12th October 2006 Archive

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MySpace founder loses court case over News Corp sale

But vows to appeal

A judge has dismissed MySpace founder Brad Greenspan's claims that the sale price of the social networking site to News Corporation was too low. Greenspan said he will appeal. Greenspan founded MySpace and is a former chief executive of its parent company Intermix. He filed a suit in February claiming that News Corp's $580m …

Music and Media 12 Oct 2006, 08:28
EC boosts open source

Sets up consortium for software pooling

The European Commission has taken steps to promote the use of open source systems and software in the public sector. It has selected a consortium led by Unisys Belgium to create and manage the Open Source Observatory and Repository (OSOR), the company announced. Other members of the consortium are the Maastricht Economic …

Software 12 Oct 2006, 08:42
Connection failures delay prison releases

60% of prisons have no access to central database

Parliament's Public Accounts Committee has said the release of prisoners on home detention curfews (HDCs) is being delayed because most prisons are not connected to the Police National Computer (PNC). The Electronic Monitoring of Adult Offenders report, published on 12 October, recommends that the Home Office should implement a …

Public Sector 12 Oct 2006, 09:00
Sony touts 3.6Mbps 'super 3G' Vaios

Not so fast from day one, we suspect

Sony has begun offering a Vaio notebook bundled with an HSDPA-enabled datacard supplied by T-Mobile. The manufacturer quickly claimed the kit will allow users to download data at speeds of up to 3.6Mbps. Good luck, we say. T-Mobile isn't expected to upgrade its 3G network to 3.6Mbps until next year. When the Vaio SZ3 series …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 09:01
Libya signs on for 'One Laptop per Child'

Lime-green wind-up

The Libyan government has signed up to Nicholas Negroponte's "One Laptop per Child" (OLPC) scheme to buy each of its 1.2m school children one of the machines by June 2008, according to reports. Negroponte told the New York Times that the contract in Libya was agreed on Tuesday, but neither the Libyan media nor the Libyan …

Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 09:20
Transmeta accuses Intel of patent infringement

Crusoe tech vs Pentium III tech

One-time low-power x86-compatible processor provider Transmeta has initiated legal proceedings against Intel, alleging the chip giant used its power-efficiency technology without permission. The lawsuit claims infringement of ten Transmeta patents. Transmeta's lawsuit was filed with the US District Court of Delaware and names …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 09:24
Dell, Alienware ready AMD Live! media centre systems

Announcements this week, says AMD

Dell and Dell subsidiary Alienware are to announce a number of media centre machines based on AMD's Viiv-like platform, Live!, the chip maker has revealed. Expect unveilings at the DigitalLife show taking place in New York this week. All the machines - a Dell Dimension box and Alienware's DHS series - will be based on Athlon …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 09:53
Copycat cat firm goes titsup

No demand for $32,000 clones

A firm offering to clone dead pet cats is to close, after selling a grand total of two of the moggies, including the first which we reported in 2004. Depite a price slash from $50,000 to $32,000, Sausalito-based Genetic Savings and Clone (geddit?) was forced to send letters out announcing its closure at the end of the year. It …

Biology 12 Oct 2006, 09:54
When Borland got shirty

Database myths and legends (Part 4) Shirts + booze foil Microsoft plot

In the second myths and legends story we related how the knights of the Good King Bill were accused of stealing secrets from Borland at a conference way back in 1992. In fact, the knights involved turned out to be most courtly and honourable; the accusations demonstrably and provably false. However, another myth surrounds …

Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 10:28
Sony launches leaked noise-cancelling Walkman line

NW-S700F series is official

Sony Japan has finally launched the NW-S700F digital Walkman series, a week and a half after details of the device slipped out on a UK retail website. As expected, the Flash-based line-up comprises models in a variety of metallic colours and with storage capacities of 1-4GB. Those bulbous earphones may look like noise- …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 10:35
Band translates Beatles into Cornish

Hi a'th kar, yeah yeah yeah

A couple of Cornish musicians have decided to do their bit for the advancement of the local lingo by translating some of the Beatles' best-loved ditties into Cornish, the BBC reports. Matthew Clarke and Dave Miller, who together form Skwardya, have already tackled She Loves You (Hi a'th kar) and Something (Neppyth) and are …

