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6th April 2006 Archive

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  • Google wins SF wireless gig

    Who would have guessed?

    Google has won the contract to operate San Francisco's municipal wireless network, in conjunction with Earthlink. San Francisco's mayor Gavin Newsom has described Wi-Fi as "a basic human right" - sort of like gay marriage, but for nerds. It's a two-tier service, with a free low-speed service available at street level - and if …

    Telecoms 6 Apr 2006, 01:14

  • EU questions Spain's Intel love

    Dónde Está x86?

    The European Commission has given Spain a spanking over its apparent EU law-breaking preference for Intel chips. The EC this week requested information from Spanish officials about the country's computer buying processes. Close to twenty-five purchase requests from central, regional and local Spanish bodies have revealed …

    Public Sector 6 Apr 2006, 01:25

  • Openwave vooms its browser

    CTIA Waste time with us

    Openwave, which ships more browsers than anyone else in the world, has revamped its flagship. Few of the 300m Openwave browsers shipped last year are used very much, and that's something both the company and its carrier partners want to set right. But plenty has changed since the last major revision, V7, three years ago. The …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 01:44

  • Bulldog ties distie deal with Tesco

    Every little helps

    Bulldog, which was told by the ad watchdog to be more upfront about its pricing, has struck a distribution deal with supermarket giant Tesco. CDs enabling punters to sign up to Bulldog's broadband and phone service will be available at some 300 Tesco stores in a bid to boost sales. That CDs will not be stocked at all of Tesco' …

    Telecoms 6 Apr 2006, 08:31

  • Qualcomm beckons developers with BREW

    Forgotten, not gone

    Qualcomm is touting its BREW platform and development environment among developers of 3D mobile games and those who want an alternative to Symbian and Windows. Company chief executive Paul Jacobs said BREW's fight for market share among device manufactures and carriers is not over, characterizing the struggle as a battle …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 08:36

  • Samsung goes thinner than Razr

    CTIA Round-up

    Motorola used CTIA to make its Razr phone line more music friendly. The new 3m phone for CDMA networks adds a micro SD slot that takes up to 1GB cards. The 3i, aimed at Asia Pacific GSM operators, had already added the feature. Most of the other specs remain unchanged. The innovation doesn't stop there. Motorola added three new …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 08:38

  • EMC and NEC to conquer Japan together

    Low-end marriage

    EMC and NEC have pledged to honor and support each other for a few more years. The companies this week refreshed their storage partnership and then expanded the arrangement to include more systems and software. EMC and NEC have played together in the storage market since 1997 with the primary focus of selling EMC gear in Japan …

    Servers 6 Apr 2006, 08:39

  • Ollila warns wireless sector on emerging markets

    CTIA Do as I say, not as I do

    Nokia's out-going chairman and chief executive has urged telcos and mobile companies to be more sensitive - and responsive - to emerging and diversified global markets in pricing, services, and delivery of new technologies. Jorma Ollila used his CTIA Wireless 2006 swansong to tell delegates they need to address the needs of low …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 09:14

  • Apple Corp. saw iTunes early, didn't complain - lawyer

    Apple vs Apple Closing arguments made in court case

    The Beatles' recording company, Apple Corp., was given an opportunity to object to Apple Comp.'s use of the apple logo in association with the iTunes Music Store. But it chose not to, the iPod maker's advocate claimed yesterday. Apple Corp. received an ITMS demo in January 2003 - four months before the service went live, Anthony …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 09:38

  • Brummies snub privatisation

    Council workers reject TUPE

    Less than 10 Birmingham City Council staff have taken up an offer to join the local authority's private sector partnership as full employees. Around 500 others turned up their noses at protections offered to them under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings - Protection of Employment Regulations), opting instead for secondment as …

    Public Sector 6 Apr 2006, 09:43

  • Bird flu suspected in Scotland

    'We're all doomed'

