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23rd June 2006 Archive

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  • Sun R&D spending goes green

    'Commodity' hardware out

    Sun Microsystems will focus its $2bn R&D spending on "non-traditional" areas to "intercept demand" in complex business and consumer IT environments. Addressing a VC and start-up crowd in San Francisco, California, freshly-promoted chief executive Jonathan Schwartz listed development of energy- and space-efficient servers that …

    Servers 23 Jun 2006, 08:02

  • Super Q4 for Oracle

    Claims of eating IBM's lunch

    Oracle has claimed its database and middleware operations stole business from competitor IBM during a fiscal fourth-quarter that met increased expectations. Chief executive Larry Ellison spent Thursday crowing about 18 per cent growth in Oracle's database and middleware business during the last three months of fiscal 2006 along …

    Financial News 23 Jun 2006, 08:07

  • UK a new piracy hotbed

    A burning trade

    Production of counterfeit digital goods is increasingly carried out within the UK, according to Intellectual Property Crime Group, a unit of The Patent Office. In a report just published, the group said it had confiscated 20 per cent more DVD-R burners than in previous years, and that disc production was becoming domesticated …

    Media 23 Jun 2006, 08:08

  • Tech giants demand US-wide privacy law

    Universal clampdown

    The world's biggest technology companies have kick-started a campaign for a US-wide privacy law. However, privacy advocates fear the proposal is too weak when compared to some of the state laws it would overrule. Google, Microsoft, Intel, eBay, HP, Oracle and Sun are among the signatories to a statement calling for personal …

    Media 23 Jun 2006, 08:19

  • Korea's five year plan

    SEK2006 Eight services, three infrastructures and nine products

    The foreign press at SEK2006 were treated to a speech and Q&A session from Korean Minister of Information and Communication Jun Hyong Roh. First, his deputy Woo Sik Kim outlined the country's IT839 plan. This covers eight services, three infrastructures and nine products which will help make Korea the digital hub of north-east …

    Mobile 23 Jun 2006, 08:44

  • Warning: mobiles and lightning don't mix

    Conversation killer

    UK doctors are advising mobile-addicted Brit youth to lay off the chat during thunderstorms - or risk the consequences. According to the BBC, the British Medical Journal cites the case of a 15-year-old girl who was struck by lightning in a London park while talking on her phone. She suffered a burst eardrum and cardiac arrest …

    Mobile 23 Jun 2006, 08:55

  • Name a website with 22bn page impressions?

    Yes, that's a month

    Cyworld is a South Korean phenomenon - it's a social networking site which is ridiculously popular over here and will soon be launching in Germany. The site launched in 1999 but only really became popular after it was bought by SK Communications in 2003 - a division of SK Telecom. The firm has 200 staff. Users of Cyworld set …

    Mobile 23 Jun 2006, 09:05

  • Secure identity begins at home

    Intel identity platform targets PCs

    If your digital identity is going to mean anything, it has to be secured, and Shelagh Callahan of Intel's Systems Technology Lab thinks that has to start on your PC. She compares the state of identity today to early car designs, each with a different way of starting the engine; today every car has a key and you just have to find …

    Security 23 Jun 2006, 09:28

  • What goes around, comes around

    Reinventing the batch process

    Maybe it is just me, but I couldn't stop that hackneyed old cliché, "what goes around, comes around", wafting over me at the recent Microsoft Devcon event in London. There was a presentation that touched on the subject of Office applications running on the server rather than the client, and in particular on SharePoint Server …

    Developer 23 Jun 2006, 09:32

  • Intel punching out more 65nm than 90nm chips

    Cranks up third 65nm fab to volume output

    Intel has opened its third 65nm, 300mm-wafer processor production facility, the result of an upgrade made to its Leixlip, Ireland plant, the chip giant said yesterday. More than half of the CPUs the company is now producing are 65nm parts, it added. The $2bn factory is in volume production. Dubbed Fab 24-2, it joins Intel's …

    Hardware 23 Jun 2006, 09:34

  • All aboard the WiBro bus

    SEK2006 Korea moves on broadband on the move...

