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9th May 2005 Archive

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  • EMC cheapens Centera with bite-sized box

    Mid-sized archive

    EMC has put the squeeze on its Centera storage system aimed at archiving information. The company has announced a new, smaller and less expensive version of the Centera box, hoping to attract medium-sized companies to its relatively unique system. The new Centera - rather unceremoniously named "the four-node configuration" - …

    Storage 9 May 2005, 07:18

  • Siebel acts to reassure

    Nothing to fear here...

    Troubled CRM vendor Siebel spoke to analysts last week and outlined strategy changes to help turn the company around. Recently appointed CEO George Shaheen said the company had work to do but the market was moving in its favour as the focus moves from back office to front office processes. Siebel said it would cut some jobs …

    Software 9 May 2005, 08:25

  • ATI Tech weakness hands opportunity to Nvidia

    Flattish core

    This story has expired from The Register's archive. You can now find it at its original location on the Forbes.com website: http://www.forbes.com/markets/2005/05/06/0506automarketscan09.html?partner=theregister.

    Financial News 9 May 2005, 08:26

  • Google DNS glitch sparks hacking fears

    15 minutes of infamy

    A Domain Name System (DNS) glitch left many surfers unable to reach Google for a short time on Saturday (7 May). The SNAFU also left Google services such as Gmail and AdSense unavailable for around 15 minutes between 2345 and 0000 (BST) on Saturday night. "It was not a hacking or a security issue," Google spokesman David Krane …

    Data Networking 9 May 2005, 09:45

  • Cisco tightens grip on WLAN standards

    Joint initiative

    Cisco, Intel and BT have announced a joint initiative focused on wireless security. In particular, they aim to ensure that equipment supports the new WPA2 standard – the brand name for the 802.11i specification – from the outset. They aim to boost confidence in wireless security, but the alliance can also be seen as an attempt …

    Data Networking 9 May 2005, 10:05

  • NTL - Telewest 'preps merger'

    Here we go again

    The long-awaited merger between NTL and Telewest appears to be on, according to The Sunday Times. The UK's two cablecos are lining themselves up for a £5.5bn merger creating a comms company that would be able to take on satellite TV giant Sky and dominant UK phone outfit BT, the paper reports. NTL has already hired its bankers …

    Financial News 9 May 2005, 10:09

  • Market gears up for MS Magneto

    Comment But Gates hints at multi-platform world

    The mobile market is gearing up for the launch of the latest release of Microsoft Windows Mobile, codenamed Magneto, in the second half of this year, and for once the company's own marketing machine is more cautious than many commentators. While Gartner Group analysts stated last week that they believed the Symbian smartphone …

    Mobile 9 May 2005, 10:10

  • LugRadio goes live this summer

    Linux event complete with bar, LAN gaming and paintball

    The creators of LugRadio, a fortnightly radio programme that takes an irreverent look at Linux and open source, are holding a Linux community event this summer in Wolverhampton. It is aimed at open source fans, rather than corporate IT buyers, and the emphasis is very much on fun, rather than sales pitches. For five measly …

    Developer 9 May 2005, 10:13

  • Managed email filtering market hots up

    Quocirca's changing channels Interesting times ahead

    There is a corner of the IT world that is about to get interesting as vendors look to grow revenues in a tightening market. Mid-sized companies are set to be the main battle ground and resellers the vendors' principle weapons. Welcome to the world of managed email filtering. A few years ago when spam and the malware it can …

    Mobile 9 May 2005, 10:28

  • PalmOne hails the 'Mobile Manager'

    New handheld device category, apparently

    PalmOne today responded to mounting speculation that it is preparing a fourth family of handheld products. It is to launch a "new category" of mobile-computing products this month - called the "Mobile Manager". This confirms recent reports that the PDA pioneer was preparing a hard drive-based device running the customary Palm …

    Mobile 9 May 2005, 10:32

  • Blair spam hack attack hits UK

    More viral madness

    Virus writers are using claims that Tony Blair's email address has been hacked as a ruse to trick punters into visiting sites hosting malware. The false claim was made in a series of spam messages sent out on 6 May, the day after a UK general election that resulted in Blair's Labour party return to office for a record third term …

    Spam 9 May 2005, 10:51

  • Business Serve poaches top Nildram techie

    Nuff said

    Business Serve - the acquisitive Lancaster-based ISP - has poached a top techie from broadband ISP Nildram. Until recently, Andrew Kimberlee, 41, was technical operations director at Pipex-owned Nildram. Now he's switched to Business Serve with a new job title of Technical Director. He's been hired to boost Business Serve's …

    Telecoms 9 May 2005, 11:00

  • RIM takes Blackberry harvest to 3m users

    Up, up and away

    Research In Motion's Blackberry service now has more than 3m subscribers. RIM today announced its customer base had passed 2m in November 2004, just under six months ago. Growing subscribers by 50 per cent in such short a space of time is no mean feat. It took the company nine months to add 1m subscribers after it announced in …

    Mobile 9 May 2005, 11:04

  • C2000 gets new software boss

    Neath named...

