7th February 2006 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

Patent 'fundamentals' questioned

UK invites world review

The UK Patent Office has called for worldwide consultation on the fundamental principles of patenting to tackle growing doubt in the efficacy of the IP approval system. The British patent system is thought to work rather well in comparison to the US system, which has a reputation for awarding trivial or ridiculous patents, …

Developer 7 Feb 2006, 07:03
Eutelsat held talks to buy Aramiska

Approach rejected before firm pulled plug

Eutelsat was in talks to acquire troubled Aramiska shortly before the satellite broadband operator pulled the plug on its service last month. Insiders have told The Register that giant satellite operator Eutelsat had been holding talks with Aramiska since before Christmas, but that those negotiations broke down. One source told …

Networks 7 Feb 2006, 07:03
'All' AMD CPUs to support virtualisation mid-2006

Pacifica promoted as firm demos first DDR 2-supporting Opteron

AMD yesterday demo'd its upcoming DDR 2-supporting dual-core 64-bit processor. The core also supports 'Pacifica', AMD's answer to Intel's Virtualisation Technology. AMD said Pacifica was now available for broad licensing, and will be built into "all" its CPUs this year. The updated dual-core chip - an Opteron, apparently - …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 10:31
IBM launches chipset on unlicensed waveband

Lots of data but not much distance...

IBM says its latest chip could boost wireless data transfer to ten times the current capacity. The silicon-germanium chip uses an unlicensed section of the radio spectrum. There have been previous attempts to exploit the 30-300GHz wavelength bands, but they've been hampered by cost, size and difficulty integrating with other …

Wireless 7 Feb 2006, 10:40
First look: Expression Interactive Designer

Review Some sparkling XAML

It's been a long time coming. First rumoured at the 2003 PDC (Microsoft Professional Developers Conference), Microsoft's Sparkle has finally made it part way out the door. More than two years after the original whispers of a Microsoft competitor to Flash, Expression Interactive Designer has arrived. Now you can finally start …

Developer 7 Feb 2006, 10:49
DDR 2 memory prices leap 18%

Vendors raise contract supply quotes amid tight supply

DDR 2 SDRAM chip contract prices have jumped 18 per cent this month compared to the average price during the last two weeks of January, market watcher DRAMeXchange has said. And with both Samsung, Hynix and other memory makers already implementing price-rises this month, the increase is going to continue. Contract prices for …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 10:58
Scientists probe 'Lost World' rainforest

New Guinea, new species

An expedition to one of the world's most remote rainforests has turned up a bonanza of undiscovered species. Western New Guinea's Foja mountains are home to one million hectares of pristine ancient tropical forest that, until December's month-long jaunt, were largely unknown to science. Dozens of new species, including 20 new …

Science 7 Feb 2006, 11:23
Global 'blogathon' marks Safer Internet Day

Group hug

The European Commission is putting the potential dangers of using the web under the spotlight by naming today "Safer Internet Day". Insafe, the EU's network for safer internet use, today launched a global "blogathon" to draw attention to the legal, ethical and safety issues associated with the internet. A wide range of …

Music and Media 7 Feb 2006, 11:27
US gov optimistic on wireless auctions

Estimates go up to $25bn

The Bush administration has increased the amount it believes it can raise from auctioning off wireless spectrum. The US government now expects, or hopes, to raise $25bn between 2007 and 2009 - rather than the $17.2bn it originally predicted. The Federal Communications Commission will start by selling off 90MHz of airwaves in …

Mobile 7 Feb 2006, 11:30
Inventec preps 'Mercury' smart phone

Palm's upcoming low-end Treo revealed?

Is this the face of Palm's upcoming 'Lowrider' low-end smart phone? At this stage we can't say, but it's certainly the case that it's made by Inventec, it's a Windows Mobile-powered device and it's a codenamed 'Mercury', as revealed by the manufacturer's Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing. Documents posted as …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 11:39
Managing Agile Projects

Book review Methods that make traditional project managers nervous

Some of the more fundamentalist exponents of agile development methodologies would reduce the totality of roles within software development to two: developers and customers. And even then you get the impression that customers are viewed as no more than a necessary evil. Architects, project managers, DBAs, testers, integrators, …

Developer 7 Feb 2006, 11:47
Drive-by downloads on the wane

Spyware in decline?

