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11th January 2005 Archive

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  • Whatever happened to... the Apple Mac?

    MacWorld Preview Neglected computer biz is owed a relaunch

    The success of the iPod, Apple's biggest ever consumer hit, was bound to overshadow the company's mainstay business in 2004. Clearly, the importance of the breakthrough can't be underestimated; the iPod isn't just a beach head into new markets, but a wildly successful product that's still in its infancy. But perspectives were …

    Mac Channel 11 Jan 2005, 00:15

  • Cisco likes the look of EMC's NAS

    Ready to sell storage

    Cisco has tapped EMC to help it pump all kinds of networking gear into the branch offices of large corporations. In a somewhat unusual move, Cisco will now resell and support EMC's NS Series of network attached storage (NAS) systems - the Celerra NS500 and NS700. This is the first time Cisco has sold what could be considered …

    Data Networking 11 Jan 2005, 09:38

  • AMD suffering from memory loss in Q4

    Warning scares investors

    AMD's flash business appears to have spoiled an otherwise decent fourth quarter. AMD late Monday warned that its flash memory unit will likely show a loss when the company reports its fourth quarter results on Jan. 18 due to slow sales. In a previous forecast, AMD said it expected memory sales to be either flat or up during the …

    Financial News 11 Jan 2005, 09:41

  • An open source Google - without the ads

    But is it legal?

    With the hope of returning at least one corner of the web to its non-commercial roots, Google watcher Daniel Brandt, who curates the NameBase archive, has released the source code to a Google scraper. Brandt has been making an ad-free proxy available for two years using Google's little known minimal "ie" interface. By using this …

    Media 11 Jan 2005, 09:44

  • iTrip maker readies 'smart' iPod car adaptor

    Control your iPod from the tape player

    iPod accessory maker Griffin Technology has launched what could prove the best way of connecting the Apple MP3 player to an in-car tape machine. Like many other cassette deck adaptors, the SmartDeck relays the iPod's output through the deck's magnetic head. However, Griffin claims to have figured out how to send control data …

    Mac Channel 11 Jan 2005, 11:02

  • AMD unveils Centrino spoiler

    Chip maker hopes Turion 64 will boost its mobile market share

    AMD launched a new line of 64-bit mobile microprocessors last week, though details of the product line remain few and far between. The product, dubbed Turion 64, marks the latest in a long line of daft brand names, not only from AMD, but from plenty of other chip makers too. Quite what it conveys is anyone's guess, but AMD …

    System Builder 11 Jan 2005, 11:03

  • Mistral snaps up Astra

    Buying spree

    Mistral Internet is on a buying spree after it snapped up two internet businesses in the last week. It is gunning for another acquisition by the end of the month. Last week Mistral - which has offices in Brighton, Cardiff, London and Southampton - acquired business ISP Astra Associates. Yesterday, it acquired the customer base …

    Broadband 11 Jan 2005, 11:20

  • Java Application Development on Linux

    Site Offer Save 30 per cent on 1000s of books

    Linux is the fastest-growing Java development platform because it not only saves time and subsequently saves money but it also serves as a platform for both development and deployment. However, developers face significant platform-specific challenges when managing and deploying Java applications in a controlled production …

    Site News 11 Jan 2005, 11:22

  • AMD CPUs to sport anti-fake holograms

    Is your box genuine?

    AMD has become the latest chip maker to stamp its wares with a holographic stamp in a bid to beat processor pirates. The move, announced yesterday, follows the seizure two weeks ago of 60,000 dud AMD chips, originally due for destruction but rebadged without the company's permission in order that they might be sold as fully …

    System Builder 11 Jan 2005, 11:23

  • Anti Sarbanes-Oxley mood rises in Europe

    Expensive sledgehammer smashes data protection law

    Over the past year, corporate governance has become a phrase that is bandied about by all and is sending shivers down the spines of corporate executives worldwide. Sarbanes-Oxley is the piece of legislation that most large companies are worried about – it was intended to improve the transparency with which public companies in …

    Management 11 Jan 2005, 11:55

  • VeriSign enters MMS market with Lightsurf buy

    Picture This

    VeriSign is to buy LightSurf Technologies, the privately-held mobile-phone photography firm, for $270m in stock. The deal will enable VeriSign to offer multimedia messaging capabilities and interoperability services to carriers. VeriSign already sells a number of security and Domain Name System (DNS) services to carriers, but …

    Mobile 11 Jan 2005, 12:00

  • Extra-solar planet snapped by galactic paparazzi

    Kinda blurry

    Ever wondered what a planet looks like from a distance of 225 light-years? No-one really knows, because no direct image has ever been taken before. But astronomers examining at data from the Very Large Telescope in Chile spotted a faint mark next to a young brown dwarf star. On closer examination using Hubble's infrared cameras …

    Science 11 Jan 2005, 12:03

  • Waterstone's throws book at blogger

    Employee given marching orders

    Bookseller Waterstone's has sacked a long-serving employee for writing a blog. Joe Gordon from Edinburgh, who worked for the company for 11 years, says he was dismissed because he "brought the company into disrepute". His Woolamaloo Gazette was started in 1992 and is a satirical diary that, in Gordon's own words, enables him " …

    Management 11 Jan 2005, 12:40

  • New PCs for old people

    Idiot-proof

    A Dutch company has developed a PC to ease old people's fear of computers. In May 2005 Secure Internet Machines (SIM) will introduce three versions of its simPC, which comes preloaded with software and services, such as online banking. The basic model costs €299. One model is just a flat screen with all electronics built-in. …

    PCs 11 Jan 2005, 13:03

  • Toshiba announces Sonoma-based notebook early

    Intel to release next-gen Centrino next week

    Intel will release 'Sonoma', its second-generation Centrino notebook platform, on Wednesday, 19 January, it has emerged. So claims Chinese-language newspaper the Commercial Times today, but the date tallies with the timeframe mentioned to The Register by sources close to Intel. However, Toshiba, for one, has already begun …

    PCs 11 Jan 2005, 14:00

  • MS virus clean-up tool sparks controversy

    False sense of security?

