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7th November 2006 Archive

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  • AMD confirms ATI-brand Radeon X1900 card for Macs

    Calling all Power Mac G5 owners

    AMD has formally announced the ATI Radeon X1900 G5 Mac Edition graphics card that appeared on the company's website last week. The card is pitched at owners of the old, PowerPC-based Power Mac G5 desktop which originally shipped with lesser-powered cards. The X1900 isn't exactly AMD's leading-edge desktop GPU, but it has 36 …

    Hardware 7 Nov 2006, 09:05

  • Cambridge-MIT unveils 'silent' aircraft

    SAX-40 - the future of airliner design?

    The Cambridge-MIT Institute yesterday unveiled its SAX-40 "silent aircraft" - the result of a £2.5m project launched back in 2004 to produce a vehicle "whose noise emissions would barely be heard above the background noise level in a typical built-up area". The end result of the team's labours boasts a smooth "blended wing" …

    Science 7 Nov 2006, 09:52

  • Nigeria plans 2009 satellite launch

    Earth observation and disaster management

    Nigeria is gearing up for the launch of NIGERIASAT-2, an Earth-observation satellite that will form part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). The DMC is a series of small, low-cost satellites, owned independently and run cooperatively by Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey and the UK. The satellites are arranged so they …

    Science 7 Nov 2006, 09:58

  • Taliban take potshots at Myleene Klass

    Music-loving Muslims target Brit chanteuse

    The Taliban have evidently decided to add popular UK chanteuse Myleene Klass to the very long list of things they don't approve of - and last week demonstrated their commitment to rid Afghanistan of her ilk by shooting at the RAF aircraft taking her on a whistlestop, morale-boosting tour of that fun-loving nation. According to …

    Bootnotes 7 Nov 2006, 10:05

  • Compel on track for the year

    Meeting this afternoon

    Compel shareholders will hear this afternoon that the company is on track to hit targets for the year. At the annual general meeting this afternoon chairman Ron Clark will say: "Compel's performance in our financial year to date has been in line with our expectations. Generally, market conditions in the sectors of the IT …

    The Channel 7 Nov 2006, 10:07

  • Indian boffins discuss manned space mission

    Sub-continent 'must not be left behind'

    A galaxy of Indian scientists will meet today to discuss plans for a manned space mission, or even a quick jaunt to the Moon, New Scientists reports. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will ask 60 boffins for their feedback on its mission idea, and ask if it should "be to the Moon and whether it should be exclusively …

    Science 7 Nov 2006, 10:28

  • Dell extends AMD-based desktop line-up

    Latest machine pitched at business buyers

    Dell's European operation has extended the range of desktop systems it offers that are based on AMD processors. Following the September launch of AMD-based Dimension PCs, Dell has now begun selling AMD-equipped Optiplex machines too. The system in question is the Optiplex 740, offered with a choice of single-core Athlon 64 …

    Hardware 7 Nov 2006, 10:38

  • UK credit card fraud down to £209.3m

    But internet fraud and phishing scams continue to grow

    Card fraud losses fell by 5 per cent in first six months of 2006, according to the latest figures from banking association APACS. Total fraudulent losses fell from £219.5m to £209.3m over the first six month of 2006, a decline APACS attributes to the introduction of chip and PIN. However it's not all good news. Internet, phone …

    Security 7 Nov 2006, 10:39

  • Japan offered UMPC-like laptop

    Same form factor, none of the limitations

    Ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome one of the world's smallest notebooks: Kohnjinsha's diminutive SA1F00A, an ultra-compact laptop fitted with a 7in, 800 x 480 display, up to 1GB of memory, a 40GB hard drive, 802.11b.g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, Ethernet and - unlike all those UMPC handhelds - in integrated, mechanical …

    Hardware 7 Nov 2006, 11:02

  • Sony Ericsson buys Symbian UI

    UIQ acquired

    Sony Ericsson has snapped up the UIQ mobile phone user interface, paying Symbian an undisclosed sum for the software and the subsidiary company formed to develop and maintain it. UIQ was the original user interface for the Symbian operating system until the company decided it should focus on the under-the-hood code and allow …

    Phones 7 Nov 2006, 11:24

  • US may lift ban on silicone Bulgarian airbags

    FDA probes improved implants

    The US may lift a 1992 ban on the use of silicone breast implants, allowing women to enjoy the "gummi bear" consistency sadly lacking in their saline replacements. According to Wired, Canadian regulators last October cleared "for sale and implantation" cohesive silicone gel breast implants manufactured by Inamed and Mentor. …

    Science 7 Nov 2006, 11:26

  • Samsung unveils WiMAX UMPC phone

    It folds up... It communicates...

