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19th June 2003 Archive

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  • Brocade gets big backing for new software

    EMC, HP, HDS all sign on

    Brocade is in the midst of a pretty good run with analysts and partners such as EMC, Hewlett-Packard and Hitachi heralding the company's storage switch business. Earlier this month, Merrill Lynch issued a research note touting Brocade's improved competitive position against McData and Cisco. The analyst firm backed Brocade's …

    Storage 19 Jun 2003, 00:24

  • Of the Playstation Portable

    Software pricing, media compatibility etc.

    A host of new details about Sony's forthcoming PlayStation Portable (PSP) console have been revealed by SCEE president Chris Deering at a summit in London, including software pricing details and the company's view on the Game Boy Advance. Games for the device will be released on Sony's new Universal Media Disc (UMD) format, …

    Mobile 19 Jun 2003, 08:57

  • Security researchers nibble at Bluetooth

    Say hello to Redfang

    On Tuesday the organization responsible for the Bluetooth wireless standard unveiled version 1.2 of its official spec at the Bluetooth World Congress in Amsterdam. But for real evidence that that the technology is finally gaining acceptance turn to the conference program for this summer's DefCon hacker convention, or the front …

    Wireless 19 Jun 2003, 09:05

  • Excel snafu costs firm $24m

    Some cleric, some error

    A simple spreadsheet error cost a firm a whopping US$24m. The mistake led to TransAlta, a big Canadian power generator, buying more US power transmission hedging contracts in May at higher prices than it should have. In a conference call, chief executive Steve Snyder said the snafu was "literally a cut-and-paste error in an …

    Small Biz 19 Jun 2003, 09:27

  • VIA ships KT600 chipset for Athlon XP 3200+

    400MHz FSB support and lots more

    VIA has begun shipping its Apollo KT600 chipset for 400MHz frontside bus Athlon XP processors, and has signed 20-odd mobo makers to use the product. The KT600 north bridge chip provides AGP 4x/8x, 266-400MHz FSB support and incorporates VIA's FastStream64 400MHz DDR SDRAM controller which, according to VIA, "uses an expanded …

    Channel 19 Jun 2003, 09:42

  • Bulldog goes live with 6Mbps DSL service

    Greed is good

    Bulldog has unveiled a 6 Mbps DSL service for really bandwidth-greedy home users. The service - PrimeTime 6000 - is available at 35 unbundled exchanges in London and costs £99.99 (+VAT) a month. Although the service offers speeds up to 6 Mbps, these higher speeds are only available during evenings and weekends. The rest of the …

    Small Biz 19 Jun 2003, 09:58

  • HP confirms future product will use Athlon 64

    But the t182k isn't it

    At last, the truth behind HP's mysterious model t182k PC, revealed yesterday to be the company's first AMD Athlon 64-based offering, can be revealed. According to a company spokeswoman, the PDF file detailing the machine's spec. - which was still available for download here when we checked this morning - is "an outdated …

    Personal 19 Jun 2003, 10:57

  • Premium rate txt on the rise

    Voice calls falter

    Interactive telly shows such as Big Brother have led to an explosion in the number of premium rate text messages being sent and received in the UK. At the same time, the number of premium rate voice telephone minutes being spent on adult services, tele-voting and weather information, for example, are on the decline. As a …

    Mobile 19 Jun 2003, 11:00

  • IP Telephony far better than ‘two cans connected by string’

    Ready for primetime

    IP Telephony has matured from having the "sound quality equal to two cans tied together with string" to become a serious consumer service, market analysis organisation In-Stat/MDR has claimed. Consumer IP Telephony is at the beginning of a transition phase with the growth of broadband enabling IP Telephony providers to merge …

    Data Networking 19 Jun 2003, 11:35

  • Researchers build gadget to see through walls

    Low-frequency radar not x-ray specs

    British boffins have developed a radar-based system that can see through walls and behind closed doors. The system, devised by UK radar research specialist Cambridge Consultants (CCL) uses low-frequency radio pulses to penetrate walls up to 25cm thick. The proof-of-concept device built by CCL scans in the horizontal and …

    Personal 19 Jun 2003, 11:37

  • ‘Madison’ Itanium 2 to ship on 30 June

    2.8GHz Xeon MPs too

    Intel will unveil the next version of its Itanium 2 processor, codenamed Madison, along with next-generation Xeon MP chips, aka Gallatin, on 30 June. Madison will feature 6MB of on-die L3 cache - an alternative version will include just 4MB of cache - and is expected to ship at 1.5GHz. A 1.3GHz, 3MB L3 version, codenamed …

