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27th July 2005 Archive

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  • Sun posts flat Q4

    Bit of black ink

    Another year, another revenue drop for Sun Microsystems. The hardware vendor today turned in fourth quarter and full year results that showed continued struggles to gain market share, ship high-end servers and sell storage. In the fourth quarter, Sun posted revenue of $2.98bn - a 4 per cent drop from $3.11bn posted in the same …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 00:05

  • Verizon closes in on Cingular

    An $18 billion Q2

    Verizon booked $2.11bn of profit on revenues of $18.57bn in 2Q. As an added bonus, CEO Ivan Seidenberg didn't make any howlers - but then he left the talking to his CFO. The $1.6bn sale of Verizon's Hawaiian business added $330m to the bottom line in the quarter ending June 30. Verizon's jointly-owned mobile network, Verizon …

    Mobile 27 Jul 2005, 06:34

  • Thus upbeat about future

    Delighted someone is

    Thus - the Scottish telco that also operates under the Demon internet brand - remains upbeat despite having to operate within the "challenging competitive dynamics in the UK telecommunication market". In a trading update published today the telco said its business had continued to grow especially in areas including broadband …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 08:55

  • TSMC up, UMC down in Q2

    But both foundries a long way from last year's highs

    TSMC, the world's biggest chip foundry, strengthened its financial position during its second quarter over the previous three-month period, though it still has some way to go to achieve the highs of Q2 FY2004. Its arch-rival, UMC, the world's second biggest foundry, proved less successful, with sales and profits down …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 09:16

  • Infineon Q3 loss doubles

    DRAM shipments up, but prices plunge

    Germany's Infineon yesterday blamed poor memory prices as it sank even further into the red. Sales for the three months to 30 June 2005 - Infineon's third quarter of fiscal 2005 - came to €1.61bn ($1.95bn), the same as Q2 FY2005 but 15.8 per cent lower than Q3 FY2004. Sales at all three of the company's business units - memory …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 09:21

  • CA gets behind Big Blue mainframe

    Will support on demand

    Computer Associates quickly jumped on the back of IBM’s latest mainframe monster yesterday, pledging software support for the System z9. The management software vendor claimed it would offer “comprehensive support” across its mainframe software lines for Big Blue’s just released behemoth. This would include the delivery of on- …

    Servers 27 Jul 2005, 09:42

  • Egg soldiers on

    End of

    Egg - the UK internet bank that tried to crack the French market - posted increased turnover and a profit for the first half of the year. Operating income was up 5 per cent to £251m while the company overturned a £1.7m loss last year to rack up a pre-tax profit of £15m. Almost all of that surplus came from Egg's UK operations …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 10:07

  • Siebel posts $50m Q2 loss

    Takes $74m restructuring charge

    Siebel Systems has posted a net loss of $50m for its second quarter on revenues of $313.6m, compared to a net income of $7.5m on revenues of $301.1m a year ago. The company issued a warning earlier this month, saying that delays to government deals had hit its licencing revenues, which were down 17 per cent on the same period …

    Software 27 Jul 2005, 10:07

  • Germans discover world's oldest dildo

    28,000 years old and 'highly polished'

    German scientists are tickled pink after unearthing one of the world's oldest sculpted phalluses - 20cm of polished siltstone lovingly created around 28,000 years ago. The stone schlong was discovered in Hohle Fels Cave near Ulm, Swabia, by a Tübingen University team. Professor Nicholas Conard, from the university's snappily- …

    Bootnotes 27 Jul 2005, 10:10

  • Tablet PC biz to see Vista-driven boom

    Falling prices will help too

    Tablet PC fans should look forward to Vista - or whatever Microsoft's next-generation Windows operating system is called, other trademark holders permitting. According to market watcher In-Stat, Vista, as we should now be calling 'Longhorn', will have a "significant impact" on Tablet PC sales. Tablet PCs have been around for …

    PCs 27 Jul 2005, 10:19

  • O2 workers barred from AGM, says CWU

    Oh no they're not, says O2

    O2 employees who also own shares in the cellco have been prevented from appearing at the company's AGM today, according to the Communications Workers Union (CWU). Reuters reports that union officials claim the ban has been put in place because of an ongoing pay dispute between staff and O2. But a spokesman for O2 rejected the …

    Mobile 27 Jul 2005, 10:34

  • iPod users deprived of muff

    No soft docking pending resupply

    Our regular Gizmondo feature - provided by those lovely people down at Tech Digest - regularly showcases a "Obligatory iPod Accessory of the Week"; most recently the Audi-Oh Vibrator which converts your iPod into a musical orgasmatron. Well, you'll need somewhere to rest you iPod after a hard core session, and where better than …

    Bootnotes 27 Jul 2005, 10:45

  • AOL does mobile search

    Local searches on your phone

    AOL is joining the fight over local search services. The company joins Google, MSN and Yahoo competing for revenue from advertising goods and services based on location. To use the service you will need a WAP2.0 phone. The service is free although network charges will apply. AOL is working with Israeli firm InfoGin which helps …

