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14th February 2006 Archive

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  • Women's broken hearts go ignored

    Happy Valentine's day

    More than 40 per cent of heart attacks go undiagnosed when they occur, Dutch researchers have discovered. The work, published in the European Heart Journal, found rates of unrecognised attacks are higher for women than men, with over half of female myocardial infarctions slipping under the radar. And then just slipping under, …

    Science 14 Feb 2006, 00:02

  • Orion pulls the plug on deskside cluster op

    When engineers cry

    Microsoft chairman Bill Gates will have to wait a little bit longer for his personal supercomputer. The main company driving such a product - Orion Multisystems - has shut down, The Register can confirm. Orion stood as one of the more interesting Silicon Valley hardware start-ups. It pioneered the market for compact, deskside …

    Servers 14 Feb 2006, 00:20

  • ID Cards to be compulsory in Britain

    'Creeping compulsion' retained

    The British Parliament has kicked out Lords amendments to the ID Card Bill that would have made their use voluntary. The amendments were seen as a defeat for the government when they were made by the House of Lords on January 23. The Lords' attempt to make ID Cards voluntary was defeated by a vote of 310 to 279. But the debate …

    Public Sector 14 Feb 2006, 00:33

  • Apple drops Intel Mac Mini's built-in iPod dock

    Eleventh-hour decision, sources claim

    Upcoming Intel-based Mac Minis will not sport an integrated iPod dock, a variety of sources said to be familiar with Apple's plans have claimed. Such a move was predicted late last year, with the precedent of discoveries made in March 2005 that the computer had the internal connections necessary for a built-in dock. So might …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 10:00

  • Official: Figure skating pointless

    Scoring system on thin statistical ice

    A statistics professor has confirmed what most probably thought anyway: figure skating is rubbish. Or at least the judging process is. Yale's John W Emerson used information available online to test how the new Olympic scoring system performed at the recent 2006 European Women's Figure Skating Championships, held in Lyon, …

    Bootnotes 14 Feb 2006, 10:17

  • ID Card costs escape scrutiny

    Analysis Dobson amendment lets govt. off hook

    Parliament has scrapped House of Lords amendments that would have demanded strict scrutiny on the proposed ID Cards system. Instead, the amendments have been replaced with weak controls tabled by Labour MP Frank Dobson, a known ID Card opponent. Last night's Parliamentary debate repeated concerns that a lack of scrutiny …

    Music and Media 14 Feb 2006, 10:32

  • Windows Vista boot times to pass by in a Flash

    USB memory keys to accelerate app, data loads too

    Windows Vista will give the NAND Flash market a big kick when it ships, Samsung has claimed, thanks to technology integrated into the new Microsoft operating system that will allow USB Flash drives to expand a PC's main memory bank, along with support for Flash caches in hard drives to accelerate boot times. The upshot: …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 10:37

  • Mobile telcos to link IM networks

    3GSM It's good to chat

    A group of 15 mobile operators worldwide launched plans to roll out interoperable instant messages to mobiles in a move designed to emulate the success of text messaging in the 1990s. Operators including Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile, TeliaSonera, Telefonica and China Mobile plan to roll out services that operate across different …

    Mobile 14 Feb 2006, 10:45

  • Virgin Mobile confirms mobile TV deal

    Tunes in with BT

    Virgin Mobile has confirmed it is to unveil a mobile TV service later this year following a tie-up with BT Wholesale. The tie-up comes as little surpise as both firms had already been working together in trials of BT Movio, which piggybacks the Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) network, to broadcast pictures to handsets. The …

    Mobile 14 Feb 2006, 10:50

  • Experts issue stark Valentine's Day press release warning

    Your business is at risk. Click here now

    Experts have issued a stark warning alerting news agencies to a potentially life-threatening flood of press releases in which PR agencies desperately seek a link between their client's product and Valentine's Day. The releases - invariably entitled "Track your cheating wife via GPS this Valentine's Day", or the like - attempt …

    Bootnotes 14 Feb 2006, 10:53

  • Paris Hilton may play movie Mother Teresa

    No, really

    Here's one you can file under: "you're pulling my plonker". An Indian film director is considering Paris Hilton for the role of saintly Mother Teresa, IANS news agency suggests. Director T Rajeevnath admitted: "My agents in California have contacted Paris Hilton." He explained that the reason behind this extending of feelers in …

