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Friday, 04 July 2008

  • Indies celebrate Independence Day — The Register
    Interview Finding the sharing button
    Did anyone, I wonder, ever buy just one Motown single? Or just one 2-Tone single? And while you're pondering... can you even remember what major label your favourite artist is on? Unigram, perhaps. Or Polycorpse. The received wisdom today is that the record label is doomed. Not surprisingly, since the Big Five (now Four) …
  • 2010: the 5TB 3.5in HDD cometh — Reg Hardware
    Hitachi promises 1TB per square inch
    Hitachi has pledged to release a 5TB 3.5in hard drive within two years, and it claims two of the drives will boast enough capacity to store everything in your brain. According to a report by Nikkei Net, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies will use Current-Perpendicular-to-Plane Giant Magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) magnetc read …
  • PC World pips Asus to UK Atom sub-laptop premier — Reg Hardware
    Who has the first SCC with Intel's new chip?
    PC World today claimed to have beaten Asus to the punch by launching the first Small, Cheap Computer in the UK equipped with an Intel Atom processor. PC World's Advent 4211: out ahead of the Eee 901? PC World's own-brand Advent 4211 sub-notebook is essentially MSI's Wind rebadged. It's got a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of DDR 2 …
  • DARPA calls for 'DUDE' combo infra-nightscope — The Register
    As in 'Dude, where's my multispectral imaging device?'
    DARPA, the renowned bulgy-bonced battle-boffinry bureau (apparent motto: "If you can't beat them... well, some sort of murderous killer robot army would seem to be in order") has just issued its latest call for notions. This time, the Pentagon science chiefs want a new and ultra-puissant combo nightsight module. This is …
  • Welcome back, WiReD! — The Register
    Competition Photoshoppers, pick up your brushes...
    More than a decade after it crashed and burned so spectacularly, WiReD - the house magazine for the Children of the Corn - is returning to the UK. Publisher Conde Naste, which acquired WiReD after the first UK version shut down, says it will launch next year and has hired an editor, David Rowan. He's already fully buzzword …
  • Apple drags its heels on iPhone security patches — The Register
    Waiting for the second coming
    Apple has failed to keep software for the iPhone up to date with patches available for its desktop PCs. The latest version of the software for the iPhone, 1.1.4, came out in February and is essentially a pared-down version of Mac OS 10.5, according to security researchers. As a result the Jesus phone is still vulnerable to an …
  • Serco sharpens the IT guillotine — Channel Register
    Job cuts consultation underway
    Government services firm Serco is looking to cut up to 500 jobs from its IT division, with satellite offices and its Birmingham HQ all likely to be hit. Serco bought SHITNet in 2004 and has contracts with the RAF and several local authorities. A spokesman for the firm confirmed to The Register that restructuring meant jobs …
  • Ofcom flashes cash guarantees at BT for fibre investment — The Register
    Next gen network quid pro quo tabled
    The boss of Ofcom has given the clearest indication yet that regulators are ready to offer BT more control over a next generation UK broadband infrastructure in exchange for investment. In a speech in London at IT bigwig yacking shop Intellect yesterday, Ed Richards sympathised that "operators" who might invest in new …
  • Navman upgrades satnavs with 3D — Reg Hardware
    More realistic driving?
    Navman has re-launched its S-series of satnavs with three models that promise to guide you around points of interest - now in glorious 3D. Navman's S-series now offers 3D navigation The S30, S50 and S70 were originally launched back in September 2007, but each model has now been updated to include 3D landmarks of over 1000 …
  • Consider yourself Moderatrixed — The Register
    And be damn grateful about it, worms
    Well, I was actually hoping to spend this Friday performing my usual duties, perhaps enjoying a little light banter with my colleagues, and then sauntering out at lunchtime to get society-endangeringly drunk. But it would seem that this very modest dream of mine is to remain in the realms of fantasy. This is because, despite …
  • IPS finds no nuggets in ID checking goldmine — The Register
    Claims targets exceeded, but fee income tiny
    Government plans to position the Identity & Passport Service as the UK's de facto identity services broker seem not to have entirely caught the imagination of the private sector, figures in IPS' annual report and accounts suggest. Although IPS recruited 44 new customers for its Passport Validation Service (PVS), income from this …
  • MoD mega gov-IT project only mildly catastrophic - NAO — The Register
    Military celebrate limited-disaster triumph
    The UK Ministry of Defence has received some qualified praise for its ongoing, enormous effort to replace hundreds of different internal IT systems comprising scores of thousands of machines with a single integrated infrastructure. War is Dell nowadays, apparently. The National Audit Office, reporting on the Defence …
  • Mystery over Verisign boss' shock exit — The Register
    Like déjà vu all over again
    Wall Street shut down for the long July 4 weekend pondering a puzzler. It emerged yesterday that Verisign CEO Bill Roper had suddenly quit the firm to be replaced by the firm's founder and chairman, Jim Bidzos. Roper took the helm at Verisign only last year. The firm said in its statement to investors and the media that he had …
  • Wii racers get a wheel deal — Reg Hardware
    Stiffen your in-game kart control
    Mario Kart is a great Wii game, but because the driving wheel doesn’t have a fixed position, kart control can be tricky. Thankfully, an ingenious Wii Wheel Stand has been…ahem… invented. The Wii Wheel Stand lets you fix your driving position The stand simply clips onto the back of the Wii Wheel, around the section where the …
  • TVonics MFR-300 micro digital TV set-top box — Reg Hardware
    Review Bringing digital to Scart-free tellies
    Thousands of Brits are going to find their analogue TVs incapable of picking up a signal come 2012. Clearly, that doesn't concern too many of us, since we're still buying plenty of analogue tellies. This situation may have got Parliament in a panic but plenty of punters know all they need to go digital is to pick up a set-top …
  • David Davis tells El Reg that Labour is 'mesmerised' by tech — The Register
    Interview Liberties sacrificed for 'an illusion'
    As polling day approaches for the Howden and Haltemprice by-election, voters and observers are left with an eerie sense of déjà vu as Labour once again refuses to debate its civil liberties record with David Davis. Just over four years ago, a keynote conference, “Mistaken Identity”, was organised by Privacy International. …
  • eBay Australia ditches PayPal scheme — The Register
    Seller fury prompts backdown
    eBay Australia has given up on its attempt to force virtually all payments through its subsidiary PayPal. The move proved hugely unpopular with users and had to be put on hold while it was investigated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. eBay notified the ACCC of its decision to move to PayPal-only payments …
  • 'Anaconda' 200m rubber snake generator scheme gets funding — The Register
    'Bulge' wave power - a hard one to swallow?
    British professors have secured government research funding for their plans to generate energy using gigantic black rubber snake-like devices moored off the UK coasts. The "Anaconda" is intended to harvest power using patented "Bulge" wave technology. A full-size device, according to the designers, could easily be 200m long …
  • Geldof backs Davis 'For Freedom' by-election — The Register
    Banana republic, sceptic isle redux
    Popstar turned humanitarian Bob Geldof has thrown his unkempt weight behind David Davis' by-election campaign. Geldof’s announcement adds just a pinch of stardust to Davis’ effort to turn the by-election into a debate on the erosion of civil liberties in the UK. However, it will get up the nose of Gordon Brown, whose efforts …
  • BOFH: The admin gene — The Register
    Episode 24 That mysterious gift
    "Woah!" the PFY breathes, looking up quickly. "Woah what?" the Boss asks, looking around cautiously, as I re-enter the room from the passage to the server room. "Nope, it'll be OK," I say to the PFY, ignoring the Boss for a moment. "What'll be OK?" "Are you sure?" the PFY asks. "It was quite noticeable." "What was …
  • Opera update fixes stability bugs — The Register
    And mystery code injection flaw
    Opera released an update to the latest version of its browser on Thursday. Version 9.51 of the software fixes an unspecified code execution flaw, but the main focus of the upgrade involves performance tweaks to version 9.50, a major upgrade issued last month. The latest version of the software is designed to resolve problems …
  • Google deigns to comply with a privacy law — The Register
    Corporate Rainmen avoid panic attack over word count
    Google has finally added a link to its privacy (or lack thereof) policy on its homepage following pressure from privacy advocates. A gaggle of US non-profits realised early in June that without a direct link to the policy, Google.com violated the California Online Privacy Protection Act. They called on Google to add a " …
  • Pioneer plots Blu-ray Disc autumn offensive — Reg Hardware
    Now that HD DVD's out of picture, consumer electronics companies can steer Blu-ray into the mainstream. The latest to do so, Pioneer, has unwrapped a quartet of players it plans to launch. Pioneer's BDP-LX08: slimline The BDP-LX91, BDP-LX71, BDP-LX08 and BDP-51FD all support version 1.1 of the Blu-ray spec, aka Profile 1.1 …
  • Solar power gets curtains twitching — Reg Hardware
    Use your curtains to generate eco-power, says boffin
    Given that curtains help us block light out, it seems sensible to use one side to suck up the sun’s rays. So a textiles boffin has developed "smart" drapes with integrated solar panels. Gadget-powering curtains Sheila Kennedy, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has begun developing a thin-film …
  • Palm, BlackBerry-beating demand for 3G iPhone claims researcher — Reg Hardware
    US consumers eye Apple smartphone
    More than half of US consumers looking to buy a smartphone in the next three months will opt for Apple's 3G iPhone. So says investment house RBC Capital Markets on the back of a survey of 3600 tame consumers on its Technology Adoption Panel conducted last month just after the second-gen iPhone was announced by Steve Jobs. …
  • Microsoft gets hip with da yoof to flog email — The Register
    Doing it for charidee
    What could be more insincere than a bunch of marketing types concocting a fake blog to pimp their company's services by hitching them to worthy causes? This could - getting a bunch of marketing people who specialize in nothing but pimping other people's products and services to do it for you. And then targeting kids and teens …
  • BSA slams EC's 'narrow-minded' interoperability vision — The Register
    EIF 2.0 draft ruffles some proprietary software feathers
    An open standards row is brewing between the EC and a lobbying group for software multinationals over a proposed European framework on interoperability – a draft of which is due to be published on 15 July. The Interoperable Delivery of European e-government Services to Public Administrations, Businesses and Citizens (IDABC) …
  • MS readies Vista code injection risk fix — The Register
    Redmond security gnomes get tough
    Critical bug fixes are on the agenda for this month's monthly patch update from Microsoft. The four "important" fixes due out next Tuesday (8 July) for Microsoft SQL Server and Exchange as well as a brace of fixes for Windows. One of the Windows fixes affects Vista and poses a "remote code execution" risk, something that would …
  • Government waves cutlass at IT budget — The Register
    Offshoring ahoy!
