15th December 2006 Archive

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Virgin Mobile lingers over Xmas 'knick-pics'

Shopping has never been so much fun

Virgin mobile, in what is either utter desperation or a brilliant PR coup, has identified a new trend in Christmas shopping that manages to combine boobs and mobile phones. The firm has issued a press release in which it claims that its "national network of retail trend spotters" has spotted a number of women using their camera …

Mobile 15 Dec 2006, 00:02
HP ships 'super 3G' laptop in UK

Tie-in with Vodafone

Vodafone has added HP's Compaq nc6400 notebook to the list of laptops it offers with integrated HSDPA - 3G Broadband, as Vodafone calls it. HP's machine joins portable PCs from Acer, Dell and Lenovo. The laptop ships with a Vodafone 3G SIM card in the box and the carrier's Connection Manager utility pre-installed. Buyers will …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 08:02
Microsoft begins 'Cardspace' publicity push

Card issuers and retailers getting on board

A major card issuer is preparing to announce its support for Microsoft's new identity security system, Cardspace, in the new year, along with "a major consumer retail site", Microsoft said this week. The company is also at the early stages of working out how the technology could be used to secure the UK's Government Gateway for …

ID 15 Dec 2006, 08:45
HP ends not so special ties to lawyer

Er, thanks for the advice, Larry

HP has decided that it can do without the special advice of Silicon Valley powerbroker and lawyer extraordinaire Larry Sonsini, according to a New York Times report. Sonsini – famous for decades in these parts – gained national fame in September during HP's spy scandal hearings in front of Congress. Emails between the lawyer, …

Financial News 15 Dec 2006, 08:48
Cisco bids to control IPTV

Analysis Grabs for underlying architecture

Cisco has virtually re-invented IPTV services by dropping key elements of the IPTV experience – VoD, network PVR, fast channel change and packet re-transmission – down a layer into the network layer, sitting on Cisco routers and servers in the network. The announcements virtually give all the feature functionality that …

Storage 15 Dec 2006, 08:59
Borland throws down Gauntlet to software defects

Taking the gloves off

Software is unstable, full of bugs and bloated. Developers spend so much time adding new features that software testing is a last minute thing. Even the mantra of "designed secure" has failed to really improve the quality of software - just witness the number of day zero attacks against Microsoft. Enter Borland, which believes …

Developer 15 Dec 2006, 09:08
Dell delays results

Investigation continues

Dell has delayed posting its results for the three months ended November 3 while it continues an investigation into: "certain accounting and financial reporting matters". The Texas company is checking the books for previously incorrect accounts. It is also being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. In a …

Financial News 15 Dec 2006, 09:11
Vista plugs piracy hole

Avast!

Microsoft is taking action to thwart a possible hole in its Vista anti-piracy measures. Users of the new operating system have to register their software in order to activate it. If that doesn't happen within a set time the software will lock-down giving limited functions until it is officially registered. But pirates have …

Security 15 Dec 2006, 09:59
Apple iPhone to be announced on Monday?

Gadget site 'guarantees' it, apparently

Apple will announce the iPhone on Monday, website Gizmodo has claimed. It cites no sources and provides no details, but a senior staffer guarantees the announcement - which he says was unexpected - will happen, for what that's worth... Assuming, for the moment, it isn't a blatant attempt to generate traffic for the site - the …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 10:27
AMD maps out path to HT 3, DDR 3, DirectX 10

Desktop Roadmap Processor and chipset plan made public

AMD yesterday spilled the beans on its processor plans for the next two years, at a stroke confirming much of the info that has leaked out of the company and onto the web this year. On the desktop, the future is HyperTransport 3 and DDR 3. Chipsets will not shift to DirectX 10 until late 2007. The key transition point, …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 10:50
Patent applications to be peer reviewed?

UKPO considers Gowers recommendations

The UK Patent Office is considering how it might implement some of the recommendations of the Gowers Review of intellectual property law in the UK. One of the suggestions Gowers made in the report was that the patent authorities should evaluate how peer review might improve the patent checking process. Specifically, …

Music and Media 15 Dec 2006, 11:00
Intel gears up to deliver movie download service

UK service starts Monday

Intel is teaming up with a new digital download portal firm, Coolroom.com, to release downloads of Hollywood films at the same time as their UK DVD release. Starting Monday (18 December), UK broadband users will get the chance to download a limited number of Tinseltown movies play them back on their Intel Viiv-enabled Windows …

Networks 15 Dec 2006, 11:05
AMD flies in Hawk, Griffin notebook CPUs

Mobile Roadmap HDMI, DisplayPort, UVD to be added to laptop chipsets

AMD's roadmap for its notebook-oriented has taken a decidedly avian turn as the chip maker gears up to battle Intel's Centrino, a plan that will see it support Flash-fitted hybrid hard drives, 802.11n Wi-Fi, HyperTransport 3 and DirectX 10. AMD current labels its mobile platform 'Kite'. Unlike Centrino, Kite's more a broad …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 11:22
Irish consumers wising up to phishing scams

