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31st March 2005 Archive

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  • Toshiba hit for $465m in a Flash

    Range war brews after Lexar award

    A jury trial which has found on the side of a small US semiconductor house over Toshiba, is set to start a range war in Flash memory intellectual property. The result of the trial set huge royalty payments and damages against Toshiba. It is hard to judge whether this is just the worst kind of “home court” decision, promulgated …

    Channel Register 31 Mar 2005, 06:53

  • Lenovo raises $350m for IBM PC takeover

    Turns to US private equity

    Lenovo has turned to three US private equity funds to back the takeover of IBM’s PC business. China’s biggest PC maker has raised $350m, of which $150m will go towards the acquisition. Working capital will swallow the rest of the money. Lenovo's breadheads are Texas Pacific Group ($200m), General Atlantic ($100m) and Newbridge …

    Channel Register 31 Mar 2005, 07:24

  • Microsoft RTMs Windows Server 2003 SP1

    Long time coming

    Microsoft has released to manufacture Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and it is making big claims for the upgrade's security enhancements and simpler administration. It is designed to "effectively reduce the attack surface of Windows Server 2003, protect system services with stronger default settings and reduce server …

    Operating Systems 31 Mar 2005, 08:20

  • Thus cautious on outlook

    Trading update

    Thus - the firm behind Demon Internet - delivered a cautious outlook for second-half trading today. It forecasts growth over the first half in all continuing operations, but "second half Data and Telecoms growth has however been lower than expected, principally as a result of a decline in turnover from low margin, wholesale …

    Financial News 31 Mar 2005, 09:16

  • Shopping.com sets out stall in France

    On Kelkoo's home turf

    Shopping.com, the world's biggest comparison shopping site, has launched in France, home of Kelkoo, its Yahoo!-owned rival. The firm has bagged a clutch of big French retailers to populate the site and it notes that around 20 per cent of the offers are from merchants in other countries, a percentage which is expected to double …

    Financial News 31 Mar 2005, 09:17

  • Deutsche Bahn dumps Intel, pumps SUSE onto IBM mainframe

    Consolidated statement

    Deutsche Bahn, Europe's biggest railway, is junking 300 Intel servers in favour of an IBM mainframe. But its OS of choice, SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server, has profited from the cull and will run business-critical apps such as Lotus Notes on the new IBM eServer zSeries 990 mainframe. DB Systems, the captive IT service arm of …

    Operating Systems 31 Mar 2005, 10:22

  • Technology, morality, juries and politics

    Letters A heady mix

    We learned this week that science is considered too difficult for juries to get their good-and-true heads round. The solution, according to the House of Commons Select Committee on science and technology, is to remove them from trials where this confusing evidence will be presented: Did the House of Commons Select Committee on …

    Letters 31 Mar 2005, 10:36

  • Qwest soap opera continues

    Revised bid or hostile takeover?

    Qwest could be prepared to launch a hostile takeover for MCI after the company formerly known as WorldCom accepted a sweetened offer from preferred bidder Verizon. Then again, reports from the US also suggest that Qwest might be getting ready to increase its offer for MCI. Either way, it seems Qwest is not going to give up on …

    Financial News 31 Mar 2005, 10:45

  • Woman rebrands as GoldenPalace.com

    The eBayer formerly known as Terri Ilagan

    Golden Palace Casino announced today that it has added the latest acquisition to its manifest of preposterous eBay purchases by paying a 33-year-old US woman $15,199 to legally change her name to GoldenPalace.com. Hot on the heels of the online gambling outfit's branding of a Glaswegian woman's cleavage, and its eager …

    Music and Media 31 Mar 2005, 10:50

  • Toshiba, Elpida prep 'industry's fastest' DRAM

    XDR outing

    Rival memory makers Toshiba and Elpida yesterday separately announced plans to ship XDR memory chips delivering "industry leading" performance in the second half of the year. Both said they were currently sampling 512Mb XDR DRAM parts, which operate at 3.2GHz to yield a data transfer rate of 6.4GBps - four times faster than 1. …

    PCs 31 Mar 2005, 10:53

  • ICANN imposes $2 internet tax

    Future plans revealed with new .travel and .jobs domains

    Internet overseeing organisation ICANN has imposed what amounts to a $2 tax on all new domains. The organisation has just announced the launch of two new top-level domains (like .com or .org) in the form of .travel and .jobs, but the registry agreement reveals that it has put a $2 per transaction charge on every domain the …

    Music and Media 31 Mar 2005, 10:58

  • MS shows mercy to Blaster teen

    Swaps fine for extra community service

    Microsoft has decided not to collect a $500,000 fine from Blaster-B worm author Jeffrey Lee Parson. Instead, Parson will have to do an additional 225 hours community service on top of the year and a half in prison and 100 hours community service already ordered. The two parties earlier this week signed a legal agreement …

    Software 31 Mar 2005, 11:07

  • Tele2 increases prices for early morning calls

    Why pay more?

