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15th November 2005 Archive

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  • SGI pitches monster Linux on Itanium box

    SC05 Altix goes blades

    Struggling SGI won't back down from its Linux on Itanium charge. In fact, SGI next year will release the Altix 4000 – a monster of a machine that uses new blade server components and supports up 128TB of memory. The Altix 4000 will start shipping in the first quarter of 2006 and support both Intel's current "Madison" Itanic …

    Servers 15 Nov 2005, 04:28

  • Consumers punish firms over data security breaches

    Leaked data leads to lost business

    Consumer data security breaches are leading to customer revolt and an average cost per incident of $14m, according to a brace of surveys out this week. One in five US consumers quizzed by Ponemon Institute said they immediately terminated their accounts with vendors that lost their information. An additional 40 per cent polled …

    Enterprise Security 15 Nov 2005, 08:10

  • CA talks up telco tools

    CA World Converging tech trends take in RFIDs too

    Tools to manage converged networks and radio frequency identification (RFID) chips are top of CA's technology development agenda. Yogesh Gupta, CA's chief technology officer, said its recent purchase of network management specialist Concord Communications gave it the ability to develop tools to tie together the management of …

    Networks 15 Nov 2005, 08:26

  • Sun's first Niagara-based server arrives in pictures

    Exclusive Pretend you didn't see this

    Not to obliterate a dead horse, but we've spotted Sun Microsystems' upcoming Sun Fire T2000 server once again – this time on Sun's own site – in pictures. We're determined to convince Sun that this box exists despite its protestations that it doesn't. A dig on the search engine of your choice will show that Sun is selling four- …

    Servers 15 Nov 2005, 08:27

  • Sony rootkit DRM: how many infected titles?

    Intrepid blogger starts counting

    So how many CDs actually contain XCP, Sony BMG's notorious DRM consumer assault weapon? And which ones? Sony says that only 20 titles, which it refuses to name, contain the XCP virus - software which attacks music piracy by attacking your PC. But is it being economic with the actualité? Reg reader Geoffrey McCaleb has found no …

    Music and Media 15 Nov 2005, 09:02

  • US govt. plea in BlackBerry case

    Hands off!

    The US Justice Department has stepped into the ongoing patent infringement suit against BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM), asking the court to ensure that any injunction on the use of US BlackBerrys will not affect Government workers. The Justice Department has filed a “statement of interest” with the US District Court …

    Mobile 15 Nov 2005, 09:29

  • Save money...work at home, says Telewest

    Councils told how to hoard cash

    Local government workers should be allowed to work from home if the public sector is to realise efficiency savings outlined by last year's treasury-backed Gershon Review. Not only would teleworking increase staff productivity and help improve chances to hang on to key workers and attract new staff, it could also lead to …

    Public Sector 15 Nov 2005, 09:49

  • CA eyes service management purchase

    CA World No names now, but wallet on standby

    CA is on the prowl for acquisitions to round out its technologies in its four key business groups: systems management, security, storage and business service optimisation. But it is waving goodbye to the buying spree that characterised the company throughout the nineties. Reviewing the competitive landscape this week at CA …

    Software 15 Nov 2005, 09:59

  • Infineon to 'sell DRAM biz' to Nanya, Micron

    Getting out while the going's good?

    Infineon is to quit the DRAM market. The German chip maker will split up its DRAM unit and sell the bits to Micron and Nanya. So claims US investment bank Needham & Co., by way of a Reuters report. According to the story, Nanya will get Infineon's non-US assets, while Micron will pick up the North American plant. Terms of the …

    Channel Register 15 Nov 2005, 10:58

  • Europe's 'largest download site' opens doors to UK

    Lingua franca

    Softonic, the Spanish free software download site, has set-up an English-speaking version. This contains reviews, a useful comparison utility and paid-for software too. Softonic inglés is the Barcelona-based firm's third site - it set up a German version last year. Its claim to be Europe's biggest download portal - and the …

    Software 15 Nov 2005, 11:12

  • Qualcomm IP battle hots up

    GSM patent attack targets Nokia

    The intellectual property battle between Qualcomm and leading competitors and hand set makers has been stepped up a significant notch, with the US chipmaker suing Nokia, not over its core CDMA technology but over claimed patents for data over GSM. This has raised speculation that Qualcomm is gearing up for a sweeping claim …

    Mobile 15 Nov 2005, 11:22

  • Desktop search for enterprises

    Microsoft catches up...

