The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

19th April 2004 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Brussels to charge Vodafone and O2 over roaming

    Abuse of position claims

    The European Commission is set to file formal charges against both Vodafone and O2 for over-charging mobile phone companies using their British networks. Concerns over roaming charges first arose in July 2001 when the Commission raided offices in Germany and the UK. That action was based on fears that mobile companies were …

    Mobile 19 Apr 2004, 08:07

  • Apple updates PowerBooks

    Multiple sources point to faster notebooks

    Apple will today announce revisions across its PowerBook and iBook laptop ranges, according to a variety of sources cited by Mac-oriented websites. Despite a widely mentioned 19 April announcement date, details and specifications are absent from the reports. However, faster G4-class PowerPC 7447 processors seems a distinct …

    Mac Channel 19 Apr 2004, 08:44

  • Apple iTunes Europe debut 'may be delayed'

    But will happen this year, says Euro chief

    Apple is still on course to launch its iTunes Music Store in Europe, but right now it just can't say when. Indeed, expect delays, Apple Europe chief Pascal Cagni warns. "This [launch] is going to be so important for the future that a few months' delay is not essential," he told Reuters last week. "When we launch in Europe, we …

    Music and Media 19 Apr 2004, 09:11

  • WiMedia directors back MBOA UWB spec

    UWB going Intel's way?

    The WiMedia Alliance has given its thumbs-up to the Multiband-OFDM Alliance's rogue ultrawideband MAC and PHY specifications. Not that such a move, reported by EE Times, is entirely surprising. The WMA's board of directors includes many of the companies behind the MBOA, including Texas Instruments and Intel. The decision to …

    Mobile 19 Apr 2004, 09:37

  • Intel Dothan to debut on 10 May

    At 2GHz, apparently

    Intel's 90nm Pentium M chips, codenamed 'Dothan', will at long last ship on 10 May, clocked at up to 2GHz - higher than originally planned when Intel was still considering a 15 February debut. So claim sources close to the chip giant, according to Xbit Labs. At this stage, it's not clear whether Intel will offer 533MHz …

    Channel 19 Apr 2004, 10:03

  • Apple touts low-cost SAN software

    Cheap, interoperable with Linux, Windows etc.

    Apple has extended its enterprise pitch with a play for the Storage Area Network (SAN) market. The Mac maker yesterday announced Xsan, software which adds a 64-bit cluster file system to Mac OS X. Apple's code, currently available as a pre-release beta version, allows clients to connect to consolidated storage systems across a …

    Storage 19 Apr 2004, 10:37

  • Morpheus company takes a punt on VoIP

    StreamCast looking for cash, legitimacy

    What do you do if you're a popular P2P service desperate to prove the ad hoc connections your software enables aren't only useful for stealing music? You scout around for new, more legitimate applications - ideally ones that might actually bring you some money into the bargain. So today we hear that StreamCast Networks, which …

    Data Networking 19 Apr 2004, 11:54

  • Tech recovery on horizon

    Investors asked to keep the faith

    The technology recovery is underway despite recent negative market reaction to financial results from big technology players. Investors believe the upturn is solid but that some have unrealistic expectations of what companies can achieve. Last week saw solid quarterly results from Intel and IBM but both saw falls in their share …

    Financial News 19 Apr 2004, 11:56

  • Only Danes more 'e-ready' than UK

    Favourable e-business environment

    The UK has the world's second most favourable environment for technology, bettered only by that of Denmark. The fifth annual "e-readiness" survey from IBM's Institute for Business Value and the Economist's Intelligence Unit looks at technology infrastructure, business use of technology, support services and use of ecommerce by …

    Financial News 19 Apr 2004, 12:06

  • Broadband rocks for 68m US Net users

    Appetite for connection

    More than half of US Net users have access to a broadband connection, according to the latest snapshot of e-life from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. With 68m US adults logging on to the Web either at home or at work using a broadband connection, researchers reckon that broadband use is much greater than first thought …

    Telecoms 19 Apr 2004, 12:12

  • 3 debuts Nokia 7600

    Videotastic

    Mobile operator 3 has begun selling its first Nokia handset. The Nokia 7600 will be available on the 3 Network from over 3,200 outlets across the UK from today. The Nokia 3600 will be available on 3's value pay monthly and ThreePay price plans, bringing the total number of phones available for these price plans to six. The …