    Servers 19 Jun 2003, 13:14

  • AMD to ship Athlon 64 3400+ in August – report

    Paving the way for the September launch

    AMD will ship the Athlon 64 in August, well ahead of its September launch, Taiwanese motherboard-maker sources claim. So reports DigiTimes, and we're not surprised. If the claims are accurate, then AMD is shipping the Athlon 64 early to ensure motherboard vendors and system suppliers are able to ship products based on the chip …

    Channel 19 Jun 2003, 13:24

  • Fortinet fortifies anti-virus firewalls

    The science of appliances

    Fortinet has upgraded its network-based anti-virus firewall appliances to defend against a wider range of malicious attacks. A new version of the firmware was released yesterday for all the vendor's FortiGate Antivirus Firewalls. FortiOS 2.5 adds intrusion prevention features, as well as a range of enhancements to the firewall …

    Malware 19 Jun 2003, 13:27

  • Win free tickets to the LinuxUser & Developer Conference

    Site offer Fancy a trip to the NEC Birmingham?

    The Register is offering readers the chance to win free tickets to next week's LinuxUser & Developer Conference -The Linux Zone taking place on the 24, 25 and 26 June at Networks for Business at the NEC Birmingham. The conference boasts an international line-up of some of the foremost Linux and free software gurus. Speakers …

    Software 19 Jun 2003, 13:51

  • Corel shareholders rebel

    Just say 'no' to takeover

    Corel Corporation shareholders are revolting. They say the struggling software company has sold them down the river by agreeing to flog the business for a bargain basement price. Rebel shareholders have set up a Web site, corelrescue.com, to help railroad this "unfair takeover offer". Earlier this month, directors of Corel - …

    Business 19 Jun 2003, 13:59

  • Micro-engines to power next-gen PDAs, PCs, phones

    Birmingham boffins build better battery

    Forget about fuel cells: 'micro-engines' are the future of mobile device power supplies, if the predictions of a team of scientists at the UK's University of Birmingham come to pass. A research team from the University's Mechanical Engineering department lead by Dr Kyle Jiang have developed a motor just a few millimetres in size …

    Personal 19 Jun 2003, 14:33

  • Nimble reveals personal multimedia phone

    Reg Kit Watch A VIA-based PC by any other name

    Videophone Nimble Microsystems has launched the Nimble V5 personal video conferencing player, a compact information appliance based on VIA's C3 x86-compatible processor. How compact? The V5 measures 19.3 x 19.3 x 5cm (7.7 x 7.7 x 2in), says Nimble. It offers e-mail, web browsing, instant messaging, IP telephony and video …

    Personal 19 Jun 2003, 14:44

  • RSA gets into fingerprints

    Factor 3

    RSA Security is to add biometric recognition technology to its popular line of two-factor authentication products. This will give customers the opportunity to add another layer of authentication to its identity management system. RSA Security will integrate Precise Biometrics' Precise BioMatch fingerprint authentication …

    Security 19 Jun 2003, 15:04

  • BTo tops Oftel complaints league table

    Should do better

    Oftel receives three times more complaints about BTopenworld than any other ISP, according to official stats published today. The telecoms regulator receives one complaint per thousand BTo customers, compared with just one complaint per 3,000 customers from the likes of Demon and NTL. Although soon-to-be-scrapped BT Openworld …

    Music and Media 19 Jun 2003, 15:14

  • Battery makers to try Splash Power wireless recharge kit

    One charger, multiple devices, no wires

    Imagine charging your PDA, phone and notebook all at the same time, from the same source, simultaneously. That's the goal of SplashPower, a UK-based start-up that has developed a 'wireless' recharging system. This week the company announced a deal with Hong Kong-based battery maker Celltronix to explore how its technology can …

    Personal 19 Jun 2003, 15:26

  • Engage is now DisEngaged

    Files for Chapter 11

    Engage, the once high-flying ad serving software and Internet sales house, has gone titsup. It has filed for Chapter 11 and is selling all of its assets to a firm called Scene 7 for the knockdown price of $1.2m cash and the assumption of liabilities of approx. $650,000 to $850,000. This is subject to bankruptcy court approval …

