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8th June 2005 Archive

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  • More outsourcing = more unhappiness

    China is next hot spot

    DiamondCluster's annual survey of outsourcing providers and their customers reveals the market is still growing - but customer disatisfaction is growing too. Just over half of buyers have prematurely ended an outsourcing agreement within the last twelve months, compared to j21 per cent a year ago. Contracts were terminated …

    Management 8 Jun 2005, 08:27

  • Bird flu and Apple/Intel compete for scariest story

    Letters It is close...

    From time to time, you might have noticed, we deviate from our pure technology roots and cover other subjects that we think you'll find interesting. For instance, supernovae don't have much to do with unit shipments of chips, or the market for Voice over IP telephony, but they are kind of cool. But we digress. This week we ran a …

    Letters 8 Jun 2005, 08:29

  • Error 404 at 40,000 feet

    Chicken, beef or WiFi, madam?

    Struggling United Airlines could this year become the first US carrier to provide passengers with in-flight access to the internet. United is to equip its fleet of aircraft with WiFi, after the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decided that 802.11 b/g technology does not, in fact, harm the operation of an in-flight …

    Mobile 8 Jun 2005, 08:33

  • Santa Bill filing developers' stockings, thrice

    Nightmare before Christmas for partners?

    The waiting is almost over for Visual Studio fans, after Microsoft -sorta - pinned a date on its next integrated development environment (IDE) for Windows and .NET. The delayed Visual Studio 2005 will be launched during the week of 7 November, in time for Christmas, along with the delayed SQL Server 2005, and the next edition …

    Developer 8 Jun 2005, 08:47

  • Safari goes community - again

    Second bite at open source

    Fresh from alarming Apple developers with the news it's going Intel, Apple Computer has also re-worked its open source strategy to drive the Safari browser. Following criticism of its rather closed Safari development process, Apple has now launched a new online presence with project management tools for its browser. Apple …

    Mac Channel 8 Jun 2005, 09:02

  • Palm vets put Skype on a thumb drive

    VoIP to go

    It isn't quite a phone, but it soon will be possible to take a Skype client with you and plug it into a barenaked PC equipped with a USB port. U3, the Silicon Valley start-up launched by Palm veterans earlier this year, says it will support a portable Skype on its flash-based platform from this fall. U3 already supports a …

    Mobile 8 Jun 2005, 09:09

  • Paoga - an answer to the privacy problem?

    Repository for all your personal data

    Information wants to be free, as the dotcom era cliché would have it. Sadly, that is true of your private personal details as anything else. The problem goes beyond spam, or the cataract of junk mail that pours through any letterbox with a postal address. If you send your CV to a recruitment consultant, how do you know it …

    Security 8 Jun 2005, 09:28

  • Rambus sues Samsung

    'Valuable licensee' accused of patent infringement

    Rambus has sued Samsung, alleging the South Korean giant infringed its intellectual property rights by shipping DDR, DDR 2, GDDR 2 and GDDR 3 devices. Rambus also brought one of a number of licensing agreements it has signed with Samsung to an early close, the memory technology developer said. It claims Samsung has violated …

    Financial News 8 Jun 2005, 09:59

  • ATI slashes Q3 sales forecast

    Problems shipping high-end chips?

    ATI has warned that its Q3 revenues will be around five per cent below the range it forecast when it published its Q2 figures on 24 March. Back then, it said Q3 sales would lie between $560m and $600m. This week, it said the figure would be closer to $530m, 12 per cent below the top of that range. That's still 7.8 per cent up …

    Financial News 8 Jun 2005, 10:13

  • I am not a terrorist, now sell me some software

    Oracle gets tough

    Oracle is doing what it can to make the world a safer, nicer place to live, by making sure that dastardly terrorists can't use its software. To get hold of one of Oracle's Technology Network Developer Licenses, wannabe purchasers must tick a series of boxes, proving themselves fit to buy. First you have to promise you aren't …

    Bootnotes 8 Jun 2005, 10:22

  • Bertelsmann will have to go to court for Napster, after all

    Law is competition by other means

    It would be easy to think that Bertelsmann should start to worry over its part in keeping the original Napster live via investment, as this week a US court threw out its call for summary dismissal of the case. Back in April and May 2003 EMI and the Universal Music Group took out suits against the investors of Napster, an act …

    Media 8 Jun 2005, 10:26

  • Brit hack suspect faces extradition fight

    Update Alleged Pentagon raider arrested

    A Briton suspected of hacking into numerous US military and NASA computers faces an extradition fight following his arrest in London on Tuesday. Gary McKinnon (AKA Solo), 39, of Wood Green, north London, allegedly hacked into 53 military and NASA computers over a 12 month period from February 2001 until March 2002. The …