    Treasury minister Yvette Cooper yesterday announced a plan to look for wide-ranging cost cuts in government budgets. Martin Read, the government's Chief Information Officer, will look for savings in back office and IT spending. Other strands include collaborative procurement, asset management, sales and property. Read, ex-CEO …
  • Oracle risks loss of influential BEA users — The Register
    Free from Applications Unlimited
    During its trumpeted webcast on plans for BEA Systems, Oracle's top brass stressed their commitment to middleware to keep the new flock happy. So it purchased BEA to expand Oracle's presence in Asia and Japan - that wasn't the point. President Charles Phillips and senior vice president of Oracle server technologies Thomas …
  • Solar-curtain "soft house" plan proposed by MIT prof — The Register
    Architect Watch Soft buildings: require no foundation of hard facts
    Heavens be praised* - the energy security/climate/fuel-price crisis has been solved by an MIT professor. Remarkably, not a professor of engineering or science either - but an architecture prof. Sheila Kennedy and her partner Frano Violich - assisted by other architects - have designed a "soft house" powered by "energy harvesting …
  • Driver-updated satnavs to beat traffic jams — Reg Hardware
    Pile-up on the M25, says TK08 PGZ
    The next time you’re stuck in traffic with no idea what the hold-up is, a driver way out in-front could be the one to let you know. That’s if a driver-fed satnav information service makes it out of the starting grid. The Congestion Avoidance Dynamic Routing Engine (Cadre) will allow drivers to upload traffic information in …
  • Apple takes axe to MacBook Air SSD price — Reg Hardware
    Overnight, £300 cheaper
    Apple's MacBook Air - still the world's slimmest laptop; VoodooPC's Envy isn't shipping yet - just got cheaper. Well, sort of. Apple's knocked £300/$500 off the price of the solid-state drive model. Launched at £2028/$3098, the Air with the 64GB SSD now costs £1719/$2598, undoubtedly thanks to tumbling Flash memory prices. The …
  • Would a data notification law improve UK data security? — The Register
    How to prevent more government data disasters
    A panel of experts in data protection was beaten yesterday by a simple question from the floor: "Can you give us an example of good data security practice by the British Government?" The meeting, a Westminster eForum event, was to discuss what needs to be done to sort out the UK's woeful record of failing to care for its …

Thursday, 03 July 2008

  • Judge grants Viacom 12TB of YouTube user records — The Register
    Google's privacy comeuppance
    In the ongoing $1bn legal spat between Google and Viacom, a federal judge has ordered the search giant to turn over all existing records of every video viewed on YouTube. That includes user account names and IP addresses. Yesterday, Judge Louis L. Stanton said Google must provide Viacom with the 12 terabyte "logging database …
  • Nut launches death threats at Debian women — The Register
    Exclusive 'You're killing freesource'
    Women working on Debian have been getting death threats from a nut job who believes they're killing free software. A poll by new project leader Steve McIntyre into whether people are happy on Debian revealed one female coder had been getting the threats as thanks for her hard work. Further daggering soon revealed she was not …
  • EU still greasing IBM antitrust probe despite PSI withdrawal — The Register
    'Your complaint stands'
    IBM may have corked the wails of antitrust outrage coming from the diminutive mainframe vendor Platform Solutions (PSI) by purchasing the upstart, but the European regulator genie has already slipped out the bottle. The rival firm's legal fight in both the US and Europe over Big Blue's mainframe monopoly came to an abrupt …
  • Strange cults, vocal surgery and the quiet man: Inside Microsoft — The Register
    Radio Reg Mary-Jo Foley on life after Gates
    Who'd have thought a bad haircut and rocking backwards and forwards in your chair like a child with ADD could pass as must-have traits? Yet, such was the cult of Bill Gates at Microsoft, company employees adopted these to become more like their boss. Then there's ballistic Steve Ballmer, shouting so hard at one event his throat …
  • Microsoft flogs subscriptions to the unwary and confused — The Register
    Comment Bad omens
    There's no such thing as a coincidence or a missed opportunity in the world of Microsoft, and this is no ordinary week. Just days before thousands of partners from across the globe descend on Microsoft's annual World Wide Partner Conference in the heat of Texas, Microsoft announced licensing programs clearly intended to whet …
  • 'HD TV gas' 17,000 times worse for planet than CO2, claims boffin — Reg Hardware
    Nitrogen Trifluoride emissions balloon on flat-panel production
    LCD TVs, praised as being greener than old-style tellies because they consume much less power, may actually be speeding climate change, a chemical expert has warned. Michael Prather of the University of California at Irvine has completed a study which claims that atmospheric quantities of the gas Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3) are …
  • Are the ice caps melting? — The Register
    PBEM Climate science's bipolar disorder
    The headlines last week brought us terrifying news: The North Pole will be ice-free this summer "for the first time in human history," wrote Steve Connor in The Independent. Or so the experts at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado predict. This sounds very frightening, so let's look at the facts …
  • Microsoft touts trustworthy browsing with IE8 — The Register
    If it asks if you'd like to see some puppies, just say no
    Microsoft has detailed a raft of security improvements due to appear in Internet Explorer 8. The second beta of Redmond's web browser will be packed full of features designed to thwart phishing and drive-by download attacks, Redmond explained on Wednesday. Users need to be running either Vista or Windows XP SP2 to take …
  • Wife-slaying Linux guru may have 'developmental disability' — The Register
    Lawyers brand Hans Reiser 'mentally incompetent'
    Lawyers for prominent Linux developer Hans Reiser, who was convicted of his wife's murder in April, have written to the trial judge this week to argue that their client may be mentally ill. In the brief filing to California Superior Court, Reiser's defense attorney William DuBois wrote: "I declare under penalty of perjury that …
  • UK and US agree biometric heavily vetted trusted traveller deal — The Register
    'Built on UK success' - have the yanks lost the plot?
