IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 4 October
04-10-2010
by Deirdre McArdle
NUI Maynooth to trial maths bonus points | Microsoft sues Motorola over Android
The Irish Times reports that NUI Maynooth has become the latest university to back bonus points for higher level maths in the Leaving Cert exam, and will introduce the plan in 2012 for a trial period of four years. The move means five of the State's seven universities now back the initiative, and will put pressure on both UCC and NUI Galway, whose academic councils have come out against bonus points.
The Irish Independent says that broadcaster Hector O hEochagain has said he will out an impostor who has been impersonating him on Facebook. The fraudster has attracted nearly 2,000 friends online despite O hEochagain's solicitors contacting the social-networking site.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft has sued Motorola claiming the mobile phone maker is infringing nine of its patents in handsets powered by Android. The suit comes as Microsoft is poised to introduce its latest operating system for smartphones that can compete with Apple's iPhone and devices running Android. Motorola said it hasn't received a copy of the complaint, which was filed in federal court in Seattle, but added: "The company will vigorously defend itself in this matter." Microsoft has struggled to win adoption of its Windows software for phones, while Android, which Google gives away free, has been widely adopted by handset makers and software programmers.
The paper also reports that Verizon Wireless will issue refunds over the next two months to 15 million customers it said were incorrectly billed for data services they didn't use. Verizon said the customers didn't have data plans and were billed over the past several years "for data sessions on their phones that they did not initiate." Most of the customers will receive refunds of USD2 to USD6, the company said. The refunds will total about USD50 million, a person familiar with the matter said.
The Financial Times says that Oracle chief Larry Ellison is reportedly furious at the appointment by Hewlett-Packard of ex-SAP CEO Leo Apotheker. Ellison claims Apotheker had been in charge of SAP at a time when it was stealing Oracle's software. Ellison was referring to events after SAP's 2005 takeover of software maintenance company TomorrowNow. According to a federal lawsuit that Oracle filed against SAP in 2007 and which is scheduled for trial this November, the SAP board knew TomorrowNow routinely stole Oracle wares and continued the practice until October 2008, six months after Apotheker became co-chief executive at SAP. In pre-trial filings, SAP conceded both copyright and computer violations but argued that the damage was in the tens of millions of dollars, not the USD1bn or more Oracle is seeking. HP has not responded to Ellison's comments.
The Sunday Tribune reports that a building used to house e-voting machines is the subject of a retention planning permission application. Some 280 of the machines are being kept in the shed in Co Monaghan, which is said to be an unauthorised development. The owner of the shed, Martin Duffy, could make more than EUR540,000 for storing the machines as part of a 25-year lease. The machines are said to only have a 20-year life.
The Sunday Times reports that Google’s Street View application has left some of Ireland’s most disadvantaged areas out of its service, including trouble spots in Limerick and Dublin. Google said some areas were inaccessible for several reasons, including roadworks, and it plans to re-drive the missed areas with the specially equipped vehicles in the future. Some of the areas omitted from the service include estates in Ballynanty, Dunsink Lane and some estates in Darndale in north Dublin such as Tara Lawns, St Dominick’s Park and Cara Park.
The Sunday Independent says medical technology firms have claimed up to 30,000 jobs can be maintained if the Government supports innovation. The IMSTA, which represents medical technology companies in Ireland, says Ireland’s reputation as a competitive, innovation-driven location must be maintained. It called for an “entrepreneurial” approach to the development and availability of medical technology. The medical technology industry employs 30,000 people in Ireland, and produces 10 percent of total exports, valued at over EUR7 billion every year.
The same paper reports that the National Consumer Agency managed to get its @NCA Twitter username after the account became inactive. Although Twitter operates a policy of ‘first-come, first served’ in relation to account names, it has released some accounts that are inactive for six months or more. The NCA pressed its case with Twitter and the name was released for open registration.
The paper also reports that company directors could soon be liable for loss of sensitive information through security breaches and cybercrime. According to Paul Dwyer, security GRC principal at Eircom, directors could be prosecuted if they failed to properly secure customer information, if it was stolen from them. Insurance firm Zurich was recently hit with a fine of more than EUR2 million by the British Financial Services Authority after it lost the personal information belonging to 46,000 customers.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 