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14th October 2004 Archive

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  • Segway LLC imagines futuristic four-wheeled vehicle

    More than a scooter, less than a car

    Not satisfied with dominating the sophisticated wheelchair market, Segway LLC. has laid out plans for a future assault on the four-wheeled rich kid toy segment. Word broke this week about Segway's futuristic "Centaur" vehicle. The product is only in the concept phase at the moment and may never make it to market. But as is …

    Bootnotes 14 Oct 2004, 07:44

  • Apple results best for nine years

    iPod primes the pump

    Apple reported its highest quarterly income in nine years today, pepped by over two million iPod shipments. The iPod has also given regular folks a reason to go into an Apple Store, with the retail chain reporting revenues 95 per cent up year on year, and an $18m profit. The company reported revenue of $2.35bn for the quarter, …

    Mac Channel 14 Oct 2004, 08:14

  • Vodafone reshuffles top jobs

    3G rejig

    Chief executive Arun Sarin tightened his grip on the reins at Vodafone with the first big management changes since he took over from Chris Gent in July 2003. Andrew Halford, finance director at Verizon Wireless, is annointed as group financial director designate - he will take over from Ken Hydon when he retires in July 2005. …

    Mobile 14 Oct 2004, 08:20

  • BT goes green

    'Globally significant'

    BT is going green after striking a deal to source almost all of its UK electricity from environmentally-friendly energy. Worth several hundred million pounds, the three-year contracts with npower and British Gas will provide all of BT's 6,500 telephone exchanges, satellite earth stations, offices and depots with environmentally …

    Science 14 Oct 2004, 08:22

  • Mobile users twice as likely to get tumours - report

    Could be an analogue thing

    People who've been using their mobile phone for ten years or more are twice as likely to develop a particular kind of tumour on the side of the head where they normally hold their handset. Acoustic Neuroma (AN) is a benign tumour that grows on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. The tumour does not cause a typical …

    Mobile 14 Oct 2004, 08:26

  • How to kill a website with one email

    Exploiting the European E-commerce Directive

    How much effort does it take to get an ISP to pull public domain material using unsubstantiated legal threats? Distressingly little, according to a recent study by Dutch group Bits of Freedom. Bits of Freedom signed up with 10 Dutch ISPs and used the websites to host text by Dutch author Multatuli, dating from 1871. Multatuli …

    Music and Media 14 Oct 2004, 08:38

  • Apple profits leap as iPod sales rocket

    Over 2m players sold, masking Mac decline

    Apple saw profits more than double year on year during the fourth quarter of its 2004 fiscal year, the company reported yesterday. Profits totalled $106m (26 cents a share), up 41 per cent from $44m (12 cents a share) this time last year, and 74 per cent up on Q3. Revenue for the quarter reached 2.35bn, 37 per cent higher than …

    Financial News 14 Oct 2004, 08:44

  • Removable disks back from the dead

    Storage Expo Iomega punts a hard disk autoloader

    Remember removable hard disks and how bad they were? Iomega is trying not to, as it targets high-speed backup with an autoloader full of the things, based on its recently introduced REV drive. Iomega has learnt from the likes of Syquest, Bernoulli and Jaz, claims the company's professional storage solutions director Wayne …

    Storage 14 Oct 2004, 08:46

  • Europe's SAN avoidance strategy

    Storage Expo Do you want a SAN or a SANity check?

    Americans might love SANs, but Europeans are happier consolidating their storage without them, according to speakers at today's Storage Expo in London. "We didn't want a SAN," says Martin Cooper, the global IT operations managers for Arup, explaining why he'd chosen to replace 280 file and print servers with 32TB of network- …

    Storage 14 Oct 2004, 08:48

  • IT under threat, says Veritas

    Storage Expo It's 10pm, do you know where your DR plan is?

    IT managers are more aware than ever of threats to their operations, yet many still have no disaster recovery plans - and two thirds keep their DR plan in the data centre, where it will be destroyed by the same fire that knocks out the IT systems. Worse, they could be ignoring invisible risks such as software patches. That's …

    Storage 14 Oct 2004, 08:48

  • Reg online training offers 'try before you buy'

    Site offer Plus 10% off membership - while stocks last

    We're pleased to announce that for the rest of October, membership fees for our Reg online training resource have been slashed by 10 per cent - representing a fiscal decimation of the normal annual fee of £99. What's more, you can now try any course before you buy under our new "does exactly what it says on the tin" try before …

    Site News 14 Oct 2004, 09:30

  • Camera phones boost Sony Ericson profits

    Average selling prices up

    Sony Ericsson shipped more than 10m mobile handsets in the three months ended 30 September 2004. The joint-venture shipped 10.7m phones, 51 per cent more than the same period last year. Sales were up 29 per cent on last year at €1,678m. Income before taxes was €136m and net income was €90m, up 249 per cent and 45 per cent. …

    Mobile 14 Oct 2004, 09:50

  • Servers seized by FBI returned - but who wanted what?

