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8th December 2004 Archive

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  • IBM sells PC biz to China

    Notebooks, PCs in five-year franchise

    So, it's true. IBM, creator of the original PC in 1981, has sold its computer business to Chinese assembler Lenovo, formerly the Legend Group. Lenovo will pay Big Blue $1.25bn, with $650m in cash, and IBM will retain an 18.9 per cent stake in the joint venture. Lenovo will be IBM's preferred supplier and retains the right to use …

    Business 8 Dec 2004, 04:10

  • Toshiba touts DVD/HD DVD hybrid

    Dual-layer disc to smooth hi-def format adoption

    Toshiba and fellow Japanese technology company Memory-Tech have developed the obvious successor to DualDisc: a disc that incorporates both DVD and an HD DVD playback surfaces. Unlike DualDisc, which mounts a regular CD on the back of a DVD Audio disc, the Toshiba/Memory-Tech system uses a dual-layer structure so both formats …

    Storage 8 Dec 2004, 09:51

  • Google News' chief robot speaks out

    Bleep - it's not my fault - bleep

    Is Google News' chief scientist, Krishna Bharat, actually a robot? From an interview in the current issue of Wired magazine, it's increasingly difficult to conclude that Bharat could convincingly pass the Turing Test. Every time Google News is criticized for bias, Bharat is wheeled to field out an identical reply. He claims that …

    Developer 8 Dec 2004, 10:03

  • Dell turns on too pricey Red Hat

    Novell has what we need

    Dell and Sun Microsystems actually agree on something. Both companies think Red Hat's Linux operating system and services are too expensive. A Dell executive struck out at Red Hat today, saying smaller customers might shy away from the price of Red Hat's software. This charge is particularly unusual for Dell, which has been a …

    Operating Systems 8 Dec 2004, 10:05

  • IBM CEO's memo clarifies PC biz sell-off

    Exclusive The Palmisano email to the troops in full

    So why did IBM agree to sell its PC division to Lenovo for $1.25bn? And how did Big Blue break the news to thousands of worried staffers, not only in the company's Personal Computing Division, but throughout out the increasingly high-end oriented firm? For the answers to these questions, we turn to none other than IBM chairman …

    Financial News 8 Dec 2004, 10:06

  • Update for Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 secures new beta status

    May result in unexpected behavior

    Microsoft has strolled a little closer to delivering an update for Windows Server 2003 by showing a release candidate service pack for the OS. This first service pack for Windows Server 2003 arrives with a variety of new security features, including more stringent privilege policies, support for "no execute" hardware and a …

    Operating Systems 8 Dec 2004, 10:08

  • 'Pukka celeb' to front Madasafish ad

    Funny man

    Madasafish.com is hiring a "pukka celebrity" to star in a TV commercial plugging its new broadband service. David Laurie, boss of Brightview Group -owned ISP, is keeping the exact details of the celeb under wraps because of "contractual" reasons. However, he did reveal the star was a funny man. The TV ads will plug Madasafish' …

    Broadband 8 Dec 2004, 10:22

  • PeopleSoft customers learning to love Oracle

    Says Oracle man...

    PeopleSoft customers are getting more comfortable with the idea of an Oracle takeover - at least they are according to Oracle's co-president Charles Phillips. Speaking at the opening of Oracle's customer jamboree OpenWorld in San Francisco Phillips said: "A lot of opinion of this deal has changed. We're reaching out to these …

    Applications 8 Dec 2004, 10:25

  • Meet Frank Fowlie, ICANN Ombudsman

    Interview Canadian mountie, Olympics organiser and now the internet's physician

    It would be very easy to paint the newly appointed Ombudsman to Internet overseeing organisation ICANN as a heroic figure. The fact that he hasn't been is either a missed trick or a reassuring sign that substance is more important than style - we can't be sure which. A former Canadian mountie, UN peacekeeper and Olympic Games …

    Media 8 Dec 2004, 10:28

  • Nvidia to unveil 'nForce for Intel' Q1 05

    'Crush 19' sampling now, sources suggest

    Nvidia will roll out a Pentium 4-oriented nForce chipset by the end of Q1 2005, the company has confirmed. An announcement will be made in that timeframe, an Nvidia spokesman revealed, Xbit Labs reports. According to a DigiTimes report, the chipset, codenamed 'C19', will support SLI and almost certainly many of the goodies …

    System Builder 8 Dec 2004, 10:38

  • Think tank survey claims 81% support UK ID cards

    'Nothing to hide' lobby still strong

    A survey carried out for the think tank Reform claims 81 per cent of the British public favour the introduction of compulsory ID cards, with 29 per cent thinking it would be a very good idea, and 52 per cent a good idea. The survey, of 1,022 adults, was carried out by ICM between 1st and 2nd December, and reflects the largely …

