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2nd April 2004 Archive

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  • War on Culture's victims face Penitentiary Blues

    The DoJ muscles in

    Step by step, the United States is becoming institutionally engaged in another 'War' against another abstraction - a War it can't win and shouldn't even be fighting. Critics were grimly amused to watch the copyright holders engage the trappings of the state - such as when the RIAA employed goons in police garb to confiscate $10 …

    Music and Media 2 Apr 2004, 04:59

  • Gateway axes 2,500 jobs, closes US stores

    40 per cent of staff overboard

    Gateway is to close all 188 of its retail showcases in the United States - many stores within stores - with the loss of 2,500 jobs, or nearly 40 per cent of the work force. As recently as four years ago, Gateway employed over 20,000 staff; after the stores close on 9 April it will be down to 4,000. Three weeks ago the company …

    Applications 2 Apr 2004, 04:59

  • Classless Reg hack is void of humor

    FoTW You Intel loving socialist

    Your article reads exactly like a press release from Intel's marketing dept. While there is a tiny nugget of actual information, I expect more from someone who's supposed to be a journalist. I saw no sales numbers and only a single percentage - "...now holds 51 per cent of the high-end processor market". Where's the supporting …

    Letters 2 Apr 2004, 05:40

  • Blair puts compulsory ID card on fast track for UK

    May help identify suspect immigration ministers

    UK Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday made it clear that the government now feels it has sufficient public support to accelerate the introduction of compulsory ID cards. Speaking at his monthly press conference, he said that "we will need to readjust our terrorism laws still further. I have to say this to you, and I think that …

    ID 2 Apr 2004, 09:39

  • AOL UK blows £20m on ad campaign

    AOL 9.0 gets the re-carpet treatment

    AOL UK is going on a £20m advertising spending spree to plug AOL 9.0 - the latest version of its Internet service. Aimed at both broadband and narrowband punters, AOL UK's biggest ad campaign to date, is expected to "reflect the increasingly mature and sophisticated nature of Internet consumers". Apparently. AOL 9.0, which …

    Telecoms 2 Apr 2004, 09:54

  • You get paid to write this garbage?

    Letters Not for long, apparently

    Our piece yesterday on the inexorable rise of the machine provoked a certain amount of ire from Reg readers. Typical among these was Steve Reeves: You get paid to write this garbage? Not for long. Tessa Tumangday elaborates: Lester, Your story 'A robot in every home by 2010' posted in the register 1 April contained a very …

    Letters 2 Apr 2004, 10:09

  • BT fire: Everything should be sorted by Monday

    Time to talk compensation

    Voice and data services hit by the devastating underground fire in Manchester earlier this week are expected to be up and running fully again by Monday. BT has so far restored services to almost all the 138,000 lines wiped out by last Monday's fire. However, some 900 business and residential customers are still without a …

    Data Networking 2 Apr 2004, 10:21

  • Nokia 6600 smart phone

    Reg Review Time to ditch your PDA?

    For a number of years now, I've carried my personal information - contact details, diary appointments and the like - around on a Palm. And for a similar period of time I've carried a sub-set of that information on my mobile phone. That's always struck me as daft. Surely I should to be able to carry one set of data, on a single …

    Reviews 2 Apr 2004, 10:33

  • Wippit offers pay-by-SMS digital music downloads

    'Killer app' to end youngsters' Kazaa craze?

    UK-based digital music company Wippit today launched its Apple iTunes Music Store-style song download service, introducing a mobile phone text message payment scheme in a bid to attract teenagers to the site. "We're ahead in addressing the younger market with our SMS billing solution, a real incentive for kids without credit or …

    Financial News 2 Apr 2004, 11:10

  • FreeMove mounts its challenge to Vodafone

    European telco alliance moves forward under new banner

    Few things move as slowly as telcos or committees, so the anti-Vodafone alliance of T-Mobile, TIM, Orange and Telefónica was never expected to make an impact overnight. However, a year after its formation, the group has indulged in a noisy relaunch that is still short on substance - although, 12 months on, it does at least have …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2004, 11:19

