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1st December 2005 Archive

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  • 10% of US net users 'addicted, needing therapy'

    Other 90% too burned-out to respond

    The American obsession with therapy may almost be considered as a neurosis in its own right. But quacks see promising material in a growing number of internet addicts. "6 percent to 10 percent of the approximately 189 million Internet users in this country have a dependency that can be as destructive as alcoholism and drug …

    Music and Media 1 Dec 2005, 05:41

  • HP buys your trust or your Trustgenix

    Dezel departs

    Start-up hungry HP has fed on another software company, acquiring identity management specialist Trustgenix. HP currently taps Trustgenix as the basis of its OpenView Select Federation product and upon the close of the acquisition will make Trustgenix products a permanent addition to the OpenView portfolio. The start-up sells …

    Security 1 Dec 2005, 08:49

  • ICANN shrugs off dotcom lawsuits

    But legal threats point to wider malaise

    Internet overseeing organisation ICANN has dimissed two lawsuits against it as "attempts to manipulate the public comment process" over future ownership of all dotcoms. General Counsel for ICANN John Jeffrey told us that the "underlying motivation" of the legal threats was clear in that they stemmed from "specific sectors of …

    Music and Media 1 Dec 2005, 09:00

  • Weary Judge wants RIM to write the cheque

    Old settlement invalid, no more delays

    US District Judge James Spencer indicated today that he wants Research In Motion to settle its patent dispute with NTP once and for all. "I've spent enough of my life and time on NTP and RIM," said Judge Spencer earlier this month. With the Supreme Court turning down RIM's request to stay an injunction which might close down …

    Mobile 1 Dec 2005, 09:03

  • Depolarizing the copyright debate

    Enough, geeks

    British think-tank the Institute For Public Policy Research wants to bring some reality to the digital copyright debate, with the publication of a report today designed to nudge the government in the right direction. The debate has been dominated by two unrepresentative extremes, argues IPPR's Will Davies, who authored the …

    Music and Media 1 Dec 2005, 09:46

  • Microsoft launches anti-virus public beta

    PC tune-up

    Microsoft has released a free beta of its upcoming anti-virus application. According to Microsoft, the new anti-virus application known as Windows OneCare Live consumer beta is "like taking your PC in for a tune up at the service station". The release is part of the forthcoming Windows OneCare set of deliverables, and yesterday …

    Malware 1 Dec 2005, 09:55

  • CA lets Ingres go

    Comment Making the right noises, but ...

    When I first heard about Computer Associates letting Ingres go my reaction was negative, to say the least. But having discussed the matter with CA I am not as concerned as I was, though questions still remain. The facts are simple: Ingres and OpenROAD will now be developed, managed and marketed by a new company called the …

    Developer 1 Dec 2005, 10:03

  • Apple to unveil Intel laptop next month - analyst

    Responding to speculation?

    Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner has added his voice to those predicting Apple will announce a notebook computer based on an Intel processor in January 2006. "We are becoming more convinced that Apple will introduce its first Intel-based PowerBook at Macworld San Francisco," Gardner said in a note to clients, Reuters reports …

    Mac Channel 1 Dec 2005, 10:42

  • Tiscali gets the 'Hump' over Herbert

    Why Humphreys is a dirty word

    Tiscali refused to give a pensioner an email addy with his own name - because part of it was deemed "offensive" by the ISP. Herbert Humphreys, 89, was so shocked by Tiscali's stand on the word "hump", he told his story to consumer affairs magazine Which?. "They said my name contains profanity, as it includes the word hump," …

    Telecoms 1 Dec 2005, 10:51

  • Intel: chipset shortage to run through H1 2006

    'Napa', 'Broadwater' roll-outs in jeopardy?

    Intel's chipset supplies will remain "tight" throughout H1 2006, CFO Andy Bryant admitted yesterday. Speaking at the chip giant's manufacturing and technology summit yesterday, Bryant said the supply problems will continue through a "fair portion for the first part of next year", according to an EETimes report. Bryant said …

    Reg Hardware 1 Dec 2005, 11:00

  • Pru to scoff rest of Egg

    Thy will shell be done

    Prudential - the financial outfit with a majority stake in UK internet bank Egg - has completed a strategic about-turn by announcing plans to acquire the remaining slice of the business owned by shareholders. The Pru owns all but 21.7 per cent of Egg, and now wants the lot in a deal that would value the e-business at a shade …

    Financial News 1 Dec 2005, 11:24

  • Evesham wins AOpen MiniPC UK exclusive

    Exclusive Small computer, not-so-small price

    AOpen's Mac Mini-like Mini PC is coming to the UK next week, The Register can reveal, courtesy of an exclusive deal between the manufacturer and reseller Evesham. But while the machine may be compact, the price isn't: Evesham will want £699 including VAT for the MiniPC when it goes on sale on Monday, 5 December. That's rather …

