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7th June 2006 Archive

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  • Future hype: the myths of technology change

    Book review About time this change thang was given a kicking...

    Do you believe that the rate of technological growth is accelerating exponentially and that the human race is approaching a singularity that will transform it fundamentally? This idea, championed by techno utopian writers like Vernor Vinge (The Coming Technological Singularity), James Gleick (Faster), and Ray Kurzweil (The …

    Developer 7 Jun 2006, 00:02

  • RIAA, EFF unite to sabotage digital reform

    The day 'digital rights' died?

    Sometimes, you just can't win. A proposal to speed up the clearance of mechanical copyright for broadcasters and digital media services has been met with hysteria from lobby groups who complain that copyright clearance today is too cumbersome and slow. It's an issue that's been intensely discussed since it was first proposed …

    Music and Media 7 Jun 2006, 00:07

  • Apple ships 'none more black' U2 iPod

    Vertigo

    Apple has revived its U2-branded iPod, relaunching the all-black - front and back - machine using the 30GB fifth-generation video-capable version of the player. And just so it's not mistaken for a regular black iPod, the clickwheel's red - as per past U2 iPods - and the casing is made of stainless steel. Apple said the player …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 02:30

  • ATI RS600 chipset surfaces

    Computex 2006 ECS mobo in the spotlight

    ATI was more interested in mentioning its upcoming RD600 chipset, but that didn't stop a lone LGA775-oriented RS600-based mobo being placed among a host of CrossFire 3200 for Socket AM2 boards the company had on display at Computex this week. The board, from Elitegroup, has a single x16 PCI Express slot, accompanied by a x1 …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 02:47

  • ATI announces PVR-friendly TV chip

    Computex 2006 Theater 650 Pro unveiled

    ATI quietly announced the latest member of its Theater Pro TV chip family at Computex this week, pitching the part's PVR functionality and ability to tune into both digital and analogue TV signals anywhere in the world. The Theater 650 Pro incorporates a 125-channel TV tuner connected to a 12-bit worldwide multi-format video …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 03:20

  • Computex 2006 - Full Coverage

    This year's key stories

    Fast access to the key stories from this year's show. Chipsets Intel does HD with G965 chipset ATI RS600 chipset surfaces Intel rolls out P965/ICH8 chipset Nvidia rolls out Intel edition nForce 500 chipset trio CPUs AMD defines itself as the joker in the pack Laptop vendors to adopt desktop 'Conroe' chip? AMD to re- …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 03:28

  • Sun travels to 'Andromeda' for blade server return

    You want sockets? We'll give you sockets

    For the first time in a long while, Sun Microsystems has managed to silence the moles and keep detailed specifications of an upcoming hardware line safe. We are, of course, talking about Sun's soon-to-be-released Opteron blade servers. Sun's blade silence is understandable given the vendor's poor track record with slim servers …

    Servers 7 Jun 2006, 04:28

  • Dell deals multimedia TFT displays

    Goes all peripheral

    Dell has started shipping three new TFT displays, offered under its UltraSharp brand. The biggest is the 24in 2407WFP which costs £825 including VAT and delivery at the Dell online shop. Hunt around and you'll find it on sale for £765 or so. It's got a 1,920 x 1,200 WUXGA widescreen resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 6ms …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 08:02

  • Developer silos considered harmful

    News from the Rational Developer Conference

    So, developer silos are a bad thing, are they, according to IBM/Rational (see story here)? Well, yes they are. I remember architect customers of Autodesk describing the normal, dysfunctional, process of putting up a building to me (see story here). After every stage, handover documents were prepared, all the knowledge that …

    Developer 7 Jun 2006, 08:20

  • IPS cuts DVLA demands

    Omnibase allows for shared services

    The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) has linked up with the Vehicle and Driver Licensing Agency (DVLA) to smooth the application process for driving licences. It has removed the need to send in a passport when applying for a licence. Instead, the DVLA has begun to accept nine digit numbers from digital passports as proof of …

    Public Sector 7 Jun 2006, 08:24

  • Mouse-user's RSI payout sends warning to employers

    Health and safety wake up call

    A former Guardian freelancer has been paid £37,500 to settle a repetitive strain injury claim. A health and safety law expert said today that the case should serve as a wake-up call to employers about the need for workplace assessments. Andrea Osbourne worked as a freelance subeditor for the newspaper for two-and-a-half …

