6th June 2001 Archive

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Reg duped by crime-busting D.I.R.T Trojan

That rhythmic thud you hear is Tom's forehead hitting his desk....

My recent article on the D.I.R.T. (Data Interception by Remote Transmission) Trojan, with which law-enforcement agents can secretly monitor a suspect's computer and which is marketed by surveillance outfit Codex Data Systems, contained several inaccuracies, all of which can be attributed solely to my own lapse in the skepticism …

Software 6 Jun 2001, 00:05
Nvidia's nForce to cost $50

Computex System builders aren't getting excited

Nvidia is going to charge $50 for its nForce integrated graphics chipset, according to mobo makers attending the Computex tradeshow in Taiwan. And the reaction from system builders to the nForce is a little cool. The builders are wondering whether any systems incorporating the chipset will fall between two price points. Though …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 02:06
Mesh ‘ not looking for general manager’

Channel gossip 'completely inaccurate'

Mesh, the London-based system builder, called us today to deny that it was looking for a new general manager. Neither had the company approached former general manager Paul Kinsler, or Luke Ireland, Evesham.com's former marketing manager, to run the business. marketing manager John Hendrick said. He was responding to channel …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 06:31
VIA's got a PC builder to use its C3 chip

Computex Stand up Evesham.com

VIA has got a PC system builder customer for its 750MHz C3 processor. UK operation Evesham.com is going to put together a machine as soon as it gets samples of the chips. It plans to build a very low cost desktop and should be advertising it in the national press within a matter of weeks. The 0.13 micron C3 - formerly known as …

Business 6 Jun 2001, 07:32
MS scratches Compaq's back by restricting PocketPC licences

Computex The mutual aid society freezes out Asus

The Computex tradeshow in Taiwan has thrown up some very nice examples of PocketPC - aka Windows CE 3.0 - PDAs. Mitac won a show award for its kit; Asus had some nice models as well as WinCE handheld PCs; and Compal was showing off its range. These are just the kind of thing system builders and resellers will spy on a foreign …

Business 6 Jun 2001, 09:06
Next-gen ‘iMac 2001’ debuts on Web

Exclusive Here, to be precise

It's amazing what turns up in the post of a morning. Today we received what is claimed to be a piccy of Apple's next iMac. That's all very well and good, but by a clever stroke of luck - or just possibly a Photoshop artist's pen - it even manages to combine three of the current Apple hardware rumours doing the rounds. First, …

Mac Channel 6 Jun 2001, 10:14
Apple settles with iMac ‘cloner’

Paves way for colourful, all-in-one WIndows PCs - and no more colourful, all-in-one iMacs?

Apple and iMac-alike PC maker Future Power have finally settled their long-running trade dress dispute. Under the terms of the settlement, Future Power will be able to produce an all-in-one box with an integrated 17in screen, called the AIO. Apple may be happy with that, but we can't see Sony letting it stand. As for the 15in …

Mac Channel 6 Jun 2001, 10:53
AMD launches 1.4GHz Athlon

Big Q systems available

AMD today officially launched its 1.4GHz Athlon and 950MHz Duron chips which went on sale in Japan last week. Compaq has started offering systems based on the 1.4GHz processor, while AMD says machines from Hewlett-Packard, MicronPC and NEC-CI are also on their way. The chip is available with a 200MHz or 266MHz frontside bus …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 10:57
Napster signs away its soul

It was good knowing you...

Napster has become a distributor for the music industry's MusicNet venture, putting it on a par with corporate beasts AOL and RealNetworks. MusicNet is backed by three of the main five record companies: AOL Time Warner, EMI and BMG Entertainment. It will be a music streaming and download thing, and is expected to launch near …

Music and Media 6 Jun 2001, 11:01
Political parties fail e-lectorate

Just paying lip service to the Net

All three main political parties have failed to address the needs of online voters, according to a survey by the Hansard Society. The Society found that Labour, the Tories and LibDems failed to reply to emails sent in by voters. When they did reply, it took more than 13 hours for a response. Many were automated replies or …

Business 6 Jun 2001, 11:35
Infineon to sell shares to raise investment cash, pay off debt

To Infineon and beyond

German chipmaker Infineon has laid plans to sell shares in the US in order to fund investments during a time of deeply declining DRAM prices. Infineon has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to allow it to conduct a public offering in the US. The amount of shares to be sold and …

