A roundup of today's other tech news in brief
Battle of broadbands
Magnet Networks has challenged claims made by UPC that its 30Mbit/sec cable broadband service launching in January will be the fastest in Ireland. Magnet has launched a +50Mbit/sec service based on fibre optics, but it is only available to 12,000 homes. Magnet does have a 24Mbit/sec service based on ADSL2+ which is available for €30 a month.
Dial2Do excellence award
Dial2Do has won the 2009 Mobile Excellence award for best international firm at an event held in Los Angeles this week. The firm, whose software allows mobile users carry out common tasks such as read and send e-mails using voice commands, recently raised €1 million in funding.
Communications spend dips
More than half of Irish businesses, 56 per cent, reduced their spending on communications this year, according to a survey by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). Eircom is the main internet service provider in the market, with 60 per cent share.
IT budgets set for 20% cut
About 60 per cent of Irish chief information officers (CIOs) expect their IT budgets to be cut by up to 20 per cent next year, according to a Deloitte survey. Some 6 per cent of CIOs said they expect even bigger cuts, while 22 per cent of respondents anticipate their budget could increase by as much as one-third. The survey of 48 CIOs found cost reduction remains a top priority for IT departments, and 46 per cent of CIOs said they plan to reduce permanent headcount to make savings.
More privacy on Facebook
Social networking website Facebook has unveiled new privacy settings to give users greater control over who sees information on its personal pages. The new privacy features will enable users to limit messages to a certain subset of friends, such as family members.
Lincor firm wins Hong Kong deal
Lincor Solutions, a provider of bedside information and entertainment systems for hospitals, has won its first major contract in Asia. The deal with St Paul’s Hospital, Hong Kong, will initially cover 300 beds and will extend to an additional 256 beds. Medical staff will be able to securely access clinical tools and patient data at the point of care. Barcode scanning is being used to ensure correct medication is provided.
New mobile for teens
Your Mobile has launched two new mobile phones aimed at children and teenagers. The Firefly Glow and Fly have PIN protection, which allows the parent to load numbers into the handset and screen calls. The Glow (€79) can receive text messages from pre-programmed contacts, costs , while Fly (€99) has a camera and MP3 player.
