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10th March 2004 Archive

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  • Kodak sues Sony over digital camera patents

    I am a camera, you are a patent infringer

    Kodak is suing Sony for infringing patents related to its digital cameras. It claims that Sony breached 10 patents between 1987 and 2003. Kodak is seeking damages and an injunction to prevent further infringements. Kodak is moving from its dominant position in film cameras to challenge Sony, which holds the top spot for digital …

    Personal 10 Mar 2004, 09:21

  • MS March patch batch low on peril

    Moderate, important and moderate (none critical)

    Microsoft's monthly patch train rolled through today bearing a cargo of fixes uncharacteristically low on the peril scale. Today we have patches for two moderate and one important security vuln. First up, a Microsoft Outlook flaw could allow hackers to inject hostile code on PCs (MS04-009). The flaw stems from incorrect parsing …

    Security 10 Mar 2004, 09:28

  • Hutchison picks up 3 UK's tab

    Settles £1.5bn debt

    Hutchison Whampoa, the Hong Kong parent of mobile network 3 UK, is paying off more a billion pounds of debt for its spendthrift offspring. Hutchison owns 80 per cent of 3 and is believed to be in talks to acquire the remaining 20 per cent from NTT DoCoMo. It will pay the banks £1.5bn which 3 was due to pay back in March next …

    Mobile 10 Mar 2004, 09:48

  • Software download site pitches across Europe

    Kicking off in Benelux

    Dutch company DISC EMD has launched the first pan-European electronic software distribution portal site ESDNOW.COM, through which vendors and resellers can securely distribute their downloadable software. The company will initially sell software to small businesses and end users in Benelux, but other countries will follow soon …

    Channel 10 Mar 2004, 09:53

  • Eidos snaps up IO Interactive

    Europe in Brief Plus liquid lenses at CeBit

    Entertainment software giant Eidos is to acquire IO Interactive. The Danish-based studio is responsible for the hugely successful Hitman game franchise. The acquisition of IO secures the future rights of the Hitman series and will strengthen Eidos' European creative base and development resource, the company says. France: …

    Business 10 Mar 2004, 09:56

  • PDA bargains at The Reg Mobile Store

    Reader offer Plus discounted phones, GPS and MP3 kit

    For people on the move, The Register's Mobile, Wireless and PDA Store is offering readers the chance to pick up a PDA, mobile comms or MP3 bargain. Among the featured kit is the capacious Apple iPod 40Gb MP3 Player at £329.45 inc VAT, and - should you need to know exactly where it is you're listening to your Carpenters greatest …

    Site News 10 Mar 2004, 09:56

  • ‘One in six’ Silicon Valley tech jobs ripe for offshoring

    So get into your flying car - and look for work

    What do we do now? Cults such as the extropians see technology as the unstoppable escalator to future prosperity, but the rest of us are discovering that their utopian faith has caused graver problems than anyone expected. A recent report identifies Silicon Valley as the most vulnerable region in what it describes as "the …

    Business 10 Mar 2004, 10:09

  • The perils of Googling

    A tool for good and evil

    Google is in many ways most dangerous website on the Internet for thousands of individuals and organisations, writes SecurityFocus columnist Scott Granneman. Most computers users still have no idea that they may be revealing far more to the world than they would want. I'm not putting down Google. Far from it: it's a great …

    Security 10 Mar 2004, 10:40

  • No need to panic over IP rights directive

    Letter: Crying 'Wolf' damages our intellectual freedom

    The IP Rights Enforcement Directive was passed yesterday by the European Parliament. This framework for national legislation has caused a huge amount of controversy and speculation as to how it will eventually appear in law in each of the member states, and sparked protest by civil liberties and consumer rights groups. But have …

    Letters 10 Mar 2004, 10:42

  • T-Mobile calls the tune in Europe

    Pushing back the ringtone envelope

    It might not be music to everyone's ears, but ring tones have proved to be a massive market, writes Bloor Research analyst Rob Bamforth. From bedroom composers to big business mobile operators, demand has exceeded all expectations. It's even had a substitution effect on the CD single industry. Surprising really, that so many …

    Mobile 10 Mar 2004, 10:45

  • David Bedford upstages 118 Runners relaunch

    Cunning stunt

    The launch of The Number's new advertising campaign was upstaged yesterday as former long distance runner, David Bedford, turned up in full running gear promoting a rival director enquiries (DQ) service. The Number - whose ads featuring two moustachioed 1970s-style runners have been elevated to cult status - has been in dispute …

    Broadband 10 Mar 2004, 10:59

  • Computer voting snafus plague California

    Come back chad, all is forgiven

    Bizarre election results in California have been traced to an electronic touch-screen ballot system. But no one is quite sure what went wrong, and because there is no paper trail, no one is ever likely to get to the bottom of it. In several Orange County precincts last week, more ballots were cast than the number of registered …