    A Scottish swan has died of avian flu. Samples have been sent for testing; its not known yet whether the Destroyer of Worlds H5N1 strain made the unfortunate bird sing its swan song. Preliminary results have indicated the haemagluttinin “H” surface protein was type 5. The neuraminidase, “N”, part of the classification requires …

    Services 6 Apr 2006, 09:45

  • High Court denies patent for document assembly

    Thrown out second time round

    The High Court in London has ruled that a patent application for an automated method of acquiring the documents necessary to incorporate a company can be refused because the invention is of a type excluded from patentability under the Patents Act. Australian resident Neal Macrossan had been seeking to patent the invention, …

    Music and Media 6 Apr 2006, 09:46

  • Netflix sues Blockbuster

    Claims breach of business method patents

    A patent infringement dispute has erupted between rival DVD rental services Netflix and Blockbuster over an alleged breach of Netflix business method patents by the older firm's internet arm, Blockbuster.com, according to reports. In general, Netflix operates by allowing subscribing members to choose DVDs – the number allowed …

    Music and Media 6 Apr 2006, 09:56

  • Astronomers spy 288bn mile cloud of alcohol

    Make mine a double

    Astronomers at the UK's Jodrell Bank Observatory have discovered what is surely the strongest argument to date in favour of ploughing huge resources into space exploration: a giant "bridge" of methyl alcohol spanning around 288bn miles, within which is nestled a stellar nursery. The booze cloud was spotted using the UK's MERLIN …

    Space 6 Apr 2006, 10:15

  • Mobile malware fears delay smartphone rollouts

    Fear.com

    Fears about mobile viruses have been cited by many firms as a reason for not giving workers advanced handsets, despite the continuing rarity of mobile malware. Three in five corporations (60 per cent) polled in a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit said concerns about virus infection have held back employee smartphone …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 10:16

  • Groups argue over merits of flaw bounties

    War of words

    Vulnerability researchers, software makers, and security companies that buy information about software flaws found little in common during a panel discussion on Wednesday debating the merits of vulnerability-purchasing programs. The discussion, wrapping up the first day of the CanSecWest Security Conference, left software …

    Security 6 Apr 2006, 10:20

  • SOA predicates rise of the enterprise architect

    As apps development becomes more abstract

    Everyone, vendor and user alike, is still trying to find out 'how to SOA' as they try to turn the hype into reality. Enterprises are trying to work out how to implement infrastructures based on services, while vendors are casting round for the way to build what users want, or indeed, just define something that users might make …

    Servers 6 Apr 2006, 10:23

  • PS3 priced at €499-€599 - Sony exec

    Not a cheap console

    The PlayStation 3 will set European consumers back €499-€599 (£349-£419), a senior Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) executive has let slip. Sony is expected to announce worldwide pricing and other such details at an 8 May event the week before the E3 computer games trade show. But in an interview with the Europe 1 …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 10:34

  • Déjà Vista

    Comment Has writing operating systems changed since OS/2?

    As Vista slowly slips further into the mists of the future, I sometimes wonder if anything has really changed since I was on the losing side of the IBM-Microsoft OS/2 war. Why do we now hear of huge re-writes in a product that's supposed to be almost ready? As a former O/S (Operating System) bug hunter, it sounds rather …

    Operating Systems 6 Apr 2006, 10:37

  • SMEs urged to adopt flexible working

    Go on

    BT is backing a scheme to get more UK firms to adopt "smarter" working practices. Work Wise UK is due to kick off next month as part of a three year programme to get more people to work remotely or from home. Set up by not-for-profit outfit the IT Forum Foundation, Work Wise UK is particularly targeting SMEs. SMEs are the …

    Small Biz 6 Apr 2006, 10:43

  • Intel to sample Core Duo core update this month

    Forecast Celeron M 4xx CPUs finally make an appearance

    Intel is to update its Core Duo processor line, the chip maker has told customers, with samples of new T2400, T2500 and T2600 65nm dual-core processors shipping by early May. Some may go out the door before the end of April, we understand. According to company documentation seen by Reg Hardware, the move will see Intel …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 11:09

  • Sobbing Intel techie recounts China brothel ordeal

    Stranded in oriental hell-hole

    A tearful Intel engineer has recounted how a simple trip to China to check in on a few of the chip monolith's business partners ended in a unscheduled stop in the remote city of Taiyuan during which he suffered pretty well every ignominy the locals could heap on the hapless foreign devil. The ordeal began when, as AP reports, …

    Bootnotes 6 Apr 2006, 11:14

  • This means Warcraft!

