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30th September 2004 Archive

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  • Motorola E398 mobile phone

    Review The best-sounding music phone yet?

    If it's the sound of your phone that you really care about then Motorola has a new handset just for you. The mobile phone manufacturer claims that its E398 is the first handset to feature loud, 3D stereo surround sound. The promise is one of "total music immersion". Sounds on the E398 - ringtones, MIDI and MP3 files - play …

    Reviews 30 Sep 2004, 08:32

  • Kimble plans 'Ultimate Rally'

    Fantasist's latest venture

    Wannabe elite hacker-turned-convicted fraudster Kim 'Kimble' Schmitz has reinvented himself as the next Bernie Ecclestone. His front company, Kimvestor, is planning to organise the "Ultimate Rally". The seven day race over 3,000 miles (route unspecified) is scheduled to take place sometime in 2006 and offer a prize of $2m. It …

    Business 30 Sep 2004, 08:54

  • Sony apes Apple with coloured music players

    NW-HD update gets iPod Mini colour scheme

    Sony will soon ship an updated version of its first hard drive-equipped digital music player, this time to pitch the product straight at Apple's iPod Mini. The NW-HD2 matches the specification of the original NW-HD1 - in particular the 20GB 1.8in hard drive - simply adding three alternative coloured cases. In addition to the NW …

    Mobile 30 Sep 2004, 09:02

  • Siemens picks Intel for 3D medical imaging

    Do you have Intel on your insides?

    Siemens Medical Solutions is to build the next generation of its medical 3D imaging system on Intel's Xeon processor platform. The workstations will deal with the heavy number crunching that Computer Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) systems need to reconstruct three dimensional images from X-ray or MRI scan data. …

    Science 30 Sep 2004, 09:06

  • DVD Forum finalises HD DVD-RW disc spec

    Unveils high-def format's logo, too

    The DVD Forum moved a step further toward the advent of HD DVD media and drives with the approval of key physical specifications at a meeting of the organisations steering committee last week. The body also approved the format's logotype, which we should now read as 'High Density' DVD rather than 'High Definition', though the …

    Storage 30 Sep 2004, 09:40

  • LA warspammer guilty as charged

    Six months' can for CAN-SPAM man?

    A Los Angeles man who used other people's Wi-Fi networks to send thousands of unsolicited adult-themed emails from his car pleaded guilty to a single felony Monday, in what prosecutors say is the first criminal conviction under the federal CAN-SPAM Act. In a plea agreement with prosecutors, Nicholas Tombros, 37, faces a likely …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2004, 10:01

  • Hello Ogo : IM a-go-go

    Compact kit for the thumb-generation

    In the week when rumours of the Oqo launch have been buzzing, it's a bit confusing to have AT&T announce something called Ogo. Both are portable devices, both have been ideas waiting impatiently in the wings for three years, and yet neither has the slightest connection to the other. Briefly, Oqo is a computer; Ogo is a comms …

    Mobile 30 Sep 2004, 10:03

  • Apple to open 'borderless' Euro music store

    Questions company's 'one country, one store' restriction

    Apple yesterday confirmed that it will open the promised pan-European version of its iTunes Music Store in October 2004. Speaking at the Popkomm show in Germany, Apple's online and apps chief, Eddie Cue, said: "We are well on pace to launch more EU stores. We will do it next month." In June, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the …

    Financial News 30 Sep 2004, 10:09

  • Kingston Comms buys Eclipse Internet

    Look what £12.5m will buy

    Hull-based Kingston Communications has forked out £12.5m million to acquire broadband ISP Eclipse Internet. The deal is part of Kingston's strategy to drive the growth in its broadband business and increases its number of high speed Internet punters to more than 55,000. No Eclipse jobs will be lost as part of the deal and the …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2004, 10:21

  • Linksys sends corporate WLAN standard home

    Punts 802.11a kit at gamers, multi-room music streamers

    Linksys yesterday unveiled a set of consumer-oriented wireless networking products that bring the once 'enterprise only' 802.11a WLAN spec. into the home. The line-up includes a broadband router and add-in adaptor cards for notebook and desktop machines. There's also a USB dongle adaptor. All the products support not only 802. …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2004, 10:55

  • PNY broadcasts to reseller nation

    High-end graphics cards looking for a home

    PNY UK is looking for specialist dealers to flog the Nvidia Quadro FX 4000 SDI graphics card to broadcast houses. The components maker has a UK solus for the card, which slots into workstations used for editing film and video. It ain't cheap - the list price is around $6,000 ex-VAT, but PNY is pitching the card against an even …

    Channel Register 30 Sep 2004, 10:59

  • Killer hamster ices owner

    Warning: no IT angle

    A Japanese man died after a bite from his pet hamster caused anaphylactic shock, Mainichi Shimbun reports. Ther nameless forty-something succumbed after repeated bites from the animal sensitised his immune system to such a degree that the final mouthful provoked a fatal bout of asthma. An autopsy proved that the victim had …

