Microsoft spotlights higher Irish Xbox price: Technology giant Microsoft has invested millions in trying to gain an advantage in the intensely competitive games console market. As part of its efforts, it took the opportunity this week to announce pricing for its forthcoming Xbox 360 console, offering a two-tier structure for the product's basic and premium versions.

In a further effort to recover some ground on industry heavyweight Sony, Microsoft said it would release the new Xbox model simultaneously in the US, Europe and Japan.

Sony is not expected to release its PlayStation3 until the second quarter of next year and, even then, it is expected to retail at a higher figure than the premium version of the Xbox - in the US at least.

However, European consumers will not reap the full benefit of the price war, according to media reports yesterday. While the Xbox 360 will cost either $299 (€245) or $399 in the US, Europeans can expect to pay €299 or €399 - a premium of more than 20 per cent.

Being nothing if not assiduous, Microsoft was quick to contact Current Account yesterday, pointing out that we had failed to provide the pricing information for the Xbox in Ireland.

Surely, we thought, Irish consumers would be paying the euro-zone rate announced by Microsoft at a games conference in Leipzig.

Not so, it appears. Microsoft has evidently decided that the cubs of the Celtic Tiger will be happy to shell out that little bit more for their entertainment. So, while our euro-zone cousins will pay €299 or €399 for their consoles, we shall be paying that little bit extra - €309.99 or €409.99, depending on the model.

Current Account cannot recall the last time a company was so keen to notify readers of higher prices, but is glad to set the record straight.

Takeover Panel takes to flushing out the bids

Current Account was excited on Wednesday evening to see the Takeover Panel making a statement on behalf of property developer Paddy Kelly in relation to the saga of the summer, Jurys Doyle. The statement, clearly made because the panel decided it should be so, had the effect of ushering Mr Kelly out of the bushes at a critical point in the Jurys takeover story.

Another statement, made the previous day by NCB but again at the behest of the panel, had a similar effect with Quinlan Private. Both parties were forced to say that while they had not made an approach to Jurys, it wouldn't be that shocking if they did so in the future.

In both cases, the information wasn't that new, given the flurry of media speculation on the matter over the preceding week or so. What was significant however was that the panel decided to act at all. It would not have surprised the market too much if it had waited to see how things evolved while doing its usual behind-the-scenes investigations.

This was the approach that most characterised the panel's actions on last year's takeover of Gresham, when mystery shareholder Chanrai Balram (or was it Balram Chanrai, or Chainrai Balram) emerged to inject a certain je ne sais quoi into the whole process that confused almost all involved.

In the end, the Gresham situation did manage to resolve itself, but it can be argued that it would have done so earlier and with less messing around had the panel acted sooner and with greater decisiveness on Mr Balram.

This time around, it seems things could take a different direction, at least if the panel has anything to do with it.

Nolan's roving eye

Current Account was very interested to read about Eircom chief executive Philip Nolan's longer-term ambition.

It seems that, not content with bringing broadband to the masses and re-entering the mobile phone market, the Ulster-born businessman would like to run a FTSE company.

Dr Nolan, in an interview with a Sunday newspaper, confided that he would like to be the chairman of a FTSE firm.

He says that despite being now settled in Ireland with his family, this would not preclude him from taking such a post.

Nolan was headhunted for the Eircom job by Sir Anthony O'Reilly, a man to whom he confessed it was "difficult to say no".

The affable Dr Nolan clearly impressed his newspaper interviewer, who opined that it was only a matter of time before he was "bound to get plenty of calls from the headhunters".