IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 20 July
20-07-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Apple iPad comes to Ireland | Lumension to create Galway jobs
The Irish Times reports that the Apple iPad is finally coming to Irish shops this Friday. Prices for the device will begin at EUR499 through the Apple store and authorised Apple re-sellers. The iPad will also go on sale this Friday in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore.
The paper also says that online travel firm 1800Hotels has continued to make holiday bookings even after seeking bankruptcy protection last Tuesday, according to a US travel company. In a Florida court, Mark Travel, which handles reservations for major tour operators, said 1800Hotels' Dublin-based parent company was trying to compel Mark Travel to take these bookings without showing any ability to pay. The bankruptcy laws were supposed to act "as a shield, not a sword. Their purpose is to minimise fiscal chaos and disruption, not to aggravate it," Mark Travel warned in its briefing, while arguing that it should not be compelled to do any more business with 1800Hotels.
The same paper reports that software firm Lumension is to create 20 jobs in Galway. The company, which already employs 30 people in the city, develops software that helps firms protect computer data. Galway is home to the company's international centre for product research and development, customer support and auxiliary services.
The Irish Independent reports that a Czech man has been given a life sentence after pleading guilty to murdering a female friend following a row over computer messages. Jakub Fidler murdered Nicola Vonkova at Inverin in Galway in July 2008. Supt Noel Kelly from Salthill Garda station gave evidence that Vonkova died after a row about spying on Fidler's computer. Fidler said they had an argument in relation to Vonkova spying on his e-mail and instant messaging accounts.
The same paper says that the UK's Times and Sunday Times newspapers have retained about one-third of their online readership since they began charging users for access from 2 July. According to statistics from Experian Hitwise, which monitors internet traffic, the two publications have held on to about 34 percent of their online readership since they erected a paywall on their websites. Just under half of the readership registered for the papers' new websites last month, and more than 80 percent of those have gone on to pay for access.
The Irish Examiner reports that fraudsters are tricking junior staff and holiday relief workers into subscribing for bogus online business directories, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) has warned. Some 66 percent of ISME members have been targeted in the last 12 months, and e-fraud queries to its helpline are on the increase. ISME said junior staff members are replying to e-mails requesting seemingly innocuous company information, which often commits the business to fees of up to EUR999 to include their company's details in an online directory.
The Financial Times says that chipmaker Intel has reached a preliminary settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission that will include concessions on its business practices, according to a source. The agreement, which is expected to be finalised by next week, will not include fines because the FTC does not have the authority to issue civil penalties. But it will force Intel to make changes to its marketing. The deal brings to a close a legal battle in which the FTC had accused Intel of abusing its dominant market position for the past 10 years. The FTC's complaint had alleged anti-competitive behaviour by Intel in the graphics chip market.
The paper also reports that IBM more than matched profit expectations in its second quarter with a 13 percent increase in earnings per share, to USD2.61. However, revenues grew by just 2 percent, to USD23.7 billion -- half the rate of growth most analysts had been expecting. IBM denied that the figures pointed to any faltering in the market's recovery, and put most of the shortfall down to the translation effects of a stronger US dollar. There was "certainly not a pull-back in [corporate] spending" during the quarter, said Mark Loughridge, chief financial officer. IBM said it believed the steady recovery was likely to pick up steam in the second half of the year.
The paper also says that Amazon is now selling more e-books than hardcover books. The shift represents a milestone in the emergence of digital reading and signals Amazon's continued dominance of the e-book market with its Kindle e-reader. E-book sales overtook sales of hardbacks during the past three months, when Amazon sold 143 Kindle books for every 100 hardcover books. That accelerated in the past month, when the ratio jumped to 180 e-books for every 100 hardcovers. Amazon also said the growth rate for the Kindle had tripled since it lowered the price from USD259 to USD189 this month.
The Wall Street Journal notes that chipmaker Texas Instruments' profit nearly tripled on a 42 percent jump in revenue in the second quarter. The company posted net income for the period ended 30 June of USD769 million, or USD0.62 a share, up from USD260 million, or USD0.20, a year ago. Revenue rose to USD3.5 billion from USD2.46 billion. The chipmaker benefited from a resurgence in demand for communications gear, industrial equipment and other products.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 