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6th June 2005 Archive

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  • Apple to announce Intel 'Switch' - WSJ

    WWDC to detail migration strategy

    Apple Computer will announce its own 'Switch' campaign today, migrating away from the PowerPC architecture that has served it for a decade, the Wall Street Journal reports. The migration will take several years, with the first Intel-based Macs appearing next year, according to briefings Apple has given its partners. Intel CEO …

    Mac Channel 6 Jun 2005, 06:36

  • ICSTIS bars rogue dialler operator

    Fines £100k too

    Emergency powers have been used to crack down on an overseas rogue dialler operator ripping off UK punters. Baba Communications Inc - based in the Republic of Panama - secretly installed its dialler software on consumers' PCs so that they racked up massive phone bills with calls costing £1.50 a minute. Premium rate watchdog …

    Telecoms 6 Jun 2005, 08:35

  • Sweden takes big stick to file-sharers

    200 named in clampdown

    Sweden's anti-piracy group Antipiratbyrån (APB) has reported 200 people to the police for breaking copyright laws by exchanging music, games and films online, according to Sweden's The Local. APB has issued over 400,000 warning letters to suspected file-sharers. However, the agency itself is under fire too. Over 1,000 people …

    Music and Media 6 Jun 2005, 09:20

  • Dell promises posh PCs

    Higher end, higher price, higher margin?

    Dell, often promoted as a value PC provider, is pursuing posher punters with the launch of a "luxury" range of computers. The firm has yet to decide on a brand name but the machines will be available this autumn. Desktop and notebooks will be priced between $1,200 and $3,500. Mike George, vice president of consumer business …

    PCs 6 Jun 2005, 09:47

  • Scientists closer to Ebola and Marburg vaccines

    Don't book that African holiday yet though

    Researchers in the US and Canada have developed vaccines that protect monkeys against the Ebola and Marburg viruses. Further testing in the next five years will show whether the vaccines can be safe and effective for humans, but the researchers are optimistic. It is the first hint of a vaccine for Marburg virus. The research, …

    Science 6 Jun 2005, 10:05

  • Ofcom to reject 'mobile price cuts'

    No friend of the consumer

    Ofcom looks unlikely to force mobile phone operators to cut their prices - for the time-being at least. According to newspaper reports, the giant communications regulator is expected this week to begin consulting the industry once again about pricing and other mobile matters. Last year it ordered mobilephonecos to slash the …

    Mobile 6 Jun 2005, 10:12

  • UK would tag all vehicles in road pricing scheme

    Pay as you drive

    UK government proposals to introduce pay-as-you-go road charges within 10 years have produced a mixed reaction. The scheme would replace road tax and fuel duty with variable charges for using Britain's roads, with satellite tracking technology used to calculate bills. Travelling on the busiest routes, such as the M25, at rush …

    Public Sector 6 Jun 2005, 10:27

  • Notebooks outsell desktops

    First time ever...

    US citizens bought more notebook computers than desktop computers for the first time ever last month. Laptop sales made up 53.3 per cent of total retail PC sales in May, compared to 45.9 per cent last year. Laptops have outsold desktops before - but only for a few days thanks to specific promotions, not for a whole month. …

    PCs 6 Jun 2005, 10:31

  • Apple shifts to Intel: what is all the fuss about?

    Analysis Let's all just calm down

    A number of major news services this weekend forecast that Apple will today announce a staged migration from PowerPC to x86 processors. If it's made, the announcement will take place at the Mac maker's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, certainly the most likely venue for such a revelation since it's addressing …

    Mac Channel 6 Jun 2005, 11:05

  • MBNA 'eyes Egg'

    UK e-bank up for grabs again?

