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2nd November 2004 Archive

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  • Oracle makes last bid for PeopleSoft

    It really means it this time

    Oracle has dangled its "best and final" offer of $24 per share in front of PeopleSoft shareholders. Oracle's latest bid for the software maker is a $3 hike over a previous offer and values PeopleSoft at just less than $9bn. Oracle has revised its purchase price for PeopleSoft numerous times over the past year and a half and …

    Applications 2 Nov 2004, 08:53

  • Qualcomm builds video network

    US to enjoy multi-media content

    Qualcomm is to spend $800m building a nationwide US network to serve multi-media content to mobile phone users. The idea is that they will hire out capacity to mobile operators who will use the network to send audio and video content to subscribers without clogging up their own networks. It will also give TV stations and cable …

    Mobile 2 Nov 2004, 09:45

  • KPN doubles profits on falling sales

    Dutch telco holding its own

    Dutch telco KPN doubled profits in the third quarter despite a fall in sales. For the period ended 30 September 2005 KPN made net profits of €288m, up from €139m for the same period of 2003. Sales for the period were €2, 948m down from €3, 009 in the third quarter of 2003. Net sales for the mobile division grew by over six per …

    Telecoms 2 Nov 2004, 09:58

  • More IT jobs for space-bound dolphins

    Letters Talkin' 'bout real world experience here

    We'll kick off today with a beautiful rant from a young computer science graduate, struggling to find his feet in a hostile world. The IT skills shortage identified by Gartner does not, it seems, mean that companies are falling over themselves to employ newbies: Is it just me who finds this article frankly rather annoying? It' …

    Letters 2 Nov 2004, 10:09

  • September chip sales edge up 1%

    Will the key industry trade forecast be met?

    The world's chip makers are in danger of letting down the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) as it emerged that September's semiconductor sales left the organisation falling behind its bullish forecast for 2004's total. Global chip sales edged up sequentially a single percentage point in September to $18.4bn. It's still a …

    Channel Register 2 Nov 2004, 10:57

  • Vonage: recipe for success?

    Analysis The wonderful world of VoIP

    Say Vonage to anyone in the communications industry and they say: "Oh the VoIP people." Ask if they'll make it, and you may get responses like, "well the RBOCs hate them and they have hundreds of lookalike competitors." The salvation of Vonage is that when you ask anyone to name one of these 20 or 30 start ups that have copied …

    Telecoms 2 Nov 2004, 11:05

  • Marconi chief falls on own axe

    But £4m severance package eases the pain

    Mike Donovan, chief operating officer of Marconi since 2001, is looking for opportunites outside the company this morning. Fortunately, he is taking a £4m severance package with him to help salve the pain. Donovan has overseen the restructuring of Marconi and the loss of 20, 000 jobs. He has been running the US businesses for …

    IT Director 2 Nov 2004, 11:08

  • IT industry urged to fight online child abuse

    More policing demanded

    The IT industry must do more to prevent children being abused online, according to a manifesto published today by police and leading children's charities. Among the list of measures designed to beef up policing of the net is a call for the government to investigate using tax incentives to encourage technology companies, …

    Music and Media 2 Nov 2004, 11:11

  • BT heralds satellite breakthrough

    Capacity tripled, claims telco

    British Telecom has announced that it has developed a satellite modulation technology that can use existing satellites and triple their existing capacity. If this is a genuine breakthrough, it could improve satellite competitiveness globally overnight. The claim, made in a BT press statement, says: "The new modulation scheme …

    Telecoms 2 Nov 2004, 11:14

  • Intel to debut 9MB Itanic 2 'on Monday'

    Chip giant gears up for giant cache release

    Intel will release an Itanium 2 processor with 9MB of L3 cache for four-way systems and up next Monday, according to reports on the web. Sources familiar with the chip giant's plans have separately alerted us to the possibility of an Itanium announcement in the very near future. Intel has never hidden the fact it's preparing a …

    Servers 2 Nov 2004, 11:30

  • NBC deploys 'I can't vote' rant-line

    Register your US election outrage here

    NBC News has set up an 'I can't vote!' helpline using contact centre technology from Intervoice. The Voter Alert Line application will allow US voters to "notify local polling officials about voting problems or irregularities at their local polling location" and forms part of NBC News' political coverage of today's presidential …

    Bootnotes 2 Nov 2004, 11:30

  • Shell programming in a nutshell

    Site Offer £12 off the definitive guide

    Nearly 50,000 UNIX/Linux sysadmins, developers, and power users have used UNIX Shells by Example to become expert shell programmers. Drawing on 20 years' experience as a shell programming instructor, Ellie Quigley's new edition of UNIX® Shells by Example guides readers through every facet of programming all leading UNIX/Linux …