    IT Director 7 Jun 2006, 08:33

  • BT in £50m contract with NI government

    Extends tentacles further into the Republic

    BT has won a 12 year contract to provide ICT services to Northern Ireland's civil service. Under the terms of the £50m deal, the telecommunications company has been appointed by the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) to update and integrate accounting and financial services technologies across all government departments. BT …

    Channel Register 7 Jun 2006, 08:50

  • Tyan unleashes 16-core 'personal' supercomputer

    Computex 2006 Eight Xeons, one Typhoon

    Taiwan's Tyan today pledged to ship a deskside "personal supercomputer" powered by eight Intel low-voltage 'Woodcrest' Xeon processors and packing up to 48GB of memory in the fourth quarter. But expect to pay at least $10,000 for the wheel-mounted machine, the company said. Named Typhoon - it'll "blow you away", quipped Tyan …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 08:54

  • Nvidia bids for next-gen handheld biz

    Computex 2006 You will play Quake III on your Windows Mobile phone

    Nvidia today extended its foray into the handheld graphics arena, moving beyond mobile phones to Windows Mobile 5.0 PDAs. Dubbed the MobileMedia Platform, the product comprises hardware, middleware and development tools device makers can use to create Nvidia-equipped handhelds. The company also announced Windows Mobile 5.0- …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 09:05

  • Allofmp3 breaks its silence

    Tells US to bog off...

    Music site AllofMP3.com has at last broken its silence and responded to US attacks on its business, while the BPI, the trade body for UK music labels, says it will sue the website in the UK courts. US lobbyists for the major labels claim Russia's entry to the World Trade Organisation could be threatened unless the site is taken …

    Music and Media 7 Jun 2006, 09:19

  • Re-use and win

    No need to lose your job about it

    Despite the best efforts of my dog, a local cab company and the train service, which collectively tried their best to prevent it, I managed to get into London to meet up with Sandy Carter, IBM's worldwide VP of SOA, who had been speaking at an event where she ran through the five entry points to adopting a service-oriented …

    Developer 7 Jun 2006, 09:21

  • FIC makes play for slimmest media centre PC

    Computex 2006 GE2 closing on on Aopen?

    First International (FIC) this week demo'd its upcoming bit to displace Aopen at the top of the mini-PC totem pole: the GE2, a 4.2cm high, 17.2 x 22.6cm footprint Viiv-branded Windows Media Center system. Like Aopen's MP945-VXR, the 1.3kg GE2 is pitched as a 'mobile on desktop' machine. It's based on a Core Duo processor - …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 09:26

  • Why phishing catches punters

    Comment Hook, line and sinker

    Occasionally a criminal is so, well, clever that you have to admire him even as you wish that he spends the rest of his life in jail. Take Arnold Rothstein, for instance. One of the kingpins of organised crime in New York City during Prohibition and before. The "Great Brain", as he was termed, was more than likely behind the …

    Security 7 Jun 2006, 09:27

  • Gigabyte gives 'Merom' room in mini media PC

    Computex 2006 But the A963's not as cute as the Mac Mini...

    Intel's upcoming mobile Core 2 Duo processor, 'Merom', made an appearance - well, sort of - at Computex 2006 this week, slotted inside a Gigabyte-made compact media centre PC. Like the 'Santa Rosa'-based notebook ECS had on display, you'd never have known from the imaginatively named A963 itself that its has Intel's next- …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 09:41

  • Tiscali pulls Juke Box music service

    Blasts 'shortsighted' music industry

    Tiscali says it has been forced to "turn off" its new Juke Box music service following a run-in with the European music industry. Last month, the European ISP unveiled details of its new p2p music service backed by US outfit Mercora, which lets people legally search for millions of tracks and share them using streaming …

    Music and Media 7 Jun 2006, 09:43

  • Dell ships notebook with 'super 3G' card

    Exclusive Promised HSDPA add-on available at last

    Dell UK has begun selling a 3G network datacard kitted out with HSDPA high-speed download technology. The card is available to buy as an optional extra with the PC maker's Latitude D820 notebook computer. Dell announced in January it would ship a machine with HSDPA support later this year. The following March, it launched the …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 10:18