    Bootnotes 14 Feb 2006, 10:55

  • NEC preps 'perfume bottle' media player

    Sports 'liquid gui', apparently

    We've heard of designing gadgets for girls, but NEC's latest music and movie player takes the cake. Preferring not to spray the device metallic pink, the technique favoured for other female-friendly toys, the company has instead styled the 30GB hard drive-based VoToL PK-MV300 after a perfume bottle. The VoToL sports a 2.7in …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 11:19

  • Firm launches 'world's smallest' external HDD

    USB key packs in 0.85in 4GB drive

    Japanese peripherals specialist Elecom has introduced what it claims is the world's smallest external hard drive. Its MF-DU204G packs in 4GB of storage capacity yet is sufficiently small to warrant its own, integrated USB connector. The secret? The use of a bus-powered 0.85in HDD, Elecom said. The drive is packed into a …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 11:43

  • Serco Solutions appoints new COO

    'Operations integration'

    Outsourcing firm Serco Solutions has announced the appointment of Steve Morriss as chief operating officer. He moves from Serco Science, where he was managing director of Serco's Assurance division, and will oversee the further integration of Serco Solutions with the rest of the group. Morriss confirmed: "A key challenge is to …

    Channel Register 14 Feb 2006, 11:49

  • Intel 'to halve' Pentium D 950 price next April

    Other 65nm dualies to get much cheaper ahead of 960's debut

    Intel will slash its Pentium D 9xx processor prices by up to 50 per cent on 23 April in a bid to get buyers to make the move to dual-core platforms, it has been claimed. The move will precede the launch of the 3.6GHz Pentium D 960, which recently popped up on the chip giant's latest roadmap update. The 960 will debut on 30 …

    Channel Register 14 Feb 2006, 12:02

  • Tiscali UK nears 1m broadband punters

    Nearly time to crack the Asti

    Tiscali has cornered one in ten of all broadband lines in the UK, the Italy-based ISP revealed today. Publishing results for 2005, Tiscali revealed that at the end of last year it had 935,000 DSL lines in the UK - more than the combined number of broadband lines in Italy, Holland and Germany. As a result, revenues in the UK …

    Telecoms 14 Feb 2006, 12:14

  • 419er jailed for 376 years

    Hard time for $2m scammer

    A Nigerian 419er was last Friday jailed for 376 years by a Lagos court for "stealing, forgery, impersonation and conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences" contrary to the Advance Fee Fraud Act, the Nigerian Daily Independent reports. Harrison Odiawa, 38, aka Abu Belgori, managed to extract $1,939,710 from US national …

    Music and Media 14 Feb 2006, 12:52

  • Seagate to spin a 12GB 1in HDD in Q3

    Perpendicular recording

    Seagate yesterday not only pledged to ship a 12GB 1in hard disk drive in Q3, it also promised the drive would ship in a much smaller casing than its current 1in HDD line-up does and consume two-thirds of the power. What's more, the drive incorporates perpendicular recording technology, the company said. Seagate's 14g ST1.3 is …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 13:00

  • MS anti-spyware labels Symantec as Trojan

    False alarm

    An update to Microsoft anti-spyware incorrectly labeled two versions of Symantec's anti-virus software as Trojan horse malware last week. Users of Windows AntiSpyware beta 1 were mistakenly warned that Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition and Symantec Client Security packages were a password stealing Trojan called Bancos-A. PC …

    Malware 14 Feb 2006, 13:06

  • Motorola promises 3G Q PDA phone for Q4

    3GSM Ready for network testing then, at least

    Motorola's would-be BlackBerry-beater, the Q, will ship by the end of the first quarter, the company promised yesterday, before going on to announce a 3G version of the QWERTY keyboard-equipped PDA phone. The wait for the UMTS model will be longer: even the networks won't get their hands on it until "late Q4". Earlier this …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 13:26

  • Mobile internet mesh fraught with pitfalls

    3GSM Here's another fine IMS you've got me into

    Only one in 10 operators rolling out IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology expect to make their money back within two years. Operators yet to introduce the technology expect a much faster payback on their investment, according to a new study. IMS merges together internet and mobile technology to create a platform to deliver …

    Wireless 14 Feb 2006, 13:37

  • Vodafone teams with Google on mobile search

    3GSM Google live!