    Egg could be in line for a £900m buy-out a year after majority shareholder Prudential decided the UK ebank-cum-credit-card outfit was not for sale. US credit card giant MBNA is prepping a £900m approach for Egg, according to The Observer, which reports that financial advisors have already been hired for the deal. Last year, …

    Financial News 6 Jun 2005, 11:10

  • Mars rover breaks free of sand trap

    Phew

    The Mars rover Opportunity has finally escaped from the dastardly sand trap that had kept in captive for almost 40 days. The rover got stuck when it tried to cross a ripple-shaped dune in the Meridiani Planum on 26 April, but mission scientists confirmed this weekend that the rover was rolling free once again. The mission …

    Science 6 Jun 2005, 12:17

  • BT IT support provided by ClientLogic - not BT

    Monster telco blames 'crossed wires' for slip

    BT has blamed "crossed wires" for dishing out misleading information about its new IT support service for SMEs. On Friday we reported how BT is now offering small and medium-sized businesses "corporate grade" IT support for around 50p a day. The former UK monopoly also confirmed that its IT Support Manager (ITSM) was manned by …

    Small Biz 6 Jun 2005, 12:20

  • Online gamers targeted in Korean MSN hack attack

    Third party, hack and theft

    More details have emerged about a hacking attack that left MSN's South Korean portal booby trapped with password-pinching malware. The attack targeted subscribers to Lineage, an online game with 4m users, largely in Asia. It's unclear how many users were clobbered by the assault. Police and Microsoft specialists have begun an …

    Malware 6 Jun 2005, 13:02

  • UK road pricing plan heralds the ID card for cars

    And not just for the UK, either...

    The UK Government is to unveil satellite-based 'pay-as-you-go' plans for national motor taxation this week, with a test of the technology due in five to six years, and implementation (if it goes ahead) after the next election. The planned approach seems broadly in line with the conclusions of the Department for Transport's …

    Music and Media 6 Jun 2005, 13:02

  • Euro PC market to top $90bn

    Online ordering and extending services help...

    Europe's top 500 PC suppliers sold equipment worth $89bn in 2004 and are on course to break the $90bn barrier this year. Economic uncertainty and ongoing price pressure meant many firms looked to move away from volume business towards higher margin work. This could be extra services and support contracts or non-PC sales like …

    PCs 6 Jun 2005, 13:10

  • The Escapist - cybercrime, hackery and sex

    Book Review Complex technothriller

    Sex, violence, religion, intrigue, humour, exploding breasts - Check. Breakneck story pacing, exotic locations, ancient mythology, a psychopathic computer - Check. The Escapist appears to tick all the right boxes for an enjoyable mystery-romp through the future. The novel may have some shortcomings, but it's hard to go wrong …

    Music and Media 6 Jun 2005, 14:02

  • Qualcomm readies Brew for Europe

    Eyeing Vodafone and Java

    Two years ago Qualcomm’s mobile content aggregation and delivery platform, Brew, was looking like an endangered species, overshadowed by Java tools and under pressure even in its core markets. The CDMA supremo was widely expected to sideline or even drop the technology, but instead, it has put new efforts into it, as this week’s …

    Mobile 6 Jun 2005, 14:11

  • WiMAX goes a-roaming

    Must address vital issue now

    One of the greatest brakes on progress of cellular services was always the slow and painful path to inter-operator roaming. The complex issues surrounding billing, customer ownership and cross-payments continue to plague the roll-out of every new service, including most recently, MMS messaging. If WiMAX is to achieve broad …

    Wireless 6 Jun 2005, 14:12

  • Vampire robonurses hunt in packs

    Montana here we come

    Before we begin this latest round-up of "why you're all going to end up working in a Renault factory at the service of the Lizard Army", please accept our apologies for the delay in getting it to the presses. The reason is simple: as we previously noted, our neoLuddite Resistance Army (NRA) boffins have been beavering away in …

    Rise of the Machines 6 Jun 2005, 14:16

  • Bango to float

    Bango IPO? Goodo

    Bango - the UK outfit that helps companies flog content via mobile phones - is to float later this month on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The Initial Public Offering (IPO) looks set raise £5m for the company which it plans to use to develop its business in the UK and overseas. No one from the company was …

    Mobile 6 Jun 2005, 14:16

  • Computer 2000 goes Hightech

    Graphics card gig

    Computer 2000, the UK arm of TechData, has signed a deal to distribute Hightech Information Systems range of graphics cards. Hightech was formed in 1987 and specialises in ATI-compatible graphics cards. ® Related stories C2000 gets new software boss C2000 offers lessons in software Meet the one shop stop security appliance …

    Channel Register 6 Jun 2005, 14:17

  • Red Hat gives Fedora wings

    And promises action on patents...