  • HP in tax bonanza

    Q2 earnings update raises expectations

    HP has issued a Q2 earnings update, hiking earnings and profits following a favourable settlement with the taxman. Revenue was boosted $443m last quarter by the deal with the IRS over an audit of HP's 1996 to 1998 tax returns. The $1.5bn net income HP reported last month rose to $1.9bn on the back of the settlement. HP's Q2 …

    Financial News 7 Jun 2006, 10:31

  • Motorola gobbles up TTPcom

    Boosts convergence plan

    Motorola has made the latest in a string of acquisitions of small, often UK-based technology companies to bolster the key developments within its "seamless mobility" strategy. TTPcom brings it products and expertise in three areas that are important to the current strategy - low cost phones, convergence and indoor coverage. …

    Mobile 7 Jun 2006, 10:35

  • Angelina - Brad brat pics leak onto web

    Updated Hello! to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt

    It's another case of internet 1, print media 0 today as the first picture of the spawn of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has just surfaced on the web following an apparent leak by someone at UK gossip rag Hello!. The snap features on a cover of the magazine with the headline "The biggest exclusive of the year. Angelina and Brad …

    Entertainment 7 Jun 2006, 10:37

  • Intel pitches VoIP card at office-PC users

    Computex 2006 Use any ordinary phone for Skype etc

    Intel has launched its latest bid to encourage computer users to make phone calls via the internet: a slimline PCI card that allows any ordinary handset to be used to make VoIP connections. The chip giant announced the 600SM PCI Phone Adaptor at Computex 2006 this week. It said the device is primarily pitched at office …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 10:48

  • HP recalls flaming cameras

    And expands photographic ambitions

    HP is recalling hundreds of thousands of digital cameras following reports that they catch fire spontaneously. The firm says the 679,000 R707 units it has sold worldwide are dangerous when used with non-rechargeable batteries. Connecting the camera to the mains while the batteries are inserted can cause them to overheat due …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 10:54

  • Scientists probe 2,000-year-old Greek computer

    'Antikythera Mechanism' may be planetary calculator

    A bronze Greek device constructed in around 80BC could be the world's oldest computer, joint British-Greek research seems to suggest. The "Antikythera Mechanism" - consisting more than 30 bronze dials and wheels - was recovered from the wreck of a cargo ship off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1900, the Scotsman reports. Its …

    Science 7 Jun 2006, 10:56

  • But is it art, luvviee?

    Did Damien Hirst put half a fly in my wine?

    "So, is it art?" That was one of the questions rattling round London's Arndean Gallery last night - together with others such as "where's the red wine?" and "what's in this canapé exactly?" Posing the question was Phil Cross, Microsoft marketing manager and UK head man for TechNet - aka cuddling up to developers. The "it" in …

    Developer 7 Jun 2006, 11:00

  • KWorld DVB-T 310U USB TV tuner

    Review PVR on your PC

    Computers will soon come with TV tuners built-in as standard - the electronics are certainly small enough - but for now if you want to turn your PC into an 'idiot's lantern' you've got to opt for an add-on. USB now provides the bandwidth and the simplicity of connection, so you won't even have to open up your computer - handy if …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 11:02

  • Formula 1 carbon mouse mat - yours for £250

    Blimey

    For the man who has everything, or the fool who wishes to be parted from his money as soon as possible, might we recommend the Formula 1 carbon mouse mat currently on offer at the official F1 store for a mere 250 quid. Mind you, this is not just any mouse mat, oh no: Hand-made in England exclusively for Formula 1™ by …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 12:05

  • World Cup to kick start mobile TV

    28.8bn punters can't be wrong...

