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18th January 2007 Archive

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  • EMC bans Retrospect 8.0 from the big Dantz

    VMware adds backup talent

    You all know that EMC redefined the storage business, but did you know that it has also redefined definitions? Our sources claim that EMC's has killed plans to advance the Retrospect backup software line – part of a larger move to slash costs across the Insignia SMB (small- and medium-sized business) business group. EMC's …

    Storage 18 Jan 2007, 02:00

  • EU to look at violent video games

    Producers invited to one-way debate

    European authorities have agreed to harmonise the laws that govern the sale of adult computer games to minors, following a call from EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini for violent video games to be banned. Speaking after an informal meeting of EU internal ministers in Dresden, Frattini called for EU-wide cooperation in the …

    Law 18 Jan 2007, 09:56

  • Sony opens shutter on 7.2Mp compact digicam quartet

    Sony announced a quartet of 7.2 megapixel, ISO 1000 Cyber-shot compact digital cameras in Europe today ahead of their launch next month. Top of the list are the DSC-W35 and DSC-W55 - the former available in silver, the W55 in a range of pastel shades - all sporting 56MB of on-board memory, a 2.5in LCD (2in on the W35), and a …

    Hardware 18 Jan 2007, 10:19

  • Dishonest data protection notices could earn jail time

    Possible, but not likely

    People who gather personal data without issuing a valid data protection notice in the course of their business could, at least in theory, face up to 10 years in jail under the UK's new Fraud Act which came into force on Monday. The Act was passed by the House of Commons in November but only came into force this week. Though …

    Law 18 Jan 2007, 10:21

  • Solar system braces for brightest ever comet

    Nothing to see for 2m years

    If a group of US astronomers is right, about two million years from now our solar system could be graced by the brightest comet ever. The potential comet is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, designated 2003 EL61. Astronomers at Caltech have plotted its likely path, and have found that a close encounter with Neptune could …

    Science 18 Jan 2007, 10:25

  • A holistic view of second generation BI

    Comment Houston, we have a problem

    I wrote a series of articles about second generation BI (which I refuse to refer to as Business Intelligence twodotoh) about six months ago. Why then I am returning to it? Because I think it is time to take a step back from the BI market and view it more holistically before we even consider what a next generation environment …

    Developer 18 Jan 2007, 10:48

  • Big TVs and small computers turn on DSG

    Computer growth lags electricals

    Big screen TVs had the edge over laptop PCs when it came to picking customers’ wallets last year latest figures from PC World parent DSG International show. Overall sales at the electronics giant were up 14 per cent to £3.8bn in the six months to November 11, with profit before tax coming in at £78.9m, down on last year’s £ …

    The Channel 18 Jan 2007, 10:59

  • ICM Computer mulls management buyout

    Mysterious second offer too

    The independent directors of ICM Computer Group have given permission to managers to investigate making a buyout proposal. The board also confirmed another party had made an offer for the data continuity firm. In a statement on Thursday, ICM said it had authorised a management team including Stephen Wainwright, Craig Fairey …

    The Channel 18 Jan 2007, 11:01

  • LG, Prada parade iPhone-like KE850

    Separated at birth?

    LG has unveiled the Prada-branded handset - the KE850 - it announced late last year and the two firms must be spewing: their designer phone looks a lot like Apple's iPhone, right down to the touchscreen-controlled snazzy graphical user interface. The Prada phone's touchscreen sits on top of a tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE radio …

    Phones 18 Jan 2007, 11:06

  • Iranian teen spared the rope

    Campaign continues to secure Nazanin Fatehi's release - you can help

    There's some cheering news this cold January morning - condemned Iranian Nazanin Mahabad Fatehi has been spared the rope following an international net campaign led by former Miss Canada Nazanin Afshin-Jam. To recap, Nazanin Fatehi was in January 2006 "sentenced to death for murder by court in Iran after she stabbed one of …

    Law 18 Jan 2007, 11:07

  • UCLA Taser victim sues university

    'Excessive force' lawsuit

    The UCLA student who received a righteous tasering at the hands of the university's campus police officers has decided to sue for "unspecified monetary damages", Associated Press reports. According to the original report in the uni's Daily Bruin, the incident occurred on 14 November last year when security officers at the …

    Law 18 Jan 2007, 11:25

  • RIM readies new UI, CPU for 3G BlackBerry 9000?

