anyway samsung seem to be taking a different approach which will hopefully mark a trend in the industry with the samsung soul (pic above). it's a nice slider with a kind of cool touchpad and user interface. i saw it at mobile world congree but carphone warehouse have announced they are now stocking it here from €99. although personally i think the name is a bit twee, like the motorola razr at least you will easily remember what it's called.

i've found myself increasingly liking samsung products and they are making a major push here - a fact i reported last year much to the annoyance of the same finnish manufacturer.

although i have to say i'm seriously unsure about the pink blackberry pearl announced in the same release.

one interesting titbit that i wasn't able to use in the paper was regarding netbooks, the category of slimmed down sub-€500 rugged pcs that have been popularised by the asus eee pc. amelio said lenovo is actively exploring new categories (such as their rural pc for chinese farmers) but he seemed a little luke-warm on the netbook. he said that research had shown many of the devices had been purchased as gifts and it was questionable whether despite the good sales the products were actually being used.

"I think it's an important [category] to be in but you have to be careful and actually look at who buys them and after you do the experiement you are close enough from a customer intimacy point of view to say what are they actually using it for. Because you will be surprised the intended use might be different than what actually happens. And if you don't catch that change that has occured you are not going to be revving that next product that's going to be a winner for you. We're all watching carefully because this could be the next explosive product."

kudos to rebel virals for this great anti-facebook anthem. "I'm getting bored of facebook, so don't invite me, throw a sheep or bite me".

• team ireland has been in top form and all credit to enterprise ireland for organising the pavillion which not only showcases some of our brightest companies in the space but has great free coffee
• just getting to grips with the nokia n95 and really like it. thanks for nothing nokia for introducing the n96 and giving me phone envy again. 
• pat phelan, the consumate networker did a fine job putting on bash last night. venue felt a bit sterile at start but the event came together nicely.
• why can't we have more good value restaurants in dublin. top meal last night for two for €84.

i noticed though google seems to be launching an unusually large number of new services this week. the front page of techmeme earlier today had mentions of google news local, a new google apps team edition and google's entry into open id. not to mention the rumour that google might buy bebo.

call me cynical but does anyone else think it's just coincidental that the number of new services and alliances being rolled out by google has ramped up significantly this week? maybe i'm just too familiar with the way pr works.

also good to see that fergal challenged john on his "60-70 per cent of the internet is porn" claim that he's been bandying about of late. if you haven't heard the show, here's the link to the mp3.

“We have one of the lowest rates of ICT usage in education in the developed world,” said Mr Carr. “This is unsurprising given that one in five of all school computers are clapped out.”

yesterday the telecoms and internet federation released a statement that 98 per cent of schools now have broadband as a result of an €18 million initiative between industry and the government begun a number of years ago. in it mary hanafin talks up the importance of technology in education (the release is not yet online):

"ICT in the classroom is important, both in terms of giving students the opportunity to achieve computer literacy and acquire the necessary skills for participation in the Information Society, and in terms of enhancing the educational experience across the broad range of subjects taught in schools. The Schools Broadband Access Programme is a fundamental building block in ensuring that ICT usage becomes embedded in teaching and learning in our schools."

just coincidence these two press releases were issued within two weeks of each other? certainly many in the technology industry feel that mrs hanafin is prioritising special needs and school buildings at the expense of technology investments and they are questioning why we can't have both.