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19th January 2005 Archive

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  • Intel revamps Centrino

    Updated Sonoma speeds'n'feeds

    Intel launched the second generation of its Centrino notebook platform today, as expected. But how will prospective buyers know whether they're buying a machine based on the new version or one of the many old-style Centrino boxes Intel expects vendors to continue to offer? Certainly, there will be a diverse array of machines …

    PCs 19 Jan 2005, 00:01

  • Google's No-Google tag blesses the Balkanized web

    MSN, Yahoo! sign on for new spam-fighting initiative

    Karl Auerbach's prediction that the internet is balkanizing into groups of people who only accept traffic from each other took another step closer to reality today. The veteran TCP/IP engineer and ICANN board member has warned of the effect for years. "The 'Net is balkanizing. There are communities of trust forming in which …

    Security 19 Jan 2005, 06:25

  • Katie.com lawyer to host cyber-bullying conference

    Takes one to know one

    Cyber-lawyer and "national expert on cyber-bullying" Parry Aftab is to host a conference on cyber-bullying in Westchester, New York. Particularly attentive Register readers may remember Aftab for her involvement in the saga of Katie.com, the web's weirdest domain name dispute. The argument centred around a book called Katie.com …

    Media 19 Jan 2005, 06:27

  • McDATA gobbles up CNT

    And then there were three....

    McDATA is back on the acquisition trail, with a $235m all-stock deal to buy the number four SAN director supplier CNT. The merged company will dominate the high end Fibre Channel storage networking business; the question is whether it can reverse the steady climb of its rivals Brocade and Cisco. It's just under two years since …

    Storage 19 Jan 2005, 06:34

  • AMD profits disappear in a Flash

    'Freaking dismal', says CEO

    After dropping a bombshell on investors last Monday that its fourth quarter of 2004 would be a disappointment, AMD formally announced the numbers today. AMD lost $30m on sales of $1.26bn in the final quarter of the year (and AMD's fiscal year). Despite processor sales rising 26 per cent over the corresponding period in the …

    Financial News 19 Jan 2005, 06:39

  • Rambus income slides despite revenue gains

    The cost of litigation

    Rambus's income slid during Q4 FY2004, despite a double-figure jump in year-on-year revenue. Net income for the memory technology developer for the three months to 31 December 2004 was $6.5m (six cents a share), down 24.4 per cent on the $8.6m (eight cents a share) on this this time last year and 37.5 per cent lower than the $ …

    Financial News 19 Jan 2005, 09:59

  • Ad confidence spurs Yahoo!

    Oversees biz triples

    Yahoo! posted its best ever numbers again today. Quarterly revenue topped a billion dollars for the first time, and after traffic costs were excluded, Yahoo! grossed $785m in income. Net income doubled over the preceding period last year to $373m, or $187m after an investment sale is removed from the numbers, more than double …

    Financial News 19 Jan 2005, 10:04

  • Flagship NHS project in danger

    Government auditors hoist warning flags

    The UK Department of Heath (DoH) will miss the December 2005 deadline set for the roll-out of its Patient Choice electronic referrals system if it does not address low levels of GP support, the National Audit Office (NAO) has warned. Other threats to the project include problems with the IT system underpinning the project, and …

    Policy 19 Jan 2005, 10:12

  • Rambus poo-poos Hynix Euro patent victory claim

    We'll still see you in court in the US

    Rambus has accused Hynix of making "misleading statements" about the two companies' legal spat, calling the South Korean DRAM maker's victory claims "outrageous and irresponsible". What's so annoyed Rambus is Hynix's comment this week that a recent European Patent Office (EPO) decision related to one of Rambus' European patents …

    The Channel 19 Jan 2005, 10:13

  • Lastminute.com takes ad rap

    Dotcom darling fails to co-operate

    Lastminute.com has been given six of the best for failing to respond to complaints about two saucy ads plugging its online holiday deals. The ads featured close-up shots of the bottom and breasts of a bikini-clad woman on a beach. Both ads were accompanied by suggestive headlines. Eleven people contacted the UK's Advertising …

    Financial News 19 Jan 2005, 10:49

  • Job cuts hit Freescale earnings

    Divorce costs

    Freescale, Motorola's one-time semiconductor division, yesterday said it just about made a profit during its fourth quarter of fiscal 2004 as sequential revenue growth collapsed and redundancy costs slashed the bottom line. The chip company also announced the loss of its manufacturing chief and of the executive who steered …