    The UK and US governments are to set up a fast-track scheme for trusted, frequent travellers between the two countries, immigration minister Liam Byrne announced today. So say goodbye to immigration blues? Not so fast - the agreement between the two countries only "sets out the shared determination to develop a swift channel …
  • The Moderatrix will see you now — The Register
    Cue Aunt, cue Agony
    Those among you who are still adrift on the sea of life - despite our resident Agony Aunt's best efforts to guide you to the shores of sanity - will be relieved to learn that the Moderatrix has once again opened the door of her basement boudoir to offer spiritual succour to the needy. So, if you've ever wondered whether time …
  • Boozers rejoice - it's the USB wine tap! — Reg Hardware
    Faucet through
    If a glass of plonk is your limit after a long day at the office, then you’d better not read on, because a tipple at your desk is now much easier, thanks to the fabulous French invention that is the USB Wine Tap. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com This ingenious device will pour you a perfect …
  • Transatlantic data sharing talks stumble over access to justice — The Register
    Sharing is caring, says EU
    High-level transatlantic talks on data sharing have hit a snag over EU citizens' right to defend their privacy in US court, the European Commission said in Brussels yesterday. The US Privacy Act only offers redress to US citizens and residents, while the EU guarantees citizens the right to protect their data worldwide. …
  • Linspire CEO defends Xandros buy-out — Channel Register
    Hopes Linux will 'touch more people'
    The CEO of Linux distributor Linspire has confirmed that rival desktop Linux maker Xandros Inc has acquired the firm. Michael Robertson said in a blog post on his website yesterday that he was “excited to see the Linspire, Freespire and CNR [Click 'n' Run] technology go to a worthy competitor.” He added: “Linux is going …
  • Scareware runs amok on PlayStation site — Reg Hardware
    Sony gamed by hackers
    Gamers visiting the US Sony PlayStation website risk malware infection after the site was hit by hackers. SQL injection vulnerabilities on the site were used by miscreants to load malicious code on pages showcasing the PlayStation games SingStar Pop and God of War, net security firm Sophos reports. The code promotes scareware …
  • What powers a solar-powered snail, kids? — The Register
    Dumb and dumber science exams
    Boffins have slammed examiners in England for setting school children seriously dumb questions. The Royal Chemistry Society said that the science exams for 14 year olds includes questions such as, "What powers a solar-powered snail?" The Society's chief executive Dr Richard Pike told us that while the syllabus and text books …
  • Logitech Pure Fi Anywhere iPod speakers — Reg Hardware
    Review If this were a school report, it would read "must try harder"
    An almost infinite number of iPod speaker sets are now available, but one manufacturer that's kept up a consistent quality with its music-player peripherals is Logitech. Measuring 335 x 90 x 40mm, and weighing 726g, these are not the most portable of portable speakers. They're too big to fall under the go-anywhere travel- …
  • ISO certifies Adobe's PDF — The Register
    Standard delivers, albeit at leisurely pace
    The International Standardisation Organisation has ratified Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) as an official international standard, though it won't make PDF documents load any faster. Adobe handed PDF to the Association for Information and Image Management about 18 months ago, which started the standardisation process. …
  • Firefox 3 makes up world record to set world record — The Register
    Oh-oh, dedication download's what you need
    The Mozilla Foundation has officially set a previously non-existent Guinness World Record for the largest number of software downloads in a day. Firefox 3 clocked 8,002,530 downloads on the popular web browser’s launch day (18 June), according to GWR judges who confirmed the figure yesterday. It tallied up the numbers after …
  • Brit carrier deals inked at last — The Register
    Comment We should be happy - but we aren't
    The UK media this morning is alive with "giant carrier" headlines, as the long-awaited contracts for the Royal Navy's new carriers are signed at last. In fact, as some news sources reported at the time, the deals were effectively confirmed six weeks ago, but today is the public announcement. The general take from most of the …
  • Pay-by-phone commerce coming closer — The Register
    Talk, text and pay
    The global trade body for the mobile industry and a European monetary organisation have signed a pact to speed up the deployment of handset payment services in Europe. The GSM Association (GSMA) and the European Payments Council (EPC), which represents 8000 banks in the EU, will now jointly co-ordinate efforts to get phones …
  • America wakes up to the surveillance society — The Register
    Who watches the watchmen's mobile phone?
    Civil liberties groups in the US are demanding that the Department of Justice cough details of its use of mobile phone tracking - particularly how often it's done so without probable cause of a crime being committed. A federal court action has been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier …
  • Built-in browser expiry proposed to fight botnet menace — The Register
    45% fail to update surfing software, report finds
    Nearly half (45.2 per cent) of all internet surfers neglect to regularly update their browser software. Slackness in applying updates in a timely fashion leaves an estimated 637 million surfers vulnerable to drive-by download attacks, according to a new survey. Figures in the survey come from a study of user-agent data …
  • Is LG prepping an 8Mp phone? — Reg Hardware
    Sony Ericsson C905 rival
    Sony Ericsson’s C905 8Mp handset isn’t even out yet, but it’s already set the bar for cameraphone quality. It’s rumoured LG could be the third manufacturer to release an equally high-quality snapper phone. SE’s recent announcement was quickly overshadowed by rumours of an 8Mp phone from Motorola, thought to be codenamed ' …
  • Research: Wind power pricier, emits more CO2 than thought — The Register
    'Windfarm output is never zero. Sometimes it's less'
    Fresh contenders have entered the UK wind power debate, as a turbines expert funded by the Renewable Energy Foundation publishes an investigation into a hotly-disputed subject - the variability in output to be expected of a large UK windfarm base. In a just-released article for the journal Energy Policy, titled Will British …
  • Tories pledge to flush away eco slums — The Register
    Contemplating stools for Gaia
    Who would have guessed that in 2008, a pledge to give British people flushing toilets would be a shock vote winner? The Conservatives this week promised to scrap the Government's plans for 15 "eco towns" which will potentially house 100,000 people. These have been heralded as a new era in design, but you need to take a closer …
  • Openmoko to release Linux handset tomorrow — Reg Hardware
    Open Source calling
    Anyone fond of creating their own applications within a open source environment will soon be able to get mobile. Openmoko has finally announced the launch date of its Neo FreeRunner open-source phone. Openmoko's Neo FreeRunner runs on Linux The Neo FreeRunner handset has been talked about since January, when the firm …
  • Sony pulls PlayStation 3 software update — Reg Hardware
    Version 2.40 messing with gamers' consoles
    Sony has been forced to withdraw the anticipated 2.4 PS3 firmware just a few hours after the update became available, because the new code has apparently been playing havoc with consoles. Patrick Seybold, Sony's public relations bigwig, last night posted a message on the official PS3 blog admitting that the consumer …
  • Moody's to fix sub-prime computer error — The Register
    CCC rating (That's Credit crunch computer cock-up)
    Moody's, the ratings agency, is reviewing its computer models and setting up a central monitoring system after admitting that a bug led it to incorrectly grade several European mortgage debt instruments. The agency admits that it incorrectly gave its highest AAA rating to about $1bn worth of European "constant proportion debt …
  • AMD's dual-GPU Radeon HD 4870 X2 less than a month away — Reg Hardware
    Mid-August debut
    AMD will follow up last week's launch of the Radeon HD 4870 graphics card with the anticipated two-chip version in August, Asian sites have claimed. The 4870 X2, like its predecessor, the 3870 X2, essentially sports a pair of GPUs, each with its own memory bank, and operating co-operatively using AMD's CrossFire technology. …
  • Virgin warns 800 punters for file-sharing — The Register
    'Important. If you don't read this, your broadband could be disconnected'
    The BPI has written to 800 Virgin Media customers warning them to stop sharing music files or risk losing their broadband connection. The letters came in an envelope marked: "Important. If you don't read this, your broadband could be disconnected." But Virgin told Radio 1's Newsbeat that the phrase was a mistake and the …
  • OMTP says mobile Web 2.0 is a beach — The Register
    Now to get everyone to agree what that means
    Operator talking shop the Open Mobile Terminal Alliance has embarked on an ambitious plan to bring Web 2.0 to mobile phones, called Bondi to reflect the joy of surfing. There is general agreement that AJAX-style applications would be a good thing on a mobile phone, both in terms of applications embedded in web pages and …
  • Nvidia throws itself under the bus with chip defect, delays and lost sales — Reg Hardware
    The $200m laptop failure surprise
    Nvidia issued some somber news for shareholders today, revealing a financial forecast cut short due to slowing sales, a delayed ramp for new product, and a hefty payout due to faulty laptop chips. The graphics giant said it expects to pay between $150m and $200m to cover warranty, repair, return, replacement and other costs …
  • Dell buys into Dell for $100m — The Register
    He's a believer in pocket change
    Dell's rebirth as a technology juggernaut is well underway. Just ask Michael Dell. The company founder and CEO has purchased $100m worth of Dell stock. He acquired the shares via three transactions, buying a total of 4.5m fresh shares. The mainstream press informs us that this indicates bullish optimism about Dell on Dell's …

Wednesday, 02 July 2008

  • Jobs and Apple board fingered in backdating civil lawsuit — The Register