    Site News 2 Nov 2004, 11:33

  • Moody managers need more kip

    Sleepless in the saddle

    One in four British managers is in a bad mood today because they aren't getting enough sleep, according to a report by think-tank Demos on behalf of flat-pack furniture monolith IKEA. Report author Charles Leadbeater said: "On any working day, a quarter of all managers in Britain are likely to be in a bad mood because they have …

    IT Director 2 Nov 2004, 11:41

  • Ten-foot origami penis meets its match

    Pictorial evidence of pornogamists' battle for supremacy

    In response to those readers who requested, nay demanded, a picture of pornogamist Nick Robinson and his rampant 10ft paper penis, we are delighted to report that we have managed to secure a snap of said virile member proudly erect in front of the London Assembly building. Nick constructed the monster to promote his latest book …

    Bootnotes 2 Nov 2004, 11:42

  • Intel 'plans' December Grantsdale price cuts

    Right after Xmas

    Intel will cut the prices of its i915 chipset family, aka 'Grantsdale', right after Christmas, Taiwanese motherboard maker sources have claimed. According to a DigiTimes report, prices will come down on 26 December, undoubtedly in a bid to boost sales during Q1 2005. The first three months of the year are traditionally a cool …

    System Builder 2 Nov 2004, 11:47

  • AOL to slash 700 jobs - report

    HQ cull

    AOL is set to eliminate more than 700 jobs at its HQ in Northern Virginia, according to the Washingston Post. It reports that the cull, due in early December, is necessary as the internet giant continues to cut costs as it battles to cope with the slide in customer numbers. Although no formal announcement has yet been made, it …

    IT Director 2 Nov 2004, 11:51

  • Whatdya mean, free software?

    Issues with open source

    The situation surrounding open source is getting increasingly complex; partly because of the legal issues that SCO's apparently doomed case against IBM has raised and partly because open source products are seeing extensive use. There is no point in pretending that open source is not a major software trend that is changing the …

    Applications 2 Nov 2004, 12:21

  • Lack of cash killed Beagle 2

    Earlier funding required, conclude MPs

    If there had been as many people taking care of the Beagle 2 project as there have been reports into why the lander got lost, we'd have reams of data on the composition of the Martian soil flooding back from a perfectly functioning vehicle, right now. The latest report is from the House of Commons Select Committee for Science …

    Science 2 Nov 2004, 12:32

  • Free training offer is latest spam scam

    Beware Russians bearing gifts

    Surfers were yesterday urged to be wary of unsolicited emails offering training and well paid jobs in the financial sector. Rather than offering a route into a lucrative job such emails are likely part of a devious scam masterminded by Russian spammers, security vendor Sophos warns. The emails, which claim to come from merchant …

    Spam 2 Nov 2004, 12:35

  • Olympus Mju-mini digicam

    Review Dynamite redesign?

    Never wishing to be seen to stand idly by while the competition innovates, Olympus is always looking for ways to develop its Mju cameras. Last time the sacrosanct design was refined, it brought about a format evolution, from film to digital. This time it's a 'streamlining and downsizing' exercise, to offer more camera in less …

    Reviews 2 Nov 2004, 12:39

  • Nokia to bring Good push email to business phones

    And Visto to the latest Communicators

    Nokia today launched a partnership with mobile messaging company Good Technology to port the latter's GoodLink push email/PIM software to the handset maker's "business class" phones. That essentially means Nokia's smart phones, such as the 6600 and the upcoming 6670, and its Communicator line, said Good marketing chief Sue …

    Mobile 2 Nov 2004, 13:17

  • Timico snaps up Atlas Internet

    New boy on a 'serious mission'

    London-based ISP Atlas Internet has been bought by new-kid-on-the-block telecoms outfit Timico Ltd. Financial details surrounding the deal were not disclosed. Notts-based Timico Ltd opened its doors last week with a "a serious mission to respond to the communications needs of small/medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK" by …

    Telecoms 2 Nov 2004, 13:49

  • Sage rebadges CRM for smaller biz

    ACCPAC acquisition digested

    Sage is releasing its mid-market CRM product created through the acquisition of ACCPAC earlier this year. The product, Sage CRM Mid-Market edition, was previously available in the UK as ACCPAC CRM. The software is available in a shrink-wrapped box from today but Sage is more excited about the hosted version which will be …

    Channel 2 Nov 2004, 13:52

  • mmO2 eyes German i-mode service

    KPN to lose to its sole rights?