    Back-up to memory card feature too, report claims

    Research in Motion will launch a brand new user interface, along with the ability to back-up and restore a handheld's contents to MicroSD card, when it brings its BlackBerry 9000 series to market in Q4. So claims handset rumoursite BoyGeniusReport, which adds that the device will be a 3G unit and contain a new processor. …

    Phones 18 Jan 2007, 11:30

  • ID theft fears over Hampshire hospital PC theft

    Patient peril

    The theft of 30 computers containing patient details from a disused hospital site in Hampshire has sparked ID theft fears. PCs, worth an estimated £15,000, were taken from a storeroom in the recently closed Lymington Infirmary earlier this month. The facility was shut to make way for a new £36m facility in the town. Although …

    Security 18 Jan 2007, 12:04

  • Government launches data free-for-all

    In the name of fraud prevention

    The government has ditched yet more of the protections on personal data contained in the Data Protection Act with new legislation that will allow the sharing of data between public and private sectors. The move follows the decision by the cabinet to allow data to be "normally shared" between public sector bodies, if the sharing …

    Law 18 Jan 2007, 12:13

  • Venerable DataFlex goes visual

    20 years to get to Version 12

    It is reassuring to know that Microsoft has not overwhelmed every software product from the original PC era. This month sees the UK release of Visual DataFlex (VDF) version 12 - the latest version of Data Access's application development package from the early 1980s. Always a popular product in the UK, the original version of …

    Developer 18 Jan 2007, 12:21

  • Debian developers take note

    Diary If it's June it must be Edinburgh

    Linus fans, get your diaries ready. The annual developers' conference of the Debian Project is to be held on 17-23 June in Edinburgh. Debian is one of the largest volunteer-supported Linux distributions, with over 15,000 software packages available for it, which can be used on a total of 14 different computer architectures, …

    Developer 18 Jan 2007, 12:22

  • Parents gain MPs' backing over school fingerprinting

    Westminster lifts a finger

    The government should come clean to parents and join with them in a public debate about the schools that have taken children's fingerprints without consent, campaign groups said last night. Representatives of Leave Them Kids Alone, No2ID, and Action on Rights for Children were joined by other campaigning parents in London …

    Law 18 Jan 2007, 12:43

  • Scientists solve 1918 bird flu mystery

    Monkey see, monkey flu

    Scientists appear to have solved an enduring mystery surrounding the 1918 outbreak of Spanish flu which killed millions worldwide. Estimates say the epidemic took 50 million lives, more than the First World War. Unlike most bird flu strains, it was lethal amongst young, healthy people. A Canadian lab reconstucted the Spanish …

    Science 18 Jan 2007, 14:14

  • Dell growth slows to crawl in Q4

    HP takes top spot again

    Dell's misery continued in the fourth quarter. HP has stretched its time in the number one spot for PC shipments to six months, according to latest figures from Gartner. The extended stint in the top spot meant it tied with Dell as top PC shipper for the year. Total PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2006 were 67.4 …

    The Channel 18 Jan 2007, 15:17

  • Cookie monster menaces Google

    Search giant battles brace of bugs

    Google has fixed a security vulnerability that created a means for hackers to swipe users' cookie data, days after plugging a separate hole carrying much the same risks. Both bugs meant attackers could modify Google documents, view the email subject lines and initial word (but not the full contents) of messages to Gmail and …

    Security 18 Jan 2007, 15:19

  • Carphone Warehouse hangs up on Celebrity Big Brother

    While Jade Goody's gob crashes Ofcom website

    Carphone Warehouse has pulled its sponsorship of Celebrity Big Brother in the wake of the "Shettygate" racism scandal, the BBC reports. The company said its backing for the current series was cancelled "with immediate effect". The announcement follows thousands of complaints to UK TV watchdog Ofcom, whose website is struggling …

    Mobile 18 Jan 2007, 15:33

  • NASA to demystify atmospheric storms

    Mission launching in February

    NASA is preparing to launch a new mission to learn more about the causes of atmospheric substorms. A substorm is a period of intense geomagnetic activity, visible to observers as a sudden brightening of the polar aurorae. The storms might be visible to us, but scientists don't really understand what triggers them. What is known …

    Science 18 Jan 2007, 15:48

  • Orb brings iTunes to Wii console

    Convergence on the cheap

    Demonstrating that you can do convergence on a budget, Orb claims that Nintendo Wii owners have downloaded 50,000 copies of its software that permits them to access their home music and photo collections on their games consoles. A Swedish Wii owner took advantage of the console's built-in Opera browser and Wi-Fi to tap into …

    Games 18 Jan 2007, 15:57

  • Skype slaps charge on non-'Pro' customers

    But hasn't actually launched Pro service

    Skype, the rather popular VoIP service, has introduced a connection charge of 3.9 euro cents for all calls outside the Skype network - those using the SkypeOut service - from midday today. The change comes with several alterations to its international tariffs, and the announcement of a Skype Pro service which will cost €2 a …

    VoIP 18 Jan 2007, 16:01

  • 'Microsoft broke anti-trust agreement,' prosecutors claim

    Documenting the undocumented

    A relatively minor US anti-trust case could put Microsoft back in hot water with the government, four years after settling its long-running national case. Prosecutors in an Iowa anti-trust suit against Microsoft have been granted special permission by a judge to present evidence to the Department of Justice (DoJ) they claim …

    Operating Systems 18 Jan 2007, 16:24

  • Stormy weather brings down Southern Railway website

    Wrong kind of bandwidth

    As the UK battens down the hatches and lashes itself to the wheel under the relentless onslaught of inclement weather, we're glad to report that Southern Railways' website boasts a suitably storm-proof construction. Or rather, and in the great UK railway tradition, it actually blew over at the first sign of a stiff breeze. Here …

    Bootnotes 18 Jan 2007, 16:26

  • 1and1 email takes a dive again

    But...you said the problems were over!

