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28th November 2006 Archive

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  • Google (partially) settles Belgian copyright case

    Unhold the Press!

    Google has settled with two media agencies in a Belgian copyright case which could change the face of its Google News service. It has not yet settled with the group that started the law suit, Copiepresse. Google has come to an undisclosed arrangement with SORAM and SCAM, two societies representing photographers and journalists …

    Financial News 28 Nov 2006, 00:03

  • IBM/Rational builds ALM

    IBM Rational BuildForge

    Well, IBM/Rational has made its Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) story rather more complete by acquiring BuildForge (which plays in the ITIL Release Management space and wider) in May 2006. This is another example of a trend I identified earlier this year, I guess. At a breakfast meeting a few days ago hosted by …

    Developer 28 Nov 2006, 09:51

  • Beginning Hibernate

    Book review More object relational mapping

    Although it sounds like something to do with electrical resistance in AC circuits, "impedance mismatch" describes the issues that arise when dealing with the different conceptual bases of object oriented development and relational databases. Developers model their domain with classes and objects, but when it comes to …

    Software 28 Nov 2006, 09:54

  • Women talk more than men: official

    Like heroin addiction, but louder

    A "self-proclaimed feminist" psychiatrist has finally thrown in the towel and admitted her fellow females do indeed talk more than men, The Daily Mirror reports. Dr Luan Brizendine of the University of California, who's published her shock findings in The Female Brain, says the average woman works her way through 20,000 words …

    Biology 28 Nov 2006, 10:02

  • Used car dealer menaces air traffic

    Dodgy phone chat entertains pilots

    An Ulster used car dealer has had his dodgy cordless phone confiscated after airline pilots were entertained by "Arthur Daley-style banter about makes and prices of used cars", The Daily Mirror reports. Skyjockeys cruising at 25,000 feet through the Dean Cross air traffic sector - extending from Manchester to central Scotland …

    Mobile 28 Nov 2006, 10:05

  • ESA pins gamma ray explosion on star-gobbling black hole

    News from the galactic centre

    Astronomers using ESA's Integral gamma-ray observatory have spotted a massive eruption of gamma rays in the galactic centre. The researchers say the characteristics of the flare indicate that it could be an extremely rare star-black hole binary system, exhibiting behaviour that might only be seen once or twice in a decade. …

    Space 28 Nov 2006, 10:08

  • EU tells Ofcom to pull its finger out

    British watchdog inflates costs

    The European Commission says British regulator Ofcom is having a negative effect on mobile rates in the UK. The EC and national regulators are meant to be working together to bring down mobile costs. The EC says Ofcom's proposed wholesale tariffs for mobile phone termination rates are far too high. Ofcom is enacting European …

    Mobile 28 Nov 2006, 10:14

  • 'Party in your pants' iBuzz back... for two

    Audio stimulation

    The iBuzz, one of the first iPod-driven vibrators, is back, reinvented not only as a more compact, more stylish device but also with the ability to power a pair of his'n'her - or just her - vibrating bullets simultaneously. And now you can colour-coordinate it with your music player too. The iBuzz Two will shake to the rhythm …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 10:15

  • Mobile porn market set to explode

    Users demand 'erotic entertainment'

    Mobile users are demanding more "erotic" entertainment as industry analysts forecast a surge in growth in the industry. Analysts Juniper Research expect the worldwide mobile adult content market to be worth $3.3bn by 2011, up from its current level of $1.4bn, and a significant increase on forecasts by Informa Telecoms and Media …

    Mobile 28 Nov 2006, 10:21

  • US unleashes bomb-sniffing bees

    Homeland security swarm

    Scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico have rather splendidly announced the immediate availability of the bomb-sniffing bee, Reuters reports. The boffins declared they'd "trained honeybees to stick out their proboscis when they smell explosives in anything from cars and roadside bombs to belts similar to …

    Security 28 Nov 2006, 10:21

  • Cisco aims to plug channel knowledge gap on VoIP

    Train to win

    Cisco says it has doubled its European channel partners in the last year to more than 2,300. It announced plans to improve the training it offers resellers, adding that many lack VoIP expertise. Cisco said its new Unified Communications Accelerator Program, available now in the UK to partners deigned SMB Select, would tackle …

