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Lehman sells off trinkets on eBay

Roll up, roll up, to assemble your Wall Street Survival Kit, using only the finest memorabilia from the credit crunch's biggest casualty.
Publication date: 2009-07-21 more

Adobe Says Apple's SDK Blocks Flash on iPhone

Flash on Apple's iPhone has been on and off several times in the last few weeks. On Wednesday, Adobe Systems dampened expectations following a report that it would build a Flash player for the smartphone. The report, first cited in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, said Adobe had begun work on a Flash player for the iPhone. The Journal cited remarks by Adobe Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen, who reportedly made the comments during a conference call with investors. He said Apple's recent release of a software developers kit (SDK) gave his company the tools it needed to create a media player for the popular iPhone. The Fine Print According to news reports, Narayen said Adobe had evaluated the SDK and "we think we can develop an iPhone Flash player ourselves." Adobe said Wednesday it has "evaluated the iPhone SDK and can now start to develop a way to bring Flash Player to the iPhone." But it added, "to bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience" the company needs to work with Apple for capabilities beyond what the SDK allows. One of the problems is the SDK's fine print, which is being interpreted by many observers as prohibiting the kind of plug-in capabilities offered by Flash. To use the SDK for those purposes, Adobe would need cooperation and permission from Apple. Earlier this month, following persistent reports on various Web blogs that Flash on the iPhone was imminent, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the current Flash mobile player is not ready for the iPhone. He said Flash Lite, designed for mobile devices, is not powerful enough, and regular Flash, designed for full-featured computers, runs too slowly on the iPhone. "There's this missing product in the middle," he told the Dow Jones news service. Developers Looking Elsewhere? Jeffrey Hammond, an analyst with industry...
Publication date: 2008-03-20 more

Meteor storms into mobile broadband

In recent weeks, Meteor went live with the first stage of its 3G network, and by next year plans to be a force in the mobile broadband business. Elaine Robinson is head of product development at Meteor.
Publication date: 2008-11-06 more

Internet music firm wants bite of Apple's business

The internet music service Spotify has thrown down the gauntlet to Apple, announcing a system that allows people to listen to millions of songs on the iPhone, wherever they are.
Publication date: 2009-07-28 more

Dell Offers New Servers for SMBs

Dell launched two new servers for small and midsize businesses that the company claims perform as much as 51 percent faster than comparable IBM servers. The two new PowerEdge servers offer high-availability features as well as larger memories, and come in rack- or tower-server configurations. The rack server, the PowerEdge R300, uses the Intel Xeon x5460 quad-core processor. Dell says tests show its performance is as much as 26 percent better than the comparable server from HP, the DL320 G5p, and as much as 51 percent better than the IBM System X 3250 server. The new tower server, the T300, similarly beats comparable HP and IBM systems, according to Dell. (Performance data was published with the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation, or SPEC, a nonprofit organization that sets benchmarks for high-performance computers.) "The R300 and T300 are the industry's fastest one-socket quad-core servers," a Dell spokesperson told us. "Because of the way we've designed the systems, we've made it possible for a processor typically used in higher-performing two-socket servers to be used in a one-socket server." Made for SMBs SMBs often rely on memory-intensive applications, such as Web serving, to run their businesses, and slow performance can hurt productivity. Dell says the R300 and T300 help address this pain point by delivering three times the memory capacity of a typical one-socket server; better memory scalability means they can better handle memory-intensive applications. "These servers take the performance, memory capacity, and high-availability features previously available only in more expensive, higher-end systems and make them available at a small-business price," the spokesperson said. "Because of these features, the R300 and T300 can help increase uptime and productivity for SMBs. They also help simplify [information technology] for SMBs by helping to reduce cost and complexity, enabling customers to focus more on innovation, productivity, and growing their businesses." "We're delivering...
Publication date: 2008-03-20 more

Facebook Offers New Options for Private Information

Facebook rolled out new privacy features on Wednesday to give users more control over who sees the information they share. It made two changes: a standardized privacy interface and new privacy options available through this interface. "In theory, this is good. But Facebook has had situations in the past where they've announced things that sound good in theory, but in practice have not worked out," said Ari Schwartz, deputy director at the Center for Democracy and Technology. "We have to see how the controls actually work and test them out." Friends of Friends Facebook added a "Friends of Friends" privacy option that allows users to share information with more people to whom they are connected through their friends. "We thought this provided a much-needed option for people whose strongest social connections are not through the networks they've joined, but through the friends they've added," Naomi Gleit, a product manager at Facebook, wrote on the company's blog. The second new option is the ability to share and restrict information based on specific friends or friend lists. "Now, in addition to messaging and event and group invitations, friend lists can help you communicate by choosing what information you share with certain groups of people." For example, you can upload your family vacation photo album and share it only with your mom and dad, or only your "Family" friend list. Alternatively, you can restrict loved ones from seeing a photo album that may not be so family-friendly by excluding your "Family" friend list. Facebook has also redesigned its privacy section to make it simpler and easier to use. "We're always building more ways for you to control your information on Facebook, so stay tuned for more in the future," Gleit promised. Facebook's Conundrum Schwartz said Facebook is facing a conundrum. The social-networking site wants to make more information open. But at...
Publication date: 2008-03-20 more

Has Apple really changed the world again?

It's called the iPad. It looks like a large iPhone, with just a single button on the front. It has a 9.7in screen and weighs in at 1.5lb pounds.
Publication date: 2010-01-28 more

Taoiseach to launch global Irish web site in NYC for St Patrick's Day

Taoiseach Brian Cowen will launch the first-ever global Irish website in New York on Sunday, March 15, with a worldwide celebrity crowd of Irish and Irish-Americans in attendance.
Publication date: 2009-03-15 more

Value of mortgages falls

THE value of residential mortgages fell by
Publication date: 2010-02-20 more

Independent Digital Grand Prix Q3 finalists announced

Independent Digital has launched a new digital advertising award, the first of its kind in Ireland.
Publication date: 2009-11-09 more

Digital life: Competition time

Grizzled superspy Sam Fisher is back with a bang in Splinter Cell Conviction on Xbox 360 and PC and we have prizes to give away to celebrate.
Publication date: 2010-04-20 more

Blog Digest

The FaithArts Blog: THERE are a few things one must not bring up at a dinner party: the dinner itself, politics and religion. Assuming you have managed to keep the dinner down, I find discussing taboo topics to be an effective if somewhat fiery digestive.
Publication date: 2008-05-30 more

Apple confirms Jan 27 event

Apple has invited journalists to a special event in San Francisco later this month, where it is widely expected to unveil the iTablet
Publication date: 2010-01-19 more

Jimmy Wales interview: Wikipedia is focusing on accuracy

Jimmy Wales is eating dinner alongside Princess Caroline of Monaco. Web royalty has come to meet the real thing. Wales, the man who co-founded Wikipedia eight years ago, is in Monaco to be awarded the Monaco Media Prize at the principality’s annual invite-only media forum.
Publication date: 2009-11-17 more

Digital Life: Get snap happy with Sony's little gem

Olympus and Panasonic co-operated last year on a new type of digital camera called Micro Four-Thirds.
Publication date: 2010-09-07 more

Google set to buy Teracent

GOOGLE, owner of the most-used internet search engine, agreed to buy Teracent to gain software that helps display advertisements better target web users.
Publication date: 2009-11-24 more

Out-of-this-world technology has the potential to save Irish lives

TECHNOLOGY developed for astronauts working in the Earth’s orbit is being deployed by Dublin fire brigades and could soon go live countrywide.
Publication date: 2009-04-23 more

Nintendo unveils new DSi

Nintendo have introduced a new model of its best-selling DS handheld game player with camera and music- playing functions to widen its lead over Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable machines.
Publication date: 2008-10-02 more

Google Sidewiki: new tool lets anyone comment on webpages

Google has launched Sidewiki, a tool that appears as a browser sidebar where anyone can share their insights on any web page.
Publication date: 2009-09-24 more

Digital Life: My, what a big screen you have!

Good grief, look at the size of that thing, said my other half. I presume she was talking about the humongous screen on the new HTC HD2 phone.
Publication date: 2010-03-16 more

Apple to launch Snow Leopard 'next week'

A listing that briefly appeared on Apple's UK website suggests that Snow Leopard could go on sale next week.
Publication date: 2009-08-21 more

Guitar heroes identify a niche and strike the right chord

All around the world this weekend, grown men with beer guts will be leaping across their living rooms, bashing out neat riffs as they relive rock and roll dreams from teenage heydays.
Publication date: 2008-09-11 more

Internet firm refuses call to block 'net pirates'

AN Irish internet provider embroiled in an ongoing dispute about illegal music downloading has refused to block customer access to a popular file-sharing website.
Publication date: 2009-08-20 more

Under no illusion: the future of optics will be truly smart

Tessera develops tiny yet powerful optics that transform next-gen devices, providing technology to Samsung and Toshiba amongst others. Michael Bereziuk is executive VP of imaging and optics
Publication date: 2009-08-13 more

Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft to work on voice products

Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft will spend as much as $180 million over the next four years to jointly develop and sell hardware and software for messaging, video and voice in a challenge to Cisco Systems.
Publication date: 2009-05-19 more

Get ready for a shakeout in the software sector, says Norkom chief

Norkom chief executive Paul Kerley expects a "shakeout" in the financial software sector in the next year and said the company's €27m cash pile could be used to fund acquisitions in North America and Asia.
Publication date: 2009-06-10 more

No Flips, No Folds -- Just a Phone

It looks a bit like a child's toy, a walkie-talkie circa 1975, a cheap plastic throwback to the good old days when telephones were made for talking. But to Spice Ltd., a telecommunications company in the world's fastest-growing phone market, this new product embodies the latest, greatest innovation in cell phone technology today: a handset priced at less than $20. Spice, which is based in Noida, India, unveiled what it is branding "the People's Phone" at a wireless industry conference in Barcelona last month. The handset is an anomaly among mobile phones today: The number keys are big and bold. It is chunky and has no color screen -- in fact, it has no screen at all. Nothing about it flips, folds or slides. It is, as Spice's chairman, Bhupendra Kumar Modi, described it, "just a phone." Yet if sales unfold according to Modi's plan, Spice could sell as many of the People's Phone as Apple sells of its iPhone, which sits at the other end of the coolness -- and price -- spectrum, with a price tag of $399 in the United States and more in some other markets. Both companies are aiming for sales of 10 million phones in their first year, which would be about a 1 percent share of the global market in 2008. "There is a massive need for these phones," said Arun Kapoor, chief executive of Spice. "We are targeting an area from Iraq to Indonesia, and that area has a population of 2.5 billion." India alone could keep the company in rupees. With more than 7 million handsets sold each month, the country accounts for more mobile phone sales than any other. Combine that with the fact that only 17 percent of the population now uses a mobile phone, and the potential is huge, analysts agree. For now,...
Publication date: 2008-03-14 more

Product review: Apple iPhone

Several friends (and taxi drivers who were listening in on our heated conversations) have dismissed the iPhone as a glorified iPod ‘with a phone bit stuck on’, which made me wonder if it really is the revolutionary communications device it has been touted as.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Microsoft gets search market-share boost With Bing

Microsoft’s effort to gain ground on Google with its new Bing search engine got a boost today from data showing an increase in its share of US search results, according to ComScore
Publication date: 2009-06-10 more

Blog digest: Frugal Ireland

We can more or less guarantee that Christmas this year will not be as extravagant as last year’s festive season.
Publication date: 2008-11-06 more

My new dream

Chad Hurley has been called the world's greatest cyber-nerd — but that's an underestimation of the man.
Publication date: 2008-05-26 more

IBM faces probe over competition concerns

IBM, the computer pioneer known as Big Blue, is being investigated in the US over allegations that it has been acting anti-competitively.
Publication date: 2009-10-09 more

Amazon refunds PS3 owners

A PlayStation 3 owner has received a rebate from Amazon after a software update from Sony prevented users from installing other operating systems on the console.
Publication date: 2010-04-13 more

First look: Windows 7 - one Vista closes, another opens for Microsoft

Publication date: 2009-08-27 more

Revealed: the YouTube rich list

MILLIONS OF people watch them each day around the world. Their audiences are young and tech-savvy and most people over 30 would be forgiven for never even having heard of them.
Publication date: 2010-08-26 more

Only smart thinking will turn Brand Ireland into a digital economy leader

IN March, while the nation continued to digest more bad economic news and feel helpless as the rate of unemployment continued to accelerate, there was a break in the clouds.
Publication date: 2009-06-04 more

Live movie-making takes to the streets as Qik cuts to the chase

Publication date: 2008-07-03 more

Adobe founders criticise Apple

Adobe's founders, Chuck Geschke and John Warnock, have written an open letter defending the freedom of the internet and criticising Apple's "walled garden" approach.
Publication date: 2010-05-13 more

Game on

Bayonetta, X360/PS3
Publication date: 2010-01-26 more

Google Wi-Fi privacy row: Schmidt admits search engine 'screwed up'

Google "screwed up" after its Street Cars wrongly mapped every wireless network in Britain to use the information for commercial purposes, Eric Schmidt, its chief executive has admitted.
Publication date: 2010-06-04 more

Irish firms leave themselves wide open to data thieves

Devices like the new iPhone 3G are being hyped as the business tools of tomorrow. But firms don’t realise that employees are losing devices with valuable information to eagle-eyed, opportunistic thieves.
Publication date: 2008-07-10 more

Product Review: AeroGarden

The further technologically advanced we become the more we can feel that we are moving away from nature but sometimes a gadget can bring Mother Earth, or in this case a selection of her herbs, right into our lives.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Publicis snaps up Microsoft's Razorfish for $530m

France's communications group Publicis has outbid WPP to buy the Razorfish agency from Microsoft, paying around $530m (€373m) for a business that entrenches its position as the world's leader in digital advertising.
Publication date: 2009-08-10 more

Google launches easy app creation tool

Google App Inventor for Android is designed to make it easier for developers to create software for Android devices.
Publication date: 2010-07-12 more

SaaS Data Storage Partnership Announced

Iron Mountain Digital and N-able Technologies are working together to provide backup and archiving services using software as a service (SaaS) technology. The alliance will help SMBs to monitor and remotely manage server-data backup and recovery. N-able provides SaaS platforms that provide managed service providers (MSPs) with remote monitoring, management, and desktop support technology. In this co-marketing relationship with Iron Mountain Digital, the technology arm of storage giant Iron Mountain, the two companies will introduce channel partners to the other's services to educate the market on the benefits to SMBs of using managed services for backup and storage. "We monitor and manage devices," looking at the network and its assets, and monitoring how much backup space is available, explained Elias Diamantopoulos, chief operating officer of N-Able. Iron Mountain's services, which address both immediate backup needs and offline backup, will be integrated into the N-able platform. That hasn't happened yet, but will soon. The theory, Diamantopoulos said, is that corporations will identify the data to be retained and create retention policies. N-able software will monitor how much storage is available for the backups, and then key data will be automatically moved offline and archived via Iron Mountain Digital. "The positioning is that end users can enable software to ensure that their networks and devices are managed and protected properly, and the content equivalently is managed and protected properly with Iron Mountain software," he said. Outsourcing Trend The partnership highlights the growing trend of SMBs to outsource as a way to save money, while getting a predictable amount for budgeting IT expenditures. "All these products can be delivered in a way that's cost-effective for SMBs. Once it's cost-effective for them, why not outsource it? You don't have to manage the day-to-day maintenance and management of the system," Diamantopoulos said. Outsourcing also helps ensure that IT...
Publication date: 2008-03-14 more

Son's website may help solve Mum's murder

A website set up by a son for his murdered mum may have yielded results
Publication date: 2008-10-20 more

Google launches Dashboard privacy controls

Google has created a new 'dashboard' control panel to enable people to more easily adjust their privacy settings.
Publication date: 2009-11-05 more

Tweeting their way onto the airwaves

A year after Sky News unveiled a Twitter correspondent, a regional radio station has unveiled a TJ -- a Twitter Jockey.
Publication date: 2010-07-22 more

Comes with … a plan to rock the Irish mobile market

Nokia is the world’s No 1 mobile manufacturer and, in the coming months, will launch its Comes With Music service to the Irish market. Alan O’Hara is country manager of Nokia Ireland
Publication date: 2009-04-23 more

Apple

A senior engineer warned Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, that the iPhone 4 could suffer from signal and reception issues, according to reports.
Publication date: 2010-07-16 more

Google adds

Google has launched a new ‘priority inbox’ service for its web-based email service, Gmail.
Publication date: 2010-08-31 more

The first YouTube election

American voters go to the polls next month to elect a new president, but a clear winner has already emerged -- the internet.
Publication date: 2008-10-17 more

Google could rise or fall as Microsoft eyes Yahoo

IF you'd bought shares in internet firm Google when it went public in 2004, there's a chance you might have been planning an early retirement, or at least making a down payment on an old Tuscan farmhouse.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Adobe admits defeat in Apple row

Adobe said it will 'no longer be investing' in technology designed to bring Flash-based applications to the iPhone.
Publication date: 2010-04-22 more

A shop window into the world of science

Trinity College Dublin recently opened its new Science Gallery, which is the first of its kind in the world. Dr Michael John Gorman is the gallery’s director.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Apple disconnects Google Voice apps

Apple has banned Google Voice applications for the iPhone and iPod touch from its iTunes app store.
Publication date: 2009-07-28 more

Irishman launches 'facebook for dogs'

TRUCKER Diarmuid Scullin is usually dog-tired after clocking up an average 1,500 miles behind the wheel of his rig every week.
Publication date: 2008-11-27 more

How Irish technology built Hollywood

Meet the former RTÉ technician who has shaped the global video entertainment industry as we know it
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Eager buyers get first bite of Apple iPad

EAGER customers intent on being among the first owners of Apple's new iPad stood in long queues across the US at the weekend.
Publication date: 2010-04-05 more

iPhone to be talk of developer event as Jobs prepares return

Apple will unveil updated software for the iPhone and may introduce new versions of the handset at its developers conference in San Francisco next week, intensifying competition in the smart-phone market.
Publication date: 2009-06-05 more

Firms take the hi-tech road in a bid to counter rising fuel bills

A telematics company from Galway has come up with new technology which it estimates can reduce fuel bills by 10-15pc by tapping into a vehicle’s engine and monitoring driver behaviour such as harsh braking and acceleration.
Publication date: 2008-08-21 more

Stay in tune with the latest must-have music players

Come Christmas time, buying an mp3 player for a loved one used to be such a cinch.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Google says sorry for 'traffic jam'

Google said a network "traffic jam" slowed or interrupted service for 14 percent of its users for about an hour yesterday.
Publication date: 2009-05-15 more

Bebo launches online fashion show

Bebo is launching a new online fashion TV show called ‘The Closet’ which will be hosted by Jameela Jamil, ex-model and new face of T4.
Publication date: 2009-08-19 more

Microsoft sells 90 million copies of Windows 7

Microsoft has announced that it has sold over 90 million copies of Windows 7 since its launch to manufacturers in July. The operating system, which went on sale to consumers in October, had sold 60 million copies by the end of January.
Publication date: 2010-03-05 more

Apple's Steve Jobs launches iPhone 4

Steve Jobs has unveiled iPhone 4, the most 'beautiful and precise' device Apple has ever made.
Publication date: 2010-06-08 more

Smart card firm close to administration

TECHNOLOGY ID Data, the UK company that makes smart card systems, is on the verge of calling in administrators after falling short of raising the cash it needs for short-term funding.
Publication date: 2008-10-17 more

Social media revolution hits warp speed

The social media revolution may be a well-known phenomenon to those in the 'industry', but among the wider world the speed of social media's expansion, the depth of its reach and the vast advertising potential are still enough to draw gasps.
Publication date: 2009-10-22 more

Product Review: Nintendo Wii Fit

Pros: Gives a surprisingly solid workout Cons: Set-up is really time-consuming Price: €80 from PC World
Publication date: 2008-05-30 more

iPad: A marketing triumph from masters of suspense

The things that we become massively invested in without realising it are extraordinary. I have no real interest in who wins the Eurovision Song Contest each year, but at the height of the voting I'll find myself roaring on Romania or Malta for no particular reason.
Publication date: 2010-01-28 more

Digital piracy is

Music piracy is a ‘growing threat’ and should be ‘dealt with accordingly’, says US Commerce Secretary.
Publication date: 2010-09-01 more

Apple acknowledges iPad Wi-Fi problems

Apple has admitted that some iPad users are experiencing difficulties getting online.
Publication date: 2010-04-07 more

'It's time to prepare for the next generation of Ireland's digital industries'

Ireland needs to capture the next industrial wave, says Data Electronics' CEO Maurice Mortell
Publication date: 2009-07-09 more

iPhone: Angry Birds 'could become movie'

Angry Birds, the popular iPhone game, could become a movie if talks between the games company and the Hollywood studios are successful.
Publication date: 2010-08-25 more

Gmail back online again

Google's e-mail service Gmail is back up and running.
Publication date: 2009-02-24 more

Free data storage will drive the future of the mobile internet

We hear much talk of cloud computing, and free storage of data. Do you see it as a game changer in coming years?
Publication date: 2010-02-25 more

Twitter users send 50 million tweets per day

Almost 600 tweets are sent every second through the microblogging site, according to its own metrics
Publication date: 2010-02-23 more

FCC Defends Its Complaint Handling

The Federal Communications Commission processes 95 percent of the citizen complaints it receives but does a poor job of tracking how it resolves them, congressional auditors reported Thursday. The Government Accountability Office said the agency "needs to improve how it collects and analyzes data on complaints received, investigations conducted and enforcement actions taken to better manage its enforcement program." In response, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said "the GAO put forward valuable recommendations" and that prior to the report's release, the commission had "identified these issues and is already in the process of implementing measures to address them." Martin also said that since he became chairman, the commission has been responding to 100 percent of consumer complaints and has collected a record amount of fines, forfeitures and consent decree payments. The GAO analysis examined data encompassing 454,000 complaints between 2003 and 2006. The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, said the FCC processed about 95 percent of the complaints it received, opened about 46,000 investigations and closed 39,000. About 9 percent of the closed investigations resulted in an enforcement action, while 83 percent resulted in no enforcement. The GAO said it could not determine why the investigations were closed without action because "FCC does not systematically collect these data." The agency did its own analysis and said the vast majority of closures were due to a lack of information or a determination that no violation had occurred. The report criticized the agency for failing to set performance goals which prevent it from "assuring Congress and other stakeholders that it is meeting its enforcement mission." The investigation was sought by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce telecommunications and the Internet subcommittee. Markey used the results to push for state enforcement authority over the wireless industry. "The GAO's report makes clear that any legislation establishing national consumer protection...
Publication date: 2008-03-17 more

How to stay safe online and avoid cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is one of the sinister new offshoots of the age we live in where bullies use technology, such as mobiles and the internet, to harass other people. It can take many forms:
Publication date: 2009-08-17 more

A combined effort is needed to

Irish Internet Association (IIA) CEO Joan Mulvihill is on a mission – to digitise the nation. She believes the opportunities the digital age heralds for citizens and businesses alike must be grasped.
Publication date: 2010-05-13 more

Online advertising spend overtakes TV in Britain

Online advertising expenditure in the UK grew 4.6% to £1.75 billion in the first half of 2009 overtaking TV for the first time, according to a study by the Internet Advertising Bureau and Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Publication date: 2009-10-01 more

888 net falls 54% after U.S. online-gaming crackdown

888 Holdings Plc, the second-largest U.K. online gambling company, said profit fell 54 percent in 2007 after a crackdown on Web gaming forced the company out of the U.S.
Publication date: 2008-04-08 more

My shock when my friend gave up Facebook

An email arrived from my friend Lisa the other day. It was short and to the point. "Hello everyone," it read. "I am giving Facebook a break for a while and have deleted my account. See you all in the real world."
Publication date: 2010-04-20 more

Telecoms industry forms next-generation network plan

The Telecommunications and Internet Federation (TIF) is funding an Analysys Mason study into the best way Ireland can build its future next-generation network (NGN). Tommy McCabe is director of TIF
Publication date: 2009-07-30 more

Dell and Go Daddy threaten to follow Google out of China

Two major US technology companies, Dell and Go Daddy, have threatened to pull out of China in the wake of Google's departure from the country.
Publication date: 2010-03-25 more

Dell 'to launch Android smartphone in US'

Computer maker Dell is working on a new mobile phone that will use Google's Android operating system and run on the AT&T network, according to reports.
Publication date: 2009-10-08 more

BBC should charge for website and other services, says Dawn Airey

The BBC should consider charging viewers for its website, the iPlayer and all services other than two television channels and "a couple of radio stations", Dawn Airey, the chief executive of Five, has suggested.
Publication date: 2009-09-01 more

Microsoft offers to fix your PC

Microsoft has launched a new self-repair service for computers. Called Fix It the new product is based on similar features online and in Windows 7, but extends them to all machines from Windows XP upwards.
Publication date: 2010-04-21 more

Digital life: Going Ga Ga for gadgets

Greetings from the edge of the future. Fittingly, this glimpse of gadget heaven takes place in Las Vegas, that loveably artificial monument to modernity in the desert.
Publication date: 2010-01-12 more

'Huge' Apple iPad data breach in US

Vulnerabilities in AT&T's network allowed a security firm to uncover the contact details of 114,000 high-profile iPad owners, reports technology industry website Gawker
Publication date: 2010-06-10 more

Apple iPad domain names for sale on eBay

Canny internet users have snapped up iPad-related web addresses and are reselling them for millions of dollars.
Publication date: 2010-03-24 more

Facebook and Twitter users 'could be targeted by burglars'

Users social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter could face higher insurance premiums because burglars may be using them to find out their personal details.
Publication date: 2009-08-27 more

Microsoft offers computer users choice of browsers

Computer users must now choose which browser they use to surf the internet, after a ruling against Microsoft by the European Commission came in to effect.
Publication date: 2010-03-01 more

Google search might lead to fewer ads, less profit: David Pauly

March 31 (Bloomberg) -- Do a thorough job of googling Google Inc. and you discover its business is advertising -- hardly an endeavor to justify the lofty stock prices the company has enjoyed since it went public in 2004.
Publication date: 2008-03-31 more

Google chief: You can trust us with your data

This week Google released an update to its Android mobile operating system. Known as FroYo, the new operating system makes Android mobile phones up to five times faster and makes it possible to use the phone as a wireless hotspot.
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Gmail status updates 'to compete with Facebook and Twitter'

Google is tomorrow expected to announce enhancements to its Gmail service that will make it easier for users to share links, media and status updates with friends.
Publication date: 2010-02-09 more

On the hunt for this year’s killer app

Few technologies bar email and mobiles have changed the workplace. What new killer apps are on the horizon?
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Scientists use computer to 'read minds' on screen

Scientists have discovered how to read 'the mind’s eye' using a computer that can replicate what humans are seeing or recalling by monitoring their brain activity.
Publication date: 2009-11-02 more

The man who is allergic to Wi-Fi

A club DJ, Steve Miller, has revealed he has been forced into exile by a powerful allergy to Wi-Fi internet waves which leaves him feeling dizzy, sick and disorientated.
Publication date: 2009-07-24 more

Are buggy smart phones now the reality in our new ‘beta culture’?

With touchscreen smart phones becoming the order of the day, the two biggest mobile phone releases of 2008 were undoubtedly the iPhone 3G from Apple and RIM’s BlackBerry Storm.
Publication date: 2009-02-05 more

Apple sued by users of 'overheating' iPad

Apple is being sued by iPad owners who claim the device overheats too easily and shuts down, making it difficult to use outdoors.
Publication date: 2010-07-29 more

Facebook dismisses syphilis link

Social network Facebook has said that reports linking the site’s rise to an increased incidence of the bacterial infection syphilis are "ridiculous".
Publication date: 2010-03-25 more

Microsoft to put Windows on non-profit group's laptops

Microsoft Corp., the world's biggest software maker, agreed to make its Windows operating system available on computers bound for poor children in developing countries, part of a test with the One Laptop per Child group.
Publication date: 2008-05-16 more

Microsoft may ship Windows in September says Compal

Microsoft may begin shipping its Windows 7 operating system as early as the third quarter, months before the software maker’s official prediction, a computer-industry executive said.
Publication date: 2009-02-27 more

Cyberclinic: Should I bother using a search engine other than Google?

