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26th July 2006 Archive

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  • Exchange 2007 beta slips out

    Feature complete

    Microsoft has released fresh betas for the next versions of its email server and email security software, with product availability loosely pegged for 2006 or 2007. Microsoft called its Exchange Server 2007 beta 2 a "feature-complete" milestone, providing unified access to email, voice mail, calendars and contacts from a …

    Applications 26 Jul 2006, 00:18

  • Internet fraud slips through police fingers, says Attorney General

    Report calls for coordinated clampdown

    Internet fraud accounts for eight per cent of all fraud in the UK, according to the Attorney General's office, which says that fraud costs the UK billions of pounds every year. Attorney General Lord Goldsmith has published the final report of his fraud review and has found that internet fraud can sometimes slip through current …

    Music and Media 26 Jul 2006, 05:02

  • Oops! PlusNet's Force 9 blows email gale

    Mails customer database to .. customers

    PlusNet has been reported to the Information Commission for sending out 20,000 email addresses to 3,500 subscribers of its ISP brand, Force9. The messages left subscriber names, email addresses and alternate emails visible to anyone who received it. The message was sent to Force9 subscribers in .csv format, it included what …

    Telecoms 26 Jul 2006, 07:02

  • NTL launches first quad play and targets freeview

    NTL:Telewest:Virgin:Mobile: '£40 to you'

    NTL:Telewest has announced details of its quad play of TV, broadband, mobile and fixed line services, making it the first company to do so in the UK. The deal will simply extend NTL:Telewest's current three for £30 offer to include Virgin Mobile pay monthly service for an extra tenner. The four will not yet be available as a …

    Telecoms 26 Jul 2006, 07:02

  • Variables Won't Constants Aren't:

    A random walk through constant values in C++

    I first read the lament to the capricity of programming in the title of this piece in Creative Computing, years before C was devised. But it’s still true that there is no way, not even one, of being absolutely sure that a value you set in C or C++ won’t change. This is despite the fact that in the 30 years following the …

    Developer 26 Jul 2006, 07:02

  • WEEE directive hits home straight

    It might actually happen...

    The government says it is at last ready to say when it plans to implement the long-overdue European directive on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The directive will now come into force on July 1, 2007, according to energy minister Malcom Wicks, who also set out the final proposals for how the directive will be …

    Small Biz 26 Jul 2006, 07:29

  • Samsung touts Vista-friendly Flash drive - again

    Still not mass-producing the things, though

    Samsung once again touted its NAND Flash-based solid-state disk (SSD) technology yesterday, pitching a 4GB product at notebook and desktop manufacturers developing systems to run Windows Vista. It said the 4GB SSD was being "readied for production". Which means, of course, it's not being made at the moment, which implies, …

    Reg Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 08:38

  • Asus unveils slimline barcode-reading phone

    Can scan ad-embedded URLs

    Asus introduced its latest mobile phone last week, though it took a while for anyone to notice. It's a slimline model with a two megapixel camera that not only has an auto-focus facility and can take close-up shots, but can scan barcodes. The V80 is a quad-band GSM/GPRS candybar phone with a 2in, 262,144-colour, 176 x 220 …

    Reg Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 09:04

  • Vodafone boss survives

    Shareholders' revolt fails

    Vodafone boss Arun Sarin survived a hostile meeting with shareholders yesterday and was reappointed chief executive. Some 10 per cent of shareholders voted against his reinstatement and over 20 per cent did not support the company's executive pay scheme, The Telegraph reports. The board faced almost an hour of questions from …

    Mobile 26 Jul 2006, 09:04

  • Want to show the world what you're doing with the net?

    IGF workshops provide your chance

    If you are using the internet to change the world and you want the world to know it, today's your lucky day. The inaugural meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) - a new, open meeting agreed to by the world's governments in November - will be held at the end of October this year and the organisers are looking for people …

    Music and Media 26 Jul 2006, 09:09

  • Moore's the modern Weegee

    'Credit hole by HD Moore the famous'

    One of the most interesting characters to live and thrive in New York City between the Depression and the end of World War II - a time when interesting characters seemed to make up the lion's share of dwellers in that great American city - was Weegee. A photographer by trade, a dweller in the night by temperament, and a …

    Security 26 Jul 2006, 09:33

  • Motorola shows 9mm-thick mobile phone

    FONE features low-power, E Ink-like display

    Motorola's big handset blitz earlier this week wasn't the whole story. The company went on to unveil one of the slimmest phones yet made: a 9mm-thick candybar with a fancy electrophoretic display ready for clear viewing in bright sunlight, the company claimed. The full specifications of the FONE F3 - and its sibling the F3c …

    Reg Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 09:36

  • Intel Core 2 Duo dresses up for formal debut

    Conroe coming out tomorrow

    Intel will tomorrow formally unveil its Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme desktop processors - all based on the 'Conroe' core - despite having been shipping the product to computer manufacturers for several weeks. The chip maker may also announce 'Merom', the notebook version of the chip. The launch will see the arrival of four …

    Reg Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 09:39

  • Minimising the impact of user anarchy

    Whose infrastructure is it anyway?

