IN THE PAPERS
In the Papers 26 July
26-07-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
SFI may get greater role in innovation funding | White iPhone 4 delayed, again
The Irish Independent reports that the Government is considering expanding the role of Science Foundation Ireland to allow it to fund more applied industry-related research and take a broader role in fostering innovation. The foundation is also likely to escape the next round of capital spending cuts, and become a key part of a slimmed-down technology promotion system, which may lead to a single 'innovation' agency. The innovation task force, commissioned by the Taoiseach, identified 11 agencies that fund or engage in research. It said this hampered "efficiency, coherence and value for money".
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is delaying the launch of a white version of its iPhone 4 because of manufacturing problems. Apple said on Friday that the white version of the new iPhone "continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected." The company did not elaborate on the nature of the issue. The release delay is the second for the white version of the phone, and comes just a week after Chief Executive Steve Jobs said at a press conference that the product would be available by the end of July. The white model will now arrive "later this year," Apple said.
The paper also says that the United Arab Emirates has issued a statement saying that Research In Motion's BlackBerry smartphone is open to misuse that poses security risks to the country. In April Bahrain warned against the use of BlackBerry Messenger software to distribute local news, drawing criticism from media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which called it an act of censorship. The BlackBerry was operating "beyond the jurisdiction of national legislation," the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement on Sunday. "As a result of how BlackBerry data is managed and stored, in their current form, certain BlackBerry applications allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions."
According to the same paper, Microsoft has reached a licensing deal with ARM Holdings that allows the software firm to design chips based on ARM's technology. A spokeswoman for Microsoft declined to elaborate on the company's plans. A decision to design chips would be a notable strategy shift for the company, which has so far relied on other companies' chips for hardware. Microsoft's mobile phone software runs on ARM chips. The financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed.
The Sunday Tribune reports that the website The Drudge Report ruffled some feathers at the Department of Finance after it linked to an Irish Times story on Moody's downgrading of the country's debt. The link was accompanied by a picture of riots in Northern Ireland, and had nothing to do with the economic crisis. The department is said to have been unhappy with the picture, as it portrayed Ireland in the grip of Greek-style unrest over the economic measures. There was no official contact with the Drudge Report to register any complaint, the Department said. The photo and story were removed from the Drudge Report during the day.
The paper also writes that broadcaster RTE has tracked down the source of an email to a DJ who was looking for a job at one of its digital radio stations. Tom O'Connor said he got a message telling him to "go f**k" himself after enquiring on the RTE Radio Pulse Facebook page about a possible slot at the station. The investigation was launched after O'Connor complained to RTE. A source at the broadcaster said management emailed staff demanding to know who had sent the message, and that someone had owned up. It is not yet clear what disciplinary action is being taken.
The same paper reports that a new website, I-Doser, is claiming it can recreate the effects of drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The site has prompted concerns that the so-called digital drugs, which use a form of therapy known as 'binaural beats', could act as 'gateways' for people to use real versions of the drugs. The atonal tracks can alter the moods and behaviour of some users, but this is usually done in a therapeutic setting to treat anxiety, chronic pain, depression and other clinical issues. I-Doser is selling 'doses' for download onto users' music players and computers, or via CD. The paper quotes Dr Joseph Keaney of the Institute of Clinical Hypnotherapy & Psychotherapy, who warns that using the digital drugs could reinforce an individual's addiction and cause them to want to take more of the real drug. He notes that users would have to have previous experience of using the real drug in order to get any effect from the website's offering.
The paper also reports that the recession has caused a rise in the number of people using online dating in Ireland. NUI Maynooth professor Luke Gibbons claims people are relying too much on technology such as Facebook and online dating for intimacy. He warns it will have a long-term effect on Irish culture, and said Ireland is entering a "cyberia" where online relationships are beginning to displace real-life ones.
The paper also says that no-frills airline Ryanair saw the amount of money it generates from non-travel services sold on the internet rise by almost 50 percent in the year to the end of March. The revenues include commissions from the sale of gift vouchers and online bingo. The total gained from such revenues was EUR83.6 million, up from EUR56.9 million in the previous financial period.
The Sunday Independent reports that private equity group Balderton Capital is weighing in behind e-voting, after it put together USD9.2 million in investment funding for Scytl. The Spanish company makes internet-based voting technology, which is used in countries trialling or using public e-voting, including Britain, the US, France, Norway and Australia.
The Sunday Business Post reports that a new business, Reassureme.com, is attempting to raise about EUR5 million for children's charities through a a social entrepreneurship business model. The company sells software aimed at families with a computer that monitors internet usage and can block illegal file downloads. The hosted software allows parents to access information on their child's internet activities from a remote location. The company will donate up to 44 percent of the proceeds to 12 children's charities, including Barnardos and Barrettstown. Parents can choose the charity they wish to donate to when they buy the software.
The same paper says the Red Cross is to take legal action against Google over a critical blog on the company's Blogspot service. The postings, which are from an anonymous blogger and criticise the charity's leadership, are said by the organisation to be false. However, the blogger insists the criticisms are fair. The blogger appears to be an insider at the charity.
The Sunday Times says that the future of digital pay TV is under threat after the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is set to put the project on hold. The commercial tender could be held over until 2013 at the earliest, the paper says, and could be scrapped altogether. The BAI has written to managers involved in consortiums Boxer DTT and One Vision, and Liberty Global, who have all rejected contracts to provide the service in a bid to figure out how to proceed. The free to air system is continuing to go ahead.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 