    Security 8 Jun 2005, 10:35

  • Comcast joins Coral DRM crew

    Analysis Let a thousand DRMs bloom

    This week Comcast surprisingly joined the supporters of the Coral Consortium’s digital rights management interoperability initiative which was begun last year by the leading consumer electronics manufacturers. There are two ways to achieve interoperable digital rights management, says Talal Shamoon of Intertrust, “everyone in …

    Personal 8 Jun 2005, 10:48

  • MS patches XP for HD video acceleration

    Over to you, GPU

    Microsoft has patched Windows XP to allow the operating system to decode Windows Media Video HD movies using an Nvidia GeForce 6 series GPU. Nvidia calls its WMV-HD acceleration technology PureVideo, and it claims the system can reduce the host processor's video decode load by up to 40 per cent, by getting the GPU to shoulder …

    Operating Systems 8 Jun 2005, 10:50

  • Reading FC gets new sponsor

    Printer firm backs the mighty Royals

    Kyocera Mita is the new shirt sponsor of Reading Football Club, replacing distributor Westcoast which has backed the club for the last six years. The cost of the deal was not revealed but it is the largest corporate sponsorship in the club's history. Tracey Rawling Church, marketing boss at Kyocera UK, said: "We expect our …

    Peripherals 8 Jun 2005, 10:55

  • Japan iTunes August launch report 'untrue'

    No, no, no, says Apple Japan

    Reports that Apple Japan will launch a local version of the iTunes Music Store in two months' time are rubbish, the company effectively said today. Yesterday, Japanese newspaper the Nihon Keizai Shimbun claimed ITMS Japan will launch in August following digital distribution deals reached between Apple Japan and a number of …

    Financial News 8 Jun 2005, 11:07

  • Yahoo! bids to eat RIM's lunch

    Cheap, carrier-based alternative

    Success spawns competition, but for RIM, the attacks are now coming from all sides. On Monday Microsoft vowed to give its Exchange 2003 customers wireless push email capabilities similar to RIM's Blackberry Connect middleware for free in a service pack later this year. By licensing its Exchange push software to Nokia and …

    Mobile 8 Jun 2005, 11:33

  • Air France wins 'sucks' domain name

    Not a gripe site

    The domain name AirFranceSucks.com will be transferred to Air France. But the airline's victory at arbitration was not without controversy: panellists disagreed about what the word 'sucks' really means to internet users. The name was registered by Florida-based Virtual Dates Inc. in 1999. It was only in February 2005 that Air …

    Financial News 8 Jun 2005, 11:50

  • Man cleared of abusing NTL customers

    Offensive message not offensive enough...

    NTL is not known for its customer service. Actually that's not fair, it has a reputation for appalling customer service. But even its low standards were breached back in September when customers phoning one of its call centres were greeted with a rather rude recorded message. Callers were told: "You’re through to NTL customer …

    Broadband 8 Jun 2005, 12:11

  • BPI won't let up on downloaders

    Hard words In the City

    The BPI defended its decision to sue illegal music downloaders yesterday, as it lent its backing to an education program aimed at shielding tots and teens from the perils of unauthorised MP3s. International charity Childnet’s low-tech answer to illegal downloads is a leaflet titled, “Young People, Music and the Internet – a …

    Media 8 Jun 2005, 13:29

  • Seagate pledges first 2.5in perpendicular HDD

    First drives with hardware crypto, too

    Seagate today pledged to be the first hard disk maker to bring to market 2.5in HDDs with perpendicular recording technology, drives with hardwired data encryption and the first 1in unit to deliver 8GB of storage capacity. The 1in HDD will be pitched at hand-held devices like PDAs, MP3 players and phones. The 8GB unit will be …

    Mobile 8 Jun 2005, 13:46

  • Hotmail users exposed to cookie snaffling exploit

    Peril

    A cookie manipulation exploit that created a possible means for hackers to break into Hotmail accounts forced Microsoft into pulling a portion of its website last weekend. The exploitable page - http://ilovemessenger.msn.com - has been updated to remove a cross site scripting flaw that was the subject of the exploit. But Alex …

    Security 8 Jun 2005, 13:49

  • Octopuses inspire next-generation robots

    Flexible

    Researchers at the University of California have started work on a new kind of robot that will be able to walk without a rigid skeleton. This so-called soft robot would be able to go places its more rigid counterparts cannot, squeezing into small spaces that would otherwise be inaccessible. The researchers hope that once …

    Science 8 Jun 2005, 13:53

  • Lenovo FY2005 sales, income edge upward

    Pre-IBM PC biz purchase

    IBM PC Division purchaser Lenovo said today the integration of the Big Blue business into its own operation was proceeding "smoothly" as it announced results for the year to 31 March 2005. Consolidated turnover for the year was up 2.7 per cent to HKD$22.55bn ($2.9bn), though it would only have risen 1.6 per cent if Lenovo hadn' …

    Financial News 8 Jun 2005, 13:56

  • Canon IXUS 50 digicam

    Review Colourise your shots before you take them...

