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12th July 2005 Archive

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  • 'Sims school' abandons books for laptops

    The net is all you need

    Technology vendors have long viewed the state of Arizona as rich pickings. In addition to the Federal pork barrel, state tax payers have found over $60m dollars for IT investment. Now a high school in Tuscon is abandoning textbooks entirely, at the urging of the school district's technology evangelist, who appears to have …

    Music and Media 12 Jul 2005, 00:50

  • Microsoft renames Open License Value program Open Value

    It's simpler

    Microsoft's mission to simplify pricing has seen the company update its volume licensing programs for small and medium business (SMB) customers. Microsoft's Open License Value program, for those running less than 250 PCs, will now be called the Open Value program and eliminate regional differences in Open License Value. Sunny …

    Hardware 12 Jul 2005, 02:31

  • 'We are all schadenbloggers, now'

    Letters In case of terror attack, get typing

    Last week we noticed that within 24 hours of the London terror attack, VXers were delivering a topical, terror related virus. And blog evangelists telling us Journalism Would Never Be The Same Again™ ... that This Changes Everything™, and other dot.com era platitudes. Thanks to Jon Garfinkel for reminding us of his earlier …

    Letters 12 Jul 2005, 02:35

  • Dutch build giant cluster telescope

    Looking back a long way

    The Netherlands's Foundation for Research in Astronomy (Astron), is building a giant network of radio telescopes that will help researchers study the earliest days of the universe. Astron already has 14 large radio scopes, but the facility's Lofar project is now building a huge cluster of up to 25,000 simple pyramidal radio …

    Science 12 Jul 2005, 05:02

  • Watching us through the Sorting Door

    Ex-spook and SAP launch RFID research project

    A former CIA intelligence analyst and researchers from SAP plan to study how RFID tags might be used to profile and track individuals and consumer goods. "I believe that tags will be readily used for surveillance, given the interests of various parties able to deploy readers," said Ross Stapleton-Gray, former CIA analyst and …

    Music and Media 12 Jul 2005, 05:02

  • Abbey business banking falls over (again)

    Any other business?

    Abbey National's business banking service went down twice on Monday. The glitch left anbusiness.com customers unable to make transactions online and, in at least one case, unable to carry out transactions over the phone either. Gary Hinson, chief exec of security governance consultancy IsecT, was left frustrated by his …

    IT Director 12 Jul 2005, 08:58

  • Microsoft hears mid-market knocking

    Needs to tackle IBM, Oracle, LAMP

    Microsoft is, to borrow a popular Wall St phrase, going "granular" on small and medium businesses (SMBs). The company has begun to focus on the very different needs of companies in the "S" portion and the "M" part of this over-used industry acronym, instead of seeing them at the more abstract level. The new approach became …

    Software 12 Jul 2005, 09:29

  • Hitachi has case of midrange storage madness

    HP and Sun insist it's a high-end moment

    Hitachi, HP and Sun Microsystems this week all came to market with the same storage product but couldn't quite agree on exactly what they were selling. Ringleader Hitachi put out a new system dubbed the NSC55 - a descriptive name to be sure. The system is a smaller version of the fancy TagmaStore system, so much smaller that …

    Storage 12 Jul 2005, 09:37

  • ICANN blog: I don’t like Mondays

    I’ll tell you why

    More about the intriguingly small country of Luxembourg, where ICANN is currently holding its latest meeting. The euro nearly ruined it. Previously the financial powerhouse of central Europe thanks to its liberal banking laws, in pre-euro days huge quantities of French, Belgians and Germans popped into the country to deal in …

    Telecoms 12 Jul 2005, 09:57

  • Intel 'ditches' high-end 'Centrino 3' chipset

    955XM reportedly axed

    Intel has reportedly axed the most powerful of three chipsets scheduled for its third-generation Centrino platform, 'Napa', due to ship early next year. The dropped chipset, the 955XM, was to have provided notebook users with the ability to access up to 4GB of DDR 2 SDRAM, a DigiTimes report notes, citing motherboard-maker …

    PCs 12 Jul 2005, 10:08

  • Mobile risk to drivers

    Hands-free kits could increase risk of crashes

    Using a "hands-free" phone while driving does not reduce the risk of crashing and could even contribute to even more smashes, warns a report out today. Researchers found that people who rabbit on a mobile phone while driving are four times more likely to have a serious crash even if they use a "hands-free" device. Some 450 …

    Mobile 12 Jul 2005, 10:17

  • Intel readies mainstream discrete dual-core chipset

    What, no integrated graphics?

