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18th January 2006 Archive

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  • Google buys into digital radio ads

    Henry, can you hear me?

    Advertising giant Google has paid $106m for dMarc, which provides media-buying technology for digital radio. dMarc also provides the technology infrastructure for "station automation" - enabling the unmanned "ghost" stations so beloved by ClearChannel, and loathed by everyone else. dMarc claims to have 4,600 stations under its …

    Financial News 18 Jan 2006, 00:53

  • Intel stuns market with Q4 sales miss

    Can the Apple Effect trump the AMD Effect?

    Lower than expected PC chip sales forced Intel into a rare revenue miss during its fourth quarter. Investors then punished the chip-maker in the after-hours markets, sending Intel shares down as much as 10 per cent. Intel's Q4 revenue rose six per cent to $10.2bn. That figure, however, fell below a previous forecast provided by …

    Servers 18 Jan 2006, 01:02

  • Third XP Service Pack slips to boost Vista sales tools

    Delayer becomes delayee

    Microsoft is planning its third Windows XP Service Pack (SP) for release in 2007, three years after the last SP, in order to concentrate engineering resources on Windows Vista. The company has set a preliminary release date of the second-half of 2007 for SP 3, for use with Windows XP Home and Professional editions, meaning that …

    Operating Systems 18 Jan 2006, 01:35

  • Yahoo! lowers! outlook!

    Bulls mar record quarter

    Despite posting a record fourth quarter, Wall Street punished Yahoo! for lowering its outlook today. The figures were solid. Revenues excluding distribution costs (traffic acquisition costs, or TAC) topped a billion dollars for the first time with income recorded at $1.06bn, up from $785m quarter-on-quarter, and $932.1m in Q3. …

    Financial News 18 Jan 2006, 01:53

  • Developers asked to queue for Windows IM beta test

    If your name's not down...

    Developers eager to join Microsoft Windows Messenger beta program can now register their interest online. Microsoft is asking punters to submit their email address to receive an invitation to participate in tests for the so-called Windows Live Messenger, when space becomes available in the beta program. Last month The Register …

    Developer 18 Jan 2006, 08:35

  • HP tired of being a mere JBoss supporter

    Prepare to resell!

    HP has broadened its ties with open source application server vendor JBoss in the hope of offering more middleware options to customers. Until now, HP just supported the JBoss Application Server for use with its ProLiant and Integrity server lines. Now, HP will resell the full JBoss Enterprise Middleware Suite (JEMS) and …

    Servers 18 Jan 2006, 08:38

  • IBM serves mixed grill in Q4

    PC biz hurts, currency helps

    IBM's fourth quarter looked weak including the impact of its old PC business. Excluding the PC baggage, IBM's fourth quarter merely looked mediocre. Big Blue's product groups failed to impress during the fourth quarter with sales declining in some units and barely rising in others. Without doubt, however, if IBM had retained …

    Financial News 18 Jan 2006, 08:41

  • Consumer group calls for anti-DRM laws

    Fight the power

    A UK-based consumer rights group has called for MPs to introduce new laws to ensure consumers' rights to use digital content are protected. The use of digital rights management technology on CDs, DVDs and music downloads to control or restrict the use of copyrighted digital works shows that the current regime of self-regulation …

    Music and Media 18 Jan 2006, 10:13

  • Improving Intel chipset supplies to push up DDR 2 prices

    Clone PC makers increasingly favour 945-based mobos

    Taiwanese DRAM makers have pointed to rising supplies of Intel's 945-class chipsets as another factor driving up DDR 2 SDRAM prices. According to sources among Taiwan's memory-maker community, cited by DigiTimes, 945-based motherboards now account for more than 15 per cent of second- and lower-tier PCs - well up on Q4's …

    Channel Register 18 Jan 2006, 10:19

  • Local Directgov goes live

    Deep-linking to boost access to council websites

    Yesterday saw the official launch of the Local Directgov programme. Led by the London Borough of Brent and London Connects, and supported by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the new initiative will provide web surfers with links to local authority resources when searching for information through the main UK public …

