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According to reports on Tuesday, Sun Microsystems may cut about 20 percent of its workforce. A research note from Merrill Lynch said that up to 8,000 job cuts could be announced this quarter by the company. Sun, which did not immediately comment on the reports, is due to publish its quarterly results on Thursday.
ChangingWorlds, an Irish supplier of personalisation software for the mobile market place, has announced the launch of ClixSmart EZmms -- a tool which allows users to create, manage, publish and play MMS messages for mobile devices via the Web. "MMS is a great opportunity for the mobile industry to grow data revenues going forward," said Luke Conroy, CEO of ChangingWorlds. "MMS users of all ages can now benefit from a mobile Internet experience that is both powerful and fun."
Corel has scored another victory for its WordPerfect Office suite, following a decision by Gateway to include its software as the default option on many of its consumer PCs sold in North America. The news marks a setback for Corel rival Microsoft, whose own Office suite was also dumped earlier this year by Hewlett-Packard in favour of Corel. A statement from Corel noted that Gateway is the four major hardware maker to bundle its WordPerfect software on consumer PC lines this year.
A new report from Analysys notes that large companies could trim their operating expenses by almost half if they switch to voice over IP systems. The IP voice market, Analysys says, is to be worth EUR7.4 billion, as an increasing number of companies migrate away from traditional private branch exchange (PBX) voice systems to packet-based systems on an IP platform. The report, "IP Voice Services: the return on investment for European service providers" shows that the biggest cost savings would be gained by enterprises with more than 500 workers. Cost savings aside, Analysys said the "soft" benefits would be of even greater value, including the ability to embrace unified messaging and hot desking.
Palm Inc said on Tuesday that it has taken a stake in a new company, Mobile Digital Media Inc, aimed at developing content for mobile devices. The company will distribute software for MultiMediaCard and SD media, which are tiny cards used to deliver software to handheld computers, MP3 players and mobile phones. For the Christmas season Mobile Digital Media will release a number of games and travel software for the SD/MultiMediaCard format, including Rayman and Lonely Planet guides.
The financial services company Intelligent Finance has invested in Performix's Emvolve Performance Manager, aimed at helping improve performance of Intelligent Finance agents. The software will be used by around 700 agents in three contact centres, who will be given access to daily on-line performance results for their area of responsibility. Intelligent Finance is a division of Halifax.
ICT Ireland repeated its call for the forthcoming referendum on the Nice Treaty, saying it could determine the future of the high-tech sector of the Irish economy. ICT Ireland says the referendum outcome is extremely important for both home-grown and international businesses. ICT Ireland Director Brendan Butler reiterated the view that a negative vote could threaten the future prospects of the sector.
The Sedona Conference is slated to take place from the 24th to 26th October in Clontarf Castle, Dublin. Multimedia experts in education, technology and entertainment will assemble for the 6th year of the event, looking at the latest advancements in digital technology and education. The opening conference speaker will be Edward de Bono, regarded by many as an authority in the field of creative thinking, and innovation. Ann Rodgers of organisers Digital Media Intelligence said, "We are proud that Dublin has been chosen to showcase the Sedona conference. Education professionals need to understand more about the impact of digital media on their students, their faculty and on society as a whole." Click here for more on the conference.
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