13th July 2006 Archive

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Microsoft incentives to influence your security vote

Shows 'em the money

Microsoft is offering partners a tasty slice of security software licensing revenues, in a promo to help kick-start this new business. Consultants and systems integrators (SIs) will, for a limited time, receive up to 30 per cent of the cash Microsoft makes on sales of ISA Server, Antigen and ForeFront business products under …

Channel Register 13 Jul 2006, 08:40
Firm forecasts cash not clash for Blu-ray, HD DVD

Oh, what a lovely war

War may be hell, but it sure can be profitable too. Consider the nearing fight between next-generation optical disc formats HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Only a few opening salvos and empty throws have been made so far, but the battle's expected to intensify this coming Christmas. But that won't stop it expanding into a $28bn market …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 08:45
Defeating the hacker

Book review Security is for everyone

Who is responsible for security? Everybody is, not just the security officer and his/her team. But it's a technical issue, right? A matter of firewalls, applying patches, installing programs that detect and remove spyware and viruses... Wrong again! Security is largely (despite the efforts of vendors who want to sell you more …

Developer 13 Jul 2006, 09:09
Acer dual-core Ferrari laptops to debut this month

Reportedly ready to ship

Acer will hit the gas on its Ferrari notebook line by the end of this month, pushing the pedal to the metal by adding dual-core processors to the prancing pony portable PCs, it has been claimed. Acer announced the dual-core Ferrari 1000 and 5000 series machines in May this year, stating the two would be based on AMD Turion 64 …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 09:21
SurfControl snaps up BlackSpider

Managed security services push

UK-based net security firm SurfControl has bought email filtering firm BlackSpider for around £20m plus an agreement to take on £1.2m in short-term debts. SurfControl said the deal would allow it to add an on-demand email and web security service to its portfolio. BlackSpider said the agreement will help the sale of its …

Security 13 Jul 2006, 09:25
Firefox 2.0 ready to test

Mozilla offers beta

The Mozilla Foundation is set to release the first beta of the next version of its Firefox web browser, Firefox 2.0. The organisation wants software developers especially to download and test the new version. Several "candidate" betas have been released over the last week, to allow for last minute tweaking and testing before …

Software 13 Jul 2006, 09:34
AMD CPU production deal yields revenues

Chartered chips reach customers

AMD's foundry deal with Singapore's Chartered Semiconductor has begun to yield money-making microprocessors, the chip maker said today. So-called "revenue shipments" began last month, AMD revealed - the foundry is shipping chips to paying customers. Chartered's Fab 7 300mm-wafer facility is punching out 90nm AMD64-class …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 09:44
Toshiba delays HD DVD recorder debut

RD-A1 release put back

Toshiba has put back the Japanese release of its RD-A1 HD DVD recorder by two weeks, the company said today, in a public apology for having to reschedule the shipment and customer "annoyance" arising from the delay. However, Toshiba didn't say why it was delaying the device's launch, but it looks like it's had production …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 09:58
AOL hovers on historic decision to quit the ISP market

Comment Considers radical change

Throwing existing revenue away is a tough business and you can never be sure it's the right thing to do. And it's especially difficult to throw away a profitable cash cow piece of revenue. But that's exactly what the AOL board is being asked to go ahead and authorise by AOL CEO Jonathan Miller. At the heart of the matter is a …

Telecoms 13 Jul 2006, 10:12
Sony samples movies on Memory Stick

PSP-friendly UMD replacement?

Sony is trialling the sale of movies on Memory Stick in a bid to rekindle the fading marketing for pre-recorded content formatted for its PlayStation Portable handheld games console. The consumer electronics giant has announced a pair of "entertainment packs" which bundle, respectively, a 1GB and a 2GB Memory Stick Pro Duo …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 10:38
The greatest error message of all time?