    Playing about with colours is something most of us do after we have transferred digital pictures from camera to computer. Now you can do it on your camera before you start shooting. Canon's IXUS 50 introduces a new usage mode, My Colors. The balance between red, green and blue can be altered, skin can be given pale or tanned …

    Reviews 8 Jun 2005, 14:21

  • Supremes deflect Lexmark's laser injunction bid

    Digital Millenium action fails

    Lexmark has failed in its attempt to use the controversial Digital Millenium Copyright Act to stop a small company selling chips which allow refilled toner cartridges to work in its printers. The US Supreme Court turned down Lexmark's request to review the decision of the federal appeals court not to award the printer firm an …

    Peripherals 8 Jun 2005, 14:45

  • VXers go phishing with latest MyTob worms

    Whatever

    The latest MyTob email worms have adopted fresh tactics in an attempt to trick victims. Instead of appearing in emails with virus-contaminated attachments, newer versions of the worm include a faked web link pointing to malicious code, mimicking tricks more commonly used in phishing scams. Emails sent by the new versions of the …

    Security 8 Jun 2005, 14:56

  • The Osborne Effect spooks Apple

    Analysis Why buy a PPC Mac, now?

    Apart from the suicidal groans of the faithful, who've seen a decade's worth of evangelism flushed down the pan, Apple has emerged from its Intel migration announcement remarkably well. And with some good reason. Perhaps because after almost 20 years of pressure to make the switch, it had the air of the inevitable. Computers …

    Mac Channel 8 Jun 2005, 15:10

  • SBS wins Microsoft support contract

    Doctor heal yourself

    Siemens Business Services is providing desktop support to Microsoft workers in 57 countries. The contract was previously held by HP. The contract covers 70,000 seats and is for three years - the value was not released at Microsoft's request. SBS previously ran desktop support for Microsoft in the Americas. This is now extended …

    The Channel 8 Jun 2005, 15:11

  • Sierra to axe Voq Pro smart phone

    Enjoyed only 'limited success'

    Sierra Wireless is to drop its Voq Pro smart phone, the company announced today, citing the product's "limited success" as one of the factors behind the move. Sierra operates primarily in the embedded radio market - building a successful line of cellular network PC Cards, for example - and it said it wants to focus its efforts …

    Mobile 8 Jun 2005, 15:19

  • Europe's data retention laws: dead or alive?

    MEPs vs. the Council vs. the Commission

    The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to back calls for proposed laws on data retention to be scrapped. If it were passed, the law would require ISPs and telcos to retain at least three years of data about their customer's communications. But the proposal has been widely criticised for being unworkable, expensive to …

    Policy 8 Jun 2005, 15:43

  • Holy See smiles upon Sun's software and servers

    What would JES do?

    Praise be! Sun Microsystems has snagged another customer for its JES (Java Enterprise System) software subscription service, and the customer is none other than the Holy See. It turns out the Vatican needed a messaging system of biblical proportions. It picked up some of Sun's Ultrasparc-based servers running the Solaris …

    Data Networking 8 Jun 2005, 16:00

  • Bluetooth hack shakes mobile security

    Masquerade crypto attack developed

    Cryptographers have discovered a security flaw in implementations of Bluetooth which allows hackers to pair their devices with prospective victims. The approach creates a means for hackers to hijack Bluetooth-enabled devices. It's not all just theory either, unlike most cryptographic attacks. The researchers - Yaniv Shaked and …

    Security 8 Jun 2005, 16:26

  • FCC Chairman will stop at nothing to 'level the playing field'

    SuperComm Quells VoIP 911 terror

    Many of you will be familiar with those Play-Doh presses that squeeze out turds of brightly colored goo in the shape of stars, circles or, these days, waffles. Well, imagine that Harvard Law School had one of these presses and replaced the colorful Play-Doh with mounds of dull, white flesh and then replaced the star or circle …

    Data Networking 8 Jun 2005, 19:52

  • Microsoft's Virtual Server to become a 'feature' in 2009

    Partition march to Hypervisor

    Microsoft has planned a long, slow death for the Virtual Server product it acquired in 2003. Redmond will stop selling a standalone partitioning product when the server version of its "Longhorn" operating system arrives. In Virtual Server's place, Microsoft will have a new hypervisor type of technology that will allow different …

    Servers 8 Jun 2005, 23:56