Just 4% would give account details

New research indicates that online banking users are getting more savvy when it comes to responding to e-mails purporting to come from banks and building societies. According to the study, which was conducted by TNS mrbi on behalf of the Financial Regulator, just 4 per cent of online banking users in Ireland said they would …

ID 15 Dec 2006, 11:49
LG mixes Chocolate-flavoured MP3 player

Shuffle rival

LG likes Chocolate. Chocolate has done a rather good job of boosting LG's profile in the mobile phone market. And now the company hopes it'll do the same in the digital music arena. Enter the UP3 Flat, an oddly named but clearly Chocolate-inspired MP3 player soon to debut in Korea and maybe elsewhere. It's a Flash-based …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 11:59
Configuration Management Databases: the big Reg survey

Reg Technology Panel Wanna win a Reg goodie bag?

Those among you who'd like the chance to win a Reg goodie bag should take a few minutes to complete our survey on Configuration Management Databases - known as CMDBs to their mates - which form the focus of our latest tap into the expertise of you, our beloved readers. Ok, we admit: CMDBs may not be everyone's idea of a wild …

Reg Technology Panel 15 Dec 2006, 11:59
Hercules Tunes Explorer remote control for iTunes

Review WinAmp, RealPlayer, Windows Media Player too

Not every living-room computer is a Windows XP Media Center Edition PC or a Mac capable of running Apple's Front Row software. Both systems can connect to a TV and provide a remote control to help you select content to play, but there are plenty of older machines out there that have been put to use as song storage systems. What …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 12:02
Blogging to slide - PC TCOs too?

75% of firms predicted to be infected by malware

Blogging is set to peak next year according to a new forecast which also predicts two-thirds of firms are likely to be infected by financially motivated malware. According to Gartner, blogging is set to reach its zenith during the first half of next year when the number of active blogs will level out at around 100m. In …

IT Director 15 Dec 2006, 12:18
AMD readies second-generation quad-core Opteron

After 'Barcelona', 'Shanghai'

AMD will release 'Shanghai', an "enhanced" version of its recently demo'd 'Barcelona' quad-core Opteron processor family, early on in 2008, the chip maker revealed yesterday when it published a server roadmap that was also notable for the absence of FB-DIMM technology and, indeed, DDR 3. At least in public, AMD reckons DDR 2 …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 12:20
Vodafone fined €76m over Greek wiretap scandal

Trojan horse

Greece's privacy watchdog has fined Vodafone €76m ($100m) over a wiretapping scandal that saw the illegal monitoring of the mobile calls of top government officials including Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. Vodafone was ruled at fault for not preventing unknown hackers from subverting a legitimate surveillance system, …

Mobile 15 Dec 2006, 12:28
NAO criticises Whitehall on consultants

Not using them efficiently

A National Audit Office report says central government is not using consultants efficiently The report has possible implications for Whitehall's relationship with IT consultancies, which account for the largest share of its spending in the field. Titled Central government's use of consultants and published on 15 December 2006 …

Government 15 Dec 2006, 12:40
MIT launches buddy-stalker messenger service

Finding friends on campus

MIT students are tracking each other as they wander from lecture to lecture using iFind, a new piece of beta software from the university's Senseable City Lab. The system looks like an instant messenger client, but as well as pinging messages back and forth, it presents the user with a map of the campus showing where all their …

Mobile 15 Dec 2006, 14:02
Intel vs AMD - integrated graphics shoot-out

Head-to-Head Who's best for games - and Windows Vista?

Make no mistake about it, the AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor struggles to compete with Intel's Core 2 Duo, and the upcoming four-core Core 2 Quad will move the goalposts even further away. Which gives AMD a major problem until it starts to roll out Athlon 64 X4 mid-2007. Meanwhile, it can’t rely on sales of mobile …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 14:06
Cyber crime wave as Naomi enjoys second life in England

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Lock 'em up! All of 'em! Ah, Christmas. A time for conspiracy inquests, serial killings and Prime Ministers being quizzed by the dibble. A busy week for the global cyberpolice too, who managed to fit in banging up the leader of a Russian ID theft gang for six years, the UBS logic bomber, who deliberately crashed his employer's …

Business 15 Dec 2006, 14:29
Nintendo offers weak-of-grip fresh Wii wrist-straps

Damage limitation

Nintendo has begun offering Wii owners free replacement wrist-straps for folk who become way too aggressive in their gameplay and end up snapping the straps or simply - and literally - losing their grip. Since the Wii debuted in the US and, last week, the UK, the web has played host to a torrent of gripes from irate Wii fans …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 14:31
Queen commands Samsung to supply 100 TVs

Flat panels ordered for Buck House

The Queen has ordered one hundred Samsung flat-panel TVs to be installed in Buckingham Palace, the South Korean giant announced yesterday. But it's not able to claim its products come 'by appointment' to the monarch of all she surveys - for that, its screens have to be under the royal gaze for the next five years. According …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 15:06
Murdoch bets on 365 - report