It's a pinnacle of achievement in marketing for a brand name to become a verb. There are surely companies out there who dearly wish that phrases like "Let's Volvo over to East Grinstead" or "I'm going out to get absolutely Strongbowed" had somehow edged their way into the English lexicon.
Publication date: 2009-06-10 more

How Ed Roberts' Altair 8800 revolutionised home computing

Ed Roberts, co-founder of Micro Information and Telemetry Systems (MITS) and designer of the Altair 8800, has died at the age of 68.
Publication date: 2010-04-08 more

Apple files

Apple has filed a patent for a touch-screen iMac desktop computer with swivelling display.
Publication date: 2010-08-24 more

Blog digest: Just Routes

Although this is not technically a blog, I must single this website out as an essential Irish site to visit, simply because it lists almost all the bus routes around Dublin City. If you plug in where you are and where you want to get to, you will be given the distance, as well as the most direct bus route.
Publication date: 2008-11-20 more

Computer giant's frustration at rival's dominance behind the audacious offer

THE call came on Thursday afternoon. From his office in Seattle, Steve Ballmer, chief executive of Microsoft, picked up his phone to tell Jerry Yang -- the head of Yahoo! based further down the US west coast in Sunnyvale, California -- that he had just launched a $45bn hostile takeover bid for the search engine.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Samsung plans Windows and Android-based mobile devices

From nowhere two years ago mobile maker Samsung has captured 20pc of the Irish handset market. Gary Twohig is country manager at Samsung Mobile
Publication date: 2009-07-16 more

And your host for the internet is …

Home-grown data centre firm Hosting 365 is to create 20 new jobs as part of a €2m expansion. Stephen McCarron is the company’s chief executive.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Look, no hands . . . latest Xbox ditches control pads

THE battle for computer game supremacy entered uncharted territory yesterday as Microsoft revealed its answer to the Nintendo Wii -- a revolutionary control system for its Xbox 360 console that requires no hand-held device.
Publication date: 2009-06-03 more

Intelligent firms know ‘who dares sells’

Business intelligence (BI) gives MDs a digital dashboard on every aspect of their firm’s performance. SAS Group client director John Farrelly is spearheading this trend in Ireland.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Apple updates iTunes for iPad launch

Apple has released the latest version of iTunes in preparation for the US launch of the iPad on Saturday.
Publication date: 2010-03-31 more

Ireland's first self-sustaining mobile base station cuts emissions

Publication date: 2009-09-03 more

Yahoo faces exodus of top managers after ending Microsoft talks

Yahoo! Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jerry Yang faces an exodus of top managers, challenging his effort to turn around the Internet company.
Publication date: 2008-06-21 more

Powering consumer electronics

Intel wants to do to home entertainment what the Pentium processor did to the PC business over the past 30 years
Publication date: 2008-05-15 more

Facebook block over Mohammed caricature competition

FACEBOOK was sucked into a growing row over Islam and freedom of speech yesterday after a Pakistani court ordered the site to be blocked over a page advertising a contest to draw cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
Publication date: 2010-05-20 more

Digital life: Long battery life from Apple is a real turn up for the Books . . .

If there's one present gadget lovers could have wished for this Christmas, it's more battery life. From mobiles to iPods to laptops, everything runs out of juice far sooner than we'd like.
Publication date: 2010-01-06 more

The ultimate remote control?

In these days of inflated fuel prices, central heating is both a necessity and a financial headache. If you don't want to leave it on all day, you have to wait for it to come on every time you arrive back from work, and even if it has a timer and you can work out how to set it, it's pointless to do so if you don't know exactly when you'll be back home.
Publication date: 2009-01-28 more

First wooden computer in biodegradable breakthrough

THE seeds of a new IT revolution may have been sown, with the world's first biodegradable computer made of wood.
Publication date: 2008-11-20 more

How technology drives us to distraction

I'm a good driver. I've been doing it for 10 years and I've never been stopped by police (well, twice), I've never been flashed by speed cameras (at least not for a few months) and, touch wood, I've never crashed – unless you count that time that, driving my Fiesta, I pulled out into the path of a brand new Audi.
Publication date: 2009-10-07 more

Apple unveils new family of ‘eco’ MacBooks

Steve Jobs' new babies are smarter and more innovative than their predecessors
Publication date: 2008-10-20 more

Game on: 08/12/2009

Racing games usually force you to choose between reality and fun. True-to-life or outrageous. The Forza series straddles the middle of the track between the two and this third instalment refines the experience to cater for both manic petrolheads and casual fans.
Publication date: 2009-12-08 more

Apple Considering 'Free' Access to iTunes Library

Apple is talking with the major record labels about a change in the iTunes Store business model that would give customers free access to the store's complete music library, according to the Financial Times. The catch is that consumers would pay a premium for Apple's iPod and iPhone devices. The rumored model is akin to the "Comes with Music" deal Nokia inked with Universal Music last December. Apple could not immediately be reached for comment, but the British newspaper reported the negotiations hinged on a dispute over the price Apple would pay for access to the labels' libraries. "Rumors of Apple getting into the 'all you can eat' music business have been around almost as long as the iPod itself," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch. "The real challenge that Apple would face is taking this from something that appeals to music aficionados to something the mainstream could appreciate." Paying an iPod Premium One of the major sticking points with shifting the iTunes Store model, Gartenberg said, is the challenge of formulating price schemes that make sense to consumers, Apple and the record companies. The Financial Times cites executives familiar with the matter whose research shows consumers would pay a premium of up to $100 for unlimited access to music for the lifetime of the device. "If it costs $100 more to buy an iPod, but that money buys you access to the entire iTunes music library, then that's going to be an acceptable value proposition to a lot of consumers," Gartenberg said. A Subscription Model? However, the Financial Times reports, the "all you can eat" model is not the only one Apple is considering. The company is also reportedly exploring a subscription model, which is more common to the industry. A subscription, the report indicated, would come with a monthly fee of $7 to $8. "Consumers...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

Is VOD the tonic for Irish viewers?

My first taste of video on demand (VOD) was back in 1997 when I ordered a movie from the TV in my hotel room
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Digital Life: Soon you'll be really hands-on

Remember Tom Cruise waving his hands to control images on a screen in sci-fi thriller Minority Report set in 2054? Maybe the future will arrive sooner than we expected if Microsoft can be believed, making everything on your TV from games to movies controllable just via body movements.
Publication date: 2010-03-02 more

Facebook 3.0 for iPhone submitted for review

A new version of the Facebook app for the iPhone has been submitted to Apple for review, according to one of its developers.
Publication date: 2009-08-17 more

YouTube launches new mobile site

New YouTube mobile site offers faster browsing, better quality videos and is built on HTML5
Publication date: 2010-08-24 more

Google closes China site in row over censorship

GOOGLE has effectively closed its flagship search site in China, carrying out a threat issued two months ago in a dispute over censorship.
Publication date: 2010-03-23 more

Digital Life: Up in the air with Rico and the mile-high lapdancing club...

Abandoning the jet you hijacked on the ground earlier, you plunge out the door and skydive toward the beautiful tropical paradise 2,000 feet below. Half-way down you spot a pair of floating zeppelins and launch your grappling hook to reel yourself on board. Incredibly, it turns out to be an airborne lapdancing club.
Publication date: 2010-04-20 more

Digital Life: This galaxy's out of this world

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. There can be no doubt the photocopiers worked overtime in the design department when Samsung came up with its latest mobile, the Galaxy S.
Publication date: 2010-08-24 more

Net Video Ads: Attention Vs. Annoyance

Frank Harper is well aware that all those free video clips on the Internet come at a price: advertising. But that doesn't mean he sits idly as short video ads precede many of the dozen or so clips he watches each day at sites like Microsoft Corp.'s MSN. "For the most part, I just mute the volume," said Harper, 55, who runs a security consulting firm in Sterling, Va. "Or I just look at something else, look at another headline ... or go to another site while the thing is playing." Marketers and Web sites alike are struggling to bring to the Internet ads that resemble television without turning off viewers the way TV ads often do. Spending on online video ads represents less than 4 percent of all Internet advertising and just 1 percent of the amount spent on TV, according to eMarketer. But growth is expected -- with the research firm forecasting U.S. spending more than tripling to $4.3 billion in 2011 -- especially as more viewers embrace full-length TV episodes and other video online. The challenge is finding the right formula -- in the creative approach, the format or the frequency with which the ads appear -- so visitors notice the pitches without getting so annoyed that they never come back. "Users love free content and advertisers love to fill up every minute and pixel with the messaging, and publishers do have to find that balance," said Geoffrey Coco, an advertising executive with Microsoft, which has a video news partnership with The Associated Press. "There's been a lot of innovation but I don't think we've settled down yet." The results so far have been mixed -- even when sites force viewers to watch video ads by making them impossible to skip. Viewers "are grabbing the status bar, trying to click it ahead or further along,...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

'There can be no green economy if we don't sort out our broadband problems first'

The green economy is just a pipe dream if we remain broadband laggards, says Magnet chief.
Publication date: 2010-02-11 more

Silicon Valley Insider

Growing up in Silicon Valley, Robert Scoble has circuitry in his veins and the credentials to carry on the legacy.
Publication date: 2008-06-05 more

Digital Life: Rebooted, but definitely not reborn

The Prince of Darkness has stepped into the light for the long-delayed return of the Splinter Cell super-spy series.
Publication date: 2010-04-27 more

Facebook users cancel friday night plans to claim new names

Tomorrow night may be a late one for some Facebook users.
Publication date: 2009-06-11 more

The weird and the wonderful at CES 2010

Sony Dash
Publication date: 2010-01-12 more

How to make your PC last longer

It costs hundreds of pounds, but your PC may have a suprisingly short life. Fresh out of the box, it runs like a dream, but after only months of use, it can become frustratingly slow.
Publication date: 2009-03-13 more

The geek's guide to netiquette

Social networking is a minefield for manners - should you poke your boss? Can you have too many friends? Rhodri Marsden shares his golden rules
Publication date: 2008-06-19 more

Google 'testing TV search service'

Google is testing a new search service that will make it easier for people to find their favourite TV shows and YouTube videos, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Publication date: 2010-03-09 more

Microsoft launches MSN Video, its first web TV service

Microsoft has announced the launch of MSN Video, an online TV player which will go live within the next week, and marks the technology giant’s first foray into long form video.
Publication date: 2009-07-30 more

Is Facebook just a passing fad?

It's a tale of entrepreneurial flair that provokes awe and envy in equal measure. A student at Harvard creates a website for the amusement of his fellow undergraduates so they can exchange notes and keep tabs on upcoming events.
Publication date: 2009-02-05 more

Digital Life: Add a new dimension to your TV

The stampede toward 3D TV is gathering pace as all the big manufacturers race to bring an extra dimension to your sitting room.
Publication date: 2010-05-25 more

R&D provides building blocks for construction sector's road to recovery

A concrete example of how export opportunities still exist for Ireland's stricken building sector
Publication date: 2009-04-30 more

Cyberclinic: Are we wasting our money when we buy virtual goods?

It's my friend Penny's birthday today. I've not bought her anything, but Facebook offers me a selection of last-minute virtual gifts: a tiara she can't wear, a whoopee cushion she'll never be able to sit on, or some champagne that she'll never guzzle while sitting on the kitchen floor and weeping bitter tears at the passing of her youth.
Publication date: 2010-01-14 more

Zuckerberg says Facebook is getting 'privacy right on the whole'

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, has said he believes the company has got its privacy settings right "on the whole".
Publication date: 2010-06-03 more

Eco-server strategy has potential to save Irish Exchequer up to €30m

AS the emergency budget looms, and, with the Irish Government looking to cut spending, there is an opportunity for the State to save between €20m and €30m, as well as reduce carbon emissions by 18,000 tonnes, if it commits to an overhaul of its IT systems.
Publication date: 2009-03-26 more

Crystal Swing and the viral web

I'm not going to lie to you: showband-era music gives me the creeps. I dislike the cheese: the pseudo-American crooning, the tacky outfits and the incongruity of a form of music that tries to marry the appeal of swinging jazz bands of the Fifties with rural Ireland several years after big bands have fallen out of fashion in the first place.
Publication date: 2010-04-08 more

Apple set to unveil new iPod

Apple is expected to use its press conference later today to unveil new-look iPods, a revamped Apple TV and possibly a music-streaming service, according to industry observers.
Publication date: 2010-09-01 more

Gmail users latest victims of email scam

Google email users have become the latest victims in an "industry-wide" phishing attack scheme, which has affected thousands of people across several web based services.
Publication date: 2009-10-06 more

JNIR research

The JNIR (Joint National Internet Research) was published on 9th April. The objective of the JNIR survey is to provide reliable estimates of audiences to Ireland’s key Internet sites, search engines and email providers as a basis for the planning of advertising schedules.
Publication date: 2008-04-15 more

Films for free: Lights, camera, download

After years of delay, the internet has finally been allowed to revolutionise my music consumption. I can discover new artists using Last.FM, seek out their back catalogue via Spotify and, if I have to own a song, I can buy it from iTunes.
Publication date: 2009-05-27 more

SanDisk wins review of patent loss over flash-memory chips

SanDisk Corp., the world’s largest maker of cards that store digital pictures, won a second chance to argue that more than a dozen companies infringe its patents for flash-memory technology.
Publication date: 2009-08-25 more

Sony announces 3D television plans for every home by 'end of 2010'

Three-dimensional television, once the stuff of dreams in science fiction movies, is to become a reality in British homes by next year, after Sony announced plans to implement the technology across its range of products.
Publication date: 2009-09-02 more

PlayStation 3 Update Will Bring Interactive Blu-ray

Sony on Thursday said the next firmware update for the PlayStation 3 video-game console will add Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0. The update is due out late this month. Known as BD-Live, the update will offer PS3 players interactive features, such as downloadable video content, ringtones and games. Beyond BD-Live, the update will make room for photo and music playlists on PS3 to be copied to a PSP handheld device. It's all part of Sony's attempts to evolve the PS3 as a home entertainment hub. Regular updates like this one and future-proofed technology make the 10-year life cycle of PS3 possible, according to Scott Steinberg, vice president of product marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America. "With Blu-ray established as the high-definition optical disc standard, more consumers are ready to jump in and take advantage of everything the format offers," Steinberg said. "Whether you want to download movie extras, send ringtones to your phone, or play interactive games, BD-LIVE will offer exciting new ways to enjoy a Blu-ray movie." BD-Live Possibilities BD-Live offers plenty of possibilities, but Sony said the benefits will vary by movie title. For example, movie studios could deliver bonus scenes, shorts, trailers, subtitles and ringtones that can be sent to mobile phones. On the gaming side, interactive movie-based games can pit players sitting in the same room or across the world. In conjunction with the firmware update, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced two BD-LIVE-enabled titles to be released on April 8 -- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The 6th Day. Both titles will include exclusive downloadable content that goes beyond what is available on the Blu-ray discs, Sony said. These initial releases preview some of the developments that will soon be available from BD-LIVE. Downloading BD Profile 2.0 requires an Internet connection and at least 1GB of storage space. BD-Live aside,...
Publication date: 2008-03-23 more

February Video Game Sales Up 34 Percent

U.S. video game sales -- including hardware and software -- jumped 34 percent in February to hit $1.33 billion, even with two top-selling consoles in short supply, according to data from market researcher NPD Group. Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 have been in such high demand stores are having a hard time keeping them in stock. Microsoft spokesman David Dennis said the company moved up shipments during the holidays and hasn't been able to catch up since. He added "we should be in good shape" by the time Grand Theft Auto IV, the highly anticipated latest installment of the Rockstar Games franchise, hits store shelves April 29. The game, which will be available on the Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, is expected to boost sales of both consoles. Pre-orders have been better than expected, according to its publisher, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan, expects the game to sell about 9 million units during the company's fiscal year, which ends in October. Roughly 6 million of this, he added, will be to Xbox 360 owners. February is normally a slow month for video game publishers coming off holiday highs, and consumers have also been cutting back spending amid economic worries. Still, with "several marquee titles still to come in the front half of the year, the industry is poised to achieve another year of record-breaking sales despite difficult economic conditions," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in an e-mail. The sales figures surpassed what many analysts were expecting. Game hardware sales rose 19 percent during the month to $480 million, NPD said late Thursday. Of this, the portable Nintendo DS was the best-seller with 587,600 units, followed by the Wii at 432,000. The Xbox 360 sold 254,600 units even amid supply constraints. "It appears that Wii and DS shortages...
Publication date: 2008-03-17 more

Online spread betting tipped to even the odds for novice investors

SPREAD betting, a form of gambling that has its origins in the Seventies, is big business in 2008. As markets around the world rise and fall, the genre has been seized by one of Ireland’s largest betting firms as a way to allow punters to gain using the internet, whether stocks rise or fall.
Publication date: 2008-07-25 more

Thanks for the memories -- the computer you'll never forget

RESEARCHERS have taken a leap into the world of science fiction by creating a computer programme that uncovers memories.
Publication date: 2010-03-12 more

BBC admits plan to scale back website

The director general of the BBC yesterday indicated that there would be a reduction in the scale of its popular website, and possibly the closure of some of its digital channels or radio stations, following claims from politicians and rivals in commercially funded media that it had grown too big.
Publication date: 2009-11-27 more

Shannon call centre to close with loss of 71 jobs

A Co Clare-based firm is closing its call centre in Shannon and relocating to the UK with the loss of over 70 jobs.
Publication date: 2009-04-16 more

Are mobile phones replacing laptops?

In October 1983 Bob Barnett, a former president of Ameritech Mobile Communications, telephoned Alexander Graham Bell's grandson from a Chrysler convertible at an American football field in Chicago. It was the world's first commercial mobile phone call.
Publication date: 2009-09-01 more

Caught in the net of infomania

I am now a fully fledged blogger and Twitterer. A Twit, if you like. It admittedly took some convincing, but caving in to my curiosity, and gentle managerial pressure, earlier this year I decided to set up both a Twitter account and a personal blog, simply called www.rosanna.ie.
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

New Google doodle to mark Danish physicist Hans Christian

Google has unveiled a new logo for its search engine to celebrate the anniversary of Hans Christian
Publication date: 2009-08-14 more

iPod Touch: The Future of Handheld Devices

Some see the iPod touch as just an iPhone without the phone. Others see it as a taste of things to come: Truly portable tablet computers that deliver features only Apple can bring to the table. Apple's touch screen iPod is about to take a serious leap forward in capabilities come June when the App Store launches and third party developers can start offering their programs for the palm-size computer. It appears that Apple will be doing little to limit the applications developers can release, which means the iPod touch will be limited only by coder's imaginations. Even Apple refers to the super-slim touch screen iPod as a "mobile Wi-Fi platform," and not as a media player, making a clear distinction between the touch and its other iPod products. Right now, the iPod touch offers a subset of the features found on its cousin the iPhone. It doesn't include a cell phone, and Bluetooth is clearly missing, too. While Apple won't add cell phone features to the touch, it may well roll in Bluetooth at some point, which could potentially open the door to a wide range of wireless peripherals like keyboards, mice, and stereo headsets. BusinessWeek pointed out that one feature missing from the touch is an e-book reader like Amazon.com's Kindle. The touch's current display size is fine for Web surfing and email, but it might be a bit small for reading books, which means if Apple is considering e-book support, it might also be considering a larger screen version of the device -- which could be the birth of a true Apple table-like computer. E-book support could also lead to a new feature at the iTunes Store: Electronic versions of books, magazines, and other periodicals. "All that's needed are willing content suppliers for the iTunes Store, which could become a central distribution...
Publication date: 2008-03-14 more

Ireland sits on a wireless gold mine

As it’s an island nation, has low population density and is not a military power, in comparison to its European neighbours, Ireland is sitting on an abundance of wireless spectrum that could be worth a fortune to the economy in the years ahead.
Publication date: 2008-05-22 more

New 3G iPhone arrives starting at €45

THE much anticipated, nextgeneration iPhone has been announced by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs, with an 11 July release date set for Ireland and the UK.
Publication date: 2008-06-30 more

Apple's New Safari Runs Faster, Supports Windows

Apple released a 3.1 version of its Safari Web browser on Tuesday with several improvements. Apple said the new version loads Web pages 1.9 times faster than Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 and 1.7 times faster than the open-source Firefox 2 browser. It also said Safari 3.1 runs JavaScript up to six times faster than any other browser, and it is the first to support new Web standards. Apple said the speed benchmarks were based on VeriTest's iBench Version 5.0 with default settings, running on an iMac 2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system with Windows XP and 1GB of memory. For Mac and Windows The browser is available as a free download at www.apple.com/safari, and works on both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems. For Mac, the browser requires either the Tiger 10.4.11 version of Mac OS X, or Leopard, with at least 256MB of memory on any Intel-based Mac or any Mac with a PowerPC G5, G4 or G3 processor. For Windows XP or Vista, at least 256MB of memory is required and at least a 500-MHz Intel Pentium processor. Apple Senior Vice President Philip Schiller said Safari 3.1 is "blazingly fast, easy to use" and features an "elegant user interface." Best of all, he added, the newest Safari supports audio, video and animation standards needed for the next generation of Web 2.0 experiences. In particular, Apple noted that Safari 3.1 is the first browser to support new video and audio tags in HTML 5, as well as the first to support CSS animations. It also supports CSS Web fonts that offer new design choices. Support for MacBook Air The interface includes drag-and-drop bookmarks, easy-to-organize tabs, and an integrated Find that shows the number of matches in a page. A built-in RSS reader enables the user to scan and view news and information from feeds....
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

Keep on workin’ in the free world

The net is the new workplace and tools can be downloaded in seconds. Is this the beginning or the end of software?
Publication date: 2008-04-19 more

YouTube blocks music videos in U.K.

YouTube, the video-sharing Web site owned by Google Inc., is blocking users’ access to music videos in the U.K. after failing to reach a new licensing agreement with a songwriters’ organization.
Publication date: 2009-03-10 more

Digital Life: Get WiFi on the move, Jack Bauer-style

Jack Bauer loves his gadgets and thinks nothing of simultaneously driving down a busy street, firing his weapon, yelling into the phone and downloading a terrorist's picture into his car's computer.
Publication date: 2010-06-29 more

Yahoo spent $79 Million last year for advisers on Microsoft

Yahoo! Inc., owner of the second most used search engine in the U.S., spent $79 million (€62 million) in 2008 for outside advisers related to Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition bid and a failed partnership with Google Inc.
Publication date: 2009-03-02 more

IT veteran achieves perfect Zen through open source

Utah software company Novell employs 150 people in Dublin. The advent of open source software, particularly Linux, gave this long-standing IT giant a new lease of life. Ron Hovsepian is the company’s CEO
Publication date: 2008-08-28 more

The rise and rise of the laptop

Publication date: 2009-12-10 more

Bits and bytes: YouTube chart, Gmail chat and Korean tweets

Publication date: 2010-08-31 more

Cyberclinic: Why are the batteries on smartphones so unreliable?

One thing is even more astounding than our ability to carry around a lozenge-sized device that can make calls, receive emails, pinpoint our position on a map and play Kate Bush albums: we don't need to wheel along a petrol-driven generator to power it all.
Publication date: 2009-10-07 more

ISPs key to beating the botnets

DELETING reams of spam from email inboxes is, for many people, as much a part of the daily routine as a morning coffee or chatting by the office water cooler. Despite the industry’s best efforts, the problem hasn’t gone away; if anything, it’s worse. Last month, spam accounted for more than three quarters of all email traffic worldwide, according to MessageLabs.
Publication date: 2008-07-07 more

Wii: More than just a game

Believe it or not, a Wii handset can help with everything from making music to cleaning the house
Publication date: 2008-05-01 more

Ireland's broadband rate rises to meet EU average

Ireland's broadband penetration rate increased to just over 20pc at the end of the last quarter, putting the country just in line with the EU average, but still behind other member states such as France, Belgium, the UK, Estonia and Sweden.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Cyberclinic: Is there any point in buying Nintendo's new DSi console?

Gamers would, until fairly recently, have dismissed the mobile phone as suitable only for painstakingly manoeuvring playing cards about, or directing a sluggish snake around in circles. Even phones that tried to muscle in on the gaming world, such as the Nokia N-Gage, were greeted with muffled laughter in some quarters when they were launched.
Publication date: 2009-02-25 more

Looking to nature for smarter software systems

YOU say there is a crisis facing software engineering. What is this?
Publication date: 2009-06-04 more

Digital Life: Apple give us a taste of what

Apple previewed the next generation of its iPhone software last week — at last delivering full multitasking, better email handling and the iBooks e-reader app first seen in the iPad.
Publication date: 2010-04-13 more

Facebook chief makes privacy change pledge

Founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has said that Facebook sometimes moves ‘too fast’ but is working to fix mistakes made on privacy
Publication date: 2010-05-24 more

Murdoch has no plans to compete for Yahoo

News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch said he isn't going to challenge Microsoft's attempt to buy Yahoo, narrowing options for the second-largest internet search engine.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Apple could sell 10m iPads this year

Apple could sell as many as 10 million of its new iPads this year, a leading technology analyst has forecast, doubling previous expectations and pushing the technology giant's shares to new highs.
Publication date: 2010-03-30 more

Wi-fidelity as smartphones tie users closer to web experience

Ireland's oldest Wi-Fi hotspot provider Bitbuzz is six years old next week, and has more than 5,000 access points in 201 locations. Shane Deasy is managing director
Publication date: 2009-08-27 more

How the church is slowly catching up with the internet

Awesome. That was the word employed this week by the Primate of All Ireland, Doctor Sean Brady, to launch the Church's new website, catholicbishops.ie. Addressing the global reach of the internet, the Archbishop described it as "an awesome tool of communication", adding that he regarded it as "the single most revolutionary communications medium of all time".
Publication date: 2008-09-27 more

High hopes for Irish cartoon at BAFTAs

SKUNK Fu!, an Irish-produced cartoon, is in the running for a BAFTA in London next Spring.
Publication date: 2008-11-28 more

Liverpool man sued for alleged illegal software sales

Business Software Alliance (BSA) has launched legal action against a Liverpool man suspected of selling illegal software over the Internet. John Rothwell of Anfield allegedly sold BSA investigators pirated copies of design and office productivity software with a total retail value of over £2,000 for only £29.
Publication date: 2008-11-04 more

Apple to launch new iPhone

Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, will unveil the company's newest iPhone at WWDC in San Francisco.
Publication date: 2010-06-07 more

Mobile World Congress: Microsoft rings the changes

I’m afraid your shiny, new mobile phone could look distinctly old-fashioned by this time next week. Exhibitors at 2010’s Mobile World Congress are set to unveil a huge selection of new handsets, platforms and services designed to cement the mobile phone’s position at the centre of the digital landscape.
Publication date: 2010-02-15 more

Yahoo, fighting Microsoft, agrees to test Google ads

Yahoo! Inc., seeking to scuttle Microsoft Corp.'s $44.6 billion acquisition bid, plans to run some Internet search advertisements from Google Inc. as a way to resuscitate revenue growth.
Publication date: 2008-04-10 more

Get Kinected

KINETICMALS brings a virtual pet into your living room, enabling you to play with one of 40 cutesy animals. Looking a lot like the PS3's EyePet, it has bags of charm.
Publication date: 2010-06-16 more

Nokia unveils rival to iPhone

Nokia have unveiled a touch-screen handset with unlimited music downloads, challenging Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iTunes.
Publication date: 2008-10-08 more

Google Books faces fresh lawsuit from photographers

Google's plan to create an online library of the world's books faces new delays after photographers and illustrators filed a class-action lawsuit against the project.
Publication date: 2010-04-08 more

CES 2010: Microsoft's Steve Ballmer fails to wow

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer failed to wow the crowds when he opened the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.
Publication date: 2010-01-07 more

Orange to pilot world's first e-newspaper next week

The world's first entirely electronic newspapers will go on trial in France next week, offering not only morning headlines but automatic updates every hour throughout the day.
Publication date: 2008-05-22 more

Computer-fraud case over MySpace teen’s suicide goes to jury

A federal jury will begin deliberating whether a Missouri woman who used News Corp.’s MySpace social-networking Web site to embarrass a teenager who later committed suicide is guilty of computer fraud.
Publication date: 2008-11-25 more

Lavasoft launches database of rogue security software

Anti-spyware developer Lavasoft has announced the launch of a new resource tool, The Rogue Gallery, which is a comprehensive list of current rogue (or fake) security applications, giving users the ability to immediately identify if they are targets of rogue threats.
Publication date: 2009-12-02 more

Jobs screams, sows terror to make Apple magic

Steve Jobs is a narcissistic perfectionist with a volcanic temper who considers most people to be ``bozos.'' Apple Inc.'s chief executive officer is also among the greatest business leaders of all time.
Publication date: 2008-05-14 more

U.S.-Swedish Carrier Spat 'Breaks' Net

President Bush famously spoke of "the Internets" in 2004. Well, they're here. Since March 13, customers of two large Internet providers, Cogent Communications Group Inc. and TeliaSonera AB are unable to contact each other through the Internet, unless they have backup connections from other companies. This means, for instance, that some U.S. Web sites hosted by Cogent customers are inaccessible to surfers in the Nordic countries, where Sweden-based TeliaSonera is the largest telecommunications operator. It's like Cogent and TeliaSonera customers are on different Internets. "Basically, parts of the Internet can't talk to each other," said Earl Zmijewski, general Manager of the Internet data division at Renesys Corp., which keeps track of how carriers route traffic over the Internet. It's not the first time this has happened: Now and then, Internet companies indulge in what Zmijewski calls playing "chicken." If they're fighting over a contract, they disconnect each other, and wait to see who blinks first. The number of irate customers each company faces will probably determine who does. David Schaeffer, chief executive of Washington-based Cogent, said the two companies had a "peering" contract, under which they exchanged traffic from each other's customers, with neither company paying the other for access. But TeliaSonera continuously breached the terms of the contract by not exchanging traffic in certain locations, and refusing to upgrade connections that were saturated, Schaeffer said. That forced Cogent traffic to take long detours, according to Schaeffer. For instance, it sometimes had to carry data from a Cogent customer in Europe across the Atlantic to the U.S., then hand it over to TeliaSonera, which carried it back across the Atlantic to its European destination. Cogent cut its direct links to TeliaSonera on March 13. For a while, customers of the two companies were still able to connect indirectly, through intermediaries connected to Cogent and TeliaSonera, but that...
Publication date: 2008-03-23 more

Apple tablet 'could be delayed' by six months

The Apple tablet might be delayed from going on sale for six months, according to a new note to investors.
Publication date: 2010-01-20 more

Digital Life: The 3D tweet-lover's phone

Scientists might call it separation anxiety -- the cold sweat that breaks out when you realise you've left your mobile behind. Maybe you're the sort who can't bear to be out of touch with your friends, who brings the phone into the toilet . . . y'know, just in case.
Publication date: 2010-04-20 more

Re-using technology to liberate and educate

Former investment banker Cormac Lynch believes education is key to solving Africa’s problems and has persuaded Irish businesses to donate some 7,000 computers for schools and colleges on the troubled continent
Publication date: 2008-08-07 more

Xbox to focus on social gaming

Microsoft Corp. will add new features to its Xbox Live online network, including games that let users put themselves in cartoon-like videos, in a bid to attract a broader audience.
Publication date: 2008-07-16 more

Survival of the fittest for Ireland’s emerging bioinformatics sector

Charles Darwin, born 200 years ago today on 12 February 1809, revolutionised science and modern thinking with the publication of The Origin of Species. His theories on evolution and natural selection are still hugely influential today.
Publication date: 2009-02-12 more

Microsoft Outlook to integrate Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn

Microsoft is integrating social networking services, such as Facebook and MySpace, into the latest version of its desktop email program, Outlook, used by millions of office workers around the world.
Publication date: 2010-02-18 more

Digital Life: Your holiday camera just got tougher

Bend me, shape me, any way you want me -- you don't get many pieces of tech begging to be abused. But Panasonic's Lumix FT2 camera can take a beating and still come up smiling.
Publication date: 2010-07-27 more

Steve Jobs comeback unveils new video camera iPod nano

Apple's co-founder and chief executive, Steve Jobs, made a triumphant return yesterday as he unveiled a new range of iPods – including an iPod nano with built-in video camera.
Publication date: 2009-09-10 more

Yahoo introducing two e-mail domains to lure users

Yahoo Inc., operator of the most popular Web e-mail program the U.S., is introducing two new domains so users can choose names already taken on the main site.
Publication date: 2008-06-21 more

Is the Loch Ness monster on Google Earth?