    Computer 2000, the UK arm of distributor Tech Data, has appointed Darren Neath to the top spot in its software division. Neath was previously a business manager in the disty’s HP division concentrating on peripherals. He is now general manager of C2000's software division. Prior to joining C2000 Neath ran product management at …

    Bootnotes 9 May 2005, 11:32

  • AMD desktops 'to go Socket M2 H2 2006'

    Paving way for quad-core?

    AMD is to transition all its desktop processors to Socket M2 in H2 2006, following the upcoming connectivity system's introduction next year. Both interconnects will also support dual-channel DDR 2 SDRAM, which would mean that rumours that AMD would skip DDR 2 and go straight to DDR 3 are unfounded. So sat Taiwanese PC and …

    System Builder 9 May 2005, 11:35

  • 419ers seek project manager

    $180k contract with Bolex Comms

    The Lads from Lagos have been a bit quiet of late, which led us to suspect that they may have all gone and got proper jobs which do not involve attempting to part fools from their hard-earned cash with promises of riches beyond the wildest dreams of avarice. But no, mercifully for those of us who like our scams with a Nigerian …

    Bootnotes 9 May 2005, 11:36

  • Firefox exploit targets zero day vulns

    Warning as malicious script goes feral

    Security researchers have discovered two unpatched vulnerabilities in Firefox, the popular alternative web browser. The security bugs affect even the latest version of Firefox (version 1.0.3) and create a means for attackers to seize control of vulnerable systems using cross-site scripting attacks. One vulnerability enables …

    Enterprise Security 9 May 2005, 11:38

  • Japan.gov bans Intel for two months

    Knocked off procurement list

    Intel Japan has been hit with a two-month government procurement ban. According to a Japan Today report from 20 April, the Kinki (!)Regional Development Bureau, part of Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, knocked Intel Japan off its list of bidders for IT procurement contracts. The punitive ban lasts for …

    Channel Register 9 May 2005, 11:41

  • Mach 0.3 milk float grinds to a halt

    Frustration for Brit speed record team

    Bad luck continues to dog Brits Colin Fallows and Mike Newby who have failed again to break the battery-powered land speed record in their ABB e=motion vehicle. The 32-ft monster refused to play ball in Nevada on Saturday, and the team eventually abandoned their attempt after a series of false starts possibly provoked by a …

    Science 9 May 2005, 12:17

  • How to avoid VAT on email

    CD burners, come on down

    Never underestimate the resourcefulness, or perhaps parsimoniousness, of Register readers. After last week's article pointing out how emailed data is liable to VAT, quite a few people responded along the lines of "Durr - why not just burn a CD and put it in the post? Won't that escape VAT?" And the answer? Yes, it will avoid …

    Small Biz 9 May 2005, 12:34

  • Easymobile denies it's a 'flop'

    'Not correct' apparently

    EasyMobile has rejected reports that the discount mobile telephone outfit is a flop. When it launched in March it claimed to have sparked a "mobile war" in the UK amid claims that this new cut price approach would shake-up the sector. However, far from being a threat to the established mobile phone industry, The Telegraph …

    Mobile 9 May 2005, 13:02

  • AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ dual-core CPU

    Review Impressive. Most impressive

    AMD announced the dual-core Athlon 64 X2 on 22 April. The chip won't ship until June, when it will be formally launched. Until then, all we have to go on is the pre-release technical preview kit AMD has been hawking of late, writes Leo Waldock. It's not a fully fledged Athlon 64 X2-based PC but an Asus A8N SLi Deluxe mobo …

    Reviews 9 May 2005, 13:08

  • Tyan debuts dual-core Opteron server mobo

    Two sockets, four cores

    Taiwanese vendor Tyan today introduced its latest two-way AMD Opteron-based server mobo: the Thunder K8SE (S2892). The Thunder K8SE supports current Opteron 2xx series processors, and is ready for dual-core versions when they ship later this quarter, Tyan said. The CPUs are backed by Nvidia's nForce Pro 2200 chipset, which …

    Servers 9 May 2005, 13:59

  • Intel confirms 64-bit P4 5xx desktop launch

    All P4s to sport EM64T

    Intel has confirmed that it is updating its Pentium 4 5xx family this quarter, adding support for 64-bit addressing and processing. The new chips will not ship until 10 June. The Pentium 4 5x1 series replaces today's 5x0 P4s, Intel reveals in a document sent to its customers and seen by The Register. It's all quite …

    System Builder 9 May 2005, 14:00

  • Missing Mars lander shows up in old pics

    Amazing what a bit of image analysis can do

    An imaging scientist believes that he has found NASA's failed Mars Polar Lander after re-examining pictures of the Martian surface taken in 1999-2000. The likely crash site was found by scientists at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), the company that operates the main camera on board the Mars Global Surveyor. Michael Malin, …

    Science 9 May 2005, 14:01

  • Entanet wants resellers

    Partners Please!

