IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 7 October
07-10-2010
by Deirdre McArdle
Lagan Technologies acquired by US firm | Facebook unveils new privacy features
The Irish Times reports a bonus points scheme for higher-level maths in the Leaving Cert is set to begin in 2012 -- after NUI Galway became the final university to agree to the change yesterday. Read more about this in Thursday's Weekly Digest from ENN.
The same paper says that Northern Ireland software firm Lagan Technologies has been acquired by a California-based group, Kana Software, in a deal estimated to be worth more than STG29 million. Kana Software, which is owned by Accel-KKR, a technology-focused private equity firm, said a "definitive agreement" has been signed between the two companies. Belfast is set to become Kana's European headquarters as a result of the take over, a move that has the potential to create up to 100 new jobs at Lagan's headquarters in the city.
The Irish Independent reports that the state's 7,000 unused electronic voting machines could end up being turned into "traffic cones or fleeces", according to an electrical disposal company. The machines, which were bought eight years ago at a cost of EUR50 million, will now have to be shredded and recycled at an additional cost to the taxpayer after the Government received "no serious offers" to buy them. However, disposing of the machines in an environmentally friendly manner would come at a cost to the taxpayer. It costs around EUR25 to EUR30 to dispose of a large computer through the recycling and shredding process. Based on this, the paper estimates it would cost between EUR175,000 and EUR210,000 to dispose of Ireland's e-voting machines.
According to the Irish Examiner, European Commissioner Maire Geoghegan-Quinn is proposing that Europe invest in research and development as a way to kick-start the economy. She has come forward with a sweeping programme to focus on creating and producing new products and services for specific areas such as healthy living, climate change and energy efficiency. She said the key to the plan's success lies in the area of public procurement -- buying by local authorities and governments. For instance, if one city is interested in having a green, energy efficient, public transport system, they could link up with other cities and regions throughout the EU with a similar interest. Europe spends less than 2 percent of GDP on R&D despite its target being 3 percent.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Facebook unveiled three features Wednesday including a new groups feature, which allows people to identify small circles of friends on the site, and share specific information and communicate with just those people. The other two features address data control issues that had been raised by privacy advocates. One is a dashboard feature that allows users to keep track of information-sharing settings from third-party apps, such as plug-ins to other websites, and the second allows people to export the information they have entered into Facebook into one compressed zip file. "Facebook is recognising that success in the online marketplace requires remaining competitive on privacy," wrote Center for Democracy and Technology policy analyst Erica Newland in a blog post.
The paper also says that Motorola has filed several patent infringement complaints against Apple in two US district courts and with the US International Trade Commission. The complaints relate to early-stage technologies developed by Apple. Motorola alleges that Apple's iPhone, iPad, iTouch and some Macintosh computers illegally use Motorola's technology. The complaints are the latest developments in long-running disputes involving several key competitors in the wireless industry. Mark Kesslen, a patent lawyer with Lowenstein Sandler expects Apple to retaliate with its own lawsuit against Motorola shortly. Apple declined to comment on the lawsuits.
The Financial Times reports that networking equipment manufacturer Cisco has released its first home-grown product for consumers, a USD599 device for videoconferencing from the living room. Cisco is aiming the premium device, umi telepresence, at US customers with high bandwidth. The product will ship on 14 November and go on sale at Best Buy retail stores. There will be a USD25 monthly charge for the service. The system includes a set-top box for a high-definition television set, remote control and camera that sits on top of the TV screen.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 