A security guard claims to have spotted the Loch Ness monster while browsing Google Earth.
Publication date: 2009-08-26 more

Xbox queen says it’s ‘game on’ for a nation of gamers

Xbox Live is set to increase the number of movies Irish people can download from 40 to 400. Orla Sheridan is country manager at Microsoft Ireland's entertainment and devices division.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Apple TV 'just a hobby', confirms Tim Cook

Tim Cook, Apple's chief operating officer, says the Apple TV remains 'a hobby', and that the vast majority of his company's revenue comes from its mobile devices.
Publication date: 2010-02-24 more

2009 eircom Golden Spider Awards short list announced

The eagerly awaited 2009 eircom Golden Spiders shortlist has been announced.
Publication date: 2009-10-28 more

Is it possible to have online privacy?

There’s a storm brewing in cyberspace. Internet users who, until now, have been perfectly happy to share their most intimate thoughts online, are questioning whether things have gone too far.
Publication date: 2010-05-20 more

Web pioneer: new media will help save traditional media

As Ireland's first ISP with Ireland Online and the first online advertiser in 1996, Colm Grealy of Digital Reach Group believes the onset of the iPad and quick response codes herald a strong future for traditional media
Publication date: 2010-04-22 more

Security Concerns Dog Mobile P2P Payments

More and more vendors are rolling out technology that will allow consumers to use cell phones to do their banking. They're just waiting for customers to start using these technologies. While it will eventually happen, these companies should have some patience, because consumers are still wary about the perceived risks. A study from Javelin Strategy & Research, a financial-services payment research company, reveals that customers are interested in the idea of mobile P2P banking, but are not yet confident that these technologies are safe to use. James Van Dyke, Javelin's president and founder, says that companies still need to make security a priority. "A full third of our report is devoted to security simply because we find that industry companies so often get security issues wrong. It's so unbelievably misunderstood," Van Dyke said. "We'd like to see more authentication measures where people are asked to remember key phrases and things like that." Risky Behavior, Not Technology Still, Van Dyke said that security concerns were more a matter of perception than actual risk. "What's interesting is that we don't see significant security features going in, but we don't expect to see widespread actual security risks. We expect to see widespread security fears, yet we don't see [mobile P2P banking] as a particularly risky thing to do," he said. One reason the security risks will be lower than for desktop PCs is that there is a wide range of mobile platforms in use rather than one monolithic platform, he added. He noted that dangers are more likely to arise from behavior by users -- particularly young people -- rather than security flaws. Young people "take undue risks with personal technology," he said. Some reasons for that, he surmised, are that they "typically don't have as many financial assets, and they tend to be haphazard [with...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

Google’s Docs software exposes documents on web to other users

Google, owner of the world’s largest Internet search engine, said its Google Docs online software exposed some customers’ files to unapproved users last week.
Publication date: 2009-03-09 more

Bono's firm eyes web paper

ELEVATION Partners, the private equity firm backed by U2 frontman Bono, is thought to be looking at taking a stake in The Stimulist, a new online newspaper poised to challenge the popular Huffington Post.
Publication date: 2009-05-25 more

Music download service acts local, but has a global vision

The rapidly emerging music service Downloadmusic.ie is bringing more than 1,500 Irish recording artists to a global market. Its founder, Johnny Beirne, explains the genesis of the service
Publication date: 2009-10-29 more

Why Lisbon Treaty vote has mobilised Ireland's tech multinational leaders

Ireland's relationship with Europe is often central to swinging foreign direct investment decisions
Publication date: 2009-08-27 more

Blog Digest: Sarah Palin facts

We all like to take US politics seriously, but when it came to the recent Palin v Biden debate, it seemed as though the media were just as interested in the 44-year-old hockey mom’s choice of shoes (yes, I found one site with about five articles on her shoes), or why she wears glasses with no frames.
Publication date: 2008-10-09 more

Apple iTunes won’t work with rival devices, dealing blow to Pre

Apple said that devices made by competitors may not work with updates to its iTunes music software, dealing a potential setback to Palm’s new Pre phone.
Publication date: 2009-06-18 more

iPad owners 'are rich and self-centred'

iPad owners are rich, self-centred and unkind, a survey has suggested.
Publication date: 2010-07-31 more

Google loses bid for EU-wide trademark protection on Gmail name

March 18 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc., owner of the world's most-used Internet search engine, lost its bid to get European Union-wide trademark protection for ``Gmail,'' the name of its Web-based e-mail service.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Eircom pursues ‘Locle’ approach to social media

Ireland’s incumbent telecoms operator, Eircom, is to launch a new social media application on its website that will enable internet and mobile phone users to discover on a map where friends and colleagues are at any time.
Publication date: 2008-10-16 more

Facebook chooses Dublin for its HQ

Social networking site Facebook has chosen Dublin as its European Headquarters.
Publication date: 2008-10-02 more

The gamer's book of records

The launch of the Guinness World Records 2009: Gamer's Edition last month brought video gaming out into the fresh air and broke a world record into the bargain. A motley crew of gamers, alongside Tomb Raider's Lara Croft (played by model Alison Carroll), hurtled through the cold, crisp air of central London at 57mph on a mobile gaming rig – achieving the fastest recorded speed for someone playing a video game.
Publication date: 2009-03-04 more

Product Review: Ultra-light laptop

Pros: Light but sturdy and powerful Cons: Old-fashioned appearance Price: From €1,995
Publication date: 2008-06-27 more

Digital life: Game on

Lego Indiana Jones 2, X360/PS3/Wii
Publication date: 2010-01-06 more

Impact Earth

A century ago this week, an asteroid fireball exploded over Siberia with the power of 185 Hiroshima bombs. Steve Connor asks how we can prevent a similar catastrophe in a major world city
Publication date: 2008-07-03 more

Game Review: Grand Theft Auto IV

There aren’t many games that let you steal cars, get involved in a cop chase and punch passing pedestrians, all in between picking out a spiffy new shirt and bringing your date to the local bowling alley.
Publication date: 2008-05-15 more

Facebook attracts top US advertisers

The majority of top US brands are using Facebook to promote their products, dispelling the myth that the social networking site is an unattractive environment for advertisers.
Publication date: 2009-08-10 more

Apple iPhone 4 recall would cost billions, warns analyst

If Apple were to bow to pressure and issue a recall for the iPhone 4, the move would cost the company an estimated $1.5 billion, according to a senior analyst.
Publication date: 2010-07-14 more

Apple pulls iPhone program containing pictures of topless women

Apple said it removed a program from its iPhone store yesterday because the developer added pictures of topless women, violating the company’s policy against "offensive content."
Publication date: 2009-06-30 more

Digital Life: Legend has it, but so does iPhone

Apple's iPhone has remained king of the smart-phone hill for almost three years, easily repelling limp challenges from Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, among others.
Publication date: 2010-04-06 more

Murdoch: publishers must stand up to Google

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive officer of News Corp, said newspaper publishers should prevent search engines like Google and Microsoft’s Bing from displaying full articles for free.
Publication date: 2010-04-07 more

MySpace axes two-thirds of global workforce

MySpace is to slash two-thirds of its workforce outside the US, just a week after a huge cull at home, as it struggles to compete with rival social networking group Facebook and the economic downturn takes its toll.
Publication date: 2009-06-24 more

Twitter 'could build its own client'

One of the biggest investors in microblogging service Twitter has hinted that the company might release its own mobile and desktop clients, a move that could impact third-party developers.
Publication date: 2010-04-08 more

So, Mr Wayne, how does it feel to lose

There must be mornings when Ronald Wayne wakes up feeling an urge to weep until his tear ducts run dry. Wouldn't you be the same if you had passed up the chance to remain an investor in a little start-up company called Apple in the 1970s, subsequently missing out on a
Publication date: 2010-05-04 more

Playing the game: Irish playboy builds a global online empire

DYLAN Collins, the entrepreneur who three years ago, at the age of 26, sold his Dublin-based technology company, DemonWare, to the world's biggest computer game firm, Activision, for $15m, is focusing his energies on helping Ireland emerge as a player in the online games publishing business.
Publication date: 2009-06-04 more

Botnet Scams Are Exploding

Two days after actor Heath Ledger died, e-mails began moving across the Internet purportedly carrying a link to a detailed police report divulging "the real reason" behind the actor's death. Ledger had been summarily drafted into the service of a botnet. Bots are compromised computers controlled by profit-minded crooks. Those e-mails were spread by a network of thousands of bots, called a botnet. Anyone who clicked on the link got instantly absorbed into the fast-spreading Mega-D botnet, says security firm Marshal. Mega-D enriches its operators, mainly by distributing spam for male-enhancement pills. Largely unnoticed by the public, botnets have come to inundate the Internet. On a typical day, 40 percent of the 800 million computers connected to the Internet are bots engaged in distributing e-mail spam, stealing sensitive data typed at banking and shopping Web sites, bombarding Web sites as part of extortionist denial-of-service attacks, and spreading fresh infections, says Rick Wesson, CEO of Support Intelligence, a San Francisco-based company that tracks and sells threat data. "It's like a disease you can't even feel," Wesson says. "The mechanisms we use to protect our networks simply are not working." The botnet problem shows no sign of easing. Security firm Damballa pinpointed 7.3 million unique instances of bots carrying out nefarious activities on an average day in January -- an astronomical leap from a daily average of 333,000 in August 2006. That included botnet-delivered spam, which accounted for 91 percent of all e-mails in early March, up from 64% last June, says e-mail management firm Cloudmark. The upshot of this deluge is profound, if not immediately obvious, says Adam O'Donnell, Cloudmark's director of emerging technology. Telecoms and Internet service providers must absorb the cost of carrying botnet traffic; they can be expected to pass that expense onto companies and consumers, he says. Meanwhile, tens of millions of...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

iPad sales on target as Apple shifts over 300,000

Apple has reported sales of more than 300,000 iPads on the tablet computer's first day in stores, surpassing some forecasts, but leaving questions about whether the product can be its next big hit.
Publication date: 2010-04-06 more

Game on: Modern Warfare 2

Pulling in $550m during its first five record-breaking days on sale (bigger than the Harry Potter books and movies, don'tcha know), MW2 is already a cultural phenomenon.
Publication date: 2009-11-24 more

3D is on the way to your living room

Hang fast to your wallets, the third dimension is coming. The movie Avatar pushed 3D into mainstream cinema before Christmas and the world's leading electronic giants are determined to do the same for TV in 2010.
Publication date: 2010-01-12 more

Apple walking on air with world's thinnest laptop

The US computer company Apple has announced it is to launch "the world's thinnest" laptop.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Twitter Japan to introduce micropayments

Twitter Japan is going to introduce paid for premium accounts from next January, according to local reports.
Publication date: 2009-11-30 more

Apple 'to kill off iPod Classic' as focus moves to touch-screen devices

Apple is expected to unveil a range of new iPod touch music players with built-in cameras as it looks to steal a march on rivals in the run-up to Christmas.
Publication date: 2009-09-09 more

Nintendo sees red over Greens

Greenpeace has once again accused Nintendo of having the worst environmental record among consumer electronics companies.
Publication date: 2010-01-26 more

Digital Renaissance man to bridge research gap

The Government’s €25m National Digital Research Centre (NDRC) replaces the failed Media Lab Europe and recently put out a €7m call for proposals. Ben Hurley is the centre’s director.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Apple admits using child labour

Apple has admitted that child labour was used at the factories that build its computers, iPods and mobile phones.
Publication date: 2010-03-01 more

Not just any old web trader

New research from Webtrade shows that 65pc of Irish firms view the internet as important to their business. Patrick Bates is Webtrade’s managing director
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Carbon trading can raise billions of dollars to save forests

Using carbon trading to help save trees could generate billions of dollars a year for tropical forest conservation, said Johannes Ebeling, a senior consultant with emissions-credit developer EcoSecurities Group Plc.
Publication date: 2008-04-08 more

Google clears digital library hurdle

Google and a group of publishers and authors have agreed to scale back the scope of their proposed digital books library, which could resolve a legal dispute and clear the way for millions of books to be sold online.
Publication date: 2009-11-16 more

Apple showcases HTML5

Apple pushes HTML5 standard over Adobe's Flash technology with an online demo that showcases its talents.
Publication date: 2010-06-04 more

Ireland’s mini-Silicon Valley provides key blueprint for the next economy

The impact of R&D spin-offs on the south-east could mean 1,000 jobs in next five years
Publication date: 2009-02-19 more

Apple iPhone 4: an update on those reasons not to buy one

Prior to the launch of iPhone 4, I wrote a piece speculating on 10 reasons not to buy it. It questioned the ubiquity of the iPhone, the technological advancement, the cost and the distorting effect of one handset capturing all the headlines and development time.
Publication date: 2010-06-09 more

5 best sat nav consoles

Publication date: 2008-11-13 more

'There are three billion new capitalists - the world's economy has changed forever'

Ex-Intel CEO Craig Barrett says Ireland needs to invest in skills and infrastructure to have a future
Publication date: 2010-04-22 more

New IBM data hub to give €30m boost

COMPUTER giant IBM is to spend €30m on a new data centre in Dublin.
Publication date: 2008-09-18 more

Balancing the books on e-government

Three weeks ago I paid for my motor tax over the internet on the www.motortax.ie website. Three days later I received my tax disc in the post and no longer had to fear the long arm of the law.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Apple iPad 'will be in short supply'

An analyst has warned that manufacturing issues could lead to a shortage of Apple iPads.
Publication date: 2010-03-02 more

China bans Microsoft from selling operating systems

Microsoft has been banned from selling multiple versions of its flagship Windows operating system in China after breaching a local licensing agreement.
Publication date: 2009-11-19 more

Apple special event rumours: Will Steve Jobs make an appearance?

Speculation about Apple's "special event" on Wednesday is turning from what will be announced to who will announce it, with confusion about whether Steve Jobs will appear.
Publication date: 2009-09-08 more

Cutting edge technology opens up bright new field of research

A RELAXED Brian Cowen officially opened a €16m research and development unit at Citi Bank’s headquarters in the Irish Financial Services Centre yesterday.
Publication date: 2009-10-01 more

You’re a PC, not a Mac: Gates bans family from using iPods

Most would expect the children of the world's third richest man to have grown up spoilt by a constant supply of the very latest in cutting-edge gadgets. But yesterday it emerged that the offspring of Microsoft's chairman, Bill Gates, are forbidden from owning the planet's number one gadget – the iPod.
Publication date: 2009-03-04 more

New iPhone could include HD video

The next generation of the Apple iPhone looks more likely than ever to include HD video. In the developers’ kit for the new device, there is now the option to record at a higher resolution, 1280 x 720, which is otherwise known as 720p.
Publication date: 2010-05-06 more

Google launches social search

Google is launching social search, a new feature which will allow users to include information from other social networks including Twitter.
Publication date: 2009-10-22 more

How small science will have a big impact on Ireland's economic future

From miracle drugs to super-tiny computers, Ireland could win its share of a $3trn industry
Publication date: 2009-11-26 more

How I went on a killing spree

I'm not a violent man. My physical aggression is limited to kicking non-existent objects when my train gets cancelled, or slamming the phone down on British Gas when they cold-call for the third time in a week.
Publication date: 2008-11-27 more

Apple 'in talks' with HarperCollins over tablet

The Wall Street Journal reports that HarperCollins is in talks with Apple to make many of its best-selling novels available on a new tablet-style computer that Apple is widely expected to launch on Jan 27.
Publication date: 2010-01-20 more

New Sales Program Pays Facebook Members

Facebook Inc.'s popular online hangout so far has proven to be a better place for promoting fun and games than peddling products. But a new application aims to inject more commerce into the social playground by paying Facebook members who help merchants sell to their friends. The program, called Market Lodge, revolves around the notion that consumers are more likely to buy merchandise or services recommended by someone they know and trust. Market Lodge, made by a startup called bSocial Networks Inc., will pay Facebook members a 10 percent commission on all sales made on their recommendations. Facebook tried to capitalize on the bonds of friendship last year by introducing a marketing system that includes broadcasting product endorsements among people who know each other. The strategy hasn't paid off yet, largely because many of Facebook's users rebelled against a feature called "Beacon" that tracked and shared information about their purchases and other actions made on other Web sites. Spurred by the backlash, Palo Alto-based Facebook now allows its users to turn off Beacon. Conifer, Colo.-based bSocial is betting that Facebook's roughly 67 million users will be more receptive to an approach that dangles a financial incentive for participating. Facebook members who decide to use Market Lodge can customize their own stores, selecting from more than 1,200 products sold by about 50 different merchants. Once the personal store is set up, Facebook users can then invite others in their network to check out the stuff they're recommending. Market Lodge users can make purchases from their own stores and still qualify for the 10 percent sales commission. All the inventory, order processing and delivery arrangements are handled by the merchants -- just as they would be for any other sale. "We think this could be very lucrative for Facebook's members," said bSocial co-founder Sue Spielman. More than 100 people have signed up for Market...
Publication date: 2008-03-14 more

Hundreds of iPad apps approved ahead of launch

New iPad owners will be able to choose from more than 700 apps when the Apple tablet-style computer goes on sale in the US on Saturday
Publication date: 2010-04-02 more

Sony Ericsson earnings hurt by lower phone sales

March 19 (Bloomberg) -- Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd., the smallest of the world's four main mobile-phone makers, said first-quarter earnings and revenue will fall on slower handset sales, higher research costs and a component shortage.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Paper and pencil rival Nintendo for 'brain training'

A 10c pencil stimulates the memory just as well as a €150 Nintendo DS, according to a study that dismisses the machine's claims to boost the brain.
Publication date: 2009-01-28 more

Google launches Building Maker for Google Earth

The new tool will enable web users to transform 2D renderings of buildings in Google Earth in to 3D images
Publication date: 2009-10-14 more

Apple tablet to be major gaming platform

Apple’s forthcoming tablet computer could emerge as a major gaming platform, according to reports analysing who has been invited to this Wednesday’s launch event.
Publication date: 2010-01-25 more

How a corner of Dublin is spearheading the new social age of online advertising

Under the bonnet at Facebook - a driving force in the 21st-century social-media business
Publication date: 2009-11-05 more

Intel beats forecasts for Q2 with sales of $10.2bn

INTEL, the world's biggest chipmaker with a major plant in Leixlip, forecast second-quarter sales that topped analysts' predictions, indicating that demand for personal computers remains strong.
Publication date: 2010-04-14 more

Pirate Bay founders facing jail sell to Global Gaming Factory X

Global Gaming Factory X AB will buy The Pirate Bay file-sharing website from its founders and will start paying owners of content on the site.
Publication date: 2009-06-30 more

Microsoft blocks Windows Live in countries sanctioned by US

Microsoft said it blocked access to Windows Live users in countries that are subject to sanctions by the US government.
Publication date: 2009-05-27 more

Cyberclinic: Is my PC about to experience a catastrophic meltdown?

April Fool's Day provides a perfect opportunity for us to post mediocre gags online in the hope they'll give us scant seconds of internet infamy.
Publication date: 2009-04-01 more

Facebook teams up with Microsoft Docs

Facebook Docs, a collaboration between the social-networking site and Microsoft, will allow Facebook users to create Microsoft Office documents online and share them across the web via Facebook.
Publication date: 2010-04-22 more

Sprint Nextel Fate Source of Speculation

Sprint Nextel Corp.'s plummeting stock price and the expected exodus of millions of subscribers this year have yielded a fresh round of speculation about the company's future. But analysts disagree whether the nation's third-largest wireless carrier is ripe for a takeover, is likely to begin selling parts of its operation to generate cash and make itself more agile, or will soldier on as-is. "Any time you have a stock that's down as much as this one is and with management departures and things like that, people start speculating on all kinds of things that the company may or may not do to improve things," said Todd Rethemeier, an analyst with Soleil Securities. So far neither Sprint nor its prospective suitors will comment on the rumors. In the meantime, investors seem skeptical of a turnaround: Sprint's shares have lost more than half their value since the beginning of January. They lost 23 cents to close at $5.99 Thursday. Sprint, based in Overland Park, Kan., has struggled since acquiring Nextel Communications Inc. in August 2005. Two weeks ago, it announced it had lost 683,000 wireless subscribers with annual contracts and expected to lose another 1.2 million in the current quarter and a similar amount in the second quarter of 2008. A Merrill Lynch analyst speculated this month that Deutsche Telekom, the parent company of No. 4 wireless company T-Mobile, might consider buying Sprint to bulk up and prevent an escalation of flat-rate pricing in the industry. But the two carriers' technologies are incompatible, a challenge Sprint has already seen enough of in the merger with Nextel. The Wall Street Journal has surmised that Mexico's Carlos Slim, who operates the dominant wireline and wireless networks in that country, might see Sprint as a way to get into the U.S. wireless market. "We do note that it still has compelling assets that could...
Publication date: 2008-03-17 more

Colao makes his mark at Vodafone as former rival quits in reorganisation

Vittorio Colao, the new chief executive of Vodafone, has made his first big mark on the business with a package of personnel and organisational changes that include the departure of one of his rivals in the race for the top job.
Publication date: 2008-09-10 more

Internet libel: everyone's a critic, and everyone's online

ONCE upon a time if you had a beef with someone you'd give out about them to anyone who'd listen, but in today's digital world there are many more platforms to help you vent your spleen.
Publication date: 2010-02-25 more

Google Q1 profits up after cutting jobs

Google, owner of the world's most popular search engine with a European HQ in Dublin, reported an increase in first-quarter profit after cutting jobs and jettisoning some businesses.
Publication date: 2009-04-17 more

'To sow the seeds of an entrepreneurial nation we need to start in the schools'

THERE is something about the way Microsoft Ireland managing director Paul Rellis describes Ireland's way out of the economic morass that suggests while things aren't perfect, things aren't all bad either.
Publication date: 2010-02-25 more

E-books don't furnish a room

A generation of electronic book readers, new to the market, promises to 'revolutionise reading'. Katy Guest wonders why
Publication date: 2008-09-15 more

Digital Life: My, what a big lens you've got

Always watch the quiet ones -- hidden depths, you see. Pick up the Nikon Coolpix S8000 and it appears a fairly bog-standard compact camera -- small, light, pocketable, yet relatively anonymous.
Publication date: 2010-05-04 more

Facebook backs down from rule changes after criticism

Facebook Inc., owner of the world’s largest social-networking site, backed down from revisions made to its online service following complaints that the changes may hurt users’ privacy.
Publication date: 2009-02-18 more

Digital infrastructure: Ireland's next Ardnacrusha opportunity

SOME may ask why do we need to invest in digital infrastructure and why are we in a hurry? Simply put, it's about job creation.
Publication date: 2009-07-23 more

Capcom is in talks with studios on movie investments

Capcom Co., publisher of the ``Resident Evil'' video-game series, is in talks with Hollywood studios to jointly produce movies based on its software, President Haruhiro Tsujimoto said.
Publication date: 2008-05-23 more

Giorgi: 'The hackers want me to stop writing the truth'

Giorgi doesn't seem like the sort of man who'd be at the centre of a massive internet meltdown.
Publication date: 2009-08-10 more

Knocking hot spots off mobile broadband

Alex French, author of Irish internet guide DOT ie and chief operating officer of Wi-Fi network provider BitBuzz, talks about the Irish, the iPhone and the internet.
Publication date: 2008-04-10 more

Nokia steps up attack on iPhone with 'free

Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, has stepped up its assault on Apple’s dominance of the lucractive smartphone market with the launch of a new phone with unlimited and 'free’ music downloads.
Publication date: 2009-09-02 more

Intel vows to appeal €1bn fine imposed by Brussels

The decision by the European Commission to slap a record €1.06bn fine on chipmaking giant Intel for anti-competitive practices will not affect the company's commitment to either its Irish or European operations, the US giant said yesterday.
Publication date: 2009-05-14 more

Nappies

Don't believe the hype. Even if the most advertised and catchiest sounding nappy has turbo stripes and resealable strips (why??), it is still going to look and smell horrible when the time comes.
Publication date: 2009-05-12 more

Bill Gates 'too popular' for Facebook

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has stopped using Facebook after being deluged by friend requests.
Publication date: 2009-07-27 more

Microsoft to rival Apple with new Zune HD music player

Computer giant Microsoft is stepping up its challenge to Apple's iPod by launching a high definition version of its Zune digital music player.
Publication date: 2009-08-14 more