    Microsoft is joining rivals like Fast, Google, Verity and Yahoo by offering enterprises Desktop Search software. The software can be added onto any Microsoft server product for free. It will run on Windows-XP and Windows 2000-based machines. It promises integrated search across desktop files, emails and shared network files. …

    Applications 15 Nov 2005, 11:25

  • ISS science sacrificed on Martian altar

    Budget slashed by $344m

    NASA is planning to slash millions of dollars from the International Space Station's science budget in a bid to find the cash it needs to fulfil President Bush's ambition to return to the moon, and journey to Mars. Somehow, the agency needs to lay its hands on an extra $5bn of funding. The space agency is cutting $344m from the …

    Science 15 Nov 2005, 11:38

  • Vodafone profits dip

    Slower growth predicted

    Vodafone investors got the jitters this morning as the giant cellco reported a fall in profits and warned that growth would contiue to slow. By late morning shares in the company were down 11p (7.5 per cent) at 134p even though Vodafone reported an increase in turnover and customers. Reporting numbers for the six months to …

    Financial News 15 Nov 2005, 11:47

  • Micro Direct goes with Amtrak

    Supply lines

    Micro Direct, the Manchester based PC components retailer, has appointed Amtrak as its exclusive deliver contractor. The deal, over an unspecified period, is said to be worth millions of pounds. Micro Direct has not revealed which couriers it is kicking out - Amtrak is an existing partner, having worked with the reseller for …

    Channel Register 15 Nov 2005, 11:58

  • Internet big boys muscle into mobile

    An opportunity for Nokia, perhaps?

    When looking at the rampage of the internet giants into the mobile world, there has been great focus on the threat to the carriers, especially as Google and possibly Microsoft seek to acquire networks and spectrum. More commonly, though, the internet players will partner with the established operators to pursue a common goal of …

    Mobile 15 Nov 2005, 12:02

  • MS offers peek at Outlook 12

    Crowd pleaser

    Delivering the second keynote speech which opened the IT Forum in Barcelona, Jeff Raikes, president of Microsoft's business division, gave delegates a quick glimpse of the upcoming version of Outlook. The most obvious immediate change is an integrated "To Do" list which drew applause from the audience. Raikes showed how changes …

    Applications 15 Nov 2005, 12:06

  • Sony in internet 'price-rigging' rumpus

    Ramps up wholesale cost to UK e-tailers

    Sony and other manufacturers have been accused of asking online retailers for 10-15 per cent more for wholesale electronic goods than they charge their traditional counterparts, The Times reports. This "dual pricing" strategy - designed to narrow the price differential between net and high street - was allegedly initiated by …

    Financial News 15 Nov 2005, 12:33

  • Nvidia unwraps '33% faster' GeForce 7800 GTX

    512MB

    Nvidia has finally shipped the 512MB version of its GeForce 7800 GTX chip. The company claims it offers a 33 per cent speed increase over the 256MB version. The GeForce 7800 GTX 512's increase comes from a faster core clock and a bigger memory clock speed: 850MHz (1.7GHz effective), the latter yielding the 54.4GBps of bandwidth …

    System Builder 15 Nov 2005, 13:01

  • Telstra to axe 12,000 jobs

    Big plans for IP network

    Telstra is to cut up to 12,000 jobs, almost a quarter of its workforce, in a massive reorganisation. At the same time Australia's former monopoly telco is invest AUS$10bn ($7.3bn) in an IP network, of which $2b-3bn is new money. The company is also abandoning plans to pay shareholders a special dividend of AUS$1.5bn ($1.1bn), …

    Telecoms 15 Nov 2005, 13:51

  • Windows Cluster goes after Linux heartland

    There'll be blood on the dancefloor...

    Microsoft's entry into the world of supercomputers will help push the technology beyond government and academic departments and towards business users, the company's head of server and tools claimed today. Bob Muglia, senior vice president of server and tools for Microsoft, announced the public availability of the beta version …

    Operating Systems 15 Nov 2005, 13:55

  • Intel's 'Presler' 65nm dual-core chip 'unstable'

    Glitches found in engineering samples, allegedly

    Intel's upcoming 65nm desktop dual-core processor, 'Presler', isn't entirely stable, motherboard-maker moles have alleged. The unnamed sources, cited by DigiTimes, suggest Intel could even be forced to delay Presler's introduction, which they claim is scheduled for January, to give it time to squash the bugs. Presler's not …

