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Mobile TV a Christmas hit
A breakthrough in mobile televisions is thought to be near
in Finland. The market is expected to jerk into life in earnest
now that some television companies have started distributing
their programmes and reception devices are in the shops.
Nokia has launched two multi-media devices onto the Finnish
market: N92 and N77. The mobile phone company considers prospects
to be bright. A recent survey showed that 90 per cent of Finns
are interested in mobile TV.
"The Nokia N92 and N77 multimedia computers make it
possible to view television broadcasts and follow popular
programmes anywhere," says Jonas Geust, Vice President,
Multimedia.
At this moment the digital DVB-H network, which sends out
the signal for mobile television, covers about one third of
the Finnish population.
>> www.nokia.com
Software companies set the pace
The Finnish software product business is in good shape. Its
turnover and profitability have increased both in Finland
and abroad. The growth in Finnish companies' turnover was
also faster than anywhere else in the world.
According to OSKARI, an annual survey on the software industry
coordinated and implemented by the Software Business Laboratory,
the turnover of the Finnish software business went up by 13
per cent in 2006 to 1.41 billion euros, and further growth
is expected, although it may not be at the same pace.
The European software product market expanded by 6.6 per
cent in 2006 (76 billion euros). Worldwide, the market grew
by 7.4 per cent (207 billion euros).
>>
www.sbl.tkk.fi/oskari
Online dealing with hospitals
A project run by Tekes - Finnish Funding Agency for Technology
and Innovation and coordinated by VTT has developed new solutions
for online dealing that may improve and speed up the exchange
of information between hospitals and their patients.
The online service will enable patients to send information
about their health to a hospital by means of a form before
they visit a doctor or surgeon. Better preparations can be
made for treating patients and, if necessary, they can be
guided to further tests before action is taken.
A test on the service lasting until the end of this year
at Jorvi hospital in Espoo has received a great deal of positive
feedback. Of those who chose the service, 87 per cent feel
that it is user-friendly and 90 per cent that it is beneficial.
>> www.vtt.fi
Mobile phone supports learning
An application that gives feedback on on-the-job learning
via a mobile phone has been developed at Jyväskylä.
The system covers several different areas of training.
Approximately 1,600 young people at 160 educational establishments
are studying for a basic vocational diploma in Finland. About
a fifth of the studies comprise on-the-job learning.
The new application makes it easier for the teacher, student
and the works instructor to keep in contact. The application,
which is called eTaitava (eSkilful), can monitor and guide
a student's on-the-job learning. The programme also documents
and analyses the results of the studying and students' feelings
during their on-the-job training period.
The programme operates by students using their mobile phone
to answering questions drawn up by the teacher at regular
intervals. Teachers look at the answers from web pages and
give the necessary feedback through the system.
The application is marketed by a company called Mobiletools
International Oy, which believes there is a market not only
in Finland but also abroad.
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www.mobiletools.fi
Purchase invoices on a smartphone
The Finnish company BasWare Oy has developed a mobile application
for processing purchase invoices. BasWare Mobile Client enables
the approval of invoices on a smartphone regardless of time
or place, including abroad.
The mobile solution for invoice processing is the first in
the world. "There has been a demand for mobile invoicing
for years, but it is only now that the technology and business
needs have matured sufficiently," says CEO Ilkka Sihvo.
The application is based on a technology that does not depend
on a device or platform. It can also be used in an area with
weak network connections. The company has applied for a patent
for the solution in the United States.
>>
www.basware.fi
Nokia tests Visa mobile phone
The mobile phone company Nokia and the Taiwanese Chungwa
Telecom are testing a technology that would allow the operator's
customers to use their mobile phones as a Visa card.
Tests on the service began in October. They involve 500 customers
at the Chinatrust Commercial Bank and will last six months.
The technology has been designed for small payments. Visa
card information that is transmitted by NFC technology has
been entered on the phone's chip.
>> www.nokia.com
99 candidates for Millennium Technology Prize
There will be 99 candidates competing for the 2008 Millennium
Technology Prize. Nominations for the winner of the biggest
technology prize in the world have been submitted by 88 organizations
from 27 countries.
A pre-selection group comprising experts in various technological
fields has started processing the nominations. The three or
four finalists who make it into the final straight will be
announced on 8 April 2008. The winner will be made known in
June 2008.
"The candidates who have been named and the innovations
are high quality. The task of the Selection Committee will
not be an easy one," says Tapio Alvesalo, the
Secretary General of the Millennium Prize Foundation.
The candidates include well-known innovators and technology
developers not known to the general public. Numerically, most
of the proposals have come from the United States (20), Germany
(7) and France (7). There are four Finnish candidates.
The Technology Prize, which is worth one million euros, is
awarded every other year. It is a Finnish mark of respect
for a technological innovation that improves the quality of
human life.
>>
www.millenniumprize.fi
Steel award for Finland
The Kamppi Centre, which is situated in the heart of Helsinki,
has received the European ECCS Steel Design Award for innovative
steel building.
Behind the award, which is made every other year, is the
European Convention for Constructional Steelwork. The awards
were distributed in Luxembourg in September.
The Kamppi Centre is considered to be an internationally
significant and interesting steel structure. The award for
architectural design went to Juhani Pallasmaa Ky, Helin &
Co Arkkitehdit, Arkkitehtitoimisto Marja-Riitta Norri Oy and
Aaro Kohonen Oy.
Normek Oy and Ruukki received an award as the steel structure
contractors. The prize for the main subcontractor went to
SRV Viitoset Oy, which was also the building's developer.
Least corrupt
Finland is still the world's least corrupt country. According
to a survey by Transparency International, Finnish authorities,
along with their Danish and New Zealand counterparts, are
the least susceptible to bribery.
According to the survey, the corruption situation is most
worrying in Somalia and Burma. The survey is based mainly
on assessments about the corruption situation in each country
by representatives of business life. The list gives a view
only of susceptibility to corruption civil authorities and
the public sector.
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