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3rd April 2006 Archive

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  • XenSource looks to invade Windows base

    Course correction

    XenSource has prepped its first major charge at Microsoft Windows customers with a new package that includes the open source Xen hypervisor along with some management software. The XenEnterprise package has gone into beta and includes the Xen 3.0 hypervisor along with the installer and management console tools that XenSource …

    Servers 3 Apr 2006, 04:18

  • JBoss drools over Java business rules

    Updates to get ahead

    JBoss is today expected to unveil middleware that continues its strategy of challenging closed-source vendors in business processes and distributed systems. The company will unveil its first implementation of software acquired from Arjuna Technologies last year, which provides reliable open source messaging software for …

    Developer 3 Apr 2006, 04:21

  • Iran test fires 'world's fastest' underwater missile

    233mph 'Whale'

    Iran last Friday test fired what it claims is the world's fastest underwater missile - reported to have a top speed of 360km/h (233mph), according to the BBC. Special Republican guard troops fired the weapon - dubbed "Hoot" or Whale - and successfully destroyed a derelict ship in the Gulf as part of Iran's "Holy Prophet" war …

    Science 3 Apr 2006, 06:43

  • Explorers stretch Nile by 66 miles

    Intrepid team fights way to source

    An intrepid team of NZ and Brit explorers claim to have discovered the real source of the Nile - thereby extending the river's length by 66 miles (107km), Reuters reports. During their 80 day, 4,163 mile (6,700km) "Ascend the Nile" jaunt, Briton Neil McGrigor (pictured centre) and New Zealanders Cam McLeay (right) and Garth …

    Science 3 Apr 2006, 08:27

  • MySpace takes down rude profiles

    Networking site smartens up

    MySpace has removed 200,000 profiles from its site in the last few months. The "objectionable" pages have been taken down for including hate speech or being too risqué. News Corp internet division head Ross Levinsohn told press it was an internet problem rather than a feature of MySpace. The site contains thousands of profiles …

    Financial News 3 Apr 2006, 08:41

  • Microsoft patches IE after Eolas ruling

    Addresses compatibility issues

    Microsoft has confirmed an April release date for a patch designed to ensure that Internet Explorer can work around a disputed patent for technology allowing web browsers to access interactive application programs. In a blog posting, the firm warned that the ActiveX-related patch could disrupt existing uses of the technology …

    Music and Media 3 Apr 2006, 09:26

  • Man charged over click fraud scheme

    Robot program takes FreeRide for a ride

    A US man has been charged with conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud over a 'click fraud' scheme allegedly carried out against an internet firm that rewards subscribers who complete online surveys and view banner ads. US Attorney Kevin Ryan said Allen Tam, of Daly City, California, was indicted on Tuesday, after an …

    Music and Media 3 Apr 2006, 09:36

  • Logicalis buys Alliance Consulting Southwest

    Adds 70 to headcount

    Logicalis is buying the Alliance Consulting Southwest business based in Phoenix, Arizona. The deal will add 70 consultants to Logicalis's Contract Consulting Services Group and should bring in revenues of $50m for the year. CCSG now has some 250 consultants. The acquistion should close within the next 60 days. More details …

    Channel Register 3 Apr 2006, 09:46

  • Download-only track hits number one

    The death knell for CD singles?

    Gnarls Barkley track Crazy has become the first song to top the hit parade without a record being sold. The duo's melting pot brand of paranoid soul-pop hip-hop dance-slop shifted 31,000 legal downloads last week, and was crowned top of the pops by the Official UK Chart Company on Sunday. The CD hits shops today. Downloads …

    Financial News 3 Apr 2006, 09:49

  • Toshiba unveils world's first HD-DVD player

    Gets upper hand on rival Blu-ray

    In the race to set a global industry standard for next-generation DVD players, Toshiba has launched its first high definition DVD player in Japan. The Japanese firm, which is locked in a battle with Sony to gain the upper hand in this new market, released its first high-definition DVD player on Friday with little fanfare. The …

