17th February 2005 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

HP serves up bland post-Fiorina Q1

She who must not be named

After evicting CEO Carly Fiorina, HP today reported first quarter earnings that were neither spectacular or horrific. They were so-so. HP pulled in $21.5bn in revenue during the period, which is a 10 per cent rise over the $19.5bn posted one year ago. Adjusted for currency, HP's revenue rose just 5 per cent, so here's thanking …

Financial News 17 Feb 2005, 04:54
Cyberpunk authors get the girls

RSA 2005 Minority Report

Bruce Schneier experiences after writing the last seven pages of Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon have prompted the noted cryptographic expert to consider a radical change of career. Schneier's books on information security sell well, but his eyes were opened at a joint book-signing session with Stephenson. "Cyberpunk authors …

Security 17 Feb 2005, 08:41
Spam gets vocal with VoIP

RSA 2005 I spit on your spam

We're all learning to live with spam but an even more annoying nuisance lies just around the corner. Spit (Spam over internet telephony) is set to become the next pervasive medium for scammers, penis pill purveyors and the rest. Internet telephony means cheaper phone calls, a great prospect for consumers and businesses alike. …

Spam 17 Feb 2005, 08:47
T-Mobile hacker pleads guilty

Unusual secrecy

A sophisticated computer hacker who penetrated servers at wireless giant T-Mobile pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single felony charge of intentionally accessing a protected computer and recklessly causing damage. Nicolas Jacobsen, 22, entered the guilty plea as part of a sealed plea agreement with the government, says prosecutor …

Enterprise Security 17 Feb 2005, 09:54
Killing an iPod: harder than it looks?

3GSM Music phones unnatural, as born killers go...

So when do mobile phones really kill iPods? Not before people stop saying 'iPod killer', certainly (because saying it is more of a death wish than the sincerest form of flattery), but not until handset manufacturers figure out pricing, functionality, the target market and its habits. Which is easier said than done, but grasping …

Mobile 17 Feb 2005, 10:30
Investigators uncover dismal data disposal

Risk of ID-theft, hacking, blackmail, fraud...

An investigation into the disposal of computer equipment has uncovered psychological reports on school-children, confidential company data and even details of an illicit affair on hard drives that should have been wiped clean. Universities, schools and global businesses are routinely breaking the Data Protection Act by disposing …

Music and Media 17 Feb 2005, 10:35
HP goes to bat for the Foreign Office

FCO goes inhouse / outhouse for IT delivery

HP has emerged victor of the prize to run the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices's IT systems. The seven-year deal is worth £180m and is the biggest ever signed by the FCO. It will see HP streamline the department's IT into a single online network, and over the next two years, FCO's offices in the UK and abroad - there are more …

PCs 17 Feb 2005, 10:44
Japan joins global satellite disaster network

Space Week Quick pics

Japan took a step closer to Europe and other countries in space cooperation when the country signed the international charter on space and major disasters in Brussels yesterday. The move is aimed at improving satellite photo responses to major disasters, including forest fires, earth quakes and floods - and was given added …

Science 17 Feb 2005, 10:50
Crypto researchers break SHA-1

It's official

Long rumored and now official, the popular SHA-1 hashing algorithm has been attacked successfully by researchers in China and the US. A collision has been discovered in the full version in 269 hash operations, making it just possible to mount a successful brute-force attack with the most powerful machines available today. This …

Security 17 Feb 2005, 11:04
DJ fined €1.4m for massive 'illegal' music cache

MP3s in da house

A "well known" Italian DJ has been ordered to cough up Europe's biggest fine ever for music downloading after being found in possession of and using thousands of illegally copied music files. The DJ must pay a record €1.4m ($1.8m), the Italian financial police have ruled. He also faces criminal prosecution, law enforcement …

Music and Media 17 Feb 2005, 11:13
Intel boffins build first continuous beam silicon laser

Two-photon absorption problem solved

Intel scientists have developed what they claim is the world's first continuous-wave laser constructed from silicon in a single chip. To date, a number of silicon-based lasers have been developed but they have all been capable only of emitting pulses of optical energy. Getting a silicon laser to operate continuously is a key …

Science 17 Feb 2005, 11:24
Grand Theft Auto firm faces 'murder training' lawsuit

Sony and Wal-Mart named too

Take Two, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto game series, is once again facing a lawsuit that alleges its software was complicit in murder. The legal action was filed on behalf of the families of police force staff shot dead in Fayette, Alabama in 2003, allegedly by one Devin Moore. Moore was apprehended on suspicion of …

