2006
- The news you choose »
- Login to Add to Watchlist
DGCX, new Swift member
Following its work with EastNets, a payments and security solutions provider and regional business partner of Swift, the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange has been admitted as a member of the Swift network as a recognised exchange. The DGCX can now utilise all the features that the Swift Network offers such as real time transaction processing, security, unified standard, file transfers and real time reporting.
Etisalat offers packages
Etisalat has announced two new offers for mobile phone users. The 'Favourite Number' offer allows users to register, by November 3, one international and one local number for which they will be charged off peak rates at all times between November 5 and December 4. The 'National and International SMS Packages' offer is to be introduced shortly and will enable customers to buy bundles of SMS at reduced rates.
Cognos eyes Gitex
Business intelligence and corporate performance management firm Cognos will be looking to extend its market share and raise brand awareness when it participates at Gitex 2006. The company will focus on promoting its software, the Cognos 8 Business Intelligence and Cognos 8 Planning solutions. Cognos will be based in the DIC zone at the event.
MTN wary of Iran investment
MTN has only paid for the licence fee for Iran's second mobile phone operator and is not willing to invest in other aspects of the network, according to a telecom expert cited by the Tehran Times. MTN is set to earn significant return on the network but has offered support and technical contracts to domestic partners and contractors. MTN has cut its year end subscriber target from 1.5m to 1m.
Video messaging in Saudi
Saudi Arabians have been using 3G technology to exchange Eid greetings over the past week via video calling. Mobily has reported that 19,000 video messages have been sent during the holiday period. The messages have been sent between cities in the kingdom as well as to the UAE, Bahrain, Italy, Hong Kong, Luxemburg and Australia.
Kingston, Mideast meeting
The Kingston Technology Corporation, a manufacturer of memory and digital media products, is to hold its first channel briefing for the company's distributors and authorised resellers in the Middle East. The meeting, which will cover the company's corporate and marketing strategy for 2007 as well as its 2006 results, will take place on November 20, coinciding with the Gitex exhibition in Dubai.
iTunes security hacked
A 22-year-old Norwegian hacker claims to have cracked Apple's iTunes music store and iPod player, the Times reports. Jon Lech Johansen says his software will allow songs bought on iTunes to be installed on any mp3 player, not just Apple's iPod. Johansen says his company, DoubleTwist, will license the hack to Apple's competitors.
Barco LED deal at Dubai Mall
Belgian-based company Barco will install LED screens for Emaar's upcoming Dubai Mall in a deal worth 24m euros, Gulf News reported. Installation will start in 2007, with the mall due to open later in that year. The screens can be adapted for advertisements, information announcements and entertainment, Barco said.
HP heads PC shipments
HP shipped more PCs than any other vendor in Q3 2006, the company said in a statement citing figures by IDC and Gartner. The worldwide PC market in the quarter grew at 7.9%, while HP says its shipments grew at a rate of 15.1% to 17.2% market share. HP Middle East claims to be the number one PC vendor in the region.
i2 goes to Sudan
Saudi-based mobile phone provider i2 has started selling its products in Sudan, the company said in a statement. The company sets up the first authorised Nokia distributorship and service centre in the country.
MacBook Pro goes dual core
Apple has upgraded the MacBook Pro with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which it claims boosts performance by 39%. The upgraded line doubles the memory capacity to 3GB, adds a FireWire 800 port, and comes with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. Both the 15inch and 17inch models feature a DVD burner.
Sony to continue battery business
Sony Corp says it will continue to make notebook computer batteries despite a wave of recalls by PC makers, news agencies reported. The latest recall is for 250,000 batteries used in its own Vaio notebook computers. As many as 9.6m batteries could be involved in a worldwide recall from computer makers such as Dell and Apple, as well as from Sony.
Apple record shipments
Apple shipped a record 1.6m computers in Q3 2006, leading to a 27% profit rise, the Guardian reports. During the same period 8.7m iPods were sold, a 35% year-on-year rise. But analysts are warning that iPod sales are gradually slowing, and the computer sales are a better indicator of company growth.
Mideast submarine cable planned
Telecom companies from Egypt, Italy, India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE plan to build a submarine cable linking Europe to India through the Middle East, Reuters reported citing a statement by Telecom Egypt. The cable would have a design capacity of at least 2,560 gigabits a second. Construction contracts will be awarded by the end of 2006.
Wataniya, 8.8m subscribers
Kuwait's Wataniya Telecom has announced that, at the end of September, it had acquired 8.8m subscribers, a jump of 70% from the same period last year, according to Kuwaiti local newspapers cited by The Peninsula. Chairman Faisal Al Ayyar put the growth down to a sixfold increase in subscribers in Saudi Arabia, as well as healthy boosts in Algeria, Iraq and the Maldives.
It looks like you are using a Mac - check out our 
Web Feeds