BRIEFS:Commuters using Bus Éireann's intercity services will be able to log on while they travel as the public transport firm continues to roll out free wifi access.
The company has added a further 50 buses to the Expressway fleet already equipped with wireless internet access. The buses will operate on routes throughout Ireland, including the Waterford and Limerick to Dublin Airport routes; Dublin to Donegal; and Galway to Derry.
About half of the Expressway fleet now has internet access on board, and Bus Éireann said the remainder of the fleet would go online by the end of the year.
The latest roll-out brings to 190 the number of vehicles owned by the State-subsidised company that offer customers free wifi access.
According to Bus Éireann’s figures, more than 16,000 customers every month use the service.
Bus Éireann began rolling out wifi on its buses last year, following a year-long pilot scheme on selected routes. Dublin Bus has also offered wireless access on some of its routes on a trial basis.
Amazon seeking experts for push into patent acquisitions
Amazon.comis recruiting a cadre of intellectual property experts for a push into patent acquisition and licensing, the latest turn in its intensifying battles with Apple and Google in mobile devices and digital content.
Amazon has hired executive recruiting firm Argos Search to help the company hire an intellectual property “acquisition and investment leader” to “identify and evaluate strategic IP acquisition and licensing opportunities”, according to a job description.
The candidate will work closely with all Amazon’s technology teams and leaders on future product development, according to the listing.
“At Amazon we are rapidly growing in many new and exciting technology areas,” the company said in the job posting.
“To support and protect our expansion, we are seeking an executive to work with our business teams to identify and procure intellectual property.”
The search suggests Amazon is trying to amass more patents, through acquisitions of patent-rich companies, purchases of patent portfolios or licensing, according to intellectual property experts. – (Reuters)
Starbucks invests in Square’s mobile payment system
Starbucks will use Square’s payment system in 7,000 stores and invest $25 million (€20 million) in the start-up, making it easier for customers to make purchases with mobile phones.
Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz will join the board of Square, which was started in 2009 by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. Square’s software lets merchants accept electronic payments on their own hardware or through a device that plugs into a phone or tablet.
Starbucks is marrying its own phone payment program with Square’s transaction-processing tools, angling to make it as easy as possible to buy coffee and other products at its US stores.
The investment is part of $200 million in funding that gives San Francisco-based Square a valuation of $3.25 billion, according to sources.
Starbucks already processes more than one million mobile purchases a week in the US through its smartphone app, and has logged more than 60 million since its introduction, according to Schultz.