    SEC may forgive, but lawyers won't forget
    The US Securities and Exchange Commission may have washed its hands of the Apple stock option backdating affair, but Steve Jobs and company aren't quite clear of the dirt yet. Jobs, along with ex-financial chief Fred Anderson, ex-general counsel Nancy Heinen, and four members of Apple's board of directors have been fingered in …
  • Bill Gates battles Kermit the Frog in the name of open source — The Register
    Radio Reg Twittering Shuttleworth's gas
    Every time Mark Shuttleworth farts an angel gets its wings. Or at least that's what his girlfriend told me. If only Bill Gates enjoyed the same enthusiasm for his bowel actions. Instead, Microsoft's Chairman is just pounded with ridicule and hatred by dolts who fail to understand his greater contribution to the human race. We …
  • Google a broken hell for five-year-olds — The Register
    Ex employees embrace life after beta
    So, everyone and their brother is yapping about a recent blog post from Microsoftie Dare Obasanjo, who says he knows lots o' people who've forsaken Larry and Serg for Big Steve. "Recently, I’ve been bumping into more and more people who’ve either left Google to come to Microsoft or got offers from both companies and picked …
  • Midwestern data pimping alive and well — The Register
    WOW! ignores Congress
    Though the head of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet has urged American ISPs to "hold off" on the use of so-called behavioral ad systems, it seems at least one company has yet to heed the suggestion. According to a forum post at Broadband Reports, the Midwestern ISP known only as WOW! continues to …
  • The9 exposed as China's supercomputing powerhouse — The Register
    Exclusive The ninth mode of art runs on HP clusters
    For more than six months, a list ranking the top supercomputers in China has been floating around, but no one has managed to solve its riddle. The list begins much like any other supercomputer ranking. IBM built the top system, which is a cluster of servers running on Xeon chips from Intel. An oil company - China Petroleum and …
  • Parallels forms Windows containers on HP's Itanium servers — The Register
    Renewed vows
    Parallels is giving some delayed attention to Hewlett-Packard's Integrity servers today. The OS virtualization house has now certified Virtuozzo Containers to run in tandem with Windows on the Integrity server line — a healthy three years after Parallels (then SWsoft) did the same for Linux. This is not what coach calls good …
  • IBM rids world of mainframe up-start PSI, inherits Itanium server biz — The Register
    If you can't beat them, buy them
    Platform Solutions Inc. (PSI), the upstart mainframe house that's been leading international anti-trust charges against IBM, has today been bought by, er, IBM. IBM refuses to disclose how much it paid for the start-up at this time. It did, however, confirm that the two companies have dropped their legal charges against each …
  • Chinese cops opt for Segways — Reg Hardware
    Counter-terrorist taskforce gets mobile
    Chinese authorities are going high-tech and have begun equipping elite crime fighting units with motorised Segway scooters. China's police are getting mobile According to the front page of daily newspaper The First, Chinese armed forces were recently spotted using Segways during a counter-terrorist exercise called “Taishan …
  • Microsoft targets online Office bundle at US cheapskates — Channel Register
    Software for Hard Times
    Microsoft has tied up with ailing US retailer Circuit City to launch its Office and security subscription service which hits the market bearing the moniker "Equipt". The software giant said that it has handed Circuit City the new product line, with plans for the retail chain to start punting Equipt from mid-July. It will carry …
  • Acer punts £199... er... £220... er... Linux laptop — Reg Hardware
    Price clarified upwards
    Acer has clarified its pricing plan for the eagerly awaited Aspire One sub-notebook - and it's clarified the price upwards. At launch, the company stated the basic version of the Eee PC rival would run Linux, pack in 8GB of solid-state storage and 512MB of memory, and sport a £199 price tag. Company officials stressed that …
  • AT&T: pay-as-you-go iPhones will be locked — Reg Hardware
    AT&T has revealed that non-contract, unsubsidised 3G iPhones will be tied to the network, dashing hopes that PAYG models might be more portable than the cheaper, subsidised versions of the handset. According to an Associated Press report, an AT&T spokesman confirmed yesterday that contract-free iPhones will remain locked and …
  • UK.gov launches data mash-up competition — The Register
    Not f*ck-up - they can do that already
    The UK government is starting a competition to find funky, Web 2.0 ways to mash up its data, man. Suggestions like "put it on an unencrypted CD and lose it" will not be welcome. Or leave it on a laptop on a train. Or dump a file on a train. Or so on ad nauseum. Instead, cabinet office minister Tom Watson is offering a …
  • Asahi premiers pint-pulling robo-barman — Reg Hardware
    Video Report Oy, you're barred... BZZZT
    Friends, does life get any better than this? It’s a robot. It grins. It serves you beer. Watch - and drool. Hands up if you want one? Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com More video reviews at ChannelFlip.com
  • HP VP charged for trying to pass on IBM trade secrets — The Register
    'For Your Eyes Only'
    A former Hewlett-Packard vice president has been charged by US federal prosecutors for allegedly attempting to pass trade secrets from his previous employer, IBM Corp, to senior HP execs. According to a US District Court indictment filed last Friday in San Jose, California, Atul Malhotra obtained “confidential” pricing details …
  • Super-safe storage surfaces — Reg Hardware
    The HDD that can be soaked and burnt
    If you thought that viruses were one of the most likely things to damage your data, then think again - it could well be fire and water. Thankfully, there’s a solution. Manufacturer SentrySafe has launched what it claims is the world’s first and only fire-resistant and waterproof hard drive unit. It claims the storage unit can …
  • Court slaps UK BitTorrenters with landmark damages award — The Register
    Copyright ambulance chasers open up new market
    The Central London County Court has ordered four BitTorrent users to pay a video games company £750 interim damages following a landmark victory by no win, no fee copyright lawyers. The final damages could run to £2,000, plus costs of up to £1,500, the Evening Standard reports. The decision will cause salivating among …
  • Alan Sugar leaves Amstrad — The Register
    You're retired?
    Sir Alan Sugar is leaving Amstrad a year after he sold the set-top box maker business to BSkyB. The man who introduced the world - or at least the UK - to the joys of the twin VCR, the hi-fi separates system that is actually one big card-boardy box, and of course the PCW has relinquished the chairmanship of the company, which …
  • Google's Street View spycar clocked in London — The Register
    Lock up your daughters
    It's time to lock up your daughters, and here's why: The roving spycar of Google's Street View has been spotted prowling the mean streets of London... Good work there by the undercover missus of El Reg reader Ziad al-Hasso. Doubtless she'll soon be exposed on Street View, as will the poor bloke on the left who's talking to …
  • Top airline bosses launch assault on airport ID card plan — The Register
    And can we mention your border plans are rubbish too?
    The bosses of the UK's major airlines have attacked plans to force airport workers to enrol in the national ID card scheme, claiming that "the UK aviation industry is being used for political purposes on a project which has questionable public support."* If anything the move, they say, could reduce security by adding a "false …
  • Xbox 360 pricing downed Down Under — Reg Hardware
    Aussie gamers to be better off?
    Australian gamers have become the latest console fans to benefit from Microsoft’s ongoing series of regional Xbox 360 price cuts. The firm today confirmed that the basic Arcade model, which doesn’t feature any built-in storage, will cost A$349 ($335/£168/€211) instead of A$399 ($383/£192/€242). The mid-range Premium console, …
  • Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut gaming PC — Reg Hardware
    Review A wolf in sheep’s clothing
    UK-based gaming PC specialist Chillblast is a master in the art of overclocking, producing systems that perform blisteringly fast - yet entirely stable: its latest desktop creation is the Fusion Juggernaut. The plain case gives nothing away about what’s been built inside it, namely an overclocked quad-core processor, 4GB of …
  • $5.8m payout draws line under FBI's anthrax screw-up — The Register
    Seven years and a bioterror defense industry later...
    When the US Department of Justice agreed to pay Steven J. Hatfill $5.82 million in damages for trashing his life and reputation late last week, it was another big low in the mess that's been the Amerithrax 2001 case. With the de facto exoneration of Hatfill, who had been dubbed a "person of interest" by the FBI, bystanders can …
  • Court rules 90s UK.gov wiretaps violated human rights — The Register
    Home Office: What's it got to do with RIPA?
    Liberty called for an overhaul of RIPA yesterday after the European Court of Human Rights slapped the UK government over the way it applied the UK's previous interception legislation. But the Home Office today said it did not see that the judgement had any implications for the UK's current suite of laws covering covert …
  • Microsoft turns up volume with new licensing agreement — Channel Register
    Drowned in sound
    Microsoft yesterday announced that it has revised its volume licensing agreements – effectively shackling its mid-size and large business customers to lengthy new contracts. Under the new program, dubbed “Select Plus Volume Licensing”, customers will be able to buy multiple volume packages of products using a solo ID across an …
  • 90 per cent of Sony devices to be networked by 2010 — The Register
    But do we need another standard?
    Sony intends to have 90 per cent of its products networked up by 2010, though how many of them will be using the company's proprietary TransferJet technology remains to be seen. Stan Glasgow, president of consumer sales at Sony, mentioned the figure to a group of journalists in San Francisco including tech-blog Gizmodo, …
  • Asus readies iMac attack with all-in-one Eee — Reg Hardware
    Hello, Steve...
