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17th August 2006 Archive

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  • DfES tech chief quits

    Move 'in line with strategy', dept says

    The director of technology at the Department for Education and Skills is leaving the civil service. The DfES confirmed to GC News that Michael Stevenson is leaving the civil service. He has been in the position for less than a year. The department said the move was in line with its review of its technology strategy in response …

    Public Sector 17 Aug 2006, 04:02

  • Sony refused peer-to-peer patents

    'Computer programs are not patentable'

    Sony cannot patent inventions in the UK that remove the anonymity of the peer-to-peer (P2P) user experience and put social networking at the heart of file-sharing. The Patent Office ruled last week that the inventions are not eligible for patents. Sony filed two patent applications for complementary inventions. One describes a …

    Music and Media 17 Aug 2006, 05:02

  • BoI customers fall victim to phishing scam

    Scammers net €113,000

    Bank of Ireland customers have been hit by a new phishing scam, which has already cost some of its customers more than of €110,000. The bank issued a security alert; however, the bulletin came too late for several BoI customers. In total, some €113,000 is believed to have been lost by account holders responding to the fake …

    Enterprise Security 17 Aug 2006, 05:02

  • Open source guru advocates ideological shift

    Eric Raymond calls for compromise...

    Eric Raymond, one of the high priests of open source, has told the community that painful compromises are needed to the way it deals with closed source platforms and formats to avoid losing ground on desktops and new media players. Raymond said the community is not moving fast enough to engage with non-technical users whose …

    Software 17 Aug 2006, 08:38

  • Seventeen charged for carousel fraud

    Following Tuesday's raids...

    Seventeen people are being charged in connection with VAT fraud following the raid of 60 addresses in London, Manchester, and Glasgow on Tuesday. The raids involved 400 customs officers backed up by 100 police officers. All those charged are from Strathclyde. They have been charged under Scottish law and their cases passed …

    Music and Media 17 Aug 2006, 08:56

  • Nokia tries to impress with floating inner tube

    Hires Gary Oldman to promote N93 video camera

    Nokia, the largest manufacturer of cameras in the world, has been trying desperately to convince the populus that its mobile phones have cameras worthy of taking both still images and video. Its N-series, in particular, is pitched at this market. The N93 comes with DVD-burning software, just to make the point that it really is …

    Mobile 17 Aug 2006, 09:14

  • Intel to cull all but three Pentium D CPUs by year-end?

    Celeron, Pentium 4 lines may not fare much better

    Farewell, Intel's Pentium D desktop processors, most of which are due to be canned by the end of the year if allegations made by Taiwanese motherboard-maker moles are to be believed. Only three such CPUs will survive the cull and remain alongside the chip giant's Core 2 Duo offerings, apparently. The claims come courtesy of a …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 09:17

  • PlusNet goes offline

    Updated Power outage blamed

    PlusNet's catalogue of disasters just won't end - earlier this morning many of its customers lost internet connectivity, webmail, and telephone support. The company is blaming a power outage at Telehouse, a co-location facility in London. PlusNet said it was a power problem which may be hitting other companies too. There are …

    Networks 17 Aug 2006, 09:29

  • Mass murder in the skies: was the plot feasible?

    Analysis Let's whip up some TATP and find out

    The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air; And a loud voice came forth out of the temple of Heaven, From the throne, saying, "It is done!" --Revelation 16:17 Binary liquid explosives are a sexy staple of Hollywood thrillers. It would be tedious to enumerate the movie terrorists who've employed relatively harmless …

    Music and Media 17 Aug 2006, 09:42

  • Orange suspends employee over 'Islamophobe' blog entry

    Investigation underway

    Orange has suspended an employee after a string of customer complaints about a post he made on Tory blogging site ConservativeHome.com. Inigo Wilson, a community affairs manager at Orange, posted a rant about "lefty" jargon he feels is being used to obscure the real political motives of the left. In his list of definitions, …

    IT Director 17 Aug 2006, 09:49

  • Nvidia to 'hit ATI while it's down' with GeForce 7950 GT

    Mid-September launch

    Nvdia has begun promoting its upcoming GeForce 7900 GS and 7950 GT GPUs, it appears. The graphics chip maker is pitching the G71-based parts at arch-rival ATI's upcoming Radeon X1900 Pro and X1650 XT products, according to leaked presentation slides. The 7950 GT will launch and ship on 14 September, the company documents, …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 09:50

  • Net censorship 'morally unacceptable', report says

    But is some information better than none?