    Is Samsung's SPH-P9000 a phone or a UMPC? It runs Windows XP, has a 30GB hard drive, 256MB of memory and a 1GHz Transmeta processor. Then again it has CDMA EV-DO network connectivity and - a first for a mobile device? - Mobile WiMAX on board. It's got a 5in WVGA display and a 1.3-megapixel camera - front-mounted for webcam …

    Hardware 7 Nov 2006, 11:52

  • Researchers propose human-cow hybrid

    Grow your own hamburgers?

    In an effort to free stem-cell research from its dependence on donated human eggs, medical researchers in the UK have applied for permission to implant human DNA into cows eggs, effectively creating a human-bovine hybrid. Researchers from Newcastle University and Kings College, London, have applied to the Human Fertilisation …

    Science 7 Nov 2006, 12:08

  • Italian police seize musical toilet

    Patriotic porcelain taking the piss, prosecutors claim

    Italian police have seized a musical toilet which plays the country's national anthem when flushed, according to Ananova. Prosecutors claim the offending porcelain - produced by two local artists for the Bolzano Museum of Modern Art - should not give forth with the "Fratelli d'Italia" because it's "a national emblem which …

    Media 7 Nov 2006, 12:11

  • Sky staff brandish ukeleles

    ...as movies download service resumed

    Sky staff have been venting their frustration after a lengthy wait for Microsoft to patch the flaw in its digital rights management (DRM) software, which led to the suspension of Sky By Broadband for many weeks. As a precaution BSkyB had suspended its movie download service on 31st August after Microsoft's DRM software - which …

    Networks 7 Nov 2006, 12:27

  • Year-end computer bug could ground Shuttle

    Must take off on time

    The pressure is on at NASA to launch the next Shuttle mission on time, because if the launch date slips past December 18, a computer bug could keep the twelve-day mission grounded until January next year. The Shuttle was never expected to be in orbit as one year gives way to another, so the computers aren't set up to switch to …

    Science 7 Nov 2006, 12:29

  • Dimension gets Unreal

    Acquisition Czech list

    Dimension Data Czech Republic has acquired Unreal Technology for an undisclosed sum. Unreal Technology – a network infrastructure specialist – had estimated revenues in 2005 of $4.5m. Dimension Data Czech Republic is part of the global IT solutions provider, Dimension Data Group. The merger will see 24 staff members from …

    The Channel 7 Nov 2006, 12:43

  • Chargers on the go - Motorola P790 vs. Exspect ReCharge4

    Review Mobile battery backup for your... er... mobile's battery

    Are you one of those people who live and die by your mobile phone? Or your PDA? Or your PSP? Does the world collapse around you when it runs out of power? Fret not, as from now on this is only a distant memory. Both Motorola and Exspect are now shipping mobile battery chargers, but are they all they're cracked up to be... …

    Hardware 7 Nov 2006, 12:50

  • Crack al-Qaeda with more IP addresses

    v6 for victory

    Slow take-up of new network technology in the United States threatens its national security, or so IP networking firms would have us believe. The feartastic claim, from the "combined talents" of Juniper Networks and SynExi, and is given some wake-up-and-smell-the-coffee PR backing by a survey of US government execs in which 86 …

    Data Networking 7 Nov 2006, 12:51

  • Now Gates buys Four Seasons

    Where do you want to stay today?

    Bill Gates and a Saudi prince are set to buy the Four Seasons hotel group. The surprise move into Bed & Breakfast probably won't absorb too much of the Microsoft founder's time. Gates's personal investment company Cascade is teaming with Saudi Prince Al-Waleed's group, Kingdom Hotels International, to make an offer of $3.7bn …

    Financial News 7 Nov 2006, 12:54

  • Vodafone and MS strike mobile platform deal

    Taking Windows outside

    Vodafone and Microsoft are collaborating on developing software to help users take their office with them while they travel. The agreement will see the companies co-operate so that applications available to Vodafone users, such as mobile e-mail, are able to work with Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system. The deal …

