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1st September 2004 Archive

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  • Samsung phones to double as wallets

    m-payments thang with Philips

    Samsung mobile phones look set to double as m-wallets as the mobile phone manufacturer signs a Near Field Communication chip deal with Philips. Through the use of Near Field Communication (NFC), Samsung mobile phones will be transformed into multi-functional devices from which users can conduct secure m-payment transactions, …

    Mobile 1 Sep 2004, 07:59

  • PDA security still dismal

    Data vulnerable, workers apathetic

    Worker apathy about PDA security is putting corporate data in jeopardy. The storage of the names and addresses of corporate customers on PDAs is now common - but security practices are struggling to keep up with technology usage. Two thirds of users do not use any kind of encryption to protect confidential data on mobile devices …

    Enterprise Security 1 Sep 2004, 08:06

  • Botched migration hits Bulldog users

    Broadband down

    Bulldog is in the doghouse after leaving customers without broadband access over the last couple of days. The matter appears to have been made worse still after the company bungled a migration of customers onto a new server. The ISP - which was recently acquired by Cable & Wireless - said one in ten of its customers was …

    Telecoms 1 Sep 2004, 08:10

  • Frontbridge buys archiving firm MessageRite

    In brief: On message

    Email security firm FrontBridge is beefing up its email and instant messaging technology through the acquisition of archiving firm MessageRite for an undisclosed sum. California-based FrontBridge yesterday launched a managed service offering desktop-to-desktop email encryption. The FrontBridge Secure Email service is based on …

    Enterprise Security 1 Sep 2004, 08:19

  • Brits bet on gravity wave discovery

    Literally

    The Great British Public is so sure that scientists will discover gravity waves within the next six years that Ladbrokes, the bookies, has had to slash the odds it is prepared to offer anyone wanting to bet on it. The betting firm offered odds on five scientific breakthroughs being made by 2010. It reportedly offered 10,000/1 …

    Science 1 Sep 2004, 08:22

  • Phishers suspected of eBay Germany domain hijack

    eBay wants answers

    eBay Germany and German domain registry organisation DeNIC are to investigate a partly successful domain hijacking scam that remained unnoticed for at least a couple of hours. On Saturday, visitors to eBay Germany were redirected to a scam site hosted by IIntergenia AG. The German internet provider says criminals requested a …

    Music and Media 1 Sep 2004, 08:51

  • eBay ups Korean stake

    In brief Mopping up the minorities

    eBay is spending $325m to increase its stake in South Korean online trading company Internet Auction. The purchases from institutional investors will see eBay increase its stake in Internet Auction from 62 per cent to 86 per cent. eBay intends to buy the rest of the company in coming days. In coming weeks, it will make a tender …

    Financial News 1 Sep 2004, 08:59

  • Neuros to open source MP3 player blueprints

    Device firmware source unleashed too

    Neuros Audio, the company behind the Neuros II "digital audio computer", has released the source code that underlies the hard drive-based music player's firmware to the open source community and has pledged to open up the device's hardware schematics later this month. "We're willing to support the community in a way that not …

    Mobile 1 Sep 2004, 09:43

  • Intel Q3 sales to barely meet guidance - report

    Notebook PC downturn, inventory overload to blame

    When Intel updates its Q3 financial performance tomorrow, it will revise its revenue forecast toward the bottom end of the range it announced in July. So reckons investment house SG Cowen Securities (SGCS) in a report issued to investors yesterday: "We believe the consensus estimates for Q3 could be trimmed following a …

    Financial News 1 Sep 2004, 10:14

  • Mobo prices fall ahead of Grantsdale cuts

    Demand booster

    Taiwanese mobo makers have reduced what they charge for i915P and i915G-based boards, lending credence to claims that Intel will next month cut the price of its mainstream desktop chipsets. Last month, sources from among Taiwan's motherboard makers alleged Intel would trim $1-2 off its 'Grantsdale' prices in a bid to boost …

    System Builder 1 Sep 2004, 10:32

  • Creative unveils iPod Mini-coloured MuVo2 update

    If you can't beat 'em, copy 'em...