    Financial News 19 Jan 2005, 10:49

  • Mobile DRM levy hits operators where it hurts

    In the pocket, to the tune of billions

    News that the MPEG Licensing Authority had reached a royalty policy for the patents in the Open Mobile Alliance DRM 1.0 specification, will have come as a shock to many operators and handset makers that have been led to believe that OMA DRM was to be royalty free. At the level they have set them, the royalties are likely to run …

    Mobile 19 Jan 2005, 10:54

  • ContentGuard talks DRM futures

    Michael Miron in the chair

    ContentGuard has followed the traditional development path of most intellectual property businesses. First it thought is was a product company with dreams of building a DRM monopoly on the back of technology leadership, then it found the going tough and the pickings too small and finally it dropped back to pushing intellectual …

    Media 19 Jan 2005, 11:30

  • Microland goes bust

    Administrators appointed...

    Manchester-based PC builder Microland Technology has gone bust. Administrator Unity Corporate Recovery has scheduled a meeting of creditors for 31 January at its Bolton offices in order to put the Internet-based retailer into liquidation. Unity was appointed on 6 January after it became apparent that Microland was insolvent. …

    The Channel 19 Jan 2005, 11:56

  • Gloves off as ISPA gong nominees named

    Fight begins to be crowned best of the best

    The UK Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA) has received a record number of entries for its annual awards this year, with 180 entries across 17 categories, the trade body said today. Fighting it out for Best Consumer ISP are freenetname, Pipex, UK Online, Virgin.net and Wanadoo. Those keeping their fingers and toes …

    Broadband 19 Jan 2005, 11:58

  • Intel 'Smithfield' to run 130W hot

    Leaked thermal specs

    Intel's upcoming dual-core 'Smithfield' desktop processor will dissipate up to 130W of power - 13 per cent more than today's Pentium 4 chips - it has emerged. The revelation comes from Tom's Hardware Guide (THG), which says it has seen internal Intel documentation covering Smithfield's thermal design power (TDP) characteristics …

    System Builder 19 Jan 2005, 11:59

  • AAS: astronauts not robots should fix Hubble

    Humans 1, 'droids 0

    The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has added its voice to calls for a manned mission to carry out essential maintenance on the Hubble Space Telescope. The AAS endorsed the National Research Council's recommendation that the telescope be serviced by astronauts using the Space Shuttle rather than NASA's suggested robotic …

    Science 19 Jan 2005, 12:05

  • World PC sales still growing

    But expect growth to slow this year

    Global PC shipments grew 14 per cent in the last quarter of 2004, according to research from market watcher IDC. The small and medium business market and Christmas sales were credited with driving the expansion. Total shipments grew to 51.5m units in the quarter, an increase of 13.7 per cent, better than IDC predictions of 13 …

    Mac Channel 19 Jan 2005, 12:13

  • AOpen i855GMEm-LFS desktop Pentium M mobo

    Review Perfect for DIY living room PCs?

    With more computers making their way into the living room, consumers are demanding quiet systems that don't spoil the relaxed atmosphere. Trying to address this point, AOpen has produced a motherboard that should become very popular with anyone looking to build a low-noise PC, writes Lars-Goran Nilsson. The cryptically named …

    Reviews 19 Jan 2005, 12:50

  • Tapping the telecoms barometer

    Reg Reader Studies 2004 end-of-year summary

    The year end is traditionally ‘out with the old, in with the new’, but from the results of The Register/Quocirca year end barometer survey, it looks like for the IT and telecoms industries, the ins and outs from 2004 into 2005 will again include more ‘shaking all about’. The Register and Quocirca ran this survey to examine a …

    Tech Panel 19 Jan 2005, 13:24

  • An MP3 player you can talk to...

    Muttering nutters with headphones

    A US firm specialising in metadata for music files is working with a voice recognition company to enable voice-controlled music devices for use where hand control is impractical. Gracenote is working with voice recognition specialist ScanSoft and early products will be aimed at Japan. Ross Blanchard, a Gracenote veep, said …

    Mobile 19 Jan 2005, 13:29

  • Unified messaging – voicemail for 3G?