Consoles 17 Feb 2005, 12:20
Intel fortifies mobile transactions

3GSM Wireless Trusted Platform

Intel has joined Orange and Visa International to better protect premium digital content and transactions on mobile handsets. The company will use a combination of hardware and software to provide more more security for consumers to pay for online music or video, the company announced this week at 3GSM in Cannes. The new Intel …

Mobile 17 Feb 2005, 12:47
Apple suspends online hack subpoenas

The Leaky Cauldron

Apple has agreed to suspend legal action against three journalists who disclosed advance product information against the company's wishes, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) said yesterday. In December 2004, Apple subpoenaed the three to try to discover the names of individuals who leaked allegedly illegally-obtained …

Music and Media 17 Feb 2005, 13:41
Security experts warn of 'scary' new web scam

E-traders beware

A Lancashire-based PC hardware site has become the victim of a sophisticated and disturbing new online fraud. Laptop Bits Ltd managed to get the bogus web site - laptopexpress-ltd.com - shut down last night just hours after being alerted to the scam by a regular customer. What make the scam so "scary", as one security expert …

Music and Media 17 Feb 2005, 13:54
University launches semantic web interface

Information is all about context, you see

The University of Southampton has launched a new semantic web interface, called mSpace, that it says will make searching for information online, and learning about a subject, much easier. mSPace is a framework that gathers information sources and presents them to the user in a single window. It can potentially be applied to any …

Developer 17 Feb 2005, 14:00
Congress seeks stem cell side-step

Bills aim to bypass Bush funding ban

Members of Congress yesterday introduced bills which aim to bypass president Bush's restrictions on state-funded stem cell research. Advocates of such research from both major parties said they had "given up on persuading Bush to change his policy". The bills propose that any embryonic stem cell lines should be eligible for …

Science 17 Feb 2005, 14:27
IBM ThinkPad T42p mobile workstation

Review High-end heaven?

IBM's ThinkPad T42p is the high-end, workstation model of the T42 range and as such, it doesn't come cheap. But it's also a quality product with a look and feel that most other notebooks can only aspire to, writes Riyad Emeran. After opening the tactile, but very tough black-coated titanium alloy lid, you find the 15in screen …

Reviews 17 Feb 2005, 14:33
WorldCom CFO lied, he admits to court

Sullivan faces cross examination

Defence lawyers for ex-WorldCom boss Bernie Ebbers attempted to undermine the credibility of the government's star witness yesterday by getting former CFO Scott Sullivan to admit he lied about the accounting fraud. Facing his first day of cross examination Sullivan, 42, told the court he lied to board members and investors over …

Financial News 17 Feb 2005, 14:38
Vampires live longer: official

Vlad Dracul salutes US research

Scientists at Stanford University have confirmed what Vlad Dracul knew all along: a refreshing dose of young blood can put the spring back into your step. According to science journal Nature, via Wired, the Nosferatu-inspired boffins found that blood from young mice introduced into their older counterparts "activated stem cells …

Science 17 Feb 2005, 14:53
Net downloads prompt retrial in rape case

Judges rule conviction 'unsafe'

A rape conviction has been overturned by appeal judges and a retrial ordered, after a juror apparently downloaded related documents from the web. According to reports, the judges ruled that the conviction was unsafe, after the documents were found in the jury room. Jury members could have been influenced by the documents, the …

Small Biz 17 Feb 2005, 15:11
Northamber doubles interim profit

Chilly January but sunny days ahead

Northamber shrugged off a weak January and expressed confidence in the year ahead after reporting profits more than doubled in its first half. The UK distie yesterday announced sales were £124.5m for the six months ending 31 December, up 8.3 per cent on the year. Pre-tax profits came in at £1.36m, up 106 per cent on the same …

Channel Register 17 Feb 2005, 16:37
Bell swings into full year profit

Euro ops boost Q4 margins

Bell Microproducts yesterday reported a 140 per cent increase in fourth quarter profits. The distributor’s revenues in the period ending 31 December were $808m, up 26 per cent on the year, while net earnings were $5.8m, compared to the previous year’s $2.4m. For the full year, sales came in at $2.8bn, up 27 per cent on the …

Channel Register 17 Feb 2005, 16:40
Florida teacher cuffed for bomb-making classes

Student detonated device on golf course

A 42-year-old Orlando teacher was cuffed on Monday after instructing students in bomb-making techniques. David Pieski allegedly "used an overhead projector in class to give students detailed instructions in bomb-making, including advising them to use an electric detonator to stay clear from the blast", the Orlando Sentinel …

Music and Media 17 Feb 2005, 16:45
Qwest goes public with $8bn MCI bid

Time to reconsider?