    NTT DoCoMo is in talks with KPN to alter its license terms to allow telecom operator mmO2 to launch the i-mode service in Germany. KPN how holds the exclusive rights to market the i-mode service in the Benelux and Germany and has insisted it has no plans to change its contract, according to several newspaper reports. DoCoMo …

    Mobile 2 Nov 2004, 14:02

  • Phishing for dummies: hook, line and sinker

    Too tech-savvy to get caught? Think again

    Recent "phishing" episodes, and two new browser vulnerabilities, show how the bad guys are tricking people into exposing their passwords and bank accounts. Couldn't happen to tech-savvy users, right? Unless you consider how entire nations have been fooled. The art of faking out opponents in a clever, elegant, beautiful way is …

    ID 2 Nov 2004, 14:55

  • Flying golden Daleks menace the web

    Galactic übervillains in a Puff Daddy stylee

    The last few days have seen a little frisson of excitement spread round the world of Doctor Who aficionados after snaps of the latest Dalek model - soon to be seen battling Christopher Ecclestone and Billie Piper - invaded the web. There's some background to the filming of the new series on gallifreyone.com - including the …

    Bootnotes 2 Nov 2004, 15:01

  • UK.biz urged to get online

    That's where 76% of consumers are looking

    Companies are being urged to set up their own website if they are to take advantage of the 76 per cent of consumers who prefer to search for businesses on the internet, according to research by web hosting and domain name company easily.co.uk. The findings show that the internet has replaced business directories as the first …

    Financial News 2 Nov 2004, 15:26

  • Wales to host new £1m CRT recycling plant

    How green was my valley?

    A new recycling plant in Wales is set to create 70 jobs by turning old computer waste into something useful. The £1m investment will enable the new Citiraya Recycling Technology plant to recycle old Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) TV screens and computer monitors. The 35,000 square feet plant is due to open in December and will be able …

    Channel 2 Nov 2004, 15:28

  • Follow the Vendee Globe on your mobe

    Round-the-world yacht race updates

    Ellen McArthur's latest boat is packed to the gills with mobile technology to keep fans up-to-date with its progress in the Vendee Globe round-the-world yacht race. The Offshore Challenges boat will actually be skippered by Nick Moloney in the race which starts on Sunday. The boat has been fitted out with four webcams and a …

    Mobile 2 Nov 2004, 15:49

  • Get down and rock via 3G

    Live broadcast tonight from the ICA

    Register readers feeling too tired to get on their dancing shoes and get down with the kids this evening can take solace from a new service from mobile network "3" which is broadcasting, sorry "phonecasting", a 45-minute concert by London-based Rooster from the Institute of Contemporary Art. "3" hopes the experiment will tell …

    Mobile 2 Nov 2004, 16:14

  • IE exploits top web security threat list

    Another attack of the browser blues

    Internet Explorer exploits posed the fastest growing web security threat to enterprises in the last quarter, according to web security services firm ScanSafe. The top exploit (Exploit.HTML.Mht) was used to attack twice as many businesses as any other web security threat in Q2 2004. While Trojans and worms remain the most …

    Enterprise Security 2 Nov 2004, 16:24

  • Sainsbury's suspends online discounts

    Code-sharing shoppers go on orgy of saving

    Sainsbury's has had to cancel a series of discounts offered to online shoppers after voucher codes posted on a web forum were used by literally hundreds of people. The company had offered online shoppers £10 off their next shop if deliveries were late. One recipient of late groceries decided to share the voucher codes with the …

    Financial News 2 Nov 2004, 16:57

  • SCO not sure pro-SCO site is a good idea

    Issues stall propaganda page

    Legal concerns of all things have caused The SCO Group to rethink it plans to launch a pro-SCO propaganda web site meant to counter the popular Groklaw site. SCO once vowed to have a live site up by Nov. 1. It hoped to spin breaking news surrounding its ongoing Unix/Linux related cases against the likes of IBM and Novell. Such …

    Software 2 Nov 2004, 17:05

  • Nokia revives media phone concept with pen mini-tablet

    This time, we really mean it

    Nokia has unveiled its pen-based, mini-tablet smartphone platform once again. The 7710 media phone, announced today, is the second device to feature the Series 90 software, and Nokia hopes it will fare better than the first. A phone that showcased the software, the 7700, was announced exactly a year ago, but in June the company …

    Mobile 2 Nov 2004, 22:14

  • US presidential race comes down to the wire

    Tom Greene makes rash prediction

    Tom Greene tries his hand as psephologist. Early indications are not encouraging ... Today, a portion of the US electorate not seen at the polls since 1968 is expected to cast ballots in a presidential election characterized by what we're told are razor-sharp margins. Opinion polls are riding the edge: none favours either …

    Public Sector 2 Nov 2004, 22:45