More technology news in brief..

Russia has top internet gain rate in Europe

Russia has emerged as the European state with the fastest-growing rate of internet penetration, according to new research from internet measuring firm ComScore

Figures for June show that Russia had 17.5 million internet users, up 27 per cent from June 2007. The next fastest-growing markets are: France (up 21 per cent to 31.5 million online visitors); Spain (up 15 per cent to 16.2 million visitors); and the Republic (up 15 per cent to 1.6 million visitors).

The research also found that 49 per cent of the Republic's population aged 15 or over goes online. They spend an average of 14.6 hours online each month and view 1,536 webpages.

EpiSensor raises 1m in global move

Limerick technology company EpiSensor has raised €1 million to enable it to sell its products, which monitor computer energy consumption, on the global market.

EpiSensor's server-monitoring products are based on a wireless technology standard called ZigBee, which is similar to Bluetooth but has much lower energy consumption.

AIB Seed Capital provided €500,000 and Enterprise Ireland contributed €250,000.

The remainder of the funds came from company founder Gary Carroll and his family, and EpiSensor director Brendan O'Malley.

TerminalFour does heritage website

Content management specialist TerminalFour has completed a new website for Heritage Ireland which provides detailed information on heritage sites from the Croppy Acre in Dublin to Skellig Michael in Co Kerry.

Ultimately the site will be published in eight languages, including French, German and Polish. In the past six months it has had 350,000 visitors, two-thirds of whom were from overseas.

TerminalFour claims to be the leading supplier of content management software to third-level institutions in the UK, and number one in the public sector in the Republic, where clients include IDA Ireland, Shannon Development and the Department of the Environment.