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8th April 2005 Archive

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  • EFF honors EFF founder with EFF award

    'Effing brilliant

    The Electronic Frontier Foundation announced its prestigious Pioneer Awards today, and one of the three lucky winners for 2005 is Mitch Kapor. That's the same Mitch Kapor who founded Lotus, and um, the ... Electronic Frontier Foundation. The award goes to "individuals who have made significant and influential contributions to …

    Bootnotes 8 Apr 2005, 07:04

  • TSMC, UMC Q1 sales slide

    March revenues a sign for optimism?

    TSMC, the world's biggest chip foundry, and arch-rival, UMC, yesterday both reported big drops in output and sales for the first three months of the new year. TSMC saw revenues fall 3.2 per cent to TWD55.65bn ($1.77bn) from the year ago quarter's TWD57.51bn ($1.82bn) and 12.9 per cent down on the previous quarter's TWD63.88bn …

    Financial News 8 Apr 2005, 09:48

  • MI5's computers will be over budget and under-powered

    Nothing to be Smiley about

    MI5's new computer system will go over budget by at least 50 per cent, according to a report (pdf) released yesterday by the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee. This being a report from an intelligence committee, the actual cost of the system (planned or otherwise) is not made public. The report also warned that …

    Management 8 Apr 2005, 09:49

  • AMD 'on schedule' for 2006 65nm 300mm production

    Fab 36 pumping out test wafers as we speak

    AMD has begun producing 300mm wafers at its Dresden, Germany-located Fab 36 plant, a key step in its plan to enter full-scale production next year. The chip maker is currently churning out SRAM memory chips in order to qualify the production equipment, Tom Sonderman, AMD's precision manufacturing chief, said this week in an …

    System Builder 8 Apr 2005, 09:52

  • Apple signs 'widescreen iBook' contract

    More hints of HD-friendly kit to come?

    Recent rumours that Apple is preparing to update its consumer hardware product lines were given added weight today when sources close to Taiwanese contract manufacturer Quanta claimed it has won a deal to make a new, widescreen iBook. The sources, cited by DigiTimes, said Quanta could begin shipping the new model in Q4 this …

    Mac Channel 8 Apr 2005, 09:59

  • ANT - trying not to be tiny in a big IPTV world

    analysis ANT music

    Any company calling itself ANT is bound to have to put up with comments about its size, but despite its dominance of the IP set top browser market, the company cite very small. This is best illustrated by the fact that last year the market for IPTV was, according to sales and marketing director, Stephen Reeder, only 1m …

    Developer 8 Apr 2005, 10:08

  • Those Gizmondo compo winners in full

    Competition You lucky, lucky people

    Our recent competition in association with Vulture Central webhosts Rackspace offering Reg readers the chance to snaffle an all-singing, all-dancing Gizmondo attracted an impressive 2,700 entries. That's an awful lot of wannabe Gizmondistas, which is why it has taken us a couple of weeks to pick two lucky winners using the …

    Site News 8 Apr 2005, 10:27

  • Reg hack goes mad on Rockall - again

    More North Atlantic charity madness

    Regular readers will know that we at El Reg are not afraid of a quick challenge in aid of charity. Indeed, I myself recently completed a short jaunt from Plymouth to Banjul in a twenty quid van - helping to raise loads of lovely cash for a variety of projects in Gambia. Of course, we couldn't have done it without the …

    Bootnotes 8 Apr 2005, 10:32

  • DNS attacks attempt to mislead consumers

    Redirects to hacker-owned sites

    Employees at more than 500 companies have fallen victim to domain attacks in the last month, underscoring the increasing popularity of the tactic among Internet fraudsters, security experts said this week. The attacks aim to redirect consumers to potentially malicious web servers by changing the records used to convert domain …

    Security 8 Apr 2005, 10:34

  • BMW brings Wi-Fi to London showrooms

    Beemer me up, Scotty

    BMW is to roll out public Wi-Fi Internet access at three of its London showrooms and service centres, the motor manufacturer said today. The service's provision comes courtesy of BT Openzone and is geared toward customers availing themselves of BMW's one-hour mend-and-mop Fast Track service package. Alas, while Fast Track …

    Broadband 8 Apr 2005, 10:55

  • The Register publishes ABC ELECTRONIC audit

    Press release Walking it like we talk it

    The Register is the UK's leading audited tech publication - official. An independent audit conducted by ABC ELECTRONIC of The Register's traffic in November 2004 shows that 2.9m Unique Users accessed the site during the month, up 52 per cent on November 2003. The Register had 21.78m Page Impressions and 271,000 Searches in …

    The Company 8 Apr 2005, 11:06

  • Napster users sharing passwords to save cash

    Even though Napster says they can't

    Once again, Napster has raised its revenue expectations, with the company's fourth quarter forecast rising from $14-15m to the most recent prediction of $16.5-17.5m. Napster has gained 143,000 new subscribers, making a grand total of 410,000. And nearly a third of Napster's US subscribers (56,000) are at universities - which …

