21st April 2004 Archive
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Freescale Q1 income soars
Prepares to IPO
Freescale - the chip maker formerly known as Motorola's Semiconductor Products Sector - saw operating income jump more than fourfold during the first three months of 2004 on the back of $1.4bn worth of sales. The company's operating income reached $107m, up from the $25m it made in Q4 2003 and well up on the year-ago quarter's …
Financial News 21 Apr 2004, 08:10
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Intel touts 'MP3 for 3D' universal graphics format
Chuck out your proprietary CAD formats
Intel, Adobe, Microsoft and more than 30 other companies are to co-operate in conjuring up a standard for 3D graphics, called the Universal 3D (U3D) format the intention is to create a way of encoding 3D data as freely available as MP3 for audio and JPEG for still images. Intel and co.'s goal is to end the array of proprietary …
Applications 21 Apr 2004, 08:28
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IBM answers need for long distance speed
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Building on its strength in disaster recovery technology, IBM has rolled out a new product for increasing long distance data replication speeds. IBM's Global Mirror for Enterprise Storage makes it possible to back up data over a distance of more than 300km with a delay of just three to five seconds. IBM has pitted its peer-to- …
Storage 21 Apr 2004, 09:03
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Indonesian election website gets comedy makeover
Pink Grandfather Party
The official election website for this month's Indonesian elections became the scene of a tropical farce this weekend when hackers changed official party names to comical variants. The monikers of the top three parties remained unaltered but the fourth-placed United Development Party was rechristened the "Pink Grandfather Party …
Enterprise Security 21 Apr 2004, 09:06
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Motorola makes hay during Q1
'Here's a $2bn profit we didn't expect...'
Motorola earned almost $2bn more than it had expected to in the first three months of its current fiscal year, with mobile phones contributing to the growth. Although new CEO Ed Zander warned against reading too much into one quarter's results, a 67 per cent increase in handset sales will surely warm his toes [*]. Motorola …
Financial News 21 Apr 2004, 09:10
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Oracle, HP, Intel and Sun start YAGCSB*
*Yet Another Grid Computing Standards Body
Griddle me this. Is there really a need for another grid computing-focused organisation? Some 20 companies think the answer is 'yes', with a number of the largest IT players coming together this week to form the Enterprise Grid Alliance (EGA). The new consortium, including Oracle, HP, Intel, EMC and Sun, is the latest body to …
Data Networking 21 Apr 2004, 09:17
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Q1 x86 shipments dipped below par
Intel, AMD jostle for market share
PC processor sales fell faster during the first quarter of 2004 than tradition would anticipate, the latest figures from market watcher Mercury Research shows. Chip sales are usually lower in Q1 than the preceeding quarter, which includes the Christmas sales period. Historically, the average dip is in the order of five per cent …
Channel 21 Apr 2004, 09:21
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Sex.com epic battle finally ends
VeriSign settles six-year legal fight
The epic battle for Sex.com, in which one man chased down one of the greatest living con-men and the world’s biggest Internet company, has finally come to a close with an undisclosed sum paid to the domain’s owner, businessman Gary Kremen. The company that owns and runs all .com and .net domains, VeriSign, reached agreement …
Financial News 21 Apr 2004, 09:34
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WLAN vendors gain back-door WAPI support
In through Taiwan
International wireless networking product vendors appear to have found a way around some of the rocks China has thrown in the road leading to the implementation of its WAPI (Wired Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure) standard. From 1 June all WLAN equipment sold in China must adhere to WAPI, an alternative to Wi-Fi/802.11 …
Wireless 21 Apr 2004, 09:43
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Morse buys niche consultancy biz
'De-risking projects'
Morse, Europe's biggest Sun dealer, has bought a City management consultancy business called CSTIM. Terms are undisclosed. CSTIM clients are in the financial services sector, Morse's biggest vertical market. The firm has 60 staff based in London, Luxembourg, Edinburgh, Jersey and Cape Town. It will continue to operate under its …
Channel 21 Apr 2004, 10:07
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HP to upgrade AMD to business class
First time in Europe
HP is to bring AMD processors to its European business desktop PC range. While the PC giant has offered business-oriented desktops in the US since 2002, the launch of the HP dx6050 on 10 May will mark the first time it has done so on this side of the Pond. HP UK already offers Athlon-based machines aimed at the consumer and …
Channel 21 Apr 2004, 10:08
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Egg punters up, losses down
'Solid start to the year'
Internet bank Egg narrowed its losses for the first three months of the year as it continues to keep a tight rein on expenditure at its loss-making French operation. News of the improvement comes as Prudential continues to seek a buyer for its 79 per cent holding in the company. Group operating income was up 26 per cent in the …
Financial News 21 Apr 2004, 10:15
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Chocks away for NASA's Einstein test
Gravity Probe-B launch successful
NASA's Gravity Probe-B (GP-B) is being guided into a nearly perfect circular polar orbit 400 miles up, following its successful launch yesterday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Early reports from the Earth's newest satellite are good, according to Rex Geveden, the GP-B program manager: "The solar arrays are …
Science 21 Apr 2004, 10:31
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Intel close to clearing Austin 'eyesore'
Offloads unfinished chip design centre
Intel has at last sold off what remains of its unfinished Austin, Texas chip design centre, three years after abandoning work on the project. According to an Austin Statesman report (registration required), local real estate company Endeavor has been talking to Intel and is close to completing a purchase. Intel began work on …
Financial News 21 Apr 2004, 10:34
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Sony Ericsson pressures Nokia
Handset sales and profits up
