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18th August 2004 Archive

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  • SMEs profit from the Web

    Gotta be init to winnit

    More and more etailers are making a profit from their online stores, according to a study from ecommerce software vendor Actinic. The trouble is, only three per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK use websites to flog goods and services. As a result, Actinic reckons SMEs are missing out on a valuable …

    Small Biz 18 Aug 2004, 09:09

  • EDS slams BSkyB's 'outrageous claim'

    See you in court

    EDS is to fight back against BSkyB, the UK satellite TV outfit, which yesterday announced it was sueing the computer services firm over a disputed contract. Commenting on BSkyB's legal action, Malcolm George, EDS's head of communications in the UK, said: "This is an outrageous claim. It's pie-in-the-sky. We will vigorously …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2004, 09:17

  • Real anti-Apple poll swamped by pro-Apple posters

    So message board gets pulled

    Real Networks last night yanked an online petition demanding Apple open up its FairPlay DRM technology after Macatistas swamped the web site with anti-Real messages. The petition soon returned, however - minus the opportunity for users to post comments. Real also removed the ability for readers to comment on other …

    Music and Media 18 Aug 2004, 09:38

  • Dim stars shed light on age of galaxy

    Beryllium count gives the game away

    A group of astronomers working on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile have determined that the galaxy is 13.6bn years old. Its calculation of the age of the Milky Way is based on observations of two very faint stars in a local globular cluster, the BBC reports. Globular clusters are very concentrated clusters of stars which …

    Science 18 Aug 2004, 09:42

  • AMD confirms 90nm CPUs ship

    Oakville mobiles going out to PC makers

    AMD has begun shipping its Oakville 90nm low-power Mobile Athlon 64 processor to paying customers, the chipmaker said yesterday, confirming earlier reports that it has begun 'revenue shipments' of its 90nm CPUs. Making Oakville available to customers fulfils AMD's promise to deliver revenue shipments of 90nm products in Q3 2004 …

    Channel 18 Aug 2004, 10:03

  • ATI to pitch RV410 at GeForce 6600 GT

    GPUs built on TSMC's 110nm process, reportedly

    ATI is preparing a direct rival to Nvidia's GeForce 6600 GT, it has emerged. According to Chinese-language website hkepc.com, ATI's 'low end of the high end' part, codenamed RV410, is derived from the Radeon X800 and sports eight pixel pipelines fed by six vertex pipelines. The chip is PCI Express native. The part apparently …

    Channel 18 Aug 2004, 10:22

  • 'Offensive' ad lands Amen in hot water

    Servers and semi-naked women - whatever next?

    Amen Ltd - the European Web hosting outfit acquired by VIA NET.WORKS in January - has pulled a mucky magazine ad following complaints from readers. The ad pictured a semi-naked woman wearing a mask under the headline "BOUND TO SERVE". Accompanying the provocative pose it said: "Take control of your very own dedicated server 100 …

    Telecoms 18 Aug 2004, 10:33

  • AMD unveils Athlon 64 3700+ DTR

    Desktop replacement notebooks get faster

    AMD has released its latest Athlon 64 processor, a second 3700+ part, this time aimed at desktop-replacement notebooks rather than desktop PCs. Available now, the DTR 3700+ costs $500 per processor when sold in batches of 1000 chips. The new processor is a 130nm part. AMD's announcement follows Aconfirmation that its has begun …

    Channel 18 Aug 2004, 10:37

  • Another day, another delay for XP SP2

    XP Pro users must wait a little bit longer

    Microsoft has delayed the automatic distribution of a major upgrade to Windows XP Professional for at least another week. The 272MB enterprise version of SP2 was released earlier this month and a smaller consumer version - weighing in at around 80MB - was due to be available through Windows Update on 16 August. Under the latest …

    Operating Systems 18 Aug 2004, 10:42

  • Freescale to detail dual-core PowerPC G4

    October unveiling alongside AMD dualie Athlon 64 FX

    Freescale - Motorola's soon-to-be-spun-off chip division - and AMD are set to detail their respective dual-core processor designs this autumn. Both companies will use Microprocessor Forum (MPF), to be held in San Jose this October, to launch their chips. AMD's dual-core strategy is well known, but while multi-core support has …

    Mac Channel 18 Aug 2004, 11:14

  • Google slashes IPO value

    Regulatory hurdles still to be jumped

    Google has slashed the potential maximum value it will raise from its IPO to just $1.9bn by cutting prices and reducing the amount of the company it expects shareholders to sell. The company lowered its IPO price range to between $85 and $95 per share, down from $108 to $135 per share. Along with the reduction in share price, …

    Financial News 18 Aug 2004, 11:27

  • Google Germany faces Adwords trademark fight

    Uphill battle

    Google will appear in court next week, hoping to put its lucrative Adwords business in Germany onto a firmer legal footing. Back in May, a Hamburg court ruled against the Silicon Valley company, judging that it had no right to use a trademark without the owner's authorization. The meta search engine Metaspinner Media is …

    Financial News 18 Aug 2004, 11:38

  • BT extends reach of ADSL

    Million more can now get it

    BT is extending the range of its 512k service, bringing more than one million homes and business into the ADSL broadband fold. Until now, anyone further than around 6km from their DSL-enabled BT telephone exchange was probably unable to hook-up to the service. Following successful trials in Milton Keynes and in the Scottish …

    Small Biz 18 Aug 2004, 12:16

  • Resident Evil viral marketing ploy backfires

    Mobile virus hoax taxes support desks

    A marketing campaign to promote the latest version of the Resident Evil video game has provoked a panic about the spread of a non-existent mobile phone virus. Users have received unsolicited SMS text messages on their mobile phones telling them they are infected by the so-called T-Virus, prompting calls to AV company Sophos …

    Malware 18 Aug 2004, 12:22

  • Acer Ferrari 3200 Athlon 64 notebook

    Review Vroom, vroom, vroom...

