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1st February 2007 Archive

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  • Finger-wielding aliens invade Boston

    Marketing campaign bombs, prompts terror alert

    A marketing campaign that planted electronic devices throughout Boston was so successful it brought parts of the city to a virtual standstill after authorities mistook them for terrorist bombs. The devices, promoting an adult cartoon, contained blinking lights that bore the image of an extraterrestrial brandishing the middle …

    Bootnotes 1 Feb 2007, 00:55

  • Microsoft dabbles in Office rental

    Not a real estate deal

    Days after foisting another generously priced version of Office on users, Microsoft is reportedly flirting with a pay-as-you go version of its desktop productivity suite. According to veteran Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley, lucky customers in South Africa, Mexico and Romania are testing Office 2003, charged at $15 per month …

    Applications 1 Feb 2007, 01:09

  • Dell's CEO Rollins evicted from brass box

    Comment Dell 2.0 - 'Now shipping with less brain'

    Dell's siamese twin management experiment has ended with only the brand name baby surviving the surgeon's slice. Back in 2004 when Kevin Rollins took over the CEO gig from founder Michael Dell, company officials talked up the close bonds between the two executives. The comrades shared an office, working in a so-called two-in-a- …

    Servers 1 Feb 2007, 02:44

  • IE ripe for attack, despite Microsoft claims

    Year of living dangerously

    Windows Vista may be "dramatically more secure" than Windows XP but Internet Explorer is destined to remain Windows' Achilles' heel. Attacks on browsers will continue their inexorable ascent during the next 12 months, despite changes designed to lock out hackers and thwart remote attacks. A new security report from IBM …

    Enterprise Security 1 Feb 2007, 04:24

  • Making sense of Ruby

    Hands on An IntelliSense Cure for Method Madness?

    We were six months into the project before we even realised we had a problem. Until that point, we had assumed IntelliSense was a trivial matter that could doubtless be wrapped up in an afternoon’s coding. After all, how hard can it be to program some lists of names that drop down when someone types a dot? The answer, as we …

    Developer 1 Feb 2007, 07:02

  • Vodafone sees 200 million mobile punters soon

    KPIs show network is performing

    Vodafone has published its key performance indicators for the last year, and things are looking good for the world's second largest mobile phone operator. Subscriber numbers should hit 200 million by the end of January, still lagging behind the 300 million connected by China Telecom but they only operate in one market while …

    Mobile 1 Feb 2007, 07:02

  • Why Vista will take a back seat for a few years

    Comment The new waiting game

    Vista is a step forward in security, but many businesses will be stuck with Windows XP for years to come, due to the cost of upgrading, the value of existing assets, and compatibility issues that trump security features. As I write this, Microsoft is launching the consumer version of Vista in New York, apparently with dancers …

    Operating Systems 1 Feb 2007, 10:25

  • Apple deal drives Creative income, revenues skyward

    Made more money licensing MP3 player patent than selling MP3 players

    You can see now why Creative Technology's now so pro-iPod - last month it announced a range of 'Made for iPod'-branded accessories. Its latest financial results, posted last night, show a massive upswing in revenues thanks, we'd say, to Apple's move to license Creative's key MP3 player patent. The effect: an additional $82m …

    Reg Hardware 1 Feb 2007, 10:28

  • A way around WiMAX?

    Column Dodge planning permission: go to Africa

    A very large comms corporation is kissing babies, preparatory to launching something new next week. Details are under embargo, but my chat with them this week provoked an enthusiastic discussion about whether 802.16e really is useful in mobile telephony. We ended up agreeing that in the UK, Europe, and America, the problems …

    Wireless 1 Feb 2007, 10:44

  • Broadcom batters Qualcomm in IPR court

    Qualcomm forced to lower high patent royalties

    Broadcom has now won its second patent spat with Qualcomm in court, this time through a jury trial that lasted nine days, and had at its heart, patents associated with H.264, the new standard codec which comes out of the telecommunications community and the MPEG standards body. What we find alarming is the fact that finally, …

    Wireless 1 Feb 2007, 10:48

  • WTO raps US over online gambling law

    You're just not 'trying hard enough' to stick to the law

    The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has ruled against the US in an online gambling dispute with the Caribbean island of Antigua and Barbuda. The US is breaking international trade rules, it is expected to say. Though the ruling is still private, Reuters has reported that the WTO has found the US guilty of not complying with a …