    Business 19 Jun 2003, 15:56

  • ‘Pirates’ told to pack it in – RIAA

    Verizon hands over names

    The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sent "cease and desist" letters to four people it alleges were illegally offering hundreds of copyrighted songs over the Internet. The names were handed over by Verizon, which until now has refused to reveal the identity of its punters accused of pirating music, claming …

    Music and Media 19 Jun 2003, 15:56

  • Net fraudster nailed – in East Ham

    Early Warning

    Members of the scheme to warn UK retailers about credit card fraud have been commended by the Metropolitan Police for their part in assisting the arrest and conviction of a serious Internet fraudster. Information from Early Warning members allowed police to link the fraudulent order of around £18,000 worth of goods 'bought' …

    Small Biz 19 Jun 2003, 17:20

  • mPay Day for Network365

    raises €10m

    Irish mobile software company Network365 has raised €10 million in new venture capital, as it prepares for expected growth in its sector. The company, which makes a suite of products under the mzone brand that let users make payments with mobile devices, said the funding would allow it to expand in Asia, Europe and the Americas …

    Mobile 19 Jun 2003, 17:30

  • Veritas retools cluster software

    Just in time for ClusterWorld

    Veritas has added a few new bits and pieces into the latest release of its cluster management software. With Global Cluster Manager 3.5.1, users will find added support for some big-name products. Veritas' software will now be able to do wide-area disaster recovery for Microsoft Exchange 2000 servers and work with Hitachi's …

    Servers 19 Jun 2003, 19:13

  • Eating Lawyers is good for you

    Letters Tasty reader recipes

    Re: Lawyers must be culled like rabbits - Nokia VP Nokia's Erik Anderson has a cure for lawyer-infestation. You have your own suggestions for dealing with America's parasites, and here are the highlights. In your Reg article you mention: "The trouble is no one is eating the lawyers" Two thoughts spring to mind, the first is …

    Letters 19 Jun 2003, 19:27

  • Letters Quantum Crypto – It's in the fiber

    : Holy Grail of crypto to arrive in three years, say UK boffins You mention already the fundamental existence of noise. Precisely noise makes it impossible to differentiate between errors in the communication because of noise or because the perfect hacker started listening in. Please use your Holy Publicaton Powers to make an …

    Letters 19 Jun 2003, 19:31

  • Cisco switch price cuts a bad sign – Analyst

    No love for MDS

    A pair of recent price cuts for Cisco storage switches have one analyst questioning how successful the networking giant can be in the high-end storage market. Merrill Lynch's John Roy has issued a series of notes over the last three weeks, suggesting that demand for Cisco's MDS switches is tepid at best. He cites Hewlett- …

    Storage 19 Jun 2003, 20:26

  • StorageTek signs FalconStor for data pooling

    On the road to managed storage for open systems

    StorageTek is to develop and resell a version of FalconStor's IPStor disk pooling and virtualisation software. The strategic alliance between the two companies also gives StorageTek's resellers and its professional services group access to IPStor. The plan is for StorageTek to use IPStor in data migration and replication …

    Storage 19 Jun 2003, 21:53

  • US Senator pauses on PC destruct button

    No 'Hatch attack' unless peaceful means fail

    US Senator Orrin Hatch (Republican, Utah) backed down slightly from his bizarre remarks Tuesday advocating the remote destruction of computers belonging to copyright scofflaws. On Wednesday Hatch posted an announcement on his Web site saying, "I made my comments at yesterday's hearing because I think that industry is not doing …

    Music and Media 19 Jun 2003, 21:56

  • Sun ready to ship the whole Enchilada

    Workstation redux

    More details on Sun's upcoming Ultra SPARC IIIi-based workstations have emerged thanks to a generous Register reader. As reported last week, the Sun Blade 1500 - code-named Taco - has started shipping even though Sun is yet to announce the system. The workstation costs close to $2,000 with one 1GHz UltraSPARC IIIi processor, …

    Servers 19 Jun 2003, 22:01

  • Nintendo wins Lik-Sang piracy case

    Big damages

    Hong Kong based Lik-Sang, a mail order company which distributes videogame software and hardware worldwide, has lost a crucial court case brought by Nintendo over the sale of devices which could copy Game Boy software. The ruling in the High Court of Hong Kong sees Lik-Sang ordered to cease distribution of the devices (Flash …

    Personal 19 Jun 2003, 22:39