    If you can't beat 'em, copy 'em. Creative Technology today began selling an updated version of its MuVo2 hard drive-based music player in five alternative colours reminiscent of Apple's iPod Mini. The MuVo2 FM contains a 5GB hard drive, up from the current MuVo2's 4GB unit. With a removeable, rechargeable battery that Creative …

    Mobile 1 Sep 2004, 11:25

  • BT cuts landline to mobe charges, again

    'BT's rates amongst lowest in the UK'

    BT is cutting charges for calls made from residential landlines to mobile phones. The "CallMobile" package, which costs £1.50 a month is available from today, 1 September. The cost of a daytime call to an Orange mobile will fall from 13.60 pence to 10.20 pence - a 25 per cent cut. An evening call to an O2 number will go from 11 …

    Telecoms 1 Sep 2004, 11:41

  • Blu-ray group mandates Microsoft codec for BD-ROM

    VC-9 added to HD-DVD rival

    The Blu-ray Disc Association (BRDA) has selected Microsoft's VC-9 video codec for future BD-ROM content, the organisation said today. The decision follows the release of the BD-ROM physical specifications early last month. The BRDA is pitching BD-ROM as the alternative to HD-DVD, which is likewise being groomed as the next …

    Storage 1 Sep 2004, 11:52

  • Ofcom gives BT its right to reply

    Eight weeks' grace on braodband pricing allegations

    Telecoms regulator Ofcom has given BT a chance to respond to allegations to that its residential broadband pricing breaks the Competition Act. Ofcom has sent the telco a "Statement of Objections" outlining the facts of the case, what it objects to, and the actions it wants taken. BT has time to make "written or oral …

    Telecoms 1 Sep 2004, 11:56

  • New Bagle worm drops in and downloads

    Virus du jour

    A new Bagle dropper and downloader, Bagle-AQ, was bulk mailed to numerous internet users yesterday. The malware arrives in email with subject and email body "foto" and attachment called foto.zip that poses as a file containing photographs. This zip file contains a HTML file and an executable called foto1.exe. The executable is …

    Malware 1 Sep 2004, 12:01

  • UK gov extends mobe procurement deal

    Extra year for Orange and Vodafone

    The UK government is extending its procurement deal with Orange and Vodafone and claims half a million civil servants are already signed up to the scheme. Customers will get reduced line rental as part of the deal. The agreement will now run until August 2006. The deal is run by OGCbuying.solutions, the trading arm of the …

    Mobile 1 Sep 2004, 12:04

  • Happy birthday, the internet

    Turns 35, books botox appointment

    It was 35 years ago today that ARPANET, the military network widely regarded as the progenitor of the internet, was switched on. The Advanced Research Project Agency Network was a wide area network run by the US department of defense. It was used to test new networking technologies - notably large scale packet switching, a then …

    Music and Media 1 Sep 2004, 12:08

  • Apple taunts Napster, Real with iTunes affiliate program

    Happy to lose cash

    Apple continues to make a mockery of the music downloading scene, kicking off a new program today that allows partners to earn money by hawking iTunes songs. The iTunes affiliate program lets web sites place links to iTunes songs, albums and artists and then earn a 5 percent commission for clicks that turn into sales. This …

    Music and Media 1 Sep 2004, 18:17

  • Sun sells 80m users worth of software to Deutsche Telekom

    Federated and how

    Sun Microsystems has nailed down what could be the largest federated management deal to date, signing up Deutsche Telekom for a multi-million dollar software package that covers more than 80m users. Details on the deal are still thin at this point with Sun looking to control a leak in a German paper. Sun did, however, tell The …

    Applications 1 Sep 2004, 19:46

  • IBM and Intel open some blade server specs

    Standards grab

    Hoping to create a level of standardization in the blade server market, IBM and Intel plan to announce tomorrow that they have opened some up the specifications for their shared blade designs. IBM has posted information announcing the BladeCenter design platform specifications program. (IBM pulled this link shortly before our …

    Servers 1 Sep 2004, 22:31