    Public Sector 18 Jan 2006, 10:47

  • Dell offers dual-core desktop replacement rig

    Monster Core Duo-equipped Inspiron 9400 goes on sale

    Dell has unveiled its first Core Duo-based notebook, the Inspiron 9400. The 17in-widescreen monster is a Centrino-branded machine, and ships with either a 1.83GHz Core Duo T2400 CPU or a 1.67GHz Core Solo T1300 chip. Upgrades to the Core Duo T2300, T2500 and T2600 processors are available on a build-to-order basis. The basic …

    PCs 18 Jan 2006, 10:48

  • T-Mobile walloped for 'dangerous driving' ad

    Road warriors beware

    T-Mobile UK has pulled an ad aimed at business users who want to stay connected on the move because it "condoned dangerous driving". The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 13 complaints from people concerned that the ad - which featured a woman driving a car with her glove box crammed full of office equipment - was …

    Mobile 18 Jan 2006, 10:52

  • MS says no to Xbox 360 Blu-ray support

    Company fully committed to HD DVD, apparently

    Microsoft may not offer an external Blu-ray Disc drive for the Xbox 360 after all. The software giant this week said it remains "fully committed" to HD DVD and has "absolutely no plans to support other optical formats". The company's stance is detailed in an official statement made this week in response to comments earlier this …

    Consoles 18 Jan 2006, 11:11

  • DSG dreams of 'digital Christmas'

    'Cos rest of year sucked

    The performance of DSG - the high-street electricals retailer behind Dixons, Currys and PC World - was boosted over the festive period thanks to punters splashing out on a "digital Christmas". During the busy festive period total group sales were up five per cent, while in the UK, total sales were up three per cent, boosted by …

    Channel Register 18 Jan 2006, 11:46

  • LogicaCMG cites operating profitability

    Hits market targets

    LogicaCMG claimed a “significant improvement in operating profitability” in 2005 in a trading statement this morning. The services group, which completed its acquisition of French services group Unilog earlier this month, said overall operating results were “in line with market estimates”, with organic revenue growth of 5 per …

    Channel Register 18 Jan 2006, 11:48

  • Data protection used as smokescreen

    Pestered by nosy do-gooders? Use the privacy defence

    Privacy laws have become a convenient excuse for authorities who want to keep secrets, say medical researchers. They are "hidebound by bureaucracy" in their efforts to develop medical breakthroughs from patient data, said the Academy of Medical Sciences in a report this week. The academy's representatives complained that …

    Music and Media 18 Jan 2006, 12:15

  • I'm dreaming of a utility data centre

    Nothing but a dream?

    Only time will tell just how much of business IT’s future they will come to represent, but Utility Data Centres (UDC) are bound to play a significant part in most companies’ IT infrastructure plans over the coming years. The "Utility" part of what is otherwise a less-than snappy hook on which to hang a future is meant to …

    Servers 18 Jan 2006, 12:40

  • Million $ pixel site blackmailed

    Floored by DDoS attack

    Milliondollarhomepage.com has been pummelled over the past week by extortionists looking to cash-in on the success of the pixel-flogging site. The site has received worldwide media attention after generating more than $1m in advertising revenue by selling pixels. But earlier this month, Alex Tew, the UK student behind the site …

    Enterprise Security 18 Jan 2006, 12:40

  • Cool your cup with USB

    Isn't USB a wonderful thing? Not only will it connect to your computer cameras, hard disks, iPods, more Flash drives than you can shake a stick at, and even sex toys, but it will now keep your cola cool. Yes, CoolIT Systems' USB Beverage Chiller uses the bus' power to run a tiny refridgeration unit that brings the device's …

    Reg Hardware 18 Jan 2006, 13:10

  • Sony Rootkit: electronic Black Death

    Letters DRM pandemic rattles readers

    First up today from the Vulture Central mailbag is this, pointing out a shocking howler in this week's Chip and PIN story: quote: ...coincides with the increased roll-out of the Chip and PIN scheme which requires card users to use a three-digit identification number... endquote: Shurely shome mishtake? Four digits required. …