Business 6 Jun 2001, 11:40
Intel samples 0.13 micron Pentium 4

Northwood out and about

Intel has begun sampling the 0.13 micron Pentium 4 die-shrink, codenamed Northwood, Taiwanese mobo makers have said. Asustek and Gigabyte both told EBN that they are preparing Northwood-based boards for a Q4 2001 launch. That's when Northwood itself is scheduled to ship, according to Intel's roadmap. The part will debut at 2GHz …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 12:09
VIA goes with Pentium 4 chipset despite Intel

We can do it, whatever Chipzilla says, announces CEO

VIA stuck two fingers up to Intel yesterday when it launched its long-awaited Pentium 4 chipset, the PX266, without winning the chip giant's approval. VIA has always maintained that it has the right to ship such a product, thanks to the Intel technology licences it end up with by buying SonicBlue's graphics chip operation. For …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 12:13
The Tiscali saga uncovered

Tale of an accidental undercover reportage

When, despite having evidence in our hands, Tiscali denied its plans to cull 300 or its 420 UK staff, we felt there was only one way to be certain of what was going on. And that was to talk to the troops on the ground. And so, with the help of one or two contacts at the company, we managed to smuggle our way into the ticket- …

Music and Media 6 Jun 2001, 12:22
Text message alerts planned to stop notebook theft

Yr ntbk is nckd :-(

Laptop owners will soon be able to get text message alerts to warn them that their computer is being stolen. The 'APC Lapdog' product is an attachment that fits into a notebook's serial port. It is the brainchild of British outfit Secure PC, and will either send a text message to a designated mobile, set off an alarm, or - in …

Business 6 Jun 2001, 12:49
Aussies revolt over broadband cap

Telstra gets good kicking from punters

Broadband users down under are revolting after Telstra BigPond decided to cap their usage of the service. In an email issued to customer yesterday Telstra BigPond said that from 5 July those users signed up to the unlimited residential package, called Freedom, will only be allowed 3GB of usage a month. Monster telco, Telstra, …

Data Networking 6 Jun 2001, 12:52
Sun backs development of crash-proof databases

Clustra Systems gets $22m

Sun Microsystems has invested $22 million in a firm that is trying to develop crash-free databases. Clustra Systems intends to use Sun's investment, part of its second round of funding, which has raised $32 million, to expand its product development and marketing activities of relational databases that provide continuous uptime …

Software 6 Jun 2001, 13:17
Microsoft rebuts XP Net instability claims

It's all about stopping the malicious code in the first place

Microsoft has officially responded to claims made by security consultant Steve Gibson that Windows XP threatens the stability of the Internet thanks to its inclusion on Unix sockets. These 'raw' sockets allow hackers to send thousands of spoof data packets from several PCs at once and launch unstoppable denial-of-service attacks …

Music and Media 6 Jun 2001, 13:24
Intel airs Itanium underpants in public

Chipzilla presentation features tongue-in-cheek Reg headline

Intel endured a minor PR cock-up today when a Register story briefly became the focus of a presentation on Itanium. Part of Intel's presentation in London today included a demonstration by knowledge management firm Autonomy, whose intelligent search engine software ended up displaying our story HP wears Itanium underpants and …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 13:30
UK Reseller grabs MS bag

Competition Lucky chap secures sensational laptop overnighter

Thanks to all those UK resellers who entered our competition to win an exclusive laptop overnighter. This authentic leatherette wheeled IT transportation solution was kindly provided by Microsoft to herald the launch of Office XP. All you had to do to stake you claim to this must-have travel accessory was go to www.microsoft. …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 13:53
Maths tests for teachers mangled by software glitches

1+1=2, 2+2=5 - D'oh!

Computer errors during an important maths test has led to many trainee teachers being unfairly labelled as dunces when it comes to sums. Prospective UK teachers were tested by computer for the first time this year and, in an all too familiar saga involving public sector IT initiatives, the system (itself a good idea) seems to …

Software 6 Jun 2001, 15:08
Stand by your VAR

Sometimes it's hard to be a vendor

In the current economic climate vendors may be tempted to dump the things they feel aren't really necessary - such as their VARs. But IDC warns manufacturers that they are "jeopardising significant market potential" by dipping in and out of the channel. "Vendors that let them (VARS) starve during these lean economic times will …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 15:42
Ideal Hardware in bold diversification

Cow fertilizer and loose tools

Ideal Hardware, one of the UK's biggest disties, is attempting to increase its revenue stream by diversifying into the agricultural market. Bizarre? Well, there's nothing wrong with having a few strings to your bow. Indeed, when times are hard down here at Vulture Central, office manager Viki von den Driesch happily …