    MPs push Blunkett for answers

    The Indymedia hardware seized in London last week were put back in place over the last 24 hours, but their return puts the UK Home Office even more on the spot. The original hard disks, apparently with the original data, have been returned, which suggests strongly that the authorities wanted sight of information that is on them …

    Music and Media 14 Oct 2004, 09:51

  • Dixons offers Napster UK pre-pay cards

    Download top-ups coming to other retailers soon

    Napster UK has begun selling its pre-pay music download cards through retail partner Dixons, the first time the online music company has offered them in the UK. Priced at £14.85, £56.95 and £25.95, the cards allow redeemers to download 15, 60 and an unlimited number of songs, respectively. The top-of-the-line card, however, is …

    Music and Media 14 Oct 2004, 10:03

  • Halo 2 leaked onto the net

    French version, apparently

    Microsoft has pledged to "aggressively pursue" whoever leaked Halo 2, the eagerly awaited sequel to the Xbox hit, onto the net. The game, a key title for MS' console in the run up to Christmas, is believed to have surfaced on Usenet and the web last night, possibly in the form of a localised French version, according to early …

    Consoles 14 Oct 2004, 10:18

  • ISS crew blasts off

    Two-day orbit, then down to work

    The replacement crew for the International Space Station blasted off from Kazakhstan early this morning in a Soyuz TMA-5 capsule atop a Russian rocket. The launch was delayed because of a leak in one of the engine's propulsion systems, and a pyrotechnic device accidentally firing during testing. The spacemen, two Russians and …

    Science 14 Oct 2004, 10:20

  • NetSuite moves up the food chain

    Little fish getting bigger

    NetSuite is celebrating the release of the latest version of its CRM software by signing its first 1,000 seat deals and expects to double the size of its UK workforce in the next few months. The firm offers smaller businesses a CRM package delivered over the Web; typically its customers have been SMEs with between 100 and 500 …

    Applications 14 Oct 2004, 10:37

  • MS PlaysForSure™ - GoneForNow™?

    Those the gods wish to destroy, they first make really dumb

    The very instant Microsoft announced its PlaysForSure™ logo programme the vultures (and not just the Reg vultures) started circling. Any company so foolish as to promote something that looked and felt so much like a guarantee as this would be riding for a fall, and Microsoft doing it... well. PlaysForSure™ is Microsoft's …

    Bootnotes 14 Oct 2004, 10:50

  • Evesham e-box Media Center 2005 PC

    Review All-in-one entertainment box

    Evesham's first attempt at a Media Center PC, the eMedia, was, to be honest, far from perfect. But the UK PC maker learned from the mistakes it made, and went back to the drawing board. The result of that redesign is the machine in front of me now, the e-box, writes Riyad Emeran. One of my major criticisms of the eMedia was …

    Reviews 14 Oct 2004, 10:55

  • A digitally United Kingdom

    So how are we supposed to get there?

    The Cabinet Office this week published Enabling a Digitally United Kingdom, a report by the Digital Inclusion Panel (DIP), which explores ways of bridging the 'digital divide'. Digital inclusion means having access to facilities that enable people to 'transact electronically'. The DIP report defines those most at risk of …

    Public Sector 14 Oct 2004, 11:24

  • ASA rules against Moviechoices.com over bulk mailing

    Beware of buying email marketing lists

    The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) yesterday issued a ruling against an online DVD rental company that sent marketing emails to addresses on a list that it had bought under the impression that those on the list had consented to third party marketing. Moviechoices.com, a division of Peterborough-based Home …

    Spam 14 Oct 2004, 12:35

  • Smut filter in Dick-pulling outrage

    Bites kids' panto

    Hundreds of Norfolk primary school kids will not enjoy the chance to get a sneak preview of a traditional Xmas panto after porn filters binned the promotional email. The show in question is not - as you might imagine - Jim Davidson's hilarious Sinderella, but rather an entirely innocent rendering of timeless classic Dick …

    Music and Media 14 Oct 2004, 12:37

  • MS UK security chief moves to Accenture

    Career development

    Stuart Okin, Microsoft UK's chief security officer, has resigned from the software giant after more than two years as the public face of its efforts to make its software more secure. Okin is to move to Accenture, where he'll become an associate partner looking after the management consultant's Microsoft practice, starting next …

    Security 14 Oct 2004, 12:44

  • Brits scan skies for impact threats

    Is it a bird? A plane? A planet-levelling asteroid?

