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26th January 2006 Archive

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  • Oracle in war of words with security researcher

    'What David Litchfield has done is put our customers at risk'

    ARLINGTON, Virginia - A security researcher released details of a critical flaw in Oracle's application and Web software on Wednesday, criticising the company for not cooperating with the security community and taking too long to fix software issues that threaten its customers. The flaw occurs in the way that a module in …

    Security 26 Jan 2006, 07:03

  • Irish ISPs ordered to disclose file sharers' names

    Download all the Days

    A new ruling by the Irish courts could undermine people who have a genuine need for online anonymity and deter whistleblowers, lobby group Digital Rights Ireland (DRI) claims. It issued the warning after a High Court judge ordered Eircom, BT and Irish Broadband to hand over the details of 49 customers who have allegedly been …

    Media 26 Jan 2006, 07:03

  • Sun loves Fujitsu, despite SPARC slip

    What's a few months between friends?

    Sun Microsystems wants to prolong its relationship with partner Fujitsu beyond 2008 despite the companies' first, joint high-end servers hitting a delay. David Yen, executive vice president of Sun's scalable systems group, expressed optimism on Wednesday that the company could continue its relationship with Fujitsu in the face …

    Servers 26 Jan 2006, 08:30

  • SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence

    Would Sir like BI with his database?

    Business Intelligence (BI) is an umbrella term for systems and processes that turn a mass of opaque data into useful business information. SQL Server 2005 incorporates radical changes into its BI capabilities. UDM BI typically involves the construction of a data warehouse which pulls together disparate data held in different …

    Developer 26 Jan 2006, 08:31

  • What's standing at Intel's platform

    Nibbling developers' heels

    Slowly but surely the standard tasks of the developer’s daily grind are being absorbed and packaged up by a growing number of vendors. Systems management tools, for example. Vendors have already subsumed much of the management coding that would in the past have been the developer’s lot, and now Intel is casting its beady eye on …

    Servers 26 Jan 2006, 08:36

  • Eclipse targets enterprise IT decision makers

    'Much more than just a Java IDE'

    IT decision makers are the target of an Eclipse Foundation campaign to make them feel comfortable adopting tools and integration strategies based on the group's open source framework. Eclipse is preparing a roadshow for executives who set IT strategy at enterprises, to educate them about using Eclipse-based software. This will …

    Developer 26 Jan 2006, 08:44

  • IBM UK pensions in doubt

    Meetings across the country regarding the final salary scheme

    IBM managers are in meetings across the country to hear about changes to the company pension. Observers are speculating that the firm will announce the end of the UK's final salary pension, as it has already done in the US. A flock of major UK - and US - companies have pulled the plug on their traditional final salary schemes …

    Management 26 Jan 2006, 10:16

  • USI to buy Abit mobo operation for $11m plus shares

    Wants to expand market share in US, Europe

    Abit is to sell its motherboard division to fellow Taiwanese mobo maker Universal Scientific Industrial (USI) for TWD350m ($11m) and 20m shares. USI is forming a subsidiary into which the Abit operation will be merged. The deal brings USI the Abit brand along with the mobo division's intellectual property portfolio, its …

    Hardware 26 Jan 2006, 10:24

  • Dread public speaking? Have a shag first

    Sex calms nerves, psychologist shows

    Well, here's a bit of agreeable news for those readers who dread getting up in front of the board to deliver that mission-critical Powerpoint presentation: indulging in full-on rumpy-pumpy beforehand will help you face the ordeal in a state of hormone-induced calmness. That's according to Stuart Brody, a psychologist at …

    Bootnotes 26 Jan 2006, 10:32

  • Nvidia says next high-end GPU due early March

    CeBIT debut as predicted?

    Nvidia has confirmed speculation that it will announce its next-generation graphics chip architecture at CeBIT. The head of the company's Taiwan sales operation, Paul Sun, this week said the chip maker will introduce a new high-end GPU in early March. Sun, cited by DigiTimes, also said a full line-up of GeForce 7-class GPUs …

    Hardware 26 Jan 2006, 10:38

  • Nintendo redesigns the DS

    Light in colour, light in weight

    Nintendo is indeed planning to ship a redesigned version of its DS handheld console, despite apparent denials that such a move was being contemplated. The so-called 'DS Lite' is scheduled to ship in Japan on March 2, the video games pioneer said today. As its name suggests, the DS Lite isn't as heavy as the current version, …

    Games 26 Jan 2006, 11:01

  • Infinium lent $5m to make Phantom Lapboard

    On-demand games service still in the pipeline

    Infinium Labs, the company behind the Phantom games console and broadband content service, yesterday said it had won $5m in funding - money it needs to begin manufacturing its Phantom Lapboard gaming accessory. Infinium will receive $625,000 when it registers the investment with US regulatory authorities. It can then take some …

    Games 26 Jan 2006, 11:27

  • UK pulls in Cray for nuke testing

    £20m supercomputer for Sim Apocalypse

    Brits can all sleep easier in their beds now that the UK’s Atomic Weapons Establishment has handed over £20m for a shiny new Cray XT3 super computer. The AWE said the 40 teraflops box of tricks will be used for a range of jobs such as “weapons physics, materials science and engineering” which will “underpin our continued …