    VoIP 28 Nov 2006, 10:24

  • Russia and US set up copyright hotline

    Law reform to help Russia's WTO bid

    The US and Russia will set up a copyright hotline so that information about copyright infringement can be swapped between the two nations. The US says that it will train Russia in how to battle copyright theft. These are just two elements of the an emerging agreement between Russia and the US which Russia hopes will pave the …

    Music and Media 28 Nov 2006, 10:29

  • A hard lesson in privacy

    Comment The importance of keeping personal matters personal

    Sometimes I hear a story that is simply breathtaking in its stupidity and potential for disaster. For your delectation, horror, and amazement, here is one relayed to me by a good friend a few days ago. He's living in a European country that shall remain unnamed; in addition, the names and some details have been changed to …

    ID 28 Nov 2006, 10:48

  • Intel samples 45nm 'Penryn'

    Core 2 die-shrink to introduce SSE 4

    Intel has begun punching out engineering samples of next year's 45nm Core 2 die-shrink, the chip giant has claimed. The processor is codenamed 'Penryn'. Penryn was announced in April this year as the 45nm incarnation of today's Core 2 Extreme and Core 2 Duo processors and next year's Core 2 Quad chips. It's due to ship in H2 …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 10:49

  • Kingston profits triple

    Revenue up 8 per cent

    Kingston Communications PLC has seen profits soar with revenue up eight per cent in the first half of the year. For the six months ended 30 September the Hull-based telecoms firm said pre-tax profit tripled to £10.3m with sales up to £241.9m. The group, which specialises in telephone, TV, and internet services, said it is …

    Networks 28 Nov 2006, 10:57

  • AMD changes tack on developing-world PC

    Wants to sell chips, not finished systems

    AMD isn't quitting the low-cost, developing world-oriented PC arena after all - it's simply changing its business model, the company has claimed. Instead of manufacturing a box - such as the Personal Internet Communicator, aka 'Emma', it canned earlier this month - it will devise reference platforms system builders can use as a …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 11:15

  • North Americans buy 600,000 Wiis in first week

    $190m worth of Nintendo-branded products sold

    Nintendo sold more than 600,000 Wii consoles to North Americas during the first eight days the next-generation games machine was available to buy, the company said last night. It still managed to sell out, the company's US chief claimed. Wii went on sale in the US and Canada on 19 November. Since then, sales of the console, …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 11:26

  • Wary launch imminent for BT broadband telly

    Vision: 'We are not at home to Mr Cock-up'

    BT will quietly launch its long-trailed TV over broadband service Vision on Monday. The IPTV package brings the 30ish Freeview channels plus a host of premium on-demand content to the firm's broadband base. A set-top box will offer Sky+ style PVR capability with its hard drive able to store 80 hours of programming. A string of …

    Telecoms 28 Nov 2006, 11:28

  • Petition the PM: from ID cards to ice cream

    Make your clicks count

    The more politically aware among El Reg's readership might already know that the Prime Minister's office is beta testing an online petition system. This is presumably to reduce the number of long-haired hippies they have to let walk down Downing Street to deliver armfuls of signatures. It might be to do with saving trees. We …

    Music and Media 28 Nov 2006, 11:31

  • Steve Lockie leaves C2000

    Blimey....

    Steve Lockie, the long-time boss of Computer 2000, is leaving the distie in January. Lockie, who's been at the firm for 10 years, will be replaced as UK managing director by Andy Gass - who's been at C2000 for 12 years on and off. The two will work together to ensure a smooth handover before Lockie's last day on 31 January. …

    Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 11:52

  • Rock reveals 13.3in entertainment laptop line

    Powerful yet portable, maker maintains

    UK notebook specialist Rock has extended its Pegasus range with an entertainment-centric yet highly portable line based on Intel's mobile Core 2 Duo processor - overclocked when running on mains power - and a 13.3in, 1,280 x 768 widescreen display. The Pegasus 335 series comprises three models: the T56, T72 and T74, based …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 12:09