    Law 1 Feb 2007, 10:56

  • Intel quietly ships low-voltage Core 2 Duos

    No fanfare for 'fan-free' processors

    Intel appears to have launched a pair of low-voltage Core 2 Duo processors. The two CPUs, the L7200 and L7400, both appear on the chip maker's website, though not on its official public price list as yet. The L7200 and L7400 are clocked at 1.33GHz and 1.5GHz, respectively. Both operate on a 667MHz frontside bus and contain …

    Reg Hardware 1 Feb 2007, 11:02

  • London police can't cope with cybercrime

    Met boss calls for dedicated cybercrime unit

    London's Metropolitan Police Service is unable to cope with cybercrime, according to a report written by a Met boss, which recommended setting up a new dedicated unit for cybercrime. There used to be a force dedicated to exactly that, but it was subsumed into the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). Called the National High …

    Crime 1 Feb 2007, 11:10

  • Rock rolls out three-year, pan-Europe warranty

    Year-old notebooks covered too

    UK notebook specialist Rock has extended its warranty period to three years and broaden the guarantee's reach across the European Union. Current owners of Rock hardware need not feel left out: anyone who bought a machine on or after 1 February 2006 can also take advantage of the extended cover. Rock said the warranty applies …

    Reg Hardware 1 Feb 2007, 11:26

  • iPhone boosts Ajax and fluid UIs

    Comment But Nokia will take them mainstream

    It was predictable, given Apple's history, that the iPhone would be a fairly closed environment, but there has still been consternation in some quarters that it will be so tough for mobile developers to create applications for the device - at a time when most phonemakers are finally opening up their platforms, and recognizing …

    Mobile 1 Feb 2007, 11:40

  • Dell developing handheld games console

    Gunning for Nintendo, Sony

    Dell is gearing up to take on Nintendo's DS and Sony's PSP with a gaming-oriented handheld console of its own, the company has admitted. That said, it's keeping mum about the details. Speaking last week at a Dell event in Spain, the company's head of gaming products, Abizar Vakharia, confirmed that the company has its eye in …

    Reg Hardware 1 Feb 2007, 11:58

  • Coastguard calls off search for Jim Gray

    Computing pioneer lost

    Coastguards in northern California are planning to call off the search for missing Microsoft researcher Jim Gray early on Thursday. He went missing on a sailing trip off San Francisco Bay on Sunday. Associated Press reports a helicopter, six patrol boats, and a plane have been scouring the area since Monday to no avail. …

    Software 1 Feb 2007, 12:24

  • Sony Ericsson ultra-slim Walkman spied on web

    Won't be playing heavy metal?

    Remember last year's rumour that Sony Ericsson is developing a super-slim Walkman-branded handset, codenamed 'Ai'? Well, here it is, in all its 9.4mm-thick glory, thanks to a Swede who's got his hands on the device. The pics come courtesy of Swedish Mobil, which has a heap more to view and claims the handset's due to be …

    Reg Hardware 1 Feb 2007, 12:24

  • Microsoft prepares to shoot geek into space

    But what happened to the Codemasters?

    Vanishing Point, the Microsoft puzzle challenge which offers the winner a trip into space, is over - all that remains is to draw the winner's name from a hat. The last Microsoft competition to promote Vista was won by one Nicholas P. We'd like to tell you more about how Nick came to win the Codemasters Challenge, but …

    Software 1 Feb 2007, 12:41

  • Giant baby born in Mexico

    Updated Hefty

    A Mexican woman has given birth to an unusually large baby. Dubbed "Super Tonio", the baby weighed in at a massive 6.6kg when he was delivered by staff at the Jesus Kumate Rodriguez hospital in Cancun, Mexico. For the uninitiated, it is worth pointing out that an average baby weighs around 7lbs, or 3.2kg at birth. These average …

    Biology 1 Feb 2007, 12:49

  • Dopod UMPC launch lifts HTC Athena's skirt

    HTC subsidiary Dopod has launched its parent's UMPC-like PDA phone, Athena, as forecast. Crucially, the launch provides a wealth of extra details missing from discussions of the device to date. For instance, Athena integrates a dedicated AMD graphics chip. Alas, according to Dopod, it's only the Imageon 2284, designed to …

