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2nd October 2006 Archive

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  • Airline passenger data talks stall

    Business as usual despite legal limbo

    European Union and US negotiators have failed to reach a deal on sharing passenger data by Saturday's (30 September deadline), creating a legal vacuum over the Atlantic. US Homeland Security Secretary, Michael Chertoff, tried to allay concerns that difficulties in reaching an agreement might affect trans-Atlantic air travel. " …

    Music and Media 2 Oct 2006, 08:37

  • Gaming firms in freefall as US bans online betting

    War-on-terror's poker face

    Shares in online gambling companies like Partygaming are in freefall this morning after the US Congress unexpectedly passed anti-online gambling laws late on Friday. The bill makes it illegal for credit card companies to process payments to gambling firms. PartyGaming saw 60 per cent of its value disappear in early trading this …

    Financial News 2 Oct 2006, 08:42

  • Eric Schmidt to address Tory conference

    Googling for policies?

    Google's Eric Schmidt is to speak at the Tory Party conference tomorrow, returning the favour granted by David Cameron when he spoke at Google's Zeitgeist event in May. Google has close, if indirect, ties with the Tory Party, thanks to an exchange of PR people back in 2005. That December, Rachel Whetstone, former political …

    Financial News 2 Oct 2006, 08:44

  • Apple issues Mac OS X update

    Patching time again

    Apple has posted Mac OS X 10.4.8, offering the operating system upgrade for both client and server, and for PowerPC- and Intel-based Macs. The patch incorporates a stack of tweaks, including all of Apple's most recent security updates. You can download the update using the OS' own Software Update utility or from Apple's website …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 08:57

  • ATI to take GPUs into the stream age

    Enterprise apps to run on games hardware, company hopes

    ATI - effectively AMD - has begun pitching its Radeon X1900 graphics chip at corporates, not for running graphics on workstations but for processing large data sets much the way Intel's Streaming SIMD Extensions (SSE) are meant to. Dubbed 'Stream Computing', ATI's initiative pitches the technology at scientific and …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 09:18

  • Toshiba touts laptop-friendly HD DVD burner

    Slimline

    Toshiba has launched a slimline HD DVD drive for notebook computers in a bid to boost support for the next-generation optical disc format. The drawer-mechanism unit not only reads and writes all ther usual DVD and CD formats, but also HD DVD recordable and rewriteable media. The SD-L902A is 12.7mm high, Toshiba said, …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 09:40

  • Nominet rides election storm

    Board members reinstated

    UK registry owner Nominet has dismissed requests for a re-election of two of its Board members, announcing that the two incumbents, Gordon Dick and Fay Howard, would return to their positions. Controversy hit the election process when it was revealed that a miscalculation in members' voting rights had only been noticed at the …

    Music and Media 2 Oct 2006, 10:02

  • Sony to patch Blu-ray burners for BD-ROM playback

    One-off opportunity, says cheeky vendor

    Sony's BWU-100A Blu-ray Disc burner will this month gain the ability to play pre-recorded BD discs, the consumer electronics giant has revealed. The fix will come courtesy of an update to the copy of CyberLink PowerDVD bundled with the internal drive. The free update will be made available from Sony's storage support site …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 10:02

  • AMD schedules December for 65nm Athlon debut?

    New Semprons this month; new 90nm Athlons coming November

    What has AMD got coming up during the last three months of the year? A host of 65nm and 90nm Athlons, apparently, according to roadmap slides posted on the internet last week which would seem to confirm earlier reports. November is a key month in the quarter. Then, AMD will introduce the Athlon 64 X2 5400+, 5600+ and 6000+, …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 10:25

  • US government steps back from internet control

    Analysis But very slowly

    The US government has taken a step back from control of the internet with a new contract between it and overseeing organisation ICANN that came into effect yesterday. The three-year contract, with an apparently significant halfway review point, has been heralded by both ICANN and the Department of Commerce as a sign that the …