    Reg Hardware 3 Apr 2006, 09:50

  • NTL-Virgin Mobile tie-up expected soon...again

    Get on with it

    NTL's "will they, won't they" bid to hook up with Virgin Mobile appears to be on again following a rash of reports that an announcement is imminent. The terms of the deal are expected to be much the same as those floated at the beginning of the year when the cableco, which is in the process of merging its operations with …

    Financial News 3 Apr 2006, 09:53

  • PFH buys CK Business Electronics

    'Undisclosed event' hurries merger

    CK Business Electronics has joined forces with PFH Computers to become one of Ireland's largest independent computer services firms. Renamed PFH Technology Group, the enlarged company will have turnover in excess of €36m. Sources close to the deal told ElectricNews.Net discussions had been underway over the past year, but an …

    Channel Register 3 Apr 2006, 10:03

  • NHS modernisation: 'Too much, too fast'

    Survey paints gloomy picture of reform

    The pace of modernisation is too fast, according to a new survey of NHS doctors. Figures released by BMA News, the membership newspaper of the British Medical Association shows that 85 per cent of doctors are "alarmed by the pace of reform in the NHS". In fact, nearly three-quarters of respondents believe that changes including …

    Public Sector 3 Apr 2006, 10:11

  • Oz and China sign uranium deal

    Not for nuclear weapons, honest

    Energy-hungry China has signed a deal with Australia by which the lucky country will, from 2010, supply 20,000 metric tons of uranium per year for the Communist giant's nuclear power industry, the BBC reports. The agreement was signed by OZ PM John Howard and Premier Wen Jiabao during a four-day visit to Australia by the …

    Science 3 Apr 2006, 10:37

  • Child porn investigators raid NASA

    Computer seized...

    NASA's Washington headquarters was raided last week by investigators searching for evidence of child pornography. James Robinson, a NASA manager, came to the Feds attention when he responded to online ads for child pornography last year, Smoking Gun reports. He used the name Jim Saron and sent pictures and videos to several …

    Music and Media 3 Apr 2006, 10:57

  • Pipex unveils plans for UK wireless broadband service

    Hooks up with Intel

    UK ISP Pipex is hooking up with Intel to launch a wireless broadband service in the UK's major metropolitan areas, starting with London and Manchester. Pipex is already running trials of its WiMAX service with Airspan Networks at the US-based firm's test facility in Stratford-upon-Avon. Now it's launched a joint venture with …

    Data Networking 3 Apr 2006, 11:08

  • Chinese communists protect virtual property

    Internet property not theft, unless you steal it

    A Chinese man has been convicted, and fined, for stealing virtual property. Yan Yifan, from Guangdong in southern China, had been a keen player of online game Dahua Xiyou since 2002. But when he got a temporary job at the game's publisher NetEase in 2004, temptation proved too much. He managed to take control of more than 30 …

    Bootnotes 3 Apr 2006, 11:11

  • Microsoft claims breakthrough in Brussels

    It'll all be over by Christmas (unlike Vista)

    Microsoft claimed a breakthrough at its meeting with European Commission last week. But then again, as any student of European history knows, "breakthroughs" in the Low Countries are all relative. Brad Smith left Friday’s meeting on the EC’s 2004 anti-trust ruling against Microsoft claiming the firm had been encouraged by EC …

    Operating Systems 3 Apr 2006, 11:48

  • Enigma machine hits €40,000

    Not long to go now...

    The Enigma machine up for sale on eBay has reached €40,150, with seven hours still to go. The machine is being sold by an "eBay shop" in Munich which uses the online auction house to sell items for customers. A spokesman at the shop told us the machine had been brought in by a customer who got it from his grandfather. He said …

    Bootnotes 3 Apr 2006, 11:54

  • Virgin Mobile heads for France

    You lucky people

    Virgin Mobile is taking its youthful brand of mobile telephony to France. But as with all things in the MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) world, it's not that simple. The service is being provided in tandem with The Carphone Warehouse, piggybacking on Orange's mobile network while using the Virgin brand. Details of the tie …