    If you ask the question about who is responsible for delivering IT solutions to the business and maintaining hardware, software and networks, you'll generally be told it's the IT department. In a recent research study, however, we uncovered something that made us a little suspicious of just how much IT departments are actually …

    Tech Panel 26 Jul 2006, 09:46

  • Amazon profits fall push shares down

    Sales up but profits down

    Amazon shares fell sharply in after hours trading after the retail giant posted a big drop in profits. Net sales grew 22 per cent to $2.14bn in the second quarter ended 30 June 2006, but operating income fell 55 per cent to $47m. Changes to accounting for foreign currency made up for $24m of the shortfall. Amazon CEO Jeff …

    Financial News 26 Jul 2006, 09:52

  • Ten gadgets to get you sacked

    Tech Digest Vital ammunition for the office prankster

    It's hot, your boss is evil, you never got that promised pay-rise. It's hot, your colleagues hate you, and you're fed up with sardine-like commuting. Oh, and did I mention it's really hot? What better time then to jack in your job to spend more time with your sofa, beer-fridge and television? But if you're going to go, do it …

    Reg Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 10:08

  • US citizens avoid tailbacks with new Google traffic tracker

    Avoid congestion but crash instead?

    It can only be a matter of "when" before a Google user drives into a tree, trying to see which roads are congested, on the display of their mobile phone. But probably, traffic message channel (TMC) information users (like Trafficmaster) will already have hit the same tree. The new service, announced in 30 major US cities …

    Mobile 26 Jul 2006, 10:21

  • BenQ Mobile shows shiny black handset trio

    One on the EDGE, the others 3G

    BenQ Mobile has just rolled out three new handsets under its BenQ-Siemens brand, including what may be the world's first non-stick phone and a pair of small-size 3G handsets. All three are kitted out in shiny black shells. Black is indeed the new... er... black. The E71 is the Teflon-like model and was modelled on - it says …

    Reg Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 10:52

  • Google shows click fraud rates

    Advertisers get a glimpse

    Google is to show advertisers how many fraudulent clicks the search giant detects. The search giant has always removed dodgy clicks and advertisers do not pay for them. But because figures have been secret there has been suspicion about the size of the problem. Google maintains it is not a huge issue but many observers disagree …

    Music and Media 26 Jul 2006, 11:01

  • Korean scientist tried to clone mammoths

    And failed, if you're wondering

    Hwang Woo-Suk, the disgraced Korean stem cell scientist, diverted private donations towards efforts to clone tigers and even mammoths, a court heard yesterday. The wannabe John Hammond said his team procured mammoth tissue from glaciers and tried three times to clone the hairy pachyderms – but failed. He also tried to clone …

    Biology 26 Jul 2006, 11:13

  • Medic database spam suspect collared

    Heavy sedation

    A US man has been charged with stealing the membership database of the American College of Physicians (ACP) for resale as a premium spamming list. William Bailey Jr, 46, of Charlotte, North Carolina, faces a possible fine of up to $2.75m and a maximum sentence of up to 55 years if he's convicted of gaining unauthorised access …

    Spam 26 Jul 2006, 11:14

  • BT to offer Universal movie downloads

    Service starts next week

    BT has signed up for Universal's movie download package. The deal will allow the telco to sell PC-only full-length films online from the end of this month. It's essentially the same package UK online video reseller Lovefilm.com announced in March this year. Some 150 Universal titles will be made available to downloaders, who …

    Financial News 26 Jul 2006, 11:22

  • Nvidia GeForce 7600 GS-based fanless cards

    Review Asus and eVGA set out their passively cooled wares

    They may have been quiet but passively cooled graphics cards have generally been pretty poor performers or needed complex and costly heatpipe designs. But with the arrival of Nvidia's GeForce 7600 GS this has all changed, and you can get decent performance at a decent price without the decibels... What we have here are that …

    Reg Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 13:22

  • India takes on offshoring naysayers

    Income and morality are not linked

    An ambassador for the Indian software industry has been trying to wipe up the dirt that was smeared on his compatriots last month after an HSBC call-centre worker was arrested for allegedly defrauding UK customers. Visiting the UK last week, Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) vice president Sunil …

    IT Director 26 Jul 2006, 13:27

  • Ingram let down by Europe in second quarter

    Single-market obstacles

    Ingram Micro reported a “solid” second quarter yesterday but its figures included further evidence of a flaccid IT market in Europe. The distribution giant turned in revenues of $7.4bn in the three months to July 1, up 8 per cent on the year.Net income was up 29 per cent to $53.8bn. This resulted in earnings per share of $0. …

    Channel Register 26 Jul 2006, 13:48

  • Sun didn't rise in Bristol today: official

    Residents' wish for respite granted

    Bristol citizens who have been complaining about the sweltering temperatures of the last few weeks have been given some respite from the scorching rays from above. But rather than a few clouds to lessen the exposure, or a nice breeze to take the edge off the intensity, the sun simply didn't rise at all - at least according to …

    Bootnotes 26 Jul 2006, 13:49

  • Could there be lakes on Titan?

