The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

21st July 2003 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Second Tungsten T successor surfaces

    Prototype pics pop up on web

    Fresh images of what's purported to be Palm's next Tungsten T PDA have surfaced on a Chinese web site. The pictures - which you can see over at PalmInfocenter but no longer appear to be available to the original site, eNet - show a Tungsten T-style machine with a larger, 320x480 LCD. The extra screen space is used for a virtual …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2003, 09:12

  • Cisco issues network security brown alert

    Serious DoS risk

    Cisco warned last night of a potentially devastating flaw affecting a wide range of routers and switches. The DoS vulnerability rises from a bug in Cisco's core IOS software and could cause vulnerable devices to stop processing inbound packets on receipt of maliciously constructed IPv4 packets. Normal service would be restored …

    Data Networking 21 Jul 2003, 09:29

  • Cisco IOS DoS exploit released in the wild

    Drop everything - get patching!

    The risk posed by a serious DoS vulnerability to a wide range of Cisco Systems routers and switches has been upgraded following the release of an exploit onto a full disclosure mailing list. As we reported yesterday, The DoS vulnerability arises from a bug in Cisco's core IOS software which means vulnerable devices to stop …

    Data Networking 21 Jul 2003, 09:29

  • BT overdoses on Cisco security fix

    IOS patching goes awry

    BT restored its ADSL network to normal operation this afternoon after attempts to guard against a serious security problem overnight inadvertently disrupted the connections of a substantial minority of UK Net users this morning. In response to a serious DoS risk affecting a wide range of Cisco routers and switches (which …

    Data Networking 21 Jul 2003, 09:29

  • Oftel orders BT to cut wholesale net prices

    Let's hope operators pass on savings

    Oftel today ordered BT to reduce its charges for wholesale unmetered Internet access by 17 per cent in a move that will reduce the cost of getting online for many UK consumers. Following an investigation (begun following a complaint from Cable & Wireless, which was later supported by Energis), Oftel has concluded that BT has …

    Media 21 Jul 2003, 09:46

  • Fossil Wrist PDA delayed to 30 Sept.

    Embarrassing

    Watch maker Fossil has put back the release of its much-anticipated Palm OS-based Wrist PDA to September, according to Amazon.com The delay is surely something of an embarrassment for the company, which recently promised the product would ship on 30 June. That promised followed our story, based on an official statement from …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2003, 09:47

  • Intel preps Banias-based Celerons for Q1 2004

    Low-cost Centrino

    Intel will roll out Mobile Celeron processors based on the Pentium M, aka Banias, early next year in a bid to push down the prices of wireless-enabled notebooks. So say sources from among Taiwan's notebook contract manufacturer community, cited by DigiTimes. The sources say the Celerons will ship at 1.3GHz and be fabbed at …

    Channel 21 Jul 2003, 10:10

  • BT climbs into bed with T-Mobile

    Virgin Mobile rocks

    BT is to set up as a full-blown mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) on the back of a deal with T-Mobile. The company will go toe-to-toe with the likes of Vodafone and its former subsidiary, mmO2 from next month, The Business, a UK Sunday newspaper, reports. Last year, BT re-entered the mobile business, buying airtime from …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2003, 10:21

  • Voda says sorry for sending horrid letter to low-rents

    'Poorly written and quite threatening'

    Vodafone UK has issued an apology to thousands of pre-paid customers for threatening to cut them off, unless they started using their phones more often. In a direct mail, the company had told customers, "many of them old" as The Mail on Sunday helpfully points out, that due to "extremely high demand for mobile phone numbers' …

    Mobile 21 Jul 2003, 10:31

  • E-mail abuses cost UK firms millions

    Time wasters

    Unnecessary and badly written e-mails cost companies in the UK millions each year, according to the latest research by business-writing consultants Emphasis. According to research from the company, employees in many British companies engage in time-wasting e-mail practices that cut into worker efficiency and drive down …

    Media 21 Jul 2003, 10:57

  • Evesham dangles condoms in student PC promo

    Irresistible?

    Students gearing up for the next academic year can get free condoms when they buy a PC or notebook from Evesham Technology. The gimmick is part of the company's latest venture to target the UK's 3.2m students in higher education. As part of a promo students can get a 5 per cent discount on all Evesham PCs and notebooks bought …

    Channel 21 Jul 2003, 11:26

  • Trojan infection linked to SA Net bank thefts

    Police on trail of single perp

    A Trojan infection has been linked to the theft of hundreds of thousands of rand from Internet accounts held at South African bank Absa. South Africa's Sunday Times yesterday reported that police are investigating nine cases involving thefts from Absa accounts. Losses reported to the police come in at R230,000 (£18,800) but the …

    Media 21 Jul 2003, 11:43

  • Red Hat to dump retail, devolve package work

    So what's the new channel strategy then, people?