    Britain is getting more involved in the search for potentially planet-threatening comets and asteroids, otherwise known as Near-Earth-Objects (NEOs). Astronomers at Queens University, Belfast, will track the NEOs and feed their data into the international programme set up to protect Earth from future impact threats. The UK …

    Science 14 Oct 2004, 12:46

  • Identify file-sharers, judge tells UK ISPs

    Given 14 days to comply ... or appeal

    The English High Court today gave UK ISPs just 14 days to disclose the names and addresses of individuals the music industry claims have offered "massive" numbers of songs on P2P networks without permission. The order, made by Mr. Justice Blackburne, follows a request from UK music trade association the British Phonographic …

    Music and Media 14 Oct 2004, 13:02

  • Nokia blames prices for profit fall

    Erstwhile handset supremo still suffering

    Nokia says falling handset prices are responsible for falling profits at the Finnish firm. For the quarter ended 30 September 2004 the firm sold 51.4m handsets. Net sales grew one per cent to €6, 939m and operating profit fell 20 per cent to €928m. Operating margin was 13.4 per cent, down from 16.8 per cent for the same period …

    Mobile 14 Oct 2004, 13:03

  • Paris may favour gradual switch from MS to open source

    'Big bang' costs high, says study

    A Parisian road to Linuxism seems the most likely future for the Paris municipality's IT systems, following the presentation of a study by Unilog yesterday. The cost of a complete switch over to open source for Paris, reports Libération, would have been too great at €57 million over five years, but it was nevertheless seen as …

    Operating Systems 14 Oct 2004, 13:29

  • WiFi Alliance warns chip makers over 802.11n claims

    Don't jump the gun

    Nearly two years ago, Broadcom and Linksys drove a coach and a team of horses through the fences erected by the WiFi Alliance around WiFi standards, by announcing, building and shipping devices based on 802.11g wireless - when the IEEE had not yet ratified the standard. Now, the Alliance is anxious to prevent a similar attempt …

    Wireless 14 Oct 2004, 13:57

  • Greece to face Euro court over video games ban

    Eurocrats stand up to Tetris, Manhunt et al

    The European Commission is to take Greece to the European Court of Justice in a bid to reverse the Olympian nation's ban on computer games. According to the Eurocrats, the ban, which was introduced into Greek law in July 2002 with the intention of curbing online gambling, violates the principle of the free movement of goods and …

    Consoles 14 Oct 2004, 14:03

  • Consumer, privacy groups demand seat at Kazaa trial

    To prevent public interest issues being overlooked

    The Australian music industry's fight with Kazaa owner Sharman Networks is not set to return to the Sydney court until late next month, but a number of third-parties are already demanding the right to participate. It's perhaps no great surprise that e-liberties lobbyists the Electronic Frontiers Foundation (EFF) wants in, but …

    Music and Media 14 Oct 2004, 14:38

  • Brit cuffed in US net sex investigation

    Faces extradition

    Police in Austin, Texas, want to question a Yorkshire man over allegations that he had sex with a teenage girl he met in an internet chatroom. The 36-year-old man from Leyburn has been arested by police in Yorkshire in connection with the sexual assault. He has been released on bail but could face extradition proceedings, …

    Business 14 Oct 2004, 14:39

  • Undead IE bug rises from grave

    Regression reawakens 'moderate risk' flaw

    Recent updates to IE contain a serious regression that leaves systems once more vulnerable to a flaw fixed more than two years ago, according to security researchers. The vulnerability, which involves how IE processes XML files, gives rise to information disclosure risks. The security bug was patched and closed back in Aug 2002 …

    Enterprise Security 14 Oct 2004, 14:41

  • UN to debate embryo cloning

    Stem cell controversy goes global

    A collection of 125 scientist and patient groups is asking the UN to reject calls for a worldwide ban on stem cell research from the Bush administration and 50 other countries. The UN General Assembly is due to debate the issue from 21 October. All 191 member countries support a ban on cloning of human beings but cannot agree …

    Science 14 Oct 2004, 14:46

  • BT sets heavy mob on El Reg

    Distraught staff receive counselling over unpaid bill

    Several members of Reg staff are this afternoon receiving counselling after BT set the heavy mob on Vulture Central over an unpaid £200 bill. The drama unfolded this morning when Register supremo Linus "Fish Fingers" Birtles received an alarming phone call while out-and-about enjoying a double latte mocha-choca decaf with …

    Bootnotes 14 Oct 2004, 14:53

  • Apple eyes Birmingham for next UK store

    Update Brum chum

    The UK is ripe for its own chain of Apple-owned stores, the Mac maker has revealed. Apple's first UK store - and the first in Europe - is set to open next month in London. The prestigious Regent Street development is nearing completion, if our attempts to peer past the builders' boards are anything to go by. It's second will …

