The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

3rd November 2005 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Asus preps 'silent' Radeon 1600XT card

    Monster heatsink ahoy!

    Asus will this month ship what it claims is an ATI Radeon X1600-based graphics card that offers near-silent operation. The EAX1600XT SILENT/TVD/256M board will ship with a large heatsink mounted on the back of the board. It's connected to the GPU by a pair of copper heatpipes. Asus claims the rig is capable of pulling all the …

    Peripherals 3 Nov 2005, 01:02

  • Staff cuts and accelerated spin-out for Novell

    Must try harder

    Novell is axing 600 staff and accelerating plans to spin out its consulting business in an attempt to cut costs and return to growth. The company said Wednesday it is cutting more than 10 per cent of positions while focusing on Linux, open source, identity and resource management in a restructuring geared towards cutting $110m …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 01:08

  • ADIC's modular midrange SMI-S

    Cut-down enterprise library heads straight for LTO-3.

    ADIC has given traditional one-box-fits-all tape libraries a kicking - and filled a gap in its line-up - with the launch of a modular library that can go to 18 LTO-3 drives and over 400 slots. Called the Scalar i500, it has native support for the SMI-S storage management standard and iSCSI, and replaces the smaller Scalar 100 …

    Storage 3 Nov 2005, 08:21

  • Algorithms no match for sales craft, Dell discovers

    Axes flop CE division

    Dell will dismantle its US standalone consumer electronics division after poor results. The unit sold standard living room fare such as TVs, as well as high-end media PCs. The Wall Street Journal's Gary McWilliams reports that the Dell formula which has proved so successful for selling commodity PCs has been outgunned by …

    Channel Register 3 Nov 2005, 08:22

  • Booming 3G demand lifts Qualcomm

    R&D tops a billion

    3G networks might not be the money-spinner the carriers once hoped, but they're bringing increasing cheer to Qualcomm investors with each quarter. Qualcomm provides chipsets for its own flavor of 3G and receives a royalty on each W-CDMA phone sold, whether or not they include Qualcomm silicon. W-CDMA is the flavor of 3G favored …

    Mobile 3 Nov 2005, 08:26

  • Sony to offer patch for 'rootkit' DRM

    Updated Fix removes cloaking, but not the 'rootkit'

    Sony BMG said today it will offer a patch for one of its own exploits - one that comes bundled with its music CDs. The code cloaks itself and by intercepting and redirecting low level windows system calls, forces the audio through a custom player, and restricts the number of CD burns that can be made. As Sys Internals' Mark …

    Security 3 Nov 2005, 08:35

  • Disposable credit card attracts 10,000 Irish users

    Plastic Paddies

    Permanent TSB says that pre-paid credit for its disposable Visa card is now available in over 1,000 shops and petrol stations throughout Ireland. The disposable Visa cards - dubbed 3V cards - enable people to buy goods and services over the phone and the internet even if they don't have a credit card. Customers buy credit in …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 08:42

  • Crypto gurus hash out future

    At least 300,000 years to go

    Encryption experts met in Gaithersburg, Maryland, this week to discuss retiring the SHA-1 hashing algorithm and creating a stronger version of the cryptographic workhorse. Over the past eighteen months, significant breaks of the Secure Hash Algorithm, SHA-1, have left confidence in the crypto algorithm essentially shattered. …

    Security 3 Nov 2005, 10:33

  • Carphone confirms local loop plans

    1,000 exchanges targeted

    The Carphone Warehouse is to invest up to £45m over the next three years as part of a major push into broadband and local loop unbundling (LLU). Not just content with flogging mobile phones, and reselling fixed line and broadband services, Carphone has ambitions to become "the clear number one alternative telecoms provider". …

    Telecoms 3 Nov 2005, 10:50

  • Sanyo pitches 'ready to use' rechargeable batteries

    Better than dry cells

    Sanyo will this month start selling a rechargeable battery that doesn't lose its charge if it's left unused, the company said yesterday. The battery, dubbed 'Eneloop', is derived from a standard NiMH cell. However, like non-rechargeable batteries, Eneloops don't lose their charge over short periods of time. That, said Sanyo, …