    Intel will begin sampling its latest integrated chipset for desktop systems at the end of the month, but its next mainstream release will be a discrete chipset, according to motherboard makers. Sources cited by DigiTimes today claim the 945PL will ship in September for low-end dual-core Pentium D-based systems. They say the …

    PCs 12 Jul 2005, 10:23

  • Foetus threatened with Asbo

    Unborn ne'er-do-well off the streets

    The good burghers of Burton-on-Trent can sleep sounder in their beds today after the local council threatened to slap an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (Asbo) on an unborn baby. UK tabloid the Mirror reports that mum-to-be Julie Brown received notification that unless her ne'er-do-well foetus stopped annoying neighbours by driving …

    Bootnotes 12 Jul 2005, 10:25

  • News from Dept of Bleedin' Obvious

    Digital homes cost too much dosh

    Today's news of the bleeding obvious comes from those friendly suits at Accenture who have made some startling discoveries about what's holding back the digital home of the future. Apparently it's the cost of buying all that kit and the complexity of making it all work together that's stopped us from internet-enabling our …

    Bootnotes 12 Jul 2005, 10:35

  • Alcatel reports higher earnings

    Wins UK LLU contract

    Alcatel has posted higher-than-expected revenue growth for the second quarter thanks to increased demand for its communications gear. Announcing prelim figures today, France-based Alcatel reported that Q2 revenues were up 8 per cent to €3.14bn (£2.2bn) buoyed by sales in IP routing, optical transmission and mobile …

    Financial News 12 Jul 2005, 10:49

  • Solar-powered cars to race 2,500 miles

    From Austin to Calgary

    At least 27 teams have signed up to take part in the 2005 North American Solar Challenge race, which begins this Sunday, 17 July. The race will cross the border between the US and Canada, the first time a solar race has gone international, and will cover 2,500 miles, 100 miles more than either the 2001 or 2003 events. The …

    Science 12 Jul 2005, 11:05

  • Wi-Fi provider pitches Skype users

    Boingo touts $8-a-month unlimited call plan

    US Wi-Fi hotspot aggregator Boingo will today hop on the Skype bandwagon and begin promoting its wireless Internet access sites as VoIP locations. Under the SkypeZones brand, Boingo will offer Skype users unlimited wireless access for Skype calls for $8 a month, though the company warns that this may change when the service …

    VoIP 12 Jul 2005, 11:10

  • Dutch file-swapper case collapses

    Lack of evidence from anti-piracy unit

    The Dutch Protection Rights Entertainment Industry Netherlands (BREIN) has lost its case against five Dutch ISPs who refused to hand over the names of 42 suspected song swappers. BREIN knew these individuals only by their IP address. The court ruled that BREIN made a crucial mistake in collecting evidence against the …

    Music and Media 12 Jul 2005, 11:13

  • Nokia 'not interested' in buying RIM

    Devices unattractive - but what about the software?

    Nokia doesn't want to buy Research in Motion, a senior staffer said today. Mary McDowell, who runs Nokia's Enterprise Solutions business, said the phone giant can develop similar devices to RIM's without the need to acquire the Canadian company's expertise, the Helsingin Sanomatreports. And since almost 70 per cent of RIM's …

    Mobile 12 Jul 2005, 11:16

  • Sony1 scores resellers

    1,500 signed up

    Sony 1, has signed up 1,500 resellers since 1 April - a month ahead of schedule. Sony 1 bundles together all Sony's AV, IT and telecom products. It offers resellers one point of contact for all Sony products, marketing funds and other initiatives. The firm believes increasing demand for integrated solutions and products …

    Channel Register 12 Jul 2005, 11:18

  • UK faces legal action over e-waste failure

    EU's green threat

    The European Commission (EC) has threatend legal action against the UK for failing to introduce new e-waste laws. The UK - along with seven other EU nations - have been given a final warning to introduce the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which deals with the disposal and recycling of electrical and …

    IT Director 12 Jul 2005, 11:21

  • Nvidia preps '$450' GeForce 7800 GT

    Quakecon launch?

    Nvidia will launch its next GeForce 7 series part next month, tied in to the Quakecon 2005 gaming festival. So claims an unnamed Nvidia Nsider quoted by CoolTechZone. Quakecon commences 11 August at the Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine, Texas and is co-sponsored by Nvidia. The mole reveals the part, the GeForce 7800 GT, will …

    Peripherals 12 Jul 2005, 12:09

  • OSDL establishes European open source vanguard

    The power of one

    Open Source Development Labs (ODSL) has opened up an office in Europe to support the use of Linux and open source software in the region. The non-profit corporatation, employer of Linus Torvalds, is setting up shop in the old continent five years after ODSL's inception and after already establishing offices in Tokyo and Beijing …

    Software 12 Jul 2005, 12:15

  • Airbus to enable in-flight mobile phoning in 2006

    Siemens supplying the kit

    Aircraft manufacturer Airbus has followed arch-rival Boeing to announce it will enable on-board mobile phone calls next year. Airbus said it would offer to incorporate Siemens-made base-stations on behalf of new customers of its 100-200 seater, mid-range A320 family. The Siemens kit ensures calls will not interfere with …

    Mobile 12 Jul 2005, 12:20

  • Comet Tempel-1 covered in cosmic talc

    Dusty

    The first data from the Deep Impact mission to Comet Tempel-1 suggest that the comet is covered in a layer of fine powder. When the probe slammed into the comet on 4 July, the impact released an immense cloud of dust, probably as fine as talcum powder, NASA says, leaving a crater between 50 and 250 metres in diameter. When the …

    Science 12 Jul 2005, 12:35

  • ICANN warns world of domain hijacking

    Industry told 'sort it'

