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20th February 2006 Archive

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  • Kazaa, record company lawyers ready for appeal

    Case sits in Oz Federal Court today

    This morning sees the return of the parties in the Kazaa case to the Federal Court for their long awaited appeal. While the earlier case was heard by a single judge (Judge Wilcox), the appeal is to be heard over five days by the Full Bench comprised of Justices Branson, Finkelstein and Lindgren. The appeal follows the September …

    Music and Media 20 Feb 2006, 09:43

  • Sweetening the pill of compliance

    Lessons from financial services

    Significant demands have been placed on the financial services sector as a result of compliance related requirements over the past three years, according to a study carried out by Freeform Dynamics involving the interview of 100 UK based IT managers from a range of Banking and Insurance organisations. The study also reveals …

    IT Director 20 Feb 2006, 09:49

  • Gov. diverts £2bn gravy train

    But industry still "paranoid" about OGC secrecy

    The Office of Government Commerce (OGC), has caved in to industry protests over its attempt to railroad controversial policies for the second time in a year. The Treasury buying arm is in danger of earning a reputation as a soft touch after broadening the supplier roster for framework contracts worth up to £1bn this week - and …

    Public Sector 20 Feb 2006, 10:21

  • Sony admits PS3 could be delayed

    Blu-ray copy protection system set-backs the cause?

    Sony said today it is still aiming to ship PlayStation 3 this Spring, but it warned the next-generation console's release could slip if unnamed industry-set specifications - possibly a reference to the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) copy-protection technology adopted by Blu-ray Disc - are not completed in time. Today's …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 10:23

  • IGF: success, great success or useful sideshow?

    IGF Blog Making hard decisions, melting hard cheeses

    When asked a month prior to this week's meeting in Geneva how it was likely to go, one diplomat closely involved in the talks was unequivocal: "It will be a success." Really? "Of course," he said. "Every UN meeting is always either a success or a great success." The United Nations truly does inhabit its own world. And it …

    Financial News 20 Feb 2006, 10:33

  • Multimedia arms race

    Tech Digest Web browsing, email, TV tuners and more

    Certified gadget obsessives Tech Digest and Shiny Shiny scour Gizmoville for the oddest digital goodies, TV Scoop features all that’s cool in British telly and Propellerhead answers your PC queries Handheld consoles compete for multimedia dominance Nintendo's DS handheld console is set, in coming months, to get a raft of add- …

    Mobile 20 Feb 2006, 10:43

  • Boffins wrestle with future in Roman Bath

    High-tech giants backing pervasive network

    Technology firms are backing a University of Bath investigation into city-wide 'pervasive computing zones'. The £1.6m Cityware project has backing from IBM, Nokia, HP and Vodafone. It's hoped the conclusions will help guide future mobile application development. Project leader Dr Eamonn O' Neill said: "Pervasive technology that …

    Data Networking 20 Feb 2006, 10:45

  • Google says no to US gov

    US customers more important than Chinese?

    Google on Friday rejected US government demands that it give up search information claiming that its customers' privacy, as well as its own business secrets, should be protected. The search giant filed a response to the demand from the US government that it hand over two months of search terms and all the web addresses within …

    Music and Media 20 Feb 2006, 10:58

  • C&W to cull jobs in Ireland

    Workers de-Energised

    Telecoms company Cable and Wireless (C&W) is in the process of shedding some 28 jobs from its workforce in Ireland, a spokesman for the telecoms firm told Electricnews.net. C&W is currently undergoing a global restructuring following its takeover of Energis last year. The firm announced in January that it was planning to …

    Networks 20 Feb 2006, 11:02

  • Apple 17in MacBook Pro 'to debut in June'

    Waiting on the right optical drive?

    Apple will launch a 2.16GHz 17in MacBook Pro in June - exactly one year after it formally announced the move to Intel processors. However, there's still no sign that the company will similarly create a MacBook Pro version of its 12in PowerBook G4. So claim "reliable" sources cited by AppleInsider. According to the website, …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 11:22

  • Political hacking scandal hits Hungary

    Making a goulash of security

    A "Watergate-style" political scandal has broken in Hungary after the opposition party was forced to admit an over-zealous intern was responsible for hacking into the servers of the governing party. Fidesz said the hack against the systems of the ruling socialist party, ahead of the April general elections, was not sanctioned by …

    Enterprise Security 20 Feb 2006, 11:22

  • Bird flu menace poised to cross the Channel

    Europe up the swanny - UK vets testing dead birds

    It has been a big weekend for bird flu, which has reached Britain's nearest neighbour and may have leapt the channel. The BBC reports that nine dead swans from across the UK are being examined by government vets. Swans are thought to have brought the virus to Germany and Slovenia. In France, authorities confirmed a dead duck …

    Science 20 Feb 2006, 11:34

  • iPod Shuffle becomes t-shirt icon

    Too tempting for tea leaves?