  • Nildram unveils broadband home move details

    Moving house can be so stressful

    Buckinghamshire-based ISP, Nildram, is introducing a new service to help make it easier for people take their broadband with them when they move house. The scheme is free of charge and applies to existing Nildram broadband customers only. It means punters can move their broadband account to a new address, with none of the …

    Telecoms 2 Apr 2004, 11:21

  • EC: implement e-privacy directive – or else

    Orders eight states to pull their anti-spam fingers out

    The European Commission (EC) is threatening eight member states with legal action for not adopting new privacy rules for digital networks and services. The EC warned nine member states in November for not intergrating its Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications (e-Privacy Directive) into their national laws. The …

    ID 2 Apr 2004, 11:22

  • CDMA450 threatens universal GSM

    Rival finds favour in Eastern Europe

    The hegemony of GSM-based networks in Europe is under increasing threat as the established cellular operators struggle to roll out 3G and would-be competitors, including some wireline carriers, eye WiMAX as a route into the mobile data and VoIP sector. At least mobile WiMAX is still not off the blocks, but now there is a more …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2004, 11:22

  • IBM lights Candle

    Acquisition is sound move

    IT giant IBM announced this year that it had reached agreement to acquire Candle Corporation, a widely-recognised supplier of solutions that help customers develop, deploy and manage enterprise IT infrastructures,writes Bloor Research analyst Tony Lock. Following its foundation in 1976, the privately-held Candle has picked up …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2004, 11:26

  • Sharp ships Linux Wi-Fi PDA in US

    Europe still waiting

    Sharp has launched the latest member of its Linux-based PDA family in the US, but European users are still being left in the cold. The Zaurus SL-6000 was announced in Japan last November. Yesterday, Sharp's US wing launched the PDA Stateside. Over there, it's being pitched firmly as a corporate "mobile data terminal", rather …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2004, 11:36

  • Severed cable plunges NTL punters into digital darkness

    Wot, no TV?

    Hundreds of NTL punters were without TV, phone and Internet services last night after cables were severed in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. Punters in nearby Harlow and Sawbridgeworth were also among those plunged into digital darkness last night. According to NTL, a utility company cut through cables yesterday lunchtime. …

    Telecoms 2 Apr 2004, 11:46

  • Sony sues Kodak in digicam patents clash

    Tit for tat

    Sony has counter-sued Eastman Kodak, claiming that the photography pioneer has infringed ten of its digital camera patents. The suit, filed with the US District Court of New Jersey this week, is a direct response to similar allegations made last month by Kodak against Sony. By an amazing coincidence, the number of patents …

    Peripherals 2 Apr 2004, 11:49

  • Porn and the handset

    Contact, not content, is the bigger problem

    Porn and mobile chat rooms are forecast as big money spinners for mobile phone operators. Faster download speeds and colour handsets are driving the market forward. But concerns about child safety have prompted mobile operators into action to prevent 'adult content' getting onto the wrong handsets. In London this week, two …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2004, 12:16

  • Telecom World fair bids au revoir to pricey Geneva

    And says a hearty nei ho to Hong Kong

    The world's biggest telecom fair - Telecom World - is waving goodbye to Geneva. The next scheduled bash, in 2006, will take place in Hong Kong, The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) announced this week. ITU cites several reasons for the decision, including the growing importance of Asian markets for the telecom …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2004, 12:18

  • England Rugby World Cup winning sod auctioned for charity

    Surf for turf

    A piece of turf cut from the Telstra stadium in Sydney - where England won the Rugby World Cup last year - is being auction on eBay for charity. The 30cm square (that's a foot square in old money) of turf is being flogged to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. The auction kicked off today and runs until April 12. And …

    Bootnotes 2 Apr 2004, 13:06

  • OD2 clocks up 1m downloads in Q1

    Long, long way behind US players

    UK-based digital music distributor OD2 sold one million downloads through its European retail partners during the first three months of 2004, the company claimed yesterday. That figure amounts to a 1000 per cent increase on the same period last year and a 100 per cent increase over Q4 2003, OD2 - short for On Demand …

    Financial News 2 Apr 2004, 13:10

  • Sun settles with MS for $2bn (ish)

    Peace in our time

    Sun Microsystems and Microsoft are to stop sueing each other for ten years, in a settlement which will see Sun trouser almost $2bn. The bitter rivals have signed a technology collaboration pact to get their products to work better together; and they have settled all outstanding litigation. They have also come to terms on …

