27th June 2005 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

AMD ships world's 'fastest overclockable gaming CPU'

2.8GHz Athlon 64 FX-57

AMD today launched its latest gamer-oriented single-core processor, the Athlon 64 FX-57, positioning the part well above its recently released dual-core desktop chips. The FX-57 is also the first member of the FX family to be fabbed at 90nm. It's also the first to support Intel's SSE 3 vector processing instruction set. Those …

System Builder 27 Jun 2005, 04:02
210 reasons to refuse a Freedom of Information request

The more the merrier

The UK Government has published a review of legislation that prohibits the disclosure of information in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, finding that 210 statutory provisions conflicted with the Act. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) came into full effect on 1st January, giving individuals for …

Small Biz 27 Jun 2005, 06:02
Mobile and VoIP to inherit the earth

Mass migration

A mass migration to alternative telephony is forecast over the next five years, with a quarter of Western European households expected to ditch their landlines. By 2010, mobile and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services will account for more than 60 percent of residential voice spend in Western Europe, according to a new …

VoIP 27 Jun 2005, 06:02
Ex-MS man joins Oracle

New CFO and president

Greg Maffei, ex-CFO of Microsoft, is joining Oracle as president and CFO. Maffei ran finances at Microsoft between 1997 and 2000 and oversaw a fourfold increase in market cap. Maffei will be one of three presidents and will be responsible for legal affairs, human resources, manufacturing and distribution and global real estate …

Financial News 27 Jun 2005, 09:20
UK to outsource biometric visa checks to Mumbai

What secure call centres did next...

The UK is to outsource visa application checks "wherever there is an outsource partner", following trials in its largest visa posts in Mumbai, Delhi and Islamabad. This process, which will be implemented alongside the introduction of biometrics for all visa applications, is intended to cover at least 60 per cent of an annual …

Music and Media 27 Jun 2005, 09:51
Toshiba and Microsoft tighten the knot

CE summer of love

Microsoft and Toshiba will collaborate on consumer electronics devices as well as traditional PCs under a “significant expansion” of their existing relationship. The firms said that their strengthened ties come on the back of a cross-licensing deal signed in April. As well as having long-standing links in the mobile market, …

PCs 27 Jun 2005, 10:16
Simpay halts mobile commerce project

What about those billions of mobile commerce euros?

Less than 18 months after exhorting mobile operators around the world to join it in a billion-euro mobile commerce party, Simpay has breathed its last. The company quietly posted the announcement on its website on Friday, last week. The company was set up by Orange, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Telefónica Móviles, to enable payments …

Mobile 27 Jun 2005, 10:24
Music biz goes after sys admins

First they came for the children...now it's getting serious

Two systems administrators in Australia are facing legal action from the music industry for allegedly allowing their network to be used to exchange music files via a BitTorrent hub. The two worked for an ISP and the court originally found their actions did not exceed their employment - this has now been overturned. Swiftel …

Music and Media 27 Jun 2005, 10:42
PartyGaming floats at £4.64bn

Joins big boys table

Online gambling outfit PartyGaming is set to join the list of the UK's 100 leading companies following its successful float on the London Stock Exchange. The offer price was set at 116p valuing the company at £4.64bn - making it bigger than British Airways and electrical retail outfit Dixons. In early trading this morning …

Financial News 27 Jun 2005, 10:47
iPass to offer Net access via non-affiliated hotspots

IT dept-mandated security no matter where you connect

Remote access services provider iPass today opened its client-side connectivity software to allow users to reach the Internet via wireless and fixed networks that the company has not yet aggregated. According to iPass, the move comes at the request of the company's corporate customers who want to allow their employees to …

Wireless 27 Jun 2005, 11:02
Church goers celebrate Star Wars

In the name of the Vader...

A long time ago in a church, far, far away, a vicar and his flock sang their final hymn to the theme tune of the Star Wars saga. Well, not that long ago, or far away, really. Last week, in fact, in West Yorkshire, a parish church held a special service to mark the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It seems …

Bootnotes 27 Jun 2005, 11:08
Cingular listens on iTunes phone

Finalising deal - report

Cingular could bite the bullet and become the first US wireless operator to sell Motorola’s iTunes phone once the device finally ships later this year. According to Reuters the US’s biggest mobile operator is working out revenue sharing details with Motorola and Apple, ahead of the phone’s expected third quarter launch. If a …

Mobile 27 Jun 2005, 11:15
UK ID cards costs go up

Illegal and expensive, what's not to like?

The government's proposals for ID cards are under fire today from the London School of Economics which estimates the scheme could cost twice as much as the government claims. The six month study predicts the total cost will be between £10.6bn and £19.2bn rather than the £6bn predicted by the government. This would mean each …

ID 27 Jun 2005, 12:26
OneTel targets SMEs in 'OneBill' offer

TLA WLR OK

OneTel has cut the cost of operating a landline phone for small businesses by reducing the amount firms mus pay to rent their line. The new service costs £11.99 a month - 12 per cent cheaper than BT's business line rental charges, says the rival - and means that SMEs can have line rental and call charges on one bill. The cut …

Small Biz 27 Jun 2005, 12:31
NASA: Ice won't threaten Shuttle launch

Last hurdle cleared

NASA has decided to go ahead with plans to resume Shuttle flights next month, judging that the risk of the Discovery being damaged by ice falling from its fuel tanks is "acceptable". After a day spent reviewing the engineering analysis of the risk posed by falling ice, Shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said that he saw no …

Science 27 Jun 2005, 13:59
India calls for big increase in US IT visas

Tough negotiating stance?

