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16th March 2006 Archive

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  • HP celebrates a decade of love for AMD

    Hands out Geode and Opteron party favors

    In years past, major hardware makers often hid their AMD-based gear as some kind of secret shame. They buried AMD-based PCs on special web sites that only the most persistent customers could find. Such times have passed - at least for HP. HP pulled out all the stops today to celebrate a 10-year relationship with the little …

    Servers 16 Mar 2006, 01:58

  • IBM and Oracle to get physical over Eclipse SOA projects

    Exclusive We'll see you in hell or Santa Clara

    There's gonna be some tough talking at next week's annual EclipseCon, as two of the industry's biggest vendors hammer on smaller organizations to merge Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) tools projects. IBM and Oracle representatives - backing Eclipse's BPEL designer project - are expected to square off with representatives …

    Developer 16 Mar 2006, 02:34

  • London Underground sets lawyers on tube spotting geek

    Blogger bashed for map mashup

    Geoff Marshall is that rare creature - a big fan of London Underground. So much so that he holds the official world record for shortest time to visit every station on the network - 18 hours and 35 minutes fact fans. In August 2005 he repeated the effort with 60 other people to raise money for the charity set up for victims of …

    Bootnotes 16 Mar 2006, 07:02

  • Gates mocks Negroponte's $100 laptop

    Why pay less when you can pay more?

    Bill Gates has mocked the $100 Linux-based, wind-up powered PC which is being pitched by MIT media lab co-founder Nicholas Negroponte at developing markets. In a move unlikely to endear the world's richest man to PC users in either the developed or the developing nations. Gates advised them to "get a decent computer" that …

    Software 16 Mar 2006, 09:52

  • Beyond the Oyster

    End of an era for smart cards?

    Transport for London (TfL) is investigating the possibilities of long term alternatives to its smart cards Richard Thomas, chief programme officer for the Prestige project at TfL, said it is now talking to the banking industry and mobile phone suppliers about how credit cards or phone chips could be used in paying for travel. …

    Financial News 16 Mar 2006, 10:06

  • Tube to reject passenger scanners

    Bomb detectors 'too impractical'

    London Underground is likely to reject the use of passenger scanners designed to detect weapons or explosives as they are "not practical", a security chief for the capital's transport authority said. The government had intended to run trials of scanning systems on the underground network, but they are unlikely to go ahead as …

    IT Director 16 Mar 2006, 10:19

  • Middle-class peeves cost more money than exists

    Statistics confirm our worst fears

    A simple thing prompted this inquiry: a recent story by Forbes that we happened upon, in which we encountered the startling news that this year's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament will cost US businesses billions in lost productivity. The figures come courtesy of consulting outfit Challenger, Gray and …

    IT Director 16 Mar 2006, 10:28

  • Memorex revives 1970s tape look for Flash disk era

    Is it reel or is it..?

    Memorex thinks it has the key to success in the state-of-the-art USB Flash drive market: make products that look like outdated technology. It's FlashDisc, announced less than 24 hours ago, fits drive and USB connector into a casing that looks like a magnetic tape reel from the early 1970s. The FlashDisc is 5.8cm in diameter …

    Reg Hardware 16 Mar 2006, 10:30

  • Anti software patents lobby agrees with arch enemy

    What? And hell didn't freeze over?

    Anti-software patent campaigners had a rare moment of harmony with the European Patent Office yesterday, coming out in support of a European Parliament motion of patent harmonisation between Europe and member states. Both applauded the failure of a motion that would have seen an official move toward mutual recognition of patent …

    Music and Media 16 Mar 2006, 10:42

  • The Curly Wurly nebula at the centre of the Milky Way

    Twisted logic

    Astronomers have found a double helix-shaped nebula using the infra-red Spitzer Space Telescope. The discovery, reported today in Nature, is unlike most star-forming regions, which are more like amorphous clouds. The double-helix nebula is around 80 light years in length, and is located near at the centre of the galaxy 25,000 …