    Entanet is looking for more resellers to work with its telecoms and voice services arm Entacall. Business ISP Entanet believes dealers realise there is a market for voice services but are unsure as to how to sell them. The partner recruitment programme will particularly target resellers who target SME customers. Entacall …

    Channel Register 9 May 2005, 14:43

  • Wi-Fi embraces West Country rail stations

    The Cloud inks First Great Western deal

    UK public WLAN provider The Cloud is to equip 85 railway stations operated by First Great Western (FGW) with Wi-Fi hotspots, the two companies said today. The first access points will go live in ten stations this summer: Reading, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Didcot Parkway, Swindon, Exeter St Davids, Bristol Parkway, …

    Wireless 9 May 2005, 14:46

  • MailFrontier expands into Europe

    Diversify or die

    MailFrontier - the US email filtering software and appliance firm - opened its first European offices in London and Brussels on Monday. Industry veteran Vanessa Wade has been appointed as general manager for MailFrontier's EMEA operations. The US firm already has 45 customers in Europe, including SAP, Kingspan Group and …

    Spam 9 May 2005, 14:48

  • Local councils get the hots for Linux

    But will it get the bins emptied?

    Local authorities in the UK are embracing Linux and other Open Source operating systems and applications, a probe by the Society of IT Managers has shown. Open Source is being used for infrastructure in 39 per cent of organisations while 34 per cent of organisations are using open source applications. 48 out of 99 organisations …

    Operating Systems 9 May 2005, 14:53

  • Vonage rings up $200m investment

    VoIP for the masses

    Vonage - the broadband telephony outfit - is to ramp up its services in the US, Canada and the UK after securing an extra $200m (£106m) in funding to pump into its business. Bain Capital joined New Enterprise Associates (NEA), 3i, Meritech Capital Partners and Institutional Venture Partners, among others, to raise the cash …

    Data Networking 9 May 2005, 14:57

  • NASA boffins plan Venusian airline

    Cunning plan for unfriendly world

    NASA researchers want to send a solar-powered, flying explorer to Venus. The plane would stay high in the Venusian atmosphere - out of the acidic clouds, crushing pressures and surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. From its vantage point, it would be able to take far better radar measurements than an orbiting craft, and …

    Science 9 May 2005, 16:13

  • Sun buys $50m worth of NAS software IP

    Partner Procom acquired

    Sun Microsystems has proved its love for small software companies once again by buying all of storage code maker Procom's intellectual property rights for $50m. Last year, Sun and Procom signed a multiyear software licensing deal. Sun bought the rights to use Procom's NetForce operating system on its line of Sun StorEdge 5000 …

    Storage 9 May 2005, 17:17

  • IBM server team calls HP 'clueless' and says Unisys's 'days are numbered'

    Sticks and chipsets break bones

    In the ultra-competitive server market, vendors often turn to propaganda as a tool for helping customers "make the right hardware choice." This public propaganda, however, is rather innocuous when compared to internal competitive putdowns. Case in point - a confidential IBM server presentation obtained by The Register. The …

    Servers 9 May 2005, 18:16

  • Former RIAA chief goes after Apple's 'anti-consumer' CEO

    Fake pigopolist gets Huffy

    Arianna Huffington's blog has gone live and it's funnier than anyone could have imagined. What was billed as a mecca of famous, liberal commentators has turned out to be a satire site in the tradition of The Onion. Yep, Arianna has done it again and fooled us all. Kudos. At first glance, The Huffington Post has the look and …

    Music and Media 9 May 2005, 21:56

  • PGP goes the whole hog of encryption

    Scrambling for safety

    PGP Corporation has launched a radical overhaul of its PGP desktop security suite aimed at making its products more comprehensive and easier to use. PGP Desktop 9.0, released Monday 9 May, features "automatic operation so email, instant messaging (IM), whole disk, and file encryption are secure without user interaction or …

    Storage 9 May 2005, 22:24

  • Microsoft unveils details of software security process

    Give us back our raw sockets, users say

    Vancouver, CANADA - Microsoft revealed on Thursday (5 May) some details of the company's struggle to develop Service Pack 2, the massive security update released last August to harden Windows XP. Among the revelations: The software giant made more than 400 significant changes to the way Windows XP operates in the name of …

    Software 9 May 2005, 22:36

  • Veritas plans to hand SEC $30m to end accounting saga

    Five years coming

    Veritas expects US regulators to hit it with a $30m charge to settle up a long-term investigation into the company's accounting practices. Veritas has been upfront about the US Securities and Exchange Commission's look at its books. The software maker has admitted to a series of accounting mistakes and controversial practices …

    Financial News 9 May 2005, 22:57