    Analyst house Informa reckons the World Cup will be a big boost to awareness of mobile TV, but expects widespread uptake won't happen until some time between the 2008 Olympics and the 2010 World Cup. Informa principal analyst Dave McQueen said: "Fifa reckons 28bn* people watched the last World Cup so this is a massive …

    Mobile 7 Jun 2006, 12:28

  • Openreach cuts wholesale broadband charges

    Shot in the arm for local loop unbundling

    BT has cut the cost of migrating end users onto unbundled networks in a move designed to give LLU yet another shot in the arm. Openreach - BT's standalone access services division set up earlier this year - said the new pricing would make it cheaper for local loop unbundling (LLU) operators to move their customers from BT …

    Telecoms 7 Jun 2006, 12:30

  • NASA's CloudSat snaps 3-D weather

    'Cloud-Profiling Radar' wows the crowd

    NASA is pretty pleased with the first pictures beamed back from its CloudSat satellite, which reveal "never-before-seen" 3-D details of clouds, as the press release puts it. CloudSat - launched on 28 April - carries a millimeter wavelength "Cloud-Profiling Radar" which is "more than 1,000 times more sensitive than typical …

    Science 7 Jun 2006, 12:38

  • Rogue pharmacy poses as Google

    Fake meds rampant

    The newest addition to the Google family has just hit the web - the search giant's very own accredited pharmacy, selling pills at rock bottom prices. Google celebrated the launch with a brand-spanking, stylised logo - the double 'O' replaced with two blue Viagra pills. The mail promoting the new site told us: "We've just …

    Spam 7 Jun 2006, 13:50

  • World Cup scores roaming bonanza for operators

    Fußball fever

    Football fans traveling to Germany will spend an estimated €36.5m on mobile calls, text and video messages during this month's World Cup. The anticipated spending adds up to a roaming bonanza for mobile operators, according to analysts at Informa Telecoms and Media. Its estimate is based on around one million football fans …

    Mobile 7 Jun 2006, 14:04

  • iTunes guilty of breaking Norwegian law

    Consumer Ombudsman rules...

    The Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman has ruled that the Apple iTunes service breaks the law, and has given the company two weeks to fix the problem. In January, the Consumer Council asked the Ombudsman to look at iTunes because of concerns that it breaks consumer protection law. Today's decision backs that complaint. According to …

    Music and Media 7 Jun 2006, 14:29

  • Scientists sideline Bush opposition to stem cell research

    Harvard plans to cure disease with private cash

    Harvard scientists have said they will bypass President Bush's moratorium on state funding of embryonic stem cell research by using privately sourced cash. It's thought it will be the first non-commercial enterprise to work on human embryos in the US. An executive order from Bush in 2001 banned the use of public money for …

    Biology 7 Jun 2006, 15:02

  • More thoughts on identity

    Mary Branscombe comments

    Reg Developer contributor Mary Branscombe has some thoughts on the Microsoft Identity Management Workshop (see blog here) - she fell foul of our seven day limit for replies. So, here is her view: Couldn't resist commenting myself! Identity and rights management; you can't manage who is allowed to view/change/print etc a …

    Developer 7 Jun 2006, 15:02

  • Nvidia nForce 590 mobos shown by ECS and DFI

    Computex 2006 Reference boards only

    ECS and DFI were the first motherboard manufacturers to have Intel-oriented nForce 590 SLI-based boards on display at Computex. ECS has one board mounted on the wall together with an array of other motherboards, but it was clear that this was not an ECS motherboard due to the colour scheme. ECS openly admitted that it was indeed …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 15:14

  • Leadtek rebuts Foxconn handover claim

    Computex 2006 Not quitting graphics card business

    Leadtek has denied claims it is to quit the graphics card market in favour of manufacturing partner Foxconn, which yesterday used the Computex 2006 show in Taipei to announce it will begin selling Nvidia-based cards under its own name. In an email sent out by a Leadtek today, the company quoted a message posted on a DailyTech …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 15:16

  • French publisher sues Google

    Mais non!

    French publishing group La Martiniere is suing Google for piracy because of its Google Books project - which is scanning thousands of books into a database so users can search the text of books. La Martiniere, which owns publishers in France, Switzerland and the US, is taking action against Google France and Google.com. …

    Music and Media 7 Jun 2006, 15:40

  • Netgear launches 'pre-n' wireless kit

    While we're waiting for 802.11n to be finished...

