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19th November 2003 Archive

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  • Sun and AOL form StarOffice pact for cheap desktops

    Sneak Peek PCs dip below $300

    Fresh off a major Linux desktop win in China, Sun Microsystems has found a PC friend closer to home with AOL now piloting a program to ship sub-$300 desktops running StarOffice. We predicted a move like this last week, and it's good to see Sun come through as promised so that El Reg appears somewhat on its game. The deal with …

    Personal 19 Nov 2003, 00:09

  • Belgian watchdog fumes over Nokia battery statement

    How can you tell them apart?

    Will Belgian consumer watch dog Test-Aankoop and Nokia ever be friends again? Probably not. On Monday (Nov 17), Test-Aankoop performed new tests on mobile phone battery safety, this time using original Nokia batteries. As reported earlier, Nokia believed Test-Aankoop inadvertently included counterfeit batteries in the test …

    Mobile 19 Nov 2003, 08:30

  • Competitive broadband could add £22bn to UK economy

    BIG idea takes off

    The widespread take-up of broadband could give the UK economy a £22 billion shot in the arm, according to research published today. The centre for economics and business research (cebr) found that UK productivity could rise by 2.5 per cent by 2015 - the equivalent of workers toiling for an extra hour each week. Not only would …

    Telecoms 19 Nov 2003, 10:06

  • US loses 500k+ tech jobs in 2002

    Where did they all go?

    The US technology industry lost more than half a million jobs in 2002, taking sector employment levels to six million. Worst hit was electronics manufacturing, which accounted for more than half of US tech job losses between 2001 and 2002. This suggests a hollowing out of US assembly, as production is outsourced overseas. It …

    Business 19 Nov 2003, 10:33

  • Hynix appeals against EU DRAM tax

    Not fair

    Hynix has begun the process of appealing against the punitive import duty imposed by the European Union on its DRAM products earlier this year. The South Korean memory maker has filed its appeal with the EU court, Reuters reports. Following a report from the European Commission's antitrust organisation, the EU imposed in …

    Channel 19 Nov 2003, 10:38

  • Apple preps second Panther OS update

    Latest 10.3.2 build shipped to testers

    Apple is readying its next Mac OS X 10.3 Panther update, version 10.3.2. A new build, 7D12, was released to developers and testers this past Monday. The new release is a heftier update than version 10.3.1, which Apple made available on 10 November. That release was a compact 2.2MB, while the new version is said to be over 15MB …

    Mac Channel 19 Nov 2003, 10:43

  • Aussie students escape jail for online music piracy

    Lucky boys

    Australia's first criminal trial for online music piracy has ended with two students each receiving suspended 18-month jail sentences. Charles Kok Hau Ng, 20, and Peter Tran, 19, ran a music-swapping site called MPW3/WMA Land. Available for download were 390 CDs, some 1,800 tracks. The pair charged no money for their service, …

    Music and Media 19 Nov 2003, 10:49

  • Net Porn addict claims unfair dismissal

    'I need therapy and understanding'

    A German man fired for running up a €10,000 bill surfing porn at work claims he was treated unfairly because his employers failed into account his addiction to Net porn before giving him the boot. The unnamed former civil servant claims unfair dismissal against the German state of Lower Saxony. "I am an addict and as such am …

    Music and Media 19 Nov 2003, 12:13

  • Tarantella backs SuSE and Red Hat

    Used to be called SCO, remember?

    Just when it appeared that the SCO-Novell-SuSE ménage a trois couldn't get any more messy, Tarantella- the company formerly known as SCO - has unveiled platform support for SuSE Linux Enterprise Server in its remote application access offering. Tarantella, named after its flagship web-based remote access product, came into …

    Software 19 Nov 2003, 12:22

  • MS TCO study fails to dislodge OSS trials from Newham council

    They came, they audited, they went away again...

    Despite a determined onslaught by Microsoft consultants Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Newham Borough Council's open source trials have emerged not merely unscathed but expanded from an MS versus Linux face-off this week. And a statement issued by Newham today says that the London borough "has concluded that, in the short term, …

    Software 19 Nov 2003, 12:30

  • Freeserve strikes ad blow against AOL, Tiscali

    'Don't mess with us' - Wanadoo UK

    Freeserve has struck a glancing blow on arch-rival AOL U, after the advertising watchdog ruled that AOL had used "unfair" comparisons to plug its Internet service. AOL compared its own "free trial" offer with Freeserve's Anytime unmetered dial-up product, adding a table enabling punters to compare offers. AOL added: "Other …