    The UK Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee recently issused a report in which it stated that "search engines' agreement to block the access of computer users to certain information (in China) was 'morally unacceptable'". Moreover, it called on the UK government "to put pressure on China's political leaders to relax its …

    Music and Media 17 Aug 2006, 10:01

  • Bot spreads using latest Windows flaw

    Update warning

    Security firms reiterated advice to companies and home users to patch their Windows systems, after a bot program was detected last week that used a recently fixed flaw to compromise computers. The bot has reportedly not spread very widely, according to advisories posted by Microsoft, Symantec, and security firm LURHQ, which …

    Malware 17 Aug 2006, 10:11

  • Intel to ship quad-core Core 2 Extreme in Q4

    'Kentsfield' debut roadmapped

    Intel roadmap data recently released to customers and now duly popping up on the web reveals the chip giant's quad-core offering 'Kentsfield' will be clocked to 2.66GHz at launch. It will also ship as the Core 2 Extreme. Kentsfield comprises two dual-core Core 2 Duo CPUs bonded together in a single chip package, just as it …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 10:21

  • New Opteron systems for IBM

    Big Blue's big announcement

    At a press event in New York, IBM announced new AMD Opteron processor-based servers for its System x and BladeCenter product lines. The portfolio of five new systems is based on the next generation of Opteron processors and is targeted at business performance computing, eg, general business needs, such as business …

    Servers 17 Aug 2006, 10:52

  • Linux-based HandyPC to challenge Nokia Communicator

    Brick to be batted?

    German phone maker Road has announced its answer to Nokia's Communicator. Dubbed the HandyPC, the phone-computer combo is based on the Linux operating system and Trolltech's Qtopia GUI. It's a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE device with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on board too. Opening the clamshell device reveals a QWERTZ keyboard and a …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 10:59

  • Intel roadmaps 1.3GHz DDR 3 chipsets

    PCI Express 2.0, DirectX 10 and other goodies supported too.

    Intel's 'Bearlake' chipset, the successor to the current 965 series, will debut in Q2 2007, the chip giant's latest roadmaps reveal. However, the more interesting members of the line-up will arrive the following quarter, bringing with them support for DDR 3 memory running at up to 1,333MHz. According to an Intel roadmap slide …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 11:14

  • Holy Moly hacked

    Updated Celebrity agents not implicated

    Celebrity gossip website Holy Moly was hacked on Wednesday. The defacement of the site included re-direction script that attempted to load malware onto the PCs of surfers by sending them to a maliciously-constructed website. Credit for the attack, whose precise motives remain unclear, was claimed by a Turkish cracker going by …

    Security 17 Aug 2006, 11:19

  • US FCC posts RIM media phone test results

    With pictures

    Reasearch in Motion's upcoming multimedia-friendly BlackBerry has surfaced on the US Federal Communcations Commission's website, not only confirming the device's existence but many of its rumoured features. It's certainly got Bluetooth on board - a shot shows the phone-like device's Bluetooth MAC address - and the anticipated …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 11:34

  • Atlantis given green light for August launch

    Just got to nail down this antenna...

