IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 17 December
17-12-2010
by Sylvia Leatham
Twitter Ireland base rumoured | BriteBill raises EUR1.2m in funding
The Irish Times reports that Twitter has confirmed it is seeking to expand outside the US, prompting speculation that it could establish a base in Ireland. There were rumours in recent days that the micro-blogging service had set its sights on Dublin or London as possible locations, fuelled by meetings between Twitter executives and British prime minister David Cameron, reported by the Telegraph. The Guardian added further fuel to the fire when a blog on its website quoted an unnamed source on a recent trip to Dublin as saying that Twitter had already decided to move here. The company has not commented on its plans.
The paper also notes that Dublin software firm Vordel made a profit of almost EUR400,000 last year and is on target to double its profits and revenues for this year, on the back of strong sales growth. Vordel provides service-oriented architecture (SOA) software.
The paper also reports that Dublin-based software firm BriteBill has raised EUR1.2 million in funding. The finance from the Ulster Bank Diageo Venture Fund will help BriteBill expand its business in Britain and Europe next year. The company offers technology for interactive paperless billing.
The same paper says that Google has announced an overhauled mobile mapping application for the Android platform. Google Maps 5.0 offers 3D images of buildings and can be used even if the mobile network connection drops. "Starting today, we'll use vector graphics to dynamically draw the map on your device as you use it, allowing you to interact with it in new ways," said Google in a blog post.
The paper also notes that a smartphone game developed in Ireland to promote the launch of a new bar in Dublin has begun a scavenger hunt around the city. Copan, an augmented reality treasure hunt, began on 12 December and will run until Sunday.
The same paper notes that tech firm Avego has raised USD5.6 million in venture capital funding. The company specialises in providing software and hardware that improves the efficiency of passenger transportation. The funding round was led by SOSventures.
The paper also says that Irish-based web solutions firm Zutec has created seven new positions at its Irish and Middle Eastern offices. The company, which targets the building and asset management industries, is seeking two software developers for its Dublin headquarters and five engineers at its Doha office in Qatar.
The paper also says that financial services company Fincad, a provider of software tools to help mitigate investment risk, is struggling to find people to help grow the business. The Canadian company, headquartered in Vancouver, has grown its Dublin office from 10 to 15 staff in the last two months, but further expansion is hampered by an absence of maths and science postgraduates with the right experience. "We have been actively recruiting sales and marketing people but positions for quantitative analysts are proving hard to fill," said Gary Nolan, sales director.
On a similar theme, the Irish Independent says that a shortage of quality IT computer graduates has cost Ireland almost 200 high-tech jobs that will now go to Romania instead. Intel Ireland was on the shortlist for the jobs, but was beaten by Romania, which offered a better supply of suitable graduates and what is believed to be a slightly more attractive financial package of tax and other breaks. Last month Romania, which has been actively targeting the IT sector for jobs, announced a multi-million-euro investment in a new Intel Software Development Centre.
According to the Financial Times, Nokia has filed a fresh round of lawsuits against Apple over alleged patent violations. The Finnish group said it had launched court cases against Apple in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, accusing Apple of stealing Nokia technology for its iPhone, iPod and iPad touchscreen devices. The lawsuits add to litigation already under way between the pair in the US.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Oracle's quarterly profit jumped 28 percent on a 47 percent surge in revenue. Net income in the second fiscal period came in at USD1.9 billion, or USD0.37 a share, up from USD1.5 billion, or USD0.29 a share, a year earlier. Revenue rose to USD8.6 billion from USD5.9 billion. Oracle's results for the fiscal second quarter beat the high end of its previous expectations. The results are the latest sign of momentum for the big software company, which has steadily expanded its business through a string of acquisitions.
Free! "In the papers" email newsletter -- get the full text to your in-box every business day. Email itp@enn.ie with 'subscribe' in the subject line.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 