    Hoist the mainsail...

    New radar maps of Titan appear to show that the moon has surface lakes dotted around its northern pole. No solar system object other than Earth has been shown to have standing bodies of liquid on its surface, so the discovery is remarkable. Titan's lakes would not, of course, be full of water. They would almost certainly be …

    Space 26 Jul 2006, 13:50

  • Spyware poses as Firefox extension

    Trojan downloader launches secondary attack

    Virus writers have created a spyware package that poses as an extension to the Firefox web browser. FormSpy, which poses as the legitimate NumberedLinks 0.9 extension, is programmed to steal confidential information from compromised machines including passwords, credit card numbers, and ebanking login details. The malware is …

    Malware 26 Jul 2006, 13:51

  • AMD demos 4x4

    Doesn't let anyone peek under the hood

    AMD's upcoming 4x4 gaming platform will cost "substantially" under $1,000 - for the processors at least. So said company VP Pat Moorhead, who showed off a prototype system in the US yesterday, though details of the system were kept under wraps. AMD announced 4x4 last month. It's essentially a two-CPU motherboard rigged for …

    Reg Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 14:07

  • India rejects One Laptop Per Child

    But Nigeria says yes

    India has decided against getting involved in Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child scheme - which aims to provide kids in developing countries with a simple $100 machine. The success of the project depends on support, and big orders, from governments. The loss of such a potentially huge, and relatively technically …

    Music and Media 26 Jul 2006, 14:17

  • Americans take the office with them on holiday

    Sun screen? Passport? Laptop? Oh for God's sake...

    Pity the Yanks - they already get fewer days off than the rest of us and a new survey reveals they are still spending much of their meagre holidays working. A survey of 1,500 people for the Travel Industry Association found 24 per cent of respondents pack their laptops when they go on holiday. A sad nine per cent take laptops …

    Small Biz 26 Jul 2006, 14:43

  • Itsy witsy teeny weeny beeping UV-proof bikini

    Two-piece scrap of cloth warns wearer to cover up

    Concern about rising skin cancer rates has prompted Canadian swimwear company Solestrom to design a bikini with an in-built UV meter. Every year around 8,000 cases of malignant melanoma are diagnosed in the UK, causing almost 1,800 deaths each year, according to Cancer Research UK. "There's so much concern about sun exposure …

    Biology 26 Jul 2006, 15:07

  • Netscape versus Digg

    It's war with pop-ups

    Newly relaunched Netscape.com has been getting into a bit of a slanging match with Digg - the site which gets its users to rate news stories. The new Netscape does something very similar but pays its would-be-editors up to $1,000 a month for their recommendations. Kevin Rose, from Digg, and Jason Calacanis, from Netscape, have …

    Music and Media 26 Jul 2006, 15:45

  • School sues over Wikipedia posts

    Heading North

    A high school in Nebraska, USA is suing over entries posted on Wikipedia - the website that "anyone can edit" that's popular with teenagers and the unemployed. Wikipedia itself isn't the target of the lawsuit from Skutt High School, nor are many of the sites that legally or illegally scrape Wikipedia's content. The school has …

    Music and Media 26 Jul 2006, 15:57

  • US judge dismisses terror trawl lawsuit

    Warrentless wiretapping furore drags on

    A US court has dismissed a lawsuit against AT&T brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alleging that the telco handed over citizen's phone records to US spy agencies without adequate authorisiation. US District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly agreed with the government’s argument that the need to protect 'state …

    Music and Media 26 Jul 2006, 17:15

  • Shareholders approve Eircom sale

    Fourth owner in six years

    Eircom's shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favour of a takeover by Australian investment house Babcock & Brown at a meeting in Dublin today. The deal values Eircom at almost €2.4bn and formalises the fourth change of ownership of Eircom in six years. The institutional shareholders who have approved B&B's bid for the company …

    Networks 26 Jul 2006, 17:28

  • The life and times of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard

    Into the Valley In photos

    Most proles looking to suck from HP's historical teat will find the experience less than gratifying. Company archives have been locked away at HP's Palo Alto headquarters, as have the offices of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. Even the HP Garage, which sits in the middle of a Palo Alto neighborhood, is reserved for the elite. …

    Hardware 26 Jul 2006, 19:12

  • SugarCRM dangles Microsoft and AJAX sweeties

    Delayed 4.5 gets polish

    SugarCRM is touting the first fruits of a technology relationship with Microsoft in the next version of its open source customer relationship management suite. SugarCRM 4.5 for Windows will feature improved support for Microsoft's SQL Server database, Active Directory and Internet Information Services (IIS). The bitterest …

    Developer 26 Jul 2006, 21:49

  • El Reg saves Los Alamos lab web site from hooligans

    That was close

    Forget managing a $2.2bn weapons lab, Los Alamos National Security is struggling just to keep its web site up. LANS - the new manager of the famed Los Alamos National Laboratory - allowed the registration of its web site to lapse last week and didn't fix the problem until being contacted about it by The Register. The site …

    Physics 26 Jul 2006, 22:55