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27th July 2004 Archive

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  • Microsoft gives Japanese watchdog the brushoff

    See you in court

    Never one to let a government agency push it around, Microsoft has politely declined to follow the Japanese Fair Trade Commission's (JFTC) request that it alter sales practices when dealing with Japanese PC makers. "Microsoft Corporation received a Recommendation from the Japanese Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) on July 13, 2004, …

    Software 27 Jul 2004, 00:00

  • HP boots ServerWorks with new Xeon kit

    64-bit ProLiant charge

    HP looks set to upgrade four of its ProLiant servers with Intel's new 64-bit Xeon processor in the very near future, according to information from HP partners. The HP ProLiant ML350, ML370, DL360 and DL380 (G4) servers should all start arriving shortly with the x86-64-bit Xeon chip code-named Nocona. HP will also upgrade its …

    Servers 27 Jul 2004, 01:27

  • Apple licenses iTunes to Motorola

    Music Store to feed phones

    Motorola is to embed Apple's iTunes into its mobile phone, the duo announced last night. Apple will create a custom version of its iTunes jukebox software to run on Motorola's handsets. The app will not initially be able to preview, buy and download songs over the air directly from the iTunes Music Store. Instead, users will …

    Mobile 27 Jul 2004, 08:43

  • Intel: common Xeon, Itanic chipset by 2007

    One ring to rule them all...

    Intel has reiterated its plan to merge its Xeon and Itanium system architectures during the next three years. In a VAR Business interview, Jason Waxman, director of multiprocessor marketing for Intel's Enterprise Product Group, said: "We're working with OEMs like HP, IBM and others to develop one system that will support either …

    Servers 27 Jul 2004, 08:57

  • Outbreak of RFID tagging at medical facilities

    New York and Mexico City affected

    The Jacobi Medical Centre in New York is tagging patients with RFID chips in a pilot project run with Siemens Business Services. The chips are incorporated into the wrist bands issued when a patient is admitted. The idea is that the chips will cut down on patient misidentification, and make accessing medical records faster. The …

    Wireless 27 Jul 2004, 08:58

  • Orange buoys France Telecom results

    And don't forget Wanadoo...

    A good performance from Orange and Wanadoo lifted France Telecom revenues in the first half of the year. Revenues for Orange, France Telecom's mobile arm, and by Wanadoo, its Internet business, both grew by more than 11 per cent. Group sales for the six months to 30 June 2004 advanced 4.2 per cent on same time last year. France …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 09:15

  • Elpida to mass-produce DDR 2 in August

    Prices to fall?

    Elpida will next month begin mass-producing DDR 2 SDRAM using its 100nm process, the company said today. First to fall off the production line will be DDR 2 chips designed for 533MHz and 667MHz operation. Intel's i925X, i915P and i915G chipsets, which offer DDR 2 support for mainstream desktop PCs, are believed to be capable of …

    Channel 27 Jul 2004, 09:22

  • The J2EE Tutorial - complete guide

    Site Offer Give yourself a head start and save 30%

    The J2EE™ Tutorial, is the complete guide to all major components of the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) version 1.4. Written by members of the J2EE platform team at Sun Microsystems, this is the task-oriented and example-driven book that will have new and intermediate Java programmers building J2EE applications right …

    Site News 27 Jul 2004, 09:28

  • Punters trade privacy for personalisation

    Fair trade no robbery

    British onsumers are happy to give away private information if they get better, more personalised online content in exchange. A survey found 64 per cent would exchange preference information for personalised content and product information. Just over half, 56 per cent, would give away information about their age and gender. The …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 09:39

  • Yahoo! offers phone photo upload

    Storage for phone piccies

    Yahoo! is offering customers in the US free storage for photos taken with mobile phones. Yahoo! Mobile Photo Upload will work for any camera phone on any of the five major US networks. There is no charge and no limit on the number of photos stored, according to Reuters. Customers of AT&T Wireless, Cingular Wireless, Sprint, T- …

    Mobile 27 Jul 2004, 09:42

  • BT chops cost of UK Wi-Fi access

    But it's still more expensive here than the US

    BT Openzone has slashed access charges to its network of public Wi-Fi hotspots, cutting the cost of fast wireless Internet connections by up to 70 per cent, the telco claimed today. Gone are Openzone's four subscription packages, replaced by a single £25 ($46) a month deal that provides 4000 minutes (66.67 hours) of …

    Wireless 27 Jul 2004, 09:54

  • HP rolls out Wi-Fi PDA phone

    Updated h6315 here at last, along with five other models

    HP has introduced six new iPaq PDAs, including the long-awaited - and much-speculated-upon - h6300 series of Wi-Fi/GSM/GRPS devices, 22 days later than expected. The launch is certainly comprehensive, stretching from the low-end rz1715 to the high-end hx4705 with its 480 x 640 display. In between are three rx3000 series models …

    Mobile 27 Jul 2004, 10:22

  • S&P revises Nokia outlook

    From stable to negative...

