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21st January 2004 Archive

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  • Motorola chip biz reports rising orders, sales

    Good Q4, bad year

    Motorola's soon-to-be-independent chip division made sales totalling $1.4 billion during the group's fourth fiscal quarter, the company said yesterday. That figure represents a two per cent increase over the same period last year and sequential growth of 12 per cent. Orders increase 14 per cent during the quarter to $1.4 …

    Channel 21 Jan 2004, 09:43

  • Nintendo preps dual-screen portable console

    Two CPUs, too

    Nintendo today announced a new portable games console with two screens and two CPUs. However, the company denied the product was intended to go head-to-head with Sony's upcoming PlayStation Portable (PSP). The device, tentatively dubbed the Nintendo DS, for 'Dual Screen', will sport a pair of 3in backlit displays, one above …

    Mobile 21 Jan 2004, 10:16

  • Sun buys another piece of its N1 vision

    All hail Nauticus

    Sun Microsystems continues to refine its data center technology plans via acquisition, announcing Tuesday an agreement to buy networking start-up Nauticus Networks. Sun's intentions for the Nauticus technology seem pretty clear. The privately-held company makes switches that process and accelerate SSL traffic and builds fairly …

    Data Networking 21 Jan 2004, 10:21

  • Check Point launches dewormer for internal networks

    Interspect

    Check Point Software today launched Interspect, a family of security appliances designed to block the spread of computer worms across internal networks. The appliance segmentg internal networks into security zones to block the spread of worms such as Nimda and Blaster, which spread like wildfire if left unchecked. If a worm- …

    Security 21 Jan 2004, 10:26

  • SGI renders graphics kit full of Linux tools

    Visualize the future

    SGI is trying to make Linux developers look better. The high-end graphics specialist has kicked off a two phase plan to put Linux at the center of the visualization market. Phase one will see SGI contribute more work and code to open source graphics projects, along with the release of a Linux developer tool kit. Phase two will …

    Servers 21 Jan 2004, 10:28

  • Bradford IT staff vote to strike

    Council would 'grind to a halt'

    Public services in Bradford could be crippled causing widespread disruption if a proposed strike by IT staff goes ahead later this month. IT workers voted in favour of industrial action following concerns over Bradford Council's plan to privatise its IT department. Although the council's plans are still at an early stage with …

    Business 21 Jan 2004, 10:30

  • Microsoft prepares Mike Rowe legal exit

    But are we taking them too seriously?

    Microsoft has started making the first sounds about extricating itself from the brouhaha surrounding its legal threats against 17-year-old student Mike Rowe and his MikeRoweSoft.com domain. The Beast of Redmond crossed the line when it sent in its lawyers over the site Mike uses to display his Web design talents, claiming that …

    Music and Media 21 Jan 2004, 10:30

  • NZ army reels under rebranding frontal assault

    LogoWatch Vicious hand-to-hand fighting over corporate image

    Hot on the heels of our report yesterday regarding an acute case of rebranding madness in Taiwan, we discover that the infection has already spread to the Antipodes. Evidently, not even New Zealand's battle-hardened grunts are sufficiently well-armed to fight off this threat to national security, despite calling in a tactical …

    Bootnotes 21 Jan 2004, 10:33

  • Speed camera clocks motorist at 406 mph

    Pretty good going in a Peugot

    Since we Brits already hold the land speed record as a result of jet-powered Thrust SSC going supersonic in 1997, it seems only natural that we should attempt to be the first nation to break the sound barrier with a petrol-driven reciprocating-engined vehicle. That at least appears to be what sales manager Peter O’Flynn was …

    Bootnotes 21 Jan 2004, 11:21

  • Fossil buries ill-fated Palm OS wristwatch

    'No longer available,' says timepiece maker

    Watchmaker Fossil appears to have decided that its attempt to bring a Palm OS-based timepiece to market was so cursed that it has quietly dropped plans to offer the product. According to the company's web site, the three planned Wrist PDA models - Sport, Casual and Dress - all now feature the message: "We are sorry, but this …

    Personal 21 Jan 2004, 11:29

  • Asus unveils Dothan-based Centrino notebooks

    Reg Kit Watch Plus: Tosh takes on Apple's 12in PowerBook

    Notebooks AsusTek has introduced its latest Centrino-based notebook line, the M6000N series, which will feature Intel's upcoming 90nm 'Dothan' processor. Offering 14.1, 15.1 and 15.4in screen options, the range features 40, 60 and 80GB hard drives; DVD-RW and DVD-ROM/CD-RW optical options;512MB of 333MHz DDR SDRAM, expandable …