    Vodafone is adding Google search capabilities to its Vodafone live! service. The deal, announced Tuesday, will allow consumers to search both Vodafone's mobile portal and the wider web. Google has been offering a cut-down version of its search engine to mobile users as a beta service for some time. Users can also get responses …

    Mobile 14 Feb 2006, 14:32

  • Three charged with Seattle hospital botnet attack

    Come as you are...to jail

    A federal grand jury has indicted a 20-year-old California man on charges that his botnet hijacked thousands of computers and crippled a hospital network, leaving intensive care systems paralysed and doctors' pagers useless, Associated Press reports. Christopher Maxwell, of Vacaville, and two other unidentified juveniles are …

    Malware 14 Feb 2006, 15:11

  • US student tries to score dope at cop shop

    University-grade criminal mastermind

    A 20-year-old North Dakota State University student has been arrested for "criminal attempt and possession of drug paraphernalia" after trying to score some marijuana at a West Fargo police station, In-Forum News reports. Grace Sium rang the cop shop at 3.15am last Saturday enquiring as to where she might acquire some blow. …

    Bootnotes 14 Feb 2006, 15:14

  • OFT warns of online dating scams

    Cashing in on lurv

    Reg readers looking for lurv are being warned about the pitfalls of online dating scams. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) says some unscrupulous characters prey on people looking for a soul mate by pretending to fall head over heels for them. In fact, once these cads and cadesses hook their victim, they then start asking for …

    ID 14 Feb 2006, 15:27

  • IBM takes Power5+ to 2.2GHz

    Rolls out p5 575 server to put it in

    IBM has boosted its Power5+ server processor to 2.2GHz from 1.9GHz and added the faster chip to a new p5-series server. Big Blue has also added a trio of p5 servers based on existing Power5+ CPUs, according to its website. The 2.2GHz chip will be installed in the new p5 575 machine, a 60cm-wide server pitched at high …

    Servers 14 Feb 2006, 15:35

  • Girl hit on zebra crossing lands in court

    Updated Possible fine for nine-year-old Swiss tearaway

    We're very glad to report that the Swiss are taking steps to ensure kids pay attention when crossing the road - by dragging into court a nine-year-old hit by a car on a zebra crossing. The unnamed girl was, according to Ananova, "slightly injured after she was hit by the car while crossing the road with her mum and younger …

    Bootnotes 14 Feb 2006, 15:36

  • Please don't censor internet, sobs Yahoo!

    Heartfelt plea fails to mention China

    Yahoo! has issued a statement ahead of tomorrow's US House of Representatives Committee on International Relations which expresses its deep concerns at "efforts of governments to restrict and control open access to information and communication". The statement continues: "We also firmly believe the continued presence and …

    Music and Media 14 Feb 2006, 15:44

  • Apple gears up to ship MacBook Pro with CPU speed boost

    Notebooks now running at up to 2.16GHz

    When it launched the MacBook Pro in January, Apple said it would begin shipping the Intel Core Duo-based notebook this month. Today, it narrowed the timeframe down to this week, but compensated patiently waiting purchasers with a processor upgrade, bumping the original 1.67GHz and 1.83GHz standard models to 1.83GHz and 2.0GHz …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 15:59

  • X-prize expands ambitions

    Big bucks for breakthroughs

    The lure of cold, hard cash will help drive innovation in the 21st century, if a group of American philanthropists has its way. The billionaire-backed X-prize Foundation will offer big money incentives in several fields of science, The Guardian reports. Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne last year became the first manned commercial …

    Science 14 Feb 2006, 16:24

  • BenQ hails 'super 3G' phone first

    3GSM Claims first showing of an HSDPA handset

    BenQ Mobile this week took the wraps off what it claims is the first 3G handset equipped with support for the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) data transfer boosting technology. The BenQ-Siemens EF91 won't ship until the Summer, by which time there should be a number of HSDPA-enabled handsets. The EF91 sports a 2in …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 16:31

