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23rd November 2005 Archive

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  • Oracle's Ellison donating $122m to charities and attorneys

    Dot-bomb fallout

    Uber-loaded chief executive Larry Ellison is reportedly paying $122m to settle an insider trading case, brought following a drop in Oracle's stock price in 2001. Oracle's chief executive has agreed to pay $100m to charities and a further $22m to attorneys who prosecuted Ellison for alleged stock trading abuses. The civil case …

    Financial News 23 Nov 2005, 00:17

  • Search usurping email as top internet activity

    Searching what, though?

    Search is catching up to email as the internet's number-one activity, according to a new poll. Forty one per cent of US adults who surfed the internet on a "typical day" in September 2005 used a search engine, up from 30 per cent in June 2004, according to the latest Pew Internet & American Life survey of consumer behavior. …

    Media 23 Nov 2005, 01:33

  • Hyperion System 9 and master data management

    Comment Significant advantage

    The recent release of Hyperion System 9 was not, basically, a surprise. Amongs other things, not least, the front-end user environment, the company introduced a unified platform for its entire product suite and is claiming that it is the first CPM (corporate performance management) vendor to do so. This is certainly true when …

    Developer 23 Nov 2005, 10:13

  • Heroes pull woman from Xbox blaze

    Narrow escape for unconscious gamer

    An Anglesey woman was pulled unconscious from her house by two strangers after succumbing to smoke generated by a faulty Xbox. Stuart Ward and Robert Johnson ran from a pub in Llanfairpwll to find the unnamed victim's house engulfed in thick, black smoke and resembling "the Black Hole in Alton Towers" as Ward later put it to …

    Bootnotes 23 Nov 2005, 10:46

  • AMD readies rival to Intel's Viiv

    Battle of the brands

    AMD is to launch a new brand to better associate its processors with PC-based home digital media systems, the company has revealed. The news was broken by AMD's sales and marketing chief, Henri Richard, speaking at the company's annual analysts conference, the Financial Times reported last week. At the event, AMD also said …

    Hardware 23 Nov 2005, 11:01

  • Home Office plans for science to tackle terror

    Boffins, your country needs you!

    The government has set out its plans to use science and technology to tackle crime and terrorism. Home Office Minister Andy Burnham, last seen on the ID card campaign trail, published details of the technologies he hopes can be brought to bear in the department's Science and Innovation Strategy 2005-08. His wish list includes …

    Media 23 Nov 2005, 11:05

  • DSG gets Seasonal blues

    Not such a merry Xmas

    Bosses at DSG International - the electrical retailers with companies including Dixons, Currys and PC World - are in need of some festive cheer after reporting that the run-up to the Christmas period remains tough. Like-for-like sales for the whole group in the 28 weeks to November 12 were down 3 per cent with its UK outlets …

    Financial News 23 Nov 2005, 11:08

  • iPod vibrator promises 'party in your pants'

    NSFW Musical orgasmatron

    Those female readers who have tried the SMS-triggered Bluetooth vibrator and the Highjoy Internet Enabled Rabbit but still feel some way short of total satisfaction in the earth-shattering climax department might like to road test the latest gadget to jump on the tech-driven orgasm bandwagon - the iBuzz vibrating bullet: The …

    Bootnotes 23 Nov 2005, 11:12

  • iPod vibrator promises 'party in your pants'

    Those female readers who have tried the SMS-triggered Bluetooth vibrator and the Highjoy Internet Enabled Rabbit but still feel some way short of total satisfaction in the earth-shattering climax department might like to road test the latest gadget to jump on the tech-driven orgasm bandwagon - the iBuzz vibrating bullet. As …

    Hardware 23 Nov 2005, 11:32

  • Korea confirms Apple, Samsung Flash deal probe

    Enquiry to take in other arrangements between the two firms

    South Korean Fair Trade officials have confirmed they are probing an alleged deal struck by Apple and Samsung to supply NAND Flash chips at below the market rate. In October, a month after Apple launched the Flash-based iPod Nano, Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) chairman Kang Chul-kyu said he was considering an …

    Financial News 23 Nov 2005, 11:34

  • Navio to clone Apple's iPod DRM

    iPod-compatible downloads for all?

    iPod compatibility could come to a host of online music and video shops besides Apple's own iTunes Music Store, if US-based start-up Navio has its way. The company this week admitted it is working on a way to allow third-parties to support Apple's FairPlay DRM system without first licensing it from the Mac maker. That would …