    Letters 18 Jan 2006, 13:34

  • Dbtel preps iPod-like phone

    White, MP3-playing M50 even driven by clickwheel

    How soon will it be before Taiwanese handset maker Dbtel has Apple's lawyers knocking on its door? If images appearing on the web are indeed of its upcoming M50 phone, it's hard to image the iPod maker not taking an interest. The M50, shown in all its glory on Chinese-language site PhoneDaily, does not only sport a bright white …

    Mobile 18 Jan 2006, 13:52

  • ID cards jinxed by lefties

    Big companies are bound to bodge it

    Privacy is not the only reason to be worried about ID cards - there's also the bozos the government is getting to install the system that runs them, says Corporate Watch. Anti-corporate lobbyists at Corporate Watch issued a rogues gallery of corporate cowboys who are either working with the government on ID Cards or have …

    Music and Media 18 Jan 2006, 14:21

  • Napster claims 100 per cent year-on-year subscriber growth

    Total passes 550,000

    Napster today said it has doubled the number of people subscribing to its music rental services in the past 12 months. The digital music provider's subscriber base now stands at more than 550,000 users, Napster claimed, with nine per cent of that total - 50,000 - coming through the company's subscription programme for …

    Music and Media 18 Jan 2006, 14:54

  • Walkman brand drives Sony Ericsson to record quarter

    Camera phones helped, too

    Sony Ericsson's Walkman-branded handsets and its focus on high-end camera phones pushed the company into a record quarter during the final three months of its 2005 fiscal year, the phone-maker said today. For the three months to 31 December 2005, Sony Ericsson reported pre-tax profits of €206m ($249m) - up 36.4 per cent on Q3 …

    Mobile 18 Jan 2006, 15:06

  • 'Clear demand' for mobile TV, says O2

    No escape from Celebrity Big Brother

    Another batch of research has been produced to suggest that punters are keen to view TV programmes on the move, with O2 claiming there is a "clear consumer demand" for a service that beams digital content direct to mobile phones. Last September, O2, Arqiva (previously known as NTL Broadcast) and Nokia began trials in Oxford to …

    Mobile 18 Jan 2006, 15:07

  • iPod t-shirt hits the shelves

    Cash'n'Carrion Top new offering from TechnoDepot

    Very much hot on the heels of the I do Sudoku in Hex t-shirt (which has proved a runaway bestseller, so if you want one, get in there sharpish), the chaps down at TechnoDepot have unleashed yet another hi-tech fashion statement. This time around it's all pretty simple - a big white iPod t-shirt, as seen here. Actually, the …

    Site News 18 Jan 2006, 15:08

  • Northamber gets case maker

    Should mean more retail for ENlight

    ENlight UK has done a deal with Northamber to distribute its PC cases aimed at gamers. Northamber said ENlight's focus on marketing was part of the reason for the deal happening now. The company said ENlight cases were "well thought out, thoroughly researched and meet the demands of today's demanding consumers." ENlight, a …

    Channel Register 18 Jan 2006, 15:10

  • Readers crack Google Earth photo challenge

    Too easy, eh? Hmmm...

    Thanks to all those readers who took the time to write in about our mystery Google Earth location and, specifically, the five selected features which we asked you to identify: Well, it proved a little too easy for our US cousins, many of whom had first-hand knowledge of the place in question. Not everyone, though …

    Science 18 Jan 2006, 15:15

  • GoldenPalace.com buys Captain Kirk's kidney stone

    Load of old Shat

    GoldenPalace.com has added to its world-class roster of tat by snapping up William Shatner's kidney stone for $25k (£14k). Shatner will donate the cash to housing charity Habitat for Humanity, the BBC reports. The 74-year-old actor said: "This takes organ donors to a new height, or to a new low, maybe. How much is a piece of …

    Bootnotes 18 Jan 2006, 15:26

  • 3G overhyped, says tech pioneer

    Mobile broadband? Pah

    The need for high-speed internet access on mobiles has been overestimated, according to a mobile-phone technology pioneer who poured cold water on the short-term potential for 3G network operators to realise ambitious business plans. Dr Andrew Viterbi, co-founder and retired vice-chairman of Qualcomm, who's best known for …