Digital Life: BioShock sequel puts up a good fight for top spot

BioShock 2, X360/PS3/PC
Publication date: 2010-03-02 more

No online retail war after tycoon ditches web plan

BUSINESS tycoon Ben Dunne has abandoned plans for an online retail venture just as his former company, Dunnes Stores, seems to be gearing up for its own internet launch.
Publication date: 2008-08-06 more

Microsoft Licenses Flash Lite Against iPhone and its own Silverlight

Apple CEO Steve Jobs has said Flash isn't good enough, but Microsoft disagrees. In a move against Apple's iPhone, Microsoft is licensing Flash Lite technology -- even as it promotes its own Silverlight platform as an alternative to Flash. Adobe Systems announced Monday that Microsoft will license Flash Lite for its Internet Explorer Mobile browser in Windows Mobile phones. The deal also includes licensing of Adobe Reader LE for viewing PDF documents sent as e-mail attachments or made available as Web downloads. 'Vibrant Web Experiences' John O'Rourke, general manager of the mobile communications business at Microsoft, said bringing Flash Lite to Windows Mobile users will provide the "vibrant web experiences and access to entertainment" that users want from the Web. The move also provides access to a technology that Apple is refusing for the iPhone. Earlier this month, Jobs told news media that Flash technology is not yet ready for the iPhone. At Apple's shareholder meeting, he said Flash Lite is not powerful enough, and that regular Flash, designed for full-featured computers, runs too slowly. "There's this missing product in the middle," Jobs told Dow Jones news service. His dissing of Flash disappointed consumers and developers encouraged by blog reports that it was only a matter of time before Flash landed on the revolutionary iPhone. 'Big Win for Flash Lite' "This is a big win for Flash Lite," said Sean Ryan, an analyst with industry research firm IDC. He added that even though Apple has decided against Flash Lite, the iPhone still offers a high level of entertainment, including playing YouTube videos. He also noted that Apple's recently released software development kit will enable third-party developers to create new applications for the iPhone. But the bigger problem for video and other full-feature entertainment on the iPhone, he said, is the same as for other devices -- bandwidth. He pointed...
Publication date: 2008-03-17 more

'We need to coach people, demystify business and cut through the red tape'

BT's man in Ireland, Chris Clark, says we need to urgently tackle the nation's digital divide
Publication date: 2009-06-18 more

Product Review: Touchscreen phone

Your mobile phone says a lot about you; in fact it is viewed by some as a status symbol akin to what car you drive or where you holiday. The LG Prada phone is for those who want to discreetly say: I have money and style.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Electronic Arts to release Wii sports games in June

Electronic Arts Inc., the world’s second-largest video-game publisher, will ship two new sports titles on June 16 for Nintendo Co.’s top-selling Wii console as it tries to attract more casual game players.
Publication date: 2009-03-02 more

How a business-school thesis became Ireland’s prime competitor to Facebook

As Irish parents wonder what their little darlings are getting up to on the internet, they may be interested to learn that it could no longer be Bebo or Facebook holding their children’s attention online.
Publication date: 2008-11-06 more

In brief: Energy minister's symposium talk

The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan and a host of leading national and international speakers from the worlds of science, academia and industry will address a Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Symposium on Science and Engineering underpinning sustainable energy and energy-efficient technologies On October 1.
Publication date: 2008-09-25 more

Why everyone wants to be Twitter's friend

Twitter was the star of the show at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, with Microsoft and Google clamouring to strike a deal with the hottest property on the web.
Publication date: 2009-10-23 more

E-View: How IT benchmarking saved Irish Government

THE Government has been accused in the past of not using local technologies. What has Origina done to unlock State investment in IT?
Publication date: 2010-08-12 more

Digital Life: A Palm in the hand and a Walkman on the wild side

Many have tried but all have failed to topple the iPhone as king of the touchscreens. But ladies and gentlemen, now we have a real contender in the ring.
Publication date: 2009-11-24 more

Yahoo rises after fourth-quarter sales top estimates

Yahoo rose 3.8pc in late trading yesterday after reporting fourth-quarter sales that topped analysts’ estimates.
Publication date: 2010-01-27 more

Apple updates Safari 5

Apple has launched an updated version of its Safari internet browser. Safari 5.0.1 now supports "extensions", small widgets that can be added to the browser by users to customise the web-surfing experience.
Publication date: 2010-07-29 more

iPhone app tracks sex offenders

Offender Locator alerts iPod touch and iPhone owners in the United States to nearby sex offenders.
Publication date: 2009-07-30 more

Microsoft revives talks with Yahoo and proposes new deal

Microsoft Corp., the world's biggest software maker, revived the possibility of a deal with Yahoo! Inc. to challenge Google Inc. after failing to agree on a merger.
Publication date: 2008-05-20 more

Cyberclinic: Why have the DVDs I recorded become totally unwatchable?

Like me, it's possible that you had a moment a few years back when your shelves of VHS tapes suddenly seemed like a grotesque waste of space better used for pot plants or commemorative porcelain.
Publication date: 2009-07-29 more

Not so streetwise Google forced to remove images in privacy row

THE internet giant Google has been forced to remove dozens of images from Street View, its controversial mapping service, after complaints from users who felt it breached their privacy.
Publication date: 2009-03-23 more

Research in Motion unveils speedier BlackBerry, beating IPhone

Research In Motion Ltd. unveiled a BlackBerry phone with quicker Web browsing and more room for songs and videos, getting a jump on a faster iPhone that analysts expect next month.
Publication date: 2008-05-12 more

iPhone: The new web is born

A quarter of a century ago, Apple sparked a personal computing revolution with the Macintosh 128K
Publication date: 2008-07-31 more

China Blocks Internet News on Tibetan Crackdown

China has succeeded in blocking the flow of news about its crackdown on Tibetan protesters. While China has traditionally exerted strong control over traditional media outlets such as television, radio and newspapers, this week's developments are notable for the country's effective control of YouTube, blogs and other Internet communications. While Western news outlets are getting information out to the rest of the world, many Chinese remain in the dark. The Wall Street Journal reported that Baidu.com, China's largest search engine, turns up no news in a search for "Tibet" (the fifth most popular search term on Baidu Monday), while searches for "Tibet riot" produce hits to pages that have been removed. In addition, China's major Internet portals, Sina and Sohu.com, are devoid of news of the uprising and repression. And Chinese Internet video sites Tudou.com, Youku.com and 56.com -- the Chinese equivalents of YouTube -- are similarly vacant. YouTube Blocked Of course, YouTube itself has many videos of the protests, but China has blocked the Google-owned site. Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the company is looking into the reports of blocking. Observers are not completely sure how China is blocking all the news, the Journal reported. In some cases, entire domains are blocked; in other cases, only certain pages. While editors of state-run media frequently avoid controversial topics, independent Internet companies also cooperate with censorship; they are required to monitor user-supplied content and delete pornography, as well as a list of forbidden topics. The censorship raises a challenge to the much-vaunted claim that the Internet views censorship as network damage and routes around it -- a claim no less a technology luminary than Bill Gates repeated last month. "I don't see any risk in the world at large that someone will restrict free content flow on the Internet. You cannot control the Internet," the Microsoft...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

Irish set the app-solute standard for the golden age of mobile

Vodafone is running a Europe-wide
Publication date: 2010-02-04 more

Firms need to open up to laptop theft

Laptop loss or theft is greater than firms admit. With the consumer losing out, is mandatory reporting the answer?
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Google can sell trademarked keywords, EU adviser says

Google should be able to continue selling trademark-protected terms as "keywords" that link Internet searches and ads, an aide to the EU’s top court said in a case involving LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA.
Publication date: 2009-09-22 more

People 'anxious' when cut off from internet

People are more likely to feel "anxious" when cut off from the internet or their mobile phone than feel "liberated", according to a British survey.
Publication date: 2009-10-13 more

Cloud firm accounts for growth with a

Publication date: 2009-12-17 more

'Nationalise Eircom to solve broadband problems'

The government is being urged to consider nationalising Eircom in a bid to solve Ireland's broadband problems.
Publication date: 2009-03-25 more

Scrabble owners to sue Scrabulous makers

Hasbro Inc., maker of the Scrabble board-game, sued the creators of ''Scrabulous,'' an online version found on Facebook.com, claiming it violates the company's copyrights and trademarks.
Publication date: 2008-07-25 more

Apple patent suggests ad-supported OS on the way

Apple fans are calling it the cyber equivalent of the holiday time share sales pitch: attend a seminar for a few hours on our wonderful holiday village and we’ll give you a weekend there absolutely free.
Publication date: 2009-11-18 more

Google stands by HTC

Search giant Google has said it stands behind it's Android mobile operating system and partners who helped develop it after Apple announced plans to sue Nexus One-maker HTC.
Publication date: 2010-03-04 more

Bridging the digital divide no easy task

THE prospect of a deepening digital divide isn't just a preoccupation in Ireland.
Publication date: 2008-04-05 more

Desktop virtualisation is set to reign supreme in new era

As Microsoft prepares to withdraw support for Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows 7 has unleashed many possibilities, the foremost being desktop virtualisation, says Ronnie Dockery, Windows Client Lead, Microsoft
Publication date: 2010-03-25 more

Facebook status updates to appear in Google

Google has begun indexing status updates from Facebook pages and including them in its real-time search results.
Publication date: 2010-02-25 more

Digital Life: The flag's up for the great race!

ModNation Racers, PS3/PSP, RATING: 8.5/10 - Musicians hate it when you try to pigeonhole their work by comparing them to another artist. Coldplay? Early Radiohead rewritten by bedwetters. Lady Gaga? Madonna without the tunes. See? Too easy.
Publication date: 2010-06-01 more

Google Sees Rise in Mobile Internet Use

Google has reported an acceleration of Internet activity among cell phone users since introducing faster Web services on some phones, fueling confidence that the mobile Internet era is at hand. Early evidence showing sharp increases in Internet use on phones, not just computers, has emerged from services that Google began offering in recent months on the Blackberry, the iPhone and Nokia devices for business professionals and creators of multimedia pictures and videos, Google said Tuesday. "We have very much hit a watershed moment in terms of mobile Internet usage," Matt Waddell, a product manager for Google Mobile, said in an interview. "We are seeing that mobile Internet use is in fact accelerating. The growing availability of flat-rate data plans from phone carriers instead of per-minute charges that previously discouraged Internet use, along with improved Web browsers on cell phones and better-designed services from companies like Google, are fueling the growth, Waddell said. Google announced the findings as it introduced a software download for cell phones running Microsoft Windows Mobile software that conveniently positions a Google Web search window on the home screen of such phones. Similar versions of the search software, which Google introduced for Blackberry users in December and certain Nokia phones in February, have sped up the time users take to perform Web searches by 40 percent and, in turn, driven usage. The software shortcuts the time it takes for people to perform Web searches on Google by eliminating initial search steps of finding a Web browser on the phone, opening the browser, waiting for network access, and getting to Google.com. By making a Google search box more convenient, cell phone users have begun using the Internet more, the company said. "We are actually seeing a 20 percent increase in the number of searches by people," Waddell said. Google's mobile plug-in software lets users...
Publication date: 2008-03-23 more

Does Facebook hold up to EU privacy laws?

200,000 Irish people are members of popular social networking site Facebook. But are we really sure what Facebook is planning to do with our personal data?
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Google to start selling digital books this summer

Google has announced its plans to turn Google Editions into a gateway for consumers to buy digital books.
Publication date: 2010-05-05 more

President Obama hires US's first cybersecurity tsar

President Obama has finally hired America’s first cybersecurity coordinator, seven months after pledging to personally appoint someone to the post.
Publication date: 2009-12-23 more

Irish firms use social networking sites to bag new business

NEARLY half of Irish companies use websites such as Facebook as part of their business plan, according to a new survey.
Publication date: 2010-07-09 more

Gadgets of the decade

CAN you remember what you ever did without a mobile phone? Chances are you didn't start using one regularly until 2000 or 2001. Now most of us have at least two handsets and we're using them to surf the web, listen to music, get work done and much more.
Publication date: 2009-12-17 more

Google Nexus Two will be 'aimed at business users'

The next version of Google's Nexus One mobile phone will be designed with enterprise users in mind and might have a physical keyboard, said Andy Rubin, a vice president of engineering at Google and a key figure in the development of the Android operating system.
Publication date: 2010-01-12 more

E-books outsell hardbacks on Amazon

Amazon, the online retailer and owner of the Kindle e-reader, has announced that digital books have been consistently outselling hardback books for the last three months in the US.
Publication date: 2010-07-20 more

Intel jumps after forecast tops estimates

Intel rose as much as 6.9pc in late trading after its sales forecast beat estimates by as much as $1bn, setting the stage for a broader recovery in technology earnings.
Publication date: 2009-10-14 more

Hewlett-Packard repackages high-powered server in blade format

Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's largest maker of server computers, cut the price of its most powerful model and changed the design to deliver twice as much performance in half the space.
Publication date: 2008-06-16 more

Facebook reveals top status update terms of 2009

Swine flu and Lady Gaga were among the terms most used in Facebook status updates during this year, the social network has said.
Publication date: 2009-12-23 more

New 'secret iPhone 4G prototype' discovered in Vietnam

A second 4G iPhone next-generation prototype has reportedly been discovered, this time surfacing in Vietnam and apparently without permission from Apple.
Publication date: 2010-05-17 more

Clampi Trojan could steal banking passwords

Computer users are at risk from a new virus that could leave their online bank accounts open to cyber criminals.
Publication date: 2009-09-21 more

Digital Life: Re-charging just got easier

Imagine the delicious scenario: you stop off for a cuppa at your favourite coffee shop, put your phone down on the counter and 20 minutes later it's charged up without ever plugging it in.
Publication date: 2010-05-18 more

Upwardly mobile Hartnett quits Palm for 'exciting new venture'

John Hartnett (right), one of the top Irish technology executives in Silicon Valley, is stepping down as head of global sales with mobile technology group Palm.
Publication date: 2008-11-07 more

Berners-Lee: forward slashes

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British scientist who created the World Wide Web, has admitted his decision to include two forward slashes in internet addresses was a mistake.
Publication date: 2009-10-15 more

Eircom loses out as 3 Ireland wins €40m contract for high-speed broadband service

The Government is to award 3 Ireland the contract to deploy the long-awaited €40m National Broadband Scheme (NBS) -- shunning the only other remaining bidder, former state-owned telco Eircom.
Publication date: 2008-11-26 more

Eye-controlled mobile phone unveiled by DoCoMo

A new prototype device allows users to make and receive calls, and even play music, just by moving their eyes.
Publication date: 2010-02-17 more

Nifty device tackles energy waste

ECO-aware householders can now measure their energy usage with the launch of an innovative product.
Publication date: 2008-09-10 more

Digital Life: Never get stuck in twaffic again

There's nothing more dispiriting than getting stuck in a traffic jam. One minute you're happily cruising to your destination, the next you're stationary, pounding the steering wheel in frustration and ready to go postal as a sudden tailback stretches into the distance.
Publication date: 2010-08-31 more

Avoiding business blogging blunders

Establishing a successful business presence on the web can be tricky but if you fake it, the online community is unforgiving
Publication date: 2008-05-15 more

Starry-eyed fans are all a-twitter over spacewalk

Astronauts inside the international space station yesterday used robotic arms to move a storage pallet holding equipment for three experiments from the belly of the docked space shuttle Endeavour to the outside of the outpost's Japanese-made lab.
Publication date: 2009-07-22 more

Irish businesses need to realise the digital economy is the 'real' economy

The new head of the Irish Internet Association says the imperative is to bring more firms online
Publication date: 2010-03-04 more

Google seeks to keep YouTube user information private in Viacom lawsuit

Google Inc., owner of the YouTube video-sharing Web site, said it's seeking to remove users' login information from a database of all videos viewed on YouTube that it must turn over to Viacom Inc.
Publication date: 2008-07-04 more

Digital healthcare could deliver economic stimulus

Why would you urge nations like Ireland - known for its healthcare bottlenecks - to target an emerging market for digital healthcare opportunities?
Publication date: 2010-04-15 more

Microsoft, Intel Fund Parallel-Computing Research

In an effort to turbocharge progress in mainstream parallel computing, Intel and Microsoft announced funding Tuesday for two Universal Parallel Computing Research Centers. They said the centers are the first joint industry-university efforts of this scale in parallel computing. The software developed will be made available to the public. Berkeley and Illinois One center will be at the University of California, Berkeley, and the other at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Intel and Microsoft have committed $20 million over the next five years to fund the centers. UIUC will put up another $8 million, and Berkeley has applied for an additional $7 million from the state of California. Multicore computer processors are common now, and the number of cores is steadily increasing. Intel research director Andrew Chien noted that Intel has already shown an 80-core research processor, and the centers could develop "dramatic new applications." These new apps could involve visual interfaces, statistical analyses, search functions, mobile applications, computer sensing, and new forms of computer-human interfaces. Richard Shim, an analyst with industry research firm IDC, said parallel computing for even regular consumers and business users "is the future, and it's only a question of how far out." He added that the challenge is how to use the powerful, multicore systems available on regular computers. "Hardware has definitely gotten ahead of software," he said. Expertise Tapped In evaluating where to locate the centers, Microsoft and Intel said they considered 25 top-tier institutions involved in parallel-computing research. They selected UC Berkeley and UIUC because of "their outstanding reputation in computing" and their specific expertise in parallel computing. Berkeley's center will be directed by David Patterson, a professor of computer science described by the companies as a pioneering expert in computer architecture. Fourteen members of the UC Berkeley faculty will also be involved as well 50 doctoral students...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

Steve Jobs is entrepreneur teenagers most admire

Steve Jobs, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple, is the entrepreneur most admired by teenagers, according to a new survey.
Publication date: 2010-04-15 more

Tomorrow's world today

While scientists continue to pull off extraordinary feats of ingenuity in harnessing our physical world, there are a few technological advances that have, over the years, proved to be stubbornly resistant.
Publication date: 2008-08-27 more

Gadget fans in the North greet iPad launch

Gadget fans who queued all night outside Belfast's Apple store today became some of the first people in Ireland to buy an iPad.
Publication date: 2010-05-28 more

Rise of the machines, end of the humans?

So, there are these two scientists researching artificial intelligence. One is Satinder S Baveja, director of the University of Michigan's AI laboratory; the other is Miles Bennett Dyson, director of research at Cyberdyne Systems of California. Both men are asked to reflect on what the ultimate outcome of their work on AI will look like. Might it, for example, get a little bit dystopian out there?
Publication date: 2009-02-04 more

11 charged with 'world's biggest ID fraud'

The Justice Department charged 11 people with stealing more than 40 million credit- and debit-card numbers from nine retailers including T.J. Maxx, calling it the largest U.S. identity theft prosecution.
Publication date: 2008-08-06 more

Multimedia to inform, educate and empower

Technology to equip would-be volunteers for the developing world will be the centrepiece of the new €2.2m Irish Aid Volunteering & Information Centre, which will open on Dublin’s O’Connell Street this week.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Google Nexus One review

The Nexus One is not a revolutionary device, but it is the first handset that will offer a meaningful challenge to Apple’s iPhone.While Google’s software, called Android, has powered other phones, this is the first one where the search giant has specified the design – that focus means the pencil-thin Nexus One is built to feel like a genuine object of desire.And the Nexus One offers features the iPhone lacks, too – the camera’s resolution is 5mp, compared to Apple’s 3mp, there are satnav capabilities built in that cost Apple users extra, and a fast processor means the Nexus One operates quicker than any phone currently on sale in the UK. Web-browsing is impressive, although in the UK is likely to lack the multitouch capabilities that have been available on previous versions of Android. Automatic online synchronization of camera photos is also impressive. It’s effective voice operation, for controlling the phone and writing emails, however, that is the most surprising feature. This is the first time I’ve seen a version of that technology that is genuinely useable.In the burgeoning market for additional applications (Apps), however, Apple’s iTunes Store offers 115,000 compared to the 20,000 or so in Google’s Android Marketplace. That means that there are currently far more games, tools and clever tricks available to iPhone owners. As more phones start to adopt Google’s operating system, however, Android is likely to catch up fast. And while Android can run a number of Apps at once, the iPhone can’t.Does the Nexus One feel quite as well put together as the iPhone? No, although it’s close enough to make no meaningful difference. What Android handsets can’t do, however, is plug in to your music collection as seamlessly as an iPod or an iMac. And that’s the biggest problem Google faces – an iPhone is a web-browsing, every song in your pocket, phone call making pleasure to own. It’s part of an entire ecosystem, with accessories, covers, speaker systems and even ties that are built to house iPods.But the Nexus One does plug in effortlessly to the web, social media, email, calendar, search and contacts functions; perhaps the company that dominates web search should simply start making the computers as well.
Publication date: 2010-01-06 more

Couple's wedding entrance dance becomes YouTube viral hit

Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson, the wedding couple filmed dancing down the aisle, have become an internet sensation after the video received seven million YouTube hits.
Publication date: 2009-07-27 more

Web, mobile and Facebook are the new trade routes for Irish business

FIRMS that don't have an online strategy at the heart of their business plan will find that the new routes to market in the 21st century will be closed to them.
Publication date: 2009-05-21 more

PlayStation 3 games available in 3D

Sony has launched a range of 3D games, including Wipeout HD and Pain, available from today through the PlayStation Network
Publication date: 2010-06-10 more

Twitter hits 10 billionth tweet

More than 10 billion messages have been sent through Twitter since the microblogging service launched in 2006
Publication date: 2010-03-05 more

Irish academic spin-outs make the leap from research lab to real life

The translation of research outputs into tangible technologies in this country is a slow burn, but we are beginning to see outputs and some spin-out companies have had success, according to Martin Lyes, divisional manager for research and innovation at Enterprise Ireland.
Publication date: 2008-08-14 more

Hewlett-Packard sales up 10pc

Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s biggest personal-computer maker, reported a 10 percent increase in PC sales last quarter as demand for laptops held up in the face of a slowing economy.
Publication date: 2008-11-25 more

Google China withdrawal may be permanent

Google would probably be unable to return to China should it withdraw from the market instead of abiding by the country’s censorship laws, a former executive at the company said.
Publication date: 2010-03-19 more

Google plays down privacy fears

Google has played down concerns about user privacy, arguing that pictures and personal information shared on social networking sites could be more damaging than the data it collects through its search engine.
Publication date: 2010-05-19 more

Cyberclinic: Does revising online give an unfair advantage?

I remember the horror on the faces of my parents when I informed them that I was allowed to take a calculator into a maths exam. Pretty mild, as teenage revelations go, but they felt that this was about as pointless as sending someone else to the optician to take my eye test.
Publication date: 2009-05-27 more

Search deeper and it's clear you can't judge a book by its cover

HE may run the Irish operations of internet giant Google, but John Herlihy is also surprisingly old-fashioned in some ways.
Publication date: 2009-10-15 more

No fear of banking crisis in Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley lawyer Mark Stevens paused only a moment to check Google's finance site during a client meeting as U.S. lawmakers shot down the $700 billion bank- rescue package. Then he got back to work.
Publication date: 2008-10-02 more

Microsoft To Buy Web Ad Analysis Company

Microsoft Corp. plans to buy Rapt Inc., plugging a hole in its suite of tools for Web publishers and advertisers, the software giant said Friday. Microsoft did not say what it will pay for the privately held San Francisco company. Rapt's software and consulting services help Web site publishers tweak how they package and price display-ad space. Scott Howe, a general manager in Microsoft's advertiser and publisher solutions group, said Rapt's system is similar to the one airlines use to set ticket prices and track available seats. Microsoft plans to add Rapt's programs to the Web publisher tools it gained when it acquired aQuantive last year for $6 billion. The move "puts us way ahead of what other offerings are available in the market," Howe said in an interview, likening Microsoft plus Rapt to a jet plane -- and competitors, including Google Inc., to a bicycle. Microsoft has had hands-on experience as one of Rapt's customers. Tom Chavez, Rapt's chief executive, said in an interview that his company's technology helped boost MSN's ad revenue 15 percent to 20 percent, a typical improvement. Rapt, which employs about 85 people, plans to remain in California. Microsoft expects the deal to close in the next month or so. The Redmond, Wash.-based software maker has bought several companies to fill out its digital ad offerings, including AdECN, a stock market-like exchange where networks representing Web sites buy and sell ad space, and Massive, which inserts ads into video games. Display advertising hasn't gotten as much attention as search ads, thanks to Google's unparalleled ability to turn search queries into billions of dollars in revenue. But that may be about to change with Google's first big push this week into display advertising as it closed its $3.1 billion acquisition of online ad services company DoubleClick. Microsoft, for its part, is waiting for Yahoo Inc. to respond...
Publication date: 2008-03-17 more

Crisis? What crisis? Flower power to fuel students' continental trip

As truck drivers consider plans to mount blockades in protest at soaring fuel costs, three intrepid university students are planning to drive to Paris powered by rape seed oil.
Publication date: 2008-06-13 more

E-View: Firms need to get over their fears and dive into the cloud

What is the strategic imperative that would drive businesses across Europe to embrace cloud computing?
Publication date: 2010-08-19 more

Attracting C-level management will be key to the future of software start-ups

Today in London, six firms from around the world will take part in the Global Security Challenge at the London Business School.
Publication date: 2008-11-13 more

Google allows search-engine users additional control

Google is adding features to its search pages, allowing Web surfers to manipulate query results to find the information they are seeking more quickly.
Publication date: 2009-05-13 more

Microsoft and The Black Screen Of Death

It would be easy to imagine that Microsoft was cursed. Early adopters of Windows 7 have been told by geeks, experts and journalists alike that the new operating system they’d just bought was safer, faster, better and shinier than anything in the company’s history. Then news emerged of the Black Screen of Death.
Publication date: 2009-12-03 more

Finding a business idea by helping lost commuters

When Dave Rooney and his friend Vinny Glennon left college, finding a job was not the biggest challenge – it was finding their way to the interview in the first place via public transport.
Publication date: 2008-11-27 more

Are Handset Sales Set for a Fall?

On Mar. 10, Texas Instruments, a leading supplier of semiconductors for cell phones, set off shock waves in the multi-billion-dollar mobile industry by lowering its first-quarter growth estimates for sales of wireless chips. TI pinned the blame on weakening demand from a major customer for high-end chips used to power third-generation phones. Investors made the assumption that the client might be Finnish giant Nokia, which accounts for nearly one-third of TI's wireless chip business. On Mar. 11, investors drove down shares in the world's top handset maker by as much as 4.75 percent. The key question: Did TI's warning signal a broader industry slowdown? Consumers Curb Spending Financial analysts clearly are worried. Although part of TI's retrenchment is likely due to a first-quarter inventory correction, there's growing concern that the handset market -- especially for pricey high-end models favored in the U.S. and Western Europe -- may be feeling the effects of economic downturn and slower consumer spending. Consider Said Nafea, a Parisian shopper in his 30s checking out new handsets at the FNAC electronics emporium on Paris' Champs-Elysees. He has a three-year old Samsung that fits nicely in the front pocket of his jeans. And while he'd like something newer, with more bells and whistles -- especially an Apple iPhone -- he has decided to wait until he can afford it. Customers like Nafea are what worries experts. The typical pattern in first-quarter mobile-phone sales includes a relatively weak January and February, following fourth-quarter holiday purchases, and then a sharp uptick in March. All indications from sales channels in recent weeks were that everything was going as expected. So, TI's slowing chip orders in March hinted at deeper problems in the market. Analysts Aren't Surprised That's why "there was a heck of a lot of drama" after TI's announcement, says Mark McKechnie, an analyst at American...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

Cisco growth plan: 'Innovation can spring from anywhere in the Irish economy'

Ireland is a really good place for ideas; people just need to believe this, urges Cisco's Kim Majerus
Publication date: 2010-03-25 more

FIFA 10: The sound and soul of football

As FIFA 10s release date approaches, we go behind the scenes to look at the intricate process of creating the perfect soundtrack to the beautiful game.
Publication date: 2009-09-23 more

Digital Life: Honey, I shrunk the camera. . .

