Emmet Ryan

Irish mobile operators have welcomed the introduction of a new application to allow mobile users to track their own carbon footprint. The new application, called mobGAS, has been developed by scientists working for the European Commission. The application is available in 21 European languages and allows users to see how their …

Who do Irish organisations consider the biggest threat to their finances? Possibly you, according to a new survey from Citrix. The study from the software giant found that 49 per cent of IT specialists said people, or more precisely disgruntled staff, are a major financial threat to Irish businesses. The survey found that …

Carphone Warehouse is set to step into the Irish broadband market with the launch of three packages under its TalkTalk service. The mobile phone retailer expects to unveil its TalkTalk Broadband products before Christmas. "The plan is to have TalkTalk Broadband available by the end of the year and it will be available to both …

The presence of strong regulators in the telecoms market encourages investment, according to a report by the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA). The study found that annual investment in the Irish telecoms sector rose from $639m to $684m between 2003 and 2005, which the Association of Licenced Telecom …

A new report published by ICT Ireland* claims Ireland is still an attractive location for foreign direct investment. The study, which was released by the IBEC group on Monday, sets out why many major foreign investors believe Ireland is an attractive location in which to do business. The report, entitled Why Ireland should be …

The Irish Department of Communications has confirmed reports that Eircom has made a submission regarding splitting the company. A spokeswoman for the Department told ENN that Eircom made the submission recently and that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, is currently studying it. "It's …

The blurred lines between virtual worlds and the real world have been examined in a recent episode of US drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. A fictitious virtual world cleverly called Another YOUniverse, which bears a striking resemblance to Second Life, is the main focus of a recent episode of the investigative drama. The …

Irish payment services firm Alphyra has merged with UK firm Cardpoint in a deal reportedly worth €800m. The merger is a reverse takeover of Cardpoint by Alphyra under the rules of London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The two firms will combine to form a new company called Payzone. Under AIM rules an extraordinary …

Cable & Wireless has signed a €400,000 deal to provide managed hosting for online gaming firm Gala Networks Europe (GNE) at its Dublin data centre. The initial two-year contract covers building, hosting, management, and network connectivity for GNE's European online gaming platform. GNE is part of the Gala Group, which has …

MySpace has fired another salvo in the battle for social network supremacy with a free mobile version of its website. MySpace will provide free access to the service to US-based users with advertising being used to cover the costs. The new site will load one banner ad and one text based ad for each visitor. The move is part of …

When is an Apple an Orange? When it's an iPhone it would seem, with the mobile operator winning the French rights to sell the Apple device. As widely expected France Telecom will start marketing Apple's iPhone in France through Orange, its wireless arm. The two parties announced the deal on Thursday following announcements of …

Yahoo! has launched a new social networking site, its second such foray into the field. Mash is a new service from Yahoo! currently in beta mode. The social networking project can only be accessed by invite at present, and opened to a handful of users on 14 September. The new project follows the failure of Yahoo! 360, the …

Worldwide PC shipments are expected to rise by 12.6 per cent this year, according to new research by analysts IDC. The projected figure of 257.5 million units is up on IDC's prediction in June, which estimated growth of 12.2 per cent in 2007. The rise in the number of units shipped is being led by notebooks and laptops which …

Home PC users need to be wary of security vulnerabilities when they go online, according to software firm CA. The 'CA Mid-Year Internet Threat Outlook Report' found that the exposure of home PC users is growing as the PC becomes the family communications and entertainment hub. "Everyone using the internet should be aware of …

Business software provider Oracle has acquired Dublin-based Netsure Telecom. Netsure provides network intelligence and analytics software to communications service providers. The firm's clients include Vodafone, Cable & Wireless and Eircom. The deal is expected to be completed later this month, but financial details of the …

E-learning firm SkillSoft saw its profits nearly treble in its latest set of results, which were released on Friday. SkillSoft had net profits of $12.4m, or $0.11 per share, for the second quarter, up from $4.8m, or $0.05 per share, for the same period last year. The New Hampshire based firm's revenue for the three-month period …

The mobile navigation device market has a new king with a new report revealing that Garmin is the top seller in the field. Research from Canalys shows Garmin has claimed the top spot for the second quarter of 2007 after rival TomTom had led the way for the past two years. In total, 7.4 million mobile navigation devices were …

The revolution will be televised but you'll have to sit through the ads first. In the new Simpsons movie, President Arnold Schwarzenegger declares that he "was elected to lead not to read", and now advertisers are trying to ensure literacy is not a pre-requisite for consumers they target oonline. Video advertising is set to …

Drink drivers could be prohibited from driving under the influence if new technology from Nissan is introduced. The Japanese car maker has developed a new odour detection system designed to prevent drivers from operating a car if they are over the legal limit. The system works by using a series of sensors to detect the level of …

Wireless broadband services are proving popular with Irish SMEs, according to new research from Vodafone Ireland. The study found that a third of small and medium sized enterprises are using services other than fixed lines as their main connection to the internet. According to the report, new services such as mobile broadband …

IBM has predicted that travel by plane, train, or automobile is going to be a lot easier in the future. Big Blue gazed into its crystal ball and made predictions about how technology will change the way people travel in the future. The IT giant has listed five changes that will improve the way we get from A to B. First off, …

Chip maker Toshiba raised its forecasts for the first half of the fiscal year after the firm enjoyed strong sales in the quarter ending 30 June. The Japanese firm's net profits surged to ¥20.6bn (€126.8m) for the first quarter from ¥4bn (€24.9m) for the same period last year. This represent earnings per share of ¥5.92 (€0.04 …

PC sales in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) were up 13.5 per cent in Q2 2007, according to market watcher IDC. A total of 17.5m desktop and notebook computers were sold in the region, with a 31 per cent increase in notebook sales compared to the same period last year. IDC said competition among the leading vendors …

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a technology bubble ready to burst according to a new report by Dublin-based firm Heavey RF. The firm, which provides radio frequency products such as handheld scanners, has published a study entitled RFID.Bomb? "History is littered with large technical blunders; RFID in the supply …

UK customers of BT's IPTV service will be able to avail of cut-price access to English Premier League football matches for the coming season. The BT Vision Sport standard service costs £4 a month and will provide subscribers with access to delayed coverage of 242 games from the Barclays Premier League. A pay-per-view option is …