    Financial News 2 Apr 2004, 13:39

  • Sony talks up PS3

    Multiple flavours

    Sony is planning to diversify its PlayStation product family significantly in the coming years, with the company set to show a remodelled PS2 at E3 next month and multiple versions of the PS3 on the horizon. Speaking in an interview on an official Sony website - which has now been pulled, and was apparently made public in error …

    Peripherals 2 Apr 2004, 13:40

  • PeopleSoft dumps poison pill rebate

    Past sell-by date

    PeopleSoft has allowed a pledge to refund its customers if it was acquired to expire. The company made the guarantee last June as part of its defensive strategy against Oracle's $9.4 billion hostile takeover bid. PeopleSoft's licensing-fee refund program would have kicked in if the company is purchased within two years and …

    Applications 2 Apr 2004, 13:42

  • Virtual CEO launches Vodafone 3G

    Bill Morrow trumpets data-only service from hotel cubicle

    Vodafone's new CEO, Bill Morrow, picked a riverside venue in London to launch the company's 3G phone service - data only - at prices per bit which are around 10 per cent of the costs of GPRS. He promised "typical" download speeds of 200 to 300 kilobits per second, with uploading at 64K for the time being. "But we anticipate new …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2004, 13:43

  • Oz music download sites declare price war

    Sing and sit and download while your billy boils

    Australia's digital music market is getting aggressive. Distributor Destra today said it would cut the price of downloads to AUD0.89 ($0.65) per song during April. The cut is a direct response to national telco Telstra's announcement that it would this month offer songs at AUD0.99 ($0.76). The telco usually charges its BigPond …

    Music and Media 2 Apr 2004, 13:52

  • Pipex acquires Host Europe for £31m

    More hosting services, greater product mix

    Pipex is to acquire Host Europe for £31.2m after making a recommended cash offer for the Web business. Broadband ISP, Pipex, and hosting outfit, Host Europe, reckon the deal is a neat match since more and more punters want telecom services from a single supplier. Said Pipex chairman, Peter Dubens: "This acquisition will expand …

    Business 2 Apr 2004, 13:54

  • Sun waves goodbye to 3,300 staff

    Resizing the company

    Sun Microsystems is firing 3,300 staff to bring costs into line with turnover. This will be a bitter pill to swallow for a much restructured workforce which today saw its employer trouser $2bn in a peace settlement with Microsoft. Today's news accompanies a poor set of preliminary results for the enterprise systems business, …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2004, 14:02

  • Bull mourns dead chairman

    Pierre Bonelli RIP

    Pierre Bonelli, chairman and chief exec of French IT services firm Bull, died yesterday after a long illness. He was 64. Bonelli is credited with pulling Bull out of a deep financial crisis since joining the company in December 2001. On Wednesday Bull reported an annual profit of €4.1m, its first in five years. Last year Bull …

    Business 2 Apr 2004, 14:27

  • MSN UK shuts Member Directory over paedo fears

    'Preventative measure'

    MSN UK has shut down its Members Directory over fears, presumably, that it could be used by paedophiles searching for young victims. This is our assumption, because MSN refused to discuss exactly why it had decided to close the directory which lists its members' details. Unlike Microsoft's very public closure of its chat rooms …

    Music and Media 2 Apr 2004, 15:13

  • Glastonbury online ticket sales fiasco

    Jumpin' Jack Crash

    The annual stampede to buy tickets for the Glastonbury festival turned into a farce today as demand swamped the online sales site. Tickets were due to go on sale from the official site (GlastonburyFestivals.co.uk), via Aloud.com, from 20:00 BST last night (1 April). Instead of being able to buy tickets, would-be festival goers …

    Financial News 2 Apr 2004, 16:31

  • IBM's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

    Takes Power chips onto the open road

    IBM yesterday held the Power Everywhere event in New York, which was a bit of a debutante ball for the upcoming Power5 chip and its Squadron line servers. What Big Blue really wanted to talk about, though, was opening up the Power architecture in such a way as to mimic the open source development methodology that is increasingly …

    Servers 2 Apr 2004, 16:45