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22nd May 2006 Archive

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  • Fortress Blair - PM bets on biometric ring of steel to 'fix' immigration

    Analysis Round up the usual foreigners...

    ID cards last week received one of their strongest endorsements yet from the Prime Minister, to the extent that the walls of the Bliarbunker could now be said to consist largely of e-Borders, ID cards and John Reid. Blair, under severe pressure from opposition leader David Cameron, appropriately enough described an e-Borders and …

    Music and Media 22 May 2006, 08:25

  • ERG offers alternative to European mobile roaming price cap

    Calls for wholesale regulation

    European telecommunications regulators have written to the European Commission trying to block its planned legislation on mobile roaming charges, which have skyrocketed out of control in Europe. The European Regulators Group (ERG), a body composed of the European Union's telecoms regulators, agree regulation is necessary but …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 08:29

  • Five tips for employers to beat World Cup fever

    Flexibility could reap rewards

    For HR professionals, the World Cup is no cause for celebration: last-minute holiday requests or staff feigning illness one day and suffering hangovers the next. With less than three weeks until Germany 2006, OUT-LAW presents tips for HR team managers. Pinsent Masons employment law specialist Robyn McIlroy (the firm behind OUT- …

    Business 22 May 2006, 08:38

  • Reputational risk

    Without reputation, you have no business

    Business reputation is established by gaining and retaining the confidence and trust of the stakeholders in the business: customers, suppliers and employees, as well as shareholders. Reputation is gained over time. Sometimes business reputations may be gained over a short period of time but, more frequently, over the longer …

    Business 22 May 2006, 09:05

  • MS unveils PC rental plan

    Pay-as-you-go computing for emerging markets

    Microsoft today launched a technology to enable the delivery of PC rental schemes in emerging markets modelled on mobile phone pay-as-you-go packages. Dubbed FlexGo, the framework allows suppliers to rent out PCs activated by pre-pay cards. Consumers buy access to the machine for a certain period of time - when the card runs dry …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2006, 09:33

  • Motorola looks to accelerate moves to open source Java

    Steps offer promise of unified J2ME environment

    As Sun's new CEO, former software chief Jonathan Schwartz, settles into his new role, it can be expected that the company's key software asset, Java, will take centre stage. Already, Schwartz has promised to put more of Java into the open source process, something that could solidify the software platform's position as the …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 09:38

  • DoCoMo deal opens i-Mode world to Windows Media

    Bypasses OMA digital rights management gateway

    Japanese giant NTT DoCoMo, a long standing Microsoft partner in the world of mobile entertainment, is to port Windows Media DRM (digital rights management) to its 3G handsets, allowing for content to be moved between phones and PCs, and bypassing the Open Mobile Alliance DRM. With Windows Media technologies on all NTT DoCoMo's …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 09:38

  • Microsoft takes private action on pirate

    Busted pirate sued

    Microsoft has taken private action against a UK software pirate after he continued selling counterfeit software, despite receiving a criminal conviction for the same offence. William Ling, owner of Oyster Computers, was arrested by the Met in February 2003 after his premises in New Malden were raided following an anonymous tip- …

    Applications 22 May 2006, 10:01

  • Re-enact great Jedi, Sith battles with... an Apple MacBook

    Dark side or light side

    Today's silliest idea: hack the motion sensor on an Apple MacBook and use the output it generates to pump out Star Wars authentic lightsabre sound effects. That's what one imaginative coder has done in a bid for 15 minutes of internet fame. With the MacBooks available in black and white, dark side and light side duality- …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2006, 10:03

  • Nintendo DS Lite UK debut detailed

    iPod-like black and white models on offer

    Nintendo will release the DS Lite in the UK on 23 June, the videogames pioneer said today. The redesigned handheld console will set British buyers back £100. It will cost €150 (£102) in continental Europe, the company added. Taking a lead from Apple's iPod, Nintendo said the DS Lite will be available at launch in two colours …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2006, 10:20

  • Voda Arcor sale off - report

    Mobile's love affair with fixed line continues

    Vodafone could be on the verge of signalling an about-turn in strategy amid reports that it plans to hang on to its fixed line phone business in Germany. The Times reports that Voda boss Arun Sarin is preparing to scrap the €1bn sale of Arcor as the giant cellco looks to embrace fixed line and broadband services. Voda's …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 10:35

  • EU self-flagellates over ICT strategy

    'Not good enough'

    A review of the European Commission's plan to boost the EU economy with ICT investment found it lacks ambition and has come up short on what it set out to achieve. The first annual progress report on i2010 highlights how Europe continues to lag behind the US in its commitment to technology. Commissioner for Information Society …