    Peripherals 23 Nov 2005, 12:13

  • Eclipse getting back to normal

    Howling at the moon

    Eclipse - the ISP owned by Kingston Communications - is reporting that all its punters "should now be able to connect" to its broadband service after its ADSL platform went titsup on Monday. The latest update from the Exeter-based ISP published this morning says that "engineers have kept a close eye on the stability of the ADSL …

    Broadband 23 Nov 2005, 12:20

  • Browser developers team up to thwart hackers

    Security summit

    Security developers representing four of the major browser firms have met up to discuss how to combat security threats. Techies working on Internet Explorer, Mozilla/FireFox and Opera teamed up with the folks from Konqueror to discuss how to combat security risks posed by phishing, aging encryption ciphers and inconsistent SSL …

    Security 23 Nov 2005, 12:27

  • Sonnet sings of bigger, better iPod batteries

    Up to 78 per cent more run-time per charge, apparently

    Mac upgrade specialist Sonnet has launched a range of replacement batteries for old iPods. The company is offering new power cells for first-, second-, third- and fourth-generation iPods, and the iPod Mini. Battery technology has come on so far since these models were released that the new batteries provide significantly higher …

    Peripherals 23 Nov 2005, 12:34

  • Public divided on ID cards, poll reveals

    But support is slipping

    The public is evenly divided on whether or not identity cards are a good idea, with 50 per cent supporting the introduction, and 48 per cent opposing it, according to a new poll conducted on behalf of campaign group No2ID. No2ID says the results show a fall in support for the government's plans. It asked exactly the same …

    Media 23 Nov 2005, 12:36

  • Bulldog targets SMEs

    Your business in their hands

    Bulldog - the local loop unbundling (LLU) ISP owned by Cable & Wireless (C&W) - has set up a new division to flog its broadband service to business users. According to the blurb, Bulldog's aim is to "meet the specific needs of different small businesses, whilst still retaining at its core the four values of: simplicity, support …

    Broadband 23 Nov 2005, 14:14

  • Sony fiasco: More questions than answers

    Rootkit rumpus rumbles on

    The big story the last few weeks has been the Sony BMG rootkit and in fact, it's the kind of story for which columnists drool: a big company does something unbelievably dumb that violates basic security principles. Many questions have arisen in my mind over the past few weeks as I've watched this story unfold. I'd like to share …

    Security 23 Nov 2005, 14:20

  • Euro phone shipments jumped 16% in Q3

    3G demand still lukewarm, but growing

    Mobile phone makers pumped 39.5m handsets into Western Europe during Q3, 16 per cent more than they did in Q3 2004 and five per cent more than Q2 2004, market watcher IDC said yesterday. The number of 3G handsets shipped almost doubled between Q3 2004 and Q3 2005, rising from 2.38m to 4.74m, respectively seven per cent and 12 …

    Phones 23 Nov 2005, 14:33

  • London's top science scholars under hoodie ban

    Is this how to fight crime with science?

    In what appears to be a misguided attempt to steal a march on the government's plans to deploy science and technology to fight crime and terrorism, Imperial College (IC) has banned staff and students from wearing hoodies and hijabs on campus. The new dress code, which The Guardian reports was approved at the beginning of …

    Science 23 Nov 2005, 14:39

  • Segway burns into Vulture Central

    Picture special Reg staffers road test two-wheeled pogo stick

    We're not quite sure what the VP in Charge of Writing at El Reg's Mountain View bureau, Ashlee Vance, will make of it*, but Segway yesterday visited Vulture Central in an attempt to convince the jaded hacks that a two-wheeled pogo stick is indeed the future of personal transportation for right-minded metropolitans. Naturally, …

    Bootnotes 23 Nov 2005, 14:48

  • Productivity – operational dream or individual reality?

    Hmmm...

    Are there benefits resulting from an investment in wireless or remote access technology in addition to direct financial return? Many companies recognise the importance of increased competitive advantage, and enhancing the value of previous investments, but far fewer perceive the value of user acceptance. This is disappointing …

    Management 23 Nov 2005, 15:02

  • Canon braces for arse-induced copier carnage

    Xmas 'Rear-end' copying: the chilling truth

    In case you hadn't noticed, Xmas, aka The Holiday Season as it is known down at Wal-Mart, is almost upon us. As ever, it is a time for good cheer, good will to all men and a good skinful of alcohol followed by an attempt to reproduce a likeness of one's buttocks on the office photocopier. Of course, it's the stuff of legend …