    Science 16 Mar 2006, 10:48

  • Judge upholds PlayStation controller ruling

    Sony's witness not credible, judge says

    Sony Computer Entertainment has lost the latest round in a patent case over a vibrating PlayStation controller, after a Judge refused to accept an argument that Immersion Corporation, the patent owner, had tried to hide crucial information. According to reports, Judge Claudia Wilken of the US Court for the Northern District of …

    Music and Media 16 Mar 2006, 10:55

  • Registrars urge rejection of VeriSign's .com deal

    GoDaddy slams 'outrageous' agreement

    Nineteen internet companies, including Network Solutions, have asked ICANN’s Board of Directors to reconsider a controversial agreement giving VeriSign control of the .com top-level domain until 2012. Domain name registrar GoDaddy has also petitioned the US Department of Commerce, which has yet to approve the agreement, asking …

    Music and Media 16 Mar 2006, 11:01

  • Archos readies twin-tuner handheld PVR

    Watch digital telly in a fast car

    Media player maker Archos will ship what it claims is the world's first portable movie player with two integrated digital TV tuners and built-in PVR functionality in two months' time, the company said yesterday. It also announced a new music player, adding support for Plays for Sure-branded download services. The Archos AV …

    Reg Hardware 16 Mar 2006, 11:04

  • 10m Vodafone Live! punters signed up

    Hey, some good news from Voda for a change

    Crikey, here's something we haven't seen lately - some good news from Vodafone. In recent weeks the mobile giant has been plagued by rumours of infighting, power struggles, boardroom rifts, conspiracies and all round nastiness. Lifetime president Sir Christopher Gent denied he had anything to do with a plot against boss Arun …

    Mobile 16 Mar 2006, 11:10

  • Centerprise signs up BFG

    BFG Technologies not the Big Friendly Giant

    Leading US supplier of NVidia graphics cards BFG Techonologies has appointed Centerprise as its sole UK distributor. Centerprise hopes BFG's UK push will help it consolidate its position in the gaming market through the tie-up. BFG's UK sale bod Paul Davies said: "As a dedicated distributor, Centerprise has strong links in …

    Channel Register 16 Mar 2006, 11:14

  • Amazon poised for film downloads assault

    If it's serious, it's game over

    It comes as little surprise for those that follow online video downloads that Amazon is in discussions with the major studios, as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal both state this week. Amazon acquired CustomFlix back in July last year, a partner company that allows films to be downloaded for burning onto a DVD. The …

    Financial News 16 Mar 2006, 11:24

  • MHP licensing terms finally create havoc

    Told you so

    There is something of a shambles in the making at the Dolby subsidiary Via Licensing, the technology licensing body that is meant to be handing out royalty agreements for the Multimedia Home Platform (MHP). Back in July, after a year of deliberations, Via Licensing called for royalty licenses for both MHP and OCAP, the …

    Telecoms 16 Mar 2006, 11:38

  • Vodafone eyes 3G TV phone for Japan

    A Sharp Aquos LCD TV in the palm of your hand, apparently

    Vodafone's Japanese operation yesterday unveiled its latest TV phone, a Sharp-made W-CDMA 3G handset with a swivelling 400 x 240, 262,144-colour Aquos-class widescreen display and the ability to tune into earthbound digital broadcasts. The Vodafone 905SH works with Japan's One Seg digital TV service. The handset's a …

    Reg Hardware 16 Mar 2006, 11:44

  • Global Knowledge becomes largest Cisco trainer

    Claims Azlan buy puts it in class of its own

    Global Knowledge claims it is now the world's largest provider of Cisco training after snaffling up Azlan Training. The privately held Global Knowledge bought the European unit from distribution giant Tech Data, which inherited it through its acquisition of networking distribution specialist Azlan in 2003. The combined …

    Data Networking 16 Mar 2006, 11:51

  • Get your drugs over wireless

    Implant offers pill-free future

    Details of a world-first wireless-operated implant to control the release of therapies have emerged. It's hoped the device will herald a new era for patients reliant on regular and precise doses of molecules that have limited stability, or are very potent. Publishing in Nature Biotechnology, researchers at biotech start-up …