    Mobile 27 Jul 2005, 10:49

  • Feds move swiftly to exploit 7/7

    Washington Roundup Profiles in cowardice

    The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will now peddle geospatial data (satellite imagery) overlaid with "suspicious incidents" to state and local cops, further adding to their considerable confusion over what constitutes a petty crime, an innocent person acting strangely (which can get you wrestled to the ground and your …

    Music and Media 27 Jul 2005, 10:59

  • FTC probes Grand Theft Auto

    'Deceptive' claims cited

    The publisher of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas announced yesterday that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is probing advertising claims it made regarding the controversial game. The FTC investigation follows a tough couple of weeks for Take 2 which ended with GTA reclassified from Mature to Adult Only after a Dutch modder …

    Consoles 27 Jul 2005, 11:05

  • Enceladus revealed as Cassini's photo tour continues

    Wish you were here?

    Cassini has sent back another batch of pictures from its tour of the Saturn orbital system. This time, it has snapped the surface of the icy moon Enceladus in unprecedented detail. Enceladus, discovered in 1789 by Sir William Herschel, is the brightest object in the solar system (not counting the very shiny star in the middle …

    Science 27 Jul 2005, 11:15

  • File sharers 'spend more on music downloads'

    P2Pers stump up hard cash

    Brits who share and download music illegally are also among the biggest spenders on legal downloads, UK-based market watcher The Leading Question (TLQ) claimed today. Active P2P users spend almost 4.5 times as much on legal music downloads as other music fans, a survey of more than 600 computer-using music fans conducted by TLQ …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 12:00

  • Internet has 'given Al Qaeda wings' claims BBC potboiler

    Shock discovery - terrorists use computers too

    Al Qaeda is now a "global brand driven by the power of the world wide web", and media-savvy cyberjihadis are manipulating the internet for training, recruitment and propaganda, according to the first of a three part series on The New al Qaeda broadcast on Monday 25th July) on BBC2. "The internet," says programme-maker Peter …

    Music and Media 27 Jul 2005, 12:29

  • France Telecom buys Spanish cellco

    The future's Anaranjado

    France Telecom (FT) is shelling out €6.4bn for Spain's third largest mobile phone operator, the telco confirmed today. Amena has almsot 10 million punters - one in four of all mobile phone users in Spain - and operates in a country where experts predict future growth above the European average. Once the deal is completed Amena …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 12:46

  • Granville Technology goes into administration

    Bell tolls for UK's largest PC maker

    Granville Technology Group Ltd, owner of computer brands Time and Tiny, has gone into administration and most of its 1,600 staff are likely to lose their jobs. Grant Thornton is handling the wind-up or possible sale of the Burnley-based firm. The news follows weeks of speculation about the company's future. The beancounters - …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 13:38

  • Canal could cause earthquakes, Egypt warns

    Thin crust Earth to blame

    The head of the Egyptian Suez Canal Authority (SCA) has warned that a new canal linking the Red and Dead seas could increase the risk of an earthquake in the Middle East, saying that the project would lead to "strong seismic activity in the region". Jordan, Israel and the Palestinians have signed a joint agreement for a study …

    Science 27 Jul 2005, 13:42

  • Personal storage sites are a 'safe haven for hackers'

    Censorware firm apes Mary Whitehouse

    Websense, the employee management software outfit that's become best known for heaping FUD on emergent net technolgies, has found a new target. Hot on the heels of charecterising online storage sites as a conduit for industrial espionage and blogs as a host of malware it's decided to chastise personal web hosting sites as a " …

    Security 27 Jul 2005, 13:53

  • Microsoft cloaks Area 51

    Black helicopter alert Bill G developing alien stealth technology?

    We all know that Microsoft has a tentacle in just about every pie on the planet, but what exactly is Redmond's black ops department up to in Nevada? This chilling question arises because Microsoft's Virtual Earth has excised all satellite data of the legendary Area 51, leaving a great big grey void filled only with hundreds of …

    Bootnotes 27 Jul 2005, 13:59

  • WD readies 'most reliable' enterprise HDD

    400GB monster

    Western Digital will next month ship in volume what it claims is the most reliable enterprise-oriented Serial ATA hard drive. The 400GB WD Caviar RE2 is rated for a mean time between failure of 1.2m hours, the manufacturer said - and that's in "high duty-cycle environments", by which it means 100 per cent 24 x 7 operation. Like …

    Storage 27 Jul 2005, 14:03

  • First the terrorists, now the GOP. Why IT is against me

    And ninethly Puke for freedom

    We bought the son of a bitch and then he didn't stay bought - Henry Clay Frick Desperation doesn't begin to describe my state. When the first bombing blog hit on July 7, I ran to Emergency Chamber 3 with incredible speed. Sadly, I realized a number of essentials were not present in in the Chamber - an oversight from the last …