    Can you take the act of demonstrating your support for Apple's diminutive iPod Shuffle too far? The latest in iPod-oriented apparel, the PodShirt, might well prove that you can. PodShirt's new t-shirt incorporates a magnetic clasp on the right breast to hold your Shuffle exactly where the 'i' in the screen-printed iShirt caption …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 11:41

  • £179m council outsourcing costs disputed

    "A complete fabrication," city of Westminster says

    A row has broken out over the cost of outsourcing council services from London to Scotland. The GMB union claims that it will cost Westminster residents an estimated £179m and 400 job losses if proposals made by the local authority's outsourcing partner Vertex to relocate some council functions to Scotland were allowed to go …

    Public Sector 20 Feb 2006, 11:45

  • Spammers adopt stealth tactics

    Slow burn

    Botnet controllers are switching to stealth tactics in a bid to avoid detection. Instead of mass mail-outs of spam and malicious code, they are adopting slower distribution tactics in a bid to avoid appearing on corporate security radars. UK-based web security firm BlackSpider Technologies reports that one huge botnet, …

    Spam 20 Feb 2006, 11:46

  • UK gambling firms say no to Italian ban

    Talking to lawyers...

    UK gaming companies are threatening to take legal action against Italian regulators unless they reverse recent changes which outlaw access to gaming sites outside Italy. Italy's Ministry of Economy and Finance passed a law threatening to fine any Italian ISP which allows access to a list of gambling sites. The Remote Gambling …

    Financial News 20 Feb 2006, 11:49

  • Nintendo to drop DS for DS Lite

    Summer switch-over, says Nintendo US exec

    Nintendo will nix its current DS handheld console this summer, replacing it with the recently announced DS Lite. The video game pioneer will also formally announce the launch date of its Revolution console on May 9, Nintendo US marketing chief Reggie Fils-Aime said last week. Fils-Aime spilled the beans on US TV video game …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 12:00

  • Small biz owners' stress levels shoot up

    It's lonely at the top

    Owners of small and medium-size businesses are suffering from increasing levels of stress, according to a new report. Research from financial advisor Grant Thornton has found that 17 per cent of business owners have experienced a significant rise in stress during the last year. The survey of over 7,000 owners found that a …

    Small Biz 20 Feb 2006, 12:07

  • Lite-On EZ-DUB DVD writer

    An easy way to copy...er... dub

    DVD writers have become something of a commodity item these days and you can pick up a top-of-the-range internal model for not much more than £30. However, bundled software packages can also be confusing for someone unfamiliar with how they work, and has most likely put off a fair few potential buyers. Lite-On thinks it has …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 12:48

  • Relisys back in business

    Good news all round...

    Monitor maker Relisys, which went into administration on 12 January, is back in business. In a statement the company said: "Relysis Digital, a subsidiary of Relitec Holdings Ltd, will focus on products in high-growth markets, including televisions, specialist IT hardware and software solutions..." The company is moving to new …

    Channel Register 20 Feb 2006, 12:53

  • RIM open to 'reasonable' settlement offer from NTP

    Blackberry ban hearing draws nigh

    As Research in Motion (RIM) prepares itself for this Friday's US District Court hearing into NTP's request that its Blackberry service be shut down in the US, it has once again said it is open to a "reasonable" settlement offers. Speaking at CIBC World Markets conference last Friday, RIM CFO Dennis Kavelman said: "You know if …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 13:08

  • Rumsfeld: US govt insufficiently tech-savvy

    Administration's PR 'a five-and-dime store' in an 'eBay world'

    US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has made a speech lamenting the US government's lack of technology in its media operations. He described the administration's PR as "a five-and-dime store" in an "eBay world". His main point in the four-page soliloquy is that the US Government is less new media-savvy than its detractors. …

    Bootnotes 20 Feb 2006, 14:23

  • Dell seeks damages from man called Dell

    Butterfly and wheel...

    Web designer Paul Dell is asking for donations to help him defend himself against legal action and a claim for damages from computer maker Dell, Inc. Paul Dell has been summoned to appear before the Tribunal de Grande Instance Paris because he owns dellwebsites.com. Paul uses the web address to publicise his web design …

    Bootnotes 20 Feb 2006, 14:35

  • Global net tussle reaches uneasy truce

    There at the birth: Internet Governance Forum

    Governments, business, academia and civil society have reached an uneasy truce at the end of two days of meetings over the creation of a new global body for the internet. There remain a number of large issues to be agreed but, thanks to some heavy prodding by UN special adviser Nitin Desai, enough agreement was reached for a …

    Music and Media 20 Feb 2006, 15:06

  • EU cops to get Europe-wide licence and vehicle database

    Although 'nascent' springs to mind...

