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19th August 1999 Archive

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  • CRT displays – not as dead as you'd think

    Analysis Monitor market mayhem set to cool down

    The monitor market has taken some twists and turns recently, with TFT shortages, CRT screens getting bigger and flatter, and more sophisticated consumers rejecting the channel. This is the opinion of manufacturers and distributors in the sector, who believe the monitor market is about to emerge from a prolonged difficult period …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 07:36

  • AMD accused of bending K7 benchmarks

    Benchmark firm issues bitter recriminations

    Electronic Buyers' News is reporting that an unseemly row has broken out between a Canadian benchmarking firm and AMD over Athlon K7 benchmarks. According to the report, which can be found here, FutureMark Software is accusing AMD of bending its 3DMark 99 Max test suite to produce better results than in reality. The benchmarking …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 07:40

  • HP's Merced strategy descends into farce

    The Old Guard and the Young Turks go at it hammer and tongs

    The fight between the Old Guard and the Young Turks at HP over Merced still seems to be on with a vengeance. Earlier this year, we reported that the company was advising customers to go direct to McKinley IA-64 architecture, jumping over Merced. (Story: HP confirms Merced retreat) Not long after that, HP said Merced was a clear …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 08:12

  • Taiwan mobo makers put on severe BX/ZX allocations

    Meanwhile, Intel "deep throat" says firm screwed up

    Taiwanese wire Commercial News is reporting today that Intel will ration BX/ZX chipsets supplied to motherboard manufacturers by as much as 50 per cent come September. And, as reported here earlier, it is attempting to shift the mobo makers to the 810 chipset, without much success. But, says the wire, local manufacturers are …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 08:41

  • Falling prices boost Computacenter profits

    The cheaper the hardware, the greater the demand, the more services it flogs to its blue chip customers

    Computacenter posted pre-tax profit up 30 per cent for the first half of the year, with the reseller giant saying it welcomed the current industry curse of tumbling hardware prices. The company posted pre-tax profit at £40.7 million and turnover up 16.6 per cent at £904.8 million for the six months ended 30 June. This was …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 10:39

  • Takeover on table for Workplace

    Share price yo-yos as company admits talks

    Workplace Technologies saw its share price rocket 46 per cent yesterday after the company announced it was in takeover talks. By the time trading closed yesterday, shares in the Hertfordshire-based network reseller had jumped 68 pence to 213 pence. The company admitted it was at an "advanced stage of discussions which may, or …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 11:08

  • Texans sink $6m in Blackstar

    Online DVD-video retailer gets cash boost

    Blackstar, an online video and DVD retailer, has not only made some money this year, but has managed to secure financial backing from US venture capitalist group, Atlas Venture. The Texan investors are parting with $6 million for a 33 per cent stake in the business. One of Blackstar's founders, Jeremy Glover, said that about …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 11:56

  • GPS bug to strike today

    If you don't check your equipment you can get lost

    Navigation systems relying on GPS could fail today, as well as at the weekend, according to US Air Force and Coast Guard officials. Users are being urged to check their equipment regularly over the next few days. The problem lies with older receivers, which may become confused as the satellite system begins to receive location …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 11:58

  • Orange takes over Siemens' former UK fab

    But not to make chips

    Siemens' old semconductor plant in the North East of England, closed last year, has a new owner: mobile phone company Orange. The site will be used to house a temporary call-centre, Orange said, and is part of an expansion programme that will see the creation of 2000 jobs in the area. Orange already has three call centres in the …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 12:07

  • LineOne kicks off aggressive promo campaign

    Sets aside £3.5m for marketing push

    British online service provider (OSP) LineOne is pumping £3.5 million into a high-profile marketing campaign designed to attract more Net users to its service. The campaign kicks off in September and will be led by new signing Mary Turner who joins LineOne from her post as marketing director at CompuServe. "LineOne's serious …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 12:09

  • Microsoft poo-poos MS Audio security hack

    Unangst vs Unfuck

    Microsoft released the final version of its MS Audio 4 technology this week -- only to find its copyright protection mechanism cracked within hours of the software being posted on its Web site. Of course, Microsoft was typically blase about the crack, poetically called Unfuck. "It's nothing new," said MS lead product manager …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 12:27

  • Intel abandons chip – $½ billion lost at sea

    Chipzilla a cumbersome, lumbersone graphics player

    Chip gargantua Intel today would neither confirm or deny it had exited the discrete graphics business -- one which cost it over $430 million to buy. An Intel representative said today: "As far as I am aware, we are still in this business, producing the i752 chip." A month ago, it slit the throat of its i754 project, as reported …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 12:29

  • Commodore wannabe to reveal full Amiga box specs

    Non-believers will be convinced our non-Amiga Amigas will work, promises Iwin

    Iwin, the European hardware vendor trying to take the name Commodore for its upcoming line of Amiga-style computers, yesterday promised to confound the sceptics by releasing full specs. and details of how ii intends to offer Amiga-compatible machines without infringing Amiga, inc. copyrights and patents. In a message on the comp …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 12:41