    PCs 1 Dec 2005, 11:26

  • Trojan exploits unpatched IE flaw

    MS mulls emergency patch release

    The release of a Trojan that exploits an unpatched IE hole has prompted speculation that Microsoft may release an emergency out-of-cycle security patch. The Delf-DH Trojan downloader uses an Internet Explorer vulnerability to infect unprotected Windows users who stray onto maliciously constructed websites. Delf-DH downloads …

    Malware 1 Dec 2005, 12:05

  • Mac OS X security under scrutiny

    Even a mac can have holes

    When the SANS Institute, a computer-security training organization, released its Top-20 vulnerabilities last week, the rankings continued an annual ritual aimed at highlighting the worst flaws for network administrators. This year, the list had something different, however: the group flagged the collective vulnerabilities in …

    Security 1 Dec 2005, 12:16

  • MP3.com founder opens net music archive, play service

    Oboe not again

    MP3.com and Lindows/Linspire founder Michael Robertson has re-launched the service that got him into so much hot water with the music industry back in the late 1990s. His new operation, MP3tunes.com, yesterday launched its Oboe service, which allows users to upload their digital music collections to a secure "locker" and then …

    Financial News 1 Dec 2005, 12:30

  • French cellcos fined €534m for collusion

    Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom fingered

    Three French mobile operators - Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom - have been fined a whopping €534m (£363m) for sharing information and rigging the country's cellphone market. France's competition commission (the Conseil de la Concurrence) ruled that the three had acted against the best interests of consumers and the economy by …

    Financial News 1 Dec 2005, 12:34

  • Samsung admits it rigged DRAM prices

    Will pay $300m fine

    Samsung yesterday pleaded guilty to conspiring with other memory makers to fix prices. The plea was merely a formality - the South Korean giant coughed to the charge back in October. Then, it agreed to pay $300m to settle the case brought against it by the US Department of Justice. In November 2001, Samsung described …

    Reg Hardware 1 Dec 2005, 12:36

  • Telewest goes live with HDTV

    Lucky south Londoners go high def

    Certified gadget obsessives Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny scour Gizmoville for the oddest digital goodies, TV Scoop has all the hottest cult TV news and HDTVUK has all the latest High Def stories. Telewest has become the first British company to deliver a live HDTV (High Definition TV service) service. Starting from today it is …

    Telecoms 1 Dec 2005, 13:38

  • iPod Shuffle bug fix leaves key bug unfixed

    Firmware 1.1.3 still skips some paused ITMS songs

    Apple has updated the iPod Shuffle's firmware to version 1.1.3, saying only that the new code includes "bug fixes" but without detailing the release's improvements. Alas the update still does not remedy the recurrent Shuffle glitch that causes some tracks downloaded from the iTunes Music Store to be skipped when the pause …

    Peripherals 1 Dec 2005, 13:40

  • Umbongo Linux Firestorm browser 1.56/2 - like wow!

    The Rotting Dog Blog Improved tab nest clustering!

    Damn Limeys November 27, 2005 - 20:11 pm Jesus. Looks like the Limeys and the Spanish are kicking off about this CIA terror flight business. According to ListenToMe.me.me.uk the US has been transporting terrorists to camps in Poland or somesuch former Soviet republic in unmarked planes. Apparently, they stop off in London or …

    Bootnotes 1 Dec 2005, 14:28

  • Skype does video VoIP

    Hear me, see me

    Skype - which is being acquired eBay for $2.6bn - is to offer video calls as part of the latest version of its internet telephony software. Released today, the beta version of Skype 2.0 is new and improved with "enhanced features that allow people to stay in touch and express themselves online". Key to that is Skype Video, …

    VoIP 1 Dec 2005, 14:30

  • Capita wins over second city

    Big contract in Birmingham

    Capita looks set to grab a massive chunk of local government business Birmingham though a joint venture with the council. The services group said today that Birmingham City Council’s Cabinet will be issued with a report recommending Capita be its preferred partner for strategic services. Capita said it would work alongside the …

    Channel Register 1 Dec 2005, 15:29

  • Spoofing trick foxes wiretaps

    Hanging on the telephone

    Security researchers have discovered a way to trick some wiretap systems used in the US into switching themselves off, while leaving phones still usable. University of Pennsylvania researchers have also discovered it might be possible to falsify a record of numbers dialed recorded by older spy devices. "These countermeasures do …

    Security 1 Dec 2005, 15:34

  • Your Communications up for sale

    Their Communications could be Yours

    Your Communications - the telco that's part of United Utilities (UU) based in the North West of England - is definitely up for sale. Speculation about the future of the company has circulated for months. Last summer, for instance, it was linked to a possible take-over by The Carphone Warehouse. At the time a spokeswoman for UU …

    Financial News 1 Dec 2005, 15:38

  • Candid Dalek shares thesp titbits

    Stob Isn't 'Davros' in Switzerland?