    Reg Hardware 1 Feb 2007, 12:58

  • Bio-fuels trigger tortilla price bubble

    Flatbread prices rising in Mexico

    Demand for eco-friendly bio-fuels in the US is being blamed for a massive rise in the price of corn in Mexico. The recent 400 per cent increase in the price of a tortilla has driven thousands of Mexico's poorest people onto the streets in protest. The country has been entitled to cheap corn imports from the US for some time, …

    Bootnotes 1 Feb 2007, 13:24

  • Vulture eats his way along a trail of Spam

    Analysis From T-Mobile to eBay

    Last December we received a spam email, which appeared to come from T-Mobile, advertising "exclusive offers and great phone deals". We also heard from some readers who were equally surprised to have received spam from a generally well-reputed company. So we thought we'd find out how we ended up on this mailing list. We …

    Mobile 1 Feb 2007, 14:32

  • MIS buys i-Sentral

    Cash buyout

    MIS Corporate Defence Solutions (CDS) Ltd is buying i-Sentral Security Ltd. The deal makes 15-year-old MIS CDS one of the UK's largest security providers, offering everything from firewalls to compliance. Late last year it bought the IT security business of Nexus Technology Ltd - a specialist security software provider. The …

    Channel Register 1 Feb 2007, 14:34

  • Easynet sorry for email problems

    Nine days and counting

    Easynet has had intermittent email problems for over nine days and is still struggling to fix them. We were contacted by an unimpressed customer: "We use Easynet POP email services for our corporate email. Delays and outages began around 23 January and have been causing serious problems ever since. Annoyed customers are …

    Telecoms 1 Feb 2007, 15:07

  • 'Contact us' attack takes out mail servers

    Ticking mail bomb threat overlooked

    The "contact us" feature on many websites is often insecure and makes it easy to launch denial of service attacks on corporate mail servers, according to UK-based security consultancy SecureTest. The "contact us" feature is usually a form that allows surfers to submit comments to the people running a website. According to …

    Enterprise Security 1 Feb 2007, 15:16

  • Samsung chip tweak to 'boost LCD TV reliability'

    Samsung has developed new chip-on-film display driver circuitry which, it claims, could yield longer-lasting large-size LCD TVs. The new circuit package is much better at ridding itself of heat than current chip-on-film devices are, the company said. The circuitry is 20 per cent more efficient at heat dissipation, Samsung …

    Reg Hardware 1 Feb 2007, 15:31

  • BT buys Calif. computer services firm

    Infill

    BT has broadened its US footprint by tying up a deal for International Network Services. The telecoms giant is merging the 900-strong Californian services firm into its own 7,000 strong professional services arm. INS specialises in four areas: Enterprise Architecture and Governance; Business Productivity; Information Risk …

    Channel Register 1 Feb 2007, 15:59

  • World+dog awaits 'definitive' report on climate change

    IPCC unveils climate crystal ball tomorrow

    The definitive report of the state of our climate is due to be published tomorrow. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (the IPCC) fourth Assesment Report, some six years in the making, will be released in Paris. Its likely findings are by now so well known - we're in for higher sea levels and temperatures, …

    Science 1 Feb 2007, 16:09

  • Valentine's Day Gadget Gift Round-up... for him

    Reg Hardware's first round-up of cool kit. This time, stuff for the man in your life...

    Yes, it’s that time of year again when your relationship hangs in the balance dependent purely on how good the prezzie you buy your better half really is. Well worry not, you romantic fools - we've done the hard work for you. Disclaimer: if he/she thinks it's rubbish, we accept no responsibility for relationships dissolved …

    Reg Hardware 1 Feb 2007, 16:22

  • Skype woos sysadmins with FaceTime software

    Corporate control

    Skype is to integrate's FaceTime security management tools into its software, giving system administrators easier access to, and control of, corporate users. According to Skype more than 30 per cent of its customers are business users, and 95 per cent of these report reduced costs and 80 per cent increased employee productivity …

