Tech Shorts

A round-up of other technology news in brief

Thousands are asked to join Google Wave

Thousands of computer users have been given access to Google’s latest gadget, which lets a group of people chip in to create collaborative e-mails, documents and blog posts.

Google Wave creates a nerve centre for the most popular internet communication tools where users can get all their Twitter, Facebook and e-mail updates in one place. However, the feature that has caused most excitement in the technology world is the ability for people you invite to join a “wave” – to chat, reply and even edit the document in real-time.

Access is still invitation-only because the application is still being tested, and this week the company asked another 100,000 people to join. – (PA)

Online advertising outstrips TV 

Online advertising spend has overtaken spending on TV ads for the first time in the UK, according to figures released this week. The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers report found that a record £1.75 billion (€1.92 billion) was spent on online adverts in the UK in the first half of this year compared to £1.64 billion for TV.

Ed McDonald of the Association of Advertisers in Ireland says it is difficult to assess the level of online advertising here due to the absence of a body such as the UK’s IAB. However, there is strong anecdotal evidence, he adds, to suggest that companies are increasingly turning to online and digital outlets for advertising and that TV advertising, in particular, has been hit by the recession.

Magnet Bolt aims to reduce 'ping time' for online gaming

Magnet Networks has launched a new broadband service for online games. Magnet Bolt aims to reduce “ping time” – the amount of time it takes for information to travel between consoles and servers – to as little as 16 milliseconds from the current average of 194 milliseconds in Ireland.

“Ireland is one of the worst performers in international computer gaming,” says Magnet’s Tom Larkin, who says the new service will give Irish gamers a competitive edge internationally.

Bolt provides a 12 Mb broadband connection and 1:1 contention and comes with a Telsey gaming router. It is available in areas served by Magnet’s LLU network – Dublin, Limerick, Waterford, Cork, Galway and Portlaoise.