Entertainment 12 Oct 2006, 11:05
Global Crossing eats Fibernet

Let's network

US-based bespoke IP networker Global Crossing has acquired UK firm Fibernet for £49.8m in an all-cash deal. Global Crossing's subsidary GC Acquisitions UK has its hands on 91 per cent of Fibernet stock, meaning it will be able to acquire the rest through compulsory purchases. Fibernet's shareholders are bagging 78 pence per …

Data Networking 12 Oct 2006, 11:11
IBM, Sun and Fujitsu keep hyping delayed chips

~~2006~~ 2007 will be awesome, Unix lovers

Plagued by delays, IBM and Sun Microsystems continue to try and beef up interest in their upcoming server processor lines. IBM, for example, spent this week hyping its Power6 processor that will slot into the company's Unix and Linux servers. Big Blue once hoped to push the chip out by the end of this year or early 2007, but it …

Storage 12 Oct 2006, 11:19
HTC runs in with T-Mobile Dash smart phone

BlackBerry who?

Taiwanese phone maker HTC today formally announced that T-Mobile will ship its S620 BlackBerry-like, QWERTY keyboard equipped handset in the US as the Dash. It's set to ship on 25 October, T-Mobile said. The Dash is a quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE phone, but it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on board too. It measures 11.2 x 6.3 x 1.3cm, …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 11:27
BT sniffs at PlusNet

Share price skips

PlusNet confirmed to the City this morning that it is in talks which might lead to the sale of the business - with BT reportedly in pole position. The broadband reseller said it had been forced to 'fess up because of unusual movements in its share price - which has gone up more than 25 per cent in the last two days. PlusNet …

VoIP 12 Oct 2006, 11:40
Saturn's new rings spark search for moons

Smoke, fire etc...

The recent discovery of new rings around Saturn has prompted speculation that the Cassini mission will find previously unidentified moons orbiting the planet. "Just like the old maxim that says 'where there's smoke there's fire', at Saturn, where there's a new ring there's bound to be a moon," said Jeff Cuzzi, Cassini …

Space 12 Oct 2006, 11:42
Sage says results in line with expectations

Nothing to see here

Sage has issued a trading update, stating that both revenues and pre-tax profits for the year ending 30 September were in line with market expectations. These results include an immaterial contribution from Emdeon Practice Services, acquired on 14 September 2006, the company said. In its announcement, it noted that the current …

Channel Register 12 Oct 2006, 11:45
IBM takes the guesswork out of data centre fires

Cool it down

Buying tons of rack and blade servers has been a harrowing experience for plenty of customers. You load up a data centre with the compact kit and then cross your fingers, hoping the mesh of metal, plastic and cabling doesn't catch on fire. Now, instead of crossing your fingers, you can pay IBM to predict whether or not your …

Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 11:49
Bluetooth SIG launches TransSend app

Grab bits of data and send them to your phone

The Bluetooth SIG has today launched its TransSend application, allowing websites to embed a chunk of data, such as an address or map, in a web page and have it copied to a mobile phone at the click of a mouse. Of course, the (Windows) desktop computer will need Bluetooth, and to be running Internet Explorer, but the process …

Mobile 12 Oct 2006, 11:52
BT debuts 'spam-buster' system

Zombie-quasher goes live

BT has launched an automated system to track down and tackle professional spammers and 'botnet'-infected customers on the BT broadband network. The telco's 'spam buster' system uses content inspection technology from security developer StreamShield Networks to filter spam and virus infected email traffic. Around 80 per cent of …

Malware 12 Oct 2006, 11:59
Seagate lifts Maxtor max capacities

More space for more data

Seagate has upped the storage capacity offered by its Maxtor Shared Storage II and OneTouch III external hard drive product line-ups, increasing the maximum unformatted data space provided by them to 1TB and 1.5TB, respectively. The OneTouch III Turbo Edition is now available with 1.5TB in addition to the 1TB model already …

Storage 12 Oct 2006, 12:04
Vodafone cans Carphone Warehouse

Voda 4 Phones4U

Vodafone contract phones will soon only be available from Phones4U. The two firms announced an exclusive deal today which will see the operator's contract offerings disappear from the stores of Phones4U's biggest high street rival, Carphone Warehouse. Vodafone has gradually been taking back control of its contract customers and …

Mobile 12 Oct 2006, 12:33
Intel EOLs 91x, 955 chipsets

Making room for 'Bearlake'?