    Do you remember, earlier in the year, there was an episode of Doctor Who where the Dalek stuck its sink plunger through a computer screen and downloaded the entire internet? And then went on to commit suicide? (The Doctor, who inclines towards complex and indeed Lamarckian explanations, diagnosed its depression as being …

    Verity Stob 1 Dec 2005, 16:17

  • Japanese 'iPod tax' threat fades

    Government panel says no to recording media levy extension

    Japanese consumers will not have to pay an 'iPod tax', the country's government has decided. Japan has, since 1993, levied a duty on devices and media capable of recording music. This week, a government panel met to consider whether the duty should be extended to digital music players, website Japan Today reports. The royalty …

    Peripherals 1 Dec 2005, 16:34

  • Revised open source GPL expected spring 2007

    Meaty, beaty, big and bouncy

    Plans to update the General Public Licence (GPL), which underpins the distribution of most open source software, were released by the Free Software Foundation and the Software Freedom Law Center yesterday. The first discussion draft of the new license – known as GPLv3 – will be released at a public conference, due to be held at …

    Developer 1 Dec 2005, 16:38

  • Panda bares claws over illegal OEM sales

    I'm mad as hell

    "Alternative" software firms Ability Software and Panda Software UK are taking a stand against the illegal sale of their OEM products which they say is eating into their profits. Both companies, part of Formjet plc, said they would issue warnings to any organisation that offers OEM CD versions of either Ability Office (an …

    Channel Register 1 Dec 2005, 16:54

  • Nokia unwraps 3G threesome

    The 6282, 6233 and 6234 pitched at business users

    Nokia today introduced its latest three 3G handsets, pitched at business users. The 110g Nokia 6233 candybar phone sports a 2mp camera viewed through the handset's 320 x 240 display. It's based on Nokia's Series 40 UI, and provides all the usual messaging and content services you'd expect from a 3G phone. It also has stereo …

    Mobile 1 Dec 2005, 17:04

  • E-tailer unwittingly sold counterfeit software

    Whoops

    A British website has been caught selling counterfeit Microsoft software which it obtained from what it thought to be a legitimate Chinese source. Microsoft was alerted when a customer of Monitorship.co.uk used Microsoft's Product Identification Service. Microsoft’s team identified the copy as counterfeit and began …

    Channel Register 1 Dec 2005, 17:08

  • EU ministers approve biometric ID, fingerprint data sharing

    All this and record retention too!

    The European biometric ID card takes another step forward this week, with the European Justice and Home Affairs Council set to approve "minimum security standards" for national ID cards. Alongside this the Council will be roadmapping the rollout of Europe's biometric visa system, which will contain the fingerprints of 70 million …

    Music and Media 1 Dec 2005, 17:40

  • RIM battles PDA patent holder in UK court

    Elonex' IP offshoot mounts challenge

    Research in Motion (RIM) has begun legal proceedings in the UK to invalidate a patent owned by a firm currently suing the Blackberry maker in the US for alleged infringement of said intellectual property. RIM yesterday asked the English High Court to rule that Luxembourg-based Inpro Licensing's patent claims are "simple" and " …

    Financial News 1 Dec 2005, 19:22

  • Intel taps intelligent toilet expert as new CTO

    Some other less flushy promotions too

    Intel may well be looking to put a difficult two years behind it with an executive reshuffle that includes the appointment of a new CTO. Intel today unveiled four new SVPs - Anand Chandrasekher, Eric Kim, David Perlmutter and Bruce Sewell. The promotions reflect a marketing heavy focus with Chandrasekher and Kim both serving in …

    IT Director 1 Dec 2005, 19:36

  • ICANN kills .xxx porn domain

    But where's the pressure come from?

    The proposed .xxx porn domain has been kicked into the long grass just days before it was due to meet final approval. ICANN chairman Vint Cerf stunned an open meeting of the governmental advistory committee (GAC) in Vancouver late on Tuesday when he announced that the whole issue had been pulled from the Board meeting agenda - …

    Music and Media 1 Dec 2005, 20:48

  • Oboe is your iPod everywhere

    Analysis Moving in while Apple dozed

    Now we know why MP3.com founder Michael Robertson hired 'DVD Jon' Lech Johansen. As we reported earlier today, the serial entrepreneur's company MP3Tunes has launched Oboe, a limitless online locker for the iPod that lets you play your digital music collection from anywhere, with a web browser and an internet connection. And …

    Personal 1 Dec 2005, 21:10