  • Micromuse murder allegation kicked out

    F1 smash driver Dawes had list of eight who wanted him dead

    Christopher Dawes, the millionaire founder of Micromuse, named eight people who wanted to see him dead just months before he was killed in a sports car crash, it was revealed yesterday. An inquest heard how Dawes, who made his fortune as founder of software company Micromuse, drew up the list and gave it to his father last …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 14:51

  • Channel 5 swaps ads for new media equity

    Sets sights on becoming major content provider

    Britain's youngest terrestrial TV channel, Channel 5, is on the look out for hot new media companies according to a report in the FT today. The fledgling TV company is prepared to offer free advertising on its station in return for an equity stake in any new media company it believes has the potential to be a rip-roaring success …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 15:06

  • Demon weathers storm as offices flooded

    Updated No interruption to service as burst water main gushes forth

    You can hardly describe the granddaddy of UK ISPs, Demon Internet, as wet behind the ears... but it was on Monday. In fact, it was wet everywhere after a water main burst at its north west London offices. Readers will be relived to hear that the water didn't rise up to the ankles of those Demon workers as they sloshed around …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 15:22

  • Mitnick tries a religion crack

    Hacker legend working the kosher angle

    No one can say Kevin Mitnick lacks imagination, persistence, or chutzpah. The legendary hacker, cracker and phone phreaker hopes to wriggle out of his present detention facility because kosher meals are unavailable. Mitnick reportedly refused to eat during the first 48 hours of his incarceration at the San Bernardino County …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 15:50

  • nVidia Q2 revenue rockets up 543 per cent

    But results flat, quarter-on-quarter

    Games graphics specialist nVidia has recorded a massive 543 per cent increase in year-on-year revenue for its second quarter of fiscal 2000, ended 1 August. The company announced revenues of $78 million, up from just $12 million for the same period (sort of -- it ended on 26 July) last year. It also posted a profit of $6.7 …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 16:00

  • Cable giant NTL to buy Workplace

    Mystery suiter revealed in £81m bid

    NTL will buy Workplace Technologies for £81 million in a deal worth 228 pence per share. The deal is due to be completed in 28 days' time and will see Workplace become wholly owned by NTL. The offer values Workplace stock 57 per cent higher than its closing middle market price on August 17, the day before the company announced …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 16:10

  • Silver surfers get own ISP

    UK-based service courts ageing population

    Middle-aged surfers who are struggling to keep up with the hip and happening pace of the Web are being offered sanctuary by a whippersnapper. Thirty two-year-old Richard Spinks, a former business development director at Lycos Bertelsmann, has created Vavo.com as part of a "radical venture to encourage millions of over 45s to …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 16:17

  • Motorola to buy Metrowerks

    Chip vendor to acquire leading IDE developer for $95m

    Motorola today signalled its intention to buy software development tools specialist Metrowerks for $95 million, the company's semiconductor division said today. Metrowerks made a name for itself in the mid-90s with its CodeWarrior integrated development environment (IDE) for Apple's first PowerPC-based Macs. Since then, the …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 16:35

  • Intel has software to overclock chips

    Exclusive But you won't get it, folks...

    The Register has learnt today of a piece of Intel software, run from the DOS command line, which can make chips run at twice the speed. The software, called NEWSPEED.EXE will push processors up to the limit. The software is designed for OEMs and Intel staff themselves, one of whom said he had used it on a 450MHz processor, …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 16:50

  • Analogue/digital safe PC cards go on sale

    No more hot fried modems, thanks

    PPCP is to sell what is being called the first range of PC card modems that allow notebook users to connect directly via digital or analogue phones. The three PC card modems can be plugged directly into the handset socket of almost any desktop telephone. Users unplug the handset cord on their phone and plug in one of the modem …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 16:51

  • Apple taps Gap for iBook colour scheme

    Why do Apple's iBooks and Gap's autumn line look the same? Coincidence, schmoincidence...

    Someone recently described The Gap as the Microsoft of the clothing world. Indeed, but who is The Gap of the IT industry? Step forward, Apple. Now, we don't make this claim simply because the two companies are both considered to be the epitome of cool in their respective markets, but because there are some damn devious …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 16:55

  • Wearable computer buffs spread the word

    Newsletter tells you where to put it

    Xybernaut, maker of wearable hardware, is launching a newsletter to broadcast news and views about all conceivable events in the wearable PC world. Research information, implementation guidelines and tech support are all covered in the publication. Ed Newman, president and CEO of Xybernaut commented: "We are committed to …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 17:10

  • Compaq set to fire Alpha NT developers

    No longer a rumour We have the confirmation...

    Reports were reaching The Register late tonight that Compaq is set to announce a series of layoffs at the Bellevue, WA plant in the US. The team in WA was involved in developing NT for the Alpha platform. If true, the rumours will be a further blow to Compaq. Around this time last year, the company, under the leadership of …

    Business 19 Aug 1999, 22:45