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12th October 2005 Archive

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  • China's DVD format 'ready by 2008'

    Blu-Ray meets the Red Way

    The battle may be all but over between the DVD+ and Blu-Ray camps, but China is determined to keep Western and Japanese manufacturers on their toes. Xinhua, the state-owned news agency, reminded everyone last week that China will put its own format on the market "before 2008". China's next-generation DVD is based on, but not …

    Personal 12 Oct 2005, 04:48

  • BT and OneTel lock horns over mis-selling dispute

    Not pretty

    BT and OneTel are locked in a bitter war of words over allegations of mis-selling phone services. The UK's dominant fixed line telco said it has settled a long running legal dispute after Centrica Telecommunications Ltd, which owns OneTel, gave written undertaking that it would "not infringe BT's trade marks or pass itself off …

    Telecoms 12 Oct 2005, 06:02

  • Apple finally kills Gil Amelio's legacy by numbers

    Best ever financials stuff 1995 figures

    Apple Computer has finally laid to rest the ghost of former chief exec Gil Amelio, yesterday unveiling gross revenues of $13.93bn and a net profit of $1.335bn, following its best-ever fourth (or any) quarter with revenues of $3.658bn and profit of $430m. At last, the folks at Cupertino won't have to compare themselves to the …

    Financial News 12 Oct 2005, 07:11

  • IBM makes tape disappear with virtual storage magic

    More big plans

    Quite awhile has passed since IBM first announced its On Demand Computing agenda, and the vendor is still hammering away at the goal. This week, IBM attacked the virtualization portion of its strategy with a slew of storage and server products. Tape might not be a sexy topic, but IBM is trying to spice the technology up a bit …

    Storage 12 Oct 2005, 07:12

  • Microsoft and Yahoo! 'to merge IM chat'

    >-:)

    Microsoft and Yahoo! will allow users of their respective IM chat services to communicate with each other without recourse to a third-party client, such as Trillian, according to a report. Neither company would confirm the story to the Wall Street Journal. Microsoft and Yahoo! hold 44 per cent of the worldwide IM user base …

    Financial News 12 Oct 2005, 07:15

  • UK taxpayers lose billions to errors, fraud and crap IT

    Ill-judged re-orgs

    Large-scale errors and fraud in the benefits system cost the taxpayers an estimated £3bn in 2003-04, according to report from the Government's Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Problems highlighted included customer and official errors, a complex benefits system and an ill judged IT re-organisation. The recent move to form …

    Public Sector 12 Oct 2005, 08:16

  • Small firms drive web growth

    Along with helping hand from blogs and spam

    Small businesses branching out online have helped make 2005 the strongest year ever for internet growth. According to internet infrastructure monitoring firm Netcraft, there are currently 74,409,971 websites worldwide, 2.68 million more than recorded in September. Some 17.5 million sites have been added to the web this year, …

    Small Biz 12 Oct 2005, 08:44

  • AT&T finds 911 workaround

    Will it satisfy FCC?

    AT&T claims it has found a way to satisfy US regulators that it can properly link its Voice Over Internet Protocol subscribers to 911 - the emergency services. The Federal Communications Commission has given VoIP firms until the end of November to find a way to ascertain the physical location of any VoIP subscriber who contacts …

    VoIP 12 Oct 2005, 08:47

  • US IT spending slows

    Figures from Forrester

    Spending on information technology in the US will slow sharply in 2007, claims analyst firm Forrester. Growth rates will drop from seven per cent in 2005 - 2006 to just two per cent in 2007. Forrester says IT spending is governed by two factors: changes in overall growth and the introduction and adoption of new technology. …

    IT Director 12 Oct 2005, 09:21

  • BBC demands £180 licence fee

    Not your grandmother's auntie

    The BBC is asking UK viewers for at least another £1.6bn over the next eight years, in part to fund its shift to digital broadcasting. The corporation will ask MPs to agree to increase the license fee by 2.3 per cent above inflation between now and 2013 to help underwrite the shift to digital as well as more original …

    Bootnotes 12 Oct 2005, 09:32

  • Environmental refugees could hit 50m by 2010

    Climate change not helping

    The world could be facing a surge in the numbers of people made homeless by environmental degradation, with UN researchers estimating that by 2010, there will be 50m so-called environmental refugees in need of aid and support. "There are well-founded fears that the number of people fleeing untenable environmental conditions may …

    Science 12 Oct 2005, 09:54

  • OneTel 'worst mis-selling offender' says BT

    As war of words rumbles on

    More customers complain about OneTel's sales tactics than any other telco, BT claimed, as the war of words between the rivals intensified today The Register understands that one in five of the 21,000 complaints BT receives each month about mis-selling concern OneTel. BT has just won an out of court settlement from Centrica, …