    System Builder 15 Nov 2005, 14:00

  • Review Sony NW-E205 'Bean' digital music Walkman

    Sony's Bean - or the NW-W205, to give it is proper title - is a 512MB MP3 player that breaks away from the conventional flat and slim Flash player form-factor. This makes it perfect for clenching in your fist when you go for a run, but will create a curious bulge in a pair of trousers when out and about. Laid on a desk, the top …

    Reviews 15 Nov 2005, 14:51

  • Pfizer takes on Viagra spam in Holland

    Firm measures needed

    Pfizer Netherlands has started a radio campaign against Viagra spam, warning consumers that 97 per cent of the pills offered are counterfeit. Radio commercials on public broadcast radio and Sky Radio also warn purchasers that many of the illegal drugs are unapproved and may not contain the real chemical. Pfizer is citing a …

    Spam 15 Nov 2005, 15:05

  • Smart CCTV for the tubes?

    Automation, that's what we need

    Transport officials are looking into a so-called Smart-CCTV system that would automatically alert managers of tubes and trains to left packages or odd behaviour. Trials of this kind of technology have so far proven unsuccessful. Trials of so-called smart CCTV were abandoned at Liverpool Street Station after the system generated …

    ID 15 Nov 2005, 15:11

  • UK inquiry into DRM and the law

    Will MPs toe the line on DRM?

    The All Party Parliamentary Internet Group (APIG) is to hold a public inquiry into the issues surrounding Digital Rights Management (DRM), including the degree of protection needed for both copyright holders and consumers. DRM software is designed to protect copyright in material such as music, films or software that is stored …

    Music and Media 15 Nov 2005, 15:32

  • Music biz sues 2,100 'digital shoplifters'

    Targets alleged P2P sharers in 16 countries

    The BPI, Britain's answer to the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA), today said it had filed lawsuits against 65 more UK residents for allegedly sharing music without the permission of the copyright owner. The new lawsuits take the total number of file-sharers accused by the BPI of music piracy - a group the organisation …

    Music and Media 15 Nov 2005, 15:37

  • IT projects collapse, space stations defunded and Dr. Who repells ex-pats?

    Letters Ooooh, I could tip a cow...

    If the volume of your correspondence is a true measure of the importance of a story then the world is in serious trouble. The most pressing issue this week was clearly the tipability of cows. Still, before we get to that, why don't we wander past a disintegrating government IT project and look at the broken bits? Which one? …

    Letters 15 Nov 2005, 16:55

  • Gatso 2: rollout of UK's '24x7 vehicle movement database' begins

    ACPO's road policing swiss army knife

    A "24x7 national vehicle movement database" that logs everything on the UK's roads and retains the data for at least two years is now being built, according to an Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) strategy document leaked to the Sunday Times. The system, which will use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), and …

    Music and Media 15 Nov 2005, 16:59

  • HP gets visual with workstation clusters

    SC05 Blades, chips and software too

    HP continues to refine its server cluster arsenal, announcing this week a new visualization package, more software and fresh processors for its pre-packaged systems. The HP Scalable Visualization Array (SVA) combines numerous workstations, Linux and graphics cards to give customers a graphics powerhouse. The new system will be …

    Servers 15 Nov 2005, 19:09

  • Giant Opteron cluster pulls Sun off supercompute life-support

    SC05 Tokyo builds top civilian box

    Sun Microsystems has puts its name back on the supercomputing map with a massive new system to be built in Japan. The Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) has purchased hundreds of Sun's eight-socket AMD-based servers to create a 10,480 processor cluster. The box will be expanded by the first half of next year, resulting …

    Servers 15 Nov 2005, 19:21

  • Tools to provide Windows licensing clarity

    Go on, upgrade...

    Microsoft is preparing for a year of Windows client and Office launches with tools to help customers penetrate the fog of Microsoft's licensing agreements and upgrades. The company has announced the introduction of the Microsoft product licensing advisor, an online tool for customers to compare and price-out volume licensing …

    Applications 15 Nov 2005, 20:37

  • Gates promises a supercomputer under every desk

    SC05 Er, unless security is a problem

    Not satisfied with owning your PC, Microsoft would like to own your personal cluster too. So said Chairman Bill Gates today at the Supercomputing 2005 conference here in Seattle, where he laid out a vision that includes inexpensive super-powered machines available to average users - not just government labs and universities. " …

    Servers 15 Nov 2005, 20:48