22nd December 2004 Archive

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'Metal Gear' Trojan targets Symbian phones

Skulls up to no good again

Symbian OS/Series 60 UI malware Skulls has been put to further use, this time masquerading as a version of the game Metal Gear Solid. Vulnerable handsets include those from manufacturers such as Nokia, Siemens, Panasonic and Sendo. According to anti-virus software developer SimWorks, the Trojan, dubbed Metal Gear A, uses …

Security 22 Dec 2004, 09:41
PCI Express push ATI sales up

Q1 FY2005 breaks record

ATI continued to make strong revenue gains during the first quarter of its 2005 fiscal year, with sales up 30.7 per cent year on year and 7.3 per cent sequentially. In the three months to 30 November 2004, ATI made sales totalling $613.9m, up from the Q4 2004's $572.2m and Q1 2004's $469.7m. Q1's sales were below the mid-point …

Financial News 22 Dec 2004, 10:10
RIM revenues rise

Anticipates rosier earnings ahead, too

Blackberry maker Research in Motion this week raised its performance expectations for the coming couple of quarters despite the prospect of its failure to defend itself against patent holder NTP's legal action. Driving RIM's revised forecast were figures for the company third quarter of fiscal 2005. In the three months to 27 …

Financial News 22 Dec 2004, 10:46
Self-heating latté stirs controversy

Strange brew

Never mind the self-healing minefield, standby for the self-heating latté. From 2 January 2005, US punters will be able to buy a $2.25 cup of coffee that heats itself in six minutes. Previous trial launches aimed at the mass market have floundered on the size and cost of the product, but WP Beverage Partners thinks it might have …

Science 22 Dec 2004, 10:59
Register responsible for Suprnova's demise

FoTW Cor blimey!

'Tis the Wednesday before Christmas and all through the house, a great flame is roaring, from a reader with a grouse... This eloquent chap is not the only person to blame El Reg for the demise of SuprNova, but he managed to fit in the most abuse, per word, so we thought we'd run it as Flame of the Week: Way to go letting that …

Letters 22 Dec 2004, 11:06
Onyx hooks up with unbundler Easynet

And Nildram does telephony

Onyx Internet has become the first ISP to sign up to a wholesale broadband service from unbundling outfit Easynet. Last week, Easynet announced it would be providing wholesale broadband to telcos and ISPs at prices it claims are 30-35 per cent cheaper than those offered by BT. Using its own kit installed in BT exchanges, …

Broadband 22 Dec 2004, 11:12
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Notebook PCMCIA sound card

Review Ideal audio for laptops?

Impressive audio has never been one of the selling points of laptops. Generally small speakers and the need to conserve energy rather than belt out virtuoso, ear-splitting performances have always resulted in less than impressive overall quality, writes Charlie Brewer. Until now. Enter stage left the latest in the Creative …

Reviews 22 Dec 2004, 11:31
WD ups Caviar HDD capacity, lowers thermals

Cooler than slower drives, apparently

Western digital announced this week that its Caviar family of hard drives now runs at significantly lower temperatures and uses less power - not only than the company's own drives but less than all of its rivals' products, the company claimed. The new models, which spin at 7200rpm, also run cooler than many slower, 5400rpm …

Storage 22 Dec 2004, 11:46
Software patents: the fight in Europe

2004 in review Did you want fries with that patent?

Patents have been big news in 2004, with Microsoft appealing against the ruling that it owes Eolas hundreds of millions in licence fees, a move which has found it some unlikely allies. Meanwhile, the EU did its level best to pass a directive "clarifying" the legality of patenting software in Europe. But in all the patent- …

Media 22 Dec 2004, 12:13
Nintendo ships 2m DS consoles worldwide

Expects to ship almost 1m by year's end

Nintendo has shipped more the 2m DS handheld consoles in the US and Japan, the company said yesterday. With over 1m sold in each territory, Nintendo is well on the way to meeting its end-of-year sales target of 2.8m units worldwide. The DS launched in the US on 21 November then in Japan on 2 December. In the US, it took a week …

Consoles 22 Dec 2004, 12:28
Mobile phones 'alter human DNA'

Low-power microwaves cause mutations, claims study

Mobile phone users have been advised to use a landline whenever possible after researchers claimed that mobiles can damage DNA. In a four-year study, German researchers exposed human tissue to low-power microwaves, which are emitted by mobile phones, and found that the radiation caused damage to the DNA within the cells, which …

Mobile 22 Dec 2004, 12:39
MS loses Europe appeal, will ship WMP-free Windows version

