24th December 2004 Archive

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AMD told not to execute 'no execute' ad campaign

Dutch advertising authority ticks off chip maker

Chip manufacturer AMD can no longer claim in a Dutch advertising campaign that users of its Athlon 64 processors don't have to worry about viruses. AMD is currently the only company offering what is calls Enhanced Virus Protection Technology on desktop and notebook PCs, but the Dutch advertising board, Reclamecode Commissie, …

Channel Register 24 Dec 2004, 09:52
2005: huge turbulence in IT market

Consolidation and realignment

2005 will be a year of enormous turbulence for the high-tech sector, IDC says. "Beneath the surface of an almost boringly moderate growth rate of six per cent, 2005 will be a year of enormous turbulence in the IT market with lots of consolidation and realignment in many sectors," commented Frank Gens, senior vice president of …

Channel Register 24 Dec 2004, 10:16
Let's play the Magic Quadrant game

Games for all

What do the following have in common? Oracle and Microsoft but not IBM? PeopleSoft and SAP but not Siebel? SAS but not Teradata? Business Objects and Crystal but not Cognos or ReportNet, and Hyperion but not Brio? Applix and QlikTech but not Temtec? Microstrategy and ProClarity but not Actuate? Spotfire and Arcplan but not …

Software 24 Dec 2004, 10:22
Gizmondo gears up for US launch

Still in need of games, though

Gizmondo is expected to announce the exact timing of its eponymous handheld games console's US launch next month, most likely at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show. So far, all the company will say is that the device will launch in the US in the late Q1 2005 timeframe - around the time Sony is expected to begin shipping …

Consoles 24 Dec 2004, 10:35
Orange beams jam-busting TV to your mobe

Live 3G Xmas entertainment

Those readers currently facing the prospect of a long Xmas Eve car journey to see loved ones - or simply to find a pub which does not have Slade's Merry Christmas on the jukebox - might be interested in a jam-busting initiative from Orange and Trafficmaster. The two companies have teamed up to offer drivers CCTV images of the …

Mobile 24 Dec 2004, 11:35
US couple seeks cash for Hobbit Hole

Feeling particularly generous this Xmas?

Long-term readers will remember well the case of the American college student who rattled her tin online to raise cash for a bigger pair of jubs. Successfully, as it turns out, and now a US couple has adopted the web begging process in an attempt to finance the construction of a real-life Hobbit Hole. We'll cut to the chase on …

Bootnotes 24 Dec 2004, 11:36
Killer hoover attacks Scotsman

Big compensation for Dyson victim

An Aberdeen man has won more than £10k in compensation from vacuum cleaner outfit Dyson after one of the manufacturer's machines attempted to total the 59-year-old, the Scotsman reports. Norman Grant told Aberdeen Sheriff Court how on 3 March 2002, as he was trying to tackle "high cobwebs" at his home, the hose extension " …

Rise of the Machines 24 Dec 2004, 12:10
Cloned kitten sold for $50,000

The everlasting cat?

Califoria-based biotech firm Genetic Savings & Clone (GSC) has made its first sale: a cloned male kitten, for $50,000. Little Nicky, bought by a Texas woman identified only as 'Julie' because of fears that she would be targeted by anti-cloning groups, is genetically identical to the owner's previous cat, 'Nicky', a 17-year-old …

Science 24 Dec 2004, 12:40
Downloading digital music

2004 in review Majors and minors, players and platforms, lawsuits and licences

It wasn't quite the 'Year of Digital Music', but 2004 certainly paved the way for 2005 to take that title. In the UK, Apple and Napster both opened online music services, with the iTunes Music Store also making an appearance in France, Germany and, later in the year, in a number of other European states. Sony, too, targeted …

Music and Media 24 Dec 2004, 15:01