  • Skype and Vonage: thank you, and goodnight

    3GSM UMA kills the VoIP dream

    It's small, it's boring and won't turn any heads - but it probably spells the end of the road for Skype, Vonage and any other hopeful independent VoIP companies. It's Nokia's 6136 phone, which allows you to make calls over your home or office Wi-Fi network, as well as on a regular cellular network. UMA, or unlicensed mobile …

    VoIP 14 Feb 2006, 16:41

  • France Telecom to axe 22,000 jobs

    C'est la vie

    France Telecom is axing 22,000 jobs - between eight and ten per cent of its workforce - in a bid to cut costs as it is hit by a decline in traditional telephone services. Most of the job cuts are to be made in France, although around 1,000 look set for the chop outside the telco's home territory. Whether that includes the UK, …

    Networks 14 Feb 2006, 16:44

  • Motorola readies Windows Media music phone line-up

    Apple relationship souring?

    Motorola is to produce a line of Windows Media Audio-based music phones, the company said this week, as an alternative to the iTunes-equipped handsets it already offers in partnership with Apple. The two product lines will remain separate, Motorola claimed. Up to three WMA handsets are scheduled to ship in H2, Reuters reports …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 17:04

  • 400,000 Sony Bravia TVs hit by software flaw

    Affected models stuck in stand-by

    Sony has admitted a faulty batch of Bravia-branded LCD and rear-projection TVs has made it into the wild. Around 400,000 sets may carry a software bug that could prevent them from being turned off after a cumulative 1,200 hours in stand-by mode. The TVs won't switch out of stand-by mode at that point, either. Sony said …

    Reg Hardware 14 Feb 2006, 17:40

  • PalmOS goes Linux - again

    3GSM Garnet successor due by year-end

    PalmSource today unveiled its future OS as the Access Linux Platform (ALP), and this time it really means it. It's been a tumultuous year. At the last 3GSM, PalmSource was talking about moving PalmOS 6.0, aka Cobalt, to a Linux kernel. But a change in strategy, which led to the abrupt departure of CEO Dave Nagel last May, saw a …

    Operating Systems 14 Feb 2006, 17:49

  • Symbian explains price cuts

    3GSM Old tariff remains, with Java

    Symbian took time out to explain its lower royalty structure - and admitted it will add a few 'kinks' to its revenue stream. The lower tariffs make Symbian OS available for as little as $2.50 per phone, with a ceiling of $4.65. Alternatively, licensees can opt for paying two per cent of the trade price. Currently licensees pay …

    Mobile 14 Feb 2006, 17:56

  • Microsoft releases its annual mobile phone market excuse

    3GSM Low sales equals vast opportunity, apparently

    Once a year, whether it needs it or not (but oh boy, it does...) Microsoft shows up at 3GSM with the latest release of its explanation of why its mobile business is not totalled. No, not at all totalled, honest. It's nice (no, actually, really nice), because it's weirdly refreshing to find there is a part of the world, or the …

    Mobile 14 Feb 2006, 18:06

  • Microsoft promises Passport redux with ‘InfoCards’

    RSA Saving Howard Ting

    A lesser publication might suggest it fitting that Microsoft’s Chairman Bill Gates began his speech today at the RSA security conference with a joke. “I am really happy to be here at RSA,” Gates said. “My other invitation was to go quail hunting with Dick Cheney. I’m feeling very safe right now.” (An interesting crack for a man …

    Enterprise Security 14 Feb 2006, 20:06

  • Sun’s McNealy wants to take MS security staff hunting

    RSA 'Kaboom!'

    Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy’s newfound love for Microsoft evaporated Tuesday, as he dished out one barb after another against Redmond here at the RSA security conference. The jabs came as part of a larger pitch from McNealy that diversity in the data center and homogeneity on the desktop give rise to insecure networks. …

    Enterprise Security 14 Feb 2006, 21:42

  • Microsoft tastes sweet, sweet open source CRM

    SugarCRM and Windows Server unite

    SugarCRM has become the second open source software company challenging proprietary client/server ISVs to land a technology partnership with Microsoft. The start-up and Microsoft have announced plans to improve interoperability between Windows Servers and SugarCRM's hosted customer relationship management (CRM) suite. SugarCRM …

    Applications 14 Feb 2006, 23:51