    Though it's a familiar sight for PC and notebooks to be adorned with logos it's a fair bet that a yellow one featuring a prancing pony and the initials 'SF' are not usually among them. 'SF' stand for Scuderia Ferrari, one of the most famous marques in automotive history and it's here because Acer is the official equipment …

    Reviews 18 Aug 2004, 12:23

  • Vodafone sticks with Beckham

    Signs new year-long contract

    Vodafone has signed a new one-year advertising deal with footballer David Beckham that will see the creation of a "David Beckham content suite" on Vodafone Live!, the company's consumer portal. This is Money reports that Beckham will be the face of Vodafone's consumer 3G service, which is currently in trials. The full …

    Mobile 18 Aug 2004, 12:24

  • Ford dumps $200m Oracle system

    Thanks, but we'll stick with the legacy stuff

    Ford has ditched Oracle's online purchasing system eVEREST, because of flaws in the software. The car manufacturer has reportedly spent more than $200m trying to get the system to work since it bought it in 2000. According to Reuters, Ford's suppliers found the software slow and flawed. A spokeswoman for the car firm said that …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2004, 14:35

  • Swansea IT striker speaks out

    'I want to provide a public service, not line shareholders' pockets'

    IT workers at Swansea Council claim they have been let down by their employer over plans to hire a private firm to introduce a new e-government scheme. The Council is currently negotiating with two companies -ITNET and Cap Gemini - to deliver a new system that would make access to council services quicker and easier. The local …

    IT Director 18 Aug 2004, 14:36

  • Norwich Union trials PAYG car insurance

    Can anyone say 'surveillance'?

    Norwich Union has begun trials of a new pay-as-you-go car insurance policy. Drivers will be tracked by a 'black box' which will record data about their journeys, and charge them according to how risky any particular journey is. The idea is that premiums will be matched precisely to the individual: those who use their cars …

    Science 18 Aug 2004, 14:44

  • Small.biz crap at security (redux)

    How do we ever survive?

    Small businesses are failing to take action against online security risks, according to the Institute of Directors (IoD). Its research highlights unregulated download services and instant message application as major security risks. The IoD investigation into its members revealed that 66 per cent of small businesses are aware …

    Small Biz 18 Aug 2004, 15:29

  • ISPs gang up on spammer-run websites

    The LINX effect

    UK ISPs are targeting ecommerce websites run by spammers in a new ‘get tough’ policy on junk mail. ISPs belonging to the London Internet Exchange (LINX) have voted through acode of practice which gives them the mandate to shut down websites promoted through spam, even if junk mail messages are sent through a third-party or over …

    Spam 18 Aug 2004, 15:34

  • Cassini finds two tiny Saturnian moons

    Blink and you'll miss 'em

    Scientists monitoring data from the Cassini-Huygens mission have discovered two new moons in orbit around Saturn, bringing the planet's total moon collection to 33. The two bodies are very small: one is around three kilometres across and the other only measures four kilometres. Until now, the smallest of Saturn's known moons …

    Science 18 Aug 2004, 16:27

  • Information Commissioner to rule on Lloyds TSB's jobs-to-India

    Union backs customer

    The Information Commissioner is being asked to rule on whether Lloyds TSB's plans to transfer work to India complies with data protection laws. An un-named customer of the bank is being backed by Lloyds TSB Group Union (LTU), which represents over 45,000 of the bank's staff, to make the challenge. According to European …

    IT Director 18 Aug 2004, 16:30

  • HP users decry Itanium, SAP issues and bad English

    HP World Execs try to respond

    The unwashed masses had a go at HP this week as customers were allowed to pepper HP executives with numerous questions during an open roundtable session. One of HP's most troubling areas - the shift to Intel's Itanium processor - popped up time and again as cause for concern during the discussion, but worries over product …

    Servers 18 Aug 2004, 16:40

  • Qualcomm waives damages to keep loyalty royalties secret

    Mum's the word

    Qualcomm this week waved goodbye of around $18m in damages from Texas Instruments rather than allow details of its CDMA licensing terms leak into the public domain. Qualcomm was allowed to pursue monetary damages after a recent court ruling went in its favor. But the two companies' armies of lawyers won't be stayed. Qualcomm is …

    Mobile 18 Aug 2004, 16:46

  • NetApp files away big Q1 gain

    Storage keeps on selling

    Shares of Network Appliance jumped more than 11 percent during Wednesday's trading after the storage maker reported a robust 38 percent rise in first quarter revenue. On Tuesday, NetApp posted revenue of $358m - a figure well ahead of the $261m posted in the same period last year. Income also surged, rising 73 percent to $47m …

    Storage 18 Aug 2004, 20:13

  • Sun takes StarOffice swipe at Microsoft in Oz

    Other apps on the move

    Sun Microsystems has secured a solid win over Microsoft in Australia with a government agency planning to pull 1,500 users off of Office and various other Microsoft applications. The New South Wales (NSW) Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is making a move to the open source StarOffice from Microsoft's productivity suite. In …

    Applications 18 Aug 2004, 21:05