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29th September 2006 Archive

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  • Options review over-shadows RIM sunny Q2

    Backdating to the Future

    Research In Motion today placed a 'preliminary' tag beside its Q2s, warning that the results could restated, subject to an audit of option grants, also announced today. The BlackBerry PDA maker is working through the numbers, but thinks it may have to restate earnings by $25m-$45m to account for backdated stock option grants …

    Financial News 29 Sep 2006, 00:26

  • Do Artificial Intelligence Chatbots look like their programmers?

    It's Reg vs Rollo

    Do pets eventually resemble their owners? Or do owners get to look like their pets? It's heck of a conundrum - but one we might now be a little closer to solving. For the past fortnight it's been hard to escape the animated faces of "Joan", or "George" the graphical representations of what we're told is a new breakthrough in …

    Science 29 Sep 2006, 00:31

  • HP buys VoodooPC

    Woo Woo That Voodoo That You Do So Well

    VoodooPC, the games performance PC specialist, is selling itself to HP, Rahul Sood, the company's CTO, wrote today in his blog. VoodooPC is staying in Calgary, Alberta and will become part of the gaming division in HP's Personal Systems Group. Rahul Sood becomes CTO for the division and his brother Ravi will be director of …

    Financial News 29 Sep 2006, 01:33

  • Verizon sues alleged HP fraudsters

    Dunn whines

    The muck continues to thicken around HP's spy scandal. Verizon has filed a lawsuit against 20 unnamed data brokers, accusing them of helping out with the phone fraud used in HP's investigation. Separately, former HP Chairman Patricia Dunn has chastised HP for "inaccuracies" the company published in a recent regulatory filing. …

    Financial News 29 Sep 2006, 01:37

  • Unwired Australia spearheads new WiMAX roaming alliance

    Australasian operators set up 'spectrum club'

    Roaming is one of the critical success factors for any network seeking to be a global standard, and WiMAX is no exception. So far, the main roaming activity has centered on the pre-WiMAX Wi-Bro system, with the formation of the Wi-Bro and Mobile WiMAX Community (WMC) by leading Asian operators plus Covad. Now a new alliance has …

    Data Networking 29 Sep 2006, 07:02

  • TalkTalk customers break contract shackles

    Carphone capitulates on complaints

    Angry TalkTalk customers are now able to leave their 18-month contracts freely. The Register has learned complainants citing broken promises, service interruptions, and delayed local loop unbundling are being allowed to leave TalkTalk if they ask. A spokesman for Carphone Warehouse-owned TalkTalk told us the firm would look on …

    Networks 29 Sep 2006, 08:02

  • Sony colours Vaio C series for Cosmo crowd

    Love a (Mandarina) Duck

    Sony's Vaio C Series notebooks, launched this week, go right to the heart of cosmopolitan chic - or so the consumer electronics giant would have us think. Laptop as lifestyle accessory - or fashion accessory? It depends, I suppose, on who you are: a "free spirit", an "explorer", a "jet-setting nomad"? Whatever, Sony's got a hue …

    Reg Hardware 29 Sep 2006, 08:02

  • Internet advertising shoots past estimates

    US spend reaches $7.9bn

    Predictions are rarely low in the high technology business, but consistently the targets set for internet advertising are over achieved by reality. This week the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers released their half year figures for 2006, and it totalled up to a $7.9bn spend in the US. At the end of last …

    Financial News 29 Sep 2006, 08:40

  • Irish software to detect airline threats

    Hazard IQ to 'restore faith in air travel'

    A new intelligent software program developed by NUI Galway could give the airline industry a leg up in the security stakes. The new application, Hazard IQ, has the ability to quickly and accurately detect substances such as explosives, medicines and illegal drugs. Developed at the university by Dr Michael Madden, Department of …

    Security 29 Sep 2006, 09:36

  • Swedish pirates plan pan-European electoral assault

    Arr me hearty, let's unite

    The leader of the pro-filesharing Swedish Pirate Party is co-ordinating a pan-European electoral assault for 2009's European Elections. Rick Falvinge told OUT-LAW Radio that it would be the first ever political platform that stretched across Europe. Sweden is the home of the Pirate Party, but examples have since sprung up all …