    Science 16 Mar 2006, 12:02

  • Cybercrime costs biz more than physical crime

    Lock up your servers, thar be hackers about

    Cybercrime is more costly to businesses than physical crime, according to a recent IBM survey of 600 US businesses. Lost revenue, wasted staff time dealing with IT security attacks and damage to customer goodwill were rated as a bigger problem than conventional crime by 57 per cent of firms in the healthcare, financial, retail …

    IT Director 16 Mar 2006, 12:16

  • Celebs tremble as stalkerQuest takes off

    Call for star spotter map site to be shut down

    New York celebrities are quaking in their collective Ugg boots at the launch of gossip mongers Gawker.com's new Gawker Stalker site. The site allows Manhattan star spotters to instantly post up the location and description of their targets on a Google steet map, according to the Daily Mail's foreign service. Critics are …

    Bootnotes 16 Mar 2006, 12:22

  • 3 disappoints Irish roamers

    Ah, well

    Three cheers for 3. Well, kinda. Earlier this week the boss of 3 in Ireland scrapped roaming charges for its punters while they're out and about in Britain or Northern Ireland. 3 Ireland MD Robert Finnegan told ElectricNews.Net that the decision to shelve roaming charges was based on customer feedback. "We looked at trends of …

    Mobile 16 Mar 2006, 12:28

  • Ex-Apple execs hop on the Spac track

    Acquicor raises $150m to buy tech firms

    Apple's co-founder, one of its former CEOs and an ex-Apple CTO have formally announced their partnership in a technology acquisition company a month after reports they were planning just such a move and eight months after the firm was founded. Woz, Amelio and Hancock Steve Wozniak will be joined by Gil Amelio and Ellen …

    Reg Hardware 16 Mar 2006, 12:57

  • Pebble micro MP3 player

    First UK Review Does it rock?

    Pebbles - you can skim them across waves, 'decorate' the front of your house with them, even make phone calls with them. And now you can play songs on them too. Well, sort of. UK-based digital music player retailer Advanced MP3 Players (AMP) has come across a small, pebble-shaped device and it's chosen to market the South Korea- …

    Reg Hardware 16 Mar 2006, 13:39

  • Horizon sees rise in revenues, earnings

    And investment set to drive figures in 06 too

    Horizon Technology reported revenues of €294m for the year ending December 2005, up 5 per cent on the €281m it posted for 2004. Earnings for the systems integration company, a major supplier of Sun Microsystems products, were up 10 per cent from €8.88 per diluted share in 2004 to €9.73 at the end of last year. Horizon's …

    Financial News 16 Mar 2006, 13:40

  • Say Hi to the mouse click capturing Trojan

    Sting in the tail

    Security researchers have discovered a keylogging Trojan that captures mouse clicks as well as key strokes. PWSteal-Bancos-Q targets customers of online banking and financial institutions primarily in Brazil. However Australian anti-virus firm PC Tools warns that variants could be created to affect additional online financial …

    Malware 16 Mar 2006, 14:32

  • Priapic pensioner becomes garlic-powered porn star

    More from our Russian geriatric filth bureau

    A Russian grandad who wandered onto a porn set has become the star of his own series of grumble flicks. David Bozdoganov, 75, apparently believed he was about to enjoy a "muscle man show" at the studios of Gorodcki production company, Ananova reports. Director Alexander Plahov picks up the tale: "We were auditioning for a new …

    Bootnotes 16 Mar 2006, 14:39

  • Google sets up Base for retailers

    Supermarket sweep

    Google is planning to create an online market for traditional retailers via its recently unveiled Google Base service. The search engine giant is looking to create a "virtual supermarket" by developing the service, which is currently undergoing beta testing. Google EMEA head Nikesh Arora told the Financial Times that the search …

    Financial News 16 Mar 2006, 14:43

  • Mac-boots-Windows contest won

    WinXP successfully run on MacBook Pro

    The $13,000 prize for whoever gets Windows XP to dual-boot on an Intel-based Mac has been won, according to the website created to promote the competition. At this stage it's not clear who's going to walk off with the cash, or whether their code will make it to a wider audience. The contest was started last month by Colin …