    Asus' attempt to conquer the world with its Eee family continues with the appearance this week of an iMac-alike all-in-one desktop model. Asus' Eee Monitor: iMac styling The original desktop Eee, the Eee Box, will be joined by the dully named Eee Monitor - as a variety of sites are dubbing the new machine - which is …
  • Virgin Media ads throttled by peak time bandwidth squeeze — The Register
    BT snipe on target
    The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rapped Virgin Media for making dodgy claims about its download speeds after a complaint by rival BT. The "Hate to Wait" campaign, which ran in national newspapers, trumpeted the times it estimated Virgin Media broadband subscribers to download songs and TV shows. The ads failed to …
  • eBay Australia faces PayPal fury — The Register
    Aussies unconvinced by PayPal-only policy
    eBay Australia's attempt to force all sellers to use PayPal is failing to win over users and still faces a competition investigation. The online auction house has suspended introduction of the scheme while the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigates it. The ACCC has already said that it is concerned that …
  • Nintendo cans DVD Wii plan — Reg Hardware
    Gaming film fans left fretting
    Plans to let Wii owners play DVDs through the console have, for now at least, been shelved by Nintendo, according to a Japanese report. News source Nihon Keizai Shimbun has reported that Nintendo recently chaired a meeting with its shareholders at which the firm’s President, Satoru Iwata, said that continuing Wii supply …
  • Land Warrior wearable war-smartphone survives Iraq baptism — The Register
    Txt-happy grunts in virtual-keyboard iPhone bitchslap
    The world's first unit of digitally networked foot soldiers returns from combat in Iraq this week. Reports have it that the American troops' controversial "Land Warrior" wearable-node technology has changed in both role and configuration during its 15-month baptism of fire. Indications are that the equipment - slated for …
  • Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc player — Reg Hardware
    Video Review The BD box to beat the PS3?
    This Sony is a particularly fine example of a sub-£300 Blu-ray machine. Dubbed the BDP-S300, it costs just £200 if you shop around online. That’s super-cheap - but can it actually deliver on performance? Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com More video reviews at ChannelFlip.com Special Feature HD TV in …
  • Olympus creates 360° camera lens — Reg Hardware
    I see you
    Wet Wet Wet sang that "love is all around”, but Olympus thinks that photography should be too. That’s because the firm claims to have developed the world’s first camera able to snap full 360° images. Olympus' lens can see all around While the unique shooter has a horizontal snapping angle of 360°, it also has a vertical ' …
  • Blockbuster withdraws $1bn Circuit City bid — Channel Register
    Help me, Ob-Icahn Kenobi, you’re my only hope...
    Blockbuster Inc. yesterday backed away from its $1bn bid for consumer electronics retailer Circuit City citing gloomy “market conditions”. The movie rental chain’s CEO James Keyes said in a statement: “We have determined that it is not in the best interest of Blockbuster's shareholders to proceed with an acquisition of Circuit …
  • Cable and Wireless left cableless by double line break — The Register
    Double and quits
    Several of Cable and Wireless' large corporate customers were booted offline on Moday night when its Leeds data centres fell to an unlikely double cable break. The two breaks were more than 100 miles apart, in the Northampton and Runcorn areas. They cut off two data centres Cable and Wireless picked up when it bought Energis …
  • Yes! It's the Star Wars Nintendo DS stylus! — Reg Hardware
    'I see you have made yourself a new lightsabre'
    If your Nintendo DS’ stylus doesn’t deliver enough 'schvvvvoom' when you swing it, then why not pimp it up with a Star Wars lightsabre? Minature lightsabres for the Nintendo DS Both Nintendo and Lucas Arts have officially licensed the production of miniature Star Wars lightsabre packs, which gamers use to control on-screen …
  • What's going to power Small, Cheap Computers? — Reg Hardware
    Atoms, dragons and Windows?
    Between the mobile phone and the laptop computer a new class of device is emerging, and control of it is up for grabs - it appears the next battle will be fought between seasoned industry scrappers and young bloods over the 'armtop'. Mobile phones are becoming more and more like computers - link one to a Bluetooth keyboard and …
  • AMD records Q1 marketshare gain — Reg Hardware
    Nothing to stress Intel out, though
    AMD fanboys today jumped on figures from market watcher iSuppli highlighting marketshare gains made by the chip maker, but the picture's not as clear as they would like. The researcher's latest numbers, for the worldwide microprocessor market and focusing on the year's first quarter, show AMD's share rose from 10.9 per cent in …
  • El Reg procures OGC mousemat — The Register
    LogoWatch exclusive Cracking stuff
    We're absolutely delighted this morning to bring readers concrete proof of the Office of Government Commerce's rebranding folly, in the form of this splendid mousemat: When we first reported the OGC logo outrage, our inside source claimed the government tentacle had already spunked a not inconsiderable sum on rebranded knick- …
  • Leaked AMD southbridge details yield 'Fusion' CPU snippets — Reg Hardware
    Deep sleeper with Dash
    AMD's next-gen southbridge chip, called the SB800 and revealed yesterday, is being designed with the company's 'Fusion' processor in mind. Details of the part have just appeared on Spanish-language site ChileHardware. It posted an AMD slide that provides a run-down of the SB800's features. Most are the customary speed and …
  • Observers criticise London e-count — The Register
    Too many issues for full confidence
    The body which provided official observers to the London elections has said it was given insufficient evidence to feel confident in the results. The Open Rights Group (ORG), which was accredited by the Electoral Commission to provide observers, has released a report that identifies a number of shortcomings in the electronic …
  • DoJ to probe Google Yahoo! deal — The Register
    While Microsoft seeks partners for renewed bid
    The US Department of Justice is to open a formal investigation into Yahoo!'s partnership with Google, fearing it will reduce competition in the online advertising market. The DoJ is preparing demands for information for executives at both companies and also from rival online advertising firms. The department was already …
  • How to beat AVG's fake traffic spew — The Register
    Updated A header to save the internet
    As the AVG LinkScanner continues to spew fake traffic across the internet, web masters say they've uncovered a reliable means of filtering these rogue hits from their log files. Bundled with AVG's newest anti-virus engine, AVG 8, and used by roughly 20 million people worldwide, LinkScanner checks search engine results for …
  • Is SproutCore worth the Flash and Java iPhone snub? — The Register
    Shows promise, reveals limitations
    A little-known open-source project became the subject of intense interest recently, following a session at Apple's developer conference in San Francisco, California. That project? SproutCore. Apple offered to show WWDC attendees a way to deliver a "first-class user experience and exceptional performance" in web applications …
  • TSA says 'checkpoint friendly' laptop bags on the way — Reg Hardware
    One less thing to strip down at the airport
    US airline travelers may have an opportunity to skip one particular round of manhandling by Transportation Security Administration agents this year. The agency says passengers using new specially designed "checkpoint friendly" laptop bags won't need to remove their portable from its case when passing through x-ray inspection …

Tuesday, 01 July 2008

  • Microsoft searches for meaning with Powerset buy — The Register
    Beats Google. Semantically speaking
    The rumors were true. Microsoft is buying Powerset, the San Francisco-based semantic search startup. The deal was announced late this morning on the official Live Search blog. "Powerset brings with it natural language technology that nicely complements other natural language processing technologies we have in Microsoft …
  • JBoss app server 5.0 emerges from hiding — The Register
    Late date with destiny
    Red Hat is inching closer to delivery of the long-awaited JBoss Application Server 5.0, but there's still no final release date. Sacha Labourey, chief technology officer (CTO) for JBoss, has blogged the first release candidate is now frozen and will be available some time this week. He said a further release candidate will be …
  • Japanese military shamed by USB device — Reg Hardware
    Stolen, found, loaned, lost
    Like ball point pens, cigarette lighters, and the occasional key, flash memory devices have a nearly unstoppable need to be set free upon the world at large. The result of this seemingly natural law is generally little more than irksome at home, but when combined with the cosmic force of sensitive data misplacement that is a …
  • BEA gets last laugh on Oracle app server — The Register
    While other products get death row
    In Oracle's world nothing changes, everything stays the same and no products ever die. Except those things that get "converged" or downgraded. Among them, Oracle's Application Server that, in the wake of Oracle's $8.5bn acquisition of one-time rival BEA Systems, is losing out to BEA's WebLogic Server. Oracle president Charles …
  • Pillar pumps performance in Axiom array — The Register
    'We guarantee something'
    Pillar Data Systems is topping off its lineup Axiom storage systems with a box supporting a healthy chunk more capacity and performance than its predecessor. The modus operandi of the Larry Ellison-funded unstart-up is storage efficiency — and this round it's slapping some guarantees on the new Axiom 600 disk array, promising …
  • Google plays musical chairs with affiliate ad networks — The Register
    Double Clickization
    Google has bagged one affiliate network in favor of another. At the end of August, the world's largest ad broker will discontinue its AdSense Referrals program, the affiliate network it launched back in March 2007. Now that Larry and Serg own ad behemoth DoubleClick, they'll do the affiliate thing through DoubleClick's …
  • Mandriva One 2008 Spring Eee PC Wi-Fi glitch — Reg Hardware
    Q&A
    I've installed Mandriva One 2008 Spring onto an Eee PC 900 using the installer on the Live CD. I did this in the office and it works reasonably well. At home, it's another matter however. Here, booting takes an age, and when it gets to loading the GUI, all I get is a black screen with the pointer and the rotating Mandriva icon …
  • KVM backer takes virtual desktops on the road — The Register
    Have branch office. Will ship code
    Qumranet, the well-moneyed entity behind KVM, is asking folks to help it test out some new desktop virtualization code that sends applications out from headquarters to remote offices. Back in April, Qumranet birthed SolidICE, which is the the company's take on desktop virtualization. Like rival software, SolidICE ships desktop …
  • Dell conjures magic SD card for virtualizing blade server I/O — The Register
    Full height boxes ready too
    HP and IBM have some super fancy technology for virtualizing the I/O of their blade systems, and they sell it for thousands of dollars. Dell now has something similar - an SD card that it sells for $499 a pop. Texas-blessed Dell last week started shipping FlexAddress, which is "enabled by a special SD card." By "enabled" and " …
  • Trekkies to flip lids over Star Trek bottle opener — Reg Hardware
    Get off my bridge beer!