Intel has begun the process of discontinuing its 91x chipset family, along with the 955X. Some 15 chipsets in all will no longer be available for order after 13 March 2007, with all final orders due to be fulfilled by 12 October 2007. The EOL'ing of the 91x series isn't perhaps surprising. Most target the mainstream PC …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 13:07
Infection-by-cache risk unearthed

Caches give malware longer life

Malware housed on storage and caching servers, such as those used by ISPs, enterprises, and leading search engines, continues to pose a risk after websites containing malicious code have been pulled. So says web security firm Finjan, which warns that instead of pointing users towards sites hosting malware, hackers could try to …

Security 12 Oct 2006, 13:17
Nvidia launches mobile GeForce 7950 GTX

World's fastest laptop GPU?

Nvidia has launched what it claims is the world's fastest notebook graphics chip. Yes, we're talking the mobile version of the GeForce 7950, appearing soon in a number of laptops as the GeForce Go 7950 GTX. The chip maker didn't say much about what the new GPU can do beyond the part's support for DirectX 9 Shader Model 3.0, …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 13:28
Audioengine A5 amplified iPod speakers

Review Too good for MP3?

Loudspeakers designed for digital music players are ten a penny these days but their ambitions rarely extend to the audiophile. Most are intended to replace portable CD or tape units rather than living room systems, let alone pro-level kit. Apple's iPod Hi-Fi has helped show the player can drive room-filling kit, but US-based …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 14:10
Google's Orkut accused of 'spreading hatred' about India

Google-owned networking site under fire...again

Orkut, the Google-owned social networking site, has come under fire for hosting a community called "We hate India", which includes anti-India messages and a picture of the nation's flag being burned. According to the Times of India, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court told the Maharashtra government to issue a notice …

Data Networking 12 Oct 2006, 14:10
MEPs vote to restrain pan-Europe patents

Broadly approved, though

The European Parliament today adopted the compromise resolution on patent policy put forward by a coalition of MEPs, by a majority of 494 to 109 votes. Parliament made some further amendments to the resolution, which already sought to restrain parliament's approval of the contentious EPLA (European Patent Litigation Agreement …

Music and Media 12 Oct 2006, 14:16
ICANN refuses to pull Spamhaus domain

Fears over loss of junk mail blacklist recede

Internet governance organisation ICANN has said it does not have the authority to suspend the website of The Spamhaus Project. An Illinois court last week proposed pulling Spamhaus.org in response to a lawsuit brought against the anti-spam organisation by an company it accuses of spamming. The threat of domain loss came after …

Music and Media 12 Oct 2006, 14:32
3G broadcast trials leave T-Mobile in the cold

Bristol sees the future of 3G TV

Twelve cell sites in Bristol will be used to trial Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) over the next three months, with Vodafone, Orange, and 3UK all taking an active role in evaluating the technology along with Telefonica (owner of O2). MobiTV Inc will be providing the content and client application, while IPWireless …

Mobile 12 Oct 2006, 14:46
IE market share: What's going on?

Take your pick from conflicting stats

Recent high-profile security problems with Internet Explorer have done little to dent its market share - or maybe not, according to conflicting reports on web browser use. Web analytics firm OneStat.com reckons that IE's global usage share is 85.85 per cent, an increase of 2.8 per cent since July 2006. Mozilla Firefox's open …

Security 12 Oct 2006, 15:38
Physics students protest at Reading

Boffins on the warpath

Physics students at Reading University have come out in protest against their department's impending closure. The students took their protest, and their banners, to a meeting of the University senate yesterday. They wore masks depicting vice-chancellor Professor Gordon Marshall, who announced the decision to close the …

