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29th November 2005 Archive

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  • No new N-Gages until 2007

    The end for the phone/gaming console?

    From the UK’s leading games blog - Games Digest, from the makers of Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny. Nokia disN-gages Antti Vasara, Nokia's VP for Corporate Strategy, says its short-term strategy doesn't include mobile gaming handsets. Until 2007, there'll be no new N-Gage, or any other mobile handset designed specifically to play …

    Peripherals 29 Nov 2005, 10:06

  • Supremes look again at US patent law

    eBay takes daft law to the top

    eBay has won a first step to changing US patent law yesterday when the Supreme Court agreed to revisit rules under which companies are granted an injunction if they accuse another firm of infringing on patents. eBay was found guilty of infringing patents owned by MercExchange and ordered to pay $25m in damages. The case centred …

    Financial News 29 Nov 2005, 10:08

  • Apple to 'add iPod Dock' to Mac Mini

    Gunning for Media Center Edition?

    Apple's abortive attempt to integrate an iPod Dock into the Mac Mini may yet come to fruition as the company prepares to enter the media centre arena using the diminutive computer. Claims that the Mini design originally included a Dock were made this past March after electronics specialist Leo Bodnar took his Mini to bits and …

    Mac Channel 29 Nov 2005, 10:38

  • TDC buy-out expected soon

    Danish telco still mum on deal

    Danish telco TDC is within touching distance of being bought out as part of a $12bn (£7bn) take-over bid, reports the Financial Times. The paper cites unnamed sources who maintain that while the deal could still fall through even at this late stage, it does look as if TDC is about to become the latest telco to be snapped up. A …

    Financial News 29 Nov 2005, 10:40

  • Massachusetts reverses Microsoft ban

    Confuses press release with reality...

    Massachusetts has reversed its decision to stop government departments using Microsoft file formats. The state set a deadline of 2007 for all departments to move away from proprietary technology and embrace open formats. But Microsoft's announcement last week that it would submit its file formats to a European standards body …

    Software 29 Nov 2005, 10:44

  • Infineon CEO plays down memory biz IPO plan

    Hasn't ruled out alternative outcomes

    Infineon may be backing away from a plan to IPO its soon-to-be-spun-off memory products division during the second half of 2006. In an interview with German newspaper Suddeutschen Zeitung, Infineon's CEO, Wolfgang Ziebart, said that while an IPO remains the preferred outcome for the memory business' future, Infineon is not …

    Channel Register 29 Nov 2005, 11:02

  • Google or IBM to sponsor Man Utd?

    Glazers lining up 'massive deal'

    Blue chip firms and mega-brands - including Google, Yahoo, IBM, Levi Strauss and Coca-Cola - are apparently lining up to take over the shirt sponsorship of Manchester United after Vodafone's decision to curtail its £9m a year shirt sponsorship deal. The Observer quotes unnamed City sources to support a theory that all are …

    Bootnotes 29 Nov 2005, 11:08

  • Say hello to Google ant

    Entomologist honours search monolith

    Proof absolute that Google' tentacles extend across the world's surface, touching even the most humble of God's creatures comes with the news that a California entomologist has named a species of ant after the search monolith. Brian Fisher of the California Academy of Sciences dubbed a newly-discovered species of Madagascan ant …

    Science 29 Nov 2005, 11:32

  • Nintendo to announce Revolution in May 2006

    Full disclosure, apparently

    Nintendo will announce its next-generation games console, Revolution, next May, the company has revealed. The full disclosure will take place just ahead of the E3 games industry bash in Los Angeles, where Nintendo this year gave a glimpse of Revolution's design but provided few hard details. In September, Nintendo unveiled the …

    Consoles 29 Nov 2005, 11:59

  • University of California sued by monkey haters

    Fundamentalists go to court

    The University of California is facing legal action in the US for promoting a commonly-held scientific theory. Jeanne and Larry Caldwell are suing the university over its "Understanding Evolution" website which offers information and advice to teachers. The Caldwells run a Californian lobby group called Quality Science …

    Science 29 Nov 2005, 12:03

  • First media center with P2P support

    Highly controversial

    A Dutch company has launched a mediacenter under the name of Lamabox, which takes all its content from P2P networks such as Edonkey, Bittorrent, Fasttrack (Kazaa), Gnutella and Overnet. The developers themselves admit the product is "somewhat controversial", as most movies and music downloaded from these networks are illegal …