    IT Director 22 May 2006, 10:51

  • Euronext confirms bid from NYSE

    And one from Deutsche Bourse

    Euronext confirmed it is looking at offers from both the German stock exchange and the New York Stock Exchange. The directors of Euronext, the pan-European share and derivatives exchange, are meeting this afternoon to consider the offers. They will then be discussed by shareholders at the company's AGM tomorrow. The NYSE …

    Channel Register 22 May 2006, 10:53

  • Romeo proposes on Apple's NY store webcam

    Bless

    Last week saw the opening of Apple's new NY Fifth Avenue store - an event marked by throngs of Machead faithful descending on the glass cube shrine of the electronic cult of Jobs. And all very jolly it was too, according to the official pics of the event, with the great unwashed rubbing shoulders with the great and the good …

    Bootnotes 22 May 2006, 10:59

  • Trojan exploits unpatched Word vulnerability

    Real and present danger

    Hackers have developed malicious code designed to exploit an unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft Word 2002 and 2003. Maliciously-constructed Word documents containing the Mdropper-H Trojan have begun to circulate on the net in messages that pose as internal emails. The malware contains a number of objects (such as PowerPoint …

    Malware 22 May 2006, 11:42

  • T-Mobile cuts World Cup roaming charges

    Over the moon

    T-Mobile is slashing the cost of using a mobile in Germany for England football fans travelling to the World Cup. With up to 200,000 footie fans expected to travel to Germany over the next six weeks, the cellco - the "official mobile sponsor of the FIFA World Cup" - has cut roaming charges for Germany to 25p a minute for …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 11:51

  • Computers make you stupid, innit?

    Learning by numbers tethers kids' IQs

    If you want your kids to do well at school, give them books, a recent Ofsted report said. The analysis (the result of official records collected from 6,000 British primary schools by Ofsted school inspectors) found that spending £100 on books for a school kid will inspire an average 1.5 per cent rise in their test scores. Give …

    Public Sector 22 May 2006, 12:20

  • Good times with Apache

    Fancy a trip to ApacheCon in Dublin?

    ApacheCon 2006 is coming up. And this year it's in Dublin, a city famous for knowing how to have a good time. We confidently expect the regular conference on Apache technologies to be not merely productive, but also tremendous fun! So for your diary, that's the week of 24 to 28 June. Register before 29 May for the EarlyBird …

    Developer 22 May 2006, 12:30

  • Firms waste billions on network over-design

    Who needs desktop Gigabit Ethernet anyway?

    Most organisations follow outdated network design and procurement practices. Result? Overpriced and under-performing networking infrastructures. So says analyst firm Gartner, which reckons the trend of building over-engineered networks is set to continue. It warns that firms will waste more than $10bn installing Gigabit …

    Data Networking 22 May 2006, 12:36

  • LG shows slimline 2.2Mp camera phone

    But not as thin as Samsung's latest

    LG today touted its latest attempt to claim the crown for the world's thinnest mobile phone handset. The KG320, announced earlier this year, is just 9.9mm thick - only 0.9mm thicker than Samsung's SCH-V870 credit card-shaped handset. LG's offering is lighter - 73g to 81g - and packs in 128MB of on-board memory, though it …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2006, 12:46

  • Pentax Optio W10 waterproof 6Mp camera

    Review Safe to use in the desert... and underwater

    Pentax's WP series of waterproof cameras has received a boost with the W10, a 3x optical, 4x digital zoom compact boasting a six-megapixel resolution, shake-reduction technology and a hat full of scene modes. While the camera's styling could be called bland, it's bland in a curvy way. All the edges are neatly rounded with …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2006, 13:27

  • BenQ Siemens readies Q-Fi music phone

    Touts EF71's surround sound speakers, ten-band equaliser

    BenQ Siemens has launched its latest music phone equipped with its 'Q-Fi' music system: a ten-band equaliser hooked up to a pair of built-in 3D surround-sound speakers, fed by the company's own music playback app and activated with dedicated controls. The EF71 sports a brushed aluminium clamshell casing. There's a 2.2in, …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 13:53

  • Green groups sound alarm on synthetic biology

    Life 2.0 faces critics

    A coalition of environmentalists, ethics watchdogs and trade unions has told synthetic biologists they threaten humanity and the planet by "tinkering" with the fundamentals of life. The criticism is timed to coincide with a meeting of scientists working in the emerging discipline, which is aiming to lay down ground rules for …

    Biology 22 May 2006, 14:13

  • Nvidia ships Quadro FX 3500

    Dell gets first shout at new workstation GPU

    Nvidia has launched its latest "high-end" workstation-oriented graphics card, the Quadro FX 3500, with Dell claiming to be the first OEM to introduce a machine equipped with the part. The card itself contains 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM clocked at around 675MHz and connected across a 256-bit bus to deliver 42.2GBps of memory …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2006, 14:15

