28th February 2005 Archive

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Music download prices to rise

Big labels upsetting the Apple cart...

The market for downloaded music is strong enough to take a price rise, according to the major music labels. Several big labels are in talks with online music retailers to get them to increase prices,according to the FT. The labels are looking to increase the wholesale prices shops pay for tracks. Sites in the US typically sell …

Financial News 28 Feb 2005, 10:24
Skype offers texts

Fr3 txts

Skype users can now send text messages to mobiles without being charged for the privilege. The service, provided by London-based Connectotel, is free for as long as beta testing lasts. To use the service Skype subscribers must start a Chat with "smsgateway" and enter the phone number in international format (preceded by +44 …

Mobile 28 Feb 2005, 10:44
MEPs vote to outlaw phone prize scams

Be off with ya

The European Parliament voted last week as expected to outlaw telephone prize scams as part of a new package of EU consumer protection measures. The new rules should make it harder for scammers to trick punters into running up hefty phone bills by promising people they've won non-existent prizes. Now that the Unfair Commercial …

Music and Media 28 Feb 2005, 11:26
Americans roll out tinfoil automobile

Full stealth mode, 100% secure

Those readers who regularly don a tinfoil hat - the only proven protection against black helicopter-borne mind control attack - might have wondered how to fully protect themselves against electromagnetic assault whilst travelling to the mall to pick up some oven-ready pizzas and extra bacofoil. It is with great pleasure, then, …

Bootnotes 28 Feb 2005, 11:28
eBay provides backdoor for phishers

Scripting backdoor helps craft more convincing cons

Phishers are exploiting a redirection script on eBay's site to make fraudulent emails look more convincing. Three Register readers noticed the trick in scam emails they received. Alerted by The Register, email security firm MessageLabs confirmed that it has detected and blocked the same trick a number of times in the last two …

Spam 28 Feb 2005, 11:54
RIP Jeff Raskin: Father of the Mac

Obituary Polymath, inventor of the Information Appliance

"A computer," Jef Raskin told me in his house in the hills above Palo Alto, "is a device for running programs. An Information Appliance is something with a processor in it, but which has a function. This software is The Information Appliance." And he demonstrated his software, running on an old Apple II, and it was amazing. …

Mac Channel 28 Feb 2005, 12:12
EC checks MS compliance

Asks IT industry for report card...

The European Commission is collecting views from the IT industry on whether or not Microsoft is complying with the anti-trust penalties imposed on it last year. Last March the software giant was ordered to pay a €497m fine, provide an alternative version of Windows without the Media Player and open up access to its APIs - which …

Operating Systems 28 Feb 2005, 12:35
Japan moots manned Moon base

Big plans follow satellite launch

Japan's space agency has announced the possibility of developing a shuttle-style space vehicle by 2025 and eventually constructing a manned Moon base - hot on the heels of last Saturday's successful launch of a H-2A rocket carrying a navigation and meteorological satellite. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is once …

Science 28 Feb 2005, 12:39
Qwest to sweeten sweetened offer - WSJ

One lump or two?

Qwest could be willing to tweak its already sweetened-offer for MCI, according to today's Wall Street Journal. News that Qwest could be prepared to revise its offer comes just a couple of days after the giant US telco rejigged its $8bn (£4.23bn) offer for the company formerly known as WorldCom. That offer, announced on Friday …

Financial News 28 Feb 2005, 12:41
Magirus buys Exello

Pan-Scandy distie deals a-go-go

Storage disty Magirus is buying Exello, a Scandinavian storage and services specialist. Exello is based in Denmark and Sweden. The deal will give Magirus access to two markets immediately with the goal of going after other Nordic countries "in the medium-term". Jan Andersen, CEO of Exello, will run Magirus's Scandinavian …

Storage 28 Feb 2005, 14:07
Can CAN-SPAM can spim?

New law required to address IM spam?

On 15 February an 18-year-old man from Cheektowaga, New York was charged with creating tens of thousands of fraudulent IM accounts and using these accounts to send unsolicited instant messages (you know the type, "my boyfriend just dumped me, and I am alone with a webcam" or "get great rates on a mortgage".) According to the …

Spam 28 Feb 2005, 14:27
When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping

Ecommerce snapshot

Online sales jumped in the 2004 holiday season, with the value of the business 88 per cent up on 2003. Transaction volume grew 39 per cent over the year, according to a study by net infrastructure firm VeriSign. VeriSign processed approximately $12bn in online sales between 1 November and 31 December, compared to $6.4bn in the …

Financial News 28 Feb 2005, 14:40
Reg revs up Mod vulture logo t-shirt

Cash'n'Carrion Lambrettas at the ready

We at Reg merchandising tentacle Cash'n'Carrion know how much our regular customers enjoy sporting the famous vulture logo, and we have just taken delivery of an all-new minilogo version of the classic image as part of our Spring 2005 collection. And very nice it is too, in a kind of Lambretta-driven Mod stylee. The shirt is, …

Site News 28 Feb 2005, 14:42
Ringtone sellers told to clean up act

Diddle-ee etc

Ten firms that flog ringtones and other mobile goodies have been slapped following the introduction of new rules to clean up the industry, reports the BBC In January the UK's mobile phone industry and its trade association, the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), introduced new safeguards to protect mobile phone users. The new …