    Mobile 18 Jan 2006, 15:55

  • Health Dept. to review high hospital phone charges

    Makes you sick

    Ofcom has called on the Department of Health (DoH) to carry out a review into the cost of phoning patients in hospital. The review stems from an investigation launched by the comms regulator last summer amid allegations that people were being ripped off for telephoning patients in hospital. Two companies - Patientline Ltd and …

    Networks 18 Jan 2006, 16:15

  • DB2 - the secret database

    IBM trumpets not blowing

    DB2 is the most respectable and most powerful database engine in the world: it’s the pinnacle of database development. IBM makes a claim (undisputed to my knowledge) that more structured data is stored in DB2 than in any other database engine. Certainly, according to the Winter Corporation’s 2005 survey, the largest OLTP (On- …

    Developer 18 Jan 2006, 16:30

  • HMRC tax debacle spreads

    Treasury: Tax crisis? What tax crisis?

    Staff at Network Rail have become the latest victims of scammers preying on the UK’s tax credit scheme, the Times reports. Meanwhile, the The Evening Standard is reporting that paymaster general Dawn Primarolo confirmed to MPs today that £2.7m has been harvested from the tax credit system by fraudsters. It emerged last year …

    ID 18 Jan 2006, 17:14

  • IBM plans executive sweetener

    Supplements

    IBM is planning to upgrade executive remuneration packages to compensate for freezing their pensions. Details of executive pension arrangements are still being worked out, said a Big Blue spokesman. One idea being discussed was a supplemental programme. "We believe that executives should be impacted to the same degree as [ …

    IT Director 18 Jan 2006, 18:11

  • Japan nervous as officials probe Livedoor

    Allegations surface of financial jiggery-pokery

    Investors in Japan are in a tizz after allegations surfaced about one of the country's most popular internet companies. On Monday, it emerged that the offices of Livedoor Co - which operates one of Japan's leading portals - had been raided by officials investigating allegations that the company had tried to boost its share …

    Financial News 18 Jan 2006, 18:13

  • Councillors demand explanation for outsourcing 'fiasco'

    Fujitsu, employees and councillors hoodwinked over end to £500m deal

    Pressure is growing on Walsall Council to give a full explanation for the failed negotiations over a £500m outsourcing deal with Fujitsu Services. The Council Cabinet will meet tonight to decide whether it should cease negotiations with Fujitsu, even though the two had already issued a joint statement that talks were off. …

    Public Sector 18 Jan 2006, 18:13

  • SAP exec caught praising Oracle's Larry Ellison

    Promises on-demand CRM by March too

    SAP's products and technology chief Shai Agassi has confirmed two things – he thinks Oracle's CEO Larry Ellison is a smart guy and his company will finally deliver its rival to Salesforce.com before March. Agassi, speaking at AMR Research's Strategy 21 event here, admitted to admiring Ellison's intellect – a confession given …

    Servers 18 Jan 2006, 18:36

  • ZigBee bursts onto wireless PAN

    Mesh tech links monitoring and control

    Products based on ZigBee - the low power, mesh radio technology - will come on tap this year and make a big impact in industrial controls, according to demos at the IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium this week. ZigBee is a short-range radio technology aimed at apps with low data rates and low power consumption such as industrial …

    Data Networking 18 Jan 2006, 19:18

  • Google accused of being the next SAP

    Clunky middleware empire brewing?

    Is Google the next SAP? That was the hardball question BusinessWeek reporter Sarah Lacy saved up for SAP's products and technology chief Shai Agassi here at the AMR Research Strategy 21 conference. The difficult query didn't faze the SAP executive. He looked deep inside, performed a gut check and busted out with – "I don't …

    Applications 18 Jan 2006, 19:23

  • Microsoft greenlights 'live' use of WinFX beta code

    Caveat developer

    Microsoft is greenlighting development and rollout of applications based on beta code contained in the WinFX programming framework and architecture. Code for the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF) - elements of WinFX - have been made available under Microsoft's Go Live Licenses, which …

    Developer 18 Jan 2006, 20:12