    Servers 26 Jan 2006, 11:44

  • 2005 mobile phone shipments smash record

    Demand drives sales up 19 per cent

    World+dog bought 244.9m mobile phones during the final three months of 2005, market watcher Strategy Analytics (SA) said today, adding that the figure is a record one. For the year as a whole, some 810.5m handsets shipped, up 19.1 per cent on 2004's total, 680.5m. SA reckons shipments will rise 14.8 per cent this year, to 930m …

    Phones 26 Jan 2006, 11:54

  • Xerox culls European distributors

    Only three lucky survivors

    Xerox has slashed its European distributors from 49 to just three. Ingram Micro was the first to blow its trumpet as one of the lucky trio. But the copy vendor has said there may be local variations to this pan-european - or as we used to say in the trade, oligarchical - arrangement. Other distributors may continue to sell its …

    The Channel 26 Jan 2006, 11:58

  • MS sues over anti-spyware scam

    Spyware Cleaner misleading and ineffective, alleges Washington state

    Washington State and Microsoft have joined forces to sue a firm that allegedly used scare tactics to sell ineffective anti-spyware software. New York-based Secure Computer is accused of using spamming and pop-ups in an aggressive and allegedly deceitful marketing campaign designed to promote sales of a product called Spyware …

    Security 26 Jan 2006, 12:09

  • Most Brits don't believe in evolution

    Updated Shock BBC claim

    A BBC survey into Brits' views on evolution has found that while 48 per cent of people opted for evolution as that which "best described their view of the origin and development of life", 22 per cent opted for creationism and 17 per cent for for intelligent design. The remainder of the pollees "did not know". Asked which of the …

    Science 26 Jan 2006, 12:30

  • The Art of Intrusion

    Book review The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders & Deceivers

    I'm not that keen on the word “hacker” in the modern, pejorative sense (I remember when it meant a good UNIX programmer) and I'm generally not that that impressed by hackers either - mostly they're not particularly clever and just got lucky. So, I came to this book, newly released in paperback at a lower price, in a not very …

    Security 26 Jan 2006, 12:45

  • Date set for Blackberry ban hearing

    RIM set to ask for royalty payment order

    Research in Motion (RIM) will appear in court on Friday, 24 February to hear if it must close its Blackberry push email service to US customers or, at the very least, make them implement an upgrade. Judge James Spencer yesterday named the date at which he will hear arguments from RIM and patent holding company NTP over whether …

    Phones 26 Jan 2006, 13:00

  • Airbus creates 650 new Welsh jobs

    Boost for Flintshire wing plant

    European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced it will create 650 new jobs as part of an expansion of its wing-manufacturing plant in north Wales, the BBC reports. The factory at Broughton in Flintshire already employs over 6,000 people in the construction of wings for the Airbus A350 and A380 "superjumbo". It is Wales' …

    Management 26 Jan 2006, 13:20

  • Creative profits down despite strong sales

    Looks to high-end products to boost its fortunes

    Creative experienced a dip in profitability during the final three months of 2005, the second quarter of its 2006 fiscal year, despite big sales gains pushing revenues to their highest level in five years. Revenue for the period totalled $390.8m, up 4.2 per cent from Q2 FY2005's $375.1m and 39.5 per cent on the previous quarter …

    Hardware 26 Jan 2006, 13:49

  • Pantech pitches 15:9 widescreen phone

    Sports a panoramic digicam too

    South Korea's second largest phone maker, Pantech, has launched a slider phone aimed at the local mobile media player market, touting the handset's near-widescreen display and its MP3 and video playback facilities. The IM-U100 sports a 2.6in display with a 15:9 aspect ratio. It's not quite the 16:9 ratio you see on a widescreen …

    Phones 26 Jan 2006, 14:08

  • Bluetooth set to take over wireless from Wi-Fi...

    Comment ...as IEEE abandons the fight for UWB

    The IEEE has abandoned its effort to create a UWB standard, but has agreed on a draft for the next generation of WiFi, 802.11n. The conventional wisdom is that this week's events are great news for Wi-Fi, and a disaster for Ultra-Wide Band, UWB, and by association, Bluetooth. In fact, the exact opposite is likely to be the …

    Broadband 26 Jan 2006, 14:33

  • Lax mobile security leaves UK.biz at risk

    An accident waiting to happen, apparently

    Confusion and lack of leadership is leaving many UK businesses exposed to mobile security risks, according to a new study. Four in five (80 per cent) of 2,035 IT pros surveyed by market analyst firm Quocirca, say ordinary workers constitute the main mobile security threat. But one in five companies that already have a wide …

    Security 26 Jan 2006, 14:42

  • Sennheiser HD 201 headphones

    Review Can these budget cans revive your record collection?