    A report by the internet's leading security experts has warned the world of the risk of domain name hijacking and told the industry to pull its socks up. ICANN's Security and Stability Advisory Committee has outlined several famous and recent thefts of websites, including Panix.com, Hushmail.com and HZ.com, and listed where the …

    Financial News 12 Jul 2005, 13:03

  • Sophos glitch leaves PCs hanging

    SAV our souls

    A recent security update from Microsoft is tripping up users of Sophos's flagship anti-virus scanning software. Some enterprise users of Sophos Anti-Virus (SAV) for Windows version 5 found their machines were taking up to 15 minutes to log on to the network after applying Microsoft's Update Rollup 1 for Win 2000 SP 4. Sophos has …

    Malware 12 Jul 2005, 13:10

  • Fuji FinePix F10 Zoom digicam

    Review Class leader?

    The F10 boasts the companies new, 1/1.7in Super CCD HR sensor that uses a full 6.3m gross pixels rather than the interpolated, dual-pixel elements of yore. Fujifilm's Super CCD technology has been with us for some time now and it just keeps getting better. To prove the point the F10 has its best incarnation yet in a camera of …

    Reviews 12 Jul 2005, 13:32

  • BBC execs bury snouts in trough

    Big bonuses anger unions

    The BBC can expect to take some heavy flack after admitting in its annual report that top execs trousered up to 25 per cent of their salaries in performance-related bonuses last year. The revelation comes after the Corporation announced it would slash 20 per cent of its workforce over the next three years in an exercise designed …

    Bootnotes 12 Jul 2005, 14:00

  • Chip kit market shrinks

    Fab market not fab...

    The market for equipment used to make computer chips will shrink more than 12 per cent this year compared to growth of 67.2 per cent in 2004. The equipment market will fall 12.1 per cent to $32.6bn, according to SEMI's Capital Equipment Consensus Forecast which predicted a fall of just five per cent in November 2004. Stanley …

    Financial News 12 Jul 2005, 14:19

  • BT cracks down on 'nuisance' sales calls

    Now 'eff off and don't bother us again!

    BT has introduced new privacy measures to protect punters from annoying phone calls from pushy salespeople. Keen to ensure that its custmers are not disturbed by "nuisance salespeople", [including its own, ed?], BT is offering to sign up people to the Telephone Preference Scheme (TPS) register, which helps block unwanted sales …

    Telecoms 12 Jul 2005, 14:31

  • Adobe/Macromedia merger probed

    Feds want more info

    Adobe and Macromedia must provide more information to the Department of Justice before regulators will approve their merger. Adobe said in April it would pay $3.4bn for Macromedia, maker of Flash animation software. The two companies have now received their second "Request for Additional Information and Documentary Materials" …

    Financial News 12 Jul 2005, 14:37

  • EC officials raid Intel offices

    Channel partners and PC makers too

    European Commission investigators today raided Intel EMEA offices in a bid to find evidence that the chip giant violated the Union's antitrust laws. The raids, which extended to Intel's distribution partners and PC maker customers, and are part of an ongoing investigation into Intel's behaviour, were confirmed by the company …

    PCs 12 Jul 2005, 14:44

  • British government lost 150 PCs this year

    And the Home Office is worst offender

    The Home Office might be in charge of law and order but it's not very good at keeping hold of its own property - it has lost more computers this year than any other department. Between January and June 2005 the Home Office lost 95 machines - equivalent to a theft almost every other working day. The Ministry of Defence, which …

    Public Sector 12 Jul 2005, 14:56

  • Drugs, phonecams, privacy and GPS tracking

    Letters It's all go in the post bag

    Police in London want your mobile phone snaps and video footage, and the government wants all your emails and phone records. Following the rather unpleasant events of last week, the authorities are calling on ISPs to co-operate with efforts to gather mobile phone and email traffic data, sparking speculation that the EU's data …

    Letters 12 Jul 2005, 15:17

  • How Dell made Los Angeles look like a sucker - in pictures

    Move over, cows

    Silly, silly Californians. They don't know how to get things done right or at least how to get things done cheap. Take, for example, the Frank Gehry Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. This building cost close to $250m with much of that money coming from rich people donations. It's a wonderful creation to be sure and something …

    Bootnotes 12 Jul 2005, 15:44

  • Industry coalition takes stab at defining spyware

    Grappling with semantics

    Technology companies have formed an alliance with public interest groups to tackle spyware. Membership of the Anti-Spyware Coalition (here) includes large software developers, anti-spyware companies and others. Current members include AOL, Computer Associates, EarthLink, HP, Lavasoft, McAfee, Microsoft, PC Tools, Symantec, Trend …

    Malware 12 Jul 2005, 15:52

  • AMD alleges Intel compilers create crash code for its chips

    Fork off

    The lawsuit AMD filed against its arch-rival, Intel, alleges that a tweak in Intel's compilers can hinder the performance of code running on AMD processors. According to the complaint: "Intel has designed its compiler purposely to degrade performance when a program is run on an AMD platform. To achieve this, Intel designed the …

    Hardware 12 Jul 2005, 18:03