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20th June 2005 Archive

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  • Phishers look to net small fry

    Targeting US credit unions

    Online fraudsters have started targeting smaller banks and credit unions in hopes of fooling a larger percentage of customers, according to groups that monitor phishing activity. Last week, Internet security firm Netcraft published an advisory warning that the number of phishing attacks aimed at smaller financial institutions …

    Security 20 Jun 2005, 07:34

  • The pressures on Business Objects and Cognos

    Analysis Squeeeeze

    Business Objects and Cognos are the most well-known suppliers in the business intelligence space and are perceived to be the market leaders. However, this duopoly is increasingly under threat and it is worth considering the different pressures that these suppliers are under. The first element of competition is, of course, from …

    Applications 20 Jun 2005, 07:34

  • Mauritius to be wirefree nation

    Internet everywhere in middle of nowhere

    A small island in the Indian Ocean is aiming to be the first completely wireless country. Mauritius, which covers 2,000 square kilometres and has a population of 1.2m, is on the way to having wireless internet access across the whole island. The project is being run by ADB Networks which is treating it as a pilot for future …

    Broadband 20 Jun 2005, 08:47

  • EU must 'rethink' Hynix import tax - WTO

    Hynix doesn't escape censure, though

    The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has formally told the European Union to rethink its decision to impose punitive import duties on Hynix memory products from South Korea. The WTO's demand was informally made public back in March, when it issued its preliminary ruling. The EU had an opportunity then to appeal against the WTO's …

    Financial News 20 Jun 2005, 09:47

  • Intel touts 'tuneable' Wi-Fi radio chip

    Prototype produced

    Intel has developed a WLAN transceiver capable of tuning in to both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands used by 802.11b/g and 802.11a Wi-Fi networks, respectively, with its own silicon-built radio. Multi-mode WLAN chipsets are not uncommon. Intel's breakthrough is to develop a radio chip that is not only produced using a cheap CMOS …

    Broadband 20 Jun 2005, 09:59

  • Crackberry users go cold turkey

    Email outage

    US BlackBerry users had time to get on with their lives on Friday morning when a service problem stopped their mobile devices receiving emails. The problem was at Research In Motion which makes the corporate pacifiers - dubbed crackberries because of their addictiveness. Three networks were hit: Cingular, Nextel, and T-Mobile. …

    Mobile 20 Jun 2005, 10:02

  • France Telecom denies interest in C&W

    Wanadoo and Bulldog could merge - report

    France Telecom was kept busy this morning stamping out rumours that it is preparing to splash out £4bn to take over Cable & Wireless. If the reports are correct, the deal would set the stage for a merger of the firms' ISP arms, Wanadoo and Bulldog. The Sunday Telegraph quotes one unnamed executive as saying: "There is …

    Broadband 20 Jun 2005, 10:32

  • Widescreen iBook rumours gain weight

    Last fling for portable PowerPC-based product?

    Asustek, not Quanta, will produce Apple's upcoming widescreen iBook laptop Mac. So claims a report in Taiwan's Economic Daily News, which adds weight to rumours published in April that the Mac maker is preparing a consumer-oriented widescreen notebook. To date, Apple's widescreen offerings have been restricted to its PowerBook …

    Mac Channel 20 Jun 2005, 10:41

  • AMD dual-core Athlons 'sell out' in Tokyo

    Big in Japan

    AMD's dual-core desktop processor, the Athlon 64 X2, finally went on sale as packaged product for end-users yesterday, though supply may be tight. A number of Tokyo computer shops were offering X2 chips rated at 4200+, 4600+ and 4800+ this weekend, according to local reports. The 4400+ does not seem to have been readily …

    PCs 20 Jun 2005, 10:47

  • MasterCard hack spawns phishing attack

    Fresh bait

    Fraudsters have been quick to launch phishing attacks in a bid to cash in on the publicity surrounding a security breach involving MasterCard International that may affect up to 40 million credit card holders. The crude and misspelled phishing attack, spotted by Secure Computing, is unlikely to fool many but illustrates how …

    Security 20 Jun 2005, 11:21

  • New Zealand floored by cable outage

    Not just the Lions beating Kiwis then

    Telecoms and internet services in New Zealand are returning to normal after two fibre cables were damaged on the North Island. In the first instance, a fibre on a bridge in the Rimutaka area was damaged. "Services through that fibre were able to be routed through different parts of the network until the second incident …