    Mobile 19 Apr 2004, 12:15

  • BT to stretch DSL to absolute limit

    Milton Keynes targeted

    BT is looking to recruit 1,000 Net users in Milton Keynes to test whether it can stretch the reach of its ADSL service. At the moment, broadband is only available to people who are roughly within around 6km of a DSL- enabled exchange. Now, BT wants to see if it can provide a 500k service to people beyond the current limits. If …

    Telecoms 19 Apr 2004, 12:18

  • eMachines M5116 budget notebook

    Review Cheap and cheerful?

    eMachines is a brand associated with budget desktops, but it also offer a range of laptops. The M5116 is a very affordable desktop replacement that can handle most applications barring 3D gaming. The M5116 is like a budget version of the HP nx7000. This is not saying that the M5116 is a bad laptop in any way - rather the …

    Reviews 19 Apr 2004, 12:40

  • Aussie überLuddite safely contained

    No Telstra chair for Richard Alston

    Those Australians who value their telecommunications infrastructure will be delighted to hear that former federal communications minister Richard Alston has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Telstra chair. As we reported last week, Alston seemed to have the backing of Aussie PM John Howard to step into the shoes …

    Bootnotes 19 Apr 2004, 13:08

  • Sony Ericsson rings in record Q1 shipments

    8.8m handsets

    Sony Ericsson enthusiastically announced its Q1 2004 results today, headlining the report with a 66 per cent year-on-year jump in sales and 63 per cent annual growth in handset shipments. Revenue for the quarter, which ended on 31 March, totalled €1.34bn ($1.61bn) up that 66 per cent from Q1 2003's €806m ($968.65m), but down …

    Financial News 19 Apr 2004, 13:09

  • Most firms cannot count cost of IT downtime

    Dunno. $1m per hour?

    A majority of firms have little or no idea how much IT downtime could cost their business, according to a survey out today. Of those able to provide an estimate, almost half reckoned it to be $100,000 per hour - or more. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of 400 enterprises quizzed by Forrester Research either did not know or could not …

    Channel 19 Apr 2004, 13:23

  • Apple to bundle Wi-Fi with all PowerBooks

    iBooks updated too

    Apple has confirmed across-the-range upgrades to its PowerBook and iBook laptop lines, as anticipated this morning. As expected, the PowerBooks get faster G4-class processors, taking the range to 1.5GHz, and sport quicker (4x) DVD-R drives, too. In an unforeseen move, Apple will bundle its 802.11g Wi-Fi card to all PowerBook …

    Mac Channel 19 Apr 2004, 13:42

  • SurfControl secures MessageSoft

    $14.7m anti-spam appliance play

    UK-based censorware outfit SurfControl today acquired anti-spam and filtering appliance vendor MessageSoft. The deal is valued at up to $14.7m, depending on sales, with an initial $9.69m in cash up front and the remainder by the end of the year. SurfControl said the deal gave it access to MessageSoft's Linux-based appliance …

    Enterprise Security 19 Apr 2004, 13:49

  • Forget dogging, here comes toothing

    Bluetooth-driven liaisons in train toilets

    Bored UK commuters are arranging impromtu rumpy-pumpy via their Bluetooth phones and PDAs. The new craze - known as "Toothing" and certain to displace dogging as the sexual flavour of the month - began on a London commute when a flirtatious bluejacking escalated into a meeting in the railway toilets. According to a report on …

    Mobile 19 Apr 2004, 14:05

  • NTL confirms price hike

    More speed, more money

    NTL has confirmed that it is to up the cost of its 1Mb broadband service as part of sweeping price changes at the cableco. Although details of the price increase had been widely leaked, NTL has confirmed that from 1 June, the cost of NTL's 1Mb service will increase £3 a month to £37.99. However, the company said that it would …

    Telecoms 19 Apr 2004, 14:14

  • Nvidia green lights Quadro FX 4000 chip

    Whips up Gelato software renderer for movie biz

    Nvidia has introduced its latest workstation-class graphics chip, the Quadro FX 4000. Essentially an overclocked version of the previous top-end Quadro FX 3000, the 4000 bumps the triangle processing rate to 133m each second, a 33 per cent increase on the 3000's 100m per second rate, and ups the fill rate 41 per cent to 4.5bn …

