A round-up of today's other stories in brief:
Exemption call good for Blackberry
The US justice department has urged a federal judge not to shut the BlackBerry portable e-mail service over patent infringement until the government gets more assurances its users will be exempted.
The department's comments were the second piece of good news on Wednesday for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) whose shares climbed.
Earlier the US patent and trademark office sided with RIM by issuing a preliminary rejection of a fifth patent in the court battle with patent-holding company NTP.
The patent office decision means the agency has now issued non-final rejections of all five patents at issue in a BlackBerry patent- infringement case before a federal judge.
- (Reuters)
Intel selects Trinity for course
Intel Ireland has selected Trinity College Dublin to develop a new course in software development for the next generation of multicore processors. The course will form a key part of the computer science and computer engineering degree programmes and will be developed in collaboration with Intel technology specialists.
"The Department of Computer Science is at the forefront of teaching and research and we look forward to supporting and contributing to the development of a world- class course on multicore and multithreading software engineering to prepare students for careers at the cutting edge of computing," said Pádraig O'Murchú, higher education manager at Intel Ireland.
SAP launches web version of CRM
Business software maker SAP yesterday introduced a Web-based version of its market-leading customer relationship software that aims to shore up its position over rivals Oracle and Salesforce.com.
The German company's new subscription service targets large and medium-sized businesses in the market for customer relationship management (CRM) software, which helps office workers track sales leads and manage customer relationships.
SAP said its first release would be followed by additional CRM offerings in 2006, including marketing and service products.
SAP's service is a shot across the bow at Salesforce.com, which has has seen dramatic growth as more companies turn to Web-based software.
- (Reuters)
Gamers show surgical skills
While many parents look at teenagers tethered to video game controls and see slackers, Dr James "Butch" Rosser, chief of minimally invasive surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, sees potential surgeons.
He says laparoscopic surgeons who have played video games can perform surgery 27 per cent faster with 37 per cent fewer errors. Laparoscopy uses a scope to perform abdominal or pelvic operations through a small incision.
- (Reuters)
Anam Mobile raises €14m
Anam Mobile, a Dublin-based provider of messaging infrastructure, has raised €14 million to further develop and accelerate the rollout of its network.
Anam's technology, which allows mobile operators to offer P2P messaging, was deployed by 12 operators last year.
3 launches new mobile tariffs
Ireland's newest mobile phone network, 3, this week launched two new tariffs. The first package provides users with 1,000 minutes of anytime, any network calls, plus a large range of inclusive mobile video downloads for €100 a month. The talk-and-text option provides 500 talk minutes and 500 text messages for the same price.
