales. Prior to this, he held the positions of UK Managing Director at BMC and Vice President, UK Technology Sales, at Oracle.
Northern Irish property portal Propertynews.com has launched an iPhone application for the local property market that allows users to access thousands of properties for sale or rent in the region. The app also provides immediate access to estate agents through a 'Call the Agent' or 'Email the Agent' button and house hunters can also forward properties to their friends or post to social networking sites using the app. The move follows Irish property portal Daft.ie launching an iPhone app in recent weeks.
Video game retailer GameStop reported disappointing Christmas holiday sales figures of USD2.86 billion, flat with 2008 sales figures. In light of the weaker-than-expected sales, the company cut its profit forecast for the fourth quarter. It expects to post earnings of USD1.25 to USD1.29 a share, significantly below analysts' consensus estimate of USD1.57 per share, and also under its own previous estimates of between USD1.47 and USD1.65 per share. GameStop cited bad weather, product shortages and ongoing economic recession for the slump.
Google has upped its offer for video firm On2 Technologies. The internet giant has offered On2 shareholders an extra USD0.15 per share in cash, valuing this offer at some USD26.5 million more than a bid it made in August last year. On2's technology shrinks video files, making it easier to send them over the internet. Google has reportedly said this will be its final offer for On2.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 