    Comment It's time to call off the lawyerbots

    A recent World of Warcraft case involved a WoW book by Brian Knopp that was being sold on eBay. It resulted in automated takedown notices by "lawyerbots" and shows how the legal process today can end up silencing legitimate uses of trademarks and copyrights. One staple idea of 1950s science fiction movies was of robots that …

    Music and Media 6 Apr 2006, 11:23

  • Vodafone restructures business

    Drive growth, cuts costs etc

    Vodafone is to restructure its business to drive growth and cut costs, the mobile giant announced today. In the overhaul the cellco is to be squeezed into two geographic groups - "Europe" and the emerging markets in "Central Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Affiliates" - and a third division headed "New Businesses and …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 11:33

  • SOA: let's talk about sharing not reuse

    Comment A holistic approach

    I've gradually become aware, over the past weeks, that I - and a lot of other people - have fallen down a bit of a rabbit-hole when it comes one aspect of SOA. Over the past months I've been researching the topic extensively, and had come to the conclusion that there are four key aspects to SOA's potential business value: …

    Developer 6 Apr 2006, 11:35

  • Seagate, Cornice settle spat... for now

    Can't start fighting again until 2008

    Hard disk drive makers Seagate and Cornice have ended their feud and granted themselves 20 months' breathing space before they're allowed to start fighting again. The two companies this week said they had dismissed their lawsuits and countersuits and "agreed not to sue each other for patent infringement through the end of 2007 …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 11:45

  • NetSuite adds DIY

    Can it clean up with AJAX?

    AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript And XML) maybe just one more hot technology that is the `happening thing’ right at the moment, but some implementations are starting to appear that look as though the claims made for it might have some merit. Its exploitation is, for example, a major component in the latest release of NetSuite, …

    Developer 6 Apr 2006, 12:03

  • HP warns over printer hacking risk

    LaserJet becomes snooping tool

    A security vulnerability involving some HP printer models makes users open to hacking attack. The bug in the Toolbox software installed with HP's Color LaserJet 2500 and 4600 printers creates a means for attackers to pinch valuable information. When the Toolbox is left in a default configuration hackers might be able to steal …

    Enterprise Security 6 Apr 2006, 12:10

  • ICANN Board member quits

    Michael Palage takes handcuffs off

    A director of internet-overseeing organisation ICANN has resigned from the board, claiming he will be able to do more working from the outside. Michael Palage was due to stay on the board until June 2008, but decided to quit because he says a "conflict of interest" meant he was unable to participate effectively. A key member of …

    Music and Media 6 Apr 2006, 12:13

  • Capita buys council-owned dealership

    Beefs up schools ICT business

    Capita this week bought .ict, a “captive” education IT dealership within Northamptonshire County Council (NCC). Terms were undisclosed. .ict has operated as a standalone business with NCC since 2000. It “specialises in the provision of ICT services to support learning, and the management of learning, for young people”. The …

    Public Sector 6 Apr 2006, 12:47

  • Compuware completes cycle

    Bundles MagicDraw, among other new features

    Compuware has touted itself as a vendor that supports application lifecycle management for some time. However, that is really only a credible claim if you can do everything that you need to do within the lifecycle and, while that doesn't mandate that you have to provide every necessary facility yourself, it does mean that you …