    Bootnotes 27 Jul 2005, 14:26

  • Apple reappears outside Microsoft HQ

    Mutant logo appears in park

    The mysterious disappearance of Apple's Cupertino headquarters from MSN's new map service led to a veritable landslide of emails. Some were kind enough to point out that MSN uses old satellite pictures taken before the Apple HQ was built. Some missed the joke and questioned our intelligence and parentage. We were also …

    Bootnotes 27 Jul 2005, 14:32

  • iTunes emasculates Crazy Frog

    Amphibian deprived of wedding tackle

    There's some good news today for anyone who is not a great fan of Crazy Frog - iTunes across the pond has seen to it that the little bugger will not be able to reproduce, thereby sparing future generations his particular brand of amphibious merriment. Yup, Crazy Frog joined the US iTunes roster yesterday morning, but by the …

    Bootnotes 27 Jul 2005, 14:51

  • HP Photosmart 385 compact printer

    Review Perfect portable photo printing?

    When HP launched its portable PhotoSmart Printer range last year we were very impressed. The print quality was good, the portability great and the overall packages top notch. A year on and there's another model in the range, the 385. Does the new model add anything to the mix? asks Stuart Miles. On the surface nothing has …

    Reviews 27 Jul 2005, 15:03

  • Pretec ships 'world's most capacious' SD card

    4GB doesn't come cheap, though

    Pretec will next month begin mass production of what the company claims is the world's first 4GB SD card. But anyone looking to load up their digital camera, PDA or music player with a memory card offering an HDD-sized storage capacity is going to find they don't come cheap. The 4GB SD card provides data access speed of 20MBps …

    Peripherals 27 Jul 2005, 15:08

  • Hecklers disrupt O2 AGM

    Shareholders walk out

    O2's shareholder meeting descended into chaos today as workers tried to quiz execs over pay. Hecklers chanted "fat cat" as senior execs spoke to shareholders at the meeting in Reading. The Communications Workers Union (CWU) - which picketed today's meeting as part of its demands for increased wages for its members - reported …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 15:14

  • NASA investigates falling debris

    Sounds familiar

    NASA is investigating the possibility that two pieces of debris fell from the Shuttle Discovery during its launch yesterday. The space agency says it also looks like the craft hit a bird in the very early stages of its journey to space. One piece of debris appears to have affected a heatshield tile on the underside of the craft …

    Science 27 Jul 2005, 15:17

  • 'Pentagon hacker' McKinnon fights extradition

    Case adjourned as lawyers argue over jurisdiction

    A Briton accused of hacking into numerous Pentagon and NASA computers began his fight against extradition today. Gary McKinnon (AKA Solo), 39, of Wood Green, north London, allegedly hacked into 97 military and NASA computers over a 12 month period from February 2001 until March 2002, causing an estimated $700,000 (£370,000) in …

    Music and Media 27 Jul 2005, 15:50

  • Japan crafts 6-year plan to clobber US supercomputers

    10 petaflops of rhetoric

    Japan has again upped the rhetoric in the supercomputer wars, saying it has every intention of outclassing US systems by spending $714m to create a new giant. Reports from Japan have the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology pledging to fund a 10 petaflop machine. A system of that power would be 73 …

    Servers 27 Jul 2005, 15:50

  • SigmaTel snaps up Rio MP3 technology, engineers

    Digital music pioneer now no more than a name

    Rio, the erstwhile giant of the portable MP3 player market, is to become little more than a name after current owner D&M Holdings admitted yesterday its has sold the loss-making division's intellectual property, and technology and engineering resources to MP3 chip maker SigmaTel. The financial terms underpinning the deal were …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 15:56

  • Red Hat holes less severe than Windows - study

    Users brace for media app bug hell

    Red Hat is making hay from a report on system security vulnerabilities that apparently gives Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) a clean bill of health. A SANS Institute report has identified 20 top internet vulnerabilities of which only two affected RHEL, Red Hat said. According to Red Hat, patches have already been issued via the …

    Servers 27 Jul 2005, 18:08

  • PGP inventor to debut VoIP crypto

    Securing net calls

    Phil Zimmerman, inventor of Pretty Good Privacy cryptography, will unveil a prototype of his new privacy software for net phone calls this week. Unlike PGP however, it doesn't use a PKI (public key infrastructure). It's based on the open source Shtoom VoIP client software, Zimmerman told CNET, and he hopes to have working …

    Data Networking 27 Jul 2005, 19:53

  • University bans iPod adverts

    Dell Dude to make exclusive appearance at UW

    In case you had any doubts, ladies and gentleman, your children are truly up for sale, and you're paying tens of thousands of dollars to put them on the market. That's what we learned this week from the University of Washington, which has struck a broad music rental deal with Napster and Dell. Dogged reporter Kayla Webley of …

    Servers 27 Jul 2005, 20:00

  • Sprint doubles profits in Q2

    Churn down, ARPUs healthy

    Sprint more than doubled its profits in the three month period ending in June 30, posting net income of $600m on revenues of $7.1bn. That's up from $236m in net income and $6.87bn respectively in the corresponding quarter last year. The telco's wireless division more than compensated for losses in Sprint's local and long …

    Financial News 27 Jul 2005, 22:18