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13th June 2006 Archive

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  • Carphone loses broadband price cut battle

    'Good result' all the same

    The Carphone Warehouse has failed in its bid to force BT to slash the cost of migrating fully unbundled broadband lines in bulk. The decision by Ofcom means that Carphone will have to shell out more cash to migrate each fully unbundled line than it had hoped, adding to its overheads. Earlier this year, Opal Telecom (part of …

    Telecoms 13 Jun 2006, 06:02

  • Sony engineers in shock Post-it® notes discovery

    Misses April Fool's Day by 10 weeks

    Sony has launched two new TFT displays with a unique new feature - the bottom bezel is extended to form a surface where you can keep Post-it® notes. You also get a groove which can accommodate pens. It is a mystery why they didn't go the whole hog and include a hand filing cabinet and somewhere to keep your sandwiches. Sony …

    Reg Hardware 13 Jun 2006, 06:02

  • A man and his microscope: IBM's quest to make atom-sized chips

    Into the Valley The silver surfer speaks

    When taken into the room holding the world's highest resolution microscope, we expected to witness a pristine marvel of engineering. Workers in bunny suits would be rushing around in an ultra-clean chamber, tweaking the microscope with refined instruments and unparalleled care. Instead, we found a hand-crafted oddity composed of …

    Physics 13 Jun 2006, 08:42

  • Promises, promises, promises

    TechEd 2006 Oh, and one more - promises

    The one advantage of delivering an uninspiring keynote is that it is very unlikely to inspire a myth or legend that I can later have fun imploding, but that was the task that seemed to be set for Bob Muglia and Ray Ozzie at the Microsoft TechED keynote here in Boston. It was short on technology and long on promises; with a …

    Operating Systems 13 Jun 2006, 08:55

  • MIT builds seeing machine for the blind

    The retina as cinema screen

    A researcher at MIT has developed a working prototype of a machine that will help legally blind people to see, Reuters reports. The inventor, Senior Fellow Elizabeth Goldring, says that the device will help people to read, to see pictures of friends and study other useful documents, such as the layout of buildings. The …

    Biology 13 Jun 2006, 08:59

  • US share probe keeps growing

    Broadcom, Monster dragged in...

    Fund managers in the US are asking 1,500 companies if they are likely to get dragged into the ever-growing investigation into backdating of share options. Yesterday saw job site monster.com and Broadcom admit they were facing Federal investigation. The Council of Institutional Investors, whose members run $3 trillion in …

    Financial News 13 Jun 2006, 09:10

  • European Commission fears copyright levy for ISPs

    Online octopus

    A “copy tax” could spread from blank CDs to mobile phones to internet service providers, according to a consultation document from the European Commission. The document warns that a wide spread of the tax would cause a backlash against it. In most European countries, though not in the UK, copying of music for private use is …

    Music and Media 13 Jun 2006, 09:44

  • IXEurope spends £15m on new London datacentre

    Sweet

    IXEurope is to splash out around £15m to build a new datacentre in West London. The London Stock Exchange listed datacentre outfit said that once up and running next year, the "London4" centre will be IXEurope's fourth and largest datacentre in London. The site will offer roughly 6,500 square meters, with most of the £15m …

    Data Networking 13 Jun 2006, 10:04

  • Coffee defends liver against booze

    Mixing your drinks can be good for you, then?

    Researchers have confirmed drinking coffee can protect against one of the worst effects of alcohol. Alcoholic liver cirrhosis progressively scars the organ, and is known to be affected by a range of factors including smoking, diet, infection and genetics - as well as alcohol. The team at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care …

    Biology 13 Jun 2006, 10:08

  • Judge shuts down footie streaming site

    Site had 'cynical disregard' for UEFA's rights

    Football body UEFA and broadcaster BSkyB have shut down a website which re-broadcast Champions League games over the internet. UEFA and Sky took the three people behind Sportingstreams.com to the High Court where the judge upheld their claim that the site's re-broadcasting of games was unauthorised and breached copyright …

    Music and Media 13 Jun 2006, 10:15

  • eBay APIs updated

    Get 'em quick cos they'll all disappear at the last minute...