    Media 8 Apr 2005, 11:09

  • Men like video games: official

    Sky also blue, sea wet, etc, etc

    The very latest figures from research group Nielsen Entertainment confirm that - in the same way that sky is blue and the sea notably wet - men like video games and are spending increasing amounts of wonga to feed their lust for console-based gratification. Indeed, the numbers suggest that chaps now shell out more cash on games …

    Consoles 8 Apr 2005, 11:17

  • Further adjournment in 'DEC hacking' case

    Wheels of justice slowly turn

    A 17 May hearing is due to set a trial date for an east London man accused of attempting to hack into the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) website. Daniel James Cuthbert, 28, of Whitechapel, east London, was charged on 10 February with a single offence under Section One of the Computer Misuse Act. He was accused of …

    Security 8 Apr 2005, 11:23

  • The intelligent data storage imperative

    Analysis Information Lifecycle Management

    Storing data intelligently has suddenly become a major imperative for companies. How you handle replication and redundancy is becoming a critical factor. The reason that Information Lifecycle Management has become one of the focuses of the IT industry is that the amount of data we store is growing at an alarming pace. The world …

    Storage 8 Apr 2005, 11:38

  • Eight patches lined up for MS April patch batch

    Yes, it's that time of the month

    Microsoft is due to publish critical updates for Office and MSN Messenger when it delivers its next batch of security updates next Tuesday (12 April). Five patches addressing flaws in Windows and an update for Microsoft Exchange will also feature in Microsoft's plans to deliver a total of eight patches next week. Next Tuesday …

    Software 8 Apr 2005, 11:53

  • Dell projects more revenue growth

    No surprise there then

    Dell has announced that it expects to meets its forecast for the first quarter 2005 with revenues of $13.4bn, up 16 per cent from a year ago. The PC manufacturer also reiterated its aim to grow the business over the next three to four years. Dell said that it is expects earnings per share and cash flow from operations to …

    Financial News 8 Apr 2005, 12:20

  • WTO rules in online gambling dispute

    Roll-up, roll-up, everyone's a winner in this game

    US gamblers should be allowed to splash their money around in the Caribbean’s online casinos, the World Trade Organization has decided. Back in November, 2004, a three-person WTO panel decided that US federal and state laws breached the general agreement on trade and services (GATS). This did not go down too well with the US - …

    Media 8 Apr 2005, 13:14

  • Rare Dell critics spotted circling over Austin

    Not extinct and inquisitive as all hell

    For the first time in ages, the famed "Dell model" has come into question. Analysts have started wondering if Dell can surge from $49bn in annual sales to $80bn within three or four years. Such a jump would require solid results from Dell's computer business and far above average growth from its server, storage, services and …

    Financial News 8 Apr 2005, 13:32

  • Sony sells 600,000 US PSPs in first week

    Faster rate than Nintendo DS

    Sony sold half a million PlayStation Portables in the first two days of the handheld games console's US release, the consumer electronics giant said yesterday. It's a significant number but only half the quantity of machines Sony shipped into the US for the PSP's 24 March debut. But while the PSP didn't sell out in its first …

    Consoles 8 Apr 2005, 13:37

  • CA taps Concord for network management push

    Back to the future

    Computer Associates announced plans on Thursday to buy network service management software firm Concord Communications in a deal valued at $350m. CA is offering to pay $330m in cash for Concord and to assume approximately $20m in net debt from its acquisition target. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory go-ahead and …

    Applications 8 Apr 2005, 13:40

  • Elpida slashes FY2004 income forecast

    Cash set aside against possible DoJ price-fix probe fines

    Elpida has warned that its FY2004 income will fall below its previous expectations on the back of a drop in sales - and the decision to set aside funds against possible fines for its alleged participation in a price-fixing cartel. The Japanese memory chip maker said on 24 January that full-year sales would total ¥211-214bn ($1. …

    Financial News 8 Apr 2005, 13:49

  • Promotional penis pops up on eBay

    Hard-up up Brit flogs member

    A hard-up UK eBayer is offering his penis as permanent advertising space - for a starting bid of £3,000. The "genuine auction" vendor explains: "I will have my penis permanently tatooed for advertising your internet company logo," and adds: "If they wish, the winning company of the bid may film the Tattoo being created - this …

    Media 8 Apr 2005, 13:54

  • Borland to miss Q1 targets

    Slow closures blamed

    Borland Software has warned that it will likely miss its targets for the first quarter of 2005, and is now predicting revenue of between $70-$72m for the period, and a net loss of between one and three cents per share. The company had expected to report revenue between $77-$82m, and earnings of up to five cents per share. The …