    Telecoms 19 Nov 2003, 12:55

  • Slim Devices ships Squeezebox networked MP3 player

    Reg Kit Watch Listen to your tunes via Wi-Fi

    MP3 player PC-to-hi-fi music streaming specialist Slim Devices yesterday introduced its latest networked MP3 player, Squeezebox. The $299 unit incorporates an 802.11b wireless adaptor but also supports wired Ethernet. Server software installed on the host PC allows Squeezebox to reach out across the airwaves and grab MP3, CD …

    Personal 19 Nov 2003, 12:58

  • Epicor buys Scala

    Mid-market play

    Last week Epicor Software Corporation and Scala Business Solutions announced they had reached a definitive agreement to merge, writes Fran Howarth of Bloor Research. This merger will take the form of Epicor buying all outstanding shares in the capital of Scala for a cash price of $41.7 million plus 4.1 million shares of Epicor's …

    Hardware 19 Nov 2003, 13:02

  • MI5 takes charge of online terror tips

    Secret agency steps out of the shadows

    MI5, Britain's internal security and counter-espionage agency, is to play a greater role in informing the UK public about terror alerts. The agency will next year set up a web site dedicated to informing the UK public about terrorism threats. This will replace a Home Office site as the hub of government anti-terrorism …

    Security 19 Nov 2003, 13:38

  • Virgin and T-Mobile squabble over divorce terms

    Back in court

    Virgin Mobile and T-Mobile are back in court over the terms of the dissolution of their mobile phone joint venture. The nub of the dispute revolves around the £4.56 monthly flat fee paid by T-Mobile for each customer signed up by Virgin. However, it has been forced to pay this sum even if the customer is inactive. Since Virgin …

    Mobile 19 Nov 2003, 14:19

  • Stuff Bush with your mobile

    Free logo fights international war madness

    If you're a disaffected yoof with a penchant for dogs on string, anti-capitalist bin chucking and generally opposing US presidential state visits, then you need to get yourself straight down to Phat Tonez. This anarchist ringtone collective has decided to offer a free "Stop Bush" logo for mobes, and has apparently already …

    Bootnotes 19 Nov 2003, 14:21

  • Freeserve dismisses rebranding reports

    Old news, still 'under review'

    Freeserve has no plans to ditch its name and rebrand under the Wanadoo livery - yet. Recent press reports claim that a £20-£30 million rebranding exercise could happen as early as next year once the ISP completes a review of the matter. A spokeswoman for Freeserve admitted that the issue was still "under review" and that "no …

    Telecoms 19 Nov 2003, 14:23

  • 'Don't shoot the MP3.com archive,' pleads founder Robertson

    Still a live grenade, after all these years?

    MP3.com founder Michael Robertson, now CEO of Lindows.com, has launched a last ditch appeal for the preservation of the site's archive. Last week Vivendi Universal sold MP3.com to CNET, but the million or so songs there were not part of the deal, "will not be transferred to CNET Networks, Inc. or any other third party [and]... …

    Music and Media 19 Nov 2003, 15:51

  • ISS launches first hardware appliance

    Crucial product transition

    ISS, the intrusion detection software specialist, has begun selling its first hardware appliances. The Proventia G Series of intrusion prevention appliances are designed to block denial of service attacks or the spread of worms, such as Blaster, without interfering with legitimate network traffic. In active mode, Proventia G …

    Security 19 Nov 2003, 18:20

  • Mobile phones could cripple – boffins

    Walk and talk yourself into a wheelchair

    We're delighted to learn that not all scientific grants are squandered on the ultimately pointless race to confirm that the universe is composed entirely of string and that we live in just one of eleven dimensions in any one of which the trains could - just possibly - run on time. No, there's proper research going on out there …

    Bootnotes 19 Nov 2003, 18:21

  • EU sets up Euro-security agency

    Puny budget, educational role

    The European Parliament will today vote on a proposal to establish a European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA). If approved, the agency will promote closer European co-ordination on information security. Assuming MEPs approve regulations to establish the agency, the proposal will be passed onto the Council of …

    Security 19 Nov 2003, 18:25

  • Complaints? About ISPs? Surely not!

    ISPA unveils new complaints outfit

    The Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA) – the UK's ISP trade group - has hooked up with T-Mobile, Telewest, and Orange - to create a new independent complaints resolution service. Given the thumbs-up by telecoms regulator Oftel today, the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS), as its …

    Telecoms 19 Nov 2003, 18:31

  • EDGE everywhere by mid-2004 – AT&T Wireless

    Trebles bandwidth

    AT&T Wireless has upgraded its GPRS phone network to support faster data, turning on the EDGE enhancements. The carrier says that the upgrade will be complete by the middle of next year, but AT&TW has launched a $79 a month, all you can eat data plan and made available a $249 SonyEricsson PC card, or $149 after rebate. That's a …

    Mobile 19 Nov 2003, 20:12