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications shipped a record amount of mobile handsets and posted an excellent set of results for Q1 2004. It is continuing to gain market share from the likes of Nokia, which is will now be coming under increased scrutiny following its own disappointing performance over the quarter. For Q1 2004, the …
Mobile 21 Apr 2004, 10:44
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Court slaps injunction on GPL infringer
Landmark German ruling
A German court has granted an injunction for an infringement of general public licence (GPL) software. Munich District Court granted the preliminary injunction against Sitecom Germany, in response to a request from the netfilter/iptables project. Sitecom sells a wireless access router product which uses software developed by …
Developer 21 Apr 2004, 10:48
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Serious TCP/IP vuln exposed
But don't panic
The UK's National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre yesterday reported a fundamental flaw with the core Internet protocol - TCP/IP - which creates a mechanism for hackers to crash vulnerable routers and severely disrupt Internet traffic. The problem stems from the fact that it's far easier to reset TCP/IP sessions …
Enterprise Security 21 Apr 2004, 11:10
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Siebel offers up to $150m for Eontec
$70m up front, more to follow
Siebel Systems is to acquire Irish company Eontec, allowing the banking software firm's founders and managers to cash in. Under the terms of the deal, announced late on Tuesday evening, the California-based company will pay $70m in cash to Eontec shareholders. As much as $60m more could be paid out in 2005, although Siebel said …
Financial News 21 Apr 2004, 11:14
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MyZones founders jump overboard over board
Not directors of Wi-Fi firm
Two founders of Wi-Fi hotspot company MyZones have now come forward to confirm that they were never directors of the bankrupt firm. The MyZones web site has shown Dr Stuart Marsden, and financier Yoram Amiga, both of Sum International, as "part of the team" - and they have now contacted NewsWireless to say that this was, indeed …
Wireless 21 Apr 2004, 11:16
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Texaco pumps Wi-Fi into 100 garages
T-Mobile wins roaming deal and champagne flute
T-Mobile UK today announced that it has rigged 100 Texaco service stations with Wi-Fi hotspots. Sort of. Texaco's WLAN infrastructure was not actually put in place by T-Mobile itself, but by third-party Wi-Fi specialist Mapesbury Communications (MCom). Essentially, MCom/Texaco's access points are providing roaming facilities …
Wireless 21 Apr 2004, 11:21
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Creative laptop-in-the-bath ad banned
'Encouraged a dangerous practice'
The UK's advertising watchdog has banned a Creative Labs ad over fears that it could encourage people to electrocute themselves. Creative Labs Europe ran an ad for its SoundBlaster audio product featuring a woman in a bath using a laptop hooked up to a pair of speakers. Under the headline "Immerse Yourself - In Sound" the ad …
Peripherals 21 Apr 2004, 11:27
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No need for anti-spyware laws - FTC
User clean thyself
The US Federal Trade Commission is resisting calls from consumer lobbyists to pass anti-spyware legislation. Regulators have instead joined with the IT industry to call for improved self-regulation and user education. Spyware applications are programs that secretly forward information about a user's online activities to third- …
ID 21 Apr 2004, 12:51
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Billions wasted due to IT skills deficit
Not enough professionalism either
Lack of professionalism and the right skills among the UK's IT workers means that billions of pounds are wasted every year on new IT systems, according to a report by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the British Computer Society. In a scathing assessment of the industry, the report, The Challenges of Complex IT Projects, …
IT Director 21 Apr 2004, 12:57
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Police probe 'joke' eBay daughter sale couple
Mother may face charges
Two Germans who offered to sell their daughter on eBay may face prosecution for attempted human trafficking, despite claiming that the auction they launched was merely a "joke". The pair - a 35-year-old woman and her 41-year-old boyfriend - are currently under investigation by local police after a fellow Internet user in their …
Music and Media 21 Apr 2004, 13:38
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SCO case doesn't slow Linux take-up
The Big Linux Debate Panel beating
Threatened legal action from SCO has failed to slow the take-up of Linux, according to a panel of experts at the Linux Users and Developers Conference. The Big Linux Debate on the last day of the conference in London, Olympia brought together eight open source evangelists and one man from Microsoft. The sacrificial lamb in the …
Developer 21 Apr 2004, 15:17
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PalmOne, HP slog it out over Euro sales
A matter of data interpretation
Who commands the European PDA market: HP or PalmOne? Market watcher Canalys yesterday released figures putting HP first, but today research data from IDC puts PalmOne ahead. Both concur that Nokia shipped more devices than either of HP and PalmOne put together, but while Canalys has HP with a 10.2 per cent market share and …
Mobile 21 Apr 2004, 15:43
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MS to probe human-computer interface
Research team mobilised
Microsoft has set up a new research group in Cambridge to look into ways of improving human-computer interaction. It says that an approach combining hardware engineering with psychology and sociology will lead to better ways for people to interact with technology. The aim, a worthy one, is to make the process more intuitive and …
Science 21 Apr 2004, 19:41
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Man overboard! CA chief Kumar walks plank...
Lands in comfortable billet
Sanjay Kumar, Computer Associates' chief executive, has become the latest casualty of the marathon investigation into the software vendor's finances. After four years at the top, he has been forced to step down as chairman and chief exec, surrendering these roles to become CA's chief software architect, a new position. In …
Financial News 21 Apr 2004, 19:49
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Microsoft sees Judge, looks busy
DoJ likes licensing extension
Microsoft has offered to extend the duration of its protocol licenses for an extra two years. The licensing program, MCPP, was set up two years ago as a requirement of the anti-trust settlement, and a license lasts for five years. Redmond lawyers made what is being described as a 'concession' at a remedy hearing in a DC court …
Operating Systems 21 Apr 2004, 23:41
