NEWS IN BRIEF
Daily Digest 10 February
10-02-2010
by Deirdre McArdle
Google to run fibre network experiment | Opera launches iPhone browser
Mobile operator Three Ireland is to invest EUR5 million in a retail expansion that will see it open up 28 new stores around the country and create up to 90 new jobs. The 28 stores will comprise eight "own stores" and 20 independently-owned outlets under the Three Ireland brand. During 2009 Three said it recorded 40 percent growth in its customer base. The expansion plans reflect the operator's ambition to "further strengthen our position in the Irish market over the next few years," said Robert Finnegan, CEO of Three Ireland.
Dublin-based PopCap Games is celebrating the 10th birthday of its popular puzzle game Bejeweled. The game has now sold more than 50 million units, according to PopCap, making it one of the top 10 best-selling video games of all time. The company continues to sell a copy of Bejeweled every 4.3 seconds. In marking the anniversary, PopCap will be rolling out some new instalments in the Bejeweled franchise as well as organising a number of events and competitions during the year.
Irish software firm Havok has announced that Scottish game developer Cohort Studios has joined its Independent Developer Programme. In doing so Cohort will have access to Havok's portfolio of products and technologies including Havok Animation, Havok AI, Havok Behavior, Havok Cloth, Havok Destruction, and Havok Physics. Cohort is responsible for bringing the Buzz! Junior franchise to the PlayStation 3 platform and is currently working on a new project for a major publisher, according to Havok.
Business analytics firm SAS has appointed John Farrelly to head up SAS Ireland. Farrelly has been promoted from the position of Public Sector Client Director at SAS Ireland. He previously worked with BT Ireland in the position Head of Public Sector. "John's experience, passion and focus will enhance our offering to customers as we radically increase our footprint in Ireland," said Keith Valder, COO of SAS UK and Ireland.
Israeli IT firm Emblaze has accused both Microsoft and Apple of infringing on its US patent for media streaming technology. Specifically, it's said that Microsoft's IIS Smooth Streaming system and Apple's HTTP Live Streaming application used its technology. "While we are happy to license our technology to third parties, we will vigorously defend our rights and our competitive position," said Emblaze chairman Naftali Shani, in a Reuters report. Emblaze said it has notified both Apple and Microsoft about the alleged infringement.
Internet giant Google has announced that it plans to build and test ultra high-speed broadband networks in a number of trial locations across the US. The firm said it aims to deliver broadband speeds of 1 gigabit per second, through fibre-to-the-home connections. The service, according to Google, will be offered at a competitive price to "at least 50,000 and potentially up to 500,000 people". In a blog post Google said it hopes to learn from this "experiment" how to deliver "faster and better internet for everyone".
Web browser Opera has said it plans to release a version of its Mini browser for Apple's iPhone next week. According to a Reuters report Opera said the browser would offer consumers up to six times faster download speeds than Apple's own browser. Opera needs to submit the browser to Apple via the App Store. Jon von Tetzchner, co-founder of Opera, told Reuters: "We hope that Apple will not deny their users a choice in web browsing experience."
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 