    Peripherals 3 Nov 2005, 10:52

  • Hidden DRM code's legitimacy questioned

    When bad software happens to good people

    The latest headache for security professionals has become a secret weapon in the battle between copyright owners and their customers. This week, two research groups independently and separately reported that music giant Sony BMG has used software hiding techniques more commonly found in rootkits to prevent removal of the …

    Malware 3 Nov 2005, 11:07

  • Milky Way's black hole exposed in study

    Smaller and denser than we thought

    An international team of astronomers have provided compelling evidence that we have a supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy. The astronomers, led by Zhi-Qiang Shen of the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, used an array of 10 radio telescope across the US to measure the radio emissions from around the edges of Sgr …

    Science 3 Nov 2005, 11:21

  • Teen escapes email bombing charge

    Loophole in UK hacker law exposed

    A British teenager who allegedly flooded his former employers' email system with five million emails has escaped trial after a judge ruled that he had no case to answer. The ruling at Wimbledon Magistrates Court raises fresh doubts about the effectiveness of the Computer Misuse Act [CMA] in dealing with denial of service …

    Music and Media 3 Nov 2005, 11:26

  • Nude Brits shop while drunk

    Completely BLOTO online

    A growing number of Britons are taking their wallets online after the pub closes, according to new research. The number of people logging on to the internet to shop after having several drinks is on the rise, customer experience firm Conchango claims in a study into online spending behaviour. The research shows a rise in a …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 11:35

  • 'Exploratory' talks on AOL future, says TW

    Not just 'rumour and speculation'

    Time Warner has confirmed that it is holding "exploratory" talks with a number of operators over the future of its AOL internet division. Speaking yesterday Time Warner chief exec Dick Parsons admitted that the internet giant was "holding exploratory discussions with a number of strategic partners" concerning a "range of …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 11:49

  • Vodafone to increase Vodacom stake

    Emerging markets

    Vodafone is to increase its stake in South African operator Vodacom to 50 per cent, according to reports, in a deal that will see it invest a further £1.35bn (around R16bn) in the company. The UK-based operator said yesterday that it would buy up the shares of holding company VenFin for R47.25 each, around 30 per cent above …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 11:54

  • Plasmon parades Operation RAID

    Channel recruitment

    Plasmon is hunting for resellers to flog its Raidtec Solutions line of NAS, SCSI and fibre channel RAID storage systems. It is running a recruitment campaign, dubbed Operation RAID, through its disties in UK, Ireland, Benelux, Germany and France. Dealers get 20 per cent off their first orders and a "select number of [new] …

    Channel Register 3 Nov 2005, 11:57

  • HTC preps media-centric 3G phone

    High-speed data support too?

    It's not expected to ship for eight months, but HTC's next-generation Windows Mobile 5.0-based media phone has already surfaced on the web. According to a MSMobiles.com report, the handset, dubbed Muse, is a 3G device that also supports GSM and GPRS with EDGE. It may also support HSDPA, the extension to UMTS 3G technology that …

    Mobile 3 Nov 2005, 12:06

  • Bird flu seagull actually pissed

    Swedish false alarm

    Vets in Sundsvall, Sweden, believed they had a case of avian influenza when they discovered a seagull with "with yellow liquid coming out of its beak and anus", crashed out on its back and "kicking its legs", UPI reports. The truth was rather less alarming - the bird was actually the worse for wear after apparently eating yeast …

    Bootnotes 3 Nov 2005, 12:26

  • Rabid vampire bats menace Brazil

    23 dead in 'unusually serious' spate of attacks

    The Brazilian health authorities are battling a wave of attacks by rabid vampire bats which have in the last two months killed 23 people. More than 1,300 bite victims have also been treated for rabies during the outbreak, which the authorities describe as "unusually serious". Vampire bats - the main carriers of rabies in Brazil …