No terminal damage likely, says court

Microsoft is to start shipping a cut-down version of Windows in Europe from January, following the failure of its appeal to the European Court of First Instance over penalties imposed by the Commission earlier this year. Microsoft hasn't run out of appeal routes, but the Court ordered the company to begin carrying out the …

Operating Systems 22 Dec 2004, 12:40
Topless teen wins trivia game ban

Only 17 when software's 'hotties' video taken, plaintiff alleges

A PC, PS2 and Xbox-based trivia game has been banned in the US after a teenager alleged that the title contains topless video pictures of her, used not only without her permission but filmed when she was a minor. Called The Guy Game, the software poses the player with a range of trivia questions. Answer them successfully and …

Consoles 22 Dec 2004, 13:17
Apple sues three over 'Tiger' Mac OS X leak

Pre-release builds offered for download via BitTorrent

Apple has sued three software developers, accusing them of posting pre-release versions of the next major Mac OS X update on the Internet without its permission. The lawsuit is a further blow to the reputation of BitTorrent, the peer-to-peer download technology. Last week, a host of BitTorrent server operators were sued by the …

Media 22 Dec 2004, 13:34
HMV to spend £10m to catch up with Napster, Apple

Pledges to be a 'major force' in the music download market

UK music, movie and games retailer HMV will finally relaunch its digital music download service in the second half of 2005, the company said today. The Register first reported on the store's plan in June this year, when we covered the retailer's move to open an online store selling iPods. Then as now, HMV offers downloads via …

Financial News 22 Dec 2004, 14:03
Institutions pour $25.2m into digital music firm

Loudeye won't run out of office stationery just yet

Loudeye, US parent of European digital music pioneer OD2, has won itself $25.2m in funding. The finance will come from unnamed "institutional investors" who will stump up the cash in return for 16.8m Loudeye shares, along with the right to buy 5m more. Loudeye said it will use the money for "working capital and any other …

Financial News 22 Dec 2004, 14:45
Anti-piracy scrooges slammed for Red Cross threats

Letters Bah, Humbug

This week, you were unanimous in your condemnation of Australian moves to freeze funds donated to the International Red Cross. Distinctly lacking in Christmas spirit: You have got to be shitting me! Do the Record Industry have no shame at all? I think this just goes to show you how far down the corporate line we have gone …

Letters 22 Dec 2004, 15:05
New 'scope snaps Orion in infrared

Belt up

A stunning image of the Orion nebula has been released from the newly operational Wide Field Camera, part of the UK Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii. Built in Edinburgh, the camera is the most powerful infra-red survey camera anywhere in the world. The WFCAM will scan the skies for undiscovered objects. Its hunting grounds …

Science 22 Dec 2004, 15:20
'Cosmic' baker attacks phone mast

Radiation fears for biodynamic bread

The owner of a holistic Kent bakery is opposing Hutchison 3G's plan to erect a mobile phone mast just nine metres from her premises because she says the radiation will "destroy the vitality" of her biodynamic loaves. According to the BBC, Artisan bread specialises in "cosmic bread" which is baked according to a timetable …

Mobile 22 Dec 2004, 15:29
MS gives Welsh a fat LIP

Language Implementation Pack, that is

MS has teamed up with the Welsh Language Board, Microsoft Certified Partner Draig Technology Ltd and translation agency Cymen to offer Welsh Windows users a "Language Implementation pack" (LIP) for Windows XP and Office 2003. The LIP can be had as a free downloadable addition to said products, and will allow "partners to deploy …

Operating Systems 22 Dec 2004, 15:33
Sony ships Vaio Pocket MP3 support update

Bugs fixed too

Sony has at last posted a firmware update which brings native MP3 support to its Vaio Pocket music player. The update, which was announced on the Japanese giant's Vaio support site earlier this month, is accompanied by updated versions Sony's music transfer applications, SonicStage and Vaio Transfer. Until now, both apps …

Peripherals 22 Dec 2004, 16:15
EMC gets itself some SMARTS

Going rate: $260m

EMC has picked up System Management Arts Inc. (SMARTS) for $260m in a move that builds out the storage giant's ever-swelling software portfolio. SMARTS is best known for its InCharge software suite that collects performance data from a wide range of hardware in networks. Its software can tell administrators about the health of …

Financial News 22 Dec 2004, 21:26
SCO's vanishing licensing biz hits Q4 revenues

McBride hails 'progress'

The SCO Group suffered a large drop in revenue during its fourth quarter, as its SCOsource licensing business evaporated. SCO posted revenue of $10m during the period, which compares to $24m in revenue reported in the same quarter one year ago. One of the biggest reasons for this revenue loss was the dismal performance of the …

Financial News 22 Dec 2004, 22:11