Panasonic Lumix GF1,
Publication date: 2010-02-09 more

Apple iPad review

Apple's iPad, which resembles a 'giant iPhone', may sound the death knell for netbook computers.
Publication date: 2010-01-28 more

Business is going digital, so where

YOU only have to look at the fact that Facebook has now reached its 500 millionth subscriber, that a graduate of Ballyfermot Senior College can win an Oscar and that a two-year-old US games company called Zynga is looking at US$1bn in revenues to realise that the long-awaited digital-media revolution is in full swing.
Publication date: 2010-08-05 more

Apple to blossom into 3D with glasses patent

WHEN patent number 20100079356 was published on the US Patent and Trademark Office website at the beginning of this month, it was assumed that it was an April Fool joke.
Publication date: 2010-04-12 more

Video: Irish student invents 'best thing since Sellotape'

An Irish art student based in a warehouse in east London has invented a product already being described as the best thing since Sellotape and Blu-Tack.
Publication date: 2009-12-01 more

Laptop + iPhone = Apple Tablet - the world's first touch-screen computer

When asked to sum up the consistently seductive powers of the company that brought the world the iPod and the iPhone, a glassy-eyed devotee once said: "I'll buy almost anything if it's shiny and made by Apple."
Publication date: 2009-08-26 more

iPad worldwide launch delayed by a month

Apple has delayed the international launch of the iPad by a month because of "surprisingly strong US demand" for the touch screen device.
Publication date: 2010-04-14 more

Microsoft releases emergency Internet Explorer patch

Microsoft has rushed out a software update for Internet Explorer after the browser was found to contain a security flaw
Publication date: 2010-01-22 more

Windows 7 fuels Microsoft growth

Microsoft’s new Windows 7 software fueled a surge in profit and revenue last quarter, making up for a lingering slump in the rest of its business.
Publication date: 2010-01-29 more

Fear and loathing online

Every step you take in today’s digital world, every credit card transaction, every email and every phone call reveals something about you.
Publication date: 2008-06-27 more

Apple admits iPhone 4 fault

Apple has officially admitted that a problem exists with the iPhone 4's reception but claimed the issue is with the number of bars displayed on the handset rather than with reception itself.
Publication date: 2010-07-03 more

YouTube blocks music videos in U.K. over fee dispute

YouTube, the video-sharing Web site owned by Google Inc., is blocking users’ access to music videos in the U.K. after failing to reach a new licensing agreement with a songwriters’ organization.
Publication date: 2009-03-10 more

Nintendo plans 3D game console

Nintendo plans to start selling a version of its DS handheld game console that allows the user to play 3D titles without special glasses.
Publication date: 2010-03-24 more

Necessity is mother of invention for a greener world

In 1973, Sir James Dyson had an idea: the first uncloggable and bagless vacuum cleaner. It went on to become one of the popular brands in Ireland and the UK, with green energy ethics at its core
Publication date: 2009-06-18 more

Start-up promises to get small firms paid on time

Billfaster.com offers an easy-to-use online invoicing and cash-management system, helping businesses create and send invoices and manage payments in just three clicks. Rod Condell is co-founder
Publication date: 2010-05-13 more

Divorced - for having an affair in Second Life

AS DIVORCE cases go, it is as explosive and sordid as it gets: a woman catches her husband having sex with a prostitute, forgives him, but finally throws in the towel after discovering he has been unfaithful again. Yet absolutely none of it happened in real life.
Publication date: 2008-11-28 more

Irish online display advertising performs strongly

Irish online display advertising bucked the general advertising malaise and performed strongly during 2009, as reported by the first IAB Ireland (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) online adspend study.
Publication date: 2010-07-31 more

It's market strategy, but in a virtual world of its own

University lecturers have come up with a novel virtual stock market in a bid to understand the boom and bust cycles of financial markets.
Publication date: 2009-03-25 more

Microsoft sees signs of recovery in ads as Bing awareness grows

Microsoft, said to be in talks with News Corporation to obtain exclusive content for its Bing search engine, isn’t focused on paying publishers to keep articles off Google’s site, according to a Microsoft executive.
Publication date: 2009-12-02 more

US woman sues Google 'after Maps directions caused accident'

An American woman, Lauren Rosenberg, is suing Google, the search engine giant, because she was hit by a car after following its "safe" online mapping service.
Publication date: 2010-06-02 more

Dell may move into smart-phone market to expand sales

Dell Inc., the world’s second-largest maker of personal computers, may be entering the smart-phone market as soon as next month, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the effort.
Publication date: 2009-01-30 more

AccountsIQ secures major deal down under

AN Irish online-accounting technology firm has struck a deal with Deloitte in Australia that will see the accounting giant roll out online professional services to thousands of businesses down under.
Publication date: 2009-05-21 more

Facebook reaches 500 million members

Facebook has reached 500 million members - the equivalent of connecting with 8pc of the world’s population.
Publication date: 2010-07-22 more

Google's reputation ranked highest by consumers

Google Inc. has the best reputation among large corporations in the eyes of U.S. consumers, helped by a perception that it treats employees fairly, a research firm found.
Publication date: 2008-06-23 more

‘Internet’s power shifts to Ireland, and Dublin has a key role to play’

Head of Facebook in Dublin: Ireland underestimates its impact on the online economy.
Publication date: 2009-03-12 more

Yahoo! defends strategy to shareholders

Yahoo! Inc., battling billionaire investor Carl Icahn for control of its board, told shareholders that a partnership with Google Inc. was a better choice than a deal with Microsoft Corp.
Publication date: 2008-07-01 more

The Celtic Tiger is alive and well - in cyberspace

There was a time when kinky toys and naughty knickers were the only things that red-faced shoppers had smuggled to their doorstep through the secrecy of online shopping.
Publication date: 2008-07-25 more

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 takes $1bn in sales

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has become one of only a few entertainment franchises to take more than $1bn (€689m) in revenue.
Publication date: 2010-01-14 more

Blog Digest: LouderVoice

This is not a blog but has the essence of one in that it encourages a great community feel and plenty of participation. Anyone who has an opinion can write a review, be it directly on the site, from your own blog, your microblog such as Twitter or even your mobile phone.
Publication date: 2008-10-23 more

Hewlett-Packard lifted by corporate demand

Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest personal-computer maker, reported second-quarter profit and sales that beat estimates after corporate buyers replaced aging server computers and consumers took home new PCs.
Publication date: 2010-05-19 more

Whatever happened to those fabulous techie dreams?

The launch yesterday of Apple's new iPad -- the all-singing, all-dancing gizmo that's expected to change computing forever -- has led many people to claim that we're finally catching up with the visions of the future laid out in science fiction.
Publication date: 2010-01-28 more

Google Streetview to cover every UK road

Google's controversial mapping service will soon cover 238,000 miles of the UK's roads.
Publication date: 2010-03-10 more

Globrix.ie now available on mobile

Globrix.ie have launched m.globrix.ie specifically designed for viewing on mobile phones. The mobile version of the Irish property search engine can be used for keeping up to date with all properties to buy or rent while people are on the move.
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

Join forces to bring down the terrorists

Army of Two: The 40th Day, X360/PS3
Publication date: 2010-02-02 more

Oldest domain name on the internet symbolics.com is finally sold

The oldest domain name on the internet, www.symbolics.com, has finally been sold, nearly a quarter of a century after it was claimed.
Publication date: 2009-09-01 more

'In a globalised world, local communities not nations will become more important'

Ireland is making slow, steady strides to becoming a digital economy, says BT chief executive
Publication date: 2010-02-18 more

Game on: Heavy Rain flooded with cinematic features

Heavy Rain, PS3:There's been a mistake. Should Heavy Rain be reviewed here at all? Maybe it should be filed under the movie genre, because it has much more in common with cinema.
Publication date: 2010-03-09 more

Geek proposes to girlfriend inside Super Mario World level

A gaming fan proposed to his girlfriend by spelling out "Lisa will you marry me?" with gold coins in a specially-designed level of Super Mario World.
Publication date: 2009-10-21 more

Facebook under fire over 'panic button'

FACEBOOK has come under attack from top police officers for refusing to adopt a "panic button", which would allow victims of online sexual grooming to report their concerns directly to the authorities.
Publication date: 2010-04-14 more

Microsoft nears EU truce after decade-long battle

Microsoft could close the door on a 10-year legal battle with the European Union, after the regulator backed its moves to open up internet browsing on Windows to rivals.
Publication date: 2009-10-08 more

Dell plans move into service with $3.9bn Perot takeover

Computer giant Dell has agreed to buy Perot Systems for $3.9bn (
Publication date: 2009-09-22 more

Games disguised as Excel and Word prove a hit with office workers

Computer games disguised as Excel and Word documents which allow office workers to waste time without attracting the attention of their bosses are taking off on the web.
Publication date: 2010-03-09 more

Cyberclinic: Should I use ad-blocking software when I'm online?

If there's one thing that the internet age has proved – other than our love of videos of kittens doing amusing things – it's that we don't like paying for stuff.
Publication date: 2009-05-13 more

Trapattoni gets busy

GIOVANNI Trapattoni has been busy. The Irish boss put aside his World Cup woe and went back to work by targeting Andy Reid, Jamie O’Hara and Marc Wilson for some personal attention.
Publication date: 2009-12-07 more

Microsoft reshuffles browsers on ballot screen

The Windows-maker has adjusted the algorith that generates the order in which browsers are shown on its ballot screen, as Opera says downloads have tripled since process began.
Publication date: 2010-03-09 more

Decision to go into business was a sure thing

WHAT was the catalyst for going into business as a telecoms outsourcing player?
Publication date: 2009-03-26 more

Can Magnet man make opposites attract?

Broadband provider Magnet has a €70m capital expenditure plan for Ireland and last week unveiled a 12Mbps business service. Mark Kellett is the company’s new CEO
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Dell forecasts beat analyst predictions

DELL, the world's third-largest personal-computer maker, forecast third-quarter sales that beat analysts' estimates but its second-quarter gross margin fell short of projections.
Publication date: 2010-08-21 more

Microsoft 'staking its future' on cloud computing

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's chief executive, said he was 'betting the company' on the move to cloud-based services
Publication date: 2010-03-05 more

RIM and Nokia hit back at Apple's defence of iPhone 4

The mobile phone industry has hit out at Apple's attempt to claim that the reception problems afflicting its new iPhone are an industry-wide phenomenon.
Publication date: 2010-07-19 more

Facebook introduces 'memorial' pages

Facebook is to introduce a feature allowing members' profiles to be "memorialised" when they die, after complaints that users were being urged to get in touch with dead friends.
Publication date: 2009-10-27 more

Hackers Send Thousands of Fake Calls to Deaf People

A Utah company whose videoconferencing technology is used by tens of thousands of deaf people to communicate is trying to figure out who would be base enough to hack into their system and flood tens of thousands of deaf customers with fake conference calls. Officials with Sorenson Communications say since October they have dealt with a plague of prank calls to its point-to-point video calling service. The company provides videoconferencing calls to the deaf free of charge to allow deaf people to communicate via sign language to others. Sorenson public relations director Ann Bardsley said on one day, tens of thousands of false calls were sent to Sorenson videophones. On the user end, deaf customers think they have missed a call and that their unit is somehow malfunctioning. The unknown hackers have affected some 30,000 videophones installed in the homes and workplaces of deaf customers across the United States, according to the company. Ron Burdett, vice president of community relations for Sorenson Communications, said deaf customers who use sign language rely on his company's service for daily communications. Such interruptions he called "inconvenient and distressing." Company officials say they do not know what is motivating the unknown group of hackers but they do figure it is a malicious reason. Mitch Moyers is the technical program director for the Robert G. Sanderson Community Center of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Taylorsville. He said the center, which provides training and acts as a social hub, has several Sorenson video relay phones that people can use for free. "I'm disappointed. I feel like this is a great use for technology and to have people like that make life difficult for other people, that's disappointing," Moyers said. Moyers said the system allows the deaf to use their "natural language" of signing without having to use a slow and sometimes inaccurate...
Publication date: 2008-03-23 more

Google launches real-time search engine

Google has created a separate search engine dedicated to producing real-time results only.
Publication date: 2010-08-27 more

Google Buzz isn't new and isn't needed, say rivals

Microsoft and Yahoo have attacked Google's new real-time social networking tool, Google Buzz.
Publication date: 2010-02-10 more

Apple's jobs may unveil faster iPhone to lure business users

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs may unveil an iPhone that works with faster wireless networks in a bid to lure business users from the BlackBerry and reach more international customers.
Publication date: 2008-06-07 more

Google to challenge Microsoft with operating system

Google plans to release a computer operating system to challenge to the dominance of Microsoft’s Windows.
Publication date: 2009-07-08 more

Technology to help public services perform better

Like business, Government should publish an annual report to show its stakeholders – ie citizens – the progress being made
Publication date: 2008-04-24 more

New iPhone rumoured to quadruple screen resolution

Apple is expected to launch a new iPhone later this month, and reports suggest the device will have a 960 x 640 resolution screen - four times the current offering - and a glowing Apple logo and high quality OLED screen.
Publication date: 2010-06-03 more

In brief: Jameson's Elite special mention

Pernod Ricard, the co-leader of the global spirits and wine industry, said that the company topped the recently released IWSR 2007 Elite Brands List.
Publication date: 2008-10-17 more

When the Net is just too good to be true

Heard the one about the steam-powered android who fought in the trenches during the First World War and later helped explore the Antarctic? Unveiled at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, Boilerplate the robot was an overnight celebrity: presidents and tycoons clamoured to shake his hand; newspapers chronicled his every endeavour.
Publication date: 2008-10-17 more

Intel deal signal of intent on smartphone market

US chipmaker Intel, which has a major plant in Leixlip, unveiled a deal yesterday to buy German chipmaker Infineon Technologies' wireless unit for $1.4bn (€1.1bn), as it claws its way into the smartphone market and cuts its reliance on PCs.
Publication date: 2010-08-31 more

Online bingo poised for growth

For most people, bingo brings up images of elderly ladies in smoke-filled halls. But many online gambling executives say it's the next big growth area.
Publication date: 2008-06-27 more

Public Enemy’s Chuck D to promote fan-funded music site in U.S.

SellaBand AG, an Amsterdam-based music Web site where fans can listen to unsigned artists and help pay for recording costs, will be promoted by Public Enemy frontman Chuck D when it brings the service to the U.S.
Publication date: 2009-03-10 more

Microsoft 'plans Xbox Live for Windows Mobile'

Microsoft is planning to bring Xbox Live gaming to Windows Mobile phones, according to a range of job adverts the company published just before Christmas.
Publication date: 2010-01-04 more

In a state of surveillance

By the end of March 2008, the Irish Government will begin mass digital surveillance, noting when we log on and log off the internet, as well as every email we send and who we send it to. We have entered into a new democratic state where our entire digital footprint is recorded and stored for up to two years by our internet service providers (ISPs).
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Google currently recruiting 200 jobs in Dublin

Search giant Google is in the process of recruiting 200 new workers at its Dublin European headquarters, where it already employs 1,500 people, siliconrepublic. com has learned.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

26 tech jobs as Kerry web firm raises 1.2m

Some 26 new technology jobs are due to be created at a Tralee-headquartered technology company after it emerged it has attracted e1.2m in seed funding from Enterprise Ireland and the AIB Seed Capital Fund.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Could video really be the saviour of the radio stars?

If someone had to save the music industry from itself, it seems fitting that the city which brought the world U2 and Thin Lizzy is the place to start arresting the steep decline the industry has allowed itself to fall into.
Publication date: 2008-07-25 more

10 things we can expect from the new Apple iPhone

When Steve Jobs takes to the stage at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday, he is expected to take the wraps off Apple's latest iPhone.
Publication date: 2010-06-04 more

AT&T Continues Rolling Out IP-Based Phone Service

AT&T continues to roll out Internet Protocol-based voice services through its U-verse network, announcing Monday the availability of the service in Sacramento, Calif. This is the fourth market for such a service, following launches in Michigan, Connecticut and Kansas. The IP voice service fills out the company's triple-play offering with cable TV, high-speed Internet, and now voice on one bill. AT&T's 'Fiber-Rich Network' AT&T said its U-verse voice service is a "managed IP-based service that is delivered over AT&T's fiber-rich network, unlike many Voice over IP (VoIP) providers that offer best-effort digital phone services over the public Internet." AT&T said its service provides better sound quality, reliability and calling features. The advanced features that AT&T is highlighting include a single voice mailbox that can be reached from any phone or PC, and an online management portal so users can manage call preferences, contacts, call history and other preferences. It also highlighted Call History, for viewing the most recent incoming or outgoing calls online, and Click to Call, which allows the user to dial any number in the Call History by clicking with a mouse or using the U-verse remote TV control. There is also an online Address Book, a Locate Me feature so an incoming call can ring on up to four wireless or landline numbers, and traditional calling features such as screening or blocking. Focus on Price Bruce McGregor, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, noted that U-Verse voice was first announced in January, and the company is now rolling it out and adding more services. He called it a "compelling" offer to customers compared to similar triple-play bundles from other phone and cable companies. AT&T has noted that it has features to differentiate itself from cable, including the AT&T U-bar, with customizable weather, news and traffic information; a YellowPages.com for searching;...
Publication date: 2008-03-17 more

Google buys Picnik.com

Google has acquired the photo-editing website Picnik.com. The purchase, involving an undisclosed sum, sees the search giant further consolidate its move into the online photo market that began with Picasa.
Publication date: 2010-03-02 more

Hackers target Apple iTunes App Store

A number of iTunes App Store users have reported that their accounts have been hacked and then fraudulently used to buy apps or to make substantial purchases within apps.
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

Bill Gates Asks Congress for More Tech-Worker Visas

Retiring Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates ventured inside the Beltway this week, calling on Congress to issue more visas for high-tech workers, then issuing a call for Federal Communications Commission approval of so-called white-space devices, and finally rhapsodizing on the future of computing to a local technology group. High-Tech Visas "It makes no sense to educate people in our universities, often subsidized by U.S. taxpayers, and then insist they return home," Gates told the House Science and Technology Committee at a hearing Wednesday. Gates has been a leading proponent of dramatically increasing the number of H-1B temporary visas issued to foreign computer scientists, allowing them to work in the United States. During Gates' testimony, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) pushed back, saying those foreign experts will take jobs away from Americans. "If we bring [in] more people from the outside, will it not also depress the wages in our own country that people like yourself would have to pay your employees?" "No," said Gates firmly. "These top people are going to be hired. It's just a question of what country they are hired in. When we bring in these world-class engineers, we create jobs around them. The B and C students are the ones who get those jobs around these top engineers. And if these top engineers are forced to work in India, we will hire the B and C students from India to work around them." Push for White Space Then it was off to the Northern Virginia Technology Council, where Gates and Microsoft Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie made a push for adoption of technology to deliver wireless Internet over white space -- the vacant frequencies that provide buffers between television broadcasts. "White-space activity today is sort of our last hope to get some good spectrum," Mundie said. "The only way to do it...
Publication date: 2008-03-15 more

A tale of two worlds as digital economy in danger of vanishing in a rear-view mirror

It's the best of times for the digital age but worst of times for Ireland if we don't grab our chance
Publication date: 2010-03-11 more

Cyberclinic: Should camera phones really be allowed to take pictures silently?

I have to sheepishly confess that I’ve taken a surruptitious photo using my phone before. A few years back, some guy had spread his legs so wide apart while sitting in a packed train carriage that it prevented anyone from sitting next to him. I snapped him with the intention of shaming him online – but bottled out of uploading it, because he looked a bit dangerous and I feared bloody revenge.
Publication date: 2009-02-24 more

Digital Life: Got the Monday blues? Cheer yourself up with this

Monday Night Combat: From unpromising beginnings, Monday Night Combat rises far above its station with clever twists on the timeworn tower defence genre.
Publication date: 2010-09-07 more

Verizon Reports P4P Can Slash P2P's Impact on ISPs

With the ongoing debate over Comcast's throttling of BitTorrent traffic as a backdrop, Verizon on Friday released a study that shows new technology can dramatically reduce the impact of peer-to-peer (P2P) systems on Internet service providers. Yale University and Pando Networks worked with Verizon and Telefonica to test so-called P4P technology, which localizes P2P downloads. The results: the impact of P2P on Verizon's network was reduced 50 percent. Current versions of P2P systems speed up downloads of large files by breaking the files into small bits and distributing them among users. When a BitTorrent user requests a file, machines all over the world respond by each sending off a little chunk of the file. But the software doesn't check where the machines are located. Localizing Traffic P4P works by favoring machines closer to the requesting user, which has an outsize impact on network efficiency because P2P packets represent a huge amount of the traffic that passes over an ISP's network. Verizon senior technologist Douglas Pasko reported that 58 percent of P2P traffic remained local with P4P, compared to six percent with plain P2P. On average, P4P cuts the number of hops traffic takes to a destination from an average 5.5 hops to a mere 0.89 hops, Pasko said. That means not only substantial cost savings to Verizon but also much faster downloads for users. Pasko said users of Verizon's all-fiber Fios network downloaded movies twice as fast as normally, and in some cases six times as fast. So will other ISPs jump on the P4P bandwagon to cut costs and deliver improved performance? It's not likely, said Cynthia Brumfield, president of Emerging Media Dynamics, in a telephone interview. "You have to really be able to allow outside platforms to know something about your subscribers," she said. To implement P4P, Verizon communicated this information with select...
Publication date: 2008-03-14 more

Don't be caught in Aer Lingus tale spin

ON the surface Aer Lingus has enjoyed a better week. It eyeballed Siptu. And Siptu blinked. So it's back to work as normal. Well, as normal as it gets at Aer Lingus.
Publication date: 2008-05-18 more

Drew Carey bids $100,000 for @drew Twitter account in cancer auction

Drew Carey, the US comedian and game show host, has bid $100,000 to buy the Twitter account @drew.
Publication date: 2009-10-05 more

The time of sleeping satellites is over

Earth-orbiting satellites may be mankind’s current monument to our state of evolution, but they haven’t always had good press. They’ve been cited as expensive failures, shot out of the sky by ballistic missiles or are simply viewed as an expensive method of communication.
Publication date: 2008-06-27 more

Tough-talking commissioner drives hard bargain with telcos

She has raised the hackles of European fixed and mobile telecoms operators by forcing them to slash call and message costs, but is the toast of Europe’s 500 million citizens who feel ripped off when they get their post-holiday phone bills or who live in border areas.
Publication date: 2008-10-09 more

Facebook testing

Facebook has rolled out a new feature that makes it easier for people to permanently quit the social-networking website, according to technology blog Slashdot.
Publication date: 2010-07-27 more

Cyberclinic: Did Google drop a clanger with its new Buzz network?

There was a time, not long ago, when web services would launch promising the opportunity to share photos, videos, our innermost thoughts, and we'd excitedly rush to sign up.
Publication date: 2010-02-17 more

Are you all stuffed up?

It's that time of the year again. Aaaaacccchhhhoooo!
Publication date: 2008-06-05 more

Microsoft will strip browser from Windows 7 in Europe

Microsoft will ship the new Windows 7 operating system in the EU without the Internet Explorer browser, aiming to quell antitrust concerns.
Publication date: 2009-06-12 more

Debate around broadband infrastructure needs to deviate from speed to quality

Never mind talking about broadband speeds, how well are our connections faring, really?
Publication date: 2009-10-08 more

50 most annoying things about the internet

A selection of the trends we wish could be consigned to the waste bin - the most annoying things on the web.
Publication date: 2009-10-16 more

Digital Marketing Institue: register now for new courses

The Digital Marketing Institute delivers training courses in all aspects of digital and online marketing.
Publication date: 2010-02-03 more

Microsoft Windows 7: The best Windows operating system yet

PC World opened the doors to its flagship London store at midnight for customers wishing to be first to get their hands on Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7.
Publication date: 2009-10-22 more

Microsoft to launch

Microsoft will launch Windows-based tablet computers later this year, says Steve Ballmer
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

How pirates hijacked DS

Think of a pirate and it's likely that an image of a bandanna-clad, eye-patch sporting villain springs to mind. But these days, piracy has moved out of the high seas and into our homes. For millions of people, downloading an album for free or buying knock-off DVDs in the pub is a normal part of life, with no yo ho ho-ing required.
Publication date: 2008-10-08 more

New iPhone is designed for speed

APPLE served up a new, faster version of its uber-popular iPhone, with a video camera, more memory and a slew of new features, redoubling its effort to stay ahead of the pack in the increasingly competitive smartphone market.
Publication date: 2009-06-09 more

Christian Bale: All the rage on the web

Cyberspace is reverberating to the sound of one man swearing. His expletive-per-minute ratio might pale in comparison with Gordon Ramsay delivering a verdict on a sub-standard mushroom risotto.
Publication date: 2009-02-09 more

Twitter 'Suggested User List' should die, says chief executive

Evan Williams, the chief executive of micro-blogging service Twitter, says it's time to kill the service’s controversial ‘Suggested User List’.
Publication date: 2009-10-21 more

Apple will issue replacement iPad when battery runs out

iPad owners will pay $99 to receive a new device when they need a replacement battery.
Publication date: 2010-03-15 more

Text-message security flaw could leave iPhone open to hackers

A vulnerability in the way Apple's iPhone handles text messages could enable hackers to take control of your handset, warn security experts.
Publication date: 2009-07-31 more

EBay share price up as earnings exceed estimates

EBay rose in European trading after second-quarter earnings topped analysts’ estimates, a sign that buyers and sellers are returning to the site.
Publication date: 2009-07-23 more

Invisible doorways or portals a step closer to reality, claim scientists

Invisible gateways like the one to platform 9 and 3/4 in Harry Potter and to Lewis Carroll's hidden world in 'Through the Looking Glass' are a step closer to reality after scientists developed a new theory.
Publication date: 2009-08-13 more

Google acquires ReCaptcha fraud prevention software

Google has acquired ReCaptcha, a company that helps prevent fraud and spam at websites like Ticketmaster.ie.
Publication date: 2009-09-17 more

Digital life: Flagship mobiles ring a bit hollow

Sony Ericsson Aino,
Publication date: 2010-01-26 more

Trafigura tops list of Twitter trending topics

Trafigura, one of the world's largest oil traders, was the most used word on the micro-blogging website Twitter this morning.
Publication date: 2009-10-13 more

Gates says Microsoft to pursue `independent strategy'

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates said the world's biggest software company will pursue an ``independent strategy'' after Yahoo! Inc. rejected its $47.5 billion takeover bid.
Publication date: 2008-05-07 more

Mobile software stars on top of their game

With €180m in turnover in 2007 and 70 indigenous companies, the mobile telecoms sector in Ireland is healthy to say the least but more than that, a certain few are beginning to emerge as global leaders in the area.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Thanks to Internet, Starting Your Own Business Never Easier

The prospect of starting out on your own in business should not be a decision made on a whim. And it is usually not. But despite the "allure" of being an entrepreneur, many people never take the plunge. However, with today's economy, technology and conditions, there has never been an easier time to start your own company. I am amazed every single week at the sheer number of ideas that are floating around out there -- many of which have the makings of a serious business waiting to happen. I've recently been reading Chris Anderson's "The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More." Anderson makes the point that today's technology allows virtually anyone to be a publisher, distributor or retailer. There are so many goods and services that can be made available today at a profit that one decade ago would have been a failing business model. There are so many possibilities here, it would be impossible to mention them all. But here are a few ideas: -- Publishing: In literally minutes, you can have an Internet presence by starting your own blog, an online, interactive newsletter. This kind of online forum is critical to telling your particular story. -- Advertising: If you have a site with a decent number of visitors, this can be monetized by becoming an advertiser. Google, Microsoft and many others offer ad programs you place on your site and make money every time someone clicks on the ad. -- Retailing: Launching an online store has never been easier, nor have more options been available. You can let other companies like Amazon.com do most of the work for you, you can have your store hosted on Yahoo Stores, or you can run the entire site yourself with free software on your own server. If you aren't a...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

MySpace and Facebook sign real-time search deals with Google

MySpace and Facebook have both signed deals with Google to allow publicly available status updates to be indexed in real-time by the search giant.
Publication date: 2009-12-09 more

Sales of the iPad take off as three million sold in 80 days

Apple Inc said it has sold three million iPads in the 80 days since the device went on sale in the US, adding to evidence that chief executive officer Steve Jobs is building demand for tablet-style computers.
Publication date: 2010-06-23 more

Awards for mobile apps launched

Digital Times magazine and Alchemy Event Management are pleased to announce the launch of ‘The Appys’ – Ireland’s only dedicated awards ceremony for mobile application development and design.
Publication date: 2010-08-11 more

Converged fixed and mobile broadband on the way for consumers

You are unveiling a new form of broadband access – DSL Wi-Fi routers that can also use 3G dongles. Why do you think consumers will go for this?
Publication date: 2010-06-04 more