    Media 10 Mar 2004, 11:55

  • Ryanair Telecom delays mobile telco launch

    'Cos fixed line biz too 'fantastic'

    Ryanair Telecom - the Irish-owned private company operating under licence from airline Ryanair PLC - has delayed the launch of a new mobile service because take-up of its new fixed-line service has been "fantastic". The no-frills discount telco opened up for business last month, promising to shake up the Irish market with half- …

    Mobile 10 Mar 2004, 12:07

  • CeBIT to premiere USB Swiss Army Knife

    Something horribly inevitable about this

    It was bound to happen. Given that you can buy a Victorinox Swiss Army Knive with just about every gadget known to man, from horse-hoof awl to Hubble Space Telescope lens polisher, it's no real surprise that the company - in association with flash memory outfit Swissbit - is now offering cutting tools plus USB flash memory stick …

    Personal 10 Mar 2004, 12:22

  • RealNetworks sues baseball broadcaster

    It's not cricket...

    RealNetworks is suing baseball broadcaster MLB.com. The two have been partners in broadcasting baseball games over the Internet since 2001. But negotiations between the two over renewing a licensing agreement fell apart in early February. RealNetworks claims MLB has failed to comply with a contract the two signed in February. …

    Media 10 Mar 2004, 13:08

  • Benefits of online tax returns ‘negligible’

    Costs outweigh cash incentives

    A government incentive to get small businesses to file their tax returns online is not what it appears, with the financial benefits set to be "negligible", an accountancy firm has warned. Ministers have said that from 19 May 2010, firms with fewer than 50 employees will have to file their PAYE returns online each year by law. …

    Small Biz 10 Mar 2004, 13:09

  • Union opposes BT – HP job swap plan

    You have my helpdesk, I'll have yours

    Some 400 BT workers who provide internal helpdesk support for the UK's dominant telco could be shunted across to HP. And a similar number of HP staff could be moving over to BT in a job-swap deal. BT staff currently providing desktop and service desk support are to be moved to HP under TUPE (Transfer of Undertaking - Protection …

    Business 10 Mar 2004, 13:27

  • Hubble nudges the dawn of universe

    As far back as we can see

    Yesterday, astronomers revealed the deepest-ever picture of the visible universe, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). It contains an estimated 10,000 galaxies clustered in a patch of sky one-tenth the diameter of the moon. In among the normal spirals and ellipses are an assortment of odd-looking galaxies. The European …

    Science 10 Mar 2004, 13:32

  • NetSky author signs off

    The Long Goodbye

    The latest version of the NetSky worm is to be the last, according to a message buried in the worm's code. Anti-virus firms are taking the pledge with a pinch of salt. Netsky-K (AKA Netsky-J) is little different from the 10 earlier versions we've seen over the last month. Once again, the worm contains insults against the …

    Security 10 Mar 2004, 14:10

  • Our t-shirt went to America and all we got was this lousy email

    NY Times replies to India apparel outrage slur

    The controversy surrounding the origins of the My job went to India and all I got was this lousy t-shirt has escalated somewhat since our indignant piece yesterday. To recap, NY Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman suggested that this legendary piece of apparel may have been conceived in the US and not, in fact in Britain. We at …

    Bootnotes 10 Mar 2004, 16:14

  • BT near to settling London allowance dispute

    Friends again

    BT's long-running dispute with the Communications Workers Union (CWU) over increased allowances for staff who work in London could be settled soon. The CWU is recommending that its members accept an offer from BT to raise levels of London Weighting. The new offer includes an increase of £200 with effect from 1 March, with …

    Business 10 Mar 2004, 16:16

  • Airbag grasses up killer driver

    Smart inflatable sings like canary

    An intelligent airbag looks likely to prove a key witness in the case of a 26-year-old Canadian driver who killed another driver while speeding along a Montreal street. Although the inflatable friend may have saved Éric Gauthier's life in the crash, it later sang like a canary, revealing that the young man had been travelling …

    Bootnotes 10 Mar 2004, 16:35

  • Industry unites for .mob?

    Mobiles to get their own TLD

    Microsoft, Vodafone and Nokia have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a top level domain (TLD) name, like .com, for mobile devices. The group has applied to ICANN to grant the new TLD and let them manage it. Other members of the consortium include 3, the GSM Association, HP, Orange, Samsung and Sun Microsystems. …

    Mobile 10 Mar 2004, 16:37

  • Robot grunts tumble in race for $1m prize

    Testing. Testing.