    Telecoms 12 Oct 2005, 09:58

  • Business support for ID cards collapses

    One in four like 'em

    Two years ago 73 per cent of company directors were in favour of ID cards but that figure has now fallen sharply despite the London bombings. Only 45 per cent of company directors now believe the introduction of ID cards would make British cities safer from terrorist attack and just 26 per cent think they would benefit their …

    ID 12 Oct 2005, 10:18

  • Worm fears over MS October patch batch

    Nine patches - three critical - in latest monthly update

    Microsoft's patch train rolled into town on Tuesday carrying a cargo of nine updates. Three of the October batch fix critical vulnerabilities involving Windows, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media Player, Microsoft warned. Four of the patches address important flaws and two deal with moderate security bugs. Microsoft pulled …

    Security 12 Oct 2005, 10:34

  • Web App Development with PHP and MySQL

    Site offer 30% off this comprehensive guide

    PHP and MySQL have become a serious and commercially viable system with which to develop web applications. With the relase of PHP 5, many developers are starting to take a second look at PHP. And while there are many books on the market that describe PHP language syntax, there are very few that fully describe web application …

    Site News 12 Oct 2005, 10:36

  • Sweden takes file sharer to court

    First charged with file sharing

    A Swedish man made history yesterday as the first Swede charged with file sharing. He is accused of having a copy of the movie Hip Hip Hora (The Ketchup Effect) which he allowed others to download. Swedish anti-piracy group Antipiratbyra(APB) tipped off the police. They contacted his ISP and used his IP number to track him down …

    Music and Media 12 Oct 2005, 10:47

  • Pru to hang on to Egg stake

    Humpty Dumpty unavailable for comment

    Shares in the Pru dipped this morning following reports that the UK insurer may hang on to its 79 per cent stake in Egg after all. Eighteen months after the Prudential slapped a "for sale" sign outside the offices of its online bank it has still failed to find a buyer. During that time the world and his dog have been tipped as …

    Financial News 12 Oct 2005, 10:51

  • Sexism still rife in science and tech jobs, research says

    Holding women back

    Women working in science and technology still face major barriers to career success, according to researchers at the University of Newcastle, with many women emphasising the struggle to balance family and professional life as a significant problem. So-called institutionalised sexism and male dominated boards were also …

    IT Director 12 Oct 2005, 12:16

  • Carphone profits up

    Share price down

    The Carphone Warehouse expects Q2 profits to rise by 35 per cent compared to last year as demand for telecoms services continues to grow. The independent mobile comms retailer, which also operates its own phone business, reported that total mobile phone connections grew by 15.1 per cent to 1.78m year-on-year in the 13 weeks to …

    Financial News 12 Oct 2005, 12:20

  • Phishing attack targets one-time passwords

    Scratch it and weep

    OUT-LAW News, 11/10/2005 A Swedish internet bank was forced to shut down its website for a short time last week after its one-time password security system was targeted by a new type of phishing scam, according to reports. Phishing usually occurs when a fraudster sends an email that contains a link to a fraudulent website where …

    ID 12 Oct 2005, 12:29

  • Texans battle RFID-driven black helicopters

    Wal-Mart 'awareness-raising' protest

    Anti-RFID protestors will on Saturday descend on a Dallas Wal-Mart to protest against the company's use of RFID chips and alleged corporate plans to use the technology to secretly track consumers. Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN) reckons that, contrary to business claims that RFID is simply …

    Bootnotes 12 Oct 2005, 12:32

  • Games industry fights violent video law

    We'll be back

    The US games industry is gearing up to challenge a Californian law limiting children’s access to violent video games, after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the new legislation into law on Friday. The new measure – known as AB 1179 – is designed to end the underage sale and rental of violent video games that depict serious …

    Music and Media 12 Oct 2005, 12:49

  • China's space mission blasts off

    Moon cakes for breakfast

    China has succesfully launched two astronauts into space, almost exactly two years after it first accomplished the feat. The astronauts, former fighter pilots Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng, will spend approximately five days in orbit aboard the Shenzhou VI capsule, conducting experiments. According to Chinese media, the capsule …

    Science 12 Oct 2005, 14:02

  • Voda faces trademark row with PCCW

    Just don't mention the 'now' word

    UK Broadband - the wireless broadband operator owned by telco giant PCCW - is in a tizz over a new brand campaign run by Vodafone. The Voda campaign centres on the premise of "make the most of now" and shows how mobile technology empowers people to do all sorts of things when and where they want. Snag is, UK Broadband recently …

