IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 25 November
25-11-2010
by Deirdre McArdle
Xtravision expects to make profit this year | Consumers warned on online bargain shopping
The Irish Times reports that the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) told an Oireachtas committee yesterday that RTE.ie was a commercial website at odds with its public service remit as outlined in the Broadcasting Act 2009. NNI co-ordinating director Frank Cullen said as a public service website, RTE.ie should feature no advertisements; however, he said the site was full of advertisements about “dating, motoring and property”, which had no place where the broadcaster was showcasing material like news which was funded by the licence fee. Irish Times managing director Liam Kavanagh also said at the meeting that he was sceptical about RTE’s assertion that its website was totally funded from commercial activities.
The paper also says that DVD rental and electronics retail chain Xtravision is close to clearing the EUR7 million debt that it used to buy the business from Blockbuster last year. Xtravision management expects the business to make a profit this year, although it has been dealing with a particularly depressed retail market over the last two months.
The Irish Independent reports that consumers have been warned of the dangers of buying 'bargain' gifts online this Christmas as scammers step up their efforts this holiday season. The European Consumer Centre (ECC) in Ireland urged customers to only buy from well-established sites after a spate of problems last year as fraudsters set up bogus sites that failed to deliver the promised goods.
The same paper also notes that Triton Showers was voted the winner of the Independent Digital Grand Prix Awards for the third quarter, with Jack Daniels being named as the runner up. The awards are designed to recognise brand and marketing managers and the creativity and effectiveness of their digital campaigns.
According to the same paper Irish innovators Dr Antonio Ruzzelli of Veutility and David Connolly, early stage researcher with University Limerick, won the titles of 'Ireland's Innovator' and 'Ireland's Researcher' at the recent Globe Forum conference in Dublin.
The Financial Times reports that shares in UK-based software firm Autonomy fell on Wednesday after the company indicated that it was considering “an additional opportunity” relating to its highly anticipated acquisition. CEO Mike Lynch has long said the firm would make an acquisition “this autumn” after raising STG500 million in a convertible bond issue in February, however the firm has remained quiet over the identity of its target. Autonomy has now issued a statement saying that while it had been working on an acquisition over the past few months “recent developments” within these talks had “given rise to an additional opportunity that warrants further examination”.
According to the Wall Street Journal, NTT Communications and two other Japanese firms are planning to launch what they say is the world’s first Internet-based mobile phone application designed to help users maintain good eating and exercise habits by analysing photos of the food they eat. The service will not only analyse your photo and tell you how many calories are in the food, but it will also let you know what kinds of food you should have in your next meal to make sure you don’t go over the suggested calorie intake. A free trial version of the service will be available in Japan from January for the iPhone and Android-based smartphones. A commercial launch is expected some time after April.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 