    Music and Media 2 Oct 2006, 10:40

  • Australia and South Africa shortlisted for giant radio 'scope

    Square kilometre array, that is

    South Africa and Australia have been shortlisted as possible sites for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope. The telescope is being developed by scientists across 17 countries, and the recommendation was made by a group of seven scientists representing five nations. The telescope, once built, will consist of …

    Space 2 Oct 2006, 10:41

  • New WEEE facility opens in Dublin

    Emerald Isle leads green initiative

    Cedar Resource Management has announced the launch of a "state-of-the-art" Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling facility in Dublin. The facility is based in the Greenogue Business Park, Rathcoole and was officially opened on Friday by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dick …

    IT Director 2 Oct 2006, 10:56

  • Underwater gig for mellow Melua

    Record attempt, no less

    Songstress Katie Melua is preparing for a gig on an oil rig that will earn her a Guinness World Record for the deepest underwater concert performance. The concert, taking place today, is to be held more than 90m below the sea on the Statoil Troll oil rig, in Europe's largest offshore gas field. Melua and her band have been …

    Entertainment 2 Oct 2006, 11:08

  • Virus-infected email hits rock bottom

    RIP: mass-mailing worms?

    The move to more targeted Trojan attacks as opposed to mass mailing worms left last month's virus charts almost static. The long running Netsky-P worm continues to top Sophos's anti-virus charts, with the top five most prevalent pieces of malware retaining their position from August. There were no new entries in September's …

    Malware 2 Oct 2006, 11:09

  • Football video game wins European patent

    Kicks previous ruling into touch

    The maker of a video game that improves player control has been granted a patent despite the European Patent Convention stating that "methods for playing games" are excluded from patentability. Game developer Konami applied for a patent for a system which identifies which player in a football game has the ball and in what …

    Music and Media 2 Oct 2006, 11:15

  • Pioneer picks eSys for distie

    Brief Disk drives are go

    eSys will distribute Pioneer's optical disk drives across Europe, except to Germany and Turkey. Mark Littlechild, a senior manager at Pioneer Europe, said: "Eastern Europe in particular is a thriving market where sales of DVD writers remain buoyant, and we see eSys' excellent relationships with system developers and the local …

    Channel Register 2 Oct 2006, 11:22

  • PGP puts finger in network storage dyke

    Scrambling for security

    Encryption specialist PGP will plug a sizable hole in its line-up this week with the release of its networked storage product NetShare. PGP hopes the boom in companies sharing data centre resources will provide a fillip for NetShare. It'll work both ways, they reckon; commercial interests like intellectual property will be …

    Data Networking 2 Oct 2006, 11:30

  • Sling pitches revamped net TV boxes

    Enters HD era

    Sling Media will bring its HD-oriented Slingbox Pro to the UK next year, along with the Slingbox AV and Slingbox Tuner the company also announced late last week, expanding its device line-up from one machine to three. The Slingbox Pro will replace today's Slingbox. It brings an HDMI-like port and HD support to the package, …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 11:30

  • Google gets nostalgic with garage buy

    Goes back to its roots

    Google has gone back to its roots and, in the style of HP, has bought the house and garage in which founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin first established the company. The company has not said how much it paid for the property. Page and Brin rented the garage from Susan Wojcicki, then a friend of an ex of Brin's, now vice …

    Software 2 Oct 2006, 11:59

  • RIM BlackBerry Pearl 8100

    Review Slim, sexy yet still a BlackBerry

    Research in Motion's BlackBerry has, with its seamless email and sturdy workhorse ruggedness, captured the business market. But its bulky designs and lack of extras have put off many a consumer. That's all set to change with the introduction of the Pearl, RIM's first handset aimed slap bang at the consumer market... First …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 12:10