    Personal 21 Jan 2004, 11:35

  • How to help MS, harm OSS by not buying Microsoft

    The application of Catch 22 to migration issues

    London's Newham Borough Council remains in pricing negotiations with Microsoft, but an apparently counter-intuitive migration issue bodes ill for the open source desktop alternative, and speaks volumes about the legacy hills that will have to be climbed in order to switch away from Microsoft. By not buying Microsoft software, …

    Software 21 Jan 2004, 12:59

  • CD Wow backs down in parallel importing row

    Settles with BPI

    The British and Irish record industries have struck a mighty blow for consumers by forcing online retailer CD Wow to stop selling CDs imported from outside the EEA. Upshot: customers will have to pay an extra £2 for each CD. Currently, CD Wow charges £8.99 for CDs. CD Wow's price increases could mean a big fall in sales for the …

    Music and Media 21 Jan 2004, 13:46

  • France Telecom job cuts hoped to kick-start privatization

    14,500 to go during 2004

    France Telecom is to shed 7% of its global workforce as part of its restructuring plans, helping the French government to kick-start its stalled privatization program. The carrier remains some way behind its European rivals in efficiency terms but its management team continues to make progress. The carrier is to lose 14,500 …

    Music and Media 21 Jan 2004, 13:46

  • Veritas expanding Linux utility offerings

    Support for SuSE Linux and Vmware

    Veritas has delivered the next steps in its Linux-based utility computing vision, expanding support for SuSE Linux with its Cluster Server, Foundation Suite and OpForce products. Cluster Server will also provide support for Vmware, underlining the continued importance of Vmware to Veritas despite the software's recent …

    Storage 21 Jan 2004, 13:47

  • Ultra-Personal Computers – PCs in a pod

    A practical proposition at last?

    So-called 'ultra-personal computers', or UPCs, which squeeze a full-blown PC into a form factor more reminiscent of a PDA, have been touted as the next big thing for several years. The recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has finally shown that the UPC may at last have become a practical proposition. The realization of …

    Mobile 21 Jan 2004, 13:48

  • Broadband needs new milestones – BSG

    Yada yada

    The Government should begin thinking about the future of broadband in the UK before committing to "clear milestones" that should be reached before 2010. So says the third annual report from the Government's advisory body, The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG), which reckons that while "significant progress [has been] made to …

    Small Biz 21 Jan 2004, 13:50

  • War against shoplifters goes hi-tech

    Birmingham system predicts crime

    A Birmingham- based crime reduction scheme has developed technology to help retailers to stay one step ahead of shoplifters in the fight against retail crime. Birmingham’s Retail Crime Operation (RCO) has gone live with a new database system that can predict patterns of criminal behaviour based on past experiences. Chris James …

    Security 21 Jan 2004, 14:14

  • UK outsourcing flees abroad

    'Massive' boost for India and China

    Despite suffering a recent backlash from several high profile contract failures, outsourcing is firmly back in fashion with global businesses dramatically increasing IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) during 2003. According to research published today by Datamonitor, the total value of major global IT services …

    Hardware 21 Jan 2004, 14:57

  • Gov.uk ain't got the knowledge

    Steering group is driving where, exactly?

    Intellect, the UK hi-tech trade association ,today gave the Government a slap on the wrist for failing to develop a coherent strategy supporting its stated objective of turning Britain into a knowledge-driven economy. The Government must develop a policy framework across Whitehall departments that is driven by No.10 and …

    Business 21 Jan 2004, 14:58

  • PalmOne spreads into sandwich business

    Jam today

    Lunchers more used to £2 Marks and Sparks Prawn and Mayo sarnies may balk at rival sandwich maker Benugo's £349 offering, but the costly confection comes with an unusual ingredient: a PalmOne Tungsten C. Yes, choose a Wilture ham and fig marmalade filling from the London-based purveyor of posh butties' Great Portland Street and …

    Mobile 21 Jan 2004, 15:09

  • Wi-Fi providers target train travellers

    Going loco

    BT Openzone today said it will roll out Wi-Fi hotspots at 15 railway stations in the UK. The announcement comes a day after fellow mobile Internet access provider Broadreach said it will be offering to put Wi-Fi on British rolling stock, courtesy of a tie-in with Canadian railway Wi-Fi specialist PointShot. Openzone's roll-out …

    Mobile 21 Jan 2004, 15:38

  • Motorola beats the Street with profits surge

    But product delays hamper handset sales

    Motorola had a good fourth quarter with a big leap in profits on a modest rise in sales. On the downside, handset revenues were down a tad - the company blames delays in shipping new product for the fall. Revenues in the quarter to December end were $8.02bn (Q4 2002: $7.7bn) and net income was $489m (Q4 2002: $116m). So …

    Business 21 Jan 2004, 15:42

  • dabs.com rings up Xmas sales

    Audio sales drive online sales boom

    Online retailer dabs.com enjoyed a bumper festive season with sales up 26 per cent in Xmas 2003 compared to the same period in 2002. The number of orders dabs.com processed also increased last Christmas. In November and December 2003, dabs.com recorded total sales of £30.47 million compared to £24.1 million for the same period …

    Channel 21 Jan 2004, 15:47

  • Danish spammer fined £37k

    Gotcha!