    Reg Hardware 16 Mar 2006, 15:04

  • US authorities bust P2P child porn chat room

    Attacks were streamed live

    The US Attorney General said yesterday that 27 people in the US, Canada, Australia and England has been arrested following an investigation into an internet chat room hosting child pornography. US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, revealing the investigation in Chicago yesterday, said that undercover investigators had …

    Music and Media 16 Mar 2006, 15:15

  • Disabled people check out site usability

    New guidelines introduced

    A new service has been unveiled today to help firms and organisations ensure their websites can be accessed by people with disabilities. Last week the British Standards Institution (BSI) published new guidance (PAS 78) to ensure that sites are user-friendly for disabled people. According to the BSI guidelines, those …

    Music and Media 16 Mar 2006, 15:24

  • uSwitch.com switched for £210m

    Europe bound

    Uswitch.com - the UK online price comparison service - has been snapped up by US outfit EW Scripps for £210m ($366m). At this stage it's not known if Scripps used an online price comparison service to ensure it got the best price for uSwitch. No matter. Founded in 2000, uSwitch.com is an online service that helps consumers …

    Financial News 16 Mar 2006, 16:03

  • Microsoft hunts pirate auctioneers

    In brief Issues eight lawsuits in US

    Microsoft is cracking down on software pirates who hawk their wares through online auction sites. Redmond has filed eight lawsuits in the US against sellers it claims sold counterfeit MS software via eBay. The company said it became aware of seven of the alleged pirates through customer submissions to its Windows Genuine …

    Channel Register 16 Mar 2006, 16:10

  • US bank approves ripped-up credit card application

    Follow the money

    A US man who sent in a torn up, and taped back together, credit card application as an experiment to see whether he needed to shred his applications has received a credit card. Rob Cockerham used his father's address and his mobile (as opposed to land line number) when making an application for a JP Morgan Chase credit card. A …

    ID 16 Mar 2006, 16:31

  • Nominet loses all three EGM votes

    UK registry owner undermined by biggest shareholders

    The extraordinary general meeting of UK registry owner Nominet this morning, which hoped to pass three restructuring resolutions, turned out to be just that - extraordinary. Proposed changes to Nominet's Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association were designed to give the company greater freedom in the internet …

    Music and Media 16 Mar 2006, 16:36

  • Friends and families deal with drug trial fallout

    Victims 'screamed'

    Details continue to emerge of the London drug test that put six volunteers in a critical condition. Speaking to the Mirror, Dolores Flanagan, aunt of 21-year-old Ryan Wilson, one of the men that reacted badly to the drug, said: "The family are in pieces. He's in the hands of God now." The Sun got hold of one of the more …

    Science 16 Mar 2006, 17:06

  • OFT fingers online grocers over pricing

    Every little helps

    The UK's biggest supermarkets have been ticked off for not being clear about the prices they charge for online groceries. The supermarkets use guide prices on their websites to show the in-store cost of goods on the day they're ordered. In most cases, the actual prices punters pay is the same online and in-store. However, …

    Financial News 16 Mar 2006, 17:11

  • Motorola unveils Ming Linux phone for China

    Dynastic pretensions?

    Motorola is having another go at Linux-based smart phones, this time by rebranding its previously announced A1200 as the Ming. Expect the company to launch Flsh and Grdn models in due course. It has already begun shipping the Ming in Hong Kong, it said. The clamshell handset will initially be pitched at the Chinese market …

    Reg Hardware 16 Mar 2006, 17:13

  • ID Cards compulsory again

    Oh no they're not, oh yes...oh, shut up

    After the Lords voted again yesterday to stand by amendments that would have made Identity Cards voluntary in Britain, MPs have voted again for creeping compulsion. That's three times MPs have thumbed their noses at libertarians in the House of Lords whose amendments to the Identity Cards Bill are blocking the government's move …

    Music and Media 16 Mar 2006, 17:13