Music and Media 28 Feb 2005, 14:54
ISS resupply blasts off today

Vital supplies ahead of Discovery return to flight

Current International Space Station residents Leroy Chiao and Salizhan Sharipov should soon be receiving some welcome supplies if the launch of an unmanned Soyuz resupply mission goes ahead as planned this evening. Lift-off is scheduled for 1909 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The payload includes "160 days' worth of food, …

Science 28 Feb 2005, 14:57
Samsung glum on year ahead

But sticks to guns on forecasts

Samsung Electronics warned shareholders yesterday that its prospects for the year ahead were less than stellar due to both global and domestic economic uncertainty. Reuters reported that the Korean electronics giant’s vice chairman, Yun Jong-yong, said the company faced “big risk factors going forward” and “the outlook for our …

Financial News 28 Feb 2005, 15:32
Arrests over £580m VAT fraud

Operation Domino nets two

Two men were arrested on Friday over allegations of a £580m VAT fraud involving mobile phones and missing trader fraud. One, a 45-year old German national, is now awaiting extradition to face money laundering charges in Germany. A 42-year old British man, questioned about alleged money laundering and cheating the public revenue …

Channel Register 28 Feb 2005, 16:20
BT's Infonet acquisition completed

That's it

BT has completed the acquisition of voice and data network services outfit Infonet. The $965m (£510m) deal was originally announced back in November but only cleared its final hurdle - the thumbs up from Infonet stock holders - last week. As part of the deal, Infonet will be renamed BT Infonet and becomes part of BT Global …

Data Networking 28 Feb 2005, 16:24
Webcam Trojan perv gets slapped wrist

As if it didn't hurt enough

A Spanish computer science student received a stiff fine this week after he admitted using malicious code to spy on a young woman via her webcam. A Malaga Court was told the perp - known only by his initials G.J.A.L. - used the Subseven Trojan horse to ogle his victim without her consent. The culprit was told to pay his unnamed …

Music and Media 28 Feb 2005, 16:28
German courts go techno

Piles of paper given the boot

The German Courts have finally entered the Internet Age. The lower Chamber of Germany's Federal Parliament on Friday passed the German Electronic File Management Act, which will enable the German judiciary to process legal files and documents electronically. The German Government and Administration are preparing for the digital …

Public Sector 28 Feb 2005, 16:40
EDS offers stake to AT Kearney partners

Services boss made first move

EDS may offer some or all of its loss-making consultancy arm, AT Kearney, back to the unit’s management. Michael Jordan, EDS’ chairman and CEO, broached the option in a meeting with senior AT Kearney managers two weeks ago, it has emerged. Apparently, the services giant is “exploring ways to give AT Kearney [partners] a greater …

Financial News 28 Feb 2005, 16:51
Around-the-world jet adventure is go

Steve Fossett and GlobalFlyer prepare for take-off

Millionaire adventurer Steve Fossett will - conditions permitting - lift off from Salinas, Kansas, today in what he hopes will be the first non-stop, jet-powered circumnavigation of the world without refuelling. He hopes to complete the 23,000-mile journey aboard his Scaled Composites Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer in around 80 …

Science 28 Feb 2005, 16:55
PalmOne brings forward Euro Treo 650 debut

Once delayed from Q1 to Q2, now back to Q1

PalmOne's Treo 650 smart phone looks set to ship in Europe earlier than anticipated, with a ship date around two and a half weeks from now. The PDA pioneer said on Friday that mobile phone networks Orange and Telecom Italia Mobile (Tim) will begin offering the 650 in "early March". Tim will offer the handset to its customers in …

Mobile 28 Feb 2005, 16:58
Vodafone preps 3G, Wi-Fi palmtop smart phone

Follows T-Mobile, Orange

Vodafone is to offer Taiwanese smart phone maker HTC's Universal palmtop 3G/Wi-Fi smart phone, along with the manufacturer's compact PDA-phone, Magician. The mobile phone network's German wing last week said it would show the devices at next week's CeBIT show. It did not say when the handsets will ship. However, Universal isn't …

Mobile 28 Feb 2005, 17:15
Intel misses Itanium sales mark by $26.6bn

IDC 95 per cent wrong

If everything had gone according to plan, sales of Itanium-based servers would have totaled $28bn in 2004. That figure takes into account boom-time spending, flawless execution from Intel and widespread support for the chip. How far did Itanium end up from this vision of perfection? Really bloody far. Total Itanium server sales …

Servers 28 Feb 2005, 17:24
Opera beefs up browser to thwart phishers

Dead cert

Opera is trying to close the net on phishers with the release last Friday (February 25) of a second beta of its forthcoming Opera 8 browser. The Beta 2 release is designed to display the name of an organisation that owns the certificate of a site inside an address bar, located next to the padlock icon that indicates the security …

Enterprise Security 28 Feb 2005, 17:32
EMC puts a super-Google in Centera boxes

Then teaches how to charge for it

EMC has created a new search engine for its Centera storage systems that could well serve as the basis for a host of applications that manipulate data on the boxes in different ways. The Centera Seek software will officially be unveiled tomorrow and go on sale this month. It's based on the FAST InStream indexing and search …

Storage 28 Feb 2005, 19:51