    Mobile 3 Apr 2006, 11:58

  • UK FBI fights organised crime

    Drugs, fraud and ID theft top SOCA's crime-busting list

    The UK has launched a FBI-style multi-disciplinary agency as part of its plan to fight organised crime. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) will tackle drug trafficking, immigration crime, money laundering, and identity fraud by developing intelligence on organised crime and pursuing key suspects while disrupting criminal …

    Public Sector 3 Apr 2006, 11:59

  • Government backs Europe-beating supercomputer

    To the tune of £52m

    The UK project to build Europe's fastest computer has received a cash boost from government. The High-End Computing Terascale Resource, Hector, will get an extra £52m and will be completed next year. Hector will run at 100 teraflops. Current UK champs at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts will be left …

    Servers 3 Apr 2006, 11:59

  • More pay-to-own movie download services debut

    US consumers get a look-in

    US video rental companies Movielink and CinemaNow will today begin offering pay-to-own movie downloads from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's Sony Pictures and MGM catalogues. Tomorrow, they will offer the first Sony title to be made simultaneously available in both DVD and download formats. The first dual-format release is …

    Reg Hardware 3 Apr 2006, 12:55

  • Fujitsu Siemens CTO: There's more to life than virtualisation

    There's provisioning as well

    The IT industry’s fascination with virtualisation could be obscuring other more pressing problems, Fujitsu Siemens CTO has said. Joseph Reger, speaking at a round table last month, said the increasing use of virtualisation technologies could actually make life more complicated for some IT managers. “[Virtualisation] is an …

    Servers 3 Apr 2006, 13:28

  • TUC welcomes Brown's budget rethink

    Bring back HCI

    The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has welcomed signs that Gordon Brown may rethink his decision to abolish tax breaks for companies giving staff home computers. Brown abolished the HCI (Home Computing Initiative) as part of last month's Budget. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber welcomed Brown's decision to consider a …

    Channel Register 3 Apr 2006, 13:54

  • No garbage hassles as BT goes Azul

    New platform overcomes Java VM pausing problems

    Adding storage to a network is straightforward; adding processing power tends to involve a lot more complexity. This is something Azul Systems aims to change. Following the recent announcement of its second generation Vega processor, is today’s news that BT will be using the company's processing appliances to handle both its …

    Servers 3 Apr 2006, 14:29

  • Asus EN7600GT graphics card

    Review One of the first Nvidia GeForce 7600 GT-based cards out the door

    When Nvidia launched the GeForce 7800 GTX in June 2005 it broke with tradition by not releasing a mid-range GeForce 7600 and a budget GeForce 7200, which is what we'd expected after the precedent set by the GeForce FX5200/5600/5800 launch and followed by the GeForce 6200/6600/6800 roll-out. Instead, Nvidia demoted the GeForce …

    Reg Hardware 3 Apr 2006, 14:30

  • Simpsons film begins production

    Take your marks, get set, D'oh

    A film based on long running cartoon series The Simpsons is to be released in the US in July 2007, Twentieth Century Fox has confirmed. News of the release came in a 25 second trailer before screenings of the film Ice Age: The Meltdown. The clip opened with a superhero-sized letter "S" with a voiceover announcing, "Leaping his …

    Bootnotes 3 Apr 2006, 14:37

  • No worldwide Revolution launch?

    Games Digest Will Europe be last on the list again?

    A slew of new revelations about Nintendo's next console, the Revolution, have not so much set the games world alight as poured cold water over it. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata last week said: "We don't think it's necessary to do the simultaneous worldwide launch simply because others are doing this." Some have spun Iwata's …

    Reg Hardware 3 Apr 2006, 14:39

  • The future of medicine: a load of old cobblers

    Family jewels promise stem cell breakthrough

    A US company has claimed it has produced human stem cells from testes. California firm PrimeGen Biotech says its technology has been used to coax brain, heart and bone cells from a type of cell in gonads called the germ line. The germ line is the group of cells that divide to produce the sperm and eggs. PrimeGen says it can …

