IN THE PAPERS
In The Papers 9 February
09-02-2011
by Sylvia Leatham
Digicel acquires Netxar | Smartphone shipments outpace PCs
The Irish Times reports that Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin has said a global innovation hub in Ireland would deliver high-quality employment that would be both sustainable and competitive. Martin said the idea of making Ireland an innovation hub was "achievable with the right policies". Ireland needed a competitive edge to "exploit the opportunities in key areas, especially life sciences, software and green enterprise," he said.
The paper also notes that Tesco executive Laura Wade-Gery is moving to Marks & Spencer, where she will take on the task of revitalising the retailer's online operations.
In other news of Tesco, the Irish Independent says that Amazon has bought the former Tesco storage facility at Greenhills Industrial Estate in Dublin 24. The 22,539 square metre facility had been on the market for over two years after the supermarket moved its warehousing operation to a facility in Donabate. Neither party are disclosing the price of the warehouse.
The paper also reports that Digicel has taken a controlling stake in Netxar Technologies, a systems integrator in the Caribbean. Effective immediately, the two companies will work together to achieve even "greater business success" and market share in the region.
The Irish Examiner says that one in eight Irish children with a social networking profile has no privacy settings. Up to half of the 60 percent of kids who have their own Facebook page or other social media presence do not know how to change their settings to make it more private. New steps to make the internet safer for young people were announced by Commissioner Neelie Kroes in Brussels on Tuesday, with particular emphasis on making parents and children more aware of the need for greater privacy.
The Financial Times reports that more smartphones were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2010 than PCs, according to research. Makers of mobile devices distributed a total of 101 million smartphones in the last three months of the year, up 87 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to IDC. The research firm said that PC shipments reached 92 million units in the fourth quarter, up less than 3 percent on the year earlier.
The paper also notes that EU antitrust officials have said there are no discussions under way with Google to settle concerns that the company may have abused its dominant position in the online search market and breached competition rules. The rare public statement by competition officials at the European Commission followed speculation that Google might be trying to cut short Brussels’ probe, which was formally opened in November after months of preliminary inquiries, and resolve the concerns. The Commission said it was still involved in an "in-depth market investigation" and awaiting responses to questionnaires it had sent to numerous businesses active in the online search market after opening the Google inquiry.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook has opened an office in Hong Kong, its second sales office in Asia. The company's latest investment in the region is a sign it aims to raise its profile in the increasingly lucrative Asian market, where internet traffic is rising and the use of technology and social networking platforms is accelerating.
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