India is calling on the US to massively increase the number of working visas available to foreign workers, including Indians. Currently the US grants 65,000 H1B visas a year, but the Indian government wants to increase this to 195,000. Microsoft boss Bill Gates has also called for restrictions to be lifted. The Indian …

IT Director 27 Jun 2005, 14:19
Sun tries to lure developers with cheap Opteron workstation

Ultra 20 for $30 a month

Sun Microsystems has polished off its cheapest and likely most attractive Opteron-based workstation to date. The hardware maker today introduced the world to the Ultra 20 a one-way (one socket) box that starts at $895. That price has to please a lot of Sun customers who complained when the much higher-end W2100z amd W1100z …

Servers 27 Jun 2005, 14:42
Mobile phone 'pranksters' face prosecution

'Knee capping' threat fails to tickle funny bone

Mobile phone "pranksters" have been warned they face prosecution if they send a malicious voicemail which threatens to "knee cap" its victim. The message is sent to mobile phone users and is deeply disturbing and abusive. The recorded message claims to be from a man who says he's found your number on his girlfriend's mobile …

Mobile 27 Jun 2005, 14:56
Supremes down P2P software makers in unanimous decision

Update Hollywood cheers

The US Supreme Court has ruled unanimously against the free-wheeling ways of P2P software makers Grokster and StreamCast in a decision that will have many of the most vocal open technology advocates up in arms. The ruling means that developers of P2P software can be held liable for their users' actions and that the software …

Music and Media 27 Jun 2005, 14:58
BBC flogs Broadcast div

Sells off union problem

The BBC has flogged off its broadcast services division to a bunch of Aussies for £166m. BBC Broadcast provides transmission, playout and promotional services for the Beeb. It has been sold to Creative Broadcast Services which is owned by Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Bank. The sell-off has been a long time …

Financial News 27 Jun 2005, 15:08
Soaring card cost headlines threaten UK ID scheme

Home Office mounts priceless performance...

The UK's ID Card Bill returns to the House of Commons for its (second) second reading tomorrow, and this time it looks in grave danger of being pursued there by a howling mob. After several years of giving the ID scheme at best sporadic notice, the British press has clocked that the 'card cost could treble' story has at least …

Music and Media 27 Jun 2005, 15:27
Yet more campaigning on software patents

Not long 'til the vote

A group of seven mid-sized European businesses has called on the European Parliament to pass amendments to the directive of computer implemented inventions that would restrict the scope of the bill. The group is a mix of open source developers, proprietary software firms and internet companies, and in total employs around 4,000 …

Small Biz 27 Jun 2005, 15:47
CA makes Tiny personal firewall buy

Acquisition spree that just won't stop

Computer Associates continued its buying spree today snapping up privately held Tiny Software for an undisclosed amount. Tiny Software develops endpoint security technology and personal firewalls for Windows PCs, as well as a developer toolkit allowing third parties to integrate with its software. CA will continue to sell Tiny …

Security 27 Jun 2005, 16:26
Supremes protect P2P technology, then punt

Analysis Back to district court with fresh guidelines

The US Supreme Court declined to decide the Grokster/MGM case, effectively sending it back to the district level, but not without adding clarifications no doubt intended to simplify the lower court's work, but almost certain to add another layer of confusion. The Court did not weaken the Sony decision in any way, as had been …

Music and Media 27 Jun 2005, 19:11
Supreme Court wallops telcos with a large cableco favor

Two sets of rules for competitor access

The US Supreme Court has sided with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and by extension, with cablecos, by decreeing that cable infrastructure need not be open to competitors who wish to lease it, the way telecommunications infrastructure is. The issue boiled down to a bit of legal hair-splitting, finally defining …

Telecoms 27 Jun 2005, 21:35
Apple feels Intel chill

But no price cuts yet

A survey by MacWorld magazine in the US indicates that one third of readers are less likely to buy a new Mac computer in the next twelve months. That's rather similar, but slightly more encouraging for Apple than the feedback we received immediately after the announcement that Apple would be moving off PowerPC processors. …

Mac Channel 27 Jun 2005, 21:56
IBM gets 10 years under Sun

Re-licenses Java with x86 twist

After years of posturing to become spiritual leader of the Java community, IBM has renewed its existing 10 year license deal with Sun Microsystems to use Java. IBM and Sun jointly announced Monday that IBM would license Java for servers, desktops, mobile devices and smart cards until the year 2016, once the companies' current …

Applications 27 Jun 2005, 22:11
Supremes deputize all US journos

Take this badge off of me...

American journalists have effectively been conscripted into the business of law enforcement as a result of the US Supreme Court's refusal to hear an appeal in the case of reporters Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine and Judith Miller of the New York Times. The two had been ordered incarcerated for eighteen months by district judge …

Bootnotes 27 Jun 2005, 22:17
SEC prods IBM with informal probe

Option expensing under scrutiny

The US SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) has delivered a note to IBM, letting the company known it's under investigation. The Commission has started a preliminary look into how IBM handled disclosures relating to its first quarter earnings report and expensing of equity compensation. IBM's first quarter results came in …

Financial News 27 Jun 2005, 22:58