Facebook tests new privacy-setting page

Facebook, owner of the world’s largest social-networking site, will test simplified privacy settings and eliminate the site’s regional networks, an effort to quell concerns about the use of personal information.
Publication date: 2009-07-02 more

Internet myths are debunked at the peak of the Web Summit

AT last week's Dublin Web Summit, organised by Paddy Cosgrave, more than 150 people trooped into Bewley's Hotel in Ballsbridge to listen to some of the most influential online Europeans talk about the impact of the internet on business, politics and media.
Publication date: 2009-11-05 more

Together in electric dreams: the Irish automotive industry goes green

Can electric cars and motorbikes power their way to the top of the automobile market?
Publication date: 2009-03-05 more

Ghosts in the machine: Android phones to transform video gaming

The Vikings are coming! Powerful new Google Android-powered smart phone devices are being used across Dublin to spearhead the introduction of a new interactive game that will make the player not only fitter but more knowledgeable about the city.
Publication date: 2009-06-11 more

Meet the brave new wave of Irish technology start-ups

What makes the current crop of technology start-ups in Ireland so different from their predecessors like Iona? It’s the unusual dichotomy of wisdom and hindsight, mixed with an appetite for somewhat risky business.
Publication date: 2008-07-10 more

Hit the road, Jack, but not without your IT armoury

In times like these, travel can be seen by many as an unnecessary expense, but when your firm is aiming to hold onto loyal clients and drum up new business, getting out there and pressing the flesh is much more effective than communicating by phone or email alone.
Publication date: 2008-10-09 more

Crowley sees FL pullout kill off €20m windfall

Irish technology entrepreneur Norman Crowley has seen a potential €20m windfall evaporate after Icelandic private equity firm FL Group officially shelved takeover plans for British-based Inspired Gaming.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Apple hits back at Adobe in Flash row

It's the latest exchange in an increasingly bitter war of words between the two companies, which have been at loggerheads over Apple's perceived efforts to undermine the supremacy of Adobe's Flash technology.
Publication date: 2010-04-23 more

CBS looks at streaming shows online

The US television network CBS is in talks to make its top shows available on the internet streaming service Hulu.com, in the latest sign that programme-makers are stepping up experiments with new ways to distribute their content.
Publication date: 2010-06-24 more

Irish writers invited to join class action deal with Google

IRISH authors may be entitled to cash windfalls if they are covered by a settlement reached with Google after a class action case taken in the US.
Publication date: 2009-01-28 more

Verizon, AT&T Are Big Winners in FCC Auction

The Federal Communications Commission auction for the 700-MHz wireless spectrum is over, and the winners are known. One obvious winner is the FCC itself, which exceeded its initial estimate of $10 billion with a $19.59 billion total. Among the bidders, Verizon Wireless and AT&T won big portions of the available spectrum, which is being vacated as U.S. television stations move to digital transmission. Google a Big Winner, Too Verizon took 108 licenses for $9.6 billion, and AT&T bagged 227 for $6.6 billion. Observers say Verizon's purchases will help it narrow a gap in coverage as it competes with AT&T. One potentially big winner is Google, even though it didn't win any bids. It bid $4.7 billion for the C-block frequencies, which triggered an auction requirement that any third-party compatible device or software must be able to operate on the bandwidth. That was one of the open-network provisions that Google, as head of an alliance of consumer organizations and businesses, was able to have adopted by the FCC. Verizon, which backed an open-network position shortly before the auction, bought the C-block license. Dish Network took 168 wireless licenses for $711 million, although it was not immediately apparent what it intends to do with them. Some observers are speculating it might be for a video service of some kind, but the company is prohibited from discussing its plans until it makes the down payment on April 3. One setback for the FCC was the auction of the upper 700-MHz D block. Earlier this week, the agency separated that block from the rest of the auction and said it will "consider its options for how to license this spectrum," since bids did not meet the $1.3 billion minimum. The D block was established to create a public-private partnership that would guarantee public-safety agencies bandwidth access in emergencies. Impact on Consumers The...
Publication date: 2008-03-23 more

Dell Plans New PCs for China, India

Dell Inc., the world's No. 2 PC maker, is developing new models aimed at Chinese and Indian consumers to drive sales in fast-growing Asian markets, CEO Michael Dell said Thursday. Personal computer makers increasingly are designing products with Chinese buyers in mind. Both Dell and China's Lenovo Group unveiled low-cost PCs last year for rural and novice users. "This year, we plan to introduce 50 percent more notebook platforms than we introduced last year, including exciting new products aimed exactly at Chinese customer needs," Dell said at a news conference. New models are meant to meet "specifically the requirements that we see in countries like China and India," he said. Dell says its consumer sales in China grew by 54 percent last year, more than three times the industry average of 17 percent. "When we look at the potential for expansion, we do see enormous opportunity ahead," Dell said. "As far as the U.S. goes, I think the U.S. will be OK, but not the fastest-growing. We expect more growth in Asia." The company last month reported its fourth-quarter profit fell 6.4 percent and cautioned that more cautious spending by U.S. customers could hurt its business. Dell says it has about 18 percent of China's market by revenue and 10 percent by number of units sold. Worldwide, it has a 16.1 percent market share, according to consulting firm Gartner Group. In a bid for a bigger share of China's market, Dell broke with its Internet sales model and struck a deal in September to sell PCs through the country's biggest electronics retailer, Gome Group. Dell's retail presence in China will expand to 1,200 cities by the end of this year, up from just 45 in 2007, said Amid Midha, Dell Greater China president, who appeared with Dell. "By this summer, we will have more unique products coming to China," Midha...
Publication date: 2008-03-23 more

Digital Life: The Toys are back in town for kids big and small

Pixar's attention to detail with its animated movies is legendary. But it never quite stretches to imposing the same quality control in its game tie-ins.
Publication date: 2010-07-06 more

We will spy on your teen's website for you

Irish parents are the best in Europe at monitoring their kids on the internet. However, their kids are the least likely of all European children to turn to mum or dad for advice when something happens to them online.
Publication date: 2009-01-28 more

Sex domain .xxx approved by regulators

ICANN, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers, which is responsible for overseeing the creation and distribution of web addresses, finally gave the go-ahead for the special .xxx domain name at a meeting in Brussels.
Publication date: 2010-06-28 more

Digital Life: The best of E3

CHILD OF EDEN, Ubisoft, X360/PS3
Publication date: 2010-06-22 more

Google in talks on launching free online property listing portal

GOOGLE is in talks with UK estate agents about launching its own online property portal that will be free to use and funded by advertising, the 'Financial Times' reported yesterday.
Publication date: 2009-12-04 more

Last-minute festive tech toys

Gaming: This year has been the year of the gamer. No longer the domain of teenage boys, now toddlers, grandparents and everyone in between have been joining in on the casual gaming craze.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Ireland has the potential to become the world's green data-centre capital

Eco-friendly data centres could be Ireland's winning card to play during the digital age
Publication date: 2009-11-12 more

Even better than the real thing?

With the release of U2’s new 3D movie, Hollywood studios are now showing greater interest in 3D technology than at any other time since the Fifties
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Digital Life: Go wild in the lawless West

Red Dead Redemption
Publication date: 2010-06-08 more

High-speed broadband rollout years away, warns watchdog

Telecoms watchdog ComReg has warned that the introduction of a high-speed broadband system might take between three and five years and may not be in time to satisfy the country's smart-economy requirements.
Publication date: 2009-07-10 more

How a 'Tweeting' cottage became part of the green-living agenda

MAN is a shrewd inventor, and is ever taking the hint of a new machine from his own structure, adapting some secret of his own anatomy in iron, wood, and leather, to some required function in the work of the world."
Publication date: 2009-10-01 more

SlySoft Offers Blu-ray Copy-Protection Cracker

SlySoft is at it again. The Caribbean firm says it has broken the copy-protection technology used on some Blu-ray discs to prevent consumers and bootleggers from copying movie content. SlySoft is offering a 20 percent discount on its latest version. Last year SlySoft launched HD-DVD-cracking software designed to let consumers decrypt HD-DVD movie discs and copy them. AnyDVD HD software cracked the Advanced Access System, a specification for managing content stored on HD DVDs. SlySoft also produces several other copy-protection software tools, including CloneDVD to burn copies of DVDS, Game Jackal Pro, which burns CD games to the hard drive, and Virtual CloneDrive, which is virtual drive software. SlySoft could not immediately be reached for comment. Focusing on Blu-ray Now that Blu-ray is the clear winner in the high-definition format battle, SlySoft has turned its attention to the Sony format. The latest version, AnyDVD HD 6.4.0.0, promises to crack Blu-ray copy protection. SlySoft is peddling the program on its Web site for $47. SlySoft's claims about its software appear to be accurate. The company has a track record for its ability to hack CD and DVD copy protection and let consumers clone the files. But Richard Doherty, an analyst at Envisioneering Group, said the program may not work with all Blu-ray discs. "We don't have the package to know whether this works with a handful of discs or would work with the latest Blu-ray discs with Sony and Fox, but we are doing tests," he said. "We should have more information to report next week." A Slew of Crackers "AnyDVD HD comes with the same functionality as AnyDVD, but with additional features for full Blu-ray Disc and HD-DVD support, including decryption of Blu-ray and HD-DVD movies," the SlySoft Web site says. Specifically, SlySoft is cracking BD+, a technology Macrovision developed. According to Macrovision, more than 20...
Publication date: 2008-03-23 more

Firms should look closer to home for data loss

The recent loss and theft of laptops belonging to both Bank of Ireland Life and the Irish Blood Transfusion Board attracted headlines. But Michael Conway of Renaissance Software is still not convinced Irish firms know the real dangers
Publication date: 2008-08-14 more

EA sells 1.4m copies of ‘Sims 3’ in week

Electronic Arts, the world’s second-largest video-game publisher, sold more than 1.4 million copies of "Sims 3" in the game’s first week on sale.
Publication date: 2009-06-10 more

YouTube adds movies on demand

Video service YouTube is adding more than 400 full-length films and starting a new movie category that it ‘hopes will grow in time’
Publication date: 2010-08-27 more

Smoking hot 'Playboy' now available at work

Playboy yesterday launched a new, non-nude website that it described as being safe-for-work and a "satirical antidote to the drudgery of the work day."
Publication date: 2010-07-21 more

eBay calls on EU to step up fight against counterfeit sales

eBay, the world’s biggest online auctioneer, asked the European Union to do more to fight sales of fakes by reviewing data-privacy rules and creating a continent-wide intellectual-property network.
Publication date: 2009-03-24 more

Internet hero finds web is all a numbers game

This year’s Internet Hero at the Eircom Golden Spider Awards is Aodhan Cullen, chief executive of web analysis firm Statcounter. Cullen, who is now 25, started the company when he was 16.
Publication date: 2008-11-20 more

Pleased to meet you, virtually

Recently, 240 employees of the Revenue Commissioners from 11 regional offices attended a seminar on VAT. In the past, this would have involved a mass exodus of staff to a central location such as Dublin, an administrative hassle trying to accommodate the numbers in one room and thousands of man-hours lost as workers made the journey.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Sony joins Universal Music to show artists on YouTube

Sony Music Entertainment agreed to put videos from its artists on Vevo, the music Web site being developed by Universal Music Group and Google’s YouTube.
Publication date: 2009-06-05 more

Nokia to buy remainder of Symbian for $410 million

Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, offered to buy the 52 percent of Symbian Ltd. it doesn't own for about 264 million euros ($410 million) to create royalty-free operating systems for handsets.
Publication date: 2008-06-25 more

Workers flout rules over internet usage

Three-quarters of employees with internet access flout company rules by surfing the web for personal use. A new survey reveals that workers are spending as much as an hour a day online at their jobs taking care of personal business.
Publication date: 2008-04-16 more

Apple iPhone 4 - first look

The leaked photos of the iPhone 4 that appeared online really don't do the device justice; it's a beautiful, lightweight device that's a genuine pleasure to use.
Publication date: 2010-06-08 more

Local firms need to grow up and act global

Irish software firms employ 16,000 people and are responsible for annual revenues of €1.4bn. Shane Dempsey is the new director of the Irish Software Association.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Crowning Ireland’s queen of the internet

Now in its 11th year, the Irish Internet Association (IIA) has grown to 900 organisations — from SMEs to public-sector bodies. Maeve Kneafsey is the new chair of the IIA
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

New app is absolutely jammers with Irish slang

SLAPPERS and sleeveens will be dying for a gawk at this.
Publication date: 2010-03-13 more

Vista SP1 Updaters Report Problems, Successes

Rarely has a service pack received as much attention as SP1 for Microsoft's Windows Vista, officially released Tuesday. And while some users are reporting smooth installation and better performance, many are reporting problems. Vista SP1 was completed in early February, correcting a variety of bugs or performance issues in the Vista operating system. Shortly after its completion, it was shipped to computer makers, beta testers, big customers and subscribers to Microsoft's TechNet and Developer Network services. The software giant had said the full release of SP1 was delayed because of problems with some hardware-device drivers, and it needed time to provide new drivers or to block systems with bad drivers from installing SP1. Available Manually A notice on the Windows Vista blog Tuesday reported that it is now available through Windows Update -- if the user opens Windows Update and selects SP1. But if automatic downloading and installation through Windows Update is preferred, a user will need to wait until mid-April. SP1 is also beginning to be available through retailers. Regardless of the method to obtain SP1, updaters are reporting both problems and successful fixes. A poster named huddy reported on a bit-tech.net forum that, after installing SP1, his X-F1 sound card caused his computer to crash. "At least neighbors are happy," he reported. Another user, moshpit, said his post-SP1 computer now "runs butter smooth and has been problem-free," while someone named Akava said there were problems just downloading SP1. Even the Vista blog has reports of problems. A user named butters286 said that, after the SP1 installation, there's now no sound and the DVD drive doesn't work. A commenter named SeppDietrich said that installing SP1 was not, "in retrospect, my finest decision," calling it "a disaster" with all the Nvidia drivers being exiled to "the Bermuda Triangle" -- that is, vanished. Afterward, SeppDietrich...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

Are flatscreens really worth buying?

Last Thursday was a difficult day for Susumu Kotani, president of Pioneer Corp. He’d only taken over as president in October. And now he had the unenviable job of announcing that the Japnese electronics giant was pulling out of the flatscreen TV market.
Publication date: 2009-02-18 more

Picture is rosy for Andor as profits soar

Pre-tax profits at Belfast- based digital camera firm Andor Technology climbed 22pc to £800,000 for the six months to the end of March.
Publication date: 2008-05-22 more

iPhone app to alert hay-fever sufferers

HAY-FEVER sufferers across the country are being offered help by a new iPhone application.
Publication date: 2010-07-05 more

Ireland's talent meltdown

IT has been said to me before that the average schoolchild in nations such as China and India dreams of being a scientist.
Publication date: 2008-09-26 more

Yahoo 'damaged goods' after Yang fails to revive Microsoft deal

Yahoo! Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jerry Yang's five-month conflict with Microsoft Corp. ended yesterday. The outcome may not be good for him or the Internet company's investors.
Publication date: 2008-06-13 more

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 leaked footage set to ignite controversy

Leaked footage from Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 showing the killing of innocent civilians looks likely to renew the debate on video game violence.
Publication date: 2009-10-29 more

Twitter to launch new features

Twitter is launching a raft of new features that could rival the services offered by third-party applications, according to a tweet from one of the social network’s engineers.
Publication date: 2010-03-01 more

Digital Life: Beam me up, Slim Shady -- it's game on!

'Make some mother f***ing noise," Eminem bellowed to the 10,000-strong crowd as he stood underneath a giant image from the Call of Duty series before launching into a duet with Rihanna.
Publication date: 2010-06-22 more

Facebook turns to Visa

Facebook Inc., the biggest U.S. social-networking site, will host a program run by Visa Inc. to support small businesses and attract more advertising.
Publication date: 2008-06-25 more

Book apps overtake games on iPhone

Books have become the most popular category of apps downloaded on the iPhone, overtaking games, according to a new research.
Publication date: 2009-11-02 more

Film studios awarded $110.9 million in piracy case against TorrentSpy

Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and other studios were awarded $110.9 million by a U.S. judge in a case over pirated films distributed through the Dutch file- sharing Web site TorrentSpy.com.
Publication date: 2008-05-08 more

Do we need all this stuff to have fun?

It hasn't always been this way. Once upon a time, my living room was a sanctuary: a safe, peaceful place, a comforting cocoon that stood as a serene retreat at the end of the working day.
Publication date: 2009-06-17 more

YouTube discussing possible music web site with Universal

YouTube, the video-sharing Web site owned by Google, is in talks with Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group to create an online music Web site, two people familiar with the situation said yesterday.
Publication date: 2009-03-05 more

Taxman's on-trust expenses

WITH businesses across the country having to account for every last cent ahead of spiralling numbers of Revenue audits, it has emerged that Revenue Commissioners staff are entitled to expenses without having to show receipts.
Publication date: 2008-05-18 more

Product Review: Dell Laptop

These days technology is as much about lifestyle and self-expression as it is about functionality and nowhere is this more apparent than in Dell’s latest TV advertisement for its range of Inspiron Colours laptops.
Publication date: 2008-04-10 more

Apple unveils new iPad

Computer giant Apple launched its iPad device today, claiming it bridged the gap between the laptop and the smartphone.
Publication date: 2010-01-27 more

Ireland is facing the threat of a data tsunami

Currently the amount of data worldwide is doubling every 11 months – but by 2010 it will double every 11 hours.
Publication date: 2008-06-19 more

US hotel WiFi hack attack could happen here

Global Secure Systems, an IT security consultancy, has warned that insecure WiFi systems installed at hotels could be hacked with embarrassing consequences, as has happened with the high-end Thompson hotel chain in the US.
Publication date: 2008-10-13 more

NUI Maynooth’s road trip to technology success

Last week, while many Irish college students were enjoying their summer holidays and still sleeping in, three National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth lads were zooming towards the Channel Tunnel to Paris, smelling faintly of chip oil with a few hungry seagulls hovering overhead.
Publication date: 2008-07-17 more

Google Social Search goes live

Google's new feature allows users to include information from other social networks, such as Twitter, and blogs in their search results
Publication date: 2009-10-27 more

Dawn of a new ultra-mobile era

COMPUTING really only 'arrived' when it became personal, when the computer was small, affordable and intuitive enough to take pride of place in the family home and now, as Moore's Law would have it, in most small bags.
Publication date: 2009-11-19 more

Apple latest products: early reviews of iPod touch 4G, Ping, Apple TV and Nano

Apple has received mixed early reviews to the launch of its latest product updates: the iPod touch 4G, Ping, Apple TV with streaming and the sixth-generation iPod nano.
Publication date: 2010-09-03 more

Gamers get sneak preview of PS3 Move motion controller

Gamers got a sneak preview of Sony's PlayStation 3 Move motion controller in Dublin on Wednesday in advance of its launch on September 17.
Publication date: 2010-08-14 more

Google Nexus One update adds multi-touch

It means the device can be used in a similar way to the Apple iPhone, with users now able to pinch their fingers together to zoom in or out of a web page.
Publication date: 2010-02-03 more

UK defends plans for 'Big Brother' database

Plans to create a giant database of mobile phone and internet records have been unveiled by the UK government
Publication date: 2008-10-20 more

How can YouTube survive?

It must surely rank as the most mundane business launch in history. Jawed Karim, one of the founders of YouTube, shuffles timidly in front of a video camera while standing in front of a group of elephants at San Diego zoo, with precious little idea of what he was starting.
Publication date: 2009-07-07 more

Microsoft targets Google with $45bn bid for Yahoo!

MICROSOFT, the computer giant founded by Bill Gates, has launched an audacious bid to buy the online search engine Yahoo!. The multi-billion dollar deal could challenge Google's dominance of the internet.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Apple Launches 802.11n Mobile Base Station

Apple is keeping up with the wireless times. On Monday, the company updated its AirPort Express mobile base station with 802.11n, the latest standard approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The new model delivers up to five times the performance and twice the range of the previous model, according to the company. Priced at $99, the AirPort Express can be plugged directly into the wall for wireless Internet connectivity and USB printing at home, or it can be taken on the road and used wherever there is an Internet connection. The AirPort Express features AirTunes, which works with iTunes to let users wirelessly stream iTunes music from a PC or Mac to any room in the house. No big surprises with this Apple product release, according to Michael Gartenberg, a wireless analyst at JupiterResearch. "Apple has migrated almost all of its wireless efforts over to 802.11n. It makes sense that the AirPort Express would to go there [too], as the ultra-mobile wireless device with the ability to stream music and content using AirTunes," he said. "It made sense for Apple to get that device over to the n specification to match up with the rest of the product line." A Portable AirPort The AirPort Express features a single-piece design with portability in mind. The unit weighs 6.7 ounces. PC and Mac users alike can use AirPort Express to share a single DSL or cable broadband connection with up to 10 simultaneous users. Users can also wirelessly share a printer that is connected to the USB port. The product's advanced security features are designed to safeguard data on networked computers with support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2), 128-bit WEP encryption and a built-in firewall. Apple now includes 802.11n as standard in its entire line of AirPort base stations and Mac...
Publication date: 2008-03-18 more

Irish Internet Association announces conference speakers

The Irish Internet Association has announced the speakers in the plenary sessions at their annual Congress on May 21st in Dublin.
Publication date: 2009-05-12 more

Papers retain third of online readers in spite of 'pay wall'

TWO of the best known newspapers in Britain and Ireland have retained about a third of their online readership since they started to charge users for access.
Publication date: 2010-07-20 more

A world without cables

For a century the modern world has been caught in a growing web of copper cables. They have become arteries that power the globe, but, from the jumble of cords cluttering our desks to the miles of wires hidden in our walls, they are also an expensive nuisance binding our gadgets to the grid.
Publication date: 2009-11-18 more

Computers 'to match human brains by 2030'

Computer power will match the intelligence of human beings within the next 20 years because of the accelerating speed at which technology is advancing, according to a leading scientific "futurologist".
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Google launches new image search

Google Image Search is to be changed to include live enlargement of images as users hover their mouse over them, a denser layour of images of varying sizes and better navigation.
Publication date: 2010-07-21 more

The environment to attract investment in Irish telecoms

The Telecommunications and Internet Federation (TIF) represents the local telecoms industry, which invests over €500m annually in infrastructure. Tommy McCabe is director of TIF.
Publication date: 2010-07-22 more

Product Review: 3G broadband stick

Let me start by saying that mobile broadband, when it is working, is a wonderful thing. Enjoying a sturdy internet connection no matter where you are, be it in your home, on a train or while out and about, is becoming almost indispensable for the modern worker.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

OMG, Twittering teens are changing the dictionary

TWITTERING teenagers have shown their influence over the English language by introducing dozens of new words to the dictionary and helping to reinvigorate older ones.
Publication date: 2009-08-31 more

Social media’s lingua franca is ‘Tweet’-talking its way into business

If ever an emerging technology had its ‘flash in the pan’ moment, it was this week when popular messaging platform Twitter informed the world it was no longer footing the bill for sending SMS messages to its 1.2 million dedicated followers.
Publication date: 2008-08-21 more

Yahoo! goes full circle as shares drop to pre-Microsoft bid levels

SHARES in Yahoo! plunged below the $20 (€12.6) mark earlier this week, coming close to its trading level before Microsoft launched its failed buyout attempt in February.
Publication date: 2008-07-03 more

Now you can log on in Hebrew, Arabic and Chinese

Internet regulators last night heralded a new era of international web use that will no longer be dominated by the Latin alphabet.
Publication date: 2009-10-31 more

Mobile World Congress: Nokia and Intel merge to launch MeeGo Apps platform

Nokia and Intel are joining forces to produce smartphone software that they hope will challenge the dominance of Apple and Google.
Publication date: 2010-02-15 more

Google Chrome OS computers will be available in 2010

Google has announced that its much-anticipated web based operating system, Chrome OS, will be available within a year.
Publication date: 2009-11-20 more

Disharmony at iTunes

Five billion and counting fast. That is how many songs have been downloaded since Apple's iTunes music store flung open its digital doors in 2003, putting more than 8 million individual tracks within a click and a dollar of anyone with a computer.
Publication date: 2008-08-29 more

Bush Pushes Cybersecurity

A sudden spike in the number of successful attacks against federal government information systems and databases has led President Bush to propose a multi-billion-dollar response. The number of incidents reported to the Department of Homeland Security rose by 152 percent last year, to nearly 13,000, according to a new government report. The security breaches, more than 4,000 of which remain under investigation, ranged from the work of random hackers to organized crime and foreign governments, says Tim Bennett, president of the Cyber Security Industry Alliance. The increase and severity of data breaches prompted Bush to recommend a 10 percent increase in cybersecurity funding for the coming fiscal year, to $7.3 billion. That's a 73-percent increase since 2004. "The president's put a lot of emphasis on this recently," says Robert Jamison, undersecretary for national protection and programs at the Department of Homeland Security. "We're concerned that the threats are real and growing. ... We're more vulnerable as a nation." Members of Congress and experts in the private sector say the government's new initiative is overdue. "There are more and more bad guys out there," says Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who chaired a Senate Homeland Security subcommittee hearing this week on government information security risks. In 31 percent of the infiltrations, he says, "agencies do not know who took the information or how much information was taken." Rep. Jim Langevin, D-R.I., who chairs the House Homeland Security subcommittee with jurisdiction over the issue, says the Bush administration "has not paid nearly enough attention to cybersecurity" until this year. Now, he says, "they're at least trying to move in the right direction." Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has made improving cybersecurity one of his top four goals for 2008. "It's the one area in which I feel we've been behind where I would like to be," he told reporters here...
Publication date: 2008-03-17 more

Meet mobile’s maker

From a fledgling start-up in 1996, Oliver Coughlan transformed O2 from a voice and text network to a full broadband provider
Publication date: 2008-05-30 more

Is the Internet Slowing Down?

Caution -- Heavy Internet traffic ahead. Delays possible. For months there has been a rising chorus of alarm about the surging growth in the amount of data flying across the Internet. The threat, according to some industry groups, analysts and researchers, stems mainly from the increasing visual richness of online communications and entertainment -- video clips and movies, social networks and multiplayer games. Moving images, far more than words or sounds, are hefty rivers of digital bits as they traverse the Internet's pipes and gateways, requiring, in industry parlance, more bandwidth. Last year, by one estimate, the video site YouTube, owned by Google, consumed as much bandwidth as the entire Internet did in 2000. In a widely cited report published in November, a research firm projected that user demand for the Internet could outpace network capacity by 2011. The title of a debate scheduled next month at a technology conference in Boston sums up the angst: "The End of the Internet?" But the traffic surge represents more of a challenge than an impending catastrophe. Even those most concerned are not predicting a lights-out Internet crash. An individual user, they say, would experience Internet clogging in the form of sluggish download speeds and frustration with data-heavy services that become much less useful or enjoyable. "The Internet doesn't collapse, but there would be a growing class of stuff you just can't do online," said Johna Till Johnson, president of Nemertes Research, which predicted the bandwidth crunch by 2011, anticipating that demand would grow by 100 percent or more a year. Others are less worried -- at least in the short term. Andrew Odlyzko, a professor at the University of Minnesota, estimates that digital traffic on the global network was growing about 50 percent a year, in line with a recent analysis by Cisco Systems, the big...
Publication date: 2008-03-14 more

PC owners vulnerable to ID theft

ALMOST half of all computers in the UK and Ireland are vulnerable to identity theft.
Publication date: 2008-11-28 more

In brief: Societe Generale shares up 6.4pc

Societe Generale SA, the bank that suffered a record trading loss in January, rose in Paris trading after it stood by its third-quarter profit forecast. The shares climbed as much as 6.4pc and traded up 1pc at €38.38 at 9.35am, valuing the bank at €22.6bn.
Publication date: 2008-10-29 more

Businesses are nervous about taking a walk in the clouds

A CLOUD computing revolution is under way, but security concerns are holding business leaders back. Ian Cassidy is Accenture's senior executive for cloud computing
Publication date: 2009-09-03 more

Amazon.com offers 600 downloadable video games on it's web site

Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest Internet retailer, began offering game downloads, stepping up competition with Yahoo! Inc. and other gaming Web sites.
Publication date: 2009-02-04 more

Tech firm makes a tasty feast out of convenient cooking trend

A CARRICKMACROSS-based company that says it's a software firm first is taking the catering world by storm and has made it possible for operators such as Eurostar to serve up gourmet meals.
Publication date: 2009-05-14 more

Consumer group

Consumer Reports – an independent US consumer watchdog – said that its engineers had completed extensive tests on Apple’s iPhone 4, and confirmed that there was an issue with reception.
Publication date: 2010-07-13 more

Blog digest: Contrast – The Blog

Contrast.ie is a young and talented firm of web designers who really get online branding. Its blog is a great place to dip your toes in if you are an SME looking to establish your visibility and brand on the web, because the way information is presented on your site and how your visitor interacts with the information available is paramount.
Publication date: 2008-11-13 more

Puma unveils solar-powered phone

Puma, the sportswear brand, has teamed up with Sagem to create a bespoke mobile phone that can be recharged by the sun.
Publication date: 2010-02-17 more

Is gaming the iPad's 'killer app'?