  • US geneticists scoop Nobel Prize for Medicine

    Interfering with RNA

    The 2006 Nobel Prize for Medicine will be shared by Stanford's Andrew Fire and the University of Massachusetts' Craig Mello for their detective work on the phenomenon of RNA interference (RNAi), which has the potential to revolutionise medicine. RNAi enables geneticists to design molecules to "silence" specific genes. It's …

    Biology 2 Oct 2006, 12:26

  • Microsoft Zune, Apple iPod go head-to-head on web

    Blogger posts side-by-side snaps

    Microsoft's Zune music player doesn't ship in the US until 14 November, but the gadget has already begun appearing in public - and being compared directly to Apple's latest '5.5G' video iPod. One blogger, Jake Ludington, has even posted a set of snaps of the two gadgets side by side. It's clear from Jake's pics - there are …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 12:32

  • Intel invests $9.88m in PowerVR developer

    TI extends Imagination licensing deal too

    Intel is to pump £5.28m ($9.88m) into UK-based graphics chip designer Imagination Technologies. The chip giant also said it had extended its licence to use Imagination's video and graphics processing cores - as, separately, did Texas Instruments. Intel's financial stake in Imagination comes courtesy of its venture funding …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 13:12

  • Vista hit by EC fears and McAfee ire

    EC probe extended, McAfee puts boot in

    More bad news for Microsoft's delayed operating system Vista - the European Commission is widening an investigation into whether or not it breaches competition law. Microsoft and the Commission were already discussing the oft-delayed software. But the Commission is now concerned about encryption technology and handwriting …

    Operating Systems 2 Oct 2006, 13:53

  • BDE swallows The Systems Practice

    Sage resellers unite

    Business software reseller BDE Group has bought up the Sage business of rival The Systems Practice (TSP) for an undisclosed sum. TSP's Southampton office will continue as a Microsoft-only reseller, with the rest of the staff moving to BDE. Now with 1,150 customers and 120 employees turning over £13m annually, BDE has inched …

    Channel Register 2 Oct 2006, 13:57

  • MIT promises safer, more efficient nuclear plants

    Tubular hells

    Researchers at MIT have developed technology they say will boost the power output of nuclear power plants by 50 per cent, and make them safer to run. The technology applies to pressurised water reactors. In these, water is used as a coolant, and is kept under pressure to prevent it from boiling. The uranium is also used to heat …

    Physics 2 Oct 2006, 14:06

  • EU.biz mired by complex security systems

    Suppliers, solutions, consoles, causing headaches

    European companies are becoming bogged down in their increasingly complicated IT security arrangements, according to new research. A study commissioned by security software company McAfee reveals a desire for easier management of IT security is being undermined by complex security system purchasing strategies. Despite IT …

    Security 2 Oct 2006, 14:43

  • Ageia preps PCI Express games physics card

    PhysX SDK updated for Linux

    Physics processor chip specialist Ageia is about to launch a PCI Express version of its PhysX card, the company told Reg Hardware today. Considering that Ageia had PCI-E and PCI production samples in March, it's a wonder it has taken them this long to announce product. Ageia admitted there won't be any performance benefits …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 14:53

  • Siemens creates hardship fund for BenQ workers

    Cancelling pay rises

    Siemens' board voted this weekend to forgo a planned 30 per cent pay rise in order to set up a €30m hardship fund for workers affected by the closure of the German handset business it offloaded to BenQ last year. Siemens boss Klaus Kleinfeld said that after an extraordinary meeting on Sunday, the board wanted to "show …

    Mobile 2 Oct 2006, 14:53

  • Nvidia's 'G80' to ship mid-November?