  • O2 UK ships XDA Orbit GPS smart phone

    Free sat nav app bundled... and it's a good one

    O2 has begun selling its HTC Orbit GPS-equipped smart phone - essentially the HTC P3300 - in the UK, bundling the handset with a free copy of T-Mobile's favourite sat nav software, CoPilot Live. Orbit itself is a quad-band Windows Mobile 5.0 device with Wi-Fi and a two megapixel camera on board. The carrier's website claimed …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 12:29

  • Nottingham uni launches green tech research wing

    Funds of £8m already raised

    The University of Nottingham is launching a research institute dedicated to developing clean energy technologies. The research centre will be headed by Professor Colin Snape (a factoid that will no doubt delight legions of Harry Potter fans). He commented: "Under the looming threat of global climate change and our hunger for …

    Science 28 Nov 2006, 12:36

  • Motorola ships slim phone with e-paper screen

    Motofone F3 debuts in India

    Motorola has begun shipping Motofone F3, its 9mm-thick slimline handset with an 'electronic paper' display. Debuting today in India, the handset will roll out in other markets in the coming weeks, the company said. The handset's launch venue points to the role Motorola has in mind for it. The F3 is the latest in the company …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 12:52

  • The Death of Tape is much exaggerated

    Storage briefing Why it ain't going to happen

    Disk-based backup has become hugely popular in the last couple of years, to the extent that some suppliers have started talking about the "death of tape". That's not going to happen though, for a host of reasons - tape cartridges are still cheaper for a start, even though high capacity SATA drives have slashed the cost per GB …

    Storage 28 Nov 2006, 13:00

  • Linutop touts tiny diskless Linux web PC

    Updated Minimalist

    OK, so you can't express your interest as a potential purchaser, let alone buy the thing, but that hasn't stopped Linutop announcing an ultra-compact 9 x 3 x 1.5cm diskless PC based on the open source operating system and designed for web browsing. The small form-factor Linutop PC isn't exactly feature-packed. It has a pair …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 13:14

  • Arcam pitches broadcast-quality DVD HD upscaler

    High price hi-def

    Why wait for Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD for your hi-def movie viewing needs when you can upscale your DVD collection to 1080p right here, right now? That's high-end hi-fi maker Arcam's argument, at any rate, but it may have a job convincing punters to cough up £1,800 for the privilege. Yes, its FMJ DV139 DVD Universal Audio …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 13:43

  • Businesses reject quicker, weaker patents

    IP lawyers find support for IP laws

    Businesses and academics would oppose any watering down of the patent examination process, a new report has found. Quick, cheap and easy patents would be rejected if it meant the quality of patent protection would be lowered, the Financial Times reports. The research was conducted for intellectual property law firm Marks & …

    Small Biz 28 Nov 2006, 14:23

  • iSymphony launches iPod friendly micro home cinema box

    Just add a telly...

    No mere iPod-enabled hi-fi system, iSymphony's M2UK, announced today, is the foundation for a full home entertainment system, the company claimed. All you need to add is a TV - iSymphony's box does all the rest, though you'll want to bring an iPod to the party, of course. The M2UK comprises an 2 x 25W amplifier unit that …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 14:30

  • Web browsing behind closed doors

    Psiphon bypasses government censors

    Canadian developers will next month release a tool to bypass government-enforced restrictions on web browsing in countries like China, Syria and Iran. The University of Toronto has developed the Citizens Lab software in the hope that government internet censorship can be effectively circumnavigated. Psiphon is an open source …

    Music and Media 28 Nov 2006, 15:19

  • US drinker stabbed for not washing hands

    Poor restroom hygiene ends in knife fight

    Those men among you who indulge in the woman-enraging provocation of not putting the loo seat back down after taking a leak should count yourselves lucky you're not in Fort Worth, Texas, where some people take the matter of good toilet habits very seriously indeed. Just ask 25-year-old Morgan Jackson, who was with two drinking …

    Music and Media 28 Nov 2006, 15:29

  • South African man throws pregnancy sickie

    Court aborts forged sick note masterplan

    A South African man has been fined £70 for forging a sick note claiming he needed some quality time tending his unborn baby, Ananova reports. According to Sapa news agency, 27-year-old Charles Sibindana "stole a medical certificate from a health centre used by his pregnant girlfriend", but failed to take into account he lacked …