    Auction site eBay will release new APIs in the next few months so developers can start creating applications. The announcement was made at eBay's developer conference in Las Vegas. The auction house will make four APIs available - one for express searches, one for accessing the express checkout, one for extra product …

    Applications 13 Jun 2006, 10:47

  • UK targets ExoMars mission with £1.7m funding package

    Wants to be a leading player

    The UK's astronomy research funding body, PPARC, has earmarked £1.7m to develop technology that will seek out evidence of past or present life on Mars. The cash, part of the UK's commitment to the European Aurora programme, will be split across nine projects to develop technology and instruments for the 2011 ExoMars mission, …

    Space 13 Jun 2006, 10:50

  • Artist's impressions from BenQ-Siemens

    We see through the latest BenQ-Siemens phones

    Mobile phones are wonderful things but blimey you can get sick and tired of looking at reams of photos all showing little screens and keyboards. So we say God Bless BenQ-Siemens and all who sale in her for making life more interesting by releasing a series of design sketches of three of its latest phones. We kick off with the …

    Reg Hardware 13 Jun 2006, 10:55

  • PC shipments slow, but market still healthy

    Laptop bounce

    PC shipments slowed to 12.6 percent in the first quarter of 2006, but still managed to outdo March predictions of 11.8 percent annual growth, according to IDC. Although computer shipment growth has slowed since 2004, when the first quarter recorded 15.1 percent year-on-year growth, and in 2005 when annual growth was 16 percent …

    Channel Register 13 Jun 2006, 11:18

  • MS clean-up stats shed light on malware infections

    Zombie shoot 'em up

    Microsoft's anti-virus clean-up tool has removed 16m instances from 5.7m Windows PCs during its first 15 months of operation. Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT), the malware removal software which Microsoft releases free of charge and updates every patch Tuesday, has been executed 2.7bn times on 270m computers since …

    Malware 13 Jun 2006, 11:26

  • Animations-snoitaminA

    Imagine Cup Timelines and animations, a question for the audience

    One of the things we've been playing around with lately is the animations used in Windows Presentation Foundation. We wanted a simple way to reverse an animation which we'd dynamically manipulate to contain new content for the Digital Recovery Environment. We're using Expressions and we noticed an option to reverse key frames …

    Developer 13 Jun 2006, 11:56

  • Telecom NZ execs visit BT

    Eyes Openreach strategy

    Execs from Telecom New Zealand (Telecom) visited BT and Ofcom last month to see what measures have been undertaken to improve telecoms competition in the UK. Industry onlookers reckon the visit shows that that Telecom is considering the idea of splitting its wholesale and retail businesses to head off criticism from its own …

    Telecoms 13 Jun 2006, 11:57

  • 'Microsoft was caught stealing secrets from Borland'

    Database Myths and Legends Reader, I was there

    "Microsoft was caught stealing secrets from Borland.". Or was it? Of course, this all happened way, way back in 1992; but then myths are supposed to be old; that’s the whole point. And this one just won't lie down and die. Every so often someone tells me that, before Access was released, somewhere in a secret desert location …

    Developer 13 Jun 2006, 12:17

  • Football gets ASCII'd

    Bootnote Truly mind boggling

    Fancy watching the World Cup footie, but don't sit anywhere near a TV? Have a terrible aversion to clear, colour pictures of international sport? Ever wondered what people do when they have too much time on their hands? Well, your luck is in, because it seems you can now watch matches live on Telnet, gloriously rendered in …

    Bootnotes 13 Jun 2006, 12:31

  • eBay unveils keyword ad system

    Roll-out to third party sites in offing

    Online auction giant eBay is to launch a keyword advertising system directing web surfers to product auctions related to the website they are visiting. The new system, called adContext, is similar to Google's AdSense platform. It allows websites to display ads for relevant eBay inventories, and site owners hosting these auction …

    Financial News 13 Jun 2006, 12:47

  • Picture this

    Imagine Cup Flickr-tastic

    We've gone and done it. We're on Flickr: there's not many pictures there at the moment but we'll be uploading some more. So if you want to see us working away and doing other random stuff then check us out here. ®