    If evenings spent drinking with your buddies are growing a little stale, then set your phasers to stun by cracking open a set of stubbies using a Star Trek bottle opener. The Star Trek Bottle Opener: out of this world? This bottle opener is no ordinary Trekkie tool though, because the drinking gadget is light years ahead of …
  • AT&T prices up PAYG 3G iPhones — Reg Hardware
    Remarkably close to alleged O2 price plan
    AT&T will sell a contract-free 8GB 3G iPhone for $599 (£301) - exactly what the first version was priced at when it went on sale a year or so ago. The 16GB model will cost $699 (£351). Subsidised, the two models will set buyers back $199 and $299, respectively, but that price comes at the cost of a two-year airtime package. …
  • Arnie terminates driving and dialling — Reg Hardware
    California introduces hands-free law
    As The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger was once seen engaging in all manner of automotive chaos, but as Governor of California, the former actor now wants to ensure that the state’s residents don’t drive and dial. From today, California joins a number of other American states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Nebraska and …
  • Eurofighter at last able to drop bombs, but only 'austerely' — The Register
    Comment In the sense of expensively but not very usefully
    Some of the Royal Air Force's new Eurofighter Typhoon jets have today been announced as capable of delivering weapons against ground targets, in addition to their initial role of air-to-air combat. This has been reported as meaning that the already horrifyingly expensive, long-delayed planes are "fully combat ready". However, …
  • Swedish customs pull Frenchman with two asses — The Register
    You got a permit for those, mate?
    A wandering Frenchman came to rue the day he ever attempted to get his two asses into Sweden, after customs officials demanded a veterinary examination of the pair costing €250, the Local reports. For reasons not entirely explained, Jacques Abdelaziz from Brittany has spent the last two months travelling Europe with a couple …
  • Xandros buys Linspire, says bruised ex-CEO — The Register
    No harmony for Carmony
    Desktop Linux maker Xandros is understood to be in the process of buying Linux distributor Linspire. According to several reports, and former Linspire CEO Kevin Carmony, Xandros has bought the privately-held company, which is based in San Diego, California, after stockholders agreed to sell all of Linspire’s assets. The deal …
  • Videogame cartridge business card holders — Reg Hardware
    Show off your gaming geek chic
    The UK’s videogames industry may be in turmoil because of a lack of properly qualified geeks, but if you’re lucky enough to be an employed videogame designer then why not show off your credentials with a retro game cartridge business card holder. Business card holders inspired by Nintendo videogame cartridges Online …
  • Nikon unveils mid-range pro-friendly DSLR — Reg Hardware
    Better than the D300, but not quite the D3
    Nikon has launched a digital SLR designed to appeal to photgraphers with their eye on its entry-level D300 DSLR but hungry for a few more features, and to those looking for top-end D3 specs, but not willing to pay its price tag. The result is the D700, a mid-range - but still professional quality - DSLR that sits between the …
  • Software outfit keeps Vulcan airborne — The Register
    Looking hopeful for 2008 airshow season
    It looks like Vulcan XH558 - which last year took to the skies following a 15-year, £7m restoration - will be able to wow the crowds at air shows this summer following fears that a lack of cash might keep it grounded. The Vulcan to the Sky trust was forced earlier this year to indulge in some serious tin-rattling, requiring £ …
  • Discover a new language with our programming books offer — The Register
    Site offer Don't hold back
    It’s a familiar story for most computer programmers. You can write in C++ while you’re asleep and you could have a stab at creating a program using Java™ as well. However when it comes to Visual Basic you haven’t got a clue. Balancing which languages you specialise in and keeping a well-rounded knowledge of the hundreds of …
  • Tiwi spies on your children, so you don't have to — The Register
    Black box for the kids
    A new device called the Tiwi offers to spy on your children's driving by reporting their speed, manoeuvring, acceleration and even if they're wearing seatbelts, so the little blighters will be too scared to move by the time they're 18. Unlike competing offerings, which just tell you where your children are, the Tiwi focuses on …
  • Getac E100 rugged UMPC — Reg Hardware
    Review Armour-plated 'ard drive
    This UMPC has been specifically designed for use in in the field - conditions where you'd never normally take a laptop. So if you're an engineer, an architect - or perhaps a sniper - this PC's for you. The Getac E100 meets military and ruggedisation standards MIL-STD-810F and IP54, which basically means it's resistant to dust …
  • Italian authorities raid alleged music filesharing forum — The Register
    Megaupload and Rapidshare link site targeted
    Italy's Guardia di Finanza has shut down forum site Downrevolution.net for offering links to pirated music, video and software hosted on popular filesharing sites. Four people have been arrested for involvement in the site. According to a message posted to the domain, they face a criminal investigation. Reports say that three …
  • Boffins invent 42GB DVD — Reg Hardware
    A disc capacity to rival Blu-ray?
    Blank DVDs are a cheaper storage option than Blu-ray, but the HD format has greater capacity. However, Japanese storage scientists claim to have invented a method for storing up to 42GB onto a single DVD. Researchers from the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, based in Japan’s Tohoku University, …
  • Who will be the next Doctor? — The Register
    Get your popcorn in for Saturday’s geekfest
    “No comment.” As the current season of Doctor Whoswings inexorably toward its grand finale, that is pretty much the universal tight-lipped response from the BBC and all its agents. Minimal advance details on the up and coming episode. No advance play tape. The latter, of course, have an unhappy history of being leaked and …
  • Microsoft dishes up interoperability version 1.0 — The Register
    Incomplete code is go...
    Microsoft, in its latest attempt to play nice with pesky EU regulators, has published protocol documentation for its Office 2007, SharePoint 2007, and Exchange Server 2007 products. The software multinational lifted the lid on 14,000 pages of sketchy versions of tech documentation for core software code in April this year, in …
  • Quantum of Solace trailer teases fans — The Register
    Daniel Craig struts his stuff
    Bond fans can now enjoy a taster of 007's next cinematic outing - Quantum of Solace - in the form of a trailer down at the film's flashtastic website. The 22nd movie in the franchise sees Daniel Craig reprise his generally-lauded interpretation of Bond, accompanied by Olga Kurylenko as the "mysterious" Camille and Brit thesp …
  • Telegraph falls to the Tw*t-O-Tron — The Register
    Feral youths mug Middle England
    It's with a chill in our hearts that we report today that the Telegraph appears to have succumbed to the inexorable rise of the Twat-O-Tron - originally designed as an automated "unholy turdspurt" generator based on real insights down at the BBC's Have Your Say. However, what started as a light-hearted piece of tomfoolery …
  • French gear up for biofuels retreat — The Register
    While Prince Charles runs the Aston on English wine
    The French are leading a retreat from the EU’s increasingly out of whack biofuel policy yesterday, as they began their six month presidency of the Brussels talking shop. The headlong rush from a sugar cane and palm oil-powered economy comes less than six months after EU president Jose Manuel Durao Barroso set EU countries …
  • Schwarzenegger seizes Tesla Motors plant for California — The Register
    Governator sings the body electric
    California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger - famed for his uncanny resemblance to an electric machine clad in an unrealistic fleshy cloak - has managed to ensure that noted electrical car company Tesla will base future manufacturing in areas under his rule. Tesla Motors, maker of the well-known but troubled $100k Roadster …
  • UK most popular destination for 419 scams — The Register
    One in four Nigerian spams sent to Blighty
    The United Kingdom is the most popular destination for 419 scams - emails which promise huge riches in exchange for up-front arrangement fees. A worldwide survey of spam found 23 per cent of all Nigerian 419 scams were sent to British surfers. The UK also scored highly for adult spam - coming second, just behind the US. The …
  • Orange tells customers they are now 'partners' — The Register
    Ask not what your mobile operator can do for you
    Orange, France Telecom's consumer brand, has decided not to serve consumers any more: in true Web 2.0 style it's rebranding itself as a partner - not a provider - in telecommunications. The new slogan is "together we can do more", so forget about being a punter just wanting a conversation with another punter; now you're …
  • Sony touts weird multi-sensor handheld gadget tech — Reg Hardware
    Invented by former PlayStation chief
    A Sony patent application has revealed the firm’s possible plans for a handheld gadget, featuring a standard touchscreen and a bizarre array of individual ‘pressure pads’ running around its edge. Sony's patent drawing of a "handheld device with touchscreen and digital tactile pixels" The electronics giant’s application to …
  • Google free to offload '$1bn' AOL stake — The Register
    What does $1bn get you these days?