    This month, South Korea will start commercial roll-out of WiBro - the Korean name for WiMAX - and enough of it is up and running for journalists to get a demo. Four areas of Seoul will get coverage first - Gangnam, Seocho, Songpa and Shinchon - the university district. One satellite town, Bundang, and the roads and subway into …

    Mobile 23 Jun 2006, 09:54

  • AMD to drop Athlon prices by up to 46% - report

    Combatting 'Conroe'

    AMD is said to be preparing a broad range of deep price cuts in a bid to take the fight to Intel's next-generation architecture Core 2 processors, due to be released in the coming months. AMD will cut its prices by up to 46 per cent, it has been claimed. Industry sources cited by DigiTimes reckon the cuts will come on 24 July …

    Hardware 23 Jun 2006, 09:57

  • Designing security into software

    Editor's blog What can the developer do?

    In previous lives I have worked in software QA and in internal control in a major bank, and I am convinced that security must be designed into software from the start. Bolting on security to an insecure design is fraught with problems (just ask Microsoft): You decide that making things secure needs a major rewrite of the …

    Developer 23 Jun 2006, 09:59

  • C4 to air shows simultaneously online

    Geek TV Plus the latest Dr Who rumours

    From the makers of Tech Digest and the World Cup blog Who Ate All The Bratwurst Don't even talk to me. First off, they kill TotP, citing competition from downloads, ringtones and happy slapping. The death of the show that gave us Billie Piper is inevitable TV euthanasia, but it still makes you feel old and bald. Noel Edmonds is …

    Bootnotes 23 Jun 2006, 10:04

  • BT to distribute WorldGate videophones

    Still fiddling with their Ojo

    BT has signed an agreement to distribute videophones from US outfit WorldGate to other telcos and operators, but the UK incumbent hasn't decided whether it will flog these to its own punters. According to a statement issued by WorldGate on Wednesday: "BT plc (BT) and WorldGate Communications Inc announced today that they have …

    Broadband 23 Jun 2006, 10:11

  • Philips chip biz to IPO in Q4

    And 'disentangled' in Q3

    Philips is to quit the chip business, the consumer electronics giant announced this week. It called its withdrawal from the market a "disentanglement" - untying the knot will see its semiconductor division spun off through an IPO. The share sale will take place in the second half of the year and will leave Philips with a …

    Hardware 23 Jun 2006, 10:31

  • Nigerian government issues British conmen alert

    Ahem...

    Mrs MARIAM ABACHA TAYLOR, wife of the recently-cuffed CHARLES TAYLOR of LIBERIA, had better watch her step when she gets off the plane at Heathrow with a suitcase crammed with the SIXTEEN MILLION DOLLLARS ($16 MILLION) set aside by her thoughful hubby before his unfortunate downfall, because the place is crawling with conmen …

    Bootnotes 23 Jun 2006, 10:47

  • BOFH: Double whammy

    Episode 21 No time to argue

    "It's a capacitor - uhhh, electrolytic," the PFY says, gazing into space, deep in concentration. "What?" the Boss asks, looking vacant. "Nah," I reply. "There was no bang, and besides it's got that siliconny edge to it." "A Power Transistor?" "BINGO!" I cry. "WHAT!?" the Boss snaps. "That smell. Something's cooked in the …

    BOFH 23 Jun 2006, 10:53

  • 3 targets SMEs

    Unveils two new handsets

    Mobile outfit 3 has unveiled a new set of packages designed to give SMEs and SOHOs (small office/home office) access to email on the move. It is the first time the cellco has released packages specifically aimed at the small business market. As part of the launch of the new service, 3 has unveiled details of two new handsets, …

    Mobile 23 Jun 2006, 11:01

  • ARM buys Falanx

    Imagination to license alone

    ARM has acquired Norwegian mobile graphics chip developer Falanx, the pair announced today. The financial details of the deal were not made public. The news is not good for Imagination, now essentially ARM's former graphics technology partner. To date, ARM has licensed mobile graphics technology provided by Imagination …

    Mobile 23 Jun 2006, 11:07

  • Structured data is boring and useless

    Editor's blog And unstructructured data? Hmmm, sexy

    We all know that structured data is boring and useless; while unstructured data is sexy and chock full of value. Well, only up to a point, Lord Copper. Genuinely unstructured data can be a real nuisance - imagine extracting the return address from an unstructured letter, without letterhead and any of the formatting usually …