    Networks 12 Oct 2005, 14:07

  • El Reg - RSS feeding the mobile world

    3G-tastic Vulture on the go

    Here's the scenario: you're a go-ahead sort of guy, looking for 3G connectability on the move, something which will allow you to keep email contact with the sales department while downing Buds in All Bar One, or MMSing topless Charlotte Church pics to your mates while feigning an interest in a Powerpoint presentation describing …

    Bootnotes 12 Oct 2005, 14:19

  • Interview with a tech entrepreneur

    TechScape British and 26 years-old. Blimey

    Richard Stubbs speaks at a mile a minute - unusual for an Englishman, I’ve found. He also a self-admitted “tech geek” who’s managed to learn social skills and network through music, hanging out programming and hacking at uni and keeping his finger on the pulse of technology. And there's another unusual thing about Stubbs - in …

    Small Biz 12 Oct 2005, 14:45

  • Nokia BlackBerry killers hit the streets

    Email crazy

    Nokia has launched three new mobile phones designed to please both the IT department and the business and mobile email user. The E60, E61 and E70 are the first of the E-series and will be available in the first quarter of 2006. They run on Symbian operating systems and will work on GSM and 3G networks. They can also link to …

    Mobile 12 Oct 2005, 14:55

  • Email scam suspect made 'threats to kill'

    Rack of charges

    Peter Francis-Macrae, the 23-year-old who is allegedly the UK's biggest spammer, faces a variety of charges ranging from threats to kill to fraudulent trading in a trial at Peterborough Crown Court this week. Francis-Macrae allegedly threatened to slit the throats of trading standards officers investigating suspected scams that …

    Spam 12 Oct 2005, 14:59

  • Homo floresiensis gains credibility

    New Flores finds back 'island-dwarfing' theory

    Researchers on the Indonesian island of Flores have uncovered more evidence that another species of hominid still lived on Earth as recently as 12,000 years ago. In 2003, scientists working on the site found the skull of a small hominid female. Labelled LB1, the skull was that of an adult, but too small to be that of a Homo …

    Science 12 Oct 2005, 15:44

  • Freddie Mercury's Roller rolls onto eBay

    Complete with box of Queen-sized tissues

    The late Freddie Mercury's 1974 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow is being offered for sale on eBay - complete with a man-sized box of tissues which the Queen singer's sister couldn't bear to remove after his death in 1991. As well as the Kleenex, the successful bidder will get an (presumably obsolete) car phone, radio cassette player …

    Music and Media 12 Oct 2005, 16:09

  • IBM donates Rational IP to Open Source

    Guidelines for software builders

    IBM wants to contribute software development blueprints to the open source community to help developers make fewer coding flaws. It reckons better practices for software development will flow from its donation of a subset of the IBM Rational Unified Process (RUP), a software process platform. RUP is a collection of methods and …

    Developer 12 Oct 2005, 16:15

  • Virus writers create Nintendo DS Trojan

    Bricking it

    Virus writers - no doubt inspired by news of the first PlayStation Portable Trojan - have created the first malware to target the Nintendo DS handheld gaming console. The simple Trojan, dubbed DSBrick, overwrites critical memory areas, preventing the console from booting up normally and thereby turning it into an expensive …

    Malware 12 Oct 2005, 17:46

  • Bacon Raton keeps US at top of spam charts

    Dirty deeds done dirt cheap

    The US has yet again topped a list of spam producing countries. One in four (26.4 per cent) of the spam messages intercepted by security firm Sophos's global network of spam traps between April - September, 2005 came from the USA. South Korea, second in the chart, accounted for a further 19.8 per cent of junk messages, with …

    Spam 12 Oct 2005, 18:15

  • New Palms cheaper than expected

    $99 color and $299 WiFi models debut

    Palm added new models to its Tungsten and Zire lines today, while kissing goodbye to the brand names it launched three years ago. It'll keep the T and Z identifiers, however, and the Treo and LifeDrive names will continue. The T series gains a Wi-Fi capable model in the T|X. This Palm shares the same 320x480 resolution screen …

    Mobile 12 Oct 2005, 19:28

  • Apple intros couch potato iMac and video iPod

    XP Media Center? We've heard of it

    Apple revamped its iMac range with home theatre features today, and as widely expected, at last added video playback capabilities to its iPod range. The iMac gains a new UI designed for sofa operation, similar to the on screen controls Microsoft developed for Windows XP Media Center Edition. FrontRow allows users to navigate …

    Mac Channel 12 Oct 2005, 20:11