    Tele2 - the phone company that asks its punters "Why pay more?" - is asking its customers to, erm, pay more for early morning calls. It's copied BT and Carphone Warehouse by increasing the time peak rate charges apply. Instead of more expensive tariffs kicking-in between 8am and 6pm, Tele2 punters will have to pay more from 6am …

    Telecoms 31 Mar 2005, 11:10

  • Gizmondo wins major UK retail backers

    Territories shared out

    Gizmondo today confirmed its eponymous handheld games console will go on sale in select GameStation, Carphone Warehouse and John Lewis stores this coming weekend. The machine launched in the UK on 19 March, at Gizmondo's own Regent Street, London store. The company claims to have sold out on the day, though it cunningly hasn't …

    Consoles 31 Mar 2005, 11:27

  • iVillage buys out Tesco

    Assumes control of UK site

    iVillage, the American website for women, is buying its UK namesake, iVillage.co.uk, from Tesco. Terms are undisclosed. The two companies teamed up in 2000, with Tesco promising to commit £18m over three years to iVillage.co.uk. In 2003, Tesco bought iVillage Inc's stake in i-Village UK and signed a 20-year deal to license …

    Financial News 31 Mar 2005, 11:31

  • Game for a takeover?

    Retailer in talks

    The UK's biggest specialist games retailer, The Game Group, may be changing ownership. The company today issued the following terse statement to the London Stock Exchange: The Board of The GAME Group plc (the "Company") has noted the recent increase in its share price and announces that it is in discussions which may or may not …

    Financial News 31 Mar 2005, 11:54

  • Intel 'backs' Bertelsmann P2P project

    Have you been GNABbed?

    Intel has followed the digital media delivery alliance it formed last year with Sony by striking a similar deal with German media giant Bertelsmann. The two companies are to co-operate on the development of technology to enable movies, music and games to be downloaded and shared, Reuters reports. It's all rather vague, of …

    Applications 31 Mar 2005, 12:08

  • Sapphire Radeon X800 PCI Express

    Review Best balance between budget and performance?

    I recently looked at a PCI Express version of Nvidia's GeForce 6800 Ultra from Leadtek. While not a new graphics chip, the support for PCI Express incarnation was reason enough to take a look, and the same applies to this Sapphire Radeon X800 board, writes Benny Har-Even. When the X800 originally launched, there was no …

    Reviews 31 Mar 2005, 12:35

  • MercExchange shrugs off eBay patent setback

    eBay's speculation "Rank"

    MercExchange LLC will press on with its patent infringement action against eBay despite the US Patent and Trademark Office’s “initial rejection” of the patent at issue. The consignment fixed price patent was at the heart of a $25m judgement against auction giant eBay in 2003, which was recently affirmed by the Court of Appeals …

    Developer 31 Mar 2005, 13:17

  • Naomi Campbell 'beat assistant with PDA'

    The make? Read on...

    Supermodel Naomi Campbell has angrily rejected US reports that she assaulted a personal assistant with a PDA. The 34-year-old catwalk babe and author is alleged to have set about her PA with a Blackberry during a jaunt to Rio de Janeiro. Campbell's spokesperson, Rob Shuter, strenuously denied the claims and issued a statement …

    Mobile 31 Mar 2005, 13:46

  • UKUUG seeks open source award entries

    Go on, blow your own trumpet

    Open source advocacy group the UK UNIX & Open Systems User Group (UKUUG) wants your submissions for consideration for its annual award. It is looking for articles or papers; software or products that have made a "significant contribution" to free and open source software. The award is designed to encourage and recognise …

    Developer 31 Mar 2005, 13:56

  • BT tempts UK biz with 2Meg broadband

    Consumer service dressed in a business suit, says rival

    Firms signing up to BT Business Broadband from tomorrow will get a 2 Meg service "as standard", the telco announced today. The former monopoly is also set to offer business punters an eight hour Service Level Agreement (SLA) and advanced support to provide added assurance to business users. "Today, speed is often taken for …

    Telecoms 31 Mar 2005, 14:01

  • Eccleston quits as Dr Who 2 gets green light

    'The time has come, but the moment has been prepared for'

