Thames Tech Wire

British Consumers Crazy about Technology, Report Says

London -- According to a new report by Intel, more than 20% of
Britons claim they could not survive without PCs, laptops and mobile
phones, and more than half said their lives would "change
dramatically" without their much-loved gadgets. More than 80% said
they were comfortable with technology, a marked improvement
compared to five years ago when more than 37% said they were
"hesitant" and "apprehensive" about new technologies. Intel's "Digital
Lifestyle Report" also found that Britons tend to adopt new
technologies much faster than other Europeans and that they are more
likely to shop online and own digital or satellite TVs, desktop
computers, DVD players and digital cameras. "Our study shows us that
we are now much more comfortable with the pace of technological
change and have reached a new era in our adoption of technology," said
Intel's Chris Hogg. "Consumers increasingly see technology as part of
the DNA of their lifestyles and appreciate the lifestyle benefits that
technology now offers."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X150626BB

FSA: VC Fund Managers Exaggerating Potential of Trusts

London -- The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has accused a
number of U.K.-based venture-capital fund managers of exaggerating
the potential of venture capital trusts (VCTs) while playing down the
risks to investors. VCTs are invested in relatively high-risk areas like
unlisted companies and smaller companies listed on the London Stock
Exchange's Alternative Index Market (AIM). After conducting a review
of the marketing material of 15 local VC firms, the FSA said it had
reprimanded a number of firms for failing to meet acceptable standards
and putting undue emphasis on the tax benefits of VCTs without
mentioning the associated risks. The FSA, which issued a similar
warning in March, called on the companies to change their sales
material and warned that it could take action against those that fail to
comply.
http://www.fsa.gov.uk/
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T2FC425BB

Report: Mobile Phones Do Not Increase Risk of Cancer

London -- According to a new study by the Institute of Cancer
Research, there is no evidence to suggest that mobile phones increase
the risk of cancer. The report, which included data on more than 4,000
people in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the U.K., found no
relation between the risk of acoustic neuroma and the number of years
of mobile-phone use, the time since first use, the total number of hours
of use or the total number of calls. However, the report -- part of a
larger study to be published next year -- did acknowledge that the
possibility of some ill effects after 10 years of mobile-phone use
remained open. "The results of our study suggest that there is no
substantial risk in the first decade after starting use," said Anthony
Swerdlow, senior investigator at the Institute. "Whether there are
longer-term risks remains unknown, reflecting the fact that this is a
relatively recent technology."
http://www.icr.ac.uk/MobilePhoneUse.htm

BMI Acquires Song Identification Technology from Shazam

New York -- BMI, the performing rights organisation representing
300,000 songwriters and 6.5 million works, announced that it has
acquired the technology assets of Shazam Entertainment Ltd., a U.K.-
based developer of mobile music recognition technology. Financial
details were not disclosed. Terms of the deal call for Landmark Digital
Services, a new subsidiary of BMI, to acquire music recognition
technology from Shazam, which will be renamed BlueArrow. Shazam
will receive a worldwide exclusive license from Landmark to continue
offering the music recognition technology to consumers. BMI said it
plans to use the BlueArrow technology to identify members' songs
played on various media -- including radio and TV -- to track and
process royalty payments.
http://www.bmi.com/news/200508/20050830a.asp

Ofcom: Mobile Spending in U.K. Jumps by 17% in 2nd Qtr

London -- According to the "Communications Market August 2005
Quarterly Update", published by U.K. telecommunications watchdog
Ofcom, mobile spending in the first quarter of 2005 came to more than
£3.3 billion, about 17% higher than the total for the same quarter last
year. Total retail revenues for U.K. telecommunications companies in
the 12 months ended March 2005 came to more than £36.6 billion,
about 5% higher compared to the year previous. Ofcom's report also
found that Freeview, a fast-growing digital terrestrial platform, has now
reached more than 5 million U.K. households and that shopping,
interactive services and pay-per-view services accounted for about a
fifth of local digital channels' revenues in 2004.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H33C225BB

Infineon to Provide Memory, Chips for Microsoft's Xbox 360

Munich -- Infineon Technologies, a Germany-based manufacturer of
semiconductors and storage memory cards, announced that it has been
chosen to provide a removable memory card, advanced security chip
and wireless game controller chip for Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game
console. The chips were developed in Germany, Israel and Italy and
will be manufactured in France for inclusion in the Xbox 360, which
goes on sale in the fall. "Infineon's broad and complementary IP
portfolio, system integration skill, manufacturing expertise and proven
track record were crucial factors in our decision to work with the
company on these components," said Xbox Peripherals Director Marc
Whitten. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/050829/094086.html

NDS Forges Partnership with Frontier Silicon

London -- NDS, a unit of News Corp. that develops pay-TV security
technology, announced that it has partnered with U.K.-based Frontier
Silicon to develop anti-piracy technology for the delivery of mobile
TV. "Our collaboration with NDS is … an exciting prospect as we'll be
working towards developing the industry's most secure mobile TV and
radio solution, combining the advanced security features of the NDS
mVideoGuard technology and our own chipsets for T-DMB, DVB-H
and DAB," said Frontier Silicon CEO Anthony Sethill.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?A28B325BB

Gizmondo Europe Signs Agreement with ALK Technologies

London -- Gizmondo Europe, the distributor of the multi-functional
Gizmondo handheld video game, announced that it has signed an
agreement with U.S.-based ALK Technologies to add satellite
navigation functionality to the Gizmondo. The Gizmondo Navigator
2006 application will allow U.K. and European users to map out
directions and receive turn-by-turn voice instructions. The £99
application will be available on Sept. 30. The company will also sell an
in-car cradle and car charger for £29. The Gizmondo itself sells for
about £139.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H2BB225BB

Blackboard Hires Kingston Consultant Demetra Katsifli

Washington, DC -- Blackboard, a U.S.-based provider of e-learning
software and services for academic institutions, announced that it has
appointed two new members to its consulting group. Demetra Katsifli
joins as principal consultant in the U.K. from Kingston University in
London, while Lynda Masterman joins as a senior project manager in
the Asia Pacific region from HarvestRoad. "With these new additions,
we are demonstrating our commitment to these regions, and will be
better prepared to expand and gain information on the e-Learning needs
specific to these areas," said Blackboard Vice President Christopher
Etesse.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?D2FB265BB

Ireland Launches High End Computing Centre in Dublin

Dublin -- Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) announced that it has given
a 2.6-million-euro grant for a new "supercomputing" centre designed to
address Irish researchers' need for computational resources. The
project, dubbed the Irish Centre for High End Computing (ICHEC),
will be based in Dublin and is set to begin operations on Sept. 1. In
addition to the SFI funds, the ICHEC has also received a 700,000-euro
equipment loan from the CosmoGrid programme and a 1.2-million-
euro equipment loan from Trinity College Dublin. SFI said that the
following third-level educational institutions would be involved in the
project: NUI Galway, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin Institute for
Advanced Studies, UCD, UCC, NUI Maynooth, Dublin City University
and the Tyndall Institute.
http://www.sfi.ie/home/index.asp
http://chec.it.nuigalway.ie/