    Biology 3 Apr 2006, 14:49

  • Pipex to kick off LLU migration

    Let's be careful out there

    Pipex is to begin shunting punters onto unbundled exchanges from this month as it looks to cash in on its investment in local loop unbundling (LLU). The UK ISP had already revealed plans to install its kit in 100 BT phone exchanges, enabling it to provide broadband services direct to end users. Now it's in a position to begin …

    Telecoms 3 Apr 2006, 14:57

  • Samsung UMPC to cost UK buyers £800

    Q1 shipping on 1 June, apparently

    UK mobile device reseller Expansys has become one of the first companies here to begin taking orders for Samsung's Q1 ultra-mobile PC. But it's not cheap - the Windows XP-based handheld is set to ship for the best part of £800 ($1,390/€1,148). The compact unit is scheduled to ship on 1 June. The 22.8 x 14 x 2.7cm Q1 sports …

    Reg Hardware 3 Apr 2006, 15:30

  • Be Broadband coughs to billing cock-up

    Then apologises for email snafu

    Be Broadband, the outfit that's reluctant to say how many punters have signed up to its LLU service, has apologised for a billing gaffe. An email sent out at the weekend told punters that "a technical hitch" was being blamed for the firm attempting to take multiple payments from customers. "We are extremely sorry that this …

    Telecoms 3 Apr 2006, 15:36

  • Former Microsoft man plans space escape

    'Please take Ballmer with you'

    Former top Microsoft developer Charles Simonyi is planning a trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian rocket, according to the RIA news agency. It would make him the world's fifth space tourist. A Russian space program spokesman said: "A preliminary contract with Simonyi has been concluded for spring 2007." …

    Bootnotes 3 Apr 2006, 15:39

  • Borders finds shelf space for Sony electronic book

    Reader, I downloaded him

    Sony has signed bookstore Borders to sell its electronic book, the Reader, throughout the chain's 200 US shops. The consumer electronics giant said it would also offer the gadget in its 30-odd Sony Style outlets. Sony didn't say when the product will ship - it's already missed the March deadline it set when it announced the …

    Reg Hardware 3 Apr 2006, 16:14

  • UK police roll out mobile scanner psyops teams to railways

    Ministry of Symbolism hails massive haul of 68 knives

    After an "extremely successful" two month trial at mainline and Underground stations in London, mobile weapons scanners are to go live at main railway stations throughout the UK, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has announced. The nature of this 'success', the kinds of deployment that will be made, and the things the …

    Music and Media 3 Apr 2006, 16:34

  • ATI next-gen Theater Pro chip wins PCI-E SIG approval

    As does the RS600 integrated chipset

    ATI's upcoming Theatre 650 Pro digital TV chip has achieved PCI Express certification, Reg Hardware can reveal, paving the way for the part's formal introduction. The graphics specialist's RS600 chipset has also passed the PCI-E test. At this stage it's unclear what the 650 Pro adds to the existing 550 Pro part, which shipped …

    Reg Hardware 3 Apr 2006, 17:29

  • Microsoft starts supporting, er, Linux

    Forms gang with open source chum

    Microsoft today lobbed three massive bombs into the server virtualization market. First off, it will now support - wait for it - Linux, when the OS is running on top of its Virtual Server product. Secondly, Microsoft has made Virtual Server free. And, in a move few thought possible, Microsoft has teamed with the developers of …

    Servers 3 Apr 2006, 19:11

  • Anonymizer looks for gaps in Great Firewall of China

    Google workaround

    Anonymizer has gone live with a service that aims to circumvent Chinese censorship restrictions. The online identity protection firm has released software (initially available at xifuchun.com, an English language site) designed specifically for Chinese citizens, that offers a way around the web filters put in place by Beijing …

    ID 3 Apr 2006, 22:41

  • Cisco births 528-port giant

    Three-year gestation for 4Gbit/s baby

    Cisco Systems has gone bold and burly with a new director-class switch aimed at the largest storage area networks (SANs). Along with the MDS 9513 Multilayer Director, customers will find a bevy of new networking modules and some refreshed storage management software. Cisco has been talking up the MDS 9513 since about 2003 but …

    Data Networking 3 Apr 2006, 22:43