    Music and Media 29 Sep 2006, 09:46

  • Commissioner says EU patent doubts 'legitimate'

    McCreevy calls for consensus

    European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy has acknowledged that there are "legitimate concerns" about proposals to create a pan-European patent litigation system. Addressing the European Parliament's plenary session on Thursday, McCreevy said industry is not happy with either the proposed Community Patent system or the EPLA ( …

    Software 29 Sep 2006, 09:53

  • Space tourist, ISS crew land safely

    But the pesky oxygen generator is on the blink again

    Anousheh Ansari, the first female space tourist, has touched down safely in the steppes of Kazakhstan along with the out going crew of the International Space Station, astronaut Jeff Williams and cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov. The ISS crew will now spend several weeks in Star City near Moscow for debriefing and medical …

    Space 29 Sep 2006, 10:01

  • Reg Dev-ers go EuroOSCON 2006

    Another Tuesday in Belgium

    O'Reilly held EuroOSCON, the European Open-Source Convention, on 18–21 September in central Brussels. El Reg's technical department had the opportunity to turn up and see what the fuss was about. O'Reilly has been running a yearly US-based OSCON for several years. I've long heard mutterings from people on this side of the pond …

    Developer 29 Sep 2006, 10:29

  • Music industry settles digital royalties quarrel

    The eight percenters

    A long-running digital music royalties spat between record companies and organisations collecting on artists' behalf has been settled. Copyright holders will net eight per cent of the gross earnings from their work, less VAT. A minimum of four pence will be paid if tracks are discounted. An alliance of the Mechanical Copyright …

    Financial News 29 Sep 2006, 10:34

  • Why are people so often in denial?

    What you don't accept can't hurt you

    Also in this week's column: Can flossing your teeth prevent a heart attack? Can your hair turn white as a result of shock? What is the difference between a virus and a bacterium? Why are people so often in denial? Asked by Ron James of Manchester, UK In the psychological sense, denial is a defense mechanism in which a …

    Biology 29 Sep 2006, 10:34

  • Can your hair turn white as a result of shock?

    And could it do so overnight?

    Also in this week's column: Why are people so often in denial? Can flossing your teeth prevent a heart attack? What is the difference between a virus and a bacterium? Can your hair turn white as a result of shock? Asked by Ingrid Smith of Chatswood, NSW, Australia Theoretically, any sudden severe shock, accident, illness …

    Biology 29 Sep 2006, 10:35

  • What is the difference between a virus and a bacterium?

    Pesky pathogens

    Also in this week's column: Why are people so often in denial? Can flossing your teeth prevent a heart attack? Can your hair turn white as a result of shock? What is the difference between a virus and a bacterium? Asked by Russell Stapleton of Melbourne, Australia Viruses and bacteria are both capable of killing humans …

    Biology 29 Sep 2006, 10:36

  • Can flossing your teeth prevent a heart attack?

    Care or coronary

    Also in this week's column: Why are people so often in denial? Can your hair turn white as a result of shock? What is the difference between a virus and a bacterium? Can flossing your teeth prevent a heart attack? Asked by Ginger Whitlam of Adelaide, Australia Ask your physician about this one, not a mere anthropologist …

    Biology 29 Sep 2006, 10:47

  • Smart cars save lives

    EU teams with industry to promote safety tech

    The European Union is teaming up with car manufacturers to promote automotive accident-avoidance technologies. The eSafety Aware initiative aims to improve awareness of intelligent vehicle systems and their road safety benefits through various promotion campaigns. It wants to encourage motorists to look for technologies that …

    Science 29 Sep 2006, 10:57

  • Review Sling Media SlingBox networkable TV tuner

    One day, the world's broadcasters will make all their programming available across the internet. But at least it's possible to watch any show transmitted to your home from anywhere else on the planet without having to worry about whether your hotel has the right cable deal. Enter Sling Media's SlingBox, in which a TV tuner is …