    Today is the first day that Google can sell its stake in AOL, picked up in exchange for $1bn as part of a wider video and advertising partnership between the two signed in 2005. The deal either gives Google five per cent of AOL should there be an initial public offering or gives Time Warner first refusal on the stake. A …
  • Legless Swede attempts to row home — The Register
    From Denmark...
    A 78-year-old Swede has earned himself a place in hard-drinking lore by attempting to row home after a robust session in the Danish town of Helsingor - an ill-advised venture since it involved a 5km (3 mile) paddle across the Oresund Strait to Helsingborg. The unnamed amateur oarsman, having apparently soaked up a skinful, was …
  • Apple's fourth Leopard spits out 25 patches — Reg Hardware
    Mac OS X 10.5.4 lands
    Apple has coughed up 25 security updates that come bundled with yesterday's release of Mac OS X 10.5.4. The firm said its latest Leopard release addresses operating system and application performance issues and fixes a heap of security flaws. The update affects operating system components that include CoreTypes, c++filt, Net- …
  • AMD rolls out line-leading four-core Phenom — Reg Hardware
    And an energy-efficient quad-core CPU pair too
    AMD has launched a trio of quad-core Phenom X4 processors today, including a new top-of-the-line part, the 2.6GHz 9950. The other two are lesser parts, but AMD's pitching their "energy efficiency", particularly when lined up against Intel quad-core CPUs. The 9150e and 9350e are clocked, respectively, at 1.8GHz and 2.0GHz. AMD …
  • Flying cars on the horizon, says Clive Sinclair — The Register
    'I'm sure it will happen'
    Sir Clive Sinclair yesterday pretty well put the kibosh on the possibility of humanity ever getting behind the controls of a flying car by declaring them "technically entirely possible". Speaking to BBC Radio 4's PM programme, Sir Clive said the future of personal transportation would, of course, have to be electric-powered, …
  • AMD chipset roadmap signals new southbridges, DDR 3 — Reg Hardware
    Greater emphasis on integrated parts too
    AMD's going to be shaking up its chipset offerings this quarter, if an allegedly leaked roadmap slide is the real deal. The timeline stretches out into 2009 and highlights the increasing dominance of integrated parts. Later this quarter, AMD will revamp its enthusiast-oriented 790FX chipset, launched in November 2007, with its …
  • Photos fool cigarette age-verification software — Reg Hardware
    Whoops...
    A Japanese reporter has used family photos and magazine cut-outs to fool face-recognition software currently used in some of the country's cigarette vending machines into selling him smokes. From July, Japan’s set to introduce tough regulations allowing prosecutions to be brought against vending-machine companies whose …
  • French handbag eBay over fakes — The Register
    French court acts
    eBay must pay £30.6m (€38.8m) in damages to posh handbag group LVMH for allowing fake versions of its designer bags to be sold on the auction site. The online tat house said it would appeal the decision and accused the French company of using the issue of fakes to crack down more generally on online sales. The case was …
  • Duff UK nukes risk 'popcorn' multi-blast accident apocalypse — The Register
    Atom bombs very dangerous, says CND man
    Last week many Britons were amazed to read in the quality press that the UK's nuclear weapons are thought to have a "design fault" which could see a transport accident detonating multiple warheads in a devastating chain reaction apparently known as "popcorning". "More than 1,700 warheads are affected by the problem which would …
  • Adobe boosts Flash media search with Google and Yahoo! — The Register
    More ads where you don't want them
    Adobe Systems is working with Google and Yahoo! to improve the accuracy of searches for Flash ads and media by delivering an optimized version of its ubiquitous player. Google is today expected to start offering searches of media content using a version of the player that'll help search engines index content using Adobe's …
  • Congress still afraid to define 'internet gambling' — The Register
    Whatever it is. It's illegal
    The intellectual haze that envelopes American internet gambling policy thickened the past week, as lawmakers failed to define what exactly constitutes "unlawful" internet gambling. As absurd as it sounds, two years after the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), Congress still can’t make up its …
  • US regulators lapse into state of approval for HP's EDS buy — The Register
    Deal receives official 'meh'
    US regulators are letting Hewlett-Packard's planned $13.9bn purchase of computer services giant Electronic Data Systems (EDS) go through without much anti-trust fuss. Both the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission have let the required competition law waiting period expire sans any requests for additional …

Monday, 30 June 2008

  • CenturyTel joins Charter in data pimping freeze — The Register
    Do as Congress says
    Another American ISP has put the skids on its data pimping plans. Last week, under pressure from Congressional big wigs, Charter Communications suspended plans to deploy a Phorm-like behavioral ad targeting service from NebuAd, and over the weekend, Louisiana-based CenturyTel did much the same. "We have delayed implementation …
  • Feds urge court to dismiss lawsuit protecting life on Earth — The Register
    'We'll take our chances with the strangelets'
    The US government has asked a court to throw out a lawsuit that seeks to stop the world from ending. Late last week, federal lawyers along with other defendants asked for summary judgment in a lawsuit designed to halt the start-up of the most powerful particle accelerator yet built. The lawsuit, which was filed in Hawaii last …
  • Family Guy creator's sellout to Google almost complete — The Register
    Two minute clips served with your ads
    Google is revealing new details on the recruitment of Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane to attract prime-time television advertising dollars to web-only video content. In September, the search giant plans to roll out a series of animated clips funded by its AdSense network called "Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy …
  • Real researchers discover 'Music Without Limits' — Reg Hardware
    Otherwise known as DRM-less MP3s
    The DRM deathwatch continues. Today, Real Networks announced that its Rhapsody digital music service is selling DRM-free MP3s from all four major records labels, following in the footsteps of Amazon and Napster. That means you can now shuttle Rhapsody tunes onto any MP3 player, including the iPhone and the iPod. Rhapsody will …
  • The iPhone's love/hate relationship with hackers — The Register
    A year in the making
    Amazingly, it's now a whole year since metrosexuals and geeks waited patiently outside Apple and AT&T stores in the US for their very first iPhones. Since June 29 2007, the iPhone has gone from novelty spot to "oh, there's another" in bars and business meetings, as Apple has quickly overtaken Microsoft in US smartphone market …
  • Dell offers 'Windows Vista Bonus' to frightened customers — Channel Register
    The 'bonus' is XP instead of Vista
    Dell is actively promoting a Microsoft licensing loophole to channel partners eager to keep selling PCs installed with Windows XP, after Microsoft's official cut off. The Dell channel blog is pointing resellers to the loophole in the Windows Vista license that enables business customers to downgrade from the unwanted Windows …
  • Overland snatches Adaptec's Snap Server biz — The Register
    Free at last with a virtual fire sale
    Adaptec has finally got out of the loss-making Snap Server business and, by buying it, Overland Storage has gained a valuable addition to its ULTAMUS primary storage product line. This is Overland CEO and president Vern LoForti's first acquisition since taking over the reins at Overland and represents a quite triumphant …
  • An iPhone with a keyboard? — The Register
    Never say never
    It is an article of faith, of course, that whatever Steve Jobs does is right. And so, since the iPhone currently has no keyboard on it, it must logically follow that it is wrong to have a keyboard, and therefore that Steve Jobs will never produce a version that does have a keyboard. Fervent fans can therefore see no reason to …
  • Sony dates PS3 latest firmware debut — Reg Hardware
    Version 2.40 to launch alongside DualShock 3
    Sony has finally broken its silence over the launch date for the PlayStation 3’s 2.40 firmware version, and confirmed that it’ll be available on the same day that the DualShock 3 rumbling controller launches. The PS3's firmware update version 2.40 adds a trophy rewards function Register Hardware reported this morning that …
  • Stress-busting videogame controlled by thoughts — Reg Hardware
    Keep your brain on the ball
    Now that Euro 2008 is over, footie fans can keep their minds active until next season with a stress-busting football videogame controlled only by brainwaves. Well, wealthy ones, at least... Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com Mindball players won’t get paid £100,000 per week, but distributor Vivifeye …
  • TVonics touts tiny digital telly tuner — Reg Hardware
    What's the most simple way to turn an analogue telly into a digital Freeview viewer? According to UK manufacturer TVonics, its MFR-300 gadget is. The 70 x 54 x 27mm unit plugs straight into your TV's antenna port - it has an co-ax aerial socket of its own - and once powered up searches out and maintains a list of channels you …
  • T-Mobile not alone in spinning price hikes — The Register
    But O2 takes the disinformation trophy
    T-Mobile isn't alone in its innovative reading of Ofcom recommendations, but at least the company only implied that the regulator was responsible for the increase in its prices: O2 is claiming it outright. 0870 numbers are non-geographic: they are national calls regardless of where the call originates or terminates. Mobile …
  • iPhone will ship in green packaging — Reg Hardware
    Wrapped in Dutch spuds
    Apple's new iPhone 3G will be shipped on July 11 in a potato starch paper tray. Apple placed an order with Dutch company PaperFoam, which also makes packages for Motorola. The company confirmed this today to Dutch blog Bright. According to CEO Hans Arentsen, Apple ordered "millions of paperfoam packages" for its new 3G iPhone …
  • Commercial iPlayer faces anti-trust shakedown — The Register
    BBC, ITV, C4 joint venture delayed
    Project Kangaroo, the commercial on-demand web TV service being developed by BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4, will be investigated by the Competition Commission amid concern that it could stifle rival online efforts. The probe will run for up to 24 weeks, and could mean the joint venture is forced to supply competing services …
  • Japanese girls taught English by Nintendo DS — Reg Hardware
    Americas lectured by Zune
    Japanese teachers might feel a little uneasy about their job security, as one of the country’s schools has begun trialling Nintendo’s DS console as a way of teaching kids to read and write English. A Japanese student learns English with her DS Image courtesy Reuters According to a report by Reuters, Japan's education …
  • Speedo sports sub-aqua MP3 player — Reg Hardware
    Underwater MP3 player for serious swimmers
    Speedo’s latest swimming gadget may look like a desktop mouse, but it’s actually a waterproof MP3 player designed to keep you amused whilst doing some lengths. Speedo's Aquabeat: whale song while you swim? The Aquabeat may only have a measly 1GB of storage, but then you’re not likely to be underwater long enough to justify …
  • Dualit DAB Lite radio — Reg Hardware
    Review Howdy doodley dooo...