    Science 3 Nov 2005, 12:32

  • S3 launches Chome S20 GPUs

    High clock speeds, low power consumption

    S3 Graphics today formally launched the Chrome S20, its fourth-generation DirectX 9.0 graphics chip, running at what it claimed is the "highest frequency of any GPU currently available". That honour goes to the Chrome S27, which runs at 700MHz. It supports any memory configuration from single-channel DDR SDRAM up to quad- …

    Channel Register 3 Nov 2005, 12:37

  • Potential suitor courts Eircom

    You dancin'? You askin?

    Eircom - Ireland's incumbent telco - could be about to be snapped up after confirming it has received an approach from a potential bidder. At this stage it's not known who is sniffing around Eircom but Swisscom and Deutsche Telekom have been named in press reports as potential suitors. "The company has received a preliminary …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 12:52

  • Nokia misses N-Gage sales target by miles

    Aimed for 6m, sold 2m

    Nokia's handheld games console-cum-phone, the N-Gage, remains central to the Finnish giant's multimedia strategy despite failing to meet sales expectations. Speaking in Barcelona this week, Anssi Vanjoki, who runs Nokia's multimedia operation, admitted he was unhappy with the console's take-up. "I said we needed to sell six …

    Mobile 3 Nov 2005, 14:19

  • BT Ireland confirms Cara buyout

    Dusted and done

    BT Ireland has confirmed that it's bought the Cara Group in a deal that execs claim will create one of the largest networked IT services companies in Ireland. Financial details were not dislcosed. The deal, reported by The Register earlier this week, is part of BT's strategy to gain more ground as a networked services provider …

    Channel Register 3 Nov 2005, 14:23

  • Cisco protects routers against 'Black Hat' bug

    Double plus bad

    Cisco has warned users of a flaw in its IOS (Internetwork Operating System) software which might be used by hackers to bypass security restrictions and run hostile code on network devices. The vulnerability reportedly affects all Cisco products that run Cisco IOS software, including routers and a limited range of switches that …

    Data Networking 3 Nov 2005, 14:43

  • Toshiba Qosmio G20 Media Center notebook

    Review Cinema on the move?

    Toshiba's Qosmio range is set up for entertainment and the G20 stands at its head. With a large widescreen display and running Microsoft's Windows Media Center 2005, Toshiba has pretty much thrown the kitchen sink at this thing in an effort to ensure that it can act as a full-on digital content hub. However, it's not going to …

    Reviews 3 Nov 2005, 14:44

  • Mars Express up and running

    And slim hope for student satellite

    A faulty instrument on Mars Express is up and running again after a "few months" out of action. The Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) went offline in July this year when its pendulum motor broke down. Once mission scientists were able to establish the cause of the problem, they switched to the back up motor and the PFS is …

    Science 3 Nov 2005, 14:57

  • MS buys Swiss VoIP outfit

    'Breaking down the silos of communication'

    Microsoft is to acquire a Swiss software outfit that develops applications for internet telephony. Financial details were not released but Zurich-based media-streams.com said it plans to work with the software giant to "accelerate the delivery of its unified communications vision". In MS-speak it wants to "break down the silos …

    VoIP 3 Nov 2005, 15:01

  • PartyGaming weighs odds on Empire takeover

    Flushed out

    PartyGaming, the company behind PartyPoker.com, has confirmed that it has made a bid to acquire rival online gambling operator Empire. The company said press speculation had prompted the disclosure. The two companies previously had an agreement whereby Empire would direct players to PartyPoker.com in return for a slice of the …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 15:53

  • Apple stock rockets

    Record high achieved

    Apple's share price hit a record high yesterday, and it could well do so today. AAPL stock closed yesterday at $59.95, up four per cent on the previous day's close. The stock began trading at $60.55, and peaked at $61.74 in some early transactions. It's not hard to see why the stock might be proving so popular. This week's …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 16:01

