14th March 2005 Archive

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IBM to sell Lenovo kit by year-end

Deal is go...

Lenovo kit will be available for sale from IBM by the end of the year. The Chinese computer maker intends to sell its consumer products through IBM's corporate sales network. The news follows approval from US regulators of Lenovo's $1.25bn purchase of IBM's PC business. There were security concerns because IBM supplies so many …

Financial News 14 Mar 2005, 10:26
Apple utility 'confirms' dual-core PowerPC chip

IBM's G5-class PowerPC 970MP drawing near?

Tantalising evidence of upcoming Macs based on the rumoured G5-class dual-core PowerPC 970MP - aka 'Antares' - has surfaced in the latest iteration of Apple's developer tools. MONster, a utility included with Apple's Computer Hardware Understanding Developer (CHUD) kit, contains a direct reference to a "YPPC 970MP" buried …

Mac Channel 14 Mar 2005, 10:35
Microsoft settles Burst.com lawsuit

Patent infringement and 'technology misappropriation'

Microsoft is paying streaming media company Burst.com $60m to settle an ongoing patent lawsuit. The payment represents a one-off license fee for Microsoft to use the technology in its own products but "does not include sub-licensing". Burst filed a suit against Microsoft in June 2002 claiming its "Corona" product: "Uses …

Applications 14 Mar 2005, 10:38
Intel nears India fab decision - report

Chip plant to join R&D facilities?

Intel is close to coming to a decision on whether to establish a chip fab in India, the country's IT minister said last week. Intel's evaluation is "in the final stages", Dayanidhi Maran, India's minister for information technology and communications, said in a discussion about Western companies establishing facilities in India …

Financial News 14 Mar 2005, 10:51
The Eclipse conundrum

Comment Integrated development environment posers

Eclipse, as a development platform, is taking the Java development world by storm and is likely to prove the IDE (integrated development environment) of choice for that community for some time to come or, at least, until something better comes along. However, Eclipse provides a conundrum for CIOs and managers of IT development …

Software 14 Mar 2005, 11:07
VIA unveils first two-way Mini-ITX mobo

Server roles

VIA has introduced what it claims is the world's first Mini-ITX motherboard capable of hosting more than one CPU. The board, the EPIA DP-310, sports two VIA 1GHz Eden N processors. The chip is typically aimed at embedded applications, but VIA said it sees the DP-310 finding a home in server appliances, NAS units and high- …

System Builder 14 Mar 2005, 11:28
No verdict yet in Ebbers fraud trial

Deliberations resume today

The jury in the Bernie Ebbers fraud trial have spent six days weighing up the evidence against the former WorldCom boss but still haven't managed to agree on a verdict. Ebbers is charged with masterminding the $11bn (£5.8bn) accounting fraud that felled telecoms giant WorldCom in 2002. He denies the allegations insisting he had …

Telecoms 14 Mar 2005, 11:30
AMD tweaks mobile chip roadmap

'Lancaster' becomes Turion

AMD has tweaked its public roadmap to take into account the recently launched Turion 64 mobile processors. It's a little odd, it has to be said, to have a public roadmap that includes past product - surely a roadmap should solely point ahead, to future releases? AMD still lists all its H2 2004 releases, even though we're now …

PCs 14 Mar 2005, 11:35
Chaos as 'tagging for terror' system hits glitches

Incompetence - freedom's friend...

'Tagging for terror' under the new Prevention of Terrorism Act got off to an inauspicious start over the weekend, with one control order detainee left without money, food or phone for 17 hours, police being forced to break down the door of one flat, and detainees claiming to be baffled by what their control orders allowed them …

Music and Media 14 Mar 2005, 12:20
BACS migration - who cares?

Analysis You will if you don't get paid

There are over 30,000 organisations in the UK who depend on a direct connection to BACS for making electronic payments, with many more accessing BACS through a bureau provider. According to a study just completed by Quocirca, about 90 per cent of these use BACS to get salary payments into their employees' bank accounts at the …

Business 14 Mar 2005, 12:57
Supermarkets next in line for phishing attacks

Police warn retailers over mounting risk

Online retailers are likely to become the next target of 'phishing' scams, UK police warned last weekend. Scam emails that form the basis of phishing attacks attempt to trick users into handing over their account details and passwords. First seen in the UK approximately 18 months ago, phishing emails are becoming increasingly …

Security 14 Mar 2005, 13:03
SCO settles boardroom dispute with Canopy

Family harmony restored...