    Bootnotes 30 Sep 2004, 11:01

  • Bulldog airbrushes 'Best Broadband ISP' logo

    ISPA leans on Bulldog

    Bulldog has quietly airbrushed its precious industry accolade - ISPA's "Best consumer broadband ISP 2004" - until it resolves a backlog of issues that have made life a misery for its customers. The gong is no longer visible on the ISP's website. And its recorded phone messages - which used to brag about the award - have also be …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2004, 11:10

  • US Navy cuts ELF radio transmissions

    Environmentalists welcome decision

    The US Navy has called time on all its Extremely Low Frequency transmissions, saying that improvements in technology means that the communications system is now unneccessary. The Navy used ELF transmissions - defined as the band of frequencies between 0Hz and 300Hz - for secure communications with submarines. The very low …

    Science 30 Sep 2004, 11:34

  • Free info for London visitors

    Analysis Shape of things to come

    A DTI-funded project might save visitors to London a few bob - if they can get their hands on the right kind of phone. The iWan2go.com project won a DTI R&D grant and is about eight months into it trial; but it is interesting for what it could become, as much as for what it has already achieved. To get hold of the eight …

    Mobile 30 Sep 2004, 12:14

  • NTL tunes in to video-on-demand

    Roll-out begins next year

    NTL has signalled its intention to begin offering video-on-demand (VoD) services from next year. Details are still sketchy but a spokeswoman confirmed that a region-by-region roll-out would begin in Q1 2005. The cableco reports that more than half of its customers, when asked, say they want VoD. Ten days ago BT confirmed it was …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2004, 12:21

  • In Electric Larryland, the stones have secrets

    Oracle boss Ellison auditioned bathroom boulders

    According to this month's Vanity Fair, Oracle founder and CEO Larry Ellison auditioned several enormous boulders for his bathroom before choosing one he could live with. Or more precisely, bathe with. Ellison eventually settled on a 30-ton "shower rock", after pretending to shower in front of several stony candidates for his …

    Bootnotes 30 Sep 2004, 12:30

  • Oz police arrest 200 in net child porn crackdown

    Police officers and doctors among those held

    Australian police this week held 191 people and seized more than two million pornographic images of children in the country's biggest crackdown on internet child porn, news.com.au reports. Among those cuffed were doctors, teachers, police officers, government officials and the owner of three Melbourne childcare centres. All of …

    Media 30 Sep 2004, 12:50

  • L-mail offers snail mail web interface

    Deliver the letter, the sooner the better

    An internet consultancy firm this week launched a service that will enable anyone with access to a web browser to send a letter anywhere in the world. Now, yet another buzzword -'L-mail' - may soon become the common term used to describe sending physical letters via a website using any internet service provider (ISP). L-Mail. …

    Financial News 30 Sep 2004, 13:16

  • Will the US election matter to the IT sector?

    Analysis Only slightly if at all

    Comparing the candidates, President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry, in terms of their likely impact on the IT sector, is difficult. Bush has no relevant legislative record to speak of, and Kerry no relevant administrative one. We have a known administrator in Bush, and a known legislator in Kerry, competing for the same …

    Policy 30 Sep 2004, 13:26

  • US judge raises bar on net privacy

    People 2: Ashcroft 0

    A controversial provision in the Patriot Act empowering the FBI to demand detailed customer records from communications providers and carriers without a court order has been struck down. Since the Act was rammed through Congress, the Feds have been permitted to obtain personal information about anyone merely by issuing a so- …

    Media 30 Sep 2004, 13:39

  • Microsoft FAT patent rejected

    Back to the Drawing™ Board™

    Microsoft's attempt to create a lucrative future revenue stream from its patent portfolio has tripped at the first hurdle. After an appeal, the US Patent Office has struck down Microsoft's '517 patent (USPTO 5,579, 517) on the FAT file system. Camera makers, amongst many other consumer electronics manufacturers, use the FAT file …

    Developer 30 Sep 2004, 13:42

  • From soup to nuts with Microsoft’s collaboration chief

    Interview Anoop Gupta

    Forget competition - Microsoft is all about collaboration now. At least, it is if you’re Anoop Gupta, corporate vice president of the real-time collaboration group at Microsoft. He’s Bill Gates’s former ‘personal technology assistant’, spending 20 hours a week with the Great Helmsman from 2001 until 2003. He has been right at …

    Applications 30 Sep 2004, 13:54

  • Tiscali UK blames spamfest for sluggish email

    All sorted soon

    Tiscali UK is blaming a "sudden increase in spamming activity" for a deterioration in its email service. Over the last couple of weeks the ISP's email has become increasingly unreliable, with users reporting that email has taken, at best, hours to arrive. There are even reports that some email has taken up to six days to make …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2004, 14:42

  • India next in line for cut-down XP

    The roll-out rolleth

    Microsoft has named India as the next market for its stripped-down version of XP, with shipping expected to begin early next year. XP Starter Edition is Microsoft's answer to the high rates of software piracy that have plagued it in developing markets. The company has already announced that the product will ship in Russia, …

    System Builder 30 Sep 2004, 14:44

  • MS EC appeal kicks off

    'The bell once rung cannot be unrung'