Qwest was prepared to stump up $8bn (£4.23bn) to take-over MCI, the Denver-based telecoms outfit revealed yesterday. On Monday, US telco Verizon confirmed that its $6.7bn (£3.55bn) shares and cash offer to take-over MCI had been accepted despite reports that Qwest had bid more for MCI. Yesterday Qwest went public stating it …

Financial News 17 Feb 2005, 16:49
More online buying from HM Gov

Paperwork is soooo last century

The government has established a new set of online procurement tools, it says will make it easier for small businesses to compete for lucrative government contracts. The final testing of the system will be completed by the end of May 2005, when the system will be launched as part of a larger e-procurement toolkit. OGCbuying. …

Small Biz 17 Feb 2005, 16:52
UK ATC system falls over - again

More airport woes

Thousands of travellers were last night delayed in British airports after one of the National Air Traffic Services' (NATS) air traffic control computers failed. Engineers identified a problem with the Flight Data Processing System (FDPS) at West Drayton, Middlesex, and were forced to shut down the 30-year-old system and switch …

Data Networking 17 Feb 2005, 16:56
MS recalls 14.1m Xbox power cables

Is that smouldering shagpile I can smell?

Microsoft today asked Xbox owners around the world to return their consoles' power cables in a bid to prevent them suffering singed body parts. The recall takes in some 14.1m power cables shipped into Europe before 13 January, 2004 and in other territories before 23 October, 2003. The Xbox debuted in the US in November 2001, …

Consoles 17 Feb 2005, 16:59
Chav burglar collared by webcam

11 months' slammer for baseball-capped blagger

A 19-year-burglar has just begun an 11-month stretch at Her Majesty's Pleasure after he was captured burgling a house by the owner's webcam. Fed-up software engineer Duncan Grisby set up the surveillance system following a previous burglary three years before. It recorded deliciously crisp images of Benjamin Park who delighted …

Music and Media 17 Feb 2005, 17:02
European Parliament votes to scrap software patent text

Taking it one step at a time

The European Conference of Presidents (CoP) has given its blessing to a parliamentary request to restart the legislative process on the Computer Implemented Inventions (CII) directive. Parliament now has the green light to ask the Commission to send the legislation back to the drawing board. The Scottish National Party …

Developer 17 Feb 2005, 17:09
Taiwanese agents detain Chinese foundry chief

UMC investigation plot thickens

J H Hsu, chairman of Hejian Technology, the China-based chip foundry at the centre of allegations that Taiwanese foundry UMC is in "breach of trust" with the island's government, was yesterday detained by officers from Taiwan's Ministry of Justice (MoJ). Hsu was subsequently released by the Hsinchu District Court on bail …

Financial News 17 Feb 2005, 17:12
SCO faces ejection from Nasdaq

The lawyers ate my filing

The Nasdaq exchange has threatened to delist The SCO Group unless the company can get up to date with a key filing meant for the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SCO today revealed that Nasdaq officials may pull it from the exchange unless it files its Form 10-K in a "timely fashion." Already packed down with …

Financial News 17 Feb 2005, 17:16
Aussie watchdog to rule on broadband pricing row soon

Year-long ruck near end

Australia's competition watchdog could be about to rule on whether incumbent telco Telstra should face legal action over alleged anti-competitive broadband pricing. In February last year Telstra cut the cost of its retail broadband service undercutting what it charged other operators for wholesale broadband. Rivals said this …

Telecoms 17 Feb 2005, 17:24
Sage calls for new MS anti-trust probe

Doesn't want Redmond's finest playing in its pond

One of Microsoft's rivals says it expects Europe's competition regulator to launch a fresh investigation in the company's bundling practices. Sage Software made its statements when Microsoft announced plans to include a small business accounting program in the Office product suite. A spokesman for Sage said that as Office is a …

Applications 17 Feb 2005, 17:32
Compuware calls IBM a 'killer'

Mainframe spat turns nasty

Compuware's day in court has at last arrived, and the company's lawyers have not held back in their attacks against IBM. Compuware has charged IBM with nothing less than trying to kill the company by blocking sales of its mainframe software. IBM copied Compuware's mainframe management and testing applications and then used its …

Hardware 17 Feb 2005, 19:35
Cryptographers to Hollywood: prepare to fail on DRM

RSA 2005 No universal panacea here

Movie industry representatives at RSA 2005 in San Francisco today called on the IT industry for help in thwarting illegal file sharing before the problem threatened its revenues. But they were told that they must recognise the limitations of digital rights management in their fight against digital piracy. Speaking on the RSA …

Music and Media 17 Feb 2005, 19:37