    DirectX-ready, sources claim

    Nvidia will unveil the world's first DirectX10 GPU, codenamed 'G80' but expected to ship as the GeForce 8800, in the middle of this coming November, it has been claimed. According to a DigiTimes report which cites graphics card maker moles, the part will support the upcoming Microsoft technology's Shader Model 4.0. It will …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 15:05

  • Software wails on mobile muggers

    Follow that screaming hoodie

    A new weapon in the battle against mobile mugging and data theft hits the streets today. The people behind Remote XT software claim backing from the rozzers, in the form of the Met and the Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum. It's the latest in a new wave of aural annoyance technologies, which have included the high-pitched …

    Mobile 2 Oct 2006, 15:23

  • Sony's next Flash Walkman details slip out

    Noise-suppressing headphones included

    Sony will next week launch its latest Flash-based digital audio player, if online retailers' listings of the as-yet-unannounced Walkman NWS700 series devices are anything to go by. The pitch for the product line will centre on its inclusion of "noise-cancelling" headphones, a three-line colour display and 1-4GB of storage …

    Reg Hardware 2 Oct 2006, 15:42

  • BT's musical Vision

    Telco signs up Sony BMG

    BT has signed up Sony BMG to provide exclusive music video content for its forthcoming BT Vision IPTV service. BT sees exclusive deals as key to its success and credibility as a television operator when it goes head-to-head with Sky and NTL later in autumn. BT has been shipping its Home Hub converged phone/broadband/IPTV box …

    Telecoms 2 Oct 2006, 16:11

  • Tesco launches own-brand software

    Pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap

    First there was the computers for schools scheme, now Tesco is releasing software for all. The grocery giant is releasing its own line of software at budget prices that will see it go head to head with Microsoft. Tesco supermarkets in Britain and Ireland will offer six packages including office software, security systems, a …

    Channel Register 2 Oct 2006, 16:51

  • UK's superfast Uni network hobbled by Aberdeen collapse

    Updated Damnit, JANET

    A mysterious equipment failure has crippled part of the UK's superfast educational network JANET (Joint Academic Network). Throughout the day, reports trickled in to The Register of readers unable to access JANET. Status charts provided by JANET show that systems scattered throughout the UK were restarted today in an apparent …

    Data Networking 2 Oct 2006, 17:55

  • Job cuts loom at Los Alamos Lab

    Creative firings

    The arrival of a new master at Los Alamos National Laboratory will likely result in a rapid fire layoff, officials revealed last week. The consortium operating the lab expects to cleave off hundreds of jobs in an effort to lower costs. The lab faces serious financial challenges under its new management, which has to account for …

    Science 2 Oct 2006, 18:40

  • Progress Software: its challenges

    Comment Little and Large

    Historically, Progress Software built its business around its 4GL (which it now refers to as an ABL—Advanced Business Language) and its database. And the company succeeded by focusing on the mid-market and a channel model for reaching that market. In other words, it was a company that targeted small and medium-sized businesses …

    Developer 2 Oct 2006, 19:48

  • DVD Jon opens Apple DRM for profit and pleasure

    With Jobs' blessing? Umm...

    DVD Jon is back in the public eye with a method of reverse-engineering Fairplay, Apple's digital rights management software. He thinks Apple won't stop his efforts to turn his technology into cash. DVD Jon, better known to his parents as Jon Lech Johansen, has set up in business with partner Monique Farantzos in San Francisco …

    Music and Media 2 Oct 2006, 22:05

  • Seagate preserves Maxtor brand for channel freshness

    Seagate has begun selling Maxtor-branded desktop and notebook PC hard drives through its distribution network worldwide. Today's launch sees a refresh of the Maxtor DiamondMax 3.6in hard drive line for desktops, which maxes out at up to 320GB. The new Maxtor MobileMax drives have capacities up to 80GB and a 5400-RPM spin …

    Channel Register 2 Oct 2006, 22:25

  • Alphacidal Capellas dives into Silver Lake

    Freshening up for next CEO run

    Admitted Alpha killer and professional golden parachute artist Mike Capellas has joined investment firm Silver Lake Partners. When not performing technology buyouts, Silver Lake serves as a type of CEO holding tank. Former Sun Prez Ed Zander, for example, put in some time at the Lake and then took the CEO job at Motorola. Now, …

    Financial News 2 Oct 2006, 22:51