    Microsoft has told the European Court of First Instance that it should not have to share information with its competitors, arguing that revealing its secret would harm it irreparably. In March, the European Commission ruled that Microsoft had violated anti-trust law and abused its monopoly position. It imposed a €497m fine, and …

    Operating Systems 30 Sep 2004, 14:48

  • Old-timers squeeze $300m out of IBM

    $1.1bn to go

    IBM has agreed to shell out $300m to settle part of the claims brought against it in a pension plan dispute. This deal between IBM and a collection of US employees suing the firm still hinges on court approval and doesn't completely settle the matter. IBM will pay the $300m, which includes attorneys fees, to take care of " …

    CIO 30 Sep 2004, 14:49

  • Sophos in porn dialler row with UK developer

    Bowling for Coulomb

    Anti-virus firm Sophos yesterday suspended detection of a "porn dialler application", following complaints from its UK-based developer. A Sophos spokeswoman confirmed that it had removed detection of the Coulomb dialler yesterday afternoon on legal advice, following representations from Coulomb Ltd. Sophos is investigating if …

    Security 30 Sep 2004, 14:53

  • People still thick despite internet

    e-learning? Never heard of it, mate

    The lamentable truth about the mind-expanding claims for the internet has finally been revealed - people do not use the bottomless well of knowledge to advance themselves, preferring instead to indulge in casual surfing related to hobbies and music. This is the conclusion of a Cardiff University study which shows that the …

    Media 30 Sep 2004, 14:56

  • mmO2 ups sales forecasts

    UK doing better than expected

    mmO2 says its results to the end of September will be better than previously forecast, with service revenue growing by between nine per cent and 12 per cent. The mobile operator said that net service revenue accelerated in the UK during the first half of the year, driven by increased number of customers and by higher average …

    Mobile 30 Sep 2004, 15:23

  • Iceland's net traffic plummets, following P2P raids

    Brief 12 Bjorked

    Police in Iceland raided the homes of 12 people and confiscated computer equipment and CDs this week as the global war on file sharing reached the volcanic homeland of elves and trolls. Police targeted individuals using the popular DC++ file sharing application to share movie files. One suspect was found with approximately 2.5TB …

    Media 30 Sep 2004, 15:41

  • UK firm plans space tug for satellite rescues

    Life extender

    Communications satellites could have their tenure in orbit extended, thanks to a UK company's plans for a 'space tug'. The first craft is scheduled to ride to orbit in 2007, thanks to a recently inked deal with Arianespace, but company directors now say it could make its debut even sooner, according to the BBC. Communications …

    Science 30 Sep 2004, 15:44

  • World chip sales flat in August

    Inventory corrections put pressure on vendors

    Chip sales growth effectively stalled in August, it emerged today when the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) released its monthly sales report for the period. During August, global semiconductor sales totalled $18.2bn, up just 1.1 per cent on July's $18bn total. Attempting to downplay such a slight sequential sales …

    Financial News 30 Sep 2004, 16:24

  • France crowned Europe's LLU Prince

    UK still unbundling pleb

    France has been crowned Europe's LLU leader, according to the latest data from the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA). With around three-quarters of a million unbundled lines, France has recently overtaken Germany as Europe's top nation for local loop unbundling (LLU). ECTA - a pan-European trade …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2004, 16:27

  • Australia bans Manhunt

    Bloody video game spiked after 11 months on store shelves

    Australia has banned Manhunt, the grisly game claimed to have influenced the murder of a UK teenager earlier this year. The Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), a cross-state body, this week said it had revoked the game's MA15+ certificate. That classification indicates which age groups any given title can be …

    Consoles 30 Sep 2004, 16:47

  • HP kills slow-selling marketing miracle

    UDC - Years ahead of its time, purpose and cost

    One of the more annoying and expensive pests in the IT industry was exterminated this month when HP gave its Utility Data Center (UDC) package a sustained blast of marketing pesticide. Hard as it is to believe, HP's grand wrapping of the smartest servers, storage, networking and software products on the planet could not find …

    Servers 30 Sep 2004, 18:00

  • New desktop Java - come and get it

    J2SE hits 1.5

    Sun has made the latest version of Java 2 Standard Edition available, the first new code since 1.4.2 last July and the biggest overhaul since the release of 1.4 over two years ago. The 'Tiger' release, 5.0, boasts a raft of enhancements to both platform and language. Improvements for programmers include Collections, metadata, …

    Developer 30 Sep 2004, 18:08

  • 8GB Flash for a grand

    Writing on the wall

    San Disk has announced that a mouth-watering 8 gigabyte Compact Flash cartridge will be able in November, for the eye-watering price of $959 (or €959). That's twice the capacity of the current generation of hard drives powering devices such as the iPod mini. The company claims the Ultra II disk can write at 9MB/sec and read at …

    Storage 30 Sep 2004, 18:14

  • RFID promoter can't stand being tracked

    Don't look at me looking at you

    It's apparently okay for RFID tag promoters to watch you apply lipstick from 750 miles away, but not for a privacy advocate to keep an eye on companies using the pesky technology. Yes, the cloak and dagger operations of consumer trackers have come under the microscope and it's not to the liking of Frontline Solutions. The …

    Channel Register 30 Sep 2004, 23:15