    Red Hat is giving more freedom to Fedora - the open source project it supports and sponsors. In simple terms Fedora is an advanced Linux distribution which is used as a testing ground for future developments which may be later included in Red Hat's enterprise linux products. It is fully Open Source and relies on community …

    Operating Systems 6 Jun 2005, 14:19

  • Microsoft pushes mobile advances

    Taking out the middleman

    Microsoft is making it easier for enterprises to roll out mobile messaging systems based on its technology. The Messaging and Security Features Pack for Windows Mobile 5.0 makes it easier to directly push content, such as updated appointment schedules and email, out to users without deploying third-party middleware. The …

    Mobile 6 Jun 2005, 14:24

  • MS and EU inch towards agreement

    Still a few bumps to iron out

    Microsoft appears to have gone some way towards avoiding a daily fine of $5m, by agreeing to release information on the inner workings of its operating systems on a royalty-free basis. The European Competition Commission has said it is happy with some of Microsoft's proposals, but will still push for the company to open its …

    Software 6 Jun 2005, 14:27

  • Sprinting for seconds better than jogging

    Spend the rest of the week on the couch

    Sell that Nike stock and buy into EasychairsRUS. Researchers have found that 90 seconds of sprinting delivers the same benefit as an hour’s worth of jogging. The information will leave couch potatos all over the world full of hope, and comes from scientists at Canada’s McMaster University's department of kinesiology. They took …

    Science 6 Jun 2005, 15:10

  • Recycle your iPod

    Discounts for greens

    Apple US is offering ten per cent discounts to people who bring in their old iPods for recycling when they buy a new one. US customers can take any iPod into one of 100 Apple stores to get 10 per cent off if they buy a new iPod the same day. Environmentalists have criticised the electronics giant for its poor recycling policy. …

    Peripherals 6 Jun 2005, 15:16

  • Live 8 getz 1m txts for tikits

    O2 disses dissrz

    More than a million texts have been sent so far by music fans eager to win tickets for next month's Live 8 gig in London's Hyde Park. On current numbers, organisers of the poverty awareness concert predict they will have received up to 1.5m texts by midnight tonight. In a statement issued this afternoon organisers said: "All …

    Mobile 6 Jun 2005, 16:02

  • New domains must protect trade marks, says WIPO

    But how to stop 'unauthorised' registrations?

    A uniform intellectual property protection mechanism should be established to protect trade marks whenever new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) are introduced, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The recommendation has been made in a report submitted to ICANN, the body that manages the internet’s …

    Financial News 6 Jun 2005, 16:26

  • New Stratus box lends Windows Server speed and strength

    Tough two-way

    Stratus Technologies, a leading maker of super-reliable servers has boosted one of its lower-end systems aimed at running Windows Server 2003. Stratus today announced the W Series ftServer 4600 box, which was built around a brand new, homemade chipset. The two-processor server runs on 3.6GHz Xeon (Irwindale) chips from Intel …

    Servers 6 Jun 2005, 17:54

  • Apple pulls the ultimate switch with Intel embrace

    Jobs confirms

    Apple has bought into its own ad campaign and become a switcher. As expected, the Mac maker announced today that it will next year start phasing Intel processors into its computer line. Apple CEO Steve Jobs previewed a version of the OS X operating system humming away on an Intel-based Mac during the company's Worldwide …

    Mac Channel 6 Jun 2005, 18:24

  • Apple CEO promises two-year Intel conversion

    It'll all be alright...

    Steve Jobs has committed Apple Computer to an aggressive timetable for porting the Mac architecture to Intel, while promising a smooth transition for developers and ISVs already building applications and services for PowerPC machines. Apple will roll out Intel-based Macs during the next two years with machines available by next …

    Mac Channel 6 Jun 2005, 20:41

  • VMware starts virtual machine club for developers and ISVs

    Partition hazing

    Is virtual machine software development getting you down? Well, buck up, little camper. VMware has an "online virtual infrastructure resource center" (OVIRC) just for you. The OVIRC, otherwise known as a web site, is VMware's latest attempt to make virtual machines more palatable to the software world at large. The site has the …

    Servers 6 Jun 2005, 22:00