    Reg Hardware 29 Sep 2006, 11:02

  • BOFH: Pulling a computer survey swifty

    Episode 32 Five grand for your silence

    "Look at this," the Boss says, handing me a well-fingered computer rag. "What, the magazine?" "No, the survey they mention on the front cover." "The Top 500 IT-savvy companies in the UK for 2005?" "Yes." "And what should I be looking for?" "Our company, of course." "In there?" I ask dubiously. "EXACTLY!" the Boss says …

    BOFH 29 Sep 2006, 11:02

  • Reading Uni to close physics department

    Future of science in the hands of teenagers

    The University of Reading is no longer accepting students onto its Physics courses, and recommends that the entire department be closed no later than 2010. The university says the "current funding context" means it must direct resources into areas of academic strength. To save the department, the University's boards say "we …

    Physics 29 Sep 2006, 11:19

  • Kingston buys Smart421

    Hull's never dull

    Hull telco Kingston Communications has announced the acquisition of business applications integrator Smart421 for £24.2m cash. Smart421 has about £4m in the bank, so Kingston is effectively handing over £20.2m for the firm. In its July annual results, Smart421 turned over £11.1m at a pre-tax profit of £1.5m. Kingston will …

    Channel Register 29 Sep 2006, 11:21

  • Low-tech anthrax still deadly? FBI research widens suspect list

    Analysis 'Weaponised' theory undermined

    Five years passage has eroded much of the received wisdom on the anthrax attacks. And many of the characters who took central stage are either gone and discredited, or not talking. Judith Miller, an alleged expert on bioterror by way of her pre-9/11 book, "Germs," was often on Larry King to contribute her opinions. In a piece …

    Music and Media 29 Sep 2006, 12:48

  • Intel sees the future, HP wants to forget the past, and Apple's not green

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

    HP bosses blame everyone but themselves HP continues to make the news for all the wrong reasons. Two executives have left the company and the rest are busy blamestorming – pointing fingers in all directions. Someone is to blame for the original, and possibly illegal, investigation into board members, journalists and their …

    Business 29 Sep 2006, 12:54

  • CA offers 'insurance' against viral infection

    Only in America

    CA has put its money where its mouth is by offering to cover US users of its new range of anti-virus products for as much as $1,500 worth of clean-up costs if they still get infected by malware. The warranty covers consumers who purchase CA Internet Security Suite 2007 and CA Anti-Virus 2007 and extends to costs for technical …

    Malware 29 Sep 2006, 13:12

  • No2ID refuseniks host comedy extravaganza

    There's nothing funny about Hitler

    No2ID - the folks who've done a sterling job pointing out the folly of the government's increasingly tottering ID card scheme - are hosting a comedy fundraiser this weekend. In rare shameless plug mode, Vulture Central points you here to the No2ID website for booking information. It'll mark the end of a busy week for No2ID. On …

    ID 29 Sep 2006, 13:15

  • ESA outlines Earth research plans

    Understanding our impact

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched an extension of its Living Planet research programme dedicated to understanding the impact human activity has on our planet. The Changing Earth: New Scientific Challenges for ESA's Living Planet Programme will focus on mapping global change, which ESA describes as the most …

    Space 29 Sep 2006, 13:42

  • IBM cool water technology sucked up by Panduit

    Make friends with your plumber

    IBM's CoolBlue scheme to bring back water-cooled computing has been boosted by a licensing deal with networking manufacturer Panduit. Water cooling was standard practice on early mainframes, but cooler running electronics allowed data centres to switch to air-cooled computers, with the chilled water going to the air-con units …

    Data Networking 29 Sep 2006, 13:45

  • UKbetting buys Ritz Club

    Closed down Wednesday, bought Friday

    Online gambling website www.theritzclublondon.com - part of the Barclay brothers' Ritz Hotel empire - has been bought by ukbetting plc. The Ritz Club announced on Wednesday it was withdrawing from the business because of fears of continued action by US regulators. Authorities in the state of Louisiana this week confirmed they …

    Financial News 29 Sep 2006, 14:21

  • Apple's talks with Nordic regulators positive

    Search for pan-Scandy peace

    Nordic consumer protection regulators held a meeting with Apple this week to discuss changes to its iTunes music service and said they had made important progress. In June, the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman decided that Apple was breaking local laws and ordered various changes. Norway, Sweden and Finland were all represented at …