    This latest offering from Dualit is based on the iconic toaster products the company is better known for. Bored of knocking out breakfast, Dualit is now knocking out music to accompany your muesli. Now before we go any further, a few words on DAB itself. There has been a lot of knife chucking of late, so let's just take stock …
  • Bill Gates has gone, what's his legacy? — The Register
    From hippy to hanger-on
    This week marks another first in the 33-year history of Microsoft - life without Billg. The company and the man who co-founded it and rose to become the world's richest geek have parted ways. Bill Gates is no longer chief software architect and will be checking in only as company chairman. Gates is hailed as the visionary who …
  • Siemens siphons off 17,000 jobs — The Register
    Battening down the hatches
    German engineering group Siemens is to lay off 17,000 workers from its 400,000 workforce, including 6,450 jobs in Germany alone, as part of an effort to save €1.2 billion. Trade union IG Metall had anticipated only 10,000 jobs as part of a broad revamp of the company's operations. The world economy and oil prices are adding to …
  • Dismissed deputy head launches legal fight — The Register
    Computer says no...
    In the week that a Civitas report slammed new government legislation on vetting, the case of John Pinnington provides a scary reminder of where we could soon be heading. Mr Pinnington used to be deputy principal of Thomley Hall, a college for autistic children in Oxfordshire. He was fired when his employers requested an …
  • King Arthur was English 'propaganda', French claim — The Register
    By the Lord Harry, etc, etc
    French historians are risking a visit by gunboats bearing the white ensign after declaring King Arthur an English legend promoted for "political reasons". That's according to the organisers of "King Arthur: A Legend in the Making" - a forthcoming conference and exhibition at Rennes university which will "provide ample evidence …
  • eBay Terror Ambulances of DEATH menace UK - top cops — The Register
    Blues Brothers law sought vs al-Qaeda strip-o-bomb-o-grams
    In a move which would, three decades ago, have seen classic movie The Blues Brothers stillborn, British cops and officials are seeking to prevent private sales of ex-police and emergency services vehicles and uniforms. The Telegraph reports today that senior plods at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), allied with …
  • Warning sounded over black hole in UK physics teaching — The Register
    Boffin targets to be missed
    One in four state secondary schools do not employ a specialist physics teacher, according to research out today. The picture, based on a survey of school recruiters, trainees and colleges, varies around the English regions. The situation is bleakest for physics in inner London, where half of the schools don't have a specialist …
  • Tech giants team for online ID cards — The Register
    Passwords are so passé
    A group of software and online payment companies are teaming up to find a better way than passwords to protect, and prove, your identity online. Problems with passwords are well known - people require ever more passwords which means they either get forgotten, or people use the same word for several different services which is …
  • China sacks officials over faked big cat snaps — The Register
    South China tiger makes surprise appearance
    China has given more than a dozen government officials their marching orders over faked photographs of the highly-endangered South China tiger, Xinhua reports. Last October, forestry officials in Zhenping county, northern Shaanxi province, published the photos citing them as evidence of the tiger's survival. The animal had not …
  • Sony details European DualShock 3 launch date — Reg Hardware
    Vibration gaming coming to Blighty
    Rumours about when Sony will release the DualShock 3 wireless PlayStation 3 controller have been rumbling for ages. But now the electronics giant’s finally broken its silence and named the date. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has confirmed that the controller will hit European stores - yes, we said European, not …
  • Pioneer launches LCD TV line under Kuro plasma brand — Reg Hardware
    The blackest blacks of an LCD
    Pioneer has launched a three-strong line of Kuro LCD TVs, which it claims deliver a picture that closely matches the “visual experience” a plasma telly can produce. Pioneer's Kuro: now LCD too Until now, the Kuro range has been exclusively plasma-based and sold mainly on the claim that Kuro – which is Japanese for 'black …
  • Analyst: Intel Atom inside iPhone in 2010 — Reg Hardware
    Flight from Arm forecast
    When a European Intel exec was recently said to have claimed future iPhones will use the chip giant's Atom processor, the company quickly stated the fellow alleged no such thing. But now someone else has made that very claim. JoAnne Feeney, an analyst with US investment hours FTN Midwest Securities, recently told clients that …
  • Asus to revamp Eee PC 901 with bigger keyboard? — Reg Hardware
    Fixing what ain't broke
    Asus' latest Eee PC, the 901, hasn't even gone on sale in the UK yet - tomorrow, since you ask - but the company is already preparing the machine's successors. Asian reseller moles cited by DigiTimes claim Asus is working on the Eee 904 and 905. Like the 901, both are expected to use Intel's Atom processor and sport an 8.9in …
  • C&W closes in on Thus acquisition — The Register
    Shareholders asked for thumbs-up
    Cable and Wireless has increased its offer for smaller rival telco Thus Group, as it bids to gain weight for its battles against BT for big business contracts. C&W's surprise first 165p per share offer for Glasgow-based Thus was rejected by its board early in June. Today's improved 180p per share bid values Thus at about £ …
  • Mini-Me sues online celebrity muckraker over 'stolen' sex tape — The Register
    How short is he?
    Verne "Mini-Me" Troyer has sued TMZ.com for $20m, after the online celebrity gossip rag posted a sex video in which the 2 foot, 8-inch actor sticks it to former girlfriend Renae Shrider. The pint-sized film thespian is best known for playing Mini-Me in the second and third films in the Austin Powers comedy series: The Spy Who …
  • Retailer pitches tiny A2DP earphones — Reg Hardware
    You can't get much smaller
    Over-ear cans are great if only the best noise-cancelling audio quality will do. But if portability and compactness are your key requirements, then the tiny JayBird Bluetooth Stereo Earphones could be the alternative answer. JayBird's JB-200: tiny Online retailer Advanced MP3 Players claims the in-ear JB-200 headphones are …
  • Spain dodges Zapatero kiss of death — The Register
    Crowned European champions, despite ministerial voodoo
    Spain is this morning in a state of (hungover) shock after its footballers were deservedly crowned European champions - despite the presence at the clash with Germany of prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Zapatero, we should explain, was considered by Spaniards a certain kiss of death for the national team's European …

Sunday, 29 June 2008

  • Gordo's DNA database claims branded 'ridiculous' — The Register
    114 imaginary murderers get off scot free
    Gordon Brown has been accused of deliberately misleading the public by claiming that not retaining genetic profiles of innocent people on the National DNA Database (NDNAD) would have led to 114 murderers getting away. The charge was made on Friday by the genetics lobby group GeneWatch UK. It analysed a speech the Prime …

Saturday, 28 June 2008

  • Granite Jesus, blessed be thy gneiss — The Register
    Plutonic slab of God appears in Dallas
    Bible II: New Testament protagonist Jesus Christ has thrilled US fans this week by appearing on a slab of Brazilian granite in Dallas Texas. John Ganster, co-owner of the Verona Marble Company stone company first recognized the divinity of his 1,000-pound chunk of masonry when a customer inquired about purchasing the "Jesus …
  • 19-year-old p2p botnet pioneer agrees to plead guilty — The Register
    'Nugache was mine'
    The author of a Trojan that broke new ground by incorporating peer-to-peer technology into botnet design has agreed to plead guilty to secretly infecting thousands of victims' machines so that he could steal their personal data and launch attacks on websites. Jason Michael Milmont, 19, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, admitted to …

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