Not one who likes to lose

News International broadcaster BSkyB is in talks to acquire 365 Media Group according to a report in The Times - also owned by News International. Known until recently as UKBetting.com, the company runs gambling and sporting websites including sportinglife.com, Rivals.net and Football365. According to The Times, negotiations …

Financial News 15 Dec 2006, 15:58
Third unpatched vuln menaces Word

No end to the madness in sight

Hackers have released an exploit targeting a third unpatched vulnerability in Microsoft Word. The flaw is different from the two previous Word vulnerabilities reported earlier this month, US CERT helpfully explains. This time around we're dealing with a memory corruption flaw that might be exploited providing users are tricked …

Security 15 Dec 2006, 16:04
German court rules SanDisk MP3 player seizure lawful

Patent infringement claim

A German court has ruled that local Public Prosecution officers were right to seize SanDisk digital music players at the IFA consumer electronics show held in Berlin last September. SanDisk's players are accused of incorporating without permission technology owned by a number of European firms. The Criminal Chamber of the …

Reg Hardware 15 Dec 2006, 16:22
Reg readers save the planet from offshored asteroids

Letters Knickers to the lot of you

Is this the end for IT peeps in the UK? Analyst Bob McDowell certainly seems to think so. Not a cheerful subject for readers of El Reg, and understandably once you'd read his article, you had a few things you wanted to get off your chests: Probably due to the imported Septic "skills are replaceable" mantra. i.e. "By reducing …

Letters 15 Dec 2006, 16:31
PayPal repels Reg reader over piracy refunds

Headed in the wrong direction

A disgruntled Reg reader got in touch with us because he'd unwittingly bought some counterfeit X-box games. Being an honest fella he rang PayPal to ask for payment to be stopped because the goods were no good. But to qualify, PayPal insisted he get a letter on headed notepaper from a qualified third party stating the games …

Software 15 Dec 2006, 16:37
Operator greed kills online services

And now HP wants to help them target us with ads

Ninety-five percent of mobile services fail in the market - and it's thanks to greedy network operators who have treated their customers as a lumpen mass. That's according to Steve Dietch, the chief marketing officer of HP's OpenCall group, which sells communications software to telcos and represents a third of HP Software's …

Mobile 15 Dec 2006, 17:00
Transport for London shreds LogicaCMG contract

Exclusive On yer bike

Transport for London (TfL) and LogicaCMG have binned a troubled multimillion pound IT outsourcing contract.. The termination affects the authority-wide provison of desktop computing. In a joint statement given to The Register, the pair said: "Over the last year TfL has been reviewing the its IT demands of the business...TfL …

Public Sector 15 Dec 2006, 17:16
Woolworths.co.uk collapses under mispriced TV rush

£1500 Sharp LCD screen offered for £150

The UK website of the high street retailer Woolworths, fell over today as British punters rushed in to place orders for ultra cheapo LCD TVs. For a few hours, all LCD TVs were offered on the site for £150 - the going rate for a Sharp 42" LCD TV is around £ 1500. No it wasn't an unnannounced pre-Christmas offer, And yes it …

Financial News 15 Dec 2006, 17:33
SAN-in-a-box scores with Fibre Channel fans

Are cheap Fibre Channel bundles just in time - or too little, too late?

As iSCSI gains traction in the market, cheaper Fibre Channel is back on the agenda this week, with both EMC and Fujitsu-Siemens picking up 4Gig SAN-in-a-box packages assembled by Emulex and Brocade. Could this be the long-awaited low-end breakthrough for Fibre Channel? EMC's version is an upgrade to the 2Gig InstaSAN package …

Channel Register 15 Dec 2006, 19:02
Mark Anders on Flash development

Interview At least someone likes Eclipse…

Along with Scott Guthrie, Mark Anders was one of the fathers of ASP.NET. Then he led the Flex Builder team at Macromedia. Now at Adobe, he’s in charge of making Flash a development platform for rich Internet applications. Mary Branscombe caught up with him after the Flash on the Beach conference and asked about Eclipse, how …

Developer 15 Dec 2006, 19:02
NY Times bans Microsoft analysts from Microsoft stories

When it feels like it

The New York Times continues to perplex with its analyst-quoting policy. Rather than having analysts declare their ties to clients, the paper would prefer to quote analysts that have no experience with a client - a protocol which seems to undermine the very point of citing analysts. The Register this week started pushing the …

Financial News 15 Dec 2006, 19:32
Microsoft wins UK ruling to ban spam list sales

Can seek compensation, too

Microsoft has stopped a man from selling lists of email addresses which were being used for spam. A court has granted a summary judgment against Paul Martin McDonald, stopping him from selling the lists. Microsoft owns and runs Hotmail, a free, web based email service. It sought a summary judgment from the English courts to …

Spam 15 Dec 2006, 19:45