SCO has welcomed news that a case involving three board members of its onetime biggest shareholder, Canopy Group, has been settled. Brent Christensen, Darcy Mott and Ralph Yarro were seeking $100m and their old jobs back - they were sacked in December last year. They claimed this was the result of a boardroom coup and did not …

Financial News 14 Mar 2005, 13:20
ID scheme to die in pre-election cull?

Blame the Tories, get re-elected, bring in new Bill

A further signal that the Government was prepared to write off the ID Card Bill and blame the opposition was provided this morning by former Home Secretary David Blunkett, who told Radio 4's Today programme this morning that he hoped the House of Lords wouldn't block the establishment of the Serious Organised Crime Agency "as …

Music and Media 14 Mar 2005, 13:35
RIM signs IM pacts

Partners with popular device maker HTC, too

Research in Motion today put in place a pair of partnerships to boost the use of instant messaging on its Blackberry platform. The Canadian company signed deals with Yahoo! and AOL to bring their respective IM clients to the Blackberry. The mobile email specialist has also inked a deal to incorporate its software on future …

Mobile 14 Mar 2005, 13:49
Broadband top of Tories' IT election agenda

UK must 'exploit digital technology'

The Conservative Party would do more to exploit IT and digital technology in the UK if elected at the next general election, which is expected as early as May. In particular, broadband would top the agenda and the Tories would work to ensure that the UK had a network capable of delivering "interactive video for all" by 2020. …

Telecoms 14 Mar 2005, 14:02
Profits jump at Fayrewood

Preps own-brand launch in France and Spain

Fayrewood, the pan-European distie, proclaimed record results for 2004, with group sales advancing 17 per cent to £507m (2003: £434m) and profits before tax jumping 27 per cent to £16.3m (2003: £12.8m). The revenue increase for the 12 months ended 31 December 2004 represents an even bigger leap in trading volumes and market …

Channel Register 14 Mar 2005, 14:09
Fire-breathing bus attacks South London

Hysterical Londoners flee renewed assault

Hysterical Londoners were last week subjected to a further terrifying ordeal after another Satanic bendy bus caught fire prompting immediate evacuation of the murderous vehicle. We say terrifying not because the incident was in any way life-threatening, but because the attack was timed to cause maximum emotional distress - the …

Rise of the Machines 14 Mar 2005, 14:27
New Yorker punts haunted Nintendo NES

Paranormal eBay madness

A New York eBayer is offering gaming enthusiasts the chance to acquire a vintage Nintendo NES with an unusual mod - it's possessed by the spirits of the undead who who use it as a portal with which to communicate with the other side. Or so the vendor claims. Rest assured, though, it's not a malevolent possession which will end …

Bootnotes 14 Mar 2005, 14:28
Motorola smart phones to bundle navigation app

Linux handset to integrate GPS

Motorola is to bundle GPS navigation software and hardware with the European versions of its A780 and MPx220 smart phones. Both handsets will include navigation specialist ALK Technologies' CoPilot Live software and Navteq street and places-of-interest maps for European countries on a suitable memory card. The Linux-based A780 …

Mobile 14 Mar 2005, 14:39
'Star Wars' vet appointed NASA head

Michael Griffin is popular choice

President Bush last week named former NASA chief engineer Michael Griffin as the Administration's new head. The veteran of the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization - responsible for the "Star Wars" missile defence programme - has proved a popular choice to succeed acting director Fred Gregory, Reuters reports. Gregory has …

Science 14 Mar 2005, 14:43
Spyware Assassin censured for 'bogus' claims

FTC sues 'snake-oil' firm

A firm accused of scaring punters into buying ineffective protection against spyware has been ordered to curtail its deceptive marketing claims by a US District court. The Federal Trade Commission is looking to extend this temporary injunction against Spyware Assassin into a permanent ban. The US consumer watchdog is also …

Anti-Virus 14 Mar 2005, 14:52
IBM buys Ascential

Last bit of Informix gets eaten...