    Music and Media 28 Nov 2006, 16:07

  • Analysts look both ways at Vista

    Glazed over Windows

    Twenty-one years after Windows ignited the PC revolution, at least according to Microsoft, analysts are at odds over just how well Redmond's newest operating system will go down. The UK's very own Ovum has delivered a cheery assessment apparently predicting Windows Vista will out-sell Windows XP in its first year. Software …

    Operating Systems 28 Nov 2006, 17:13

  • IBM tops Micromuse with Vallent

    Management deal

    IBM hauled in software vendor Vallent today, in its latest addition to its network management portfolio. Vallent's software will join IBM's Tivoli Netcool line, providing network performance and service quality management for a range of fixed and wireless equipment and devices. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed …

    Data Networking 28 Nov 2006, 17:18

  • BT's 21CN has 100 users

    But it's voice-only, with faster broadband still a year away

    BT took its much-hyped 21st Century Network live today, switching over 100 voice lines in a South Wales village and roping in an 11 year-old schoolgirl to make the first customer call. The lines were switched over at the local exchange, making Wick - which is between Cardiff and Bridgend - the first place to be connected to …

    Networks 28 Nov 2006, 17:48

  • Lobsters destroyed by intelligently designed killer WiFi

    Letters Really true

    El Reg's inbox was bulging with mail on this one: can a Wi-Fi signal make you sick? We suggested that it was unlikely, and for the most part you agreed. We include the following examples of your thoughts on the case of a teacher reporting terrible symptoms after working in a Wi-Fi bathed environment: "I felt a steadily …

    Letters 28 Nov 2006, 18:04

  • SQL Server and the 7.5-day MTBF

    Database Myths and Legends (Part 5) How Oracle spun some benchmark stats

    Press releases issued by software companies are one of the more common sources of myths and legends in the database world. No real surprise there you may think but therein lies a paradox. We all know that press releases are highly partisan, so we expect everyone to treat them with suspicion; yet we aren’t surprised when they …

    Developer 28 Nov 2006, 18:06

  • PC makers must follow world's strictest green laws, says Gartner

    Laws designed to curb the environmental impact of computer parts will disrupt complex global supply chains unless companies themselves are more stringent, says Gartner. Manufacturers must adopt the toughest laws as best practice if manufacture and supply is not to be disrupted, said Meike Escherich, the principal research …

    Reg Hardware 28 Nov 2006, 19:52

  • Mom cooks baby in microwave oven - police

    An urban legend no more

    Police have charged an Ohio woman in the death, by microwave oven, of her one-month-old daughter, the Associated Press reports. Mom China Arnold, 26, stands accused of aggravated murder after bringing her dead infant daughter, Paris, to a hospital, with a "high body temperature". The woman was arrested, and later released. "We …

    Music and Media 28 Nov 2006, 19:53

  • Italians mull computer games sales ban to kids

    Adult games, that is

    Italian MPs today debated if computer games featuring sex and violence are sending their country's children berserk. The meeting was convened after the proposed release of Rule of Rose, a computer game some fear will corrupt Italian children, erupted into an international tizz - within the computer games industry and some …

    Music and Media 28 Nov 2006, 20:21

  • NEC's NAS redefines 'revolutionary'

    Well, yes - hard disks DO revolve...

    NEC Computers reckons its latest NAS device - the Storage NS50 - offers revolutionary security. What on earth could that be, we wondered - built-in 1024-bit hard disk encryption perhaps, or maybe a fingerprint scanner for anyone needing access to a file? No, it's RAID-5 as standard, and a lockable front door to stop …

    Storage 28 Nov 2006, 21:39

  • Top Java exec quits Sun

    Open source split

    Speculation is growing that one of Sun Microsystems' most influential figures has quit following the decision to open source Java. Vice president and fellow Graham Hamilton has left Sun after eleven years, weeks after Sun finally released Java under the General Public License (GPL). Java father James Gosling, also a Sun vice …

    IT Director 28 Nov 2006, 22:34