Spyware programs that monitor users' surfing habits remain prevalent, but their frequency is on the decline, according to a recent academic study (PDF). Security researchers at the University of Washington used web crawler technology to discover that around one in 20 executable files (5.5 per cent) offered for download on the …

Security 7 Feb 2006, 12:07
Samsung readies TV phone for Europe

But has it chosen the wrong broadcast format?

Samsung will next week formally unveil the handset it will pitch at Europeans who want to watch TV on their mobile phones. It's called the SGH-P900 and it's capable of receiving T-DMB (Terrestrial Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) signals and relaying them on its 2.2in swivel screen. Samsung's home nation, South Korea, has …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 12:14
Court hands Gizmondo Europe to liquidators

Attempt to seek bankruptcy protection fails

Gizmondo Europe has gone into liquidation after parent company Tiger Telematics' attempt to persuade the English High Court to put the subdsidiary into administration failed last week, Reg Hardware can reveal. The court hearing took place on Thursday, 2 February after being adjourned from Tuesday, 31 January. The court ordered …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 12:59
Sage chairman steps down

Speculation as Vodafone man steps up

Sage Group chairman Michael Jackson will step down as of August 1 this year and leave the board to be replaced by Vodafone deputy chief executive Sir Julian Horn-Smith. Ovum Holway Hotnews reports that Jackson's abdication after 22 years in charge has been precipitated by his chairmanship of PartyGaming which, like Sage, is a …

Financial News 7 Feb 2006, 13:22
Cleanfeed working overtime, says BT

Reported rise in reported child porn sites

BT is blocking 35,000 attempts each day by net users trying to access child pornography, the UK's dominant telco said today. The stats from its Cleanfeed web filtering system coincide with Safer Internet Day, a global event designed to promote online awareness. When BT first launched Cleanfeed in summer 2004, it was blocking …

Music and Media 7 Feb 2006, 13:41
BitTorrent sues for trademarks

MPAA stifles laugh

BitTorrent - which usually finds itself reading lawyers' letters rather than writing them - is going to start taking legal action rather than just being its subject. The company will set the lawyers on anyone using the BitTorrent name, and trademark, if they are using it to distribute spyware or adware. BitTorrent users are …

Applications 7 Feb 2006, 13:43
Cheated wife 'resprays' hubby's BMW

Then flogs it on internet

As the olding saying goes: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," and the owner of a BMW M3 Coupe currently for sale on Ireland's Car Buyers' Guide know this better than anyone: Crikey. As the blurb rather splendidly declares, this car has "some cosmetic damage due to having a cheating husband. Best offer secures. Idiot …

Bootnotes 7 Feb 2006, 14:07
AOL UK's email suffers collywobbles

Should be sorted now

AOL's email service in the UK appears to be up and running again after suffering the collywobbles earlier today. The ISP blamed essential maintenance work in the US for the problems, which left some users unable to send or receive email, while others temporarily "lost" emails in their inbox. A spokeswoman for AOL UK said fewer …

Telecoms 7 Feb 2006, 14:10
Apple cuts iPod Shuffle prices, debuts 1GB Nano

Still no explanation of Nano capacity inflation phenomenon

Apple has begun shipping the much-rumoured 1GB iPod Nano, pitching the new product as the "affordable" entry into the Nano line-up. The company also slashed the iPod Shuffle family's prices. The 1GB Nano, which goes on sale today in the customary black and white versions, will retail for £109 in the UK and $149 in the US. The …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 14:56
Hollywood PI in wiretap charge rap

LA Unconfidential

A former sleuth to the stars has been charged with masterminding an illegal wiretapping operation targeted against actors, reporters and agents. Anthony Pellicano is charged with running unlawful wiretaps or unlawfully obtaining background checks against actors Sylvester Stallone, Keith Carradine, and an entertainment reporter …

Bootnotes 7 Feb 2006, 15:01
Relisys customers told to wait

It still ain't over...