    Mac Channel 14 Oct 2004, 15:05

  • The Great ISP Buyout

    Feature Consolidation runs and runs

    It's been a busy couple of months for the UK's internet industry with a string of ISPs being snapped up. In the last six weeks alone Kingston Communications has acquired Eclipse Internet, NTL has taken control of Virgin.net, Claranet has swallowed VIA NET.WORKS in the UK and Iomart has bought out Easyspace. Earlier this week, …

    Telecoms 14 Oct 2004, 15:05

  • Intel opens ISV testing lab in Swindon

    Joints global network of Innovation Centres

    Martin Curley, director of IT innovation at Intel, made the trek to Register Towers to tell us all about the chip giant's plans for a network of Innovation Centres. "It's not about delivering technology, it's about delivering the use of IT. The IT industry lacks excitement and innovation. The power of the PC platform is …

    Developer 14 Oct 2004, 15:11

  • Business Objects sets sights on Dublin

    350 jobs in new ops centre

    Some 350 jos are to be created in Ireland after business intelligence software outfit - Business Objects - confirmed plans to establish a new operation centre in Dublin. Backed by development agency IDA Ireland, the centre will serve customers of Business Objects in Europe, the US and EMEA. The majority of jobs will go to …

    IT Director 14 Oct 2004, 15:53

  • EC falls out with UK over nuclear waste

    Failure to comply with Euratom Treaty

    The European Commission yesterday accused the UK government of failing to tell Brussels how it disposes nuclear waste. And it is threatening legal proceedings unless it gets a satisfactory reply from London. Member states of the Euratom Treaty must provide general data relating to the disposal of radioactive waste. The European …

    Science 14 Oct 2004, 15:59

  • Indymedia seizures: a trawl for Genoa G8 trial cover-up?

    Updated Injunction sought to prevent export of journalists' data

    Indymedia and other interested parties are to seek an injunction preventing the export of the contents of the servers that were seized last week. This content is thought to have included correspondence with lawyers involved in the case against Genoa police accused of grievous bodily harm, falsifying evidence, slander and abuse …

    Music and Media 14 Oct 2004, 16:14

  • Compaq's servers save HP from enterprise sales hell

    World to blame for woes

    HP's top executives have confessed to a broad misread of the enterprise computing market that has caused the company's hardware sales to remain flat while rivals such as IBM and Dell have increased server and storage revenue. HP's main mistake over the past few years was placing too much faith in the margins its enterprise …

    Servers 14 Oct 2004, 17:03

  • Google launches desktop search for Windows PCs

    Mail, Office, and chat indexed

    Google has launched its long-anticipated local search tool for Windows PCs. The small 400 kb applet indexes Outlook and Outlook Express mail, Microsoft Office formats and AOL chat logs, (er, but I don't use any of that - Ed) as well as plain text and HTML files on your hard drive. It also indexes Internet Explorer's web cache ( …

    Music and Media 14 Oct 2004, 17:11

  • Intel decides speed matters less these days, kills 4GHz Pentium

    Giant change of heart

    For years, Intel has been insisting that consumers need ever faster processors to handle their desktop and notebook workloads. That pitch, however, will need some refining now that the chipmaker has revealed that a 4.0GHz Pentium 4 once due out at the end of this year (and then planned for 2005) won't arrive at all. Intel now …

    PCs 14 Oct 2004, 20:29

  • Sun kicks off fiscal '05 with a $174m loss

    Damn you, Kodak!

    Sun Microsystems muddled through its first fiscal quarter of 2005, falling back into the red after the briefest of visits to profit country at the end of its last fiscal year. Sun's total revenue rose just 4 percent year-over-year to $2.6bn in the first quarter. This gain, however, was offset by Sun's $174m net loss in the …

    Financial News 14 Oct 2004, 22:16

  • 90s retro virus spreads over physical media

    Blast from the past

    A "retro" virus which spreads by floppy disks and CD-ROMs is spreading (modestly) across Scandinavia. Bacros replicates by using floppy disks and CD-ROMs - a throwback to the virus propagation techniques of the 1990s. This illustrates its marked difference from the latest generation of email, file sharing or network exploit- …

    Malware 14 Oct 2004, 23:20

  • Feds approve human RFID implants

    Solution desperately seeking a problem

    The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a gimmick from Florida-based Applied Digital Solutions to chip people with RFID implants - previously confined to tracking animals - thereby making it easy to access their medical records, even when they cannot, or would rather not, cooperate. The tiny, passive RFID devices …

    Security 14 Oct 2004, 23:43