The number of Irish adults buying goods online has trebled over the last year, according to market research group Amarach. The research shows 150,000 Irish adults made a purchase on the Web in the last three months, up from 50,000 last year. The figures also reveal that most of the purchases - 51 per cent - were made on Irish sites, 33 per cent on UK-based sites, 13 per cent US sites and 4 per cent of the purchases were made on sites based in other European countries.
The Amarach figures also suggest most online Irish shoppers are happy with their experience, with 63 per cent saying they were "very satisfied". Amarach says much of the increase in Irish-driven e-commerce may be due to Ryanair's website, but says all Irish e-tailers should be see it as a good indicator. The figures don't make great reading for website owners advertising on the Web, however, showing 57 per cent of Irish web users visit websites their friends tell them about while 40 per cent hear about websites in newspapers or magazines. The figures are based on in-home interviews carried out with 1,000 Irish adults (aged 15-74) in January and February this year.
Class act: Irish secondary school students have taken to the Internet to voice their concerns, especially about industrial by teachers who are members of the ASTI. The Union of Secondary Students (USS) which formally elected a committee and adopted a constitution last week has set up a Web presence at secondarystudents.cjb.net. Another website, www.2pupils.com, is an online newspaper aimed at secondary school pupils.
Nothing Nua: Eircom is closing its digital publishing division Rondomondo which employs 35 people in Dublin, it was reported. It is the latest Eircom multi-media venture to fall victim to the downturn in the sector. Earlier last week Internet publishing firm NUA, which was 20 per cent owned by Eircom, passed into the hands of receiver Mr David Hughes of Ernst & Young. Last month Ebeon, 51 per cent owned by Eircom, shut down with estimated liabilities of £15 million.
Only A Game?: Microsoft's new Xbox games console may lose the software giant $2 billion before it breaks even in about five years, Merrill Lynch said. Microsoft said it will spend $500 million in its first year on the market to promote the new console in direct competition with Sony's PlayStation 2. Bill Gates said Sega would be developing 11 game titles for Xbox. Web access for the Xbox is a key feature that the world's top software company hopes will give its new game machine, due out later this year, a fighting chance against the PlayStation.
Teeney: A teenage hacker who sparked an FBI inquiry into an alleged £3 million sterling Internet fraud has admitted breaking into secure sites for gain. Raphael Gray (19) from west Wales, admitted two counts of obtaining services by deception after illegally accessing credit card details over the Web. He also admitted two counts under the theft act of setting up two websites by unlawfully using credit cards which did not belong to him. He also pleaded guilty to six counts of knowingly accessing sites containing credit card details, but without using the information for gain. Gray was arrested after FBI agents flew to Britain to help police there as part of an international investigation.
Porn swoop: Gardai seized computer-related equipment last week in an investigation into pedophiles. Premises were raided in Dublin during the operation which was in coordination with British police in Manchester. Thirty three arrests were made there including a 13-year-old boy, a psychiatric nurse and a youth worker.
Walk the web: Adobe is to develop software that can create 3D, animated websites which, the firm claims will allow users to "walk the Web". Adobe Atmosphere, the software package behind the 3D sites, is expected to go on sale in the summer.
3G may not appear: Third-generation mobile phone services may never appear but the cost of trying to set them up may lead to some telecoms collapsing, Prof Peter Cochrane is quoted as saying in Britain's Metro newspaper. Prof Cochrane, who until recently led BT research into third generation sets, said: "I think it is too expensive and it's getting rather too complicated. I don't think we are going to see 3G".
In brief. . . Anti-virus software company Central Command has announced the discovery of W32.Winux, the world's first virus capable of infecting computers using both the Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems. . . Web browser Opera is now available in Irish. . . Nortel Networks plans to eliminate 5,000 more jobs on top of the 10,000 already cut since the start of 2001...