IBM is paying over one billion dollars for data specialist Ascential Software Corp. Readers with long memories may recall that Ascential was born out of IBM's acquisition of Informix back in 2001. IBM will pay $1.1bn for Ascential, or $18.50 per share, substantially more than the $15.85 Ascential shares closed at on Friday. …

Financial News 14 Mar 2005, 15:14
Sony preps PS2 mod chip legal fight

If Oz High Court hearing goes modder's way

Sony has hinted that it is preparing a fresh legal challenge to the legality of PlayStation 2 modification chips in Australia should a High Court case brought by a PS2 mod chip seller go against it. Speaking in Sydney last week, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCEA) MD Micheal Ephraim said the company's lawyers were …

Consoles 14 Mar 2005, 15:24
Dell: Say your prayers

But not at sunset...

Authorities in Nashville, Tennessee are investigating allegations that 30 Muslim workers were unfairly dimissed from a Dell factory in the city. The workers were allegedly dismissed for refusing to skip prayers. According to reports the night-shift workers were called to a 1.00am meeting in the canteen and told they could no …

PCs 14 Mar 2005, 15:44
Seagate 5GB USB 2.0 Pocket Hard Drive

Review Flash killer?

With USB Flash drives growing in capacity and falling in price, it's a brave move on Seagate's part to release its 5GB USB 2.0 Pocket Hard Drive. It's certainly not be a revolutionary product, but while Flash drives are hovering around the 2GB mark, having 5GB of storage in your pocket can't be a bad thing, writes Lars-Goran …

Reviews 14 Mar 2005, 15:46
CWU hits out at T-Mobile

Union talks tough

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is stepping up the pressure on T-Mobile UK accusing the mobile operator of making it harder for employees to earn sales bonuses. The union reports that staff working in T-Mobile shops have had their sales targets raised making it even harder for workers to earn their "well-deserved bonus …

Mobile 14 Mar 2005, 15:47
CyberGuard snags anti-spam outfit Zix for $3.6m

Tiny acorns

Security firm CyberGuard has bought the anti-spam, anti-virus and URL filtering business of Zix Corporation for $3.6m in cash. The deal - announced Monday, 14 March and approved by the boards of directors of the two companies - will see Zix's Web Inspector and Message Inspector products moved over to CyberGuard's portfolio. The …

Security 14 Mar 2005, 15:50
Intel extends Wireless MMX

Mobile multimedia tech updated

Intel has updated its Wireless MMX mobile multimedia technology, paving the way for a revision of its XScale PXA ARM-based processor family. Today, Intel unveiled Wireless MMX 2, a series of 64-bit SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) instructions not unlike the SSE extensions developed for its desktop processors. …

Mobile 14 Mar 2005, 17:15
Swedish ISP raid prompts backlash

Workers suspended after Bahnhof bust

A raid by Swedish authorities last week against Bahnhof, Sweden's oldest and largest ISP, has been hailed by Hollywood as a major blow against movie piracy. But questions have been raised about whether the 10 March raid, orchestrated by Swedish anti-piracy organisation Antipiratbyrån, and involving the seizure of data involving …

Music and Media 14 Mar 2005, 17:24
Debian drops mainframe, Sparc development

But Itanic survives

The Debian GNU/Linux project has proposed axing the number of computer architectures for which it actively develops, with Sparc and IBM's S/390 amongst the casualties. Debian release manager Steve Langasek made the announcement on a mailing list last night. "This will drastically reduce the architecture coordination required …

Operating Systems 14 Mar 2005, 18:08
Nokia sued over 'exploding phone'

Amputee seeks damages

A Thai man who had his right leg and five toes on this left foot amputated after his mobile phone exploded is suing Nokia for Bt1m (£13,650) in damages. Prasit Sriseeluang, 50 - who had his handset tucked in his shirt pocket at the time of the accident - was working near a high-voltage power pole when his phone rang. The …

Mobile 14 Mar 2005, 19:06
Reg 'invests' Dell stories - reader

FoTW Treats HP like a darling

Dell is the sweetest rose in Texas - although not all of its fans remember its glorious Linux days. Article: - Regular register reporter proven an xxxxx. Ashlee Vance article -Foreigners gain thousands of jobs on Dell US staff Dell tells the world its learning from mistakes sending support to India and repatriating some jobs …

Letters 14 Mar 2005, 20:26