    Mobile 7 Nov 2006, 12:55

  • Dutch spooks give MPs BlackBerry warning

    No end-to-end security - says security service

    Dutch intelligence service AIVD - the same organization that ruled 1,200 e-voting computers inadequate - has warned Dutch MPs to stop using the BlackBerry to access their email because their messages can be intercepted. In 2003 one hundred BlackBerry handhelds were given to leading politicians and campaign workers from the …

    Data Networking 7 Nov 2006, 12:59

  • Israeli scientists get into orbital traffic management

    First involvement with Galileo

    Israel's major technical university, Technion, has joined the scientific sphere of the Galileo project. It is the first Israeli involvement with the GPS alternative, and the first contract awarded by the scientific arm of Galileo. Researchers at the technical institute are part of an international consortium that is developing …

    Science 7 Nov 2006, 13:02

  • Nvidia denies GeForce 8800 GTX recall

    How can we recall a product that exists only in the minds of journos and fanboys?

    Nvidia has denied that it has recalled any G80-class graphics cards, less than 24 hours after admitting that... er... it has. In an email to Reg Hardware a company official today told us: "We're not recalling any boards - [it's] hard to recall something that's not announced." Yesterday, a different company official, when …

    Hardware 7 Nov 2006, 13:07

  • US harbours one-in-four phishing sites

    PayPal and eBay top list

    A community project to identify and take down phishing sites has produced its first set of statistics. Submissions to Phishtank, a service run by OpenDNS, reveal that PayPal and eBay were the most targeted organizations in phishing attacks in October. UK bank Barclays ranks third in the list. Phishing sites are hosted all …

    Security 7 Nov 2006, 14:11

  • AOL cans UK call centre

    And then there were none

    AOL is pulling out of its call centre contract in Scotland, leaving it without UK-based customer support. Call centres will now be based offshore in the Republic of Ireland and India. A spokesman for the ISP told The Register the decision was motivated by the rapidly disappearing dial-up business. AOL's broadband expertise is …

    Broadband 7 Nov 2006, 14:54

  • Chile arrests Nasa hack suspects

    Toxic Avengers

    Police in Chile have arrested four people suspected of involvement in a hacking group that attacked Nasa and other high profile targets over recent months. The not totally fantastic quartet are alleged to have cracked into 8,000 web sites, including the US space agency, the Chilean finance ministry and Berkeley University in the …

    Security 7 Nov 2006, 15:22

  • Nortel shrinks loss

    Compresses stock

    Nortel turned in improved Q3 results today and promptly boosted its share price - but only by consolidating its stock. The comms giant brought in revenues of $2.96bn in the third quarter of 2006 compared to $2.52bn in the third quarter of 2005. But the company made a loss of $99m on this turnover in the quarter, down from a …

    Data Networking 7 Nov 2006, 15:40

  • Fujitsu workers vote on strike

    Manchester staff demand better deal

    Amicus union members at Fujitsu in Manchester are to ballot for strike action calling for fairer pay deals, redundancy rights and better union recognition. The Amicus union representative at Fujitsu Ian Allinson said that he is confident that there will be a high turnout for the ballot, which closes on Thursday, and is …

    Financial News 7 Nov 2006, 15:49

  • T-Online forced to delete IP logs

    Data protection could protect pirates

    The German Supreme court has ruled that T-Online, one of the largest ISPs in Germany, has to delete all IP logs to guarantee the privacy of its customers when they ask for it. For now, at least. The court case was initiated by Holger Voss, who was charged over comments in an online forum about the 11 September attacks that he …

    Networks 7 Nov 2006, 15:52

  • Skype says problems not its fault

    A bigger boy did it...

    Skype is blaming a bigger boy for the problems users are having making phone calls. The Register revealed last week that many users have been unable to receive calls using the SkypeIn service - which lets people on the normal phone network call Skype numbers. The service started having problems, again, in the middle of October …

    VoIP 7 Nov 2006, 16:17

  • Server start-up shocks IBM and HP with database record

    Panta's not pants

    You guys don't have the luxury of looking at benchmark sites all day, so you probably missed the big news. A very small start-up - for the first time in a long time - has ripped a major database title away from the likes of IBM and HP. Panta Systems last month grabbed the clustered TPC-H (1 TB) crown and just about no one …

    Servers 7 Nov 2006, 16:36

  • Perens: 'Novell is the new SCO'

    But who gets to play Darl?