    A Danish company flogging telecoms kit has been fined a record £37,000 for sending spam. A Danish court handed down the Danish Krone 400,000 fine today after the company - Aircom Erhverv ApS - was found guilty of sending 15,000 unsolicited commercial faxes. Denmark, like the UK, is one of six European countries so far to have …

    Security 21 Jan 2004, 15:49

  • PalmOne to axe 12% of workforce

    Handspring integration

    PalmOne today said it will rid itself of around 100 workers - 12 per cent of its headcount - in a bid to streamline the company following its acquisition of Handspring. Todd Bradley, the PDA maker's president and CEO, described the decision to embark on this "second phase" of the integration of the two companies as "tough but …

    Mobile 21 Jan 2004, 16:01

  • Oldest Working PC (redux)

    More letters Spaced out

    The replies are still coming in for our call Oldest Working PC sightings. So here's another, final, round of contenders. Russ still runs the first computer he built in '77, completely homemade with hand-etched PC boards. Features are (among others): 4k of SRAM, home made cassette tape storage, wooden box enclosure and "blinky …

    Letters 21 Jan 2004, 16:17

  • Zip file encryption compromise thrashed out

    Windows archive love-in

    Compression software companies PKWare and WinZip have agreed to make their rival approaches to encrypting zip files more compatible. The latest beta of WinZip's software is able to read files wrapped up and encrypted using PKWare's PKZip. Meanwhile PKZip, the free reader application, will be able to open up files compressed and …

    Music and Media 21 Jan 2004, 17:08

  • UK plays asylum card to expand visa biometric scheme

    East Africans get dabbed after wild success (nine dangerous fraudsters nicked) of Sri Lanka pilot

    The UK Home Office has announced the next step in its love affair with biometrics. As of March, visa applicants in five east African countries will be required to provide a record of their fingerprints. This is what applicants for visas for the US have to do these days, but in Britain we appear to be going for the thin end of …

    Music and Media 21 Jan 2004, 17:21

  • Mobile DBMS – user requirement or vendor greed?

    Small things with mobile data

    When you're carrying a hammer, every problem looks like a nail, writes Rob Bamforth of Bloor Research. Databases provide a very useful way to manage and access potentially huge amounts of data. Mobile networks from wireless LANs to third generation cellular are providing increased bandwidth, and handsets have client browsers …

    Mobile 21 Jan 2004, 17:44

  • Adaptec tempts mobo makers with Serial ATA

    Alacritech earns HP channel too

    A pair of storage vendors this week were all aflutter after inking large distribution deals for their products. Adaptec made some inroads with motherboard makers to have its Serial ATA chips built-in designs from Asustek, Gigabyte, Supermicro and Tyan. This opens a path to Adaptec's HostRAID software and RAID add-in cards for …

    Storage 21 Jan 2004, 17:58

  • RIAA goes hunting for 532 more file-traders

    Only 50 million to go

    The RIAA has launched Version 2.0 of its lawsuit filing program, suing 532 music fans in Washington and New York. The music label mob scrapped Version 1.0 of the lawsuit program after a federal appeals court blocked the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) from acquiring file-traders' identities from ISPs via …

    Music and Media 21 Jan 2004, 19:21

  • Nokia prefers Python to Perl for smartphone scripting

    Limited trial for pros, first

    Nokia tells us that Python, not Perl, is the preferred language for scripting on its smartphone platforms. Last week Lee Epting, the VP responsible for developer programs, told us that an internal build of Perl for Series 60 would make its way into the wider world. This is still the plan, but in a statement released internally …

    Mobile 21 Jan 2004, 21:06

  • FoTW: Apple is the most successful company ever, you idiot!

    Flame of the Week I mean it

    From: Paul Mindolovich To: Ashlee Vance Subject: re: "How HP invented the market for iPod resellers" Article You're quite stupid. 1. The iPod has less DRM than anything a Wintel company could come up with for an MP3 player. 2. Being partnered with the most innovative, successful ( in this day and age of floundering …

    Letters 21 Jan 2004, 21:06

  • Microsoft watch requires three-fingered reboot

    A SPOT of bother

    Ever since Microsoft announced its intentions to put its software into phones, TVs and cars we've had to suffer the lamest jokes about phones, TVs and cars offering Blue Screens of Death (BSODs). We deplore this kind of unimaginative humor. However Peter Rysavy, who runs a couple of community sites, one for Tablet PCs and a …

    Bootnotes 21 Jan 2004, 22:41