19th March 1999 Archive

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UK cellular outfit to deploy fast data system next year

Not 3G, but Ericsson's GPRS will enable the wireless Web for One2One

UK cellular operator One2One is to deploy an Ericsson data network capable of speeds of up to 115 kbp/s, it was announced yesterday at CeBIT. The system is the European GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), which is designed to run alongside GSM networks. GPRS has been in the works for some years now, but until relatively …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 09:57
MS threatened by Euro privacy probe

Sweden thinks Redmond might have broken the law already. Oh dear...

Now what did we tell you? The personal data sent to Redmond by the Windows 98 registration wizard is of course being exported, if it's being sent from outside the US. And if it's being sent from Europe, Microsoft may well be in breach of European privacy legislation. The Swedish Computer Inspectorate certainly thinks this is a …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 10:00
How to say goodbye to those Win98 ID number blues

MS issues patches, and a rip it out of your machine procedure does the rest...

Microsoft yesterday posted two fixes to deal with the privacy problems in Office 97, while lamely continuing to claim that it's only a potential privacy problem really, and anyway it didn't do anything. Two programs are available at the Office Update site, and they both deal with the identifier number that is embedded in Office …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 10:02
Software pirates scuppered by Y2K

Huge swathes of world economy at risk, Business Week reports

Well done Business Week’s Dennis Berman for his interesting take on the Y2K fiasco. Millions of users of bootlegged software will be unable to get their bug fixes from software publishers, he says. And this could cause grief for software-legit companies doing business with them. Worse still, "huge swathes of the world economy …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 10:21
CeBIT 99: The new mobile phones – what's hot and what's not

Our man on the GSM hot-spot hands out the gongs for presentation and star quality

CeBIT Day One is probably as exciting as it gets - the companies keep frontloading the announcements to get an edge in the weekend's newspaper coverage. Microsoft's move to slow down the Symbian bandwagon was the announcement that they're not really interested in winning the mobile phone operating system war anyway. They'd …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 10:28
CeBIT attendance numbers up – honest

It's just we built more space between the people, says The Management

The CeBIT management, answering a question from The Register this morning, claimed that attendance on the first day of the show was up four per cent. The fact that the exhibition halls were less crowded was put down to there being four more halls to disperse attendees. In addition, the management said that the first day usually …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 10:41
CeBIT 99: Rise CEO confirms S370 chip on way

Speculation mounts on fab partner

David Lin, CEO of Rise Technology, confirmed today that his company will produce a Socket 370 chip during the course of this year. At the same time, he revealed that two "multi billion" semiconductor companies were investors in the startup, and that Rise will announce next month who will fabricate its chips. Lin said: "Our …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 11:01
Dane-Elec introduces stacking 3D modules

Stack em up for more density

Memory module manufacturer and distributor Dane-Elec said today that it had succeeded in a technique for creatin three dimensional memory modules. The company said that the technique was adapted from component miniaturisation and high density technologies, allowing it to stack memory chips inside a cubic package using BGA …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 11:25
Cisco chief pans Ascend takeover

Mathematical odds are that Lucent deal will fail, Chambers claims

Lucent’s $20 billion takeover of Ascend will go wrong, Cisco CEO John Chambers predicts. "The mathematical odds are that it will fail," he said, citing lack of common vision, dissimilar cultures, "chemistry", as well as lack of geographic proximity between the two companies. "According to my estimates, it doesn’t work," he said …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 11:55
Bookstore takes a pop at Amazon’s share price

Aims to burst over-inflated Web stock bubble

Investors who think they know a thing or two about playing the stock market are being given the chance to speculate about Amazon.com's future performance without being exposed to an ounce of risk. Specialist online financial book retailer Global Investor Bookshop, wants people to predict what the share price of Amazon.com will …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 11:59
Cisco CEO berates British education system

UK not training people for where the jobs are, Chambers says

Cisco CEO John Chambers appears to spend as much time politicking with world leaders as he does running the world’s biggest data equipment maker, judging from today’s interview in The Times. For he is a half-billionaire with a megaphone: "THE INTERNET WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING", he tells governments. So far so banal. But his …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 12:33
‘Ethical’ Cisco will avoid anti-trust concerns

And win even more market share, Chambers tells The Times

Cisco will gain market share and avoid the attentions of anti-trust regulators, because it conducts an ethical competition policy, CEO John Chambers said. Speaking in today's Times Chambers said: "I like my peers and I enjoy competing, and I think my company will be stronger because of competing ethically and above board. It …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 12:42
Cyrix outlines acquisition plans, strategy

But forced to change code-names

Steve Tobak, worldwide marketing manager of the Cyrix subsidiary of National Semiconductor, said today that the company was set to make acquisitions in the software business. That forms part of its dual strategy to focus on both CPU sales and sales of information appliances, he explained. At the same time, he said that Cyrix had …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 14:48
Memorex pencils 2001 for CD-ROM funeral

DVD waits in the wings

Memorex launched a six-speed DVD drive, expanded its CD-RW drives and showed its last ever CD-ROM at this week's Ce-BIT. The storage media manufacturer predicted that the CD-Rom would be dead within two years, and CD-RW drives would bridge the gap until writeable DVD hits the market. Its latest offering, the DVD632 allows users …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 15:59
Free Web access for schools

Virtual community set up by UK ISP

It appears that Internet companies are falling over themselves to offer schools free Net access. London-based Internet company BiblioTech today officially unveiled Schoolmaster- - a free and safe Web-based community specifically geared towards schools, students and parents. More than 100 schools and 50,000 pupils throughout the …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 16:35
CeBIT graced by world’s most famous man

No, not Bill Gates - Michael Jackson

The halls of CeBIT were abuzz today, not because of the technology on offer, but with the rumour that Michael Jackson had in fact visited the German fair. The white gloved wonder apparently flew in by helicopter from Hannover airport, visited a friend on an exhibition stand, then left. Jackson - or a Jackson imposter - was seen …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 16:44
Web to take over from classroom as training venue

Teachers' pet will soon be a mouse, no doubt

The Internet will sound the death-knell of classroom-based IT training courses. By the year 2002 it will all be over and all such courses will be Web-based, according to the research giant IDC. In its report Online vs. On-site: To What Extent Can Live Instruction Be Replaced?, IDC says the Web-based training market is growing at …

Business 19 Mar 1999, 18:35