    Developer 23 Jun 2006, 11:11

  • Paradise found on Google Earth

    In the US, as God intended

    Those of you looking for your own little bit of paradise can thank Google Earth for providing its exact location: Nevada, USA. Of course, this is a decidedly American paradise, as our screenshot shows: Ah yes, the ultimate expression of western civilisation, which Google Earth users can enjoy here (.kmz file). Please try to …

    Media 23 Jun 2006, 11:50

  • AMD next-gen architecture to ship 2008 - CEO

    Quad-core CPUs with HyperTransport 3 and other refinements

    AMD will ship processors based on the next generation of its AMD64 architecture in two years' time after sampling them late 2007, company CEO Hector Ruiz has revealed. In an interview conducted by BusinessWeek earlier this month, Ruiz said: "We're going to introduce a really new architecture that will work well with our …

    Hardware 23 Jun 2006, 12:13

  • Evangelical apocalyptic schlockfest 'snoops' on gamers

    Spyware Revelations

    Watchers of right-wing Christian groups in the States say a new apocalyptic videogame released by cultish Revelations-based fiction series Left Behind is riddled with spyware. Developers have incorporated software from an Israeli firm called Double Fusion. It incorporates video advertising and product placement into the game, …

    Security 23 Jun 2006, 13:56

  • Why can't we agree on the names for phobias?

    Automysophobia, Coprophobia, Misophobia...

    Also in this week's column: What makes a wound stop bleeding? Why are opera singers fat? Why don't humans molt? Why can't we agree on the names for phobias? Asked by Anka Saarinen of Helsinki, Finland The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association is the main …

    Science 23 Jun 2006, 13:58

  • What makes a wound stop bleeding?

    Comprehending coagulation

    Also in this week's column: Why are opera singers fat? Why can't we agree on the names for phobias? Why don't humans molt? What makes a wound stop bleeding? Asked by Alicia Rauzok of Greensboro, North Carolina A wound stops bleeding due to the process of clot formation called coagulation. Coagulation is from the Latin …

    Science 23 Jun 2006, 13:58

  • Why don't humans molt?

    Shedding light on molting

    Also in this week's column: Why are opera singers fat? Why can't we agree on the names for phobias? What makes a wound stop bleeding? Why don't humans molt? Asked by Lisa Blumfield, age 10, of New York City Most people think birds molt and humans don't. That's because birds have feathers and humans have hairs. But humans …

    Science 23 Jun 2006, 13:59

  • Why are opera singers fat?

    It ain't over till...

    Also in this week's column: Why can't we agree on the names for phobias? What makes a wound stop bleeding? Why don't humans molt? Why are opera singers fat? Asked by Kelly Reed of Indianapolis, Indiana There are several theories attempting to explain why opera singers are often pleasingly plump. One holds that a large …

    Science 23 Jun 2006, 14:02

  • Date set for UK Mobile Phone Throwing championship

    Sling a slider for charity

    In a bid to beat the Finns at phone throwing, adventure sports club 8th Day UK and recycling charity ActionAid have once again partnered to host the UK Mobile Phone Throwing championship, and opportunity to chuck a clamshell or sling a slider far enough to get into the record books. The event takes place on 20 August at …

    Phones 23 Jun 2006, 14:20

  • Libra still weighs down flagship govt. IT project

    Unexploded depth charge

    Incessant delays to Libra have further set back a more ambitious programme at the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), the £1bn DISC (development, innovation and support contracts) programme. DISC managed to escape the scrutiny of the Public Accounts Committee last week when they turned their attention on the DCA, …

    Policy 23 Jun 2006, 14:43

  • NetApp flogs NetCache to Blue Coat

    Sadly not a Pontins entertainment monkey

    Blue Coat is to acquire NetApp's NetCache business in a mixed cash and stock deal. The two firms have signed an asset purchase agreement which should be rubber-stamped within 90 days. NetCache products are for web content delivery and security. NetApp wants to focus on its burgeoning core business in data storage. NetApp SVP …

    Storage 23 Jun 2006, 14:52

  • Everyone at El Reg is fired. Yes. Everyone

    Letter of the Week Vulture Central struck by lightning

    We should have known better than to try and slip a quick mobile phone lightning death menace piece past you lot on a Friday, and here's why: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Everyone at El-Reg is fired. Yes. Everyone. Even the Lettuce bloke and the guy who made rather a mess of the "database" last week. Hell, sack the …