    Broadband 20 Jun 2005, 11:26

  • Microsoft - EC case may get new judge

    Judge Legal for the high jump

    A senior European judge has suggested changing the court currently considering the Microsoft hearings. According to a letter sent to all parties involved in the case Judge Bo Vesterdorf wants the case moved from the Court of First Instance to the Grand Chamber. There evidence will be heard by a larger panel of judges chaired by …

    Operating Systems 20 Jun 2005, 11:35

  • Acer TravelMate 4401LMi Turion notebook

    Review How cheap?

    Acer has always priced its products aggressively, but even we were surprised when we learned the Acer TravelMate 4400LMi could be picked up for less than £700. Yes, you can buy cheaper laptops, but will they boast a 15in screen and ATI Radeon X700 graphics? asks Benny Har-Even. The machine also features AMD's Turion processor …

    Reviews 20 Jun 2005, 11:44

  • Spies, lies and the Book of Joshua

    Letters

    Far be it from the Reg to make fun of easy targets. But that is at least half of our job isn't it? In our recent coverage of Live8 and eBay we have been referring to Bob Geldof as Saint Bob - a cheap and nasty shot as pointed out by a reader called Dave who, without stooping to cheapness and nastiness, can't even spell Saint Bob …

    Letters 20 Jun 2005, 12:54

  • PayPal coughs to 'internal comments' edit slip

    Happens

    PayPal is to remove internal comments regarding its protection for sellers that it accidentally published on its website. Under a section outlining the protection Paypal provides sellers, the online payment outfit wrote: "PayPal protects sellers in ways that many other financial institutions don't. For instance, card issuers …

    Financial News 20 Jun 2005, 13:01

  • Doctor Who better than Star Trek - official

    Phasers undone by sonic screwdriver

    Doctor Who has ousted Star Trek as the favourite cult TV programme, according to a poll of genre fans. It's the first time in 10 years that the Star Trek franchise has been demoted from top berth in an annual poll of Cult TV Festival attendees. Newcomers to the chart include SF serial Firefly (in with a bolt at number 16), 24 ( …

    Bootnotes 20 Jun 2005, 13:52

  • Tiscali flogs Italian Sat business

    Digiweb in acquisitive mood

    Irish telecoms outfit Digiweb has snapped up Tiscali's Italian satellite broadband business. Financial details were not disclosed. Digiweb already operates its two-way satellite broadband service in Germany, France, the UK and Austria, and the acquisition of Tiscali's Italian sat business extends its European footprint. It …

    Financial News 20 Jun 2005, 13:57

  • Scientists see women's brains switch off during sex

    When Harry scanned Sally

    Readers worried that their female partners may be faking it can now rest easy. As long you keep brain scanner close at hand in the bedroom, you’ll be able to find out if you really are the best, the best, the best, or whether she’s actually running through the shopping list ahead of your next trip to Safeways. A group of …

    Science 20 Jun 2005, 14:30

  • Google aims for PayPal

    Allegedly...

    Google will launch electronic payment services later this year going head-to-head with PayPal which, thanks partly to help from eBay, is currently leading the field. Google's Wallet service has no official confirmation but has been blamed for a two per cent fall in eBay's share price this morning - eBay owns PayPal. A …

    Financial News 20 Jun 2005, 14:38

  • Robertson gives up Linspire CEO post

    To 'maximize purpose'

    Michael Robertson has given up day-to-day control of Linspire and is leaving the company in the hands of new CEO Kevin Carmony. Robertson said, on his blog, that he wants to spend more time with his two other companies, Mp3tunes.com and Sipphone.com, which allows customers to make free long distance phone calls. However, …

    Operating Systems 20 Jun 2005, 14:57

  • Call centre workers face voice health scare

    Lost for words

    Thousands of call centre workers are at risk of damaging their health because they talk too much. British trade union UNISON claims one in 50 call centre workers is at risk from this "industrial disease" adding that "voice loss" is costing the UK £200m a year, a figure set to double over the next ten years. UNISON wants …