    Media 8 Dec 2004, 11:05

  • O2 unveils compact PocketPC phone

    Sports Bluetooth 1.2 but no Wi-Fi

    UK mobile phone network O2 is to bring a more compact version of its XDA II PocketPC phone, through the device will initially only be made available to its Far Eastern customers. Dubbed the XDA II Mini, the device is based on a 416MHz Intel XScale PXA272 processor, 64MB of RAM and 64MB of ROM. It runs Windows Mobile 2003 Second …

    Mobile 8 Dec 2004, 11:25

  • Flashing Xmas lights down DSL connection

    It works! It's down! It works! It's down! It works... etc

    Dodgy Christmas lights are being blamed for knocking over broadband connections, with imported flashing lights that don't meet UK electrical standards fingered as the worst offenders. As a result, BT Wholesale has written to ISPs warning them to be on their guard over the festive season. "It has come to BT's attention that an …

    Broadband 8 Dec 2004, 11:42

  • IBM gives up on Schlumberger Ireland buyout

    Competition Authority intervenes

    IBM has decided against buying the Irish arm of disaster recovery company Schlumberger, following a decision by the Competition Authority to block the deal. Although IBM could elect to slog it out in the courts with the Competition Authority, it has decided to simply exclude Schlumberger's Irish operation from a global €200m …

    Financial News 8 Dec 2004, 11:51

  • HP discussed divorce

    "It's not you, it's me..."

    HP's board have discussed splitting up the company on three separate occasions, Carly Fiorina, CEO, revealed yesterday. She told a meeting of financial analysts: "The board looked at this analytically and dispassionately and in detail three separate times...and each time the board...came to the same, unanimous conclusion," …

    Financial News 8 Dec 2004, 11:51

  • Singapore Airlines plans in-flight live TV via Wi-Fi

    Wireless Net access goes live Q1 05

    Singapore Airlines will add in-flight Wi-Fi to its Singapore-London route during Q1 2005, the first step in the carrier's plan to bring live TV to passengers by the middle of next year. The airborne WLAN comes courtesy of Boeing's Connexion service, which will begin fitting SA's fleet with access points during 2005 to "selected …

    Broadband 8 Dec 2004, 12:02

  • Cisco charts course for sustained growth

    San Jose Bulls

    Cisco yesterday said it is on track to meet Wall Street estimates for 13 per cent growth in its current financial year. Analysts expect revenues of $24.81bn - $22.05bn for FY2005, which ends next July. The networking giant forecasts compound annual revenue growth of 10 - 15 per cent between 2004 and 2008. Dennis Powell, Cisco's …

    Financial News 8 Dec 2004, 12:11

  • Sprint spends $3bn on 3G

    Contracts all round

    US mobile firm Sprint has detailed what it will spend on upgrading its network and getting it ready for 3G services. The big winners are Lucent, which gets $1.5bn over three years, Nortel, which gets $1bn and Motorola which picks up $450m. All three are existing Sprint suppliers but one industry analyst told Reuters that …

    Mobile 8 Dec 2004, 12:41

  • Dutch govt Microsoft desktop deal riles MPs

    Love me Tender

    Dutch government plans to adopt Microsoft software for 245,000 desktop PCs have caused a stir among Dutch MPs, online magazine Webwereld reports. MPs from D66, SP, GroenLinks and PvdA are unhappy about the proposed deal, worth €147m. Just two years ago a motion by MP Kees Vendrik (Green Party) was unanimously carried in the …

    Applications 8 Dec 2004, 12:46

  • Offshoring letters keep coming in

    Letters: Roundup of Reg readers' writings

    Letters to letters. We don't like to get too post-modern here at Reg Towers but we've received a fine selection of letters in response to a previous selection of letters we published. Offshoring or outsourcing is something every Reg reader has an opinion on, and we've yet to hear from two readers who agree. First up we have a …

    Letters 8 Dec 2004, 12:56

  • GM cocaine 'grown in Colombia'

    But it could just be the compost...

    Colombian coca plant farmers have developed genetically modified strains of the plant, the Financial Times claims. Anti-drug officers in the remote Sierra Nevada region of northern Colombia have discovered a new variety of coca plant that can grow up to 2.7m (9ft) tall - double the normal size - and produce four times as much …

    Science 8 Dec 2004, 13:00

  • Tough-talking Ofcom boss slaps BT

    You can't wriggle out of this one...