    Developer 6 Apr 2006, 13:07

  • Dixons' Irish stores unaffected by UK overhaul

    'Bricks and mortar' strategy

    Dixons is to remain part of the Irish electronics retail scene, even as its 190 British high-street counterparts are renamed Currys.digital. Under the re-branding strategy announced by its parent company DSG, the Dixons name will be used exclusively for online retail. The conversion will cost about €10m and will start early …

    Channel Register 6 Apr 2006, 13:19

  • 'Get two million page hits and I'll do three-in-a-bed'

    Girlfriend's reckless website challenge

    Girlfriends beware: if you're going to taunt your boyfriend with not measuring up in the website department, do not under any circumstances offer to engage in sexual liaison with him and another woman if he does, after all, rise to the occassion. And who, you might ask, would be so foolish to agree to form the beast with three …

    Financial News 6 Apr 2006, 13:27

  • BT denies rift ahead of IPTV launch

    As entertainment boss departs

    There are question marks over the future direction of BT's internet TV service today following the departure of the telco's entertainment boss. Andrew Burke, who took up the post of BT Entertainment chief exec at the beginning of 2005, has left the company "by mutual consent to pursue other interests", according to a spokesman …

    Telecoms 6 Apr 2006, 13:41

  • US mobile digital TV service unveils smart phone

    Modeo ropes in HTC handset

    Modeo, the US company evangelising the DVB-H digital TV standard Stateside, is to offer a Windows Mobile 5-based smart phone capable of receiving and displaying such broadcasts. The handset, manufactured by Taiwan's HTC, will go on sale in the second half of the year, the company announced yesterday. The 10.3 x 5.5 x 1.5cm …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 13:41

  • European roaming campaign gathers pace

    Backed by regulators

    This week the European Commission underlined its call for reduced roaming charges from cellular operators across Europe, by launching a website giving details of some of the outrageous charges that are still operating between European operators. The website launch comes after criticisms from the GSM Association that the EU was …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 13:46

  • Sony 7mp Cyber-shot to battle blur

    It's highly sensitive too

    Sony has updated its skinny Cyber-shot T family with a 7.2 megapixel model that also incorporates the company's anti-shake system, Super Steady Shot. The slimline camera also features a high sensitivity ISO 1000 setting to improve its picture-taking ability in low light conditions. The 19mm-thick, 132g DSC-T30 sports that …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 14:14

  • Fish out of water

    Evolutionary halfway-house illuminates land assault

    A new fossil species has cast light on one of the most important transitions in evolution - fish's move onto land. The missing link, dubbed Tiktaalik roseae was found in river sediments up in the Arctic circle. A team of paleontologists found several specimens* of the plucky part-fish, part-croc during a grueling month long …

    Biology 6 Apr 2006, 14:33

  • H5N1 confirmed in Scotland

    Fife poultry farmers up the swanny?

    Tests on a dead swan in Scotland have confirmed it was killed by the H5N1 strain of avian flu which has swept the world. The Fife bird is the UK's first case in the wild*. Government vets have long known a case was inevitable as the disease has been poised to cross the channel for some weeks. The National Farmer's Union said …

    Biology 6 Apr 2006, 14:44

  • Sony claims PS3 pricing leak 'incorrect'

    But close to the mark even so?

    Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has claimed reports that its senior staffers let slip how much the company plans to charge for the PlayStation 3 when the console ships next November are "incorrect". Instead, head of the the company's French operation, Georges Fornay, says he was "misunderstood" when he appeared to indicate …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 15:15

  • Kiwi ISP offers space ride as broadband compo prize

    While you're up there...

