John Blau

Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research is helping fund research into single-chip systems for sensor networks. The ministry has agreed to contribute

If German office workers aren't feeling a bit nervous about losing their jobs, maybe they should be. More than 100,000 administrative jobs in the private sector will disappear over the next five to 10 years as companies move to reduce operating expenses by automating and optimizing numerous administrative processes with the help of modern IT systems, in particular ERP (enterprise resource planning) software, according to a study released Tuesday by the German subsidiary of the consultancy A.T.Kearney Inc.

Numerous public-sector organizations are interested in using IT to improve operational efficiency and customer service but struggle to define and measure the economic, social and political returns of government-funded technology programs, according to SAP AG executives.

The Franconia region around Nuremberg, Germany, hopes to establish Europe's first "Linux Valley" with the launch of a new business campus focused on open source innovation.

The ever-growing popularity of shopping on the Internet has created a budding market for online payment services, but one that will be dominated by a handful of key players, according to a report published Tuesday by the German subsidiary of the consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.

Among the list of technology "firsts" at the World Cup soccer tournament under way in Germany is the use of a system that can format play action to fit on mobile phone displays in an engaging way.

Robots are having a heyday in Germany. While one group has just completed a World Cup championship in Bremen, Germany, another is diligently patrolling Berlin's Olympic Stadium, one of 12 venues hosting the World Cup soccer tournament currently under way in the country.

It's far from perfect but it isn't bad: a new commercial broadcast mobile TV service was launched just in time for the World Cup soccer tournament taking place in Germany through July 9.