    Ofcom boss Stephen Carter has squared up to BT over plans to overhaul the UK telco. On Monday BT signalled that it won't comply with new regulatory demands made by Ofcom if such moves are too damaging for its business. In its review of the UK's telecoms sector last month Ofcom called on BT to give rival operators equal access …

    Broadband 8 Dec 2004, 13:06

  • Intel 'firing on all cylinders' - CEO

    But chip production costs won't fall as much as planned

    Intel CEO Craig Barrett reinforced his optimistic outlook for 2005 when he claimed the "missteps" the chip maker made this year are now behind it. However, Barrett's current number two - and his named successor - COO Paul Otellini admitted that the company hasn't been able to reduce the cost of punching out each processor as …

    Financial News 8 Dec 2004, 13:19

  • Sprint sued over alleged vice hacks

    Adult services operator seeks $30m in damages

    A Las Vegas adult services operator is making a federal case of his longstanding claim that cyber security weaknesses at the local phone company have permitted hackers to hijack calls intended for his stable of in-room entertainers - reprising a complaint that state regulators rejected in 2002. Eddie Munoz is seeking $30m in …

    Security 8 Dec 2004, 13:39

  • FTC punishes porn dialler firm

    $17m in disputed bills

    A US adult content payment processing firm has agreed to tear up disputed bills of $17m to settle Federal Trade Commission charges. Alyon Technologies has agreed not to pursue an estimated 200,000 consumers for their supposed use of adult videotext services. Another $22m in bills may be forgiven if consumers challenge their …

    Media 8 Dec 2004, 13:42

  • Nortel finally readies accounts

    Light at the end of the tunnel - let's hope it's not a train...

    Nortel Networks says it will finally be able to post financial results for 2003 on 10 January next year - after a series of delays. The company said 11 November it was aiming to provide full accounts within 30 to 60 days - the new deadline just hits this target. Nortel will update its unaudited results in the week of 13 …

    Financial News 8 Dec 2004, 14:59

  • AOL confirms 750 job cuts

    Merry Christmas

    AOL is culling 750 workers at its HQ in Northern Virginia, three weeks after announcing plans to split the business into four divisions. The reorganisation is designed to cut bureaucracy and improve efficiency, as well as making the decision-making process "much crisper". Axing four per cent of the workforce should also help …

    Broadband 8 Dec 2004, 15:06

  • PalmSource to build Palm OS on Linux

    Update Buys Chinese phone software firm to speed release

    PalmSource is to create a new version of the Palm OS with Linux at its core, the company said today after announcing a plan to buy Chinese phone software company China MobileSoft (CMS). With the device market becoming increasingly phone-centric, and with the Chinese market offering a far greater opportunity to device vendors - …

    Operating Systems 8 Dec 2004, 15:21

  • UK failing CO2 targets

    Gassing about greenhouses

    The UK will miss its targets for carbon dioxide emissions reduction, unless it pulls its socks up, The Department of the Environment said today. The Government wants to cut CO2 emissions from 1990 levels by 20 per cent by 2010. but this goal, will not be reached, as things stand. Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett is …

    Science 8 Dec 2004, 15:37

  • Virgin Mobile goes to China

    Seeks JV partner

    Virgin Mobile is in talks with several Chinese mobile operators about starting operations in the country. Richard Branson's mobile arm works with carriers as a Virtual Mobile Operator - it provides the marketing magic while someone else deals with the nuts and bolts. In the UK it uses T-mobile's network. Kong Branson told …

    Mobile 8 Dec 2004, 15:50

  • Wippit to gain over 1m major-label tracks

    Gets content from last-two-to-licence 'big four' recording firms

    UK-based digital music company Wippit has secured content distribution licences from the two remaining major labels that have thus far eluded it: Warner and Universal. In the latter's case Wippit's a la carte download service will gain more than one million songs, though they will only be made available to Wippit's UK and …

    Media 8 Dec 2004, 16:12

  • London Bridge Software fined for using unlicensed software

    Debt recovery software outfit pays out £39,500

    A London-based debt recovery software specialist has paid a £39,500 fine for using unlicensed software. This settles a copyright infringement claim brought by the Business Software Alliance against London Bridge Software Holdings for its illegal use of software, including Macromedia products. According to the BSA, London Bridge …

    Software 8 Dec 2004, 17:53

  • Amazon's 'morning nightmare' lasts 11 days, and counting

    Peak-time woes bedevil merchants, customers

    Amazon.com suffered an embarrassing outage earlier this week, but promised customers that problems with its IT systems had been rapidly fixed. This claim, however, has come under closer scrutiny from Amazon users in the UK, US and Canada. Many members of Amazon's Seller marketplace say the company has been suffering from long- …

    Media 8 Dec 2004, 21:53

  • One in four Brits on net for Porn

    Sod blogs - take us to the filth!

    According to a survey conducted by British ISP Homecall, 23 per cent of Britons are getting broadband for the porn, and it's by far the most important factor in getting wired. 12 per cent cited access to music videos, 8 per cent access to movie trailers, and a gratifying 9 per cent for radio, which is undergoing a renaissance in …

    Media 8 Dec 2004, 22:59

  • Supremes evaluate Internet booze shopping

    For the love of God, think of the middlemen

    The US Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on whether or not consumers should be permitted to shop for wine via the Internet and have it delivered directly to their doors. Hundreds of millions of dollars in state taxes and distributors' commissions are at stake, so the notion is being fought vigorously by states and industry …

    Financial News 8 Dec 2004, 23:35