    NASA has confirmed that the Shuttle Atlantis will launch on 27 August after a confidential meeting to discuss the safety of the mission. NASA says the decision to launch was unanimous, despite the discovery of yet another safety problem. Earlier this month, NASA found that an internal communications antenna on shuttles …

    Space 17 Aug 2006, 11:38

  • Seagate to mount global two-pronged channel assault

    Will keep Maxtor brand

    Seagate will maintain the Maxtor brand in the channel as well as in retail, the HDD vendor has said. It will use the Maxtor brand to attack to cheap end of the market, where it claimed the other manufacturers are deliberately losing money to gain market share. Seagate's VP of segment marketing Marc Jourlait said: "Rather than …

    Channel Register 17 Aug 2006, 12:12

  • Razer reveals keyboard with iPod dock

    Zune version too, apparently

    Gaming peripherals specialist Razer's plan to offer a computer keyboard with an integrated iPod dock emerged back in March this year. Five months on and the company has finally confirmed it is preparing to launch just such a product. The Pro|Type Multimedia Keyboard not only incorporates an iPod dock, but it has a set of …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 12:12

  • Telehouse power problems claim more scalps

    Updated Claranet and Netscalibur...

    Power problems at Telehouse have also caused problems for ISPs other than PlusNet - clara.net and sister ISPs Netscalibur and U-net are also having troubles. A statement on clara.net's website said many services had been switched away from Telehouse, but some DSL services and email servers were still down. Telehouse sent us …

    Telecoms 17 Aug 2006, 12:21

  • Infinium Labs' successor cans console project

    Games delivery service will target Windows XP now

    It's official Phantom Entertainment - the company formerly known as Infinium Labs - has ditched its plan to offer a games console tied to a games-download service. The Phantom Games Service concept remains, but now it's targeted at Windows XP PCs. First due to ship in November 2003 - after a March 2003 introduction - then put …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 13:18

  • UK hospitals still 'poorly prepared' for terror attacks

    Don't take internal flights

    Despite the 7 July bombings and repeated terror alerts, UK hospitals remain under-prepared for a major incident, according to research published today. In the wake of last summer's attack, the authors of a report in the British Medical Association's Emergency Medicine Journal, surveyed senior accident and emergency doctors. …

    Business 17 Aug 2006, 13:34

  • Separated at birth: Maxfield debuts Mcody M20-like MP3 player

    Will LG sue?

    German digital music player maker Maxfield has begun touting its Max-Sin Touch MP3 player ahead of the device's debut at the IFA show in Berlin next month. The snag: it's the same device the UK reseller Advanced MP3 Players unveiled earlier this month as the Mcody M20. Yes, Max-Sin is the same all-black gadget reminiscent …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 13:36

  • Mobile IT - commodity or value add?

    Analysis Should I pay or should I go?

    Cost or complexity. It seems a bit of a Hobson's choice, but for those who have to foot the bill for the increasing business use of communications on the go – mobile phones, mobile email gadgets, and ever-connected laptops – it's a decision that increasingly has to be made. Keep it simple and pay more, or deal with a maze of …

    IT Director 17 Aug 2006, 13:58

  • AOL seeks spammer's buried gold

    Pirate treasure hunt

    AOL is seeking to excavate grounds owned by parents of a convicted spammer in the hopes of finding gold bars and other buried booty thought to be worth up to $500,000. The ISP is seeking to uncover the cache of treasure to recover part of the $12.8m judgment awarded to it in a lawsuit against penis-pill purveyor Davis Hawke. …

    Security 17 Aug 2006, 14:14

  • Mozilla delays Firefox 2.0 release

    Better late than never

    The Mozilla Foundation has pushed back the release of Firefox 2.0 until 24 October (see developer calender here), a month later than its scheduled arrival. Release of the second beta of the keenly awaited browser software has also been delayed by a week until 23 August. Developers need the extra time to iron out bugs in …

    Software 17 Aug 2006, 14:45

  • Logitech readies AudioStation iPod speaker line-up

    Logitech today unveiled a pair of iPod-oriented speaker sets it plans to punt at consumers this coming Christmas. Both sets will be offered under the AudioStation brand and support a wide array of dockable Apple music players. The AudioStation Express is a portable product - it runs on AA batteries or off the mains - and …

    Reg Hardware 17 Aug 2006, 14:48

  • Ofcom to regulate switching ISP

    Wants to be the MAC daddy

    Ofcom announced proposals today to make the often knotty process of switching broadband provider more consumer-friendly. The plan is to force ISPs to supply Migration Authorisation Codes (MACs) at the punter's request. The codes are needed to ensure continuity of connection when switching providers, but are currently dished out …