  • Opteron Madness forces Dell to market IBM servers

    It has come to this

    Being late to market with dual-core processors has taken a damaging toll on Dell's marketing leverage. Evidence? You bet. During a Dell-hosted conference call this week with reporters, Kirk Skaugen, Intel's general manager of servers, started detailing new four-way systems based on Intel's Paxville MP chip. Dell needed this …

    Servers 3 Nov 2005, 16:08

  • Governments agree to end multi-chip import duties

    Cheaper chips

    US, European and Asian government and trade representatives have provisionally agreed to stop taxing semiconductors in multi-chip packages (MCPs) more than they tax single-die packages. Delegates from the US, the European Commission, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan meeting in Seoul this week agreed to end import duties on MCPs …

    Channel Register 3 Nov 2005, 16:12

  • Video Networks expands broadband network

    Coming to city near you

    Video Networks is to unbundle hundreds more exchanges as it makes its broadband TV service available to some ten million viewers in the UK. The national expansion of its local loop unbundling (LLU) network is to be funded by Video Networks' existing shareholders and by a new round of fund-raising led by investment bank CSFB. …

    Telecoms 3 Nov 2005, 16:15

  • Harmless Oracle worm raises security fears

    Them thar varmints is coming after our databases

    Gray Hat hackers have posted proof-of-concept code for a worm designed to spread using vulnerabilities in Oracle's database software. The Oracle Voyager worm, which targets Oracle databases with default user accounts and passwords, was posted on a full disclosure list on Monday (31 October). Although not a threat in itself, …

    Malware 3 Nov 2005, 16:43

  • AMD begins fully-buffered blade attack on Intel

    Precious, precious watts

    AMD made its blade server pitch yesterday to Wall Street and leaked out one area where it looks to hit Intel in the coming months. Close chip watchers know that Intel and its OEMs plan to support Fully-Buffered DIMMs in 2007. This memory technology will provide a number of features that should benefit server makers, including …

    Servers 3 Nov 2005, 17:57

  • Firefox gains ground on IE

    Alternative browser crosses one in 10 milestone

    More than one out of 10 surfers use Firefox as a browser, according to a study by web analytics firm OneStat.com. Although Mozilla-based browsers have a total global usage share of 11.51 percent - an increase of 2.82 per cent since April 2005 - Microsoft's Internet Explorer still dominates the global browser market with a global …

    Applications 3 Nov 2005, 18:11

  • SolarMetric buy makes BEA more persistent

    Keeping up with the competition

    BEA Systems is buying an object/relational mapping specialist to simplify development of Java applications and compete with open and closed source rivals. BEA has bought SolarMetric and announced plans to support the company's Kodo persistence engine in its WebLogic Server 9.5, due in the second half of 2006, and Workshop …

    Applications 3 Nov 2005, 18:47

  • Microsoft nabs wee FolderShare

    Windows Live lives

    Microsoft is rounding out the infrastructure of its live software "service" with the acquisition of synchronization and remote access service FolderShare. FolderShare helps customers access information across multiple devices without sending data in large emails, uploading or burning data to CD or DVD. The service allows …

    Financial News 3 Nov 2005, 18:59

  • Political challenge to state's Office ruling

    Microsoft - in or out?

    The decision by a US state to dump Microsoft Office for desktop productivity suites only supporting OpenDocument Format (ODF) has run afoul of local politics. Massachusetts has moved to establish an IT taskforce that sets state-wide software standards and procurement policies along with formatting of web page content. The …

    Public Sector 3 Nov 2005, 21:53

  • Five months at Oracle enough for CFO

    Revolving door ordered for exec's office

    Greg Maffei has become the latest CFO to last less than a year at database giant Oracle. Maffei, who ran Microsoft's vast and swelling finances between 1997 and 2000, is leaving to follow a "terrific personal opportunity" after just five months at Oracle. Maffei follows Harry You, who left in March after eight months in the …

    IT Director 3 Nov 2005, 22:34