Silicon Republic - News

Let the seller beware as eBay reduces fees

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:03:00 +0100

Auction website eBay has revealed it plans to reduce the fees it charges sellers to list fixed-price items from September.

Trintech reports net loss of close to US$1m

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:02:00 +0100

NASDAQ-listed financial software and payments company Trintech this morning reported a net loss of close to US$1m in its fiscal second quarter, despite delivering revenues of US$10.5m for the quarter.

Salesforce.com picks up speed in global customer service and support market

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:06:00 +0100

Global software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider Salesforce.com has gained significant ground in the customer service and support market with its acquisition of InSranet, announced today.

HP profits up 10pc, driven by notebook sales

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:20:00 +0100

Share prices for HP rose by 2.8pc following results that exceeded analysts' expectations, with a rise of US$2.7bn or 10pc in third-quarter revenue since the same time last year to reach US$28bn.

Ireland top of the world for renewable energy investment

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Ireland has landed in the top 10 countries worldwide for attracting investment in renewable energy.

Google invests US$10.2m in 'killer app of energy world

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Search giant Google's philanthropic arm has revealed it is investing US$10.25m in a breakthrough new energy technology it has suggested could be the 'killer app' of the energy world.

3 launches next-gen Skypephone

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

While mobile operator 3 yesterday announced the new updated Skypephone S2, which will begin shipping from 27 August, the UK and Ireland will not be seeing this handset.

Microsoft develops smart wireless networks

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:25:00 +0100

Think of all the competing signals flying overhead at this very moment with your wireless device in the unlicensed spectrum or 'white space' as it is commonly known - Bluetooth headsets, Wi-Fi enabled laptops, walkie talkies, automatic syncing, even baby monitors.

Google confirms Android phones to go on sale this year

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:36:00 +0100

Android phone video

Google has confirmed through the official Android developers' blog, that after working on the first Android devices with its partners in the Open Handset Alliance, these devices will indeed be shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.

Google wants ubiquitous internet out of unused airwaves

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:17:00 +0100

The 'white spaces' between unused broadcast airwaves could be valuable in providing affordable, high-speed wireless internet connectivity, Google has suggested.

Research predicts massive global popularity for ringback tones

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:06:00 +0100

Ringback tones are quickly becoming the 'Golden Child' of the mobile music market, with worldwide revenue predicted to nearly triple to US$4.7bn by 2012, according to research released today by MultiMedia Intelligence.

Microsoft's Live Mesh technology ready for download

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:34:00 +0100

Microsoft's latest technology Live Mesh, which allows users to synchronise and access information across different PCs as well as remotely control their PC via their web browser, is now available for users to download.

iPhone users complain of faulty 3G connectivity

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

After the initial frenzy and excitement following the release of the iPhone 3G has died down, there are now many customers emerging on Apple's official message board complaining about 3G coverage - or lack thereof - on their new handset.

IT spending to surpass US$3.4trn this year

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Despite a steady wave of global economic tremors, Gartner is predicting that IT spending worldwide will exceed US$3.4trn this year, up 4.5pc in constant currency terms.

Firefox and Safari users under cyber attack

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:12:00 +0100

Windows and Mac users of the popular Firefox browser as well as users of the Apple Safari browser are being warned about a new cyber attack that targets the clipboard where copied text is stored.

Google and Family Guy creator - would you like fries with that?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:50:00 +0100

Normally when a new TV series or movie does product tie-ins with a fast food chain, it manifests itself in the form of branded drinks containers and wind-up toys, but Google and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has chosen to work with fast food joint Burger King in a decidedly new media way - by animating the ads.

Worrying trends in CAO first-round offerings

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:42:00 +0100

The poor uptake in science, technology, engineering and maths in this morning's first-round CAO offerings is causing concern in the ICT and engineering sectors.

Lenovo and Vodafone in 3G laptop pact

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:52:00 +0100

A new range of ThinkPad notebooks with built-in 3G antenna are set to be launched in October, following a deal being struck between Lenovo, Ericsson and Vodafone.

Will royalties kill the internet radio star?

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:36:00 +0100

Internet radio site Pandora may have over 40,000 listeners per day, but the crippling weight of music royalties looks likely to shut the site down for good - an event that will indeed be a black day for the already struggling internet radio station.

UPC launches 20Mbps broadband for SME and SoHo workers

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:20:00 +0100

Cable broadband player UPC has upgraded broadband speeds for SMEs and small office home office (SOHO) workers to 6Mbps, 10Mbps and 20Mbps.

20,000 credit cards skimmed by opportunistic data thieves

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:33:00 +0100

Opportunistic data thieves - masquerading as bank technicians - have fooled shop owners into giving them access to credit card terminals and managed to download the details of over 20,000 credit and debit cards, it emerged this morning.

Irish IT companies invited to head east for executive training

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Irish technology companies will have the opportunity to spend three months with local companies in Japan and Korea and potentially set up strategic partnerships as part of the new cycle of the Executive Training Programme (ETP) funded by the European Commission.

Small business website builder to create 20 jobs

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100

A new start-up is planning to target 1,000 Irish and UK small businesses over the next 12 months to guarantee they have the latest websites. The company, led by internet industry veteran Eoin Costello, plans to create 20 knowledge jobs in the next three years.

An Post sees the point of a top-up for all mobile networks

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 15:12:00 +0100

From Monday consumers in Ireland will be able to buy a mobile phone top-up that works for all networks from PostPoint retail outlets around the country.

Daft owner makes a shrewd investment in Boards.ie

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:44:00 +0100

The owner of property website Daft.ie, Daft Media, has acquired a minority stake in Ireland's largest community websites, Boards.ie, for an undisclosed sum.

Intel says wake up PCs before the earth go-goes

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Remote Wake technology deployed by Intel and a number of partners will allow users' PCs to 'wake up' from hibernation for them to take phone calls and watch favourite TV shows, at the same time as helping to save the environment.

No need to panic about maths results, says Irish Computer Society

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:00:00 +0100

Although thousands of students didn't get the grades they wanted in maths in this year's Leaving Certificate, this mustn't be seen as an end to an ICT career for them, the Irish Computer Society (ICS) said today.

SMS ban is a lucrative business opportunity for Twitter

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:37:00 +0100

Today's decision by social media messaging service Twitter to no longer deliver outbound SMS is actually a potentially lucrative opportunity for the web phenomenon to strike up relationships with mobile operators and embark on a monetisation strategy.

Nanotech gadget suit is a must-have in geek chic

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:27:00 +0100

Death metal t-shirts, beards, ponytails and sneakers used to be the lot of the much-maligned nerd. But from today, suave techies can cut a dashing, more refined figure in a sleek, tailored gadget suit that can block out Bluetooth hackers and shield the body from radiation.

Intel in all-out push on super-fast USB 3.0

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:58:00 +0100

Chip giant Intel is going all-out to speed up industry-wide adoption of USB 3.0 technology, which is 10 times the bandwidth of existing USB 2.0 connections, for a myriad of electronic devices from cameras and phones to MP3 players and storage drives.