IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 16 February
16-02-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Ex-Dell workers concerned over funding | Mobile firms to develop open app platform
The Irish Times reports that nearly 65,000 broadband users in Ireland are suspected of being involved in illegal downloading on a weekly basis. In the first comprehensive survey of the extent of illegal downloading, the UCD Centre for Cybercrime Investigation (CCI) was able to identify the IP address of 64,152 users who are suspected of breach of copyright last week alone. The full extent of illegal downloading may be much greater because researchers were only trying to trace the top 100 most popular items that are downloaded through BitTorrent swarms, one of the most efficient ways of illegal downloading.
The paper also says that former Dell workers will next month learn if accessing a EUR22.8 million training and back-to-work support fund will affect their social welfare entitlements. Minister of State for Labour Affairs Dara Calleary said issues were raised at a meeting with former Dell workers last month, and answers would be available in time for their next meeting. It is understood the earnings of spouses and previous participation in third-level courses are among the matters complicating people's access to the EU and government funding.
The paper also reports on the Mobile World Congress exhibition in Barcelona. Twenty-four telecoms operators have agreed to work together to create an open platform that will allow app developers to reach all mobile users. The Wholesale Applications Community will create a platform that will allow the distribution of software to phones, regardless of the technology they use or who manufactures them. Telefonica and Vodafone are among those backing the idea. For more from the Mobile World Congress, see ENN.
The paper also notes that First Derivatives has bought Cognotec Holdings, as reported by ENN on Monday.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is planning further updates to its social networking service Buzz and considering changing how it tests out new features. Google product manager Todd Jackson said in an interview on Monday that the number of people initially uncomfortable with the service highlighted that the company's decision to test Buzz among its employees was not sufficient. Jackson said Google might test new features with friends and family of Google employees. Further refinements, including features that help people filter which postings they see and block certain conversations, are also in the works, he said.
The Financial Times reports that Sony is to stop selling a groundbreaking television in Japan after exhausting demand for the organic light emitting diodes (OLED) sets. Stopping sales of the XEL-1 in Japan without launching a long-promised 27 inch successor suggests that OLED will not rescue Sony's struggling TV business. Sony said it would still make the XEL-1 for sale outside Japan and press ahead with OLED development.
The paper also says that publishers are stumbling over issues such as sharing subscription revenues as they consider deals to offer electronic versions of their products on Apple's iPad. The talks are in early stages and are considered friendly and continuing, sources said. But newspaper and magazine publishers fear Apple's proposals could significantly change business practices that have protected profits over decades. Ownership of subscriber information and pricing have emerged as key issues.
The same paper notes that Verizon Wireless looks likely to become the first large US mobile operator to allow its customers make free or low-cost calls using Skype on its network. The partnership is due to be announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday.
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