    Microsoft debuts a malicious software removal tool today. It represents the first tangible fruits of Microsoft's June 2003 acquisition of Romanian anti-virus firm GeCAD Software. The Microsoft Windows malicious software removal tool consolidates utilities released by Microsoft to remove viruses such as Blaster from infected …

    Security 11 Jan 2005, 14:22

  • Home Office builds 'harm model' to track fear, threats

    How high do press clippings figure in it?

    Much of the UK Home Office's recent legislation has been driven by the 'fear agenda', which is to some extent articulated by previous Home Secretary David Blunkett here (although he thinks he's denying it). A curious interview with Sir Stephen Lander in the Independent, however, reveals that the agenda is to an extent being set …

    Media 11 Jan 2005, 14:24

  • Mobile phone risk to kids

    Time to put on those tin foil hats again

    The jury is still out over the safety of mobile phones, radiation boffins have warned today. Although there's no proof to show that they pose a damage to people's health, experts at the UK government-appointed National Radiological Protection Board (NRPD) warned people to continue to take a "precautionary" approach to their use …

    Mobile 11 Jan 2005, 14:50

  • Countdown to launch for Deep Impact

    Ten...nine...eight...

    NASA has confirmed that its Deep Impact mission will launch tomorrow at 18:47 GMT from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Centre. The space craft is bound for the comet Tempel 1, where it will arrive with a bang in six months time, on 4 July. The Deep Impact mission was pulled together relatively quickly when scientists became …

    Science 11 Jan 2005, 14:52

  • Nintendo sets DS date down under

    Australian launch on 24 February

    Nintendo will launch its DS handheld console in Australia next month, the videogames pioneer announced today. The new machine, which launched in the US in November 2004 and in Japan last month, will go on sale on 24 February for AUD200 ($152/£81) - not a bad exchange rate if you can get someone down under to send a unit to this …

    Consoles 11 Jan 2005, 14:55

  • Waitrose.com in posh broadband offer

    BT promos too

    Waitrose.com - the ISP of posh supermarket chain Waitrose - has unveiled new prices for its broadband service. It's 256K service costs £18.99 a month, 512K runs in at £23.99 and the 1MB service costs £29.99 a month. The service - which is run by Brightview - boasts "unlimited usage" and is said to be "competitively priced". We …

    Broadband 11 Jan 2005, 16:13

  • France weighs down Computacenter

    Trading update

    In a trading update today, Computacenter confirmed that group pre-tax profits for 2004 are in line with forecasts. But France continues to be a black spot for Europe's biggest reseller. The company said its French business traded "poorly throughout 2004 and was subject to some extensive re-engineering, particularly in the …

    The Channel 11 Jan 2005, 16:19

  • IBM pledges 500 patents to OS developers

    No lawsuits, we promise

    IBM is to allow free use of 500 of its patents to open source developers, individuals and groups. The decision has been welcomed by most, but has attracted harsh criticism from some quarters. John Kelly, IBM senior vice president for technology and intellectual property, said this is the first of several such steps, and sets …

    Developer 11 Jan 2005, 16:20

  • Get ready to buy chips by the kilo

    Industry Comment So begins the era of 'Unbound Compute'

    We’ve spent 20 years assuming that we add memory and disk in large numbers and CPUs in small numbers. What if all three scaled in the same way? Now, that would be a game changing innovation, one that would spawn a new age for business applications and raise the bar on IT productivity and business efficiency. Remember way back …

    Servers 11 Jan 2005, 16:45

  • Investors gut AMD on memory slip

    Stock tumbles from glorious highs

    Shares of AMD were battered during Tuesday's trading after the company warned that its fourth quarter earnings would not likely please investors. At the time of this report, AMD's shares were down more than 20 per cent to $15.57. This drop erases a late 2004 run in which AMD's stock hit a high of $24.95 per share. Investors …

    Financial News 11 Jan 2005, 18:36

  • Apple unveils CD-sized mini Mac, one ounce iPod

    Macworld Cheap shouldn't mean nasty

    ThinkSecret’s pseudonymous hero 'Nick DePlume' may have earned a lawsuit for his troubles, but his predictions proved to be spot-on. Apple launched a $499 Mac, a revamped SoHo office suite called iWork at MacWorld today, and confirming reports from last Fall, a Flash-based iPod mini. The only surprise, and it’s a pleasant one …

    Mac Channel 11 Jan 2005, 19:41

  • Intel's record Q4 run ends with profit drop

    Shame on the Americas

    Intel rumbled to record revenue in its fourth quarter but saw its profit fall, as it felt the pains of competitive pressure from AMD. Intel posted a 10 per cent increase in revenue to $9.6bn. This total marks a quarterly record for the chipmaker. Intel, however, reported that its profit fell 2 per cent year-over-year to $2.1bn …

    Financial News 11 Jan 2005, 23:48