    Hosting and email provider 1and1 has annoyed its customers for the second time this week with patchy service. The Register has been contacted by a dozen irate 1and1 customers, all complaining that their inability to access email, which the firm told us it had sorted on Tuesday, had resurfaced. Many have had trouble contacting …

    Broadband 18 Jan 2007, 16:27

  • UK refuses to extend legal protections for search engines

    Pointless, it says

    The British government will not back a change to the UK E-commerce Regulations which would give greater legal protection to search engines and other intermediaries. The Government says that changes should be left to a European Commission review later this year. The EU's E-commerce Directive of 2000, from which the UK …

    Law 18 Jan 2007, 17:04

  • First HD-DVD film appears on BitTorrent

    Serenity broken

    A high-definition format movie has made its way onto BitTorrent. A pirated copy of the hit science fiction movie Serenity has been ripped from a HD DVD disc and made available to users of the popular P2P file sharing protocol. The availability of the movie, which weighs in at a chunky 19.6GB and comes as a .EVO file …

    Media 18 Jan 2007, 17:05

  • DRM threat to net radio returns

    You cannot be Sirius...

    A bill re-introduced last week to the US Senate compels digital radio broadcasters to use DRM. The PERFORM Act was first introduced on the floor last year, and seeks to harmonize royalties between different digital media, such as satellite and webcasters. It's intended to prevent the US's two digital satellite radio …

    Media 18 Jan 2007, 17:32

  • IFPI hails piracy crusade for selling more music downloads

    Onwards and upwards

    Digital music sales nearly doubled in 2006 but the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry wants more done to stop piracy. The IFPI published its Digital Music report on Wednesday which estimates that digital music sales reached nearly USD2 billion in 2006, up from USD1.1 billion the previous year. Music …

    Media 18 Jan 2007, 18:36

  • Four arrested in Japan over dating site spam blizzard

    Love sick

    Four men suspected of sending an internet-congesting 5.4 billion spam emails to promote a dating website have been arrested in Japan. Yoshimitsu Hirono, 47, president of Tokyo-based dating website Takumi Tsushin, and three other suspects, are charged with distributing 90m junk mail messages a day in July and August last year. …

    Security 18 Jan 2007, 18:50

  • San Francisco expands public surveillance

    Public smackdown over civil liberties

    In a controversial decision that pits civil libertarians against urban dwellers fed up with crime, San Francisco officials have agreed to almost double the number of surveillance cameras on city streets. Following four hours of heated debate, the San Francisco Police Commission voted 5-0 in favor of adding 25 new cameras in …

    Law 18 Jan 2007, 19:25

  • Myspace sued for failing to protect minors

    Predators, phishers lurk in dark corners

    As Peter Parker learned: With great power comes great responsibility. The adage that guided the Spider Man alter ego is fitting for Myspace.com, whose massive user base gives the social networking site vast reach. According to lawsuits filed on behalf of four families, Myspace didn't act quickly enough to protect users who are …

    Security 18 Jan 2007, 21:10

  • Father of internet warns against Net Neutrality

    No Kahn do

    Robert Kahn, the most senior figure in the development of the internet, has delivered a strong warning against "Net Neutrality" legislation. Speaking to an audience at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California at an event held in his honour, Kahn warned against legislation that inhibited experimentation and …

    Broadband 18 Jan 2007, 21:19

  • Sun cheers two SPARC advances in one week (true)

    Faster Niagara, taped Rock

    Some of you Negative Noycies out there have spent the last five years claiming that Sun's SPARC processor made more sense in a museum than in a server. Sun's cancellation of the UltraSPARC V chip supported such views. As it turns out, SPARC only suffered from a near death experience. Now there's a long list of fresh SPARC …

    Servers 18 Jan 2007, 21:26

  • Bush performs wiretapping U-turn

    Courting the opposition

    The US government has made a major concession regarding a controversial domestic surveillance programme which is the subject of a lawsuit alleging that the activity is unconstitutional. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said that the programme, which is operated by the National Security Agency, would now be overseen by a court …

    Government 18 Jan 2007, 22:58

  • Salesforce.com goes carbon neutral

    No, they're not killing the staff

    Salesforce.com has become Silicon Valley's latest high-tech convert to the green computing crusade, committing $126,000 to become "carbon neutral" this year. The software as a service (SaaS) pioneer is supporting five renewable energy projects to compensate for the nearly 20,000 tones of CO2 pumped into the atmosphere by its …

    Science 18 Jan 2007, 23:19