IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 23 February
23-02-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Uchoose.ie to be wound up | Google to resume China talks
The Irish Times reports that a former graduate of Ballyfermot College has been nominated for an Oscar. Richard Baneham won a Bafta at the weekend for best special visual effects for his work on the movie Avatar. He and the team responsible are hot favourites to win the same category at the Oscars on 7 March. A number of other former Ballyfermot students have also received Oscar nominations, in the animated and short film categories.
The paper also says that price comparison website Uchoose.ie is to be wound up. A creditors' meeting will be held on 4 March to appoint a liquidator. The most recent accounts filed with the Companies Office show that Uchoose.ie had accumulated losses of EUR23,723 at 30 June 2008. At that point, liabilities falling due within a year stood at almost EUR110,000, in addition to longer-term liabilities of EUR25,000. It is understood the decision to wind down the company was taken as it had run out of funds and has been unable to obtain further cash injections from investors.
The Irish Independent notes that most hospitals will be given the technology to introduce "filmless" x-rays and other scans over the next two to four years. The EUR40 million system will allow a patient's images to be sent electronically to outpatient clinics. The National Integrated Medical Imaging System, due to be announced by HSE chief Brendan Drumm on Tuesday, will be introduced over the next three years in 35 hospitals.
The Irish Examiner reports that Tipperary firm VisionID has completed a EUR250,000 deal to provide Dairygold Agri retail stores with Motorola handheld computers and wireless infrastructure. Under the terms of the agreement, the Clonmel-based mobile computer technology company will provide Motorola MC3090 handheld devices and Motorola wireless access point devices for stocktaking and other product-related functions.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is scheduled to resume talks in the next few days with Chinese officials about the fate of Google's China business, according to sources. The schedule and the status of the talks are unclear. Any resolution to the matter of whether Google will be able to operate an unfiltered search engine in China is likely to be at least weeks away, said one source. The talks were triggered by Google's January announcement that it will no longer censor its Chinese search engine, after it discovered it was hit by a cyber-attack it traced to the country.
The paper also says that Microsoft has reached a patent licensing agreement with Amazon.com that gives the online retailer rights to use open source software in its Kindle e-book reader. At the moment, the Kindle uses both open source and proprietary software components made by Amazon. Under the agreement, Microsoft said Amazon will pay it an undisclosed sum. Microsoft said the deal was a patent cross-license agreement under which it will also gain rights to certain Amazon patents. The deal is being viewed with suspicion by open source advocates, who believe Microsoft is looking to stir legal uncertainty about the technology. Microsoft has for years said its portfolio of intellectual property includes patents that are violated by elements of Linux and other forms of open source software.
The paper also reports that chip giant Intel is working with venture capital firms to set up a USD2 billion fund that would invest solely in US companies, according to sources. An Intel spokesman declined comment, but a person familiar with the situation said Intel, which has a unit that invests in many tech firms, is approaching venture capital companies about the idea of allocating a portion of their funds toward US companies. The plan would not require raising additional capital, this person said.
According to the Financial Times, the UK government's planned STG0.50 monthly tax on telephone lines to pay for superfast broadband has been criticised by a Labour-dominated group of MPs. The Commons Business Committee said the new tax -- a centrepiece of the Digital Britain report -- would unduly hit poorer families who were unlikely to pay for faster broadband. It said the "regressive" tax would "place a disproportionate cost on a majority who will not, or are unable to, reap the benefits of that charge". The committee's report also said the scheme could distort the market.
Free! "In the papers" email newsletter -- get the full text to your in-box every business day. Email itp@enn.ie with 'subscribe' in the subject line.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 