7th March 2003 Archive

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China's 64-bit chip gains ground

Dragon class

China's home grown 64-bit CPU is gaining ground, EE Times reports. The weekly has scooped an interview with BLX's chief executive, David Shen, who says the Dragon CPU, known as Godson-2, has 15 design wins. The goal is to have a hundred design wins. It's loosely based on the MIPS processor, but loose enough to avoid royalty …

Channel 7 Mar 2003, 01:25
Moto to revive chip division with $400m feed

More production to be outsourced

Motorola plans to increase spending on chip-making kit by 60 per cent this year in anticipation of a ten per cent increase in sales, general manager of the company's Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS), Bill Walker, told Bloomberg today. That increase amounts to an extra $400 million. Small, perhaps, in comparison with the cuts …

Mac Channel 7 Mar 2003, 09:21
Intel tightens Q1 forecast

Falling Flash sales take their toll

Intel yesterday narrowed its guidance on its current fiscal quarter, trimming its revenue expectations from a broad $6.5-7.0 billion to a tighter $6.6-6.8 billion. The new guidance is in track with the company's previous statement, but mean has dropped from $6.75 billion to $6.70 billion, a fall of some $50 million. Intel's …

Channel 7 Mar 2003, 09:45
SCO sues IBM for $1 billion for ‘devaluing Unix’

Life devalues Satire™

What could be stranger than one Linux business suing another Linux business for devaluing UNIX™? The SCO Group (formerly Caldera) has filed suit against IBM for investing in Linux and giving away proprietary technology in the operating system. IBM has a proprietary UNIX&trade - AIX™ - but has invested heavily in Linux, and with …

Hardware 7 Mar 2003, 09:59
Gateway in ‘preference file’ patent puzzle

Robot Unwisdom

Proof that the US Department of Commerce employs robots to research patent applications finally emerged this week. On Monday, Gateway was granted a Patent that covers the handling and merging of users' preference files. Patent 6,530,083 is pretty broad ranging, encompassing "convergent television/computer systems as well as …

Software 7 Mar 2003, 10:00
BT confirms India call centre move

Union and telco locked in dispute

BT has confirmed it is setting up two call centres in India but insists no UK jobs will be lost as a direct result of the move. The new centres will be set up in Bangalore and New Delhi and will handle part of the telco's directories and conferencing work. BT is also considering moving other parts of its operation to India. It …

Business 7 Mar 2003, 10:04
EC to launch European business portal

For the little people

The European Commission is planning to launch an on-line initiative aimed at improving support for SMEs by the end of the year. The Commission on Wednesday adopted a communication containing the B2Europe project, which proposes establishing a Web site portal that would offer advice and assistance to business. The information …

Small Biz 7 Mar 2003, 10:08
Nvidia unwraps expected GeForce FX chips

5600 and 5200 fill out range

Nvidia yesterday unveiled its two latest GeForce FX chips, as anticipated. The GeForce FX 5600 and 5200 target mainstream and budget market segments, respectively, joining the top-end 5800. The 5600 matches the 5800 on feature set, but lacks the latter's support for DDR 2 frame buffer memory. That said, it supports up to 256MB …

Channel 7 Mar 2003, 10:42
StorageNetworks: no room to hide

Somewhere to run to?

StorageNetworks' decision to consider a sale follows soon after storage back-up software company Legato Systems made the same move. The two announcements suggest that storage software companies may be reaching a crisis point due to the continuing market downturn. Storage software company StorageNetworks has appointed investment …

Storage 7 Mar 2003, 11:00
Microsoft preps Xbox for arcades

Project Chihiro

A project within Microsoft's Xbox division aimed at creating arcade systems based on the console's hardware is coming close to bearing its first fruit, according to reports from sources familiar with the plan. Code-named "Chihiro" (after the young heroine of celebrated director Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-nominated animated film …

Personal 7 Mar 2003, 11:00
Google closes Blogger security holes

'Outstandingly common problem'

Internet search giant Google confirmed this week that it closed several security holes that could have allowed hackers to substitute their own musings for any of the over one-million electronic diaries maintained through the popular "Blogger" online publishing tool. The vulnerabilities were typical of Web application security …

Security 7 Mar 2003, 11:07
Windows Root kits a stealthy threat

You ain't seen nothing yet

Hackers are using vastly more sophisticated techniques to secretly control the machines they've cracked, and experts say it's just the beginning, say SecurityFocus' Kevin Poulsen. Barron Mertens admits to being puzzled last January when a cluster of Windows 2000 servers he runs at an Ontario university began crashing at random …

Security 7 Mar 2003, 11:07
Oregon considers Open Source software legislation

Many hurdles

A bill introduced in the Oregon State Legislature on March 5 by Rep. Phil Barnhart "requires state government to consider using open source software when acquiring new software." Sounds good -- if it passes. According to the press release we received from the bill's primary proponent, Ken Barber, "Unlike California's Digital …

Software 7 Mar 2003, 11:28
One way sat broadband from £30 per month

£250 set-up fee

Warwickshire-based RMS Broadband is to launch a one-way broadband-via-satellite service next week based on Eutelsat's Opensky product. The service - which is backed by private finance - is aimed at the residential and SME sectors in areas currently not served by ADSL or cable broadband services. Prices start at around £30 a …

Small Biz 7 Mar 2003, 11:30
Panic Attack! Mobile terrorist alert service

Reasons to be Fearful

It's something we've all pondered: when the terrorist attack comes, how can I keep one step ahead? Well, worry no more thanks to the new UK Alert mobile phone system. Yes, UK Alert.co.uk promises to send warning of any impending strike direct to your mobile phone, giving you time to run around in blind panic while others …

Mobile 7 Mar 2003, 11:55
Neowin.net downed by MS ‘cease and desist’ letter

A P2P SDK problem, apparently...