Fish4 takes a dive

Error messages are usually a bland and opaque non-explanation of what has gone wrong. Especially when they're posted by large companies. So hats off to Fish4.co.uk for a truly fine, if slightly bitter, error message. The problem is blamed on a piece of Sun equipment - a Sun Fire E6900 Server - described by Sun as an "Extreme …

Music and Media 13 Jul 2006, 10:39
Cellcos move to 'dilute' roaming laws

But Reding ready to take action

There appears to be political machinations afoot, with the powerful European cellco lobby gunning for EU media commissioner Viviane Reding, trying to kill her attempts to regulate mobile roaming charges within the European Union. UK newspapers were rife this week with self-congratulatory comments about Reding having already …

Mobile 13 Jul 2006, 10:43
Vodafone gets first shout at Palm Euro 3G Treo

Device to run Windows Mobile

Palm's first Euro-centric Treo smart phone will run Microsoft's Windows Mobile 5.0 and ship exclusively - initially, at least - on the Vodafone network, the PDA pioneer announced today. The device will ship in the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands by the end of the year. Palm didn't say much else about the …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 10:52
IT to fight tax credit fraud

But is it too little too late?

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has said that improvements including new technology will help tackle continuing problems with the tax credit system. The department was responding to a report on revised fraud and error estimates for child tax credit and working tax credit, published on 11 July 2006. The document shows that public …

Public Sector 13 Jul 2006, 11:04
eBay restores Nochex

Updated You're banned. You're not.

Without any fanfare, eBay is again accepting payments made by Nochex today. That's the service it banned on Friday, sending sellers into a frantic race to update their listings. Nochex marketing manager Rob Harrison confirmed the news to us, adding that just as with last week's ban, Nochex hadn't been informed or given a reason …

Financial News 13 Jul 2006, 11:14
Nintendo denies UK Wii ship-date, price claims

Firm keeps mum despite speculation

Nintendo's next-generation games console, Wii, will not ship in the UK at the end of November for around £170 - claims made this week by the Daily Star newspaper and subsequently denied by the videogames pioneer. Technically, Nintendo hasn't denied the claims - it simply dubbed them "pure speculation" before pointing out that …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 11:16
Former Peregrine VP faces extradition to US

Treaty in the dock

The UK's extradition treaty with the US is under fire yet again, after it emerged that another British businessman, a former European VP of software company Peregrine Systems, is facing extradition to the States. The US department of justice alleges Jeremy Crook was involved in a conspiracy to defraud Peregrine shareholders to …

IT Director 13 Jul 2006, 11:29
SanDisk Sansa e250 MP3 player

Review Has the proverbial iPod Nano beater arrived at last?

There's no denying that Apple's ownership of the MP3 player market, but it's far from the only contender. SanDisk has been making MP3 players for quite some time, like the c150 I reviewed not so long ago. However, the new e200 series is a direct competitor to the iPod Nano, so let's see how well it compares... SanDisk …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 11:51
Zidane headbutt outrage: new video evidence

Updated Viral email offers fresh perspective

Pity if you will poor old Zinedine Zidane: sent off during the World Cup final for a serious infraction of FIFA's "no headbutting Italians" rule and now reduced to the status of French national hero with enough cash in the bank to enjoy a lifetime of truffles, stuffed songbirds and fine vintage champagne. Indeed, while the …

Bootnotes 13 Jul 2006, 11:57
'Smart' phones, stupid punters?

The extent of the failure of mobile data

The frustration of trying to lead a turbo-cool MobileLifestyle™ has been revealed in all its button-bashing, customer service monkey-abusing lack of glory. A survey* of 15,000 "faulty" devices by mobile data provider WDSGlobal found 63 per cent of the one in seven new phones which are returned have nothing wrong with them. …

Mobile 13 Jul 2006, 12:06
Microsoft dealers learn consulting by numbers

Comment World domination may follow shortly

Hundreds of PC resellers are going to get a make over through the use of a new sales tool supplied FOC by Microsoft. Demo Showcase, announced to the software giant's channel partners at a conference in Boston yesterday, is the keystone of Microsoft's strategy to muscle its way into the unfolding market for generic business …