    Letters 23 Jun 2006, 14:53

  • Pure adds PVR-style tricks to Bug digital radio

    MP3 support too

    Pure Digital, the digital radio company, yesterday unveiled its latest odd-looking tuner. The Bug Too adds PVR-like recording, MP3 playback and alarm-clock functionality to its predecessor's feature list. The big enhancement is the addition of SD Card storage. Bung in a card full of MP3 files, and the Bug Too will let you …

    Hardware 23 Jun 2006, 14:55

  • UK sees the Lite as Nintendo's DS update ships

    Smaller, lighter, even more iPod-like

    Nintendo has begun shipping the DS Lite in the UK, asking a mere £100 for the redesigned, lighter, smaller version of its handheld console. Taking a lead from Apple's iPod, Nintendo said the DS Lite will be available at launch in two colours: glossy black and shiny white. The company describes the DS Lite as a "premium" …

    Games 23 Jun 2006, 15:10

  • Planet X a bigger threat than malware

    Letters Black helicopters and unauthorised apps

    Right, let's get down to it cos there's some top-notch footie to be watched and much beer to be simultaneously drunk this fine Friday afternoon. First up: the UK's Court of Appeal says that PlayStation 2 is not a PC. It's all to do with the electronics monolith wanting to have it declassified as a games console and thereby …

    Letters 23 Jun 2006, 15:52

  • Reg Weekly

    To subscribe to The Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of IT in a single hit - click here

    Tech and telco insecurity problem exposed Spare a thought for the poor saps running systems in the technology, media and telecoms industry. International management whizzkids Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu have fingered the TMT sector as riddled with insecurity. And we don't mean missing deadlines, keeping up with the Jones's and …

    Business 23 Jun 2006, 16:02

  • AMD, Intel and others to serve 100 subpoenas

    AMD vs Intel Filing frenzy

    AMD has started serving 32 new subpeonas against US companies in a bid to secure evidence it believes will support its allegations that arch-rival Intel used its market leadership to harm the smaller company's business. Separately, Intel and other class-action plaintiffs have also begun sending subpoenas to around 70 third …

    Hardware 23 Jun 2006, 16:05

  • ATI claims World+Dog wants Vista Premium not Basic

    Shift spells trouble for Intel's graphics efforts?

    When we kicked off our investigation into Windows Vista's hardware requirements we glossed over the graphics part of the system requirements and simply said that you need DirectX 9 hardware. It turns out things are rather more complicated than that plain statement suggests, and that may mean trouble ahead for Intel. A Windows …

    Hardware 23 Jun 2006, 16:31

  • Toshiba's $499 HD DVD player costs 'over $700 to make'

    Researcher reveals 'unusual' hardware subsidy

    Toshiba is subsidising its HD-A1 HD DVD player by at least $175 in a bid to buy the next-generation optical disc format success. So claims market watcher iSuppli, which took the machine to bits and totted up the cost of all the parts. Available in the US, the HD-A1 is priced at $499. iSuppli's assessment of the cost of the …

    Hardware 23 Jun 2006, 17:19

  • Google sheds China investment

    Bye bye, Baidu

    Google has sold a stake in the Chinese search engine-cum-portal, Baidu. Google bought a 2.6 per cent share in the company June 2004, shortly before its own public floatation. Since then, Google had a change of strategy and opted for a direct involvement in China. In May last year, it applied for a license to operate in the PRC …

    Financial News 23 Jun 2006, 20:26

  • Blogosphere's skew leaves web-watchers Flickr-faced

    Representative? We're not

    Staring at the Blogosphere for too long can make you blind. Blind, that is, to what people are really doing on the internet. Here are some fascinating statistics that suggest that the hype generated by technology evangelist bloggers can be profoundly misleading. Even more intriguingly, mainstream media who rely on the blog ' …

    Media 23 Jun 2006, 21:46

  • Vacuum king calls for end to robotics hype

    RoboBiz Time to move from suck to blow

    Colin Angle this week demonstrated the authority that comes with being a robotic vacuum magnate. He told the crowd here at the Robo Business conference that they'd let consumers and businesses down with sub par products. They had supplied more hype than innovation and could use something akin to steroids for their imaginations …

    Science 23 Jun 2006, 22:33