    Now that German's Beyerdynamic has returned to studio-level audio equipment, it's let Sennheiser carpet the portables market with the kind of spread that Beyer boasted in the 1990s. At the same time, Sennheiser has updating the looks and prices of its headphones to make them attractive enough to replace regularly with the latest …

    Hardware 26 Jan 2006, 15:16

  • UK is .eu sceptic

    Germany leads scramble for .eu domains

    Germany is leading the scramble to snap up new European domains, while the UK is being a tad .eusceptic. According to the latest stats, the European domain name registry has received more than 166,000 applications for .eu domains since the registration period opened on December 7. Germany accounts for a third of all …

    Financial News 26 Jan 2006, 15:33

  • Nintendo funds old-school gaming expo

    Space Invaders menace Science Museum

    Nintendo has opened its wallet to fund a £1m gaming retrofest at London's Science Museum where teary-eyed old timers can chew the fat about Space Invaders, Pac-man and Donkey Kong. According to London's Evening Standard, the expo will open later this year and run until 2007 when it will be replaced by "an interactive gallery …

    Bootnotes 26 Jan 2006, 15:39

  • The bigger the balls, the smaller the brains

    In bats, that is

    A Syracuse University research team has discovered something quite remarkable, if not immediately useful in everyday life*: bats belonging to species where the females are promiscuous have bigger testicles than those in species where the girls are more family-oriented. There is, however, a price to pay: the bigger your 'nads, …

    Science 26 Jan 2006, 15:49

  • Timepiece tells time in binary

    It's 0101 O'clock and all's well

    Say hello to the latest weird watch: the Kerala Trance. Sounds a bit Ibiza to us, but it's got a geek angle too: the display's in binary. Two rows of four LEDs tell the time; hours above, minutes below. Next to each LED there's a number - add up the numbers whose lights are illuminated and you get the time. If the LEDs marked 8 …

    Hardware 26 Jan 2006, 15:53

  • Privacy pledge on Shoreditch CCTV scheme

    Information Commissioner pays a visit

    The Information Commissioner cast an eye over the Shoreditch home surveillance project this week as the man behind the controversial scheme assured residents their civil liberties will be protected. Daniel Hodges, CEO of project architects Digital Bridge, had a visit this week from the Information Commissioner (IC), who wanted …

    Media 26 Jan 2006, 16:04

  • Home Office pushes tough anti-hacker law

    'Hacker tool' ban proposal provokes derision

    The UK Government plans to toughen up computer crime laws under proposals outlined in the Police and Justice Bill on Wednesday. The bill would double the maximum jail sentence for hacking into computer systems from five years to ten years, a provision that will classify hacking as a more serious offense and make it easier to …

    Media 26 Jan 2006, 16:19

  • Botnet control fears over IP telephony

    Touching the VoIP

    VoIP networks such as Skype and Vonage might be used to control networks of compromised machines because of security shortcomings that give hackers a better opportunity to cover their tracks, security researchers warn. Boffins at the Communications Research Network (CRN), which involves academics from Cambridge University and …

    Security 26 Jan 2006, 16:57

  • Nokia Q4 sales jump but profits unmoved

    Price erosion continues

    Mobile phone average selling prices are in decline, Nokia warned today as it reported its Q4 FY2005 financial results. Sales for the period hit €10.33bn ($12.68bn), nine per cent higher than the year-ago quarter's €9.46bn. The mobile phone giant sold €6.22bn ($7.64bn) worth of handsets in the quarter, up just six per cent on Q4 …

    Financial News 26 Jan 2006, 17:08

  • No GPL 3.0 for Linux - Torvalds

    Back to the source

    The Linux kernel is not moving to the next version of General Public License (GPL), following objections from Linus Torvalds to the license's stance on digital rights management (DRM). Torvalds told a mailing list on Wednesday the Linux kernel would remain under GPL 2.0, despite work underway at the Free Software Foundation for …

    Operating Systems 26 Jan 2006, 21:00

  • AMD's server share is no chimera

    Claims one in four desktops, too

    One in five PCs - and one in four desktops - now has AMD Inside, according to analysts at Mercury Research. The silicon contender saw the strongest growth in the server market, climbing from 12.7 per cent in Q3 2005 to 16.4 per cent in the final quarter of 2005. Desktop share climbed from 20.4 per cent to 24.3 per cent, while …

    Servers 26 Jan 2006, 22:16

  • Xbox 360 hibernates 'til Spring

    Where did the console go?

    Component shortages and a lack of manufacturing capacity have forced Microsoft's Xbox 360 console into hibernation, a situation that looks set to continue until Spring. Despite its spectacular launch in November, US retailer Circuit City told USA Today earlier this week that "supplies are going to remain pretty tight for the …

    Games 26 Jan 2006, 22:18

  • EC to Microsoft: not so fast

    Code licensing may not be enough

    Microsoft may not be off the hook with the European Commission (EC), despite this week's sweeping promise to license Windows Server communications source code. An EC spokesperson has reportedly called it "premature" to assume that access alone to the code would solve the problem of Microsoft's failure to comply. Microsoft had …

    Operating Systems 26 Jan 2006, 23:03