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UAE IT market worth $3.15bn
According to a Business Monitor's report, UAE IT spending is projected to remain in positive growth territory, despite the current economic slowdown, reaching $3.15bn in 2009. Government spending and investment will provide support, and there will be continued opportunities in sectors such as construction, banking and telecoms, the report has said. The report has also said that a number of short-term factors give concern, including the impact of a falling population on consumer spending, but fundamental drivers, including local and federal government initiatives, and development of non-oil sectors such as real estate and tourism, should help to prevent market stagnation. The total size of the UAE's IT market is expected by BMI to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10% from around $3.2bn in 2009 to approaching $4.7bn in 2013, the report has said.
Software piracy in Jordan dips below regional average
Jordan has witnessed a steady decline in software piracy rates since 2003 managing to reduce piracy to 58%, which is below the regional average for the first time, a Business Software Alliance (BSA) spokesperson said. According to a study released a in January 2008 by IDC, a 10% decrease in software piracy over the next four years would create an additional 436 jobs, $47m in local industry revenues and $14m in additional tax revenues for federal, regional and local governments, BSA added.
Spam, botnets and malware rise 'alarmingly'
Security software company McAfee reports that spam volumes have leapt 141% since March globally, the longest streak of increasing spam volumes yet recorded. In its Q2 Threats Report, it also highlights the rise of botnets (up 16%) and the threat from Auto-Run malware. Describing the increases as alarming, Mike Gallagher, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of McAfee Avert Labs, said: "The expansion of these infections is a grave reminder of the potential harm that can be caused by unprotected computers in homes and businesses."
Western Digital launches new mobile hard drives
Western Digital has announced avaialbility on select distributors and resellers two new mobile hard drives that reach new capacity extremes, offering one terabyte model - the industry's highest-capacity 2.5-inch drive available. The 333 GB-per-platter technology enables the new WD Scorpio Blue SATA 2.5-inch hard drives to offer mobile storage device and notebook users 1 TB capacity. A 750 GB WD Scorpio Blue model also will be available.
Vodafone withdraws bid for LINKdotNET
Vodafone Egypt has withdrawn its offer to buy LINKdotNET Company, the information technology unit of Orascom Telecom. The withdrawal reduces the number of remaining bidders to four, which are Mobinil, Telecom Egypt and two financial organizations.
Dubaisat-1 successfully launched
The UAE's first government satellite was successfully launched into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan last night. Dubaisat-1 will orbit 680km above Earth and is expected to beam back its first images in a matter of days. The satellite was developed by a South Korean firm with the cooperation of 16 UAE engineers from the Emirates Institute of Advanced Science and Technology.
Microsoft, Yahoo to challenge Google
Microsoft and Yahoo reached an agreement today to become search engine partners. Under the 10-year deal, Microsoft will integrate Yahoo search technology into its existing Web search platforms, while Microsoft's new search tool, Bing, will power Yahoo sites. Yahoo will also sell premium ads on both sites, and Microsoft and Yahoo will share revenue on traffic generated on Yahoo's network.
Panasonic launches new SDHC memory cards
Panasonic has announced the launch of new secure digital high capacity memory cards with class 10 speed specifications. The new gold series of SDHC cards offer more than 12 hours of continuous high definition recording, and are capable of functioning in temperatures ranging from -25'C to +85'C, the company said.
Microsoft to unbundle IE
Microsoft has announced it has agreed to open up Windows to different internet browsers in order to fend off European Union litigation, AFP has reported. Under the plan, rival browsers including Firefox , Google's Chrome or Opera by Norway's Opera Software will now be placed before consumers at the point when they set up a new computer's operating preferences.
DubaiSat satellite launch delayed
Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) has announced that the clustered launch of a satellite group including DubaiSat-1, which was scheduled for July 25, has been postponed by the launching company, International Space Company (Cosmotras), to July 29, 2009, Wam has reported. The postponement was to further undertake more safety and security tests, Cosmotras has said.
Microsoft revenue down 17%
Microsoft Corp, the world's largest software maker, has posted the first-ever drop in annual sales of Windows, and its quarterly revenue fell a steeper-than-expected 17% as its business continued to be hurt by the weak global PC and server markets, Reuters has reported. 'We still see conditions being challenging for the balance of this calendar year,' Microsoft's CFO Christopher Liddell has said.
Sun ties up with Computer World in Bahrain
Sun Microsystems has announced its new partner base in Bahrain through a new alliance with Computer World. With the agreement, Computer World is licensed to resell and integrate Sun's server and open storage offerings, as well as promote solutions around virtualization in Bahrain. Computer World is a software and hardware infrastructure provider in Bahrain, providing solutions in technology infrastructure, storage management, enterprise content and resource planning, information system and web security to organizations in Bahrain.
Qatar IT skills course launched
ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body and certification authority of the International Computer Driving Licence (ICDL) programme in the Gulf region and Iraq has launched its 'IT Skills for All' initiative in Qatar. The Foundation has urged the government and private sectors to support efforts to increase the number of computer training facilities for people with special needs. 'We aim to establish new strategic alliances in order to expand the scope of our initiative to reach more people with special needs across the region,' Jamil Ezzo, Director General, ICDL GCC Foundation, said.
Dell appoints Aptec as distributor in Egypt
Dell said it recently appointed Aptec Distribution, part of Aptec Holdings, as an official distributor in Egypt extending the company's existing agreement beyond the UAE and Gulf region. Aptec now offers Dell's commercial line of products, including PowerEdge servers, Dell/EMC and EqualLogic storage solutions, Latitude laptops, Dell Precision workstations and OptiPlex desktops, to resellers in Egypt. The new agreement strengthens Dell's channel strategy in emerging countries, collaborating with partners and distributors to deliver products and services to customers across the Middle East region through an additional 5,000 resellers across Egypt, Dell said in a statement.
Intel unveils first 34-nanometer NAND flash drives
Intel Corporation is moving to a more advanced, 34-nanometer manufacturing process for its NAND flash-based Solid State Drive products, which are an alternative to a computer's hard drive. The move to 34nm will help lower prices of the SSDs up to 60% for PC and laptop makers and consumers who buy them due to the reduced die size and advanced engineering design, Intel said. The multi-level cell Intel X25-M Mainstream SATA SSD is aimed at laptop and desktop PCs and available in 80GB and 160GB versions.
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