A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Salesforce buys Sendia for $15m
Salesforce.com agreed to buy California-based Sendia Corporation for $15 million (€12.36 million) to enable Salesforce.com customers to access the world's most popular on-demand applications via handheld services.
The acquisition will enable the Irish company to combine its AppExchange on-demand platform with Sendia's mobile technology and mobile-enable more than 60 on-demand AppExchange applications.
Dell notebooks to use Vodafone 3G
US computer maker Dell is to offer Vodafone's third-generation (3G) wireless technology automatically on all its Irish notebooks.
All new notebooks sold in Ireland will come with pre-installed access to Vodafone's high-speed wireless data network. Certain models of the computer will offer optional upgrades to increase the speed of the broadband connection. Dell has similar agreements with Vodafone in the UK, France and Germany.
Tourism training network launched
Fáilte Ireland yesterday launched a tourism learning network aimed at training people and businesses within the tourism and hospitality industry.
The three-year programme, aimed at owners and managers of small tourism businesses, has been established in 26 centres throughout the country. Fáilte Ireland has set aside €1.4 million for the programme this year.
ABC to offer free TV shows on net
Walt Disney's ABC television network will offer some of its most popular shows, such as Desperate Housewives and Lost, for free on the web in a service supported by advertising.
US media companies have been experimenting with ways to deliver programmes through new technologies as TV viewership falls.
But ABC's venture, which starts as a two-month trial in May, goes a step further, potentially bypassing cable operators by bringing shows straight to the consumer, analysts said.
ABC already sells digital downloads of its highest rated TV shows for the iPod.
Other networks have also tested digital and video-on-demand formats for airing shows soon after they first appear on TV.
The programmes will only be available to users with a US internet address to protect foreign broadcasting rights. Viewers will be able to pause and move between "chapters" in an episode, but will not be able to skip advertisements, as they will be technically embedded. - (Reuters)
Irish software firms at Asian trade fair
Eighteen Irish software companies will exhibit at Asia's largest electronics and software fair in a bid to tap into the Chinese market.
The Irish Exporters Association (IEA) is leading a delegation of Irish software firms to Hong Kong to take part in the ICT Expo over the next four days.
"The Chinese market has opened up significantly over the past year for software products," said John Whelan, chief executive of the IEA. "The Expo is also an ideal platform for ICT industry players in Ireland to establish strategic partnerships and meet with potential customers not just from Asia but from around the world."
Ci3 chosen by fund manager Jupiter
Irish software firm Ci3 announced that fund manager Jupiter chose the company's flagship product, Sword, as its operational risk management solution.
Sword enables financial institutions to implement operational risk management practices and enables them to meet Basel II, Sarbanes Oxley and Turnbull requirements. It will initially be deployed by Jupiter at 60 stations across its operations.