    Peripherals 19 Apr 2004, 14:18

  • Apple UK store to open 'Autumn 2004'

    Mac maker seeks hopelessly happy retail staff

    Apple's European flagship store on London's Regent Street will open this Autumn, the Mac maker's recruitment web site has revealed. "Want to join the new team at the Apple Store London?" asks the site. "Does the thought of working for Apple make you grin like a child eating birthday cake?" it demands to know. Do you know how to …

    Channel 19 Apr 2004, 15:58

  • Software AG sells SAP SI stake to SAP

    €26m boost for bottom line

    In brief Software AG has sold its stake in SAP System Integration AG to SAP. SAP is paying €l20.40 per share, a total of €26m. The deal means that SAP now owns 74 per cent of SAPSI, which it wants to merge with its own consultancy business. It will offer to buy the remaining shares in the next few weeks. According to SAP 60 per …

    Financial News 19 Apr 2004, 16:23

  • Fingerprints as ID - good, bad, ugly?

    Letters Well, there's an effectiveness:usability trade-off, for starters

    My piece on biometrics and compulsory ID earlier this month produced a substantial mailbag, most of it - even the couple of rude ones - constructive. Several of you provided links to useful research in the area, and the follow-up piece drawing attention to doubts about the infallibility of fingerprinting produced some more. As …

    Letters 19 Apr 2004, 16:33

  • BT to trial 250K, 2Mb DSL services

    Uh huh...

    BT is to trial a 2Mb DSL broadband service, BT IPStream Home 2000, in the autumn. At the moment, the wholesale cost of the service has been set at £38 a month, which suggests that end users could expect to pay somewhere between £50 and £60 a month, if the product becomes available commercially. BT is also planning a 250k …

    Telecoms 19 Apr 2004, 16:59

  • Perfect balls and rubber sheets

    US Space Agency launch to test Einstein's maths

    Boffins are set to discover if the Earth distorts space-time as it spins, as the Gravity-B probe is scheduled to launch today at 18:01 GMT. The satellite will provide precise measurements of how a massive object, such as the Earth, bends space. It will also test the theory that the Earth drags space along with it as it spins …

    Science 19 Apr 2004, 17:04

  • HP goes to Hollywood

    Dreamworks gig

    HP is breaking into the movies through deals with Dreamworks and Warner Bros. In a broadening of a previously announced alliance, HP is extending its utility computing technology to help movie studio DreamWorks put the finishing touches on animated films such as Shrek 2. HP also announced a deal with Warner Brothers to restore …

    Servers 19 Apr 2004, 19:41

  • Siebel cautious despite profits jump

    Twitchy about market conditions

    CRM vendor Siebel's Q1 results had some positive aspects, including successful cost-cutting initiatives and higher license revenues. Although lower service revenues could be a bad sign, the company generally looks well positioned for the future. Siebel Systems CEO Tom Siebel described the market position as fragile and …

    Mobile 19 Apr 2004, 20:05

  • Nextel debuts wireless broadband in North Carolina

    A US first

    US Cellco Nextel has launched a full scale mobile wireless broadband service for North Carolina's Research Triangle offering a 1.5 Mbps service, bursting to 3 Mbps, for prices ranging between $34.99 to $74.99 a month. These are cited downlink speeds whereas a typical uplink speeds will be around 375 kbps with burst rates of up …

    Mobile 19 Apr 2004, 20:09

  • Music biz appeals Canada file sharing-is-legal ruling

    Music to lawyers' ears

    As expected, the decision by a Canadian Appeals Court, to refuse legal help in identifying file sharers which appear to be swapping copyrighted works, is being challenged by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. The CRIA filed an appeal last week. The decision flies in the face of US courts, which although they have …

    Music and Media 19 Apr 2004, 20:26

  • Virtual machines come to Opteron, 64-bit Xeon

    VMware goes forth

    VMware - EMC's partitioning division - has announced that its server slicing products will work with AMD's Opteron and Intel's Xeon Extender processors and the 64-bit operating systems available for the chips. VMware isn't exactly rushing to the 64-bit computing party. The first 64-bit support will arrive "sometime this quarter …

    Servers 19 Apr 2004, 23:22