    Netgear is about to release a whole stack of wireless networking products under the name RangeMax Next to distinguish them from the existing, non-802.11n RangeMax family. It also pledged to ship its Wi-Fi VoIP phone "shortly". The DG834N is an ADSL modem router and the WNR834B is a cable router - ie. no ADSL. Both boxes have …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 15:49

  • MS charts July email security launch

    All about Antigen

    Microsoft has set a date for the release of in-house versions of corporate email security products flowing out of last-year's acquisition of Sybari. Microsoft Antigen email security products — including Antigen for Exchange, Antigen for SMTP Gateways, Antigen Spam Manager and Antigen Enterprise Manager — will become available …

    Enterprise Security 7 Jun 2006, 16:13

  • Intel does HD with G965 chipset

    Computex 2006 Integrated graphics with HDMI support

    Although Intel officially announced the P965 chipset yesterday, today's press briefing contained some further information about the other chipsets in the 965 family, aka 'Broadwater'. Intel talked about the G965 for Viiv and Q965 for vPro. As we reported earlier, the integrated graphics core will indeed be known as GMA X3000 for …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 16:23

  • Dialogue demos 'unique' laptop display rig

    Computex 2006 Flybook VM more like a monitor than a notebook

    Is it a notebook or a desktop? Taiwan's Dialogue Flybook VM doesn't seem sure either, thanks to a novel screen hinge mechanism that literally lifts the machine's 12.1in, 1,280 x 768 widescreen panel up and away from the keyboard unit. The third-generation Flybook - the first two series distinguished themselves with their …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jun 2006, 16:25

  • Man fined measly $2K over anti-spyware scam

    Slapped wrists

    A New Hampshire man has been fined $2,000 for allegedly using Microsoft's name to lend credibility to false claims that users' PCs were infected with spyware. Seth Traub, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, paid the modest legal costs and attorneys' fees to settle a lawsuit brought by the State of Washington over charges that he …

    Malware 7 Jun 2006, 17:02

  • Dell extends dual-core servers for the Enterprise

    Mighty Morphin' PowerEdge Ranges

    Dell is upping the stakes in the enterprise server market with the release of its ninth generation of PowerEdge servers. Announcing the worldwide availability of the PowerEdge 1950, 2900 and 2950, Jay Parker, Dell's director of worldwide marketing for PowerEdge servers, promised: "Dell will achieve leadership in price/ …

    Servers 7 Jun 2006, 17:16

  • Hexadecimal coinages

    Stob From eh to zee with Veritee

    All top computing publications should occasionally put out a glossary of new and with-it computing jargon, together with clarifications of expressions that have evolved with the new technology. Here is ours. Architect: Any programmer who has specified a database, or a File menu, or even just the keys in a section of an INI …

    Verity Stob 7 Jun 2006, 18:02

  • BPI urges Apple to open iTunes

    'Nice iPod you've got there. Shame if anything happened to it'

    The British Phonographic Institute has called on Apple to make its iTunes DRM compatible with other music players. It's one of a number of points put before the House of Commons Select Committee for Culture today by representatives of the organisation, including chairman Peter Jamieson. Many of the others you've heard before: …

    Financial News 7 Jun 2006, 19:07

  • Intel tires of performance per watt chatter

    Get ready to 'spew'

    Intel has not yet reached the point where it can talk about server and desktop chip performance per watt metrics with a straight face, but the vendor has already tired of the concept. In the next three to five years, Intel plans to push the industry toward a new, more nebulous metric. "Performance per watt is very misleading," …

    Servers 7 Jun 2006, 20:04

  • Neurosis as a lifestyle: remixing revisited

    Analysis Can't they sit still?

    "We stand on the last promontory of the centuries! Why should we look back, when what we want is to break down the mysterious doors of the impossible ? Time and Space died yesterday. We already live in the absolute, because we have created eternal, omnipresent speed" - Fillippo Marinetti, 1909 When a year ago we looked at …

    Music and Media 7 Jun 2006, 20:31

  • Intel together forever – or at least 2010 – with x86

    EPIC battles put on hold

    Intel seems to have learned its lessons from AMD's quick embrace of x86-64-bit extensions and the Itanium debacle. It's sticking with x86 chips for the foreseeable future. "We pretty much have x86 as the going assumption," said Intel's CTO Justin Rattner, speaking here today at an Intel Labs press event. "As we talk to our …

    Servers 7 Jun 2006, 20:33