    A European database of vehicle documentation, giving police access to driver and vehicle data from multiple European countries, goes live today. The Traffic Documentation System (TDS) is currently subscribed to by the UK, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands, and has been developed by Dutch National Traffic Police on …

    Music and Media 20 Feb 2006, 15:08

  • Linux worm targets PHP flaw

    Silly Mare

    Internet ne'er do wells have created a Linux worm which uses a recently discovered vulnerability in XML-RPC for PHP, a popular open source component used in many applications, to attack vulnerable systems. The Mare-D worm also tries to take advantage of a security flaw in Mambo to spread. If successful, the worm installs an IRC- …

    Malware 20 Feb 2006, 15:09

  • Mio eyes CeBIT for mass GPS device roll-out

    Six models lined up for launch, apparently

    Mio is preparing to announce six Windows Mobile-based navigation devices with integrated GPS receivers, it has emerged. The line-up includes a pair of GPS-enabled PDAs, and four dedicated navigations systems in a variety of form factors. The machines' debut is reportedly set for next month's CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany. …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 15:26

  • Microsoft reveals piracy battle plan for the UK

    For the good of the economy, of course

    Microsoft has launched a campaign targeting software piracy in the UK. Called 'Keep IT Real', the campaign aims to reduce the UK piracy level for Windows by five per cent to 11.7 per cent within three years. The company says its goal would help the UK economy. "Keep IT Real will help us to address the problem in a number of …

    Software 20 Feb 2006, 15:49

  • Sony preps Vaio VoIP mouse

    Squeakerphone™ March debut

    Sony UK has introduced an optical mouse that doubles up as a VoIP handset. The VN-CX1 is kitted out in Vaio styling and colours - black, blue and silver - though its angular edges suggest it's not the most comfortable controller around. There's an LED on top, next to the scrollwheel, that flashes when someone's trying to get in …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 16:02

  • London Oyster card - a tool for spouse stalkers?

    Marriages down the tubes...

    Transport for London's (TfL) 'ID card lite', the Oyster travelcard, is already being illicitly used to snoop on people's movements, according to the Independent on Sunday. The problem stems from the fact that TfL records the journeys made using the card, and gives owners easy internet access to their personal audit trail. But it …

    Music and Media 20 Feb 2006, 16:12

  • Big studios sue Samsung

    Ouch...

    Samsung Electronics is facing legal action from the big five US movie studios which claims one of its DVD players can be used to avoid encryption technology. According to reports, Samsung is being sued by 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Time Warner, Walt Disney, and Universal. The Korean Times said Samsung had not yet …

    Music and Media 20 Feb 2006, 16:13

  • iPod Nano add-on adds old iPod add-ons

    Re-use your old accessories

    US manufacturer Battery Technology has come up with a rather neat accessory for iPod owners who've downsized to a Nano from an older third or fourth generation player, or from an iPod Mini. It's a connector that allows you to plug almost all of your old headphone accessories into your new player. The u-Link clips onto the …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 16:15

  • Yahoo!Mail bans Allah and Dirty Harry handles

    Good choice of enemies fellas...

    Yahoo! is banning the use of allah in email names - even if the letters are included within another name. This was uncovered by Reg reader Ed Callahan whose mother Linda Callahan was trying to sign up for a Verizon email address. She could not get it to accept her surname. Enquiries to Verizon revealed that a partnership with …

    Music and Media 20 Feb 2006, 16:27

  • OSx86 Project forum reopens after DMCA black-out

    Links to OS X patch download to blame

    The OSx86 Project has re-activated its forum after the virtual bulletin board's Apple-induced absence made headlines last week. The project's leaders confirmed that it was indeed the Mac maker's lawyers who'd asked them to remove content that allegedly infringed the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). What content? …

    Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2006, 16:28

  • Intel next-gen South Bridge to kill parallel ATA

    ICH8 has Serial ATA only, apparently

    Intel's upcoming ICH8 South Bridge chip, a key component of its 'Broadwater' family of chipsets, will wave farewell to the Parallel ATA bus, if a presentation slide said to have come from the company and posted online is to believed. Also for the chop is the AC'97 sound system. According to the slide, posted on Chinese- …

    Channel Register 20 Feb 2006, 16:51