Opinion is divided as to whether the tablet-style form factor will take off among consumers. But could Apple's plans to transform the iPad in to a casual gaming platform be the feature that wins over the sceptics?
Publication date: 2010-01-28 more

RoboDoc ready to get tough on disease

YOU've heard of Robocop, now here comes RoboDoc.
Publication date: 2009-10-07 more

Trust, authenticity and Twitter - welcoming you to politics 2.0

IF there is a general election in the near future, you can be guaranteed that social-media platforms such as Twitter will feature strongly in future political debate by ministers, journalists and campaigners. All will be judged by voters.
Publication date: 2009-10-22 more

Sony disables PlayStation 3 OS function

Sony has said that from April 1 it will disable a function on its PlayStation 3 console which allows users to install alternative operating systems.
Publication date: 2010-03-31 more

The number’s up for mobile market movers

Samsung has supplanted Motorola at the No 2 spot in the global mobile market and is making strides in the consumer electronics space. Gary Twohig is the new country manager at Samsung
Publication date: 2008-04-24 more

Microsoft all but confirms Courier tablet

A blog post on the Microsoft Jobs website specifically mentioned the long-rumoured Courier, a potential rival to Apple's iPad
Publication date: 2010-03-24 more

Sony PSP Go to double as ebook reader

Sony’s new handheld games console will also allow users to read books and comics on the go.
Publication date: 2009-08-20 more

Blu-ray not coming to Xbox 360

Microsoft has backtracked on reports that owners of its Xbox 360 games console will be able to buy a Blu-ray drive for the device.
Publication date: 2009-10-23 more

Patent Suit Challenges Apple iTunes Store and iPod

On Wednesday, ZapMedia Services filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against Apple. But this time it's not over the iPhone. The Atlanta-based company alleges Apple's iTunes Store and iPod music players infringe on its patented methods for distributing digital media over the Internet. ZapMedia Services sued Apple in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, a venue known for its friendly stance toward plaintiffs. ZapMedia Services claims the lawsuit comes after multiple attempts to resolve its concerns with Apple over infringement of ZapMedia Services' patents. "The complaint alleges that ZapMedia Services' property is being exploited in a manner which is unlawful, and by law ZapMedia Services is therefore entitled to a reasonable royalty on Apple's revenues related to the infringement," said Steven G. Hill, of Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP, ZapMedia lead litigation counsel. Two Patents Granted Here's the story as ZapMedia Services tells it: Beginning in the late 1990s, ZapMedia, the predecessor of ZapMedia Services, created a digital media platform. As part of its strategy, ZapMedia developed a system by which it could provide hardware, software and content to consumers to allow them to gain control over their digital media assets. In 1999, ZapMedia applied for two patents, each of which is entitled "System and method for distributing media assets to user devices via a portal synchronized by said user devices." One of the patents was granted in March 2006. The other was granted Tuesday. In the course of its efforts, ZapMedia Services said it met with many major technology and media companies around the globe, including Apple, to describe its vision in great detail. Without asking ZapMedia Services for permission, the company claimed, Apple unveiled its own system. Apple announced its iPod MP3 player with an integrated iTunes software application in October 2001 and its iTunes Store in April 2003. ZapMedia Services said it...
Publication date: 2008-03-14 more

Enchantress of numbers

Truth is always strange; stranger than fiction." The Romantic poet Lord Byron could have been thinking about how his daughter, Ada Lovelace (1815-1862), would become the world's first computer programmer when he wrote those words.
Publication date: 2009-11-26 more

Murdoch turns to Gates for website help

JUST AS soon as the outline of a possible new model for newspapers to make a better return from content used by aggregator and search-engine sites such as Google emerged, new doubts surfaced that publishers can do anything to plug a dam that has already burst in trying to limit free access to their product.
Publication date: 2009-11-24 more

Another dimension for TV fans

'Wow, this is cool." When it comes to technology, my seven-year-old's opinion is so often more succinct than my own. Indeed, it is cool.
Publication date: 2010-06-07 more

iPhone 4 antenna glitch gives a boost to accessory vendors

IPhone accessory makers are getting an unexpected boost from Apple Inc's recommendation that users buy a case to fix a glitch on their phones.
Publication date: 2010-07-01 more

Human behaviour '93pc predictable'

Location data from mobile phones has revealed that the vast majority of human movement is predictable.
Publication date: 2010-02-25 more

Only printing can save banks

THE near-collapse and bail-out of Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns raises fundamental questions about the value of bank shares.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Microsoft confirms new Internet Explorer flaw

Microsoft says that another security issue with its Internet Explorer web browser could leave computers vulnerable to hackers.
Publication date: 2010-02-04 more

iPhones in Iraq – the US Army’s new weapon

The new applications are proving invaluable for soldiers on the battlefield.
Publication date: 2009-05-12 more

Digital life: Long battery life from Apple is a real turn up for the Books...

If there's one present gadget lovers could have wished for this Christmas, it's more battery life. From mobiles to iPods to laptops, everything runs out of juice far sooner than we'd like.
Publication date: 2010-01-07 more

Google 'I'm Feeling Lucky' button leads to mystery countdown clock

Google has sparked mystery by launching an unexplained countdown that only appears when users press the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button on the search engine's homepage.
Publication date: 2009-12-15 more

YouTube hits one billion views a day

YouTube is now serving over one billion views per day as it celebrates the third anniversary of being acquired by Google.
Publication date: 2009-10-10 more

Product review: USB broadband modem

Pros: Very solid, resilient connection Cons: Speeds seem standard Price: €149
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Acquisition not part of Microsoft's strategy to fight Google, says chief

MICROSOFT does not expect to make acquisitions to help the company challenge Google's dominance in the internet search market, chief executive Steve Ballmer said yesterday.
Publication date: 2009-10-06 more

Apple accused of censorship after porn disappears from iPad book chart

Apple has been accused of censoring the iPad book chart after four pornographic titles mysteriously disappeared from the bestseller list.
Publication date: 2010-07-27 more

The iPhone 4 reviewed

First things first. Let’s deal with the reception issues associated with the iPhone 4. Unfortunately, the fact that Steve Jobs initially denied any problems with the antenna, then said other smartphone manufacturers had similar issues did not help matters.
Publication date: 2010-08-05 more

Yahoo and Microsoft agree search ad deal

Microsoft and Yahoo! have agreed to collaborate on Internet search and online advertising, creating a united front to challenge Google.
Publication date: 2009-07-29 more

Yahoo drops on disappointment over Microsoft deal

Yahoo! fell 12pc, the biggest drop since November, after terms of an Internet-search accord with Microsoft were less favorable than analysts predicted.
Publication date: 2009-07-30 more

Wikipedia reaches three million articles

The English version of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, has received its three millionth article.
Publication date: 2009-08-17 more

Reviewed: Sony PlayStation Move

I’LL be honest. I didn't know a lot about PlayStation Move before I tried it out this week. Despite a release date for 17 September there hasn't been much hype about Sony's take on motion-controlled gaming.
Publication date: 2010-08-19 more

The wolves inside your door

IRELAND has been rocked by revelations of laptops belonging to banks and state agencies, which contained thousands of private citizens’ information, being stolen. In the UK, disks containing data on thousands of welfare recipients got lost by a courier.
Publication date: 2008-08-19 more

Cyberclinic: Why do long web links break when I email them to friends?

Even If you're anything like me, you'll have shrugged over the destruction of our civil liberties that's supposedly heralded by Google Street View, and started using it to explore city centres – only to find that your former university digs are now used for filming amateur cook-off TV show Masterchef.
Publication date: 2009-04-16 more

Digital Life: Return of a brutal, bloody hack'n'slash

God of War III, PS3: Kratos is a lover and a fighter. But mostly a fighter. He makes Gerard Butler in the movie 300 look like a wimp.
Publication date: 2010-03-23 more

BBC to allow internet through TV

The BBC will be bringing internet services to the television set, it has been disclosed.
Publication date: 2009-12-21 more

Turn on, tune in, brownout

Chief technology officer for Nortel EMEA, Dave Quane (pictured), talks about the increase in high-definition video on the web and whether this demand will kill the network.
Publication date: 2008-05-22 more

Apple may face competition probe over Flash defiance

Technology giant Apple is on the verge of becoming embroiled in a US investigation amid allegations it has attempted to stifle competition.
Publication date: 2010-05-05 more

Satellite firm shows the way to bridge the digital divide

Satellite Broadband Ireland is creating 30 new jobs after winning a contract to support 3 in rolling out broadband under the National Broadband Scheme (NBS). Kevin Ryan is CEO and co-founder
Publication date: 2009-12-03 more

Smartphones pave the way for the new augmented reality

Publication date: 2010-02-18 more

Google rivals oppose book project

Microsoft, Yahoo! and Amazon have joined forces to challenge Google's efforts to create a vast virtual library.
Publication date: 2009-08-21 more

Google Wave to open in September

Google has announced that Google Wave, it’s new real-time online communication and collaboration tool for friends, will go live at the end of September.
Publication date: 2009-07-22 more

With 100Mbps broadband, how fast is fast? Seriously?

UPC reveals that 100Mbps broadband will be available to over 500,000 Irish homes by late summer, enabling consumers to download an entire iTunes album in five seconds. Mark Coan is sales and marketing manager at UPC
Publication date: 2010-05-06 more

The

IT ranks among the worst business moves ever. In 1976 Ronald Wayne decided to pull out of his friends' computer company after two weeks, fearing he could be saddled with debts if it failed.
Publication date: 2010-04-24 more

A Lotto reasons why grassroots e-commerce play will keep it local

Ireland’s rural communities are the litmus test for the state of the nation, and that’s why the current economic downturn can be seen as a particularly rural tragedy.
Publication date: 2009-02-05 more

Microsoft launches Kin social phones

Kin makes it easy to share photos and messages within social network.
Publication date: 2010-04-13 more

Bits and bytes

Google Earth brings you on a spectacular virtual tour of the world from the air but until now it required loading up a special program on your computer.
Publication date: 2010-05-04 more

Twitter launches new home page

Twitter, the internet phenomenon and microblogging service which allows users to send messages with a limit of 140 characters, has launched a new home page.
Publication date: 2009-07-29 more

Computer giant Apple's hits and misses

With Apple announcing record €2bn profits in the last quarter and excitement surrounding Wednesday's new product announcement reaching fever pitch, it is hard to imagine the US computer giant failing.
Publication date: 2010-01-27 more

Successful classroom tech is about educating the educators

Teachers are becoming bigger proponents of using ICT in classrooms than they are given credit for. That’s according to a company whose spelling software is deployed in 50pc of Irish schools.
Publication date: 2008-09-25 more

Nokia sues Apple over iPhone patents

Nokia, the world’s biggest mobile phone maker, is suing Apple for allegedly infringing patents on technology used in the iPhone.
Publication date: 2009-10-23 more

Digital Life: Kindle lights the fuse on ebook explosion

By some predictions, it should have died a quiet death years ago. But for supposedly obsolete technology, the book is surviving nicely, thanks very much.
Publication date: 2009-11-24 more

Sony unveils internet-enabled TVs

Sony's new range of televisions will let viewers access catch-up TV services and YouTube in their living rooms.
Publication date: 2009-09-03 more

Research and riches are a two-way street

In 1999, before the term ‘knowledge economy’ became an abused form of political rhetoric of present-day Ireland, Dr Kevin McDonnell of University College Dublin (UCD) was working on a project for the Department of Agriculture.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Gmail crash: millions of users across the world affected

Millions of Gmail users across the world have been unable to access the service for several hours, the company has confirmed.
Publication date: 2009-09-02 more

Life is tweet for connected professionals

A new messaging craze that combines the best elements of online communications is sweeping the professional world, even the politicians are in on it
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

AOL Acquires No. 3 Social Network Bebo

Can AOL return from near-oblivion by entering the hot social-networking arena? Once the darling of Wall Street but more recently known as the burying ground for Netscape, Time Warner's AOL is throwing its hat in the ring with an $850 million acquisition of Bebo. Social networking is dominated by MySpace, owned by News Corp., and Facebook, which has a minority investment from Microsoft. AOL says Bebo -- which stands for "blog early, blog often" -- is the No. 3 social network in the U.S. and No. 1 in Ireland and New Zealand. But No. 3 is a long way from No. 1. News Corp. estimates MySpace's value at $15 billion, and Microsoft's $240 million investment in Facebook last year gave founder Mark Zuckerberg's company a $10 billion value. The $850 million value for Bebo barely registers in those elevations. Building on Platform-A AOL is betting Bebo will be the cornerstone of its resurgence as an advertising-based company. "Bebo is the perfect complement to AOL's personal-communications network and puts us in a leading position in social media," said AOL CEO Randy Falco. Falco said AOL was attracted to Bebo's success and its potential for further growth; its vision of a "truly social web"; and the "monetization opportunities that leverage Platform-A across our combined global audience." AOL spent $1 billion acquiring a portfolio of online advertising companies, including ADTECH, buy.at, Lightningcast, Quigo, TACODA and Third Screen Media, to create its Platform-A advertising system. Executive Departures The Bebo purchase comes just a day after AOL announced the departure of Curt Viebranz as head of Platform-A. Viebranz came to AOL as part of its purchase of TACODA and is being replaced by Linda Clarizio, president of Advertising.com, an advertising network that forms a key part of Platform-A. Two other Platform-A executives departed in the past month. Noting the executive shake-up, John...
Publication date: 2008-03-14 more

Twitter hits two billion tweets a month

Twitter has hit two billion tweets per month, the microblogging website has announced.
Publication date: 2010-06-09 more

Game on as Nintendo finally follows rivals with price cuts in major markets

NINTENDO plans to cut the price of its popular Wii video game console by 20pc, responding to similar cuts by rivals Sony and Microsoft aimed at kick-starting demand.
Publication date: 2009-09-25 more

Tourism sector needs to go site seeing

Ireland’s hospitality sector spends just 1pc of its marketing budget online and is now falling behind global standards.
Publication date: 2008-06-12 more

'This generation's appetite for online must be matched by education system'

Future generations will want Ireland to be a science and ICT leader - Telefónica O2's Danuta Gray
Publication date: 2009-07-16 more

Amazon profits up 24% as online sales hold up

Amazon, the world’s biggest Internet retailer, reported first-quarter sales and profit that beat analysts’ estimates, bolstered by free shipping offers and demand for the Kindle electronic-book reader.
Publication date: 2009-04-24 more

Digital Life: This app has real driving ambition

Satnav is dead -- or on the endangered list at least. Much like MP3 players, cameras and personal organisers, the mighty mobile phone is slowly eating the standalone satnav's lunch.
Publication date: 2010-08-10 more

Entrepreneur's plan to shake up online job search market

Serial internet entrepreneur Ray Nolan talks iPhone apps, Irish entrepreneurial talent and Worky.com, his latest venture that plans to challenge the traditional job-seeking site
Publication date: 2009-07-23 more

HTC Desire set for HD upgrade in October

HTC’s Desire handset is likely to be updated in October, a number of sources have indicated.
Publication date: 2010-08-12 more

Google urges papers to lift online game

Eric schmidt, the head of Google, has criticised newspapers for dropping the ball in their internet operations, as he attempted to diffuse a growing row over the website's news service.
Publication date: 2009-04-10 more

Apple orders Gizmodo return iPhone 4G

The technology website paid $5,000 for the device, which was dropped by Gray Powell, an Apple software engineer, in a bar in Redwood, California, near Apple's Cupertino headquarters.
Publication date: 2010-04-20 more

Is the web simply a tool for chatter?

These figures are impressive because just one year ago only 15.8pc of time was spent social networking, making this a 43pc increase, and it’s not all about posting Facebook updates or YouTube comments.
Publication date: 2010-08-05 more

Entrepreneurs hope Greenhouse effect will undo damage of Dell cuts

Publication date: 2009-04-02 more

'Net pirates' face ban as Sarkozy declares crackdown

Anyone who downloads films and music in France without paying will face up to a year's ban from the internet under a disputed law that is to be approved by the French parliament today.
Publication date: 2009-04-09 more

10 reasons not to buy Apple's new iPhone 4G

Apple's iPhone is a triumph of marketing over functionality, and the new model won't be any different.
Publication date: 2010-06-04 more

Digital Certificates Key to iPhone Development

Apple will require iPhone developers to digitally sign their applications. The result is that any application can be traced back to the developer and the digital signature can be used to prove the app has not been altered, according to Dan Dilger at Roughly Drafted on Tuesday. That creates a native application development system that also creates a new kind of software market. Apple holds the keys to that certificate, and the developers ability to distribute software can be terminated by Apple if they do something questionable in terms of the best interests of the users. "Apple can also vet software as it is submitted, and rapidly respond to user complaints by terminating the distribution and revoking the run rights of signed software. With such a system in place, there's no need for iPhone anti-virus software. Our children will never know why Symantec and Norton ever existed," Mr. Dilger explained. In quite natural way, the certificate and security system will also help the developers' bottom line. "All iPhone apps will similarly be wrapped by FairPlay, again making it easier for users to buy a legitimate copy than to find a stolen version," Mr. Dilger observed. "This will result in two positive effects: first, developers will be able to price their software lower to entice volume purchases. Second, users buying software will get a better overall experience, with automatic update notifications and records of their purchases." The mobility of cell phones and their greater exposure to influences outside the home and office makes this new metaphor necessary. "Apple's ability to both give out signing certificates to developers and to revoke those certificates afterward gives it the same kind of control over developers that the DMV holds over drivers," Mr. Dilger noted. "If drivers faced no threat of losing their license, there would be no way...
Publication date: 2008-03-20 more

Microsoft's shares fall by 6pc as Windows sales slump

Microsoft Corp, whose Windows software dominates the personal-computer market, fell as much as 6.4pc in Nasdaq trading after sales slumped, casting doubt on whether PC demand can hold up in a slowing economy.
Publication date: 2008-04-26 more

iLove: Meet the Apple addicts

Tomorrow, when Steve Jobs walks out on stage to announce his company's latest super-gadget, millions of technophiles will watch with excitement bordering on religious fervour. Simon Usborne talks to the Macolytes, for whom Apple truly is the only fruit
Publication date: 2010-01-26 more

Nintendo's Wii holds lead in U.S video-game consoles

March 13 (Bloomberg) -- Nintendo Co. kept the lead in U.S. video-game console sales with 432,000 Wii players purchased in stores last month, according to NPD Group Inc.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Cyberclinic: Why is so much broadband sold as 'unlimited' when it isn't?

If you're lucky enough to be told that you have "unlimited" access to something, you'd be forgiven for assuming that you won't get a slapped wrist when you help yourself to as much as you like.
Publication date: 2008-11-27 more

Apple to face music over iPod nano fires

JAPAN’S trade ministry said yesterday that three fires had been caused by overheating Apple iPod nanos, which it said could be due to a battery defect.
Publication date: 2008-08-20 more

ITunes starts selling `Sopranos,' `Sex and the City'

Apple Inc.'s iTunes started selling ``The Sopranos'' and ``Sex and the City'' from Time Warner Inc.'s HBO, helping the pay-television network reach fans of the shows outside its subscriber base.
Publication date: 2008-05-13 more

Microsoft boss: 'The recession is our chance to leapfrog global competition'

Tackling issues digitally will return people to work says Microsoft general manager Paul Rellis.
Publication date: 2009-06-11 more

Twitter to launch 'promoted tweets' in a bid to make money

Twitter is launching "promoted tweets" this evening, which will eventually see branded messages appear in user’s feeds from the likes of Virgin and Starbucks and marks the first official commercialisation of the site.
Publication date: 2010-04-14 more

Taoiseach set to tweet as Govt unveils new social media strategy

THE Irish Government’s Information Service has built a new social networking-led internet platform based on WordPress, Flickr, Facebook and Twitter called MerrionStreet.ie.
Publication date: 2010-07-15 more

Facebook 'enhances intelligence' but Twitter 'diminishes it', claims psychologist

Spending time on the Facebook networking site could enhance a key element of intelligence that is vital to success in life, a psychologist has claimed, but using Twitter may have the opposite effect.
Publication date: 2009-09-07 more

Gore blimey! It's all monsters and nudity in Dante's video hell

We're all too familiar with videogames based on the latest blockbuster books and movies but Dante's Inferno must set some sort of record, riffing on the 14th-century Italian poem about a literal descent into hell.
Publication date: 2010-02-23 more

Digital Life: Wireless broadband- the new frontier

When Eircom introduced broadband to Ireland in 2002, it charged
Publication date: 2010-03-30 more

How Wikileaks shone light on world's darkest secrets

When the UK's Ministry of Defence first came across Wikileaks, staffers were stunned. "There are thousands of things on here, I literally mean thousands," one of them wrote in an internal email in November 2008.
Publication date: 2010-04-08 more

Apple Pings out new rival to Facebook and Twitter

APPLE put itself on a collision course with Facebook last night as it unveiled a new social network called Ping.
Publication date: 2010-09-02 more

Put to the test: MP3 & MP4 players

Consumer electronics, including MP3 and MP4 players, are constantly evolving. Many now have touch screens and as well as playing music, viewing photos and videos, some allow internet connection. This week, Smart Consumer looks at portable media players.
Publication date: 2009-03-12 more

Google admits it still can't make money from YouTube

Almost two years after it paid $1.65bn (£848m) for the YouTube video-sharing site, Google still has not worked out how to make money from the business, its chairman and chief executive conceded, even though hundreds of millions of people visit it every day.
Publication date: 2008-06-13 more

Palm 'for sale'

Palm, maker of the Pre range of smartphones, is seeking bids for the company, according to reports
Publication date: 2010-04-12 more

How Google is getting ahead in advertising

Google yesterday struck an important blow in its battle against the parent company of Louis Vuitton over a long-running trademark dispute. It could see the technology giant boost its already dominant position in search advertising.
Publication date: 2009-09-23 more

First iPad advert shown during Oscars

The first advert promoting Apple’s iPad device went live last night during the Oscars.The 30-second advert takes the viewer on a whirlwind tour of all of the functions the hotly anticipated tablet style computer is capable of, to a soundtrack of The Blue Van’s 'There Goes My Love’.The surprise spot advert launched after the news emerged last week that the iPad will go on sale in the US on April 3 and follow suit around the world on an unconfirmed date in ‘late April’. British consumers will be able to buy both the Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi and 3G versions of the device in late April, Apple confirmed. The launch date is slightly later than anticipated, but analysts have been warning that unspecified "manufacturing problems" could lead to some delays.US shoppers will be able to buy the Wi-Fi only model on April 3, with the Wi-Fi and 3G model available later in the month. They can start pre-ordering the devices online and in-store from March 12.Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, had been spotted on the red carpet at the beginning of the Oscars service. The brief TV advert succinctly demonstrates the devices’ numerous capabilities. The iPad, which has a 10in touch-screen, can be used to browse the web, listen to music, and watch movies, as well as download apps and read electronic books, magazines and newspapers.The iPad is something completely new,” said Jobs last week. “We’re excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”Apple is yet to announce UK pricing for the range of devices, but the entry-level model will cost $499 in the United States. However, the Wi-Fi only, 16GB iPad is expected to be priced around £389 when it goes on sale in the UK, according to anonymous sources close to Apple and its partners.
Publication date: 2010-03-08 more

Microsoft previews Internet Explorer 9

Microsoft has given developers a glimpse of its next web browser, Internet Explorer 9.
Publication date: 2010-03-18 more

Blog digest: Rick O’Shea

RTÉ 2FM radio DJ Rick O’Shea is a bit of a pop culture king really, isn’t he?
Publication date: 2008-10-16 more

Bits & bytes

Think you have problems keeping track of your Facebook friends? New Croatian president Ivo Josipovic has hit a snag: he's already at the maximum of 5,000 friends --but says he has 7,000 more he'd like to connect with.
Publication date: 2010-01-26 more

Cyberclinic: The notion of ‘beta’ software is increasingly redundant

Is it a bad idea to use beta software? If you’re as despicable a human being as I am, you’ll have noticed how the internet age has made you unreasonably greedy and impatient.
Publication date: 2009-05-06 more

Electrifying the picnic: the music festival turns techy

It all began in the Seventies at Glastonbury with free love and lots of mud, but the modern music festival has evolved. From connecting with nature to connecting via Bluetooth, the picnic has been electrified.
Publication date: 2008-09-04 more

Digital real estate player is powering up

Backed by a Californian pension fund, Digital Realty Trust has being buying 13 million sq ft of data centres around the world, including two centres in Dublin. Chris Crosby is senior VP of the company.
Publication date: 2008-07-03 more

Woman arrested for killing online husband

Police have netted their first case involving online murder
Publication date: 2008-10-24 more

Ballmer: Microsoft 'number five' in mobile market

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft’s chief executive, has admitted that the technology giant is losing the battle in the smartphone space with its Windows Phone offering, saying its currently ranked fifth in the market.
Publication date: 2010-06-04 more

Microsoft Windows 7 smashes sales records

Windows 7 has been a bigger seller than its predecessor, Windows Vista, new industry figures show.
Publication date: 2009-11-06 more

Google technology to aid charging for online content

Google has admitted for the first time that it is developing technology that would assist newspapers in making money from website readers.
Publication date: 2009-09-12 more

Digital Life: Play it safe with phone security apps

Pity the poor Apple employee who lost his phone in a bar last week. Except it wasn't just any mobile -- it was a super-secret prototype of the next iPhone that won't be out for months.
Publication date: 2010-04-27 more

Sony PS3 problems fixed

Sony says that its games console problems have been fixed and no data has been lost.
Publication date: 2010-03-02 more

'Oled' TVs herald entertainment revolution

Just millimetres thick, energy efficient and with a far sharper picture, this is the new television tipped to take over our living rooms. Technology pundits expect a consumer stampede of the kind witnessed for flatscreen televisions when the first large Oled models go on sale at the end of this year.
Publication date: 2009-05-26 more

Facebook chief: 'we will reach one billion users'

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, is confident that the social network will hit the one billion user mark.
Publication date: 2010-06-24 more

'Explicit' category rumoured for App Store

Apple is thought to be considering introducing a new category to its App Store, as the row over 'overtly sexual' apps rumbles on.
Publication date: 2010-02-26 more

Jobs’s return to Apple greeted with little fanfare by investors

Steve Jobs’s return from medical leave was greeted with little fanfare by investors.
Publication date: 2009-06-30 more

Blackberry users 'work an extra 15 hours a week' out of the office

Staff with mobile technology such as Blackberries work an extra 15 hours a week as they constantly check emails even out of the office, according to new research.
Publication date: 2009-08-25 more

Big Brother to snoop on Facebook and Bebo users

Millions of people who use social networking sites such as Facebook could soon have their every move monitored by the British government and saved on a "Big Brother" database.
Publication date: 2009-03-25 more

Placing the spotlight on Ireland's new lean, green R&D territory

Publication date: 2009-10-08 more

Google Wave: Why we'll soon be waving at each other

For the past couple of years, Lars Rasmussen and his colleagues at Google have been working on a communication and collaboration tool that takes advantage of the capabilities of modern computers and networks.
Publication date: 2009-08-13 more

Digital Life: The camcorder strikes back

The mobile phone has been an aggressive colonist, elbowing its way into many an adjacent field such as photography and music. Even your average digital camera has developed ideas above its station, trying to muscle in on video recording.
Publication date: 2010-07-20 more

Microsoft previews Office Web Apps

Microsoft has launched a limited beta test of its Office Web Apps cloud computing software to rival Google Docs and Zoho
Publication date: 2009-09-18 more

Time for iTunes to face the music with competition

It's the free music service that's attracting thousands of new users every day, and now Spotify is taking on the daddy of online music – iTunes. The ondemand streaming service has signed a deal to sell MP3 downloads as well as just playing them.
Publication date: 2009-04-01 more

Digital Life: A camera fit for a shutterbug's pocket

Way back in 1959, Olympus brought us one of the first high-quality cameras small enough to fit in a pocket. They called it the PEN because it was as portable as a biro.
Publication date: 2010-03-24 more

Star trekking and the next generation

Not content with having been a Topgun fighter pilot, part of the US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor programme, or an astronaut with NASA, Joe F Edwards Jr is using his retirement to tour the world.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Google book archive plan prompts growing opposition

Plans by Google in the US to scan millions of books into a giant digital archive have prompted fresh opposition from authors and publishers ahead of a court battle.
Publication date: 2009-08-20 more

YouTube seals UK music rights deal

After more than nine months of bitter wrangling, YouTube has agreed a licensing deal with British songwriters that will see thousands of music videos return to the online video site.
Publication date: 2009-09-03 more

It's virtually the end of the line for Windows Server 2000

Publication date: 2010-03-18 more

The proud worker who chose not to stay sitting silently

Tom O'Mahoney lost his job this year because of the recession. He decided that, instead of being quiet about it, he'd set up a website that would provide a voice for the 430,000 people out of work today
Publication date: 2009-10-01 more

BT says it will 'shake up market' with new broadband

BT has rolled out a new high-speed broadband service ahead of schedule, claiming it will "shake up the market".
Publication date: 2008-07-31 more

Radio 2.0 – why it’s not too late to save the broadcasting business

A COMBINATION of music downloads and audience engagement via social media platforms such as Twitter, MySpace, Bebo and Facebook could restore profitability to the radio business and, eventually, TV broadcasters too. That’s if proven Irish technology entrepreneur John Shiel has his way.
Publication date: 2009-03-26 more

Google cars picked up private data from homes

INQUIRIES by German data officials led to the inadvertent discovery that Irish people's private online information had been collected by internet search giant Google.
Publication date: 2010-05-18 more

New Independent.ie Samsung Wave app

Irish Independent is one of the first publishers in the world to launch a news app on Samsung Wave.
Publication date: 2010-07-23 more

How NUI Maynooth is helping to redefine the $1.6trn global IT industry

THE sleepy silence of NUI Maynooth’s leafy campus usually belies the snap and bustle of the busy university town a few hundred yards away.
Publication date: 2010-06-10 more

Google faces backlash from China's state-run media

Google is facing a mounting backlash in China following its decision to shut down its Chinese search engine, with a fresh wave of crowing editorials from the country's state-controlled media denouncing the company.
Publication date: 2010-03-25 more

New MySpace chiefs plan major relaunch

In their first interview since the shock departure of Owen Van Natta, MySpace’s former chief executive, Mike Jones and Jason Hirschorn, the company’s new co-presidents, say they will be ready to "win back old users" by the end of this year.
Publication date: 2010-03-11 more

Bank forces Google to close random GMail account over rogue message

A judge has ordered Google to close the account of an unsuspecting GMail user - because a bank sent them a confidential email by mistake.
Publication date: 2009-09-28 more

Why are video games so expensive?