    Music and Media 29 Nov 2005, 12:07

  • Swiss ban GM farming

    Five-year moratorium

    Swiss farmers will for the next five years be banned from farming GM plants and animals after voters decided on Sunday in favour of a moratorium on genetically-modified organisms. According to Reuters, the nays won the day with 55.7 per cent of the vote, which does not apply to GM research or the import of GM food. The proposed …

    Science 29 Nov 2005, 12:11

  • Kingston schtum on bid approach

    Revs up, profits down

    Kingston Communications remained schtum today about a possible take-over bid. Earlier this month it confirmed that it had received an approach but declined to use today's publication of interims to furnish investors with any more news. Said the Hull-based telco: "As announced on 10 November, the Group has received an approach …

    Financial News 29 Nov 2005, 12:15

  • Cybercrime 'more lucrative' than drugs

    At least phishing fraudsters don't have Uzis

    Global cybercrime turned over more money than drug trafficking last year, according to a US Treasury advisor. Valerie McNiven, an advisor to the US government on cybercrime, claimed1 that corporate espionage, child pornography, stock manipulation, phishing fraud and copyright offences cause more financial harm than the trade in …

    Spam 29 Nov 2005, 12:18

  • Welsh scientists drill world's smallest hole

    0.022mm

    Researchers at Cardiff University's Manufacturing Engineering Centre have managed to drill holes in steel as small as 22 microns (0.022 mm) in diameter using a electro-discharge machining (EDM) process, and reckon they could be the smallest ever achieved. EDM is also known as "spark machining" and basically involves machining …

    Science 29 Nov 2005, 12:20

  • Dell hits the shelves in the US

    Dips toe in indirect waters...

    Dell, famous for its rigourous direct-only model, is off-loading some old kit through discount wholesaler CostCo. The US-only deal is the first time punters can buy Dell machines straight off the shelf - previously they were sold only through Costco's website and promoted in stores. Costco is offering Dell Dimension 4700 and …

    Channel Register 29 Nov 2005, 12:41

  • Chinese! invade! Okinawa!

    Man cuffed over fake Yahoo! news alert

    Japanese police yesterday arrested a former computer programmer who allegedly knocked up a fake Yahoo! Japan news site, then posted an article on it entitled "Chinese Military Invades Okinawa" and accredited to the Kyodo News Agency. According to an apparently genuine Yahoo! report, the site attracted 66,000 hits until it was …

    Bootnotes 29 Nov 2005, 12:44

  • 3 Italia buys TV firm

    TV on the go

    3 Italia has become Europe's first mobile operator to own a national digital TV licence after it acquired Italian broadcaster Channel 7. The Italy-based 3G operator - majority owned by Hutchison Whampoa - is looking to develop pay TV and interactive services for its mobile video network using DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting: …

    Mobile 29 Nov 2005, 13:12

  • Spam filters thwart junk mail menace

    Incomplete study declares victory over spammers

    ISP spam filters are able to block as many as 95 per cent of junk mail messages, according to a study by the US Federal Trade Commission. The US government consumer advocacy group reckons its study shows that technology can be an effective tool in keeping junk mail under control although all it really shows is that spam …

    Spam 29 Nov 2005, 13:44

  • Slashdot practises safe sex

    Prophylactic login

    Here's a top security tip for websites looking to protect themselves from unwanted penetration, premature user identification and cyberspacially-transmitted diseases - the Slashdot prophylactic login: Thanks to reader Tim Dixon for slipping us that one - proof absolute that latex prevents illicit intrusion. ®

    Bootnotes 29 Nov 2005, 14:11

  • OFT nabs Chester scammers

    17,000 fall for 'life changing prize' con

    A Chester-based company that ripped off almost 17,000 people has promised not to run any more premium rate phone scams. Phoenix Media (UK) Limited - trading as Techtron Games - sent out more than 1.7m envelopes containing a promotion that told punters that they might have won a "life changing prize" of £25,000. To claim their …

    Telecoms 29 Nov 2005, 14:12

  • Mobile patents war shifts to email

    Analysis Major IP landgrab

    In the enterprise technology world, we increasingly see large vendors donating at least a token sample of key patents to the open source process for free in order to accelerate uptake of their favored platforms. The same trend will undoubtedly come to mobile communications eventually, driven by the increasing interest in Linux, …

