NEWS IN BRIEF
For the record 5 October
05-10-2007
by Emmet Ryan
Halo earns USD300 million in a week | Lenovo ThinkPad turns 15
Sales of Microsoft's Halo 3 video game topped USD300 million worldwide in its first week on the market, amid swirling rumours that the software giant's close relationship with the game's maker Bungie Studios may be coming to an end. The popular game series is exclusively developed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console but several blogs this week have spread rumours about possible moves by Bungie to possibly develop games for other consoles.
Mobile services firm Zamano has appointed Colm Saunders as its finance director. Saunders, who will take over the role on 15 October, is a chartered accountant and joins Zamano from Avaya's IP Telephony Business Unit in Boston, where he was director of Operations and Strategy. He was previously US General Manager of Spectel, an Irish voice and web conferencing company which was acquired by Avaya in 2004.
Xerox has developed new security technology that prints variable text that can't be read under normal light, but can be read when exposed to infrared light. The technology, called InfraredMark Specialty Imaging Font, can be used to authenticate tickets, coupons, certificates, licences, identification papers and other high-value documents.
Friday marks the 15th birthday of the ThinkPad notebook PC. More than 30 million ThinkPads have been sold in more than 160 countries worldwide. "This anniversary is not only a testament to the unparalleled design and craftsmanship of the ThinkPad but it also speaks volumes to the legions of ThinkPad enthusiasts that have been with us for so many years," said Fran O'Sullivan, senior vice president, Lenovo Product Group. "The ThinkPad notebook is our flagship product, but more importantly, it's also a proven personal tool for millions of customers that depend on their ThinkPad to achieve great things.
EURid, the European registry for the dot-eu domain has welcomed the arrival of the dot-asia domain which is set to be launched next week. EURid expects the domain to prove popular with Asian businesses. "After a time, Europeans realised that a dot-eu domain was good for business. People in Asia will surely discover that as well," said Marc Van Wesemael, general manager of EURid.
Caped Koala Studios has built a virtual world for kids, combining education and social networking 