    Music and Media 29 Sep 2006, 14:52

  • Lawsuits, rocky planets and bratwurst for everyone

    Letters Podpodpod Podpodpod

    Let's get started. You all had lots to say about Apple (and when is it ever any different) and its Pod lawsuit, so we'll start there. After that, it is a whistlestop tour of the top stories of the week. Buckle up: "Moreover, the term POD has also been adopted and used extensively in the marketplace by consumers as an …

    Letters 29 Sep 2006, 15:11

  • Juniper grows secure branch boxes

    Changing the risk model for remote offices

    Juniper Networks says its latest secure services gateway (SSG) boxes may look like grown-up home routers, but are actually secure hubs for small branch offices. They resemble home routers in that they have several wired Ethernet ports each, Wi-Fi options and WAN connectivity. But the big difference is that they also include …

    Data Networking 29 Sep 2006, 15:29

  • HP 'routinely' uses email tracking

    Web bug uncovered under Congressional spotlight

    Congressional hearings have revealed how HP made controversial use of email tracking technology in an attempt to identify the source of a board-level mole. The mishandled investigation, during which private investigators acting on behalf of HP obtained the phone records and journalists under false pretences, involved an attempt …

    ID 29 Sep 2006, 15:33

  • Battery recall spreads like wild, er fire

    Toshiba, Dell, IBM. Who's next?

    Dell is increasing the number of Sony-made batteries it is recalling from 4.1 million to 4.2 million, the company said today. The news comes as Lenovo and Toshiba both issued recall notices for some batteries made by Sony. Lenovo said yesterday that the recall affected 526,000 batteries in Thinkpads R, X, and T. Toshiba …

    Reg Hardware 29 Sep 2006, 15:39

  • T-Mobile dumps VoIP restrictions

    Web 'n' Walk grasps the nettle next week

    T-Mobile will allow VoIP calls over its Web 'n' Walk-branded 3G network for the first time when it launches a set of new data tariffs next week. Until now, customers who used the operator's data services to make VoIP calls were ordered to stop breaching their customer agreements. VoIP and instant messaging services were …

    Mobile 29 Sep 2006, 15:45

  • Morpheus maker loses US case

    Streamcast downcast

    Another file-sharing software maker has been found guilty of causing copyright infringement. A US judge has said that the Morpheus software produced by StreamCast breaks the law. New developments in online selling and the lawThe ruling is another victory for the entertainment industry, which has had a string of recent victories …

    Music and Media 29 Sep 2006, 16:14

  • Java EE and .NET Interoperability

    Book review Coping strategies for co-existence

    This book is aimed at practising Java and .NET developers, at a fairly novice level, who want to take advantage of the strong points of each of the two platforms in a single applications environment. It also aims to be suitable for IT architects and managers needing an overview of what Java and .NET integration technologies …

    Developer 29 Sep 2006, 19:34

  • Warcraft gamers locked out after Trojan attack

    Keylog catastrophe

    Keylogging scammers are once again laying siege to World of Warcraft gamers. In latest attack, malware designed to steal user names and passwords from World of Warcraft players has been planted on maliciously constructed websites that pose as repositories for gaming advice. Unprotected Windows users visiting these sites can …

    Malware 29 Sep 2006, 19:38

  • WiMAX Club formed to undermine 3G and GSM telcos

    Comment Insurgency by wannabe telcos

    "The important thing to understand about WiSOA is its members have all had the WiMAX debate," he says. "We have all decided that WiMAM is the future, and we have all committed to roll WiMax out within our businesses." That's the explanation for the launch of the WiMax Spectrum Owners Alliance, offered by Patrick Cruise O’Brien, …

    Wireless 29 Sep 2006, 19:51

  • Accenture escapes £1bn penalty for NHS walk-out

    It's 'been delivering'

    Accenture, the IT and consultancy firm has avoided huge penalty fees for withdrawing from the UK National Programme for IT (NPfIT). Connecting for Health (CfH) said Accenture, which announced yesterday it is withdrawing from its £2bn contracts for the NPfIT will not have to pay up to 50 per cent of its total contract in …

    Public Sector 29 Sep 2006, 20:01