    Red Hat will abandon retail shrinkwrap software when it releases "Cambridge," its next major upgrade, says Linux and Main, citing "company communications with employees and developers" as sources. The move will be implemented along with changes to the company's distribution and development procedures, according to the site - …

    Software 21 Jul 2003, 11:55

  • Business Objects buys Crystal Decisions

    Bulking up against SAS

    Business Objects is to buy Crystal Decisions, a rival business intelligence (BI) software vendor, for approx $820m, of which $300m is cash. The combined company will present a bigger challenge to SAS Institute, the dominant BI player most famous for its data mining software. The proposed consolidation will also present a …

    Data Center 21 Jul 2003, 12:14

  • Samsung debuts 'world's fastest' PDA CPU

    Beats XScale by 133MHz

    Samsung today announced what it claims is the world's fastest PDA processor, the ARM9-based S3C2440, clocked at 533MHz. Actually, Samsung claimed the device is "the world's fastest mobile CPU", but we think Intel would challenge that assertion. Its mobile Pentium M is clocked at 1.7GHz, more than three times the frequency of …

    Channel 21 Jul 2003, 12:42

  • The War against ‘Viagra’

    Hard sell

    The US Food and Drug Administration has announced plans to fight counterfeit drugs. The FDA will introduce technology that could show at a glance if drugs are real, such as watermarks or electronic tags. It will also tighten requirements for drug wholesalers so it's tougher to sneak counterfeits into legitimate supplies. That's …

    Media 21 Jul 2003, 13:09

  • Toshiba drives notebooks down to £499

    Reg Kit Watch Plus: a host of new notebooks, and Dell's 800MHz FSB server

    Notebooks Toshiba today added new Satellite Pro and Porté gé notebooks to its extensive line-up. The Satellite Pro A10 series is aimed at SMEs on rock-bottom budgets, while the Porté gé M100 family targets users willing to pay a premium for portability. The A10 line comprises two models, both based on Intel's Mobile Celeron …

    Personal 21 Jul 2003, 13:49

  • ID thieves rip off 7m US adults a year

    So what are banks doing about it?

    Seven million US adults,were victims of identity theft in the 12 months ending June 2003, according to Gartner. The analyst group is calling on banks to make it tougher for crooks to obtain credit in false names. Gartner says its figures represent a 79 per cent increase in people affected by ID theft since its last survey in …

    Security 21 Jul 2003, 15:02

  • SEC probes games industry accounting practices

    Unusually wide scope

    The Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States has begun a probe into a number of accounting practices in the games industry, with Acclaim, Activision and THQ all confirming that they are under scrutiny. The three publishers were notified of the probe earlier this month, according to Reuters, and have been asked to …

    Business 21 Jul 2003, 15:03

  • Real Basic to target Linux

    Compilation support coming but no IDE for now

    Real Basic, the rather good pro/am rapid application development tool, will support Linux when version 5.5 ships at the end of the year, its developer, Real Software, said today. The news is probably of more value to Windows and Mac users, however, since Real Basic 5.5 will only support Linux as a target platform rather than as …

    Software 21 Jul 2003, 15:18

  • SCO says it's time for Linux users to pay up

    You're so very tainted

    SCO is giving the "tainted" Linux users out there a way to clean up their filthy ways via a licensing program that will begin in the coming weeks. After dolling out threats of legal action, SCO has called on enterprise Linux users to come forward and pay for code the company claims to own. The legal zealots at SCO reckon Linux …

    Servers 21 Jul 2003, 16:43

  • Claranet in talks to buy Netscalibur – sources

    No comment

    UK ISP Claranet is in the final stages of acquiring London-based business ISP Netscalibur, according to sources familiar with the situation. The deal is expected to be completed within the next week or so although exact details have yet to be released. However, insiders have expressed fears that the acquisition could lead to …

    Business 21 Jul 2003, 16:45

  • GX buys CIX, XTML LTD

    Merger of the acronyms

    GX Networks has bought two telecoms operations from Telenor for £1m in new shares. They are Compulink Information eXchange Ltd, better known as CIX, now an ISP and once the nearest thing the UK ever got to The Well; and XTML Ltd, a business to business web hosting outfit. The businesses are loss-making and had collective …

    Business 21 Jul 2003, 16:54

  • IBM ASP'ifies Siebel CRM

    Flogging subs over the Web

    IBM and Siebel are planning to tout some applications delivered over the wire. The pair are going to ASP’ify the Siebel CRM suite and offer it out to users on a monthly subscription service over the web, CNET reports. No servers, no network. For this kind of game you just need a browser. Utility computing nirvana - something we …

    Servers 21 Jul 2003, 17:15

  • Ericsson: recovery still far off

    Energetic attack on costs

    Ericsson has reported a Q2 net loss of $330 million. Intensive cost cutting is all that kept telecoms giant Ericsson on its feet in Q2, when revenues fell by more than 28%. The most positive aspect to the company's results is its book-to-bill ratio, but a recovery in revenues still seems far off. LM Ericsson Telefon's shares …

    Business 21 Jul 2003, 18:43

  • PeopleSoft: new obstacles for Oracle

    Board coup that much harder

    PeopleSoft has acquired majority control of JD Edwards. PeopleSoft said on Friday that it has won majority control of JD Edwards, having seen 88% of its shares tendered, and expects to bring the company fully into the fold before the end of August. PeopleSoft's success will put several new hurdles in Oracle's way. PeopleSoft …

    Data Center 21 Jul 2003, 18:55