    Bootnotes 23 Nov 2005, 15:22

  • Review Dell XPS 600 SLI gaming PC

    You've got to feel sorry for little guy in the PC industry. Smaller companies used to be able to survive by going after the niche areas, while big 'ol Dell took care of the masses. But like the eye of Sauron, Dell has become increasingly keen to gaze into the nooks and crannies that it previously was never able to reach. The …

    Hardware 23 Nov 2005, 15:27

  • PayPal urged to cut off BNP

    Lancaster MP joins debate about AUP

    Tory MP Ben Wallace has written to the boss of PayPal Europe over concerns that the online payment service is being used to raise funds for the British National Party (BNP). The MP for Lancaster & Wyre was reacting to a campaign set in motion by his local branch of Unite Against Fascism (UAF) which claims that the BNP's …

    Media 23 Nov 2005, 15:53

  • 2006: crunch time for mobile firms

    Ask Santa for a better business model...

    Next year will be difficult for mobile companies as their traditional business model comes under threat, Arpu continues to fall and wireless VoIP starts to have an impact. Despite the problems a clear majority, 68 per cent, are more confident about next year than this year. The research was carried out by Informa which talked …

    Mobile 23 Nov 2005, 16:09

  • Voda logo takes early bath at Man U

    Sponsorship deal ends prematurely

    The Vodafone logo will disappear from Manchester United shirts at the end of this season - May 2006 - after the two agreed to end their £9m a year sponsoship deal two years earlier than expected. It may not mean the end of the financial love-in, though, as both parties are reportedly "keen to continue their successful …

    Mobile 23 Nov 2005, 16:17

  • BitTorrent to block links to pirate flicks

    Deal with MPAA shows carrot works better than stick?

    BitTorrent creator Bram Cohen has agreed to strip links to pirate movies out of his bittorrent.com search engine - the outcome of talks between his company and the Motion Picture Ass. of America (MPAA). "BitTorrent Inc. discourages the use of its technology for distributing films without a licence to do so," Cohen said in a …

    Media 23 Nov 2005, 16:22

  • Phoenix enjoys first half

    Revs and profs up

    Phoenix IT Group increased revenues by 32 per cent to £54.8m for the first six months of the year ended 30 September 2005. Profits before tax for the period grew 25 per cent to £8.9m. The company is paying an interim dividend of 1.38p per share. Nick Robinson, chief executive at Phoenix, said it had been an encouraging start …

    The Channel 23 Nov 2005, 16:27

  • Neuros updates MPEG 4 recorder for PSP, iPod

    Encode video for your portable player

    Neuros has updated its Neuros MPEG 4 Recorder (NMR), dropping the original gadget's SD memory card support for the Sony PlayStation Portable-friendly MemoryStick family. It's also added support for video iPod-compatible content. Neuros is specifically pitching the product at PSP owners keen to get more video onto their handheld …

    Hardware 23 Nov 2005, 16:46

  • Microsoft moots 'universal' MP3 player dock

    Analysis Or, how to beat Apple's iPod by leveraging 'open' standards

    The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has established a working group to develop a universal docking standard for portable devices, the US-centric organisation announced this week. The move is being driven by Microsoft - at least, the software giant is the only company to be granted quotation space on the CEA press …

    Mobile 23 Nov 2005, 17:56

  • A truly open Office for Microsoft?

    Analysis Standards debate starts again

    Microsoft's decision to release the XML file formats planned for the forthcoming Office 12 for ratification as official standards has generated a lot of chatter and opened an old debate. What do the standards mean and can Microsoft be trusted? Microsoft followed Monday's news by promising on Wednesday it would not seek to …

    Applications 23 Nov 2005, 22:27

  • Gartner 'clarifies' Windows Vista advice

    Wait. Go - no, wait.

    A misunderstanding of meaning has forced Gartner to restate earlier advise apparently telling customers to postpone upgrading to Microsoft's planned Windows Vista operating system. Gartner is reportedly now telling users who are still running Windows 2000 that they should upgrade as soon as possible to Microsoft's latest client …

    Operating Systems 23 Nov 2005, 23:18

  • Opteron boosts healthy server market in Q3

    Unix sinking with Itanic

    During the third quarter, customers were rushing to get their hands on AMD's dual-core Opteron chip. And how. Sales of Opteron-based servers more than doubled in the period, according to new figures from Gartner. An impressive 174,000 Opteron-based servers left the shipping docks during the third quarter. That compares to just …

    Servers 23 Nov 2005, 23:35