    Mobile 29 Nov 2005, 14:33

  • Nokia updates 9300 smart phone with Wi-Fi

    WLAN-tastic

    Nokia has added Wi-Fi 802.11g support to its 9300 smart phone. The new device will ship as the 9300i. Like its predecessor, it's a tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS handset with support for EDGE data-transfer acceleration technology. It also sports the 9300's 640 x 200, 65,536-colour display, and incorporates 80MB of RAM, …

    Mobile 29 Nov 2005, 15:30

  • Intel to take 'Averill' to market as Centrino-like platform

    Targeting enterprise desktops this time

    Intel will next year launch its third branded PC platform, after Centrino and Viiv, this time pitched at corporate desktops. As yet there's no word on the platform's go-to-market brandname, but it will almost certainly be based on Intel's 'Averill' platform. Averill was announced at the chip giant's Developer Forum in March …

    System Builder 29 Nov 2005, 15:33

  • PC World notebook ad 'misleading', ASA rules

    'Connect anywhere' claim slapped

    The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) will tomorrow slap Dixons Store Group's wrist over a "misleading" TV advert run on behalf of the Dixons-owned PC World chain promoting Intel's Centrino wireless notebook technology. According to a confidential copy of the ruling, seen by The Register ahead of publication and …

    PCs 29 Nov 2005, 15:55

  • Ah, Wordwise: I remember it well

    Letters Old timers get teary-eyed

    Here's a word of caution for editors: use terms like "Wordwise" in your headlines at your peril, since they are guaranteed to provoke teary-eyed nostalgia: Wordwise, that brings back memories. I had tremendous fun during my school days producing work with my BBC B, Wordwise and a trusty Epson LX 80. No WYSIWYG, had to type …

    Letters 29 Nov 2005, 16:17

  • Game warns of not so merry Xmas

    Oh, oh, oh

    With the annual spending spree about to kick into top gear UK computer retailer Game has warned that this year is unlikely to be a very merry Christmas. Publishing a trading update today it warned that sales would be hit by falling prices for long-in-the-tooth systems and a lack of supply of new gaming gear. "The significant …

    Channel Register 29 Nov 2005, 16:21

  • DCC scores in Pihsiang court fight

    Taiwan court enforces London judgement

    Business services group DCC has claimed victory over Taiwan's Pihsiang Machinery Manufacturing Company following a long-running legal dispute over a product supply agreement. Irish-based DCC had pursued Pihsiang Machinery Manufacturing Company Ltd, its chairman and major shareholder, Donald Wu, and his wife and fellow director …

    Channel Register 29 Nov 2005, 16:44

  • The only thing worse than flying is open source code

    And ninthly The proof is in Burt Rutan's tears

    Worn down with labors from morning to night, and day to day; knowing them as fruitless to others as they are vexatious to myself, committed singly and in desperate and eternal contest against a host who are systematically undermining the public liberty and prosperity, even the rare hours of relaxation sacrificed to the society …

    Bootnotes 29 Nov 2005, 17:07

  • Journo fired over rigged Mercedes brake tech test

    Crash test dummy

    A failed test of Mercedes' new radar braking system that resulted in a three-car pile-up last week has been exposed as a sham for the benefit of television that went horribly wrong. Mercedes engineers knew the radar technology wouldn't work in the steel warehouse the demo was supposed to take place in but they were bullied into …

    Bootnotes 29 Nov 2005, 17:17

  • Hayabusa probe may be lost

    Thruster problems

    The Japanese space agency JAXA has admitted that its Hayabusa probe may not be able to return to Earth because of thruster problems, Reuters reports. The bad news comes just a couple of days after triumphant scientists declared that Hayabusa had most likely succeeded in getting surface samples from asteroid Itokawa. JAXA lost …

    Science 29 Nov 2005, 17:38

  • HP invites all the cool businesses to its data center club

    Hang out, crank some code

    HP has once again started to push "utility computing" on its customers in the form of a new Flexible Computing Club. Seriously. In short, HP will let "club members" rent space in its data centers. You can have applications permanently sit on HP's systems or buy extra compute power as needed during peak periods. "The cost-per- …

    Servers 29 Nov 2005, 22:57