    VoIP 1 Feb 2007, 17:24

  • The Joker flies to London

    Ha! Ha! Said The Clown

    More details have emerged about the Dutchman who, dressed as The Joker from Batman, recently managed to get himself a national ID card. Robert Coleman, 35, currently on sick leave, was until recently the security guard of Het Torentje (Little Tower), the two-storey round tower in The Hague, which serves as the office for …

    ID 1 Feb 2007, 17:26

  • Dutch botnet duo sentenced

    Four more face trial

    Two young Dutch hackers who built a large botnet were sentenced to prison earlier this week. The main suspect, now 20, was handed a two-year sentence and a €9,000 f($11,800) fine, while his 28-year-old partner was given 18 months and ordered to pay €4,000 0 ($5,200). As they had both already served jail time, they were released …

    Crime 1 Feb 2007, 17:48

  • ECB blamed (again) for SWIFT privacy debacle

    Bank tries to pass the buck

    Privacy authorities are holding the European Central Bank (ECB) to account for its failure to protect European interests from an invasion of privacy when US agents were searching for terrorist financiers. Two months ago, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) was found to be in breach of data …

    Government 1 Feb 2007, 18:47

  • Simon says: let me hack your Vista PC

    Voice recognition attack

    Microsoft is playing down the possibility that the speech recognition system in Windows Vista could be hijacked to delete files or perform other unauthorised actions. Vista contains improved speech recognition technology, a factor which prompted security researchers to see if it was possible to create MP3 files on hacker …

    Enterprise Security 1 Feb 2007, 19:01

  • Microsoft nixes stripper ban for Vista launch

    Show 'em if you got 'em. And El Reg does

    The old Microsoft used to ban strippers from interrupting its product launch events. In Sept. of 2000, Microsoft unveiled a fleet of new server software products at San Francisco's Warfield Theater - a music venue in a pretty grimy part of the city. To protect its audience from filth, Microsoft bought out the Crazy Horse strip …

    Bootnotes 1 Feb 2007, 19:07

  • SF Mayor's aide fakes net postings

    Jumps on online Astroturf craze

    A spokesman for the San Francisco mayor admitted he faked his identity when posting comments favorable to his boss on a blog covering local politics. Spokesman Peter Ragone initially denied using spoofed and bogus names on the SFist, but came clean after being repeated dogged by a local TV station and other news outlets. " …

    Music and Media 1 Feb 2007, 19:27

  • UK to regulate online gambling advertisers

    Filtering out rogue operators

    Online gambling operators outside Europe will have to seek Government permission to advertise in the UK. The British government's reform of gambling law mandates the seeking of permission in an attempt to crack down on rogue operators. The gambling markets will be liberalised on 1st September and part of that process will be …

    Music and Media 1 Feb 2007, 19:40

  • Irish govt slammed over MIT Media Lab Europe fiasco

    'Unfit to spend taxpayers' money'

    Ireland's Public Accounts Committee's report on the Media Lab Europe collapse proves the country's government is 'unfit' to spend taxpayers' money, an Opposition spokesman claims. Media Lab Europe (MLE) was set up in 2000 as the centrepiece of the Digital Hub project in Dublin. The centre closed in 2005 and its failure cost the …

    Government 1 Feb 2007, 20:14

  • Court protects firms from employees' noxious emails

    Silicon Justice Agilent couldn't agree more

    Some companies in California don't have to worry about their employees' online activity as much as they used to - at least for the time being. In a recent judgment, an appellate court in California ruled that Agilent Technologies, a high-tech spin-off of HP, couldn't be held accountable for the online shenanigans of one of its …

    Law 1 Feb 2007, 21:37

  • California man busted for software piracy

    Dissatisfied customers led to his demise

    A Southern California man was arrested for allegedly producing and selling thousands of dollars worth of pirated software from Microsoft and Adobe, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's department. Gad Zamir, 64, was apprehended after authorities armed with a search warrant found $13,000 in cash, about $283,000 worth of …

    Crime 1 Feb 2007, 21:48

  • IBM eighty-sixes server chief

    Exclusive Er, make that 'Whitney retires'

    IBM and x86 server chief Susan Whitney have parted ways, The Register can reveal. Whitney a longtime and very powerful IBM executive has retired. Just two weeks ago, the executive told us "there is nothing to comment on" when we probed about her possible exit from the company. At that time, IBM said Whitney remained in charge …

    Servers 1 Feb 2007, 23:06