    Doctor number nine, Christopher Eccleston, has quit the role less than a week into the new, revived series of Doctor Who. "The audience's response for the new Doctor Who has been incredible and I am really proud to be part of it and I hope viewers continue to enjoy the series," said Eccleston in a statement. The announcement …

    Bootnotes 31 Mar 2005, 14:10

  • Maverick man Cuban explains Hollywood disgust

    Hollywood vs P2P It's a morality thing

    Mark Cuban - the eccentric but rich owner of the Dallas Mavericks - received a disgusting but deserved amount of press for saying he would fund P2P firm Grokster's Supreme Court defense against Hollywood. But since the non-profit EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) was representing Grokster for free, we couldn't help but wonder …

    Music and Media 31 Mar 2005, 14:59

  • UK Mac reseller offers PowerBook G5 teaser

    True to typo

    Staffers at UK computer reseller and Mac specialist Micro Anvika are clearly far too enthusiastic for their own good - or at least attempting to score highly in this week's wishful thinking chart. The dealer's current Mac Price Guide - issue 27, to be precise - features a very tempting offer. "Buy any PowerBook G5 and get …

    Mac Channel 31 Mar 2005, 15:09

  • Microsoft encourages app-swapping councils

    The Newham effect

    Microsoft has lifted a few tricks from the open source community to help it lock UK councils into its software ahead of the government's 2005 deadline for e-enabling local government services. Six months on from its landmark deal with Newham council, Redmond's finest is back, touting the completion of Newham's Open Application …

    Software 31 Mar 2005, 15:19

  • EDS to UK gov - give us our £13m

    CSA spat won't die

    Electronic Data Systems is still chasing £13.3m the UK government is holding on to as the two continue to bicker over the service giant’s work for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). Last year the head of the UK’s Child Support Agency (CSA), part of the DWP, was forced out his job after it emerged that a £456m EDS-built …

    IT Director 31 Mar 2005, 16:16

  • Orange touts 'Great for Music' handsets

    Sony Ericsson's Walkman phone not among them

    Mobile phone network Orange today unveiled a trio of handsets it will label 'Great for Music' to strengthen its push into the mobile digital music market. The launch coincides with the arrival of Find Music, Orange's attempt to associate itself with live music events, most notably the Glastonbury festival. The Great for Music …

    Mobile 31 Mar 2005, 16:23

  • Public IT must be accessible: EC

    Reading frames it as a business issue

    The European Commission has called for all public IT procurement contracts to stipulate that the technology be made accessible to the elderly and disabled. In its public consultation on the need for accessibility in IT, the EC surveyed 500 public agencies including universities, IT suppliers and user groups. It revealed that 90 …

    Public Sector 31 Mar 2005, 16:25

  • Denic damns 'errors' in .net report

    Serious questions raised

    The report that this week decided the ownership of the second most important directory on the Internet has been called into question with the claim that a fundamental element of it is factually incorrect. One of the five bidders for the .net registry, Denic, has denounced the report, calling it "sloppy" and pointing out " …

    Music and Media 31 Mar 2005, 16:42

  • US intel agencies 'incompetent'

    Chasing the wrong targets, and doing it poorly

    US intelligence agencies suffer from a poor analytical process influenced by presumptions and biases, and poor data collection capabilities, according to an unclassified report just out from the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Commission, created by …

    Security 31 Mar 2005, 17:29

  • HP makes Hurd the $20m man

    Cash register king hears bonuses go Ker-ching!

    The glorious packages awarded these days to high-profile CEOs have become humdrum. Ridiculous up front bonuses, lavish salaries, more options than Hugh Hefner, caviar shipment quotas, declawed and extra cuddly Koala bear imports for the children - you know the drill. HP's new brass monkey Mark Hurd has followed his peers to …

    Business 31 Mar 2005, 19:11

  • Lawsuits drive 'Spam King' Richter to bankruptcy

    Brought to knees by MS and Spitzer

    The received wisdom in libertarian circles is that email anti-spam laws don't work, so they're not worth trying. In fact, they're working so well that the notorious 'Spam King' Scott Richter has filed for bankruptcy. Last Friday, Richter's OptInRealBig.com filed for bankruptcy, brought to the brink by lawsuits from New York …

    Spam 31 Mar 2005, 20:23

  • Blog star 'fesses up to payola spam scam

    Google objects to CNET staffer's Adsense-bait

    Matt Mullenweg, founder of the popular open source weblog software Wordpress, and CNET employee, has admitted to gaming the web's search engines by hosting tens of thousands of "articles" that contain hidden, paid-for keywords. Mullenweg hosted at least 160,000 pieces of "content" on his site wordpress.org which use a cloaking …

    Music and Media 31 Mar 2005, 22:32