Big Blue closer to software on demand

IBM`s discussions with its partners to create a pre-packaged set of hosted applications could spur market adoption of software services, reports CNet.

The project is aimed at simplifying the process of procuring a full suite of hosted business applications and is expected to be launched officially as early as next month at IBM`s PartnerWorld conference in Las Vegas.

The creation of an IBM-hosted application bundle is one of several initiatives at IBM to promote the notion of software as a service, or having applications delivered over the Internet.

Sun Microsystems says 3 683 downloads were logged in the first 40 hours that the source code of the Dynamic Tracing (DTrace) component of its Solaris 10 operating system was publicly available.

News.com reports that Sun is using DTrace as a teaser to get programmers interested in the open source Solaris project. DTrace software enables system administrators to dig into running software in order to clear up performance problems.

Europe`s sixth biggest mobile phone group, MM02, is to launch its first range of third-generation (3G) handsets next week, although it says the European market will remain small until early 2006.

Unlike its rivals, Vodafone and Orange, MMO2 has not rushed to launch 3G services and will initially cover only 32% of the UK, rising to 50% by June, reports BBC News.

MM02 say the 3G service will initially appeal to a core group of pioneering customers, building towards mass market adoption in the latter part of 2005.

3G technology enables users to download data at a faster rate than before, offering speedy access to a range of features such as news footage, movie trailers and downloadable music tracks.

Diebold Election Systems, a target of many electronic-voting critics during the 2004 US election, has completed the design for a printer that would give its e-voting machines a paper trail, reports PC World.

Diebold`s printer would create a so-called voter-verified paper trail, which critics have demanded of e-voting machine manufacturers.

A machine with a printer that creates a voter-verified paper trail permits voters to review their selections on a printout after using an electronic ballot. Advocates of such printers say the functionality allows voters to be confident that e-voting machines recorded their votes as intended, and provides paper evidence for a recount.

Yahoo has began offering a new tool that allows users of its local search service to send restaurant or business information in the form of a text message from a computer to a mobile phone.

According to Reuters, the move comes amid intense competition in the Web search market. This week, Amazon.com announced a local search service that uses voice over Internet Protocol to directly connect users to businesses they have located via Amazon`s A9 Web search service. In October 2004, Google rolled out a test service that allows people to use mobile phones to tap Google`s Web search via SMS.