Physics 12 Oct 2006, 15:41
Airport to tag passengers

EU trials radio surveillance

Airport security chiefs and efficiency geeks will be able to keep close tabs on airport passengers by tagging them with a high powered radio chip developed at the University of Central London. The technology is to be trialled in Debrecen Airport in Hungary after being in development for two-and-a-half years by University …

ID 12 Oct 2006, 17:05
Sun's Darkstar invades Second Life

Contest Design our Second Life member

Marketing-savvy companies trapped by the limitations of reality have found a new vehicle for their propaganda - the vacuous world of Second Life. Both Sun Microsystems and IBM held events this week in Second Life's make believe planet. Sun hawked its video game vision to lonely creatures, while IBM allowed fake versions of its …

Financial News 12 Oct 2006, 17:51
On that $1.65bn Google - YouTube deal

Of course it's too much, but how much too much?

Google is probably the right home for YouTube, for many reasons, not least of which is the corporate culture which prefers to fund everything with advertising and the fact that both companies have emerged as popular web favorites against the odds. Google itself has been attacking video, as is MSN, with a deal this week with …

Financial News 12 Oct 2006, 18:17
Microsoft services chief to spend more time with his family

Takes a number

Rick Devenuti, chief of Microsoft's fledgling managed services operation is the latest high-ranking manager to leave the company. Devenuti, senior vieep of services and IT, leaves at the end of year after 19 years at the company. He will spend more time with his family and "consider his next challenge," Microsoft said. A …

Channel Register 12 Oct 2006, 18:21
ECI and chums set out to double DSL speed

Life after ADSL2+

Israeli telecommunications equipment maker ECI Telecom said this week it was behind a new consortium aimed at getting to the next technical level in DSL technologies. It wants to develop and promote an upgrade to DSL technology called Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM). DSM is an attempt at taking copper networks to fiber- …

Data Networking 12 Oct 2006, 18:32
Sony Ericsson blames hit products for Q3 profits surge

'Halo effect'

Sony Ericsson has announced pre-tax earnings of €433m for its fiscal third quarter, up 187 per cent year-on-year. This marks a profit increase of €222m compared to the €211m recorded during its last fiscal quarter and a rise of €282m versus the same three-month period a year ago. Sony Ericsson, which is the world's fourth …

Financial News 12 Oct 2006, 19:12
Penelope the Thunderbird

More on the Eudora switcheroo

Actually, it was never quite clear why Qualcomm bought Eudora, the old market-leading email program, but it would have been quite understandable if it had been because it foresaw the growth in mobile email, and wanted to bundle something with BREW phones. But it seems that it wasn't. Qualcomm has now disposed of Eudora, it …

Applications 12 Oct 2006, 19:23
Palm launches 'Low Rider' phone

Euro friendly enough?

Palm has launched its fourth smartphone of the year - a PalmOS model with a budget price. It's the first major upgrade to Palm's GSM line since the Treo 650, announced in late 2004 - and, which Palm was forced to stop selling in the EU in the summer because of the RoHS hazardous waste requirements. It's also much more …

Reg Hardware 12 Oct 2006, 20:35
Insight opens China front

Helps clients stay legit

Insight Enterprises, the giant US reseller, is dipping its toes into mainland China, opening up base in Shanghai. The office is not facing inwards, more reaching out to multinationals with Chinese subs. Insight claims 70 per cent of Global Fortune 500 companies as its customers – and it can help their Chinese operations avoid …

Channel Register 12 Oct 2006, 22:53
Maxdata buys electronics retailer

German consolidation

Maxdata, the PC and monitor maker, is moving into consumer electronics retailing in its German homeland with the acquisition of Yakumo, of Braunschweig. Yakumo's 51 staffaccount for a turnover of €146m. In a statement announcing the takeover, the company also slipped out a Q3 trading statement, with reduced losses of €5.8m. It …

Channel Register 12 Oct 2006, 23:14
Outsourcing firms squeezed till their pips squeak

More bang, less buck

IT outsourcers are facing a torrid time with nitpicking customers demanding more and paying less for their services. The numbers of deals are increasing, but they are worth less than before, and they don't last so long. That's according to separate reports from IDC and Technology Partners International (TPI), an outsourcing …

IT Director 12 Oct 2006, 23:26