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14th April 2003 Archive

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  • Enfora preps ‘Wi-Fi wallet’ Palm PDA cases

    Reg Kit Watch Plus Dell's first 800MHz FSB system, eMachines' latest and ABIT's 1GHz FSB mobo

    PDA Want Wi-Fi on your Palm? US-based wireless specialist Enfora has a very discreet solution the WP802b: a wallet for your handheld that contains a built-in 802.11b adaptor. As you can see from Enfora's concept picture, the PDA sits on one side, the 802.11b transceiver on the other. The two come together through Palm's …

    Personal 14 Apr 2003, 09:01

  • mmO2 sells Dutch ops for peanuts

    Quick exit

    mmO2 is to sell its Dutch arm to an investment company for just EUR25 million. In a statement, mmO2 said that independent private equity and corporate finance group Greenfield Capital Partners would buy the struggling unit in a cash deal expected to close by the end of May. The announcement ends months of speculation over the …

    Mobile 14 Apr 2003, 09:25

  • ‘Super-DMCA’ fears suppress security research

    'Everything I do is illegal'

    Steganography and honeypot expert Niels Provos may risk four years in prison by completing his Ph.D., writes Kevin Poulsen, of SecurityFocus. A University of Michigan graduate student noted for his research into steganography and honeypots -- techniques for concealing messages and detecting hackers, respectively -- says he's …

    Security 14 Apr 2003, 10:16

  • IEEE preps 802.11n 320Mbps WLAN spec

    Real data rates move closer to raw data rates

    Wireless LANs will reach speeds of 108Mbps, double 802.11a and 802.11g's 54Mbps rising to 320Mbps - and that's real data rates, which will more closely match the maximum raw transmission rates - if the IEEE has its way. Earlier this year, the standards body formed a working group, the High Throughput Study Group, to explore the …

    Wireless 14 Apr 2003, 10:20

  • Oracle and Unbreakable Linux

    Opinion ISV play

    You could argue that Oracle was relatively slow to jump onto the Linux bandwagon, or you might argue that IBM was fast off the mark. writes Robin Bloor It probably happened that way because IBM was getting anxious about platforms. The world had gradually moved to Unix or Windows NT and the reference platform for Unix was Sun's …

    Hardware 14 Apr 2003, 10:25

  • Free mobile phone video – carried over audio?

    Phone TV

    It could be evil news for mobile phone companies if the idea catches on; but it does look as if Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) technology can now make it feasible to watch TV on your cellphone. This might well sound like the daftest idea since self-assessed taxes: broadcasting video to mobile users over digital audio broadcast …

    Mobile 14 Apr 2003, 10:31

  • BT court action stops engineer strike

    For now

    A series of one day strikes by the BT engineers, due to commence today, have been called off following a High Court injunction. The Communications Workers Union has withdrawn plans to stage strikes today (April 14), Friday, April 25 and Monday April 28. The strike calls for 13,000 BT engineers was in response to an "unfair" new …

    Data Networking 14 Apr 2003, 10:36

  • Intel chief takes helm at WLAN chip maker Atheros… NOT

    Craig-er vs. Craig-er

    Question: what's the difference between Dr. Craig Barratt and Dr. Craig Barrett? Answer: one is the CEO of a major international semiconductor company, and the other runs Intel. That's right, Craig Barrett (with an 'e') is CEO of Intel, while Craig Barratt (with an 'a') is the recently appointed CEO of wireless LAN chip maker …

    Channel 14 Apr 2003, 11:05

  • ARM sales and profits plunged during Q1 2003

    No improvement foreseen, either

    ARM Holdings today said that its Q1 sales and income had fallen dramatically, and it expects the gloom to continue for the foreseeable future. For the three months to 31 March 2003, ARM recorded a profit of £4.3 million on revenues of £31 million. This time last year, ARM posted a profit of £10.7 million on sales of £42.1 …

    Channel 14 Apr 2003, 11:28

  • Apple contracts Quanta to build wireless display – report

    Tablet Mac or home entertainment system?