    Management 20 Jun 2005, 15:02

  • Foundry forges major product revamp

    Rust-proof

    Foundry Networks has a busy summer ahead with a revamp of two major product lines and the launch of its first security-centric products. Bob Schiff, Foundry's VP of product marketing, described it as the largest product launch in Foundry's nine year history. The SecureIron, due in August, is a family LAN switch with integrated …

    Data Networking 20 Jun 2005, 15:26

  • IBM opens x86 Veritas cluster and storage shop

    Software steroids for servers

    Veritas and IBM have firmed up their ties with a new reselling agreement that will see Big Blue ship some of Veritas' better known software products with its servers. In particular, IBM will resell the Veritas Cluster Server product and the Storage Foundation product - which includes Veritas' file system and volume manager. …

    Servers 20 Jun 2005, 15:51

  • Supremes silent on Grokster case

    One last chance for a decision this season

    The US Supreme Court has declined to issue a ruling on the MGM v. Grokster case today, as it had been expected to do. There is one week left in the Court's schedule this season, so it is likely that there will either be an answer next Monday, or none this session. At issue is whether P2P network operators Grokster and …

    Media 20 Jun 2005, 16:24

  • Security products 'riddled' with bugs

    Who guards the guards?

    The number of flaws in computer security products is rising sharply and threatens to become more of a problem than vulnerabilities in the products they are designed to protect, a study by Yankee Group out Monday warns. In the 15-month period between January 2004 and March 2005, security vendors reported 77 separate …

    Security 20 Jun 2005, 16:27

  • MS EMEA chief to lead international sales push

    Promotions and trebles all round

    Microsoft has given its European head a promotion, putting him in charge of its international sales, marketing and services efforts as president of Microsoft International. Jean-Philippe Courtois, formerly chief executive officer of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), will have overall responsibility for Microsoft …

    Financial News 20 Jun 2005, 16:48

  • Fleeing Compaq customer caught by Sun

    Aussie firm digs in

    How many quotations does it take to screw a server vendor? As it turns out - two. A renegade former Compaq customer has dished the dirt on its move into Sun Microsystems' clutches. Australian utility ActewAGL pumped a Sun press release full of criticism for HP's shift away from Alpha/Tru64 servers to systems running on Intel's …

    Servers 20 Jun 2005, 19:24

  • US mulls Broadcom's Qualcomm broadside

    ITC steps in

    Broadcom, which launched two patent lawsuits against Qualcomm, says the US trade commission is investigating the issue. Broadcom claims that Qualcomm is importing microprocessors for cellphones which infringe its patents. Last month Broadcom asked the US International Trade Commission to block the import of the allegedly …

    Data Networking 20 Jun 2005, 21:01

  • Taking Osborne out of the Osborne Effect

    It's a myth

    It's a fair cop, and we're guilty. There never was an "Osborne Effect," and the fate of Osborne Computer wasn't sealed by pre-announcing hardware that didn't exist. The phrase has been much in use this month, after Apple pre-announced its intention to move to Intel hardware that doesn't exist. But leave poor old Adam out of it …

    Data Center 20 Jun 2005, 21:44

  • Start-up reckons it can give you twice the processor

    $30m behind Ethernet darling

    Level 5 Networks on Monday cobbled together a banner announcement session for a start-up, as the company delivered word of $30m in venture funding and released its first product under the EtherFabric brand. Never heard of Level 5? You're not alone. The 50 or so employee company based in Sunnyvale, California dabbles deep in the …

    Data Networking 20 Jun 2005, 22:32

  • BOFH and the chemistry lesson

    Episode 19 Managerium is known for its denseness

    "OK," The PFY says looking over the inside of The Boss's machine. "I'll take a quick look at it, but at this stage I'm fairly certain that it'll just need a new seal and a smoke recharge and be back up and running in no time." "Sorry, did you say smoke recharge?" "Yeah?" "What do you mean?" "Well, obviously the smoke seal's …

    BOFH 20 Jun 2005, 23:00

  • Oz court case exposes lack of fairness

    Comment Teenager charged over website linking

    In Australia the Federal Government is looking at introducing a fair use style exemption to our copyright law. Yes I know … it’s hard to believe, but in Australia you can’t legally back up your music CDs, or even rip a CD you have paid for, so you can convert it into an iPod compatible format. You can’t even legally use your VCR …

    Media 20 Jun 2005, 23:25