Channel Register 13 Jul 2006, 12:21
Barnsley teams with Bull

ICT joint venture

Barnsley MBC has formed a joint venture company with Bull Information Systems (BIS) to manage its ICT for the next 10 years. The council, which announced that it is spending £76.1m over the on the deal, claimed the venture will provide it with a more "cost effective, secure and robust" infrastructure to support its services. It …

Public Sector 13 Jul 2006, 13:18
Consumer VoIP heads for prime time

Computing Which? calls up runners and riders

Dialing over the net represents the future of consumer voice calls, but shortcomings still affect some popular services, according to a new report. Making calls over the internet is far cheaper than conventional voice calls and becoming more popular as the use of broadband rises, prompting Computing Which? to put several …

Software 13 Jul 2006, 13:20
EC begins new pan-European patent love-in

Or is it a war?

Yesterday's public hearing on the future of pan-European patent legislation has been hailed as "day one" in a new war on software patents, as support gathers for the European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA). Commissioner Charlie McCreevy maintained his backing for the EPLA, which he describes as a promising route forwards …

Software 13 Jul 2006, 14:16
Bloodthirsty Killeroo terrorised Oz

Can't tie this one down, sport

Giant murderous toothy kangaroos marauded across the Outback millions of years ago, palaeontologists have revealed. The discovery was made, along with 20-odd other previously unknown species, during a dig in northwest Queensland by scientists from the University of New South Wales. Researcher Sue Hand said the 'roos had "well …

Biology 13 Jul 2006, 14:18
Phishers rip into two-factor authentication

Man-in-the-middle

Phishers are seeking to circumvent two-factor authentication schemes using man-in-the-middle attacks. Last October, US federal regulators urged banks to adopt two-factor authentication as a means to combat the growing problem of online account fraud. Two-factor authentication involves the use of a password-generating device …

Enterprise Security 13 Jul 2006, 15:06
Nintendo Wii to ship in UK on 15 October?

Or how about 24 November. Or maybe...

When will Nintendo ship its next-generation games console, Wii? Nintendo's not giving a precise date, of course, but some retailers are beginning to hazard guesses. Whether they're based on inside knowledge or the latest internet rumours we leave to you. Amazon.co.uk, for example, presents an array of Wii-compatible games, …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 15:07
Sony Ericsson profits double in Q2

Sales up

Revenue and profit at Sony Ericsson soared during the second quarter on the back of strong sales of its high-end Walkman mobile phones. The world's fifth biggest mobile phone manufacturer announced revenue of €2.3bn for its fiscal second quarter, a rise of 41 per cent from the year-ago quarter. Net income for the three months …

Financial News 13 Jul 2006, 15:38
IBM: Cell-like CPU yields 10-20 per cent

But it is any less lucky than any other maker of modern CPUs?

Cell processor producers Sony, Toshiba and IBM are getting rather low-sounding yields of the broadband-oriented CPU it seems - at least if comments made by Tom Reeves, VP of semiconductor and technology services at IBM, are anything to go by. We quoted an interview with Tom on Monday, pointing out his words on Sony's keenness …

Reg Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 16:24
Intel sends 1,000 managers packing

Excise the excess

Intel's cosmetic surgery continued today, as the vendor performed pink sliposuction on its managerial ranks. Close to 1,000 managers will be fired later this week in a cost-cutting move for the chip giant. Word of the layoffs leaked to the press courtesy of an internal memo penned by Intel CEO Paul Otellini. "Only managers, …

Financial News 13 Jul 2006, 18:32
Dell begins rebate offensive

Take that, coupons

Cut prices to win back customers? Forget that. Dell has decided to cut its rebate program instead. Dell earns points for creativity with its plan announced today that will see the vendor reduce mail-in rebate and promotional offers by 70 to 80 per cent. Dell pitched the rebate pullback as "part of the company's effort to make …

Hardware 13 Jul 2006, 20:23
SAP suffers peer pressure

Not selling what it should

SAP upset financial analysts this week with a set of disappointing, preliminary second quarter figures that showed rivals gaining on the firm. The business applications giant lost market share of "one or two percentage points in the second quarter" to its "peer group," SAP chief executive Henning Kagermann said Thursday. …

Financial News 13 Jul 2006, 20:24