    Multiple access methodology

    Voicemail is regarded as a killer application for telephony and some would say communications killer too - too many hid behind a voicemail screen, until mobile phones became the prevalent business communication tool. This is changing: Quocirca’s recent research of 150 decision makers in enterprises in the UK, Italy and Germany …

    Mobile 19 Jan 2005, 13:55

  • Tsunami spam scammer cuffed

    Feds swoop on 'rank amateur'

    A man from Pittsburgh has had his collar felt by the FBI after allegedly sending out 800,000 bogus Tsunami appeal emails, Silicon reports. Matthew Schmieder was quickly traced by UK spambusters Spamhaus after attempting to fleece netizens of cash with his "fundraising messages". Spamhaus' Steve Linford noted that the swift …

    Security 19 Jan 2005, 13:55

  • Ebbers fraud trial kicks off

    Ex-CFO faces probe into private life

    The trial into the financial collapse of WorldCom in 2002 got underway in New York yesterday with US District Judge Barbara S Jones ruling that the defence is allowed to probe the private life of the prosecution's star witness. The "star witness" in question just happens to be former WorldCom CFO Scott Sullivan. Last year he …

    Management 19 Jan 2005, 14:57

  • IBM earned $3bn in Q4

    Analysts show restraint

    IBM has posted its best ever fourth quarter results, reporting profits of $3bn for the period. The company said revenues had risen seven per cent on the same period last year to $27.7bn, boosted slightly by the weak dollar. The company also announced total revenue for 2004 of $96.5bn, and said that 2005 would see that figure …

    Financial News 19 Jan 2005, 15:01

  • Legal downloads jumped 900% in 2004

    Fledgling market has a long way to go, though

    More than 200m songs were downloaded from legal online music stores around the world last year - a 900 per cent increase over 2003's total, the music industry organisation IFPI said today. By our estimation, based on Apple's publicly provided figures, Apple accounted for 90-95 per cent of the market. Welcoming the brave new …

    Media 19 Jan 2005, 15:06

  • Oracle boss forecasts PeopleSoft customers' future

    Cross my palm with silver...

    Larry Ellison, the combative boss of Oracle, struck a more conciliatory tone yesterday talking about the future roadmap for PeopleSoft products and what support customers could expect now he has bought the company. Oracle has kept 90 per cent of Peoplesoft's engineering and development staff so product lines will continue to be …

    Applications 19 Jan 2005, 15:11

  • UK gov ready to u-turn on passport-ID card link?

    Bare-facial chicanery ahoy, methinks...

    As the UK's ID cards bill charges through Parliament, signs are starting to emerge that the Home Office's dubious packaging plans might be coming apart at the seams. Asked earlier this week to provide a timescale for the addition of fingerprints and iris scans to passports, Immigration Minister Des Browne said a decision had yet …

    Media 19 Jan 2005, 15:34

  • Panix.com hijack: Aussie firm shoulders blame

    Loopholes, errors, and weekends off

    An Australian domain registrar has admitted to its part in last weekend's domain name hijack. of a New York ISP. Melbourne IT says it failed to properly confirm a transfer request for the Panix.com domain. Ed Ravin, a Panix system administrator, says the Melbourne IT error enabled fraudsters using stolen credit cards to assume …

    Broadband 19 Jan 2005, 16:49

  • BT, Kingston face EC illegal state aid probe

    BT says £12bn tax break allegation 'groundless'

    BT and Kingston Communications are facing an European Commission (EC) investigation over allegations that they may have benefited from illegal state aid. The investigation centres on a property tax relating to the telecoms infrastructure of both companies. The base of the business rates tax is worked out for each telco by the …

    Broadband 19 Jan 2005, 17:17

  • Home Office tackles ID fraud. By hiring one

    Oops...

    The Home Office has gone that extra mile to prove the true costs of identity fraud to us all - it's been conned, big-time. Confronted with a fake doctor one would ideally stride smartly off in the other direction, but in the case of fraudster Barian Baluchi the Home Office opted for funding his clinic, using him as an asylum- …

    Media 19 Jan 2005, 18:02

  • Sun's Solaris for hippies to arrive next week

    New open source license approved

    After years of hype, it looks like Sun Microsystems will finally unveil its open source version of Solaris at an event next week or at least make some new rumblings around the project. Sun is holding a conference call with reporters and analysts on Jan. 25 to discuss "the company's Solaris open source initiative." Sun will most …

    Operating Systems 19 Jan 2005, 20:16

  • Opportunity sniffs out meteorite on Mars

    Could be many more

    NASA scientists yesterday confirmed that the Mars Rover Opportunity has discovered a meteorite on the surface of the red planet. The rover spotted the rock in early January. When its thermal signature suggested it was metallic, researchers realised it could be alien to the planet. Subsequent investigations with the Rover's …

    Science 19 Jan 2005, 20:24

  • German national library busts copy protection

    Limited effect

    Germany's National Library is now fully licensed to duplicate copy protected electronic books and other digital media such as CDs and CD-ROMs. The library signed an agreement with the German Federation of the Phonographic Industry and the German Booksellers and Publishers Association after it became clear that its legal mandate …

    Media 19 Jan 2005, 20:40