  • Technology 'misuse' leads to time-wasting at work

    So that explains why NTL:Telewest has yet to return our calls

    Misuse of office technology adds more than two hours to the average British working day, according to research released today by cableco NTL:Telewest. Its study found that far from improving productivity, email, voicemail, and the internet can all distract workers, leading to increased time wasting. The report said: " …

    IT Director 22 May 2006, 14:20

  • O2 finds World Cup friend

    Football365 in your pocket

    TEAMtalk Media, ukbetting's content arm, has done a deal with O2 to set up a mobile football community. Football365 Chat should go live just before the World Cup. It will let O2 subscribers keep up to speed with the action and get in touch with other supporters. The site will play a big role in O2's mobile content coverage for …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 14:25

  • Verizon to ship $300 Motorola Q on 31 May

    BlackBerry-like smart phone arrives at last

    Verizon and Motorola have confirmed that the carrier will begin selling the handset maker's Windows Mobile 5.0-based smart phone, the Q, on Wednesday, 31 May, and that the deal will be an exclusive one. Speculation had centred on a 29 May launch, but what's a couple of days when Motorola's already missed its Q1 2006 deadline …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 14:37

  • Age Concern campaign to boost Silver Surfers

    Next up: meals on wheels for the Incredible Hulk

    This week is Silver Surfer Week, the centrepiece of Age Concern's efforts to get more older people online. Workshops and taster sessions are being held across the country to show Britain's ever-expanding grey army the power of the internet. Age Concern director general Gordon Lishman said: "We will be able to offer older people …

    Music and Media 22 May 2006, 14:37

  • Doctor links solar flares to strokes

    These coronal mass ejections are doin' me bleedin' 'ead in

    A Slovakia doctor claims to have linked peak solar flare activity to an increase in strokes and brain haemorrhages, Reuters reports. Dr Michal Kovac started probing incidence of strokes in southern Slovakia's Nove Zamky back in the 1980s "after observing unexplained increases in stroke patients on certain days, weeks, months …

    Biology 22 May 2006, 14:38

  • .mobi domain opens for business

    Landrush

    The race for securing a slice of the "mobile internet" kicked off today with companies given their first opportunity to register for a new ".mobi" internet domain. From today, trademark holders from within the mobile industry have the chance to register their trademarks as .mobi domains. From 12 June to 22 August, all trademark …

    Mobile 22 May 2006, 14:53

  • IM worm installs rogue browser

    Safety last

    Security researchers are warning of an instant messenger worm that installs a maliciously constructed browser onto compromised Windows PCs. The self-propagating worm, dubbed yhoo32-explr, installs a so-called "Safety Browser". Users who install the software are directed to a site that loads spyware onto their PCs. Yhoo32-explr …

    Malware 22 May 2006, 14:57

  • Griffin TuneFlex gets gratis cassette adaptor

    Got in-car iPod use taped?

    Accessory specialist Griffin Technology today said it will bundle a cassette adaptor with its TuneFlex articulated iPod Nano automobile mount to save buyers from being forced to fork out for one separately. The TuneFlex remains a handy way of using a Nano in a car. The mount plugs into a cigarette lighter socket for power and …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2006, 15:29

  • New space telescope sends back test shots

    The universe in infrared

    AKARI, the Japanese infrared space telescope, has beamed back its first images. The image series pictured shows different wavelengths of the infrared spectrum from galaxy M81, a spiral in the constellation Ursa Major. The telescope launched on 21 February under the moniker ASTRO-F. Astronomers have been calibrating and tweaking …

    Space 22 May 2006, 15:34

  • LG quietly launches 8GB music player

    No clickwheel, just a touch-sensitive OLED

    LG UK has launched an 8GB HDD-based alternative to Apple's iPod with the catchy name 'MFJM53'. But there's nothing pedestrian about the player's design, with its clean lines and 1.77in, 262,144-colour, touch-sensitive OLED screen. The MFJM53 is primarily a Windows Media device, supporting tracks with and without DRM. But it's …

    Reg Hardware 22 May 2006, 16:56

  • Biometric whitewash gathers pace

    Where there's cash there's a hash

    Europe has passed the "tipping point" over which citizens fall head over heels in love with the idea of a society regulated by biometric identity scanners, according to a survey published today. The survey was designed, commissioned and issued by LogicaCMG, a firm with a considerable interest in promoting biometric technology. …

    ID 22 May 2006, 19:36

  • Can Hangar One hang on?

    Battle to save Silicon Valley icon

    The battle to save one of Silicon Valley's true architectural icons has reached a critical stage. Citizens will meet this week at NASA Ames, hoping to convince the Navy not to destroy Hangar One. Anyone driving along the US-101 freeway in Silicon Valley has seen the massive Hangar One building near the Moffett Field exit in …

    Space 22 May 2006, 20:56