Bootnotes 6 Jun 2001, 15:42
WAPit's scrapped it

Updated Mobile portal dies a lonely death

Top WAP portal and app developer WAPit has filed for bankruptcy after failing to get a second round of financing. The Finnish company was set up in 1998 and was a main force behind open source WAP, gateways and middleware. Its products will live on in other products but WAPit itself and a range of talented staff are out the …

Data Networking 6 Jun 2001, 15:51
HWRoundup AMD dualies invade Hardware Land

Today is a Dual world. With AMD launching the much anticipated AMD760MP Chipset with the support for dual Athlon based cPUs (2P), there has been a lot of activity all over the Internet. Here are some links. As usual "boi wonder" Anand has posted his write-up on this in a lot of detail here. Tom's Hardware's piece is is here. …

Hardware Roundup 6 Jun 2001, 16:06
AMD to sample Hammer by year-end

And in all its 0.13 micron silicon-on-insulator glory

AMD will sample its 64-bit Hammer processor using silicon-on-insulator fabrication technology - and at 0.13 micron since it's part of the roadmapped strategy, we'd guess - by the end of the year, company COO Hector Ruiz said today. The first Hammer CPU, ClawHammer, aimed at uni- and dual-processor systems is set to ship early …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 16:08
Rogue computer outfits face swifter action

Trading Standards on the warpath

Trading Standards officers were today threatening swifter action against rogue computer outfits, after being handed fresh powers. The move involves the Stop Now orders, which will let companies be taken to county court instead of to magistrates' court. Trading Standards said the move to a civil process would speed up action …

Channel 6 Jun 2001, 16:08
Broadband only good for porn

That's some relief

The sex industry has emerged as the leading sector to develop services for broadband, according to research published by Cambridge-based outfit Analysys. In its report Interactive Consumer Broadband: Sex, Sport and Shopping the report's authors claim that aside from paying for hi-speed Net access, punters also splash out on …

Telecoms 6 Jun 2001, 16:09
Excite exits France, Germany and Spain

85 jobs lost

The MD of Excite Europe has been forced to regret an interview he gave to the FT in which he said he would "rather sell the business for $1 than withdraw from Europe after all the time and money we have invested". Oh dear. That was in April. Today, Excite@Home announced it is to close next month its portals in France, Germany …

e-Business 6 Jun 2001, 16:18
Amazon moves into PC biz

Autumn kick-off date expected

E-tailer Amazon.com is to start selling computers as part of its bid to get out of the red by the end of the year. The Seattle-based dotcom yesterday informed investors and analysts of the plan to move into the PC business this autumn, but revealed few details. With CEO Jeff Bezos joining Bill Gates on stage to launch Office …

e-Business 6 Jun 2001, 16:18
Virgin.net for sale

Any takers?

Virgin.net has been thrown into a panic following newspaper reports that the ISP is up for sale. The FT reports that City firm Lehman Brothers has been appointed to oversee the sale of the ISP - a joint venture between cable company NTL and Richard Branson's Virgin. It claims a deal between the two partners - in which NTL …

e-Business 6 Jun 2001, 16:18
New web ads target floating readers

'Multi-sensory stimulation' is the key

Web advertisers continue to look for new ways to punt their products to an increasingly indifferent public. Advertising.com has been looking into how to give new vigour to web adverts. Apparently, the company's 'Intellisource' brand measurement and research tool has gleaned the following significant intelligence: Banner ads …

Bootnotes 6 Jun 2001, 16:35
Find out who to vote for tomorrow

Two more sites to help you out in that all-unimportant choice

Yesterday, we ran a story on How2vote.co.uk. Since then we have had good reason to believe it is fudging the results (see bottom) in favour of the LibDems and so we would like to draw your attention to two others. WhodoIvotefor.co.uk has a similar approach except this time you are asked to vote yes or no to 20 different …

Business 6 Jun 2001, 16:39
NEC MobilePro 790

Review Half way between a notebook and a PDA

The number of PDAs on the market has grown considerably, but the main area of growth has been in the keyboard-free designs that use the Palm or PocketPC OS. While many manufacturers are ditching their clamshell designs in favour of PocketPC, NEC has decided to go the other way with the MobilePro 790. The NEC MobilePro 790 sits …

Hardware Roundup 6 Jun 2001, 16:52
Gypsies to sue IBM over Nazi ‘links’

Big Blue faces more Holocaust claims

Romany gypsies are threatening to sue IBM over its alleged involvement in the Holocaust. In a case similar to that brought and then dropped by Washington DC law firm Cohen, Milfield, Hausfeld and Toll earlier this year, the action revolves around IBM's Hollerith tabulating machinery. This is believed to have been used by the …

Business 6 Jun 2001, 17:02