    Financial News 8 Apr 2005, 14:13

  • NHS squeezes Accenture margins

    Record sales though

    Accenture comfortably outstripped Wall Street expectations for Q2, posting record revenues for the quarter ending 28 February. The computer services firm had revenues of $3.81bn, $100m higher than consensus forecasts, and advancing 15 per cent on last year (Q2 2004: $3.3bn). Analysts attribute the sales jump to a rebound in …

    Financial News 8 Apr 2005, 14:16

  • BT gets the Bluephone blues

    Presses ahead with 'dud' project

    The idea of using a single phone to connect to cellular networks and also to connect over the internet at home is an attractive proposition - but the BT project nearing completion at its Adastral park research centre is already known to be a dud. The first Bluephone has BT in it - BlueTooth, not British Telecom. It works, but …

    Broadband 8 Apr 2005, 14:19

  • Informatica responds to IBM

    Federated queries market hots up

    The market for federated queries (or EII – enterprise information integration) is hotting up. First, Informatica announced that it would have a complete federated query solution in 18 months' time. Then IBM announced that it was acquiring Ascential, positioning the product very much alongside its WebSphere (previously DB2) …

    Applications 8 Apr 2005, 14:23

  • Trojan leaps from bogus Windows Update site

    Risky business

    Hackers set up a fake Microsoft security update website in order to dupe unsuspecting Windows users into visiting a site riddled with malicious code. The bogus site, hosted in Canada, is currently down but security experts warn it would be easy for virus writers to repeat the trick. The site was promoted through spam messages …

    Security 8 Apr 2005, 14:59

  • Atlas shifting, browser patching, patent filing madness

    Letters It's very silly today

    Just when you think you know where you are, someone goes and moves the map a few hundred miles to the left, and before you know it, instead of Switzerland, you are in Belarus. Possibly. Only just saw this article on the Microsoft wizards translocating Mr 50 servers of the Swiss Dept of Foreign Affairs to Russia. While utterly …

    Letters 8 Apr 2005, 15:15

  • Gizmondo handheld games console

    Review Time for Sony, Nintendo and Tapwave to tremble?

    I want to be nice, I really do, and I want to like the Gizmondo, because it's brave for an independent company to try and launch a handheld games device at the same time as Nintendo and Sony are slugging it out for mobile market supremacy. I'll praise the design by Rick Dickinson, the man who brought us the Sinclair Spectrum, I' …

    Reviews 8 Apr 2005, 15:22

  • Parrot recruits Kipper

    A Monty Python PR department exclusive

    Friday fun from Businesswire: Bluetooth car kit outfit Parrot has appointed Jon Kipper "as Executive Vice President of Automotive Business Development". The Kipper in question has been about a bit. He's brought his business skills to bear at Lucas Industries, the Prince Corporation, Johnston Controls and Sagem. He also did a …

    Bootnotes 8 Apr 2005, 16:14

  • VeriSign responds to .net report criticisms

    Plus a brief rundown of what happens next

    VeriSign has posted its response to the ongoing dispute over Telcordia's report into .net ownership, but surprised observers by launching into a rant against a rival bidder. The report, released last Tuesday, has attracted an enormous amount of criticism, both from the losing bidders and the chairman of the committee that …

    Financial News 8 Apr 2005, 16:40

  • Europe will land on Mars in 2013

    Funds permitting

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that it plans to send another mission to land on Mars, as part of the pan-European Aurora programme to explore the solar system. The main objectives of the €500m mission will be to search for past or present Martian life; to learn more about the source of the atmospheric methane, …

    Science 8 Apr 2005, 16:45

  • Blocking online cigarette sales threatens us all

    And ninethly My Aunt died so you can smoke cheap

    Smokers don't like being told what to do, particularly by people who don't understand why they smoke and dismiss smokers as mere idiots - Allen Carr With April 15 nearing, I spent the better part of Tuesday hovering over my paper shredder. As the Executive Machines EPS-825X hummed away, thoughts of Aunt Margaret kept popping …

    Bootnotes 8 Apr 2005, 17:00

  • HP, Sun and IBM ready to roll with dual-core Opteron gear

    Dell the single-core loner

    HP, Sun Microsystems and IBM are waiting in desperation to release new servers based on AMD's dual-core Opteron chip. The vendors will get some relief when they show off the fresh kit on April 22 at an AMD product launch/Opteron anniversary event. The New York gig will be hopping with every server vendor that counts - except …

    Servers 8 Apr 2005, 19:47

  • Nine years in slammer for US spammer

    Suspended on appeal

    A Virginia circuit judge has sentenced a convicted spammer to nine years in jail, the first custodial sentence to be issued to a bulk emailer in the United States. A jury was convinced that Jeremy Jaynes of North Carolina fell foul of a law only enacted two weeks ago. The spammer, together with his sister (who was sentenced to …

    Security 8 Apr 2005, 20:53