Long before they see the "game over" screen, Xbox, Wii and PlayStation fans have already taken a big blow – to their wallets. The average price of console games makes them seem an exorbitant luxury in these recession-hit times, although the industry that creates these technological marvels tends to disagree.
Publication date: 2009-03-25 more

Search engine ads roar in downturn

INTERNET
Publication date: 2008-10-18 more

The Big Question: Why has Wikipedia changed editorial policy, and will it improve the website?

Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia launched by American entrepreneur Jimmy Wales in 2001 with the idealistic intention of being an online repository of all human knowledge, announced this week that it would have to abandon one of its founding principles.
Publication date: 2009-08-27 more

Top ten internet passwords to be avoided

The ten most commonly used passwords on the web have been revealed as part of an analysis of tens of millions of internet accounts.
Publication date: 2010-01-21 more

'Spam King' Could Get 26 Years, $625,000 in Fines

They call him the "Spam King." He was one of the world's most prolific e-mail spammers, allegedly responsible for sending millions of spam e-mails. And he plead guilty on Friday to federal charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, and failure to file a tax return. His name is Robert Alan Soloway. Soloway, 29, was arrested last summer after being indicted by a grand jury in U.S. District Court in Seattle. His trial was scheduled to begin in two weeks, but that changed when federal prosecutors dropped 37 counts, including all of the identity-theft cases, in a plea bargain. The charges against Soloway could send him to prison for up to 26 years. He also faces up to $625,000 in fines. "We believe that there were extensive losses to thousands of victims," Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Warma told The Seattle Times. U.S. District Court Judge Marscha Pechman will decide Soloway's fate. False Promises According to the indictment, between November 2003 and May 2007, Soloway operated Newport Internet Marketing, which offered "broadcast e-mail" software and services. These consisted of high-volume commercial e-mail messages with false and forged headers, relayed to recipients using botnets (infected computers). According to prosecutors, Soloway and his company made several false and fraudulent claims about the products and services. Among them was a claim that the addresses used for the bulk e-mail were opt-in. The Web site promised a satisfaction guarantee with a full refund to customers who purchased the broadcast e-mail product. However, according to the prosecutors, customers who later complained about the goods and services they had purchased or who asked for refunds were threatened with additional financial charges and referral to a collection agency. Stop Buying Spam-Advertised Goods Sophos's Security Threat Report research reveals that 95 percent of all e-mail is spam, of which 32 percent contains links to adult or...
Publication date: 2008-03-17 more

Scammers target 100,000 AIB clients

INTERNET fraudsters have attempted to steal from the AIB online accounts of more than 100,000 customers over the past week.
Publication date: 2009-08-31 more

Adobe: Apple wants to turn the web into a walled garden

Kevin Lynch, Adobe’s chief technology officer, has accused Apple of creating a "walled garden" on the web and preventing competition, in the latest round of the battle between the two technology giants.
Publication date: 2010-05-06 more

Digital Life: Angry monsters and giant spiders

Returning, appropriately enough, to the frozen planet EDN III of the first game, LP2 is a shooter itself stuck in time.
Publication date: 2010-05-11 more

Google Chrome more popular browser than Apple Safari

Search giant's web browser is now the third most popular, behind Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox
Publication date: 2010-01-04 more

'Poison pill' may not prevent Microsoft takeover of Yahoo

Yahoo, the internet company which rejected a $44.6bn bid from Microsoft, may find a so-called 'poison pill' in its bylaws isn't enough to defend against a hostile takeover.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Struggling with New Year broadband blues

Are Irish firms paying too much for broadband services that are too slow? Seen through the lens of experiences in other European countries, the answer unfortunately is yes.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

YouTube 'plans streaming movie rental service'

YouTube is in talks with the major film studios about streaming movie rentals in the US, according to reports.
Publication date: 2009-09-03 more

Wikileaks reaches funding target

WikiLeaks, the whistleblowing site that hosts leaked documents, has taken a step towards becoming fully operational.
Publication date: 2010-02-04 more

Siliconrepublic.com scoops 'Best Technology Website' award

Also taking home an award on the night was IDA Ireland for Best Government and Council Website. Sponsors included iQ Content, BH Consulting, DoneDeal.ie and Beaut.ie.
Publication date: 2009-10-15 more

Planting the seeds for growth on the campus

After a slow start, there are promising signs that efforts to turn ideas from Irish universities into products or companies are having some success.
Publication date: 2008-06-27 more

HTC launches three new phones

The Taiwanese handset maker, which has thrown its weight behind the Google Android operating system, unveiled two more devices based on the platform, as well as a compact device running the Windows mobile operating system.
Publication date: 2010-02-16 more

Apple beats estimates on sales of iPhone, new iPods

Apple reported second-quarter profit and sales that topped analysts’ estimates after the iPhone and new versions of the iPod helped the company sidestep a slump in consumer spending.
Publication date: 2009-04-23 more

Shaking up the Airwaves

The champagne will start flowing at 11 o'clock this morning, figuratively speaking at least. One hour before their first broadcast, team iradio are hosting a glitzy launch of the classic media variety.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Yahoo Releases Rosy Forecast

Yahoo Inc. has released a rosy outlook for the next two years, hoping to give investors a better understanding of why the Internet pioneer isn't willing to sell to Microsoft Corp. unless its suitor raises its bid above $45 billion (EU28.5 billion). Analysts interpreted Tuesday's unscheduled disclosure of Yahoo's internal projections as a sign that the Sunnyvale-based company's attempts to find an alternative deal to Microsoft's 6 1/2-week-old offer aren't bearing fruit. With its options narrowing, Yahoo appears determined to remain independent unless Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft boosts its unsolicited bid, originally valued at $44.6 billion (EU28.28 billion), or $31 (EU19.66) per share. Microsoft so far hasn't wavered from the offer, which it has described as fair. But the two sides signaled they might be ready to negotiate last week when senior executives from Yahoo and Microsoft held their first face-to-face meeting in Silicon Valley. No investment bankers attended that icebreaker. Stanford Group analyst Clayton Moran called the release of Yahoo's revenue forecasts through 2010 "another step in the public negotiation between these two companies. We believe this deal is turning friendly." Yahoo's move appeared to hearten investors as the company's shares rose $1.70 (EU1.08), nearly 7 percent, to $27.55 (EU17.47) during Tuesday's afternoon trading. As the company warned in late January just before Microsoft made its bid, Yahoo has modest growth expectations this year after a streak of declining profits in 2006 and 2007. Yahoo still anticipates its revenue, after subtracting advertising commissions, to total $5.7 billion (EU3.61 billion) this year, in line with analyst expectations. But Yahoo assured investors its plans to grab a bigger piece of the online advertising market will kick into high gear after this year, with revenue climbing by about 25 percent in 2009 and 2010. By 2010, Yahoo projects its revenue, after ad commissions, will total about $8.8 billion (EU5.58 billion),...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

Setting the standard for the mobile web

Dublin-based DotMobi has sold over 800,000 mobile domains to brands that include Rolls Royce and Hilton Hotels. Norbert Grey is vice-president of finance
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Femtocell technology: cheaper, faster 3G so then why the hard cell?

Apple’s iPhone may have grabbed this year’s mobile industry hype all for itself but another technology with a much broader reach is on its way.
Publication date: 2008-08-14 more

Energy exceeds property costs

Irish data centre energy costs are to exceed property costs by 2010, according to a study carried out by market research firm iReach.
Publication date: 2008-07-09 more

In brief: O'Brien raises INM stake to 26pc

Telecoms entrepreneur Denis O'Brien has confirmed that he raised his stake in Independent News & Media to more than 26pc. Mr O'Brien's vehicles acquired additional shares in the publisher earlier this week.
Publication date: 2008-10-31 more

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 not banned in Russia, says Activision

Activision, the publisher behind Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, says that reports of the Russian government banning the game are 'erroneous'.
Publication date: 2009-11-17 more

Violent tramp video game provokes controversy in France

A new online video game in which users are invited to be tramps and steal and fight their way to success has provoked controversy in France, with its makers accused of stoking prejudice against homeless people.
Publication date: 2009-09-01 more

The Blog Digest

Welcome to the Blog Digest where we take a weekly look at the best of the blogosphere
Publication date: 2008-04-10 more

Forget sweets, Church wants you to give up texting for Lent

Gv up txt 4 Lent.
Publication date: 2009-03-04 more

Apple iPhone 4 users report reception problems

Apple has responded to reports of reception issues on the new iPhone 4 by advising users to hold the device a different way.
Publication date: 2010-06-25 more

Cyberclinic: Why did my YouTube account get closed down?

Anyone whose participation in the YouTube community goes beyond staring at videos of cats walking up and down piano keyboards will be aware of the message that greets you when you upload a clip to the site.
Publication date: 2009-08-12 more

Amazon working to fix ‘ham-fisted’ book-cataloging error

Top internet retailer Amazon is working to fix a cataloging error after more than 57,000 books about gay themes, erotica and sexual medicine were dropped from sales rankings and search results.
Publication date: 2009-04-14 more

The perfect storm

When notice of a new malware threat surfaced on 17 January last year, few outside the IT security community paid it much heed and few within could have guessed its impact. Like many attacks before it, this piece of code tried to trick people into clicking on an email attachment containing code designed to hijack their computer.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Ireland is gambling away a golden job creation opportunity

DEV must be turning in his grave. A former church on Fitzwilliam Street, where one of the most dominant political figures of 20th-century Ireland used to go and pray every day before attending the Dáil, is now a casino.
Publication date: 2009-08-13 more

Bog Digest

JUST over a week ago, RaboDirect launched what it is calling 'Ireland's first banking blog'. Blogging equals transparency, so not a bad move, but somehow I cannot see the bigwigs from AIB or Bank of Ireland chatting frankly with concerned customers via an official blog. It's hard enough to get the information we're entitled to obtain.
Publication date: 2009-04-30 more

Website is a 'one stop shop for burglars'

The founders of a website, PleaseRobMe.com, which provides real-time updates on empty homes locations are "irresponsible" for providing a "one stop shop" for burglars, privacy campaigners say.
Publication date: 2010-02-19 more

Game on: It's macabre, but it's gruesomely inventive

Dying has never been this entertaining. In Limbo, you will meet a sticky end. A lot. But you will laugh and then try again. And again.
Publication date: 2010-08-03 more

Greater energy needed to fully seize green-tech jobs opportunity

Publication date: 2009-09-10 more

Claim shame: Are insurers making it harder for claimants to switch?

ARE insurers turning their backs on householders who have had to make a claim on their insurance? The question is prompted by the recent floods in large parts of the country and the big freeze at the start of the year.
Publication date: 2010-02-09 more

Geotag your life

IMAGINE a world where almost anybody could trace your steps: knowing what area you live in, where you like to stop by for your morning coffee or when you head to the local for a few pints
Publication date: 2010-04-01 more

Spammers fined

A GROUP of spammers responsible for a third of the world's junk mail has been fined
Publication date: 2009-12-02 more

eBay and German police take battle to the counterfeiters

German police used tips from eBay Inc. to score the biggest success in their probe of a counterfeiting ring, snaring 20 tons of knock-off La Martina dress shirts, Ed Hardy tank tops and other brands last month.
Publication date: 2009-02-27 more

'Grave consequences' if web community doesn't switch to new address protocol

The internet is running out of web addresses, with less than 10 per cent of current-generation IPv4 web addresses still available, warns the Number Resource Organisation.
Publication date: 2010-01-19 more

Apple admits to Snow Leopard bug

Some users of Snow Leopard, Apple's newest operating system, are losing huge amounts of data when logging in to their computers under a guest account.
Publication date: 2009-10-14 more

Google bets on Vodafone’s Magic to break Apple’s spell

Google and Vodafone have teamed up to take on Apple’s iPhone, yesterday unveiling the internet search engine group’s second attempt to make a splash in the European mobile phone market.
Publication date: 2009-02-18 more

Digital Life: Should you get the new iphone?

YES To gaze on that deliciously vivid screen is to fall in love. The familiar iPhone icon system may not appear much different but photos, video, games and the web shine thanks to the luscious high-res display. Only a couple of other rivals come even close.
Publication date: 2010-08-17 more

Actress Jodie Fisher cost Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd his job

A former porn actress and reality TV contestant, Jodie Fisher, has emerged as the woman whose sexual harassment claims cost the chief executive of Hewlett-Packard his job.
Publication date: 2010-08-09 more

Top contenders to the Apple iPad

There is no doubt that Steve Jobs' iPad is the most hotly anticipated tablet computing device ever, but rein in the Apple hype machine and you will find that there are several more-than-capable competitors waiting in the wings.
Publication date: 2010-02-25 more

Gaming: Use your mind, not your mouse

We can chat to our friends across the other side of the world as if they were in the same room, carry thousands of songs in a box the side of a cigarette packet, and even travel to space. But there remains one science fiction standard that the human race has yet to master – mind-control.
Publication date: 2009-04-09 more

Ireland lays its claim to be the Silicon Valley of an emerging wireless world

An abundance of wireless spectrum - plus the arrival of WiMax - will change the game here
Publication date: 2009-09-17 more

Charlie Weston: Save money by ensuring you are not overinsured

AT Chez Weston we like to save money.
Publication date: 2010-06-17 more

Apple 'more profitable' than Nokia

Sales of Apple's iPhone have helped to make the US technology company more profitable than Nokia, the world's biggest handset maker, according to a report.
Publication date: 2009-11-12 more

Google 'working on' iPad rival

Internet giant Google is working on a tablet computer to rival Apple's iPad, according to reports.
Publication date: 2010-05-12 more

Ubisoft shares jump as video-game sales beat forecast

April 1 (Bloomberg) -- Ubisoft Entertainment SA, Europe's second-largest video-game maker, jumped as much as 10 percent in Paris trading after saying fiscal 2008 sales and profit beat previous forecasts on games including ``Assassin's Creed.''
Publication date: 2008-04-01 more

Microsoft tests product that lets different devices share files

Microsoft Corp., the world's largest software developer, will begin testing a program that lets users share computer files from different locations and devices using the Web.
Publication date: 2008-04-24 more

Hi-tech visionaries are inventing the coolest stuff in a lab near you

'INNOVATION," said Apple guru Steve Jobs, "distinguishes between a leader and a follower." Increasingly it is viewed as a given that investing in great ideas is how we might reinvent the country's business appeal.
Publication date: 2009-02-08 more

iPhone captures 72pc of Japan smartphone market

Apple’s iPhone shipments to Japan more than doubled in the past year, capturing 72pc of the country’s smartphone market, a research firm said.
Publication date: 2010-04-23 more

Figuring out the right design for business life in the online world

Dublin-based Strata3 is one of Ireland's longest-standing web-design, strategy and service firms working with SMEs and big brands. John Mitchell is its managing director
Publication date: 2009-11-05 more

Beyond the set-top box: what’s next on the horizon for TV over the web?

TV is still tethered to the living room, but the nature of the web is a moveable beast
Publication date: 2009-04-02 more

Cybercops: Keeping ahead of online criminals

In an anonymous-looking business park just outside Reading town centre is a room where row upon row of specially trained computer analysts sit staring at a bank of screens.
Publication date: 2009-03-18 more

Intel reports record sales in boost to PC industry

Intel, the world's biggest chipmaker with major operations in Leixlip, reported record sales and topped analysts' estimates with its third-quarter forecast, downplaying concerns that the personal computer industry's rebound is losing steam.
Publication date: 2010-07-14 more

Independent launches new site for ladies

HOT on the heels of the success of men's only websites like joe.ie, Independent Digital is launching a new female zone, www.independentwomen.ie.
Publication date: 2010-06-24 more

Microsoft gives Hotmail a makeover

Microsoft is updating Hotmail, its free email service, in a bid to retain and grow market share over its major rivals: Google’s Gmail and Yahoo! Mail.
Publication date: 2010-05-19 more

All the web's a stage

As dusk falls over east London, I find myself standing in front of a dingy, seemingly deserted warehouse. Despite feeling nervous, I venture inside. Climbing a set of stairs, I find myself in a dark series of rooms. The reason I'm here isn't because I've taken up cat burglary, but because I've been invited to experience an exciting hybrid of art and hi-tech entertainment.
Publication date: 2008-11-12 more

Print Media Popular Online, But Money Is a Problem

Despite years of hype about the impact of bloggers and the so-called Long Tail on the news business, traditional media sources are increasingly popular online even as their offline businesses continue to go south. The idea of "The Long Tail" was that a great multiplicity of blogs and citizen journalism sites could match or exceed the value of traditional news gathering. But the reality is "more complex," says the Project for Excellence in Journalism's new report, State of the News Media 2008. "Looking closely, a clear case for democratization is harder to make," the report said. "Even with so many new sources, more people now consume what old-media newsrooms produce, particularly from print, than before." Advertising Woes Indeed, traditional media, derided by some as "mainstream media," represents more of an oligarchy online than in print. According to researcher Matthew Hindman, the top 10 news sites represent 29 percent of all Web traffic but only 19 percent of newspaper circulation. In the newspaper sector, circulation fell 2.5 percent and overall advertising revenue fell 7 percent in 2007. Even online advertising grew just 20 percent, compared to 30 percent growth in previous years. "For 2008, the hope is that a collaboration of more than 400 daily papers with Yahoo will generate a kick of as much as 10 percent to 20 percent in online advertising because it will be much easier to buy and place ads under the new arrangement," the report said. Hope in Innovation Newspaper Web sites are much improved -- with "a 24/7 diet of breaking news, an array of multimedia features and a wave of redesigns" -- but they have yet to figure out how to adequately monetize the efforts, the report said. The New York Times killed its online paid subscription service, which had 200,000 subscribers, and Rupert Murdoch announced plans to unleash much...
Publication date: 2008-03-18 more

Digital Life: A technology marriage that's made in gadget heaven

Sometimes in this job you find yourself laughing with glee at the ingenuity of new technology. Somebody takes an existing concept and marries it to the cutting edge to create a gadget that surprises and delights.
Publication date: 2009-12-15 more

Product Review: Sony Blu-ray player

If anyone remembers the old battle between the video standards VHS and Betamax, they will recall that when the porn industry rowed in on the side of VHS, the prime backer of the Betamax standard, Sony, was vanquished.
Publication date: 2008-04-24 more

Zippy space-opera with mass appeal

Mass Effect 2, X360/PC
Publication date: 2010-02-09 more

Facebook: 'people don't want complete privacy online'

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, has said that people do not want complete privacy online, in a new interview.
Publication date: 2010-05-21 more

Perception gap fuels skills shortage

Ireland’s IT sector has many well-paid job opportunities for skilled graduates – so why are they going unfilled?
Publication date: 2008-05-30 more

Sidelining SMS bullies is a numbers game, say tech firms

If emerging Irish technology companies have their way, consumers will soon be able to avoid receiving text messages from bullies and stalkers by blocking their numbers.
Publication date: 2008-07-31 more

AOL to buy Bebo networking site for $850m

Internet group AOL has agreed to buy Bebo for $850m, in the latest in a string of multi-million deals designed to tap into the boom in popularity of social networking sites.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Yahoo! 'signs' real time search deal with OneRiot

Yahoo! is understood to have signed a search deal with real-time search engine OneRiot, in a bid not to be left behind the likes of Google and Microsoft, which signed similar deals last week with Twitter.
Publication date: 2009-10-28 more

Yahoo lets music site’s users add content from iTunes

Yahoo’s music service is expanding its artist pages to include content and commercial offerings from across the web, including Apple’s iTunes and Google Inc.’s YouTube.
Publication date: 2009-04-07 more

Online gaming section in €1m Lotto overhaul

THE National Lottery has awarded a €1m contract to an interactive agency to transform their website to include such new features as online gaming.
Publication date: 2008-03-27 more

Save money by ensuring you are not overinsured

AT Chez Weston we like to save money.
Publication date: 2010-06-17 more

US Defense Department mimics Google, Microsoft in cloud computing

When the US Defense Department’s John Garing met Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. to learn about cloud computing, he liked what he saw. Enough to send him back to Washington ready to change how government technology works.
Publication date: 2009-01-28 more

Product Review: Nokia music phone

Pros: Looks great, sounds great Cons: Inscrutably short earphones Price: Available from Vodafone for €199
Publication date: 2008-05-06 more

Microsoft says 3 million people trying out Windows 7

Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, said more than three million customers are currently trying out its Windows 7 operating system software.
Publication date: 2009-05-26 more

The ten best gaming gadgets

Stay ahead of the curve with our guide to the best gaming gadgets.
Publication date: 2009-02-11 more

Apple Uses iTunes to Put Fast Safari on Windows PCs

Windows users perfectly happy with their Firefox or Internet Explorer browsers have been surprised to find a new Web browser on their hard drives -- Apple's Safari 3.1. The browser was originally only for Apple's Macintosh computer. The new browser arrived via Apple's software update feature, which is included in its iTunes software. iTunes boasts impressive penetration on Windows as well as Mac computers. Apple normally uses software update to deliver updates of the QuickTime media player, iPod software and iTunes. But Apple confirmed Thursday that it is now delivering Safari through iTunes. "We are using software update to make it easy and convenient for both Mac and Windows users to get the latest Safari update from Apple," said Bill Evans, a company spokesperson. Aggressive Stance At last June's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reported that users were downloading one million copies of iTunes per day, half of them to Windows machines. Jobs said at the time that he was interested in increasing Safari's market share, which was then at about five percent. "We know how to reach those users," Jobs said. The new strategy indicates Apple is taking a more aggressive stance to leverage the broad success it has had with its iPod. Apple says the new Safari is 1.9 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and 1.7 times faster than Firefox 2. Safari 3.1 also supports new video and audio tags in HTML 5, and so-called CSS animations -- created through the Cascading Style Sheets Web standard. It also supports CSS Web fonts. Standards-Compliant Support for standards, rather than proprietary tags, appears to be in vogue. Microsoft recently said IE 8, its next-generation browser, would shift to favor Web standards over Microsoft's proprietary technologies. There is a "concrete benefit to Web designers if all vendors give priority to interoperability around commonly...
Publication date: 2008-03-23 more

Digital Life: From camera to Facebook, no wires required

Packing more gizmos per square inch than a NASA mission to Mars, the Samsung ST1000 camera seems like a miracle of miniaturisation.
Publication date: 2010-02-23 more

The clash of the WiMax and LTE titans: are we witnessing VHS v Betamax déj

Ireland will be the scene of a collision between two emerging wireless broadband standards
Publication date: 2009-10-22 more

Android phones outsell iPhone

Mobile phones running Google's Android operating system have outsold Apple's iPhone in the US for the first time, according to an industry report.
Publication date: 2010-05-11 more

Irish online ad spend approaches

Online advertising expenditure for 2009 reached €97.2 million according to the first IAB Ireland and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) ad spend study.
Publication date: 2010-07-27 more

Intel Details Plans for Dunnington, Nehalem Processors

Intel revealed more details Monday about its plans for upcoming microprocessors, including the Dunnington server chip and the much-touted, next-generation Nehalem processor family. The products build on the company's 45nm high-k metal gate manufacturing technology, featuring new chips with four, six, eight or more computing cores. Dunnington, Tukwila, Nehalem Intel Senior Vice President Pat Gelsinger described the Dunnington six-core processor for expandable, or multiprocessor, servers. He said Dunnington, available in the second half of this year, will be the first Intel processor with six cores. Featuring large share caches, Dunnington also offers FlexMigration, which enables a single virtualization pool to support both 65nm and 45nm-based servers. Gelsinger described FlexMigration as "investment protection" for evolving data centers. He also discussed Tukwila, the code name for the company's new Itanium processor. As the world's first two billion-transistor microprocessor, Gelsinger said it will deliver more than twice the performance of the current Itanium processor. It will have four cores, 30MB total cache, QuickPath Interconnect, dual integrated memory controllers and mainframe-class RAS features. Nehalem, a scalable microarchitecture for a family of processors, will have anywhere from two to eight cores, and its simultaneous multithreading will enable four- to 16-thread capability. Compared to current-generation Xeon-based systems, Nehalem quadruples the memory bandwidth and it can be utilized on a variety of devices, from notebooks to high-performance servers. 'Visual Computing' Platform For demanding consumers and visualization professionals, Intel is also promoting what it called "next-generation techniques" for visual computing. The company said its new technologies will enable new levels of performance for such processing-intensive visual tasks as ray tracing for accurate shadow and lighting effects, game-based physics, or human motion in medical imaging. It will also support new levels of interactivity, such as game controllers that can "understand human motion" and that enable users to "become characters in their favorite games." Intel...
Publication date: 2008-03-19 more

How cyber crime went professional

Publication date: 2008-08-14 more

Dog's life: ideas from a crazy future

GREYHOUND dogs transformed into live medical devices, breath-smelling bees and machines able to read emotions are among the brave new world of emerging technology that will go on display this week.
Publication date: 2009-10-06 more

Getting business out of social connections

Social networking can be used by companies to bring their relationships with consumers to the next level
Publication date: 2008-05-08 more

Yahoo!'s Carol Bartz fires missive as Carl Icahn reduces stake

Yahoo! chief executive Carol Bartz has ordered her staff to stop debating the merits of the company's landmark search and advertising deal with Microsoft.
Publication date: 2009-09-02 more

Creator of the world's biggest encyclopedia

Publication date: 2009-11-26 more