    Ratings agency Standard&Poor's has revised its outlook for handset maker Nokia. S&P lowered the Finnish firm's rating from stable to negative because of a "marked deterioration of its performance and prospects". Nokia has made three profit warnings since April. The Finnish firm has suffered from its lack of a clamshell design …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 10:39

  • 11 year-old-kids free to gamble online

    What are the odds on that?

    Children as young as 11 are able to set up accounts and gamble online, a leading children's charity claims. According to NCH, only seven out of 37 gambling sites tested stopped a 16-year-old registering her details online. The youngster from London was able to lie successfully about her age and register her details on websites …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 10:44

  • Senate backs visa waiver extension

    One year to comply

    The US Senate has given its backing to a one-year extension of the Visa Waiver Programme, the scheme under which travellers from US approved countries may travel to the US without biometric passports or visas. The extension means that British citizens with machine readable (barcoded) passports will still be able to travel to …

    ID 27 Jul 2004, 10:47

  • Red Hat hit with class action (No.2)

    These investments could go up as well as down - if they go down we'll sue

    Another law firm is launching a class action suit against Red Hat - blaming the firm for its falling share price. Red Hat said two weeks ago it was changing the way it accounts for software licences - in future these will be measured on a daily basis rather than monthly. The firm is also going back over accounts for the last …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 10:50

  • Computacenter signs 3PAR for utility play

    Storage gig

    Computacenter has signed a reseller and marketing agreement with US storage specialist 3PAR. The deal will see the two firms target financial and government organisations as well as UK SMEs. 3PAR offers consolidated on-demand storage and claims lower costs than traditional storage solutions. Simon Gay, consultancy practice …

    Storage 27 Jul 2004, 11:05

  • One.Tel touts cheap biz mobile calls

    In brief Diddle-ee etc.

    One.Tel is offering discounted mobile phone calls for UK businesses. Piggybacking on the Vodafone network, One.Tel is offering five tariff plans starting from £8.50 per month and promising savings of up to 90 per cent on national and international calls. It is also offering businesses the chance to get their hands on a SIM card …

    Small Biz 27 Jul 2004, 11:35

  • We're all MyDoomed

    On the Google-bashing Zombie virus

    A computer virus which affected the operation of Google yesterday is spreading like wildfire. MyDoom-M (AKA MyDoom-O) has adopted a new trick of using search engines to find email addresses to target for infection. The worm queries search.lycos.com, search.yahoo.com, AltaVista, and Google in its attempts to harvest additional …

    Malware 27 Jul 2004, 11:41

  • Microsoft meets EC judge

    Informal meeting to suspend penalties

    Microsoft is meeting Bo Vesterdorf , the judge of the Court of First Instance, today in an effort to get penalties against the software giant suspended until the full appeal is heard. The Competition Commission temporarily suspended penalties at the end of June. Following the EC ruling Microsoft was supposed to pay a fine of € …

    Operating Systems 27 Jul 2004, 11:43

  • US Navy buys IBM supercomputer

    The military machine

    The US Navy has bought a new supercomputer from IBM that will, at a theoretical peak performance of 20 Teraflops, be the US military's fastest machine. The machine will be used to improve short term weather forecasts for fleets at sea, and to model aircraft and submarine designs. The computer, which will cost the Department of …

    Servers 27 Jul 2004, 11:47

  • Verizon dangles cheap VoIP for US land grab

    Analysis Data freedom

    Verizon, the largest local telecommunications provider in the US, has torn up the US telephone rule-book and is offering a US-wide Voice over IP (VoIP) service for $39.95 a month, with discounts available if customers use other Verizon services. The service is called VoiceWing and the move is seen as the beginning of a …

    Data Networking 27 Jul 2004, 12:36

  • Ex-ISP boss in legal challenge over unpaid bonus

    'I just want what's owed to me'

    The former boss of Liberty Surf UK Ltd - the ISP bought by Tiscali in January 2001 - is locked in a bitter legal dispute over a claim that he's owed £67,500 from his previous employer. Paul Myers, who is now chief exec of music download operation Wippit, began legal action after the liquidator for Liberty Surf rejected his …

    IT Director 27 Jul 2004, 13:11

  • eBay denies South Africa 419 hacking report

    'Completely false'

    Auction site eBay has denied South African reports that a database of customer credit card numbers it maintains has been compromised by a Nigerian 419 syndicate. According to News24, advanced free fraudsters "gained access to the credit card numbers... addresses and identity numbers of thousands of eBay clients and have started …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 13:14

  • Alert over invoices from 'Domain Registry Services'

    Nominet UK issues warning

    Nominet UK - the .uk Internet registry - is warning domain name holders to be on their guard against bogus invoices being distributed by an outfit called Domain Registry Services. Nominet UK has received more than 50 complaints from ISPs and small businesses about the rogue company and is urging people to check all invoices …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 13:32

  • EMC makes Documentum 'storage-aware'

    Push your content around with ILM policies

    EMC reckons it is the first company to integrate information lifecycle management (ILM) with content management. It says this makes the content software 'storage-aware'. The company has added an ILM policy engine to the content management software that it bought last year with Documentum. The snappily-named EMC Documentum …

    Storage 27 Jul 2004, 14:07

  • Screen Select signs up Wanadoo and Dixons

    Land grab for online DVD rental market continues...