    Robot grunts have struggled through two days of test runs in Fontana, California, as they prepare for DARPA's $1m Grand Challenge event. Only Carnegie Mellon University's Sandstorm robotic vehicle has completed a test course that measures how well the machines are greased for a 200 mile race to be held Saturday. A number of …

    Science 10 Mar 2004, 16:54

  • Claire Swire II faces worldwide humiliation

    Don't hit the 'reply to all' button - ever

    We received a forwarded email last week which, by our reckoning, has already been seen by four-fifths of the world's population. Which is a shame for author Sharon Dyson because it was originally intended for boyfriend Alex Hewson only. You get the idea. Sadly, Sharon was responding to a general email Alex had sent from abroad …

    Bootnotes 10 Mar 2004, 17:07

  • Radio star gazing gets European boost

    Plugging the Hubble-James Webb gap

    This week sees the launch of RadioNet - a three-pronged programme to boost European radio astronomy. Using a big chunk of EC funding, the programme unites a broad group of institutes to collaborate in research and to improve communication within the astonomy community. Organisers hope it will prepare the European radio …

    Science 10 Mar 2004, 17:12

  • Liverpool is 30 minutes from IT wipeout

    Addresses disaster non-recovery plan

    Just 30 minutes without power would reduce Liverpool council services' IT infrastructure to a state of meltdown. The council's mainframe currently has no back-up system, and if there's a blackout lasting longer than half-an-hour, every record would be irrevocably lost. Auditors flagged this oversight last year, The Liverpool …

    Storage 10 Mar 2004, 17:22

  • Hitachi ships 400GB whopper

    DVRs drive capacity demand ever upwards

    The fight for the title of biggest hard drive hotted up today as Hitachi announced its 400GB contender. The Deskstar 7k400, a 7,200rpm, 3.5in drive, is aimed at the audio-visual market, where capacity and low cost per GB are the main reasons to buy. Hitachi says the new drive can hold 400 hours of standard TV programming, 45 …

    Storage 10 Mar 2004, 17:29

  • Cisco beefs up IOS security

    Minor milepost in self-securing network drive

    Cisco Systems has launched a range of products to ward off security threats. An upgrade to Cisco core IOS Software (Release.12.3T) should make networks more resilient to malicious attacks. New features include the ability to more easily segment networks into trusted zones. Also, it is now easier to identify the source of DDoS …

    Storage 10 Mar 2004, 17:29

  • Big US ISPs set legal attack dogs on big, bad spammers

    Taking them out, 'one kingpin at a time'

    America's four leading ISPs today announced the filing of the first big lawsuits under the new federal anti-spam law, the CAN-SPAM Act. America Online, EarthLink, Microsoft and Yahoo! last night filed six lawsuits against hundreds of defendants, including individuals suspected of being among the US's most prolific spammers. The …

    Security 10 Mar 2004, 20:56

  • Tiscali UK unveils PAYG broadband

    By the hour, by Mb - you choose

    Tiscali UK is launching a pay-as-you-go broadband service later in the spring. The 512k services cost £19.99 a month (the same as BT's recently announced BT Broadband Basic) and give punters those choice of either 50 hours online a month or 1Gb monthly limit. Punters who exceed this limit will then pay just 2p per minute on the …

    Broadband 10 Mar 2004, 20:59

  • IDC forecasts healthy PC sales

    Double digit growth until 2005

    IDC is betting on double digit growth in the global PC market for next couple of years. This will be spurred by aggressive pricing, improving business spending, and consistent growth in demand for portables. According to the research firm, the PC recovery is in full swing, translating into 11 per cent annual growth until 2005. …

    Channel 10 Mar 2004, 21:03

  • Fujitsu zooms with tubby Xeon blade

    Muscle mass

    Fujitsu Computer Systems has rolled out a new rather bulky but powerful blade server in its Primergy product line. Fujitsu is aiming more at the corporate software market than scientific computing or Web serving - the traditional blade stomping grounds - with the Primergy BX600. The system runs on powerful Xeon processors from …

    Servers 10 Mar 2004, 21:04

  • Artists vow to sue Apple for dodging French music fees

    Pay your dues

    The body representing French composers says it will sue Apple for evading its compensation obligations on sales of its iPod player. That's Apple, the computer company, not Apple Corp, The Beatles' publisher; the former is forbidden from selling music products as a result of a 1991 legal settlement with the latter, a dispute that …

    Personal 10 Mar 2004, 21:07

  • Sun nails StarOffice win in India

    Outsourcing cheap software

    Sun Microsystems has outmanoeuvred Microsoft with a StarOffice win in the Indian state of Haryana. The Haryana government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sun to use StarOffice 7 across all state departments. This marks a major deal for Sun and open source software in India and adds to a trend of governments …

    Software 10 Mar 2004, 22:12

  • Intel won't play by China's Wi-Fi rules

    Joins Broadcom in WAPI snub

    Intel will stop selling its 802.11 WLAN products in the People's Republic of China because it refuses to comply with the country's home-grown proprietary encryption technology. Beijing has mandated that from June, equipment must conform to its own WAPI, or WLAN Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure standard, GB15629.11-2003 …

    Broadband 10 Mar 2004, 22:16