    Developer 13 Jun 2006, 13:18

  • Google readies PayPal-killer

    Payment system weeks away

    Google is all set to launch its online payment system, or "PayPal-killer" for the over-dramatic. According to a note from investment bank RBC Capital Markets the search giant will let people selling goods through Google Base use the system to pay for purchases. GBuy is due to launch 28 June and will initially be limited to Base …

    Financial News 13 Jun 2006, 14:19

  • Small but perfectly formed Meizu Mini Player

    Less tasty than an Apple

    Smaller than a business card, but rather thicker, the Meizu Mini Player measures 79 x 48.2 x 10mm and weighs 55g. Desperate to maintain the metaphor we’ve confirmed this is the equivalent of 45 business cards. The dominant feature of the Mini Player is the 2.4inch/61mm screen which has a QVGA resolution of 320x240 pixels. …

    Reg Hardware 13 Jun 2006, 14:43

  • IBM catalogues SOA services

    Partners included

    Next week IBM SOA Business Central opens its doors. This website will house the IBM SOA Business Catalogue, a way of finding resuable IT services based on its software. The directory of Big-Blue service-oriented architecture will include partner software too and by the end of the year, is expected to include "more than 3,000 …

    Developer 13 Jun 2006, 14:50

  • 'Naked civil servants' celebrate infamy

    Stars of CCTV say: 'Howay!'

    Civil servants at Newcastle's Rural Payments Agency (RPA) went out on a bender last night to celebrate their notoriety after the local paper revealed staff were caught on office CCTV leaping naked from filing cabinets. Staff were pleased their antics made the front page of local newspaper The Evening Chronicle. Team members and …

    Public Sector 13 Jun 2006, 14:56

  • Elonex UK goes titsup

    Breaking news Deloitte and Touche step in...

    Elonex Plc (UK) has gone into administration after weeks of speculation that the PC builder was having serious credit problems. The company is thought to owe almost £20m to creditors in the UK, Europe and US. The rumour-mill has been working overtime with stories of Northwest London-based Elonex's imminent demise blamed …

    Reg Hardware 13 Jun 2006, 14:58

  • BBC gives tips on blocking BBC World Cup content

    It's a funny ol' game, innit

    The BBC has published advice explaining how to block access to one of its own heavily promoted services - live streaming video of World Cup matches. Two weeks ago the British broadcaster said the service offered UK broadband-connected office workers as well as Brits at home the chance to watch World Cup games at their desks. …

    Small Biz 13 Jun 2006, 15:14

  • C2000 gets InFocus

    It's a Vision Thing

    Computer 2000 is to start wholesaling InFocus projectors to the UK channel. InFocus is keen to sign up resellers working the SME and education sectors - in March it introduced The Work Big IN24 and IN26 to target these markets. Now for some distie spiel, from the mouth of Simon Aldous, C2000's head of volume marketing: …

    Channel Register 13 Jun 2006, 15:29

  • WGA, NPfIT and 'rude' councillors polarise readers

    Letters Caution: contains opinion

    Last week's coverage of new and exciting cock-ups in the NHS's NPfIT attracted its usual wide variety of readers, including some folks over at Connecting for Health. They wrote to us to explain that we'd got it all wrong, guv. (NpfIT responds to Reg criticism). Far from being a waste of public resources, the £19m of taxpayers …

    Letters 13 Jun 2006, 15:30

  • COMPUTERLINKS is even more remote

    Signs up Avocent Cyclades

    The company formerly known as Unipalm has added remote access and monitoring products from Avocent Cyclades to its distie line-up. COMPUTERLINKS, as Uniplam is now called, says that the integrated range from Avocent and its recent acquisition, Cyclades, delivers a "complete line of system management tools, console servers, …

    Channel Register 13 Jun 2006, 15:40

  • PCs to developing world 'fuel malware'

    Less than charitable

    Programs to send PCs to third world countries might inadvertently fuel the development of malware for hire scams, an anti-virus guru warns. Eugene Kaspersky, head of anti-virus research at Kaspersky Labs, cautions that developing nations have become leading centres for virus development. Sending cheap PCs to countries with …

    Malware 13 Jun 2006, 16:03