9th December 2003 Archive

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Can you say n-CASE?

It lurks on your computer too

One day we were happily surfing away, when all of a sudden a couple of web sites began to pop up, apparently from nowhere. We were stunned. Didn't we install a popup killer to prevent this from happening? A quick inspection learned that the culprit was n-CASE, "a small application that is downloaded to your computer and runs in …

Music and Media 9 Dec 2003, 09:34
California signs up for nutty law banning camcorders from cinemas

'He stole my camcorder. No Officer, I was just making a citizen’s arrest'

You’ve been out at the beach all day and you met a friend in a bar who says she is going to take in a film. You join her and caught up in the conversation and don’t notice some of the new signs up at the cinema. Suddenly someone wants to search your back pack and the next thing you know you’re in prison for a one year stretch …

Music and Media 9 Dec 2003, 09:56
WiMAX trials speed up

First mobile tests plus a wireless county

Every week brings new real world trials of WiMAX standards, raising expectations of an earlier boom than anticipated once Intel and Fujitsu roll out their low cost silicon in early 2004. This week, we have one of the first trials of the upcoming mobile version of WiMAX, 802.16e, and Intel backing what could be the first WiMAX …

Wireless 9 Dec 2003, 09:56
SAP hones mid-market message

Out of the box thinking

It is a few years now since SAP first aimed its sights at the mid-market, writes Fran Howarth of Bloor Research. At first, this was really just an attempt to extend its reach into the subsidiary organisations and sales offices of its major corporate clients - and SAP made no bones about that. However, competitive pressures have …

Small Biz 9 Dec 2003, 10:02
Modest IT spend uptick in '04

NOP barometer survey

US and European IT executives will increase spending on technology in the upcoming year by a moderate amount. The 2004 instalment of the NOP World Technology Confidence Barometer has shown the overall increase in IT investment in 2004 by companies will be 5.3 per cent, according to a survey of 1,500 IT decision makers in …

Business 9 Dec 2003, 10:24
UK hi-tech industry demands better R&D tax breaks

Hi ho, Hi ho, it's out of Britain we go

High-tech innovation in the UK is haemorrhaging offshore and only the Government offering improved tax breaks to support Britain as a research and development base can stem the tide. This stark warning came from trade association Intellect which warned today in its Pre-Budget report that the nation will no longer be able …

Small Biz 9 Dec 2003, 10:46
Introducing the 256MB USB2.0 Memory Watch

Cash'n'Carrion Another top timepiece from MeMIX

Following on from the runaway success of the MeMIX 128Mb memory watch, we're pleased to announce that this top-notch piece of kit is now available in a hefty 256MB version. The stealthy black beauty offers file storage and transfer via USB 2.0, with the added security of password protection. Of course, it also keeps perfect …

Site News 9 Dec 2003, 11:07
BOFH's Xmas Xperience

Episode 30 Bonuses, bosses and... BOOZE

BOFH 2003: Episode 30 Ahhh, Christmas! The music, the people, the presents and the office party. Goodwill to all men and Christmas bonuses to the plebs. Fantastic! "There are, ah... no Christmas bonuses this year," the boss mumbles quickly, hoping to launch into the next agenda item before any of the assembled staff start …

BOFH 9 Dec 2003, 13:16
Congress passes anti-spam bill

'Ham fisted' CAN-SPAM Act

Congress yesterday passed a much-criticised anti-spam bill, after the House voted to approve minor Senate amendments. The Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act does more harm than good in the fight against spam, according to critics. The bill criminalises common spamming tactics, …

Security 9 Dec 2003, 13:21
SiS, VIA to sample PCI Express chipsets next month

End-user products in Q2?

VIA's first PCI Express chipset will sample next month, the company said today. And its rival Taiwanese chipset maker, SiS, will same one in January, too. The VIA PT890 is a Pentium 4 part, running an 800MHz effective bit rate frontside bus and supporting dual-channel 400MHz DDR SDRAM and DDR 2 memory, according to a DigiTimes …

Channel 9 Dec 2003, 13:38
UK police moot paedo hard disk amnesty

Hand yourself in and avoid court

UK police are mulling over launching an interesting initiative in which paedophiles can avoid a court appearence if they offer themselves and their hard drives up for counselling and erasure/destruction, respectively. According to the BBC, the scheme will target proto-paedophiles in possession of "low-grade paedophilia". Upon …

Music and Media 9 Dec 2003, 14:57
BT targets cablecos with voice over IP

Rivals dismiss offer as 'hype'

BT is having a pop at NTL and Telewest by offering their punters the chance to make discounted voice calls over the Internet. Lauded as the first significant move from a major UK telco into the consumer VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) market, BT reckons this is one way it can hit back at the cablecos in a bid to reverse its …

Telecoms 9 Dec 2003, 15:38
Sony ponders PlayStation Portable spec change

Listening to developers?

A presentation from the SCEE Technology Group has revealed further details of how the PlayStation Portable will work, but developers claim that Sony is considering changing the spec of the device to add more memory. The presentation gave developers an introduction to the PSP concept and hardware, explaining the specifications …

Personal 9 Dec 2003, 15:49
IBM ready to roll with new x365 workhorse

Sneak Peek More servers reach Summit 2

The Intel server team over at IBM continues to deliver product at a steady pace with the company planning to release a new four-processor box - the x365 - next week. IBM has been on a hell of a run this year, outpacing rivals in the Intel server category in the last three quarters. The recent Q3 numbers from IDC again show IBM …

Servers 9 Dec 2003, 17:26
Mafia recruiting spammers, crackers, AV chief warns

Numbers, prostitution, drugs, viruses

Spammers, beware - organised criminals are positioning themselves to take a slice of your business. Virus writing - once the sole province of hooligans - has edged itself into the arena of organised crime with viruses like Sobig-F that are capable of setting up a spam-sending proxy network. According to Eugene Kaspersky, head …

Security 9 Dec 2003, 17:33
HP dangles $1 billion worth of services deals in front of analysts

Inking along

With analysts circling HP like a pack of famished dingoes, the company did the only thing it could to stave off a devouring - it announced $1 billion in new services contracts. More than a fair bit of tension preceded HP's analyst conference held today in New York. A flood of stories, including our own, hit the wires yesterday …

Servers 9 Dec 2003, 18:48
Microsoft FAT patents ‘could be re-opened’

The validity challenge

If Microsoft decides to mine its patent portfolio for cash, it's likely to face a few unexpected consequences. A new patent body that's vowing to defend the free software community against Microsoft's new patents-for-cash revenue strategy says it will ask the US Patent Office to go back to square one, and systematically examine …

Software 9 Dec 2003, 22:16
'Poke your camera phone's eye out' – analyst

Businesses face new liabilities

The Meta Group has warned companies to have a corporate policy that limits cameraphones being used on premises. Analyst Jack Gold told us that cameraphones posed liability issues for corporations. How, we wondered? "Next year's designs could be snapped and sent to a competitor," said Gold. "Do you want people running around …

Mobile 9 Dec 2003, 23:48
AT&T admits to portability problems

But says it's getting better

The US regulator the FCC has singled out AT&T Wireless as the most-challenged carrier after receiving an unusually high number of complaints against the vendor from users wishing to port their numbers. AT&T is the third largest carrier in the U.S. but it leads the user complaint list for those looking to move their phone number …

Mobile 9 Dec 2003, 23:54