    Networks 17 Aug 2006, 15:21

  • Aliens choose Firefox

    Space message outlines fave extraterrestrial browser

    A crop circle in the shape of the Firefox logo has appeared in a wheat field near Amity, Oregon. The 220 foot phenomenon, discovered on August 12, is clearly a representation of the open source browser. Scientific explanations for the shamelessly promotional piece of cerealogy have been dismissed in favour of evidence of …

    Odds and Sods 17 Aug 2006, 15:25

  • Southampton researchers double silicon speed record

    Add a dash of fluorine for extra whizz

    Engineers at the University of Southampton have set a new world speed record for silicon performance by adding a little fluorine to the mix. By implanting standard silicon with the element, the researchers were able to double the current record and extract transit frequency (fT) of 110GHz from the humble bipolar transistor. …

    Science 17 Aug 2006, 15:28

  • Tiscali leaving Germany: rumour

    Auf wiedersehen

    Internet provider Tiscali is considering leaving the German market to concentrate on its Italian and British operations. According to Italian news agency Ansa, quoting inside sources, the Italian parent group has already commissioned a bank to sell its German division. Tiscali won't comment on the rumours. Although the German …

    Telecoms 17 Aug 2006, 15:34

  • NetApp raises expectations on Q1 results

    Flies through financial check-up

    NetApp has posted healthy Q1 2007 financials, with a 39 per cent increase in revenues. The only blip was a small profits slide. The network attached storage specialist clocked up $621.29m in revenues, compared to $448.40m for the same period a year ago, it said Wednesday. On a GAAP basis, net income was $54.67m, or $0.14 per …

    Storage 17 Aug 2006, 15:39

  • 'Columbine simulator' victory claimed over Wal-Mart

    Campaigner wants a go

    Wal-Mart has stopped taking pre-orders for the controversial Bully computer game following a legal demand for evidence to be used in a lawsuit against the firm, the petitioner claimed. Jack Thompson, a Florida lawyer who campaigns against violent computer games issued a "petition for a deposition to take action" on Tuesday, …

    Music and Media 17 Aug 2006, 16:00

  • Compuware's testing roundtable

    Software quality is back on the board's agenda

    I’ve just been representing Reg Developer as one of only three journalists at an interesting roundtable discussion devoted to “Software Quality, Best Practice and Governance” (which seems to mean Testing, in the widest sense). Among those present were Sarah Saltzman of Compuware, the sponsor of the roundtable event; Teresa …

    Developer 17 Aug 2006, 16:38

  • Telcos prepare for the worst as wiretap cases head West

    Valley Justice And then there was one

    AT&T and other telcos had better unlock the file cabinets and brace for the backlash because the mother lode of wiretapping cases has just landed in unfriendly territory. Both the Feds and the telcos earlier this month took a hit when the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated the pretrial proceedings of 17 …

    Music and Media 17 Aug 2006, 17:02

  • XenSource CEO had to drink to face first Xen install

    LinuxWorld Under the influence and high on open source power

    Software start-up XenSource is starting to demonstrate that it's a grown-up company. For example, XenSource's CEO has now learned about the open source software model that underlies the company's business and has even installed the company's flagship product. "I didn't get the power of open source," XenSource's relatively new …

    Servers 17 Aug 2006, 18:50

  • Sun buys Hewlett and Packard

    Exclusive For just $6,000

    Sun Microsystems on Thursday announced that it purchased Hewlett and Packard for a little over $6,000. In a crafty public relations stunt, Sun has acquired a wooden sculpture of Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard and decided to send the object on the road to find HP's "sense of humor." A local artist had offered the Hewlett and …

    Bootnotes 17 Aug 2006, 18:56

  • Dell's profit evaporates as AMD love swells

    Chatting with the SEC too

    Banish any thoughts of Dell suffering from a short-term stumble. The Dell juggernaut has veered far off the tracks and doesn't look set to recover anytime soon. Dell today tossed out weak second quarter results, marking the third time in the last four quarters that the company has displayed lackluster sales. Revenue for the …

    Financial News 17 Aug 2006, 21:13