    A broadband punter from New Zealand has been offered the chance to fly to the edge of space after winning a competition run by Kiwi ISP Xtra. Sharyl Innes, a community mental health nurse, scooped top prize after entering the compo earlier this year. The trip to the edge of space includes a trip for three to Moscow, five-star …

    Telecoms 6 Apr 2006, 15:24

  • Pirate CD 'kingpins' cop a plea

    Latino music and Symantec counterfeit operation busted

    A pair of California men pleaded guilty this week to what prosecutors describe as the largest CD manufacturing piracy scheme ever uncovered in the US. Ye Teng Wen (AKA Michael Wen), 29 and Hao He (AKA Kevin He), 30, both of Union City, California admitted the mass production of nearly 200,000 pirated music and software CDs. The …

    Music and Media 6 Apr 2006, 15:30

  • Click here for the all-new Reg Research Library

    Site news Free white papers! Loads of 'em!

    Vulture Central is today delighted to announce the birth of the all-new, all-singing, all-dancing Reg Research Library - your one-stop shop for "technology decision makers seeking product information, independent research, case studies and white papers", as the Strategy Boutique blurb accompanying the launch puts it. The …

    Site News 6 Apr 2006, 15:47

  • Firm follows Apple with Windows-on-Mac code

    Parallels ships virtualisation app beta

    US software company Parallels has posted a pre-release version of its upcoming virtualisation tool for Intel-based Macs. Coming in response to the release of Apple's Windows XP-oriented Boot Camp utility, the Parallel product eliminates the need to choose which operating system the users at start-up. Instead, users can flip …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 15:55

  • BT links arms with Verisign

    Mobile content for the Fusion batphone

    BT has signed up Verisign to provide mobile content services for its BT Fusion batphone. The services, which include a mobile media portal, are to be developed for new Wi-Fi enabled handsets due to launch on the BT Fusion service later this year. The handsets will sport content such as branded Java games, video downloads, and …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 15:58

  • Euro lobbyists demand end of levies on blank media

    Consumers appear unconcerned, however

    Five industry organisations are together calling on European states to abolish - or at least significantly reduce - "outdated" levies raised on digital media and devices to compensate copyright holders for losses they incur through unauthorised copying. The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the European American Business …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 16:04

  • Fingerprint-reading Flash drives

    Group Test Time to invest in some biometric data storage?

    Fingerprint recognition might not be all it's cracked up to be - as it has been proven time and time again that there are ways around it - bit it's still far better than no security at all. As long as it's set up properly, it works well enough, and it's fairly easy to use. Many laptops now come with built-in biometric security, …

    Reg Hardware 6 Apr 2006, 17:41

  • TSMC bags Fiorina

    In brief Lady on board

    TSMC has picked up former HP CEO Carly Fiorina as a new board member. “TSMC is committed to unceasing improvement in corporate governance to serve the best interests of its stakeholders,” said Dr. Morris Chang, TSMC's chairman. “Sound corporate governance is rooted in a strong Board of Directors and we believe Ms. Fiorina’s …

    IT Director 6 Apr 2006, 20:01

  • GizMac mutes Apple's wheezing XServe

    Silent SAN-in-a-can

    Apple's Xserve looks pretty, but it's louder than a kookaburra in a vise. So, GizMac Accessories has stepped forward with a new Xserve-muting cabinet. GizMac already sells 25U and 12U systems to house Xserve servers and RAID storage systems. Now, it's offering up a 4U cabinet that can fit underneath or on top of a desk. The …

    Servers 6 Apr 2006, 20:04

  • Symantec to cleanse remote offices of tape demons

    Get pure, get PureDisk

    Symantec has extended the reach of its popular NetBackup line with a new product aimed at helping remote office workers perform disk-based backups. Veritas NetBackup 6.0 PureDisk Remote Office Edition aims to solve two main problems - remote offices don't like handling tape backups and aren't terribly good at the process. …

    Storage 6 Apr 2006, 22:28

  • Cocky carriers dismiss Apple as 'niche'

    We'll bundle iTunes into submission

    Wireless carriers have hinted at plans to challenge Apple's iTunes and iPod market lead by bundling music from their download services with videos and ringtones for cell phones. Verizon said its is not only desirable but "inevitable" to bundle downloadable tunes with other snippets of music and video for cell phone users. …

    Mobile 6 Apr 2006, 23:46