    Often cast as the peacemaker in free software disputes, Bruce Perens is on the warpath. When we caught up with him, he wasn't in a mood to be charitable to Novell. On Friday the Utah company, which markets the SuSE Linux distribution, revealed that it was entering into a partnership with Microsoft. Redmond would pay Novell an …

    Operating Systems 7 Nov 2006, 16:37

  • Identify yourself, science dodging cow-human

    Letters Moooo

    Tony Blair has set out to defend his ludicrous and intrusive ID card and national identity register project with an opinion piece in The Telegraph. We'll not go into this in detail again, but suffice to say that you have (again) failed to be convinced by his arguments: Blair, self confessed science-dunderhead, assures us …

    Letters 7 Nov 2006, 16:44

  • US wants global data law

    'Sort your own out first'

    US privacy officials have made advances to Richard Thomas, Britain's information commissioner, about formulating an international data protection law for the era of globalisation. The US has been pushing for more widespread data sharing between governments so it can track people it thinks are not safe to travel. But privacy …

    Media 7 Nov 2006, 16:47

  • Republican robocall menace irks voters

    Desperate measures

    The Republican Party has been accused of underhand telephone marketing tricks in the run-up to today's US mid-term elections. Voters across the US (Pennsylvania and New Hampshire examples here and here) have been receiving calls from auto-dialers featuring pre-recorded messages that initially suggest the call is from a Democrat …

    Media 7 Nov 2006, 17:22

  • IBM cheers HP's Mercury buy with software sale

    Tivoli and Rational get cheap

    Just as HP today closes its Mercury acquisition, IBM has stepped in with an offer to steal Mercury customers. IBM has declared a 25 per cent discount on Rational and Tivoli software, if you're an HP Mercury or OpenView customer willing to trade sides. Apparently, IBM's software represents "freedom of choice," while HP's …

    Data Center 7 Nov 2006, 17:54

  • YouTube to go mobile with Verizon?

    Invention of the year

    Video sharing site YouTube looks set to expand from the web onto mobile phones, with speculation that a deal with telecoms firm Verizon is close to agreement. According to the Wall Street Journal, "advanced" talks are taking place between the companies to bring YouTube's videos to mobile phones and TV. Under the new deal, …

    Mobile 7 Nov 2006, 18:25

  • Borland delays quarterly results

    Tools buyer in the wings?

    Borland Software has postponed its third-quarter earnings call by five days, indicating its exit from the developer tools biz could be imminent after 20 years. The Java and Windows tools company is now expected to tell Wall Street how its business fared during the last three months on November 14, instead of this Thursday. …

    Financial News 7 Nov 2006, 19:08

  • Nimble Gateway learns of the Opteron processor

    AMD has a server chip, y'all

    Bumbling hardware maker Gateway has finally caught on to this Opteron thing. The company today announced three, new Opteron-based servers. It's safe to say that branding is not Gateway's strong suit. Customers will now see the 1U E-9422R, the 2U E-9522R and the 3U E-9722R. If you find the E-9622R somewhere, let us know. The …

    Servers 7 Nov 2006, 20:05

  • Adobe opens Flash to Firefox

    Sign-o-the-times

    Adobe Systems is prying open its ubiquitous Flash media player to improve interoperability with the increasingly popular Firefox browser. Adobe announced Tuesday it has released source code for the ActonScript Virtual Machine scripting language engine used in Flash Player to the Mozilla Foundation under Project Tamarin. …

    Developer 7 Nov 2006, 20:31

  • Palm says NTP is suing on 'patents of doubtful validity'

    Here we go again

    The company which sued the maker of the BlackBerry for patent infringement launched a similar case against handheld computer firm Palm yesterday. Palm said today that it will defend itself vigorously. Canada's Research In Motion (RIM), maker of the BlackBerry wireless email device, settled with US firm NTP in March, though it …

    Mobile 7 Nov 2006, 21:34

  • Republicans walk US robo-calling tightrope

    Un-plug the phone

    The US Republican Party could be risking fines and legal action for a telemarketing campaign intended to sink Democrat opponents ahead of today's elections. Election officials in the US state of Virginia have called in the FBI after voters received phone messages telling them to go to the wrong precinct. The Democrat Party, …

    Media 7 Nov 2006, 22:59

  • Overstock.com overflops in Q3

    Stock heads toward the 'Big 0'

    Overstock.com's collapse went into overdrive this week. The company posted a drop in third quarter revenue and a larger loss. In retaliation, investors clobbered Overstock, sending its shares down 17 per cent on Monday to their lowest point in three years. At about this time last year, we warned you that such a future might be …

    Financial News 7 Nov 2006, 22:59