A round-up of today's other stories in brief.

Report says search set to bypass e-mail

Searching for information on the internet will displace e-mail as the most popular digital application on PCs and mobile phones this year, according to consultancy group Deloitte.

The consultancy's technology, media and telecommunications industry group also predicted that more girls will play video games and that radio will be increasingly funded by subscriptions instead of advertising.

However, Deloitte also said mobile phone users will be slow to use 3G.

Colt launches new VoIP product

Colt, one of the largest European providers of business communications, has teamed up with Avaya, the communications software provider, to introduce a product that will allow businesses to use voice over internet protocol (VoIP) without having to upgrade or replace existing phone systems.

The enhanced Colt IP voice service was released yesterday in Ireland and 12 other European countries.

Universities set up support unit

The University of Ulster at Magee has launched a multimillion euro cross-Border partnership with two other colleges to help businesses in the northwest tap into the expertise of university academics, specialised equipment and research facilities.

The EpiCentre, a venture on the Magee campus that also includes the Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the North West Institute for Further Education, will give technological support to firms in the border region.

SMEs tapping eBay for income

More than 170,000 Europeans now rely on eBay as their primary or secondary source of income, a survey for the online auction site carried out by ACNielsen showed.

Small and medium-sized enterprises on eBay are growing at a record pace in the European Union, the survey found.

EMC smooths data exchange

EMC Corporation, the world's biggest provider of software for information management and storage, has introduced software to help life sciences companies speed up new drug applications.

The software is designed to support the regulatory submissions process for the Electronic Common Technical Document standard, a specification for the exchange of data between life sciences firms and regulatory agencies.