    The battle for Britain's market for online DVD rental is hotting up with Screen Select nabbing distribution deals with Dixons and Wanadoo. Several firms are following the Netflix business model which gives customers unlimited DVD rentals for a set monthly fee. You can keep three titles at any one time and once you've watched …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 14:11

  • Spamming for Dummies

    A cautionary tale

    Let's call him Stan. Our entirely fictitious character begins his work day, as many of us do, by opening his email client and checking for new messages. As usual, a few legitimate emails are hidden amongst a deluge of spam, one of which catches his eye. ‘2 Million Email Addresses for $19.95’ Already a keen businessman, Stan …

    Spam 27 Jul 2004, 15:01

  • Emergency advice parody misses Gov UK funny bone

    Duck and cover!

    The Cabinet Office has demanded that the author of the Preparing for Emergencies parody site remove it from the Net immediately, and not put it up again in another guise. The government launched an advertising and leafleting campaign yesterday, advising us all of what to do in the event of a national emergency. The idea is that …

    Public Sector 27 Jul 2004, 15:35

  • Microsoft Office 2003 gets first service pack

    SP1 for Office 2003

    The first major update for Office 2003 is available for download from today. Microsoft Office 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) promises better security and reliability and new features for OneNote and InfoPath. Email client Outlook is getting better spam filters - you will be able to send spam to the junk file based on the sender's …

    Applications 27 Jul 2004, 15:40

  • Rampant capitalism upsets delicate Reg reader

    Letters: Sort of. And something about dog chips...

    Microsoft's Q4 earnings (a paltry $2.94bn) were not just unpopular with Wall Street. The numbers didn't go over a bundle with you lot, either. One particularly irritated chap emailed us, presumably to vent his spleen: So WHEN, oh WHEN will we start ignoring these 'Analysts' ???? They should be second to be lined up against the …

    Letters 27 Jul 2004, 16:00

  • Sloppy businesses fingered by phone recording service

    Don't fob us off, OK

    Hacked-off punters keen to turn the tables on companies that "fail to deliver the goods" can now use a new phone recording service that fingers businesses with poor customer service records. Not only does the Registered Call service give punters the chance to record conversations with calls centres and other "customer help …

    Small Biz 27 Jul 2004, 16:05

  • Sun targets HP-UX and Windows with software subs

    Who needs Intel Inside?

    Sun Microsystems has finalized a plan to put more pressure on rivals by porting its entire JES (Java Enterprise System) software line to the HP-UX and Windows operating systems. Bits and pieces of JES - a package that includes an app server, directory server, clustering software and 11 other items - already run on Windows. Sun …

    Servers 27 Jul 2004, 16:53

  • Forgotten language enables nonstop gadgets

    Smalltalk, in a very small machine

    Swiss embedded software company Esmertec has acquired the start-up founded by VM pioneer and former technical lead of Sun's HotSpot project, Lars Bak. OOVM was founded in Denmark in 2002 and privately-held Esmertec acquired the company for an undisclosed sum. OOVM produces a virtual machine that allows programmers to hook in …

    Applications 27 Jul 2004, 16:53

  • America - a nation of corporate email snoops

    Big Brother's Little Brother

    Forget Big Brother, US conglomerates are paying low-tech snoopers to read workers' emails. According to research from Forrester Consulting, 44 per cent of large US companies (20,000 workers and above) pay someone to monitor the firm's outgoing mail, with 38 per cent regularly auditing email content. According to the study - …

    Enterprise Security 27 Jul 2004, 17:16

  • US Navy preps 'Gestapo' server removal

    Bill Clinton on the offensive

    The US Navy has a real battle on its hands in the form of a proxy server named Gestapo. Last month, one Edward Campbell - an independent reporter - discovered a proxy server of dubious distinction lurking in the Commander Naval Reserve Recruiting Command (CNRRC) in New Orleans. It seems that the server named "gestapo.cnrrc.nola …

    Music and Media 27 Jul 2004, 20:20

  • Intel's CEO gets blunt about poor execution

    Shape up . . . or else

    Intel's CEO Craig Barrett has chastised workers, in a memo sent last week, for an unacceptable string of delays and manufacturing problems that threaten to undermine the company's position as the leading chip manufacturer. In an uncharacteristic move, Barrett chided all 80,000 Intel staffers for issues such as the Grantsdale …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2004, 22:28

  • DRM begins to work its magic

    Analysis How the music biz can sell our old stuff as new, all over again

    Apple's agreement with Motorola is certainly a masterpiece of diplomacy.But it's much more, besides. As we pointed out earlier today: extending Apple's music DRM to allow the files to play on Motorola phones in a way that doesn't threaten the short-term interests of either company was always going to be a tricky announcement. …

    Music and Media 27 Jul 2004, 22:29