Well-known Windows enthusiast site Neowin.net has been downed, reportedly by a "cease and desist" letter sent by Microsoft to the site's hosting company. The Register understands that the letter relates to an item published by Neowin concerning a Microsoft peer-to-peer SDK. "In simple terms," a Neowin source told The Register, " …

Music and Media 7 Mar 2003, 12:09
Swisscom buys Megabeam and WLAN AG

Pan-European WLAN plan

Swiss telecoms operator Swisscom today announced the acquisition of WLAN hotspot firms Megabeam and WLAN AG. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. Swisscom has already launched wireless hot spot services in Switzerland through its subsidiary Swisscom Mobile AG, and plans to use the acquisitions to roll out a pan- …

Wireless 7 Mar 2003, 12:11
Microsoft pumps $2bn into software for small business

War chest

Microsoft is to invest $2bn on software for small businesses in its next financial year. This is a "significant increase" on this year, but by how much the firm is not saying. It is setting up a new business unit to address the sector. This will be headed by Orlando Alaya, described by Bloomberg as Microsoft's top salesperson …

Small Biz 7 Mar 2003, 12:34
Games anti piracy bot fingers ZX Spectrum archive site

And worryingly, it doesn't sound like it was a mistake

Hot on the heels (actually, earlier, but we only just heard about it) of yesterday's BSA robot busts OpenOffice story we have a doppelganger - a games antipiracy trawling operation with mesh so small we feel sure it must be in breach of European fisheries legislation. The Interactive Digital Software Association last month sent …

Software 7 Mar 2003, 13:59
Police raids following Texas University ID cyber-heist

55,200 swiped social security numbers prompt tough action

Crackers are believed to have swiped the social security numbers of 55,200 past and present University of Texas faculty members and students, following a computer break-in last weekend. The disclosure has prompted fears that the social security data might find it ways into the hands of ID thieves. Early indications are that the …

Security 7 Mar 2003, 14:21
BT faces enquiry over ‘unlimited’ dotmusic claims

Trading standards

Trading standards officers have been notified over accusations that BT is "misleading" the public by calling its new online music-on-demand service "unlimited". Rival music download service, Wippit, has already contacted trading standards officers at Westminster City Council who are said to be looking into the matter. Said …

Music and Media 7 Mar 2003, 14:23
NEC, Hitachi prep notebook fuel cells

Does your laptop run on unleaded?

NEC and Hitachi have joined the mad dash to devise fuel cells for notebook computers and other mobile devices. Both companies separately demo'd their offerings at the Nano Tech 2003 show, held in Japan recently, AsiaBizTech reports today. Toshiba announced earlier this week that it had developed a prototype fuel cell system. …

Personal 7 Mar 2003, 15:47
BT online music service fails whistle test

Analysis Rattle and ho-hum

British Telecom's Dotmusic on Demand (DoD) digital music subscription service, launched in London yesterday, isn't likely to persuade users of free services like Kazaa and Grokster that it's time to go legal just yet. And it's not going to convince music buyers that online is a better value medium than CD either. Part of BT's …

Music and Media 7 Mar 2003, 16:35
Don't mess with 802.11g, researcher warns

Wait for certification - Gartner

Businesses have this week been warned to steer clear of 802.11g wireless LAN technology by market research organisation Gartner. Devices based on the 802.11g specification operate in the same 2.4GHz band as current 802.11b WLAN products but have a maximum throughput of 54Mbps rather than 802.11b's 11Mbps. Attractive though the …

Wireless 7 Mar 2003, 17:17
T-Mobile loses bid to reduce its Virgin spend

Stuck with a 'loss-making' agreement

T-Mobile lost out in a High Court judgement yesterday on a dispute over how much it should pay partially estranged partner/step-child Virgin Mobile for calls for rival networks to Virgin's subscribers. Virgin Mobile is half-owned by T-Mobile, Deutche Telecom's mobile division, and a complex joint venture agreement exists …

Mobile 7 Mar 2003, 20:08
Pervert panic prompts pic phone bathing ban

Snap decisions by councils

Fears that picture phones could be used by perverts to take pictures of half-dressed youngsters have prompted UK councils to ban the use of the technology at swimming baths and other public sports facilities. Although there's no firm evidence that paedophiles have latched onto picture messaging phones (or come to that any …

Mobile 7 Mar 2003, 20:13
RIAA's ‘Hide The Website’ game moves to Virginia

It's now hidden with an accountant

The RIAA's travelling "Hide The Website" gameshow rolled into Virginia this week, with a new hosting company given the privilege (or curse) of looking after one of the world's most reviled web destinations. But this strange story gets even stranger. A few minutes after we reported on Monday that the RIAA's website had …

Music and Media 7 Mar 2003, 20:42
Senate Leader scraps website war poll, blaming hackers

"Tampering" or the wrong result?

Senate majority leader Bill Frist has yanked a "Bomb Iraq" poll from his website. Frist's office told The Register that "tampering" was to blame for the removal of the poll, which asked "Should the United States use force to remove Saddam Hussein from power? Your opinion is important to Senator Frist." "Clever computer …

Security 7 Mar 2003, 22:55