    Apple is planning to launch a Tablet PC-style wireless display terminal, the Chinese language Economic Daily News has reported. Taiwanese contract notebook manufacturer Quanta has been signed to produce the machine, the paper claimed citing unnamed sources. The story will stoke ongoing rumours that the Mac maker is working on …

    Mac Channel 14 Apr 2003, 11:57

  • Stolen mobile rings in ‘body cavity’

    Would-be thief caught with knickers down

    Our piece last week on the "Purring Kitty" mobile phone vibrator programme certainly found favour among many of our readers. This email, from Diana Lask, was typical of the feedback: I simply wanted to say a nice "Thank You" for a story detailing a practical use of today's high tech gadgetry. I do believe that you should post …

    Bootnotes 14 Apr 2003, 12:17

  • How to automate a DoS attack using the Post Office

    Alt-revenge FAQ

    Fancy taking revenge on someone you don't like by deluging someone with junk mail? A little bit of knowledge can go a long way. Thanks to the increased readiness of companies to send out brochures and magazines to anyone who bothers to register online, the US Postal Service can become the agent of denial of service attacks. …

    Security 14 Apr 2003, 12:19

  • The Xbox key sales target

    Needs to drop price

    Contrary to an earlier story, Microsoft is on track to hit its 9million units sales target for Xbox this June. This morning we reported on market analysis which showed that Microsoft was likely to miss this sales target by a significant margin - with a realistic estimate of worldwide sales for the console sitting at between 6. …

    Personal 14 Apr 2003, 12:49

  • Intel officially unveils 800MHZ FSB, i875P chipset

    First benchmarks show noticeable but small performance gain

    Intel has announced its '800MHz' frontside bus, along with Pentium 4 chips and chipsets to go with it, as expected. So, we have a 3GHz Pentium 4 that incorporates HyperThreading and the i875P chipset (formerly known as Canterwood), comprising the 82875P North Bridge and the ICH5 South Bridge. The i875P brings in dual-channel …

    Channel 14 Apr 2003, 13:21

  • Linksys and Symantec bundle security

    60 days subs to Norton Internet Security with broadband kit

    Linksys is to bundle copies of Norton Internet Security 2003 with its entire line of cable/DSL routers sold in Britain. The full-featured version of the Norton Internet Security 2003 security suite will be offered to Linksys customers during their router installation via set-up software. Norton Internet Security 2003 features …

    Telecoms 14 Apr 2003, 15:54

  • Application Vulnerability Description Language coined

    Verily security scanners shall talk unto remediation tools

    Security vendors joined together today to back a standard for describing application security vulnerabilities. The new Application Vulnerability Description Language (AVDL), to be managed through the OASIS consortium, provides a "XML standard to define, categorize and classify application vulnerabilities in a standardized …

    Security 14 Apr 2003, 16:02

  • Intel suspends shipments of 800MHz FSB Pentium 4

    Spotted bug at the eleventh hour

    Intel has confirmed that it has delayed the release of its 800MHz frontside bus Pentium 4, despite launching the processor alongside its support chipset, the i875P, today. At issue is a "small anomaly observed in validation testing on a small number of chips", a spokesman said. In response, Intel halted shipments of the chip. …

    Channel 14 Apr 2003, 20:39

  • Computer mag advice can kill!

    We're shocked! Shocked!

    OK, own up, which computer magazines are trying to kill their readers? With newsstand circulation falling through the floor in the last couple of year, the last thing we need is dead punters. But dead is what you could be if you followed advice to home computer owners on how to install electrostatically sensitive components in …

    Personal 14 Apr 2003, 21:02

  • Cap Gemini targets EDS renewals

    'Customers are already asking questions'

    Cap Gemini Ernst & Young is aiming for strong growth in its outsourcing operation by dramatically building its offshore arm, targeting new business in applications management and BPO, and targeting the clients of rival EDS. It must regret selling off its BPO practice in 2001, with outsourcing services currently showing strong …

    Hardware 14 Apr 2003, 21:03

  • It's another bug, confirms Google

    Creature Comforts

    It's a bug! And what a big butterfly net we must have, for we've only been paying attention to Google for a week, and we've already found three critters. Or is it four? By telephone, we guided Google's Head of Corporate Communications David Krane through the procedure we used to unearth the "sun storage" feature we discovered …

    Music and Media 14 Apr 2003, 21:06

  • US.gov builds huge child porn database

    Wouldn't be allowed in UK

    A huge database system designed to find sexually abused children is under development in the US. But legal restrictions mean that the project is unlikely to be replicated in the UK. The US Justice's Department Child Victim Identification Program will include a catalogue of thousands of illicit pictures seized from suspects and …

    Music and Media 14 Apr 2003, 21:24