Monitor maker Relisys is still in administration and customers are being told to hang on - talks are still going on but a decision should be announced soon. It was hoped that takeover talks for part of the business would be settled last week. On 2 February customers received an email which said: "The administrators stated they …

Channel Register 7 Feb 2006, 15:09
Fossett flight foiled in Florida

Daredevil grounded by fuel leak

Millionaire businessman and adventurer Steve Fossett has been temporarily thwarted in his latest round-the-world wheeze. The attempt to break the record for the longest uninterrupted flight was nixed by persistent fuel leaks, which have plagued preparations of fellow sky-botherer Richard Branson's ultra-light Virgin Atlantic …

Science 7 Feb 2006, 15:23
E-tailer rocks to Pebble MP3 player

Life's a beach

UK online retailer Advanced MP3 Players will this month ship its first own-brand device: the small, ready to skim across the waves Pebble. The ovoid audio item sports a shiny black back and a mirrored silver front lit by a blue OLED status panel. The controls are arranged in a circle that'll be familiar to iPod Shuffle users …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 15:24
GetMeTickets.net to be wound up

In the 'public interest'

A website that promised punters tickets to the hottest gigs has been shut down following complaints from music fans. The Official Receiver was called in by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to wind up Get Me Tickets Ltd - which traded via getmetickets.net - in the "public interest". When officials visited the offices …

Financial News 7 Feb 2006, 15:46
Mens fashion store offers custom-coloured iPods

Purple and puce, sir? Oh, sir. Suits you, sir

Posh gents outfitters Bamford & Sons has followed Selfridges down the expensive iPod-related services path by offering to paint any new iPod bought at one of its London stores with a custom colour scheme of the buyer's choice. It's a snip at between £121 and £196, excluding the cost of the music player. B&S isn't opening …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 16:15
US patient records faxed to herbal pill firm

Long-running number mix-up sends data to Canada

US doctors have been mistakenly faxing confidential information on hundreds of patients to a small Canadian distributor of herbal remedies. North Regent Rx has been at the receiving end of reams of sensitive information including people's names addresses, Social Security numbers, medical histories and salaries because its fax …

ID 7 Feb 2006, 16:28
Lawsuit forces users to update Microsoft Office

Patent infringement dispute

Users of Microsoft’s Office and Access packages have been told they will have to install updates as a result of a patent infringement dispute between Microsoft and a Guatemalan inventor that has cost the software firm almost $9 million in damages. Analysts warn that many businesses will be hit by the requirement. The case, …

IT Director 7 Feb 2006, 16:53
O2 to launch 'radio with pictures'

Virgin on the ridiculous

O2 has pledged to become the first mobile phone network to bring Nokia's 'visual radio' technology to UK consumers, courtesy of a tie-in with the Virgin Radio station. It's a "completely new kind of radio experience", apparently. In the early days of television, the new medium was largely considered to be little more than " …

Reg Hardware 7 Feb 2006, 16:55
Readers reacquire Greenwich Meridian

Letters Plus Photoshop on Linux and a right bunch of...

The Google China search engine kerfuffle is unlikely to abate in the near future, so we'll start off this dredge of the Vulture Central mail repository with some reponses to a letter last week from Colin Jackson. To recap, Colin wrote: Possibly the most frightening thing I have ever seen on this web of ours: Search Tiananmen …

Letters 7 Feb 2006, 17:12
When mainframe meets SOA

Comment Just for CICS

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is becoming the preferred method of developing new business solutions. Everyone developing in a green field environment should be using SOA, but very few people have this luxury. The biggest stumbling block, delaying wholesale SOA implementation, is the plethora of existing systems that do …

Developer 7 Feb 2006, 18:00
HP's inner voice tells it to buy OuterBay

Ready to archive databases at speed

HP has gone to the software acquisition well again and purchased storage specialist OuterBay for an undisclosed sum. OuterBay carved out a decent niche as an EMC and HP partner. The companies teamed to sell versions of OuterBay's Application Data Management software suite - a package that makes it possible to discover and …

Storage 7 Feb 2006, 18:02
IBM thumbs nose at heat concerns, kicks Power6 to 6GHz

Taunts rivals with pure speed

IBM has carved out a renegade path for the upcoming Power6 processor, opting to crank the chip's clock speed much higher while rivals shy away from major gigahertz boosts with their products. The Power6 chip will run between 4GHz and 5GHz, and has been shown to hum away at 6GHz in the lab. IBM reckons that some process …

Servers 7 Feb 2006, 19:55