Other technology news in brief
Moviestar.ie web awards all about talent
The organisers of the annual Irish Blog Awards are to host the Moviestar.ie Irish Web Awards in October, which they say will recognise community and standards on the web.
Organiser Damien Mulley said there are no nomination fees, and judging will be on open criteria. "The philosophy of the Moviestar.ie Irish Web Awards is that a 16-year-old web designer is on an equal footing with design agencies, so they'll be judged on their talent, not their ability to show off their talent once they're paid €300 to be nominated and €300 more to turn up on the night," said Mr Mulley.
HP ships millionth blade server
IT giant HP has shipped its millionth blade server which it says solidifies its leadership in the fastest growing segment of the computer server market.
IDC ranks HP as number one in blades by both revenue and shipment numbers. Blades are slimmed-down servers which can be packed into more dense configurations in data centres. As a result they are more energy efficient.
CityJet takes off with in-house TV
CityJet has created what is believed to be the first in-house TV channel for staff in an Irish firm. It uses Cisco's digital media system, installed by services provider Complete Telecom.
This is the first implementation of Cisco's DMS in Ireland which CityJet is using to provide information and training content to staff and as a marketing tool at airports where CityJet operates.
Best Buy to retail iPhones in US
Best Buy, the largest US electronics retailer, is to become the first retailer other than Apple or ATT to sell the iPhone in the US. From next month the iPhone will be available in 1,000 Best Buy stores from $199 (€135).
In Ireland the iPhone is only available directly from O2 or Carphone Warehouse shops. Best Buy is due to open its first store in Ireland next year, having purchased a 50 per cent stake in Carphone Warehouse for £1.1 billion (€1.38 billion) this year.
Facebook doubles up with languages
Facebook, the most popular social-networking website, attracted twice as many users as last year after expanding overseas, extending its lead over MySpace.
Facebook had 132.1 million visitors in June, 6.6 per cent more than a month earlier and up from 52.2 million in 2007, according to research firm ComScore. MySpace users climbed 2.6 per cent to 117.6 million from May. Facebook more than quadrupled users in Europe and Asia after launching in Spanish, German and French this year. - (Bloomberg)
