6th February 2007 Archive

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Overstock.com sues Wall Street for $3.48bn

'Massive illegal stock market manipulation'

One gets the feeling that Patrick Byrne, the boss of the online excess inventory dealer Overstock.com, would have an argument with himself if he were the only person in the room. But let's say this for the pugnacious retailer, he's willing to take on all shapes and all sizes. On Friday, Overstock went after most of Wall Street …

Financial News 6 Feb 2007, 00:44
PA Semi starts dealing samples

'Go on. Have a taste'

Chip darling PA Semi has gone from "all talk" to "a lot of talk" with samples of the company's first processor now making their way to customers. More than 100 companies have voiced interest in seeing what PA Semi's dual-core PA6T-1682M PWRficient chip has to offer. The potential customers span a wide range of industries and …

Servers 6 Feb 2007, 02:08
Transmeta streamlines 75 staff out the door

Legal team hunkers down

Master of the "streamline," Transmeta today culled about 40 per cent of its workforce. Seventy-five employees - most of them in engineering - have been let go, as a cost savings measure. In addition, the chip IP licensing house plans to shutdown sales and support offices in Japan and Taiwan. Transmeta will also can another 25 …

Financial News 6 Feb 2007, 02:24
Conservatives lay plans to ditch ID cards

Put the government on formal notice

The shadow home secretary David Davies has asked the government to agree get-out clauses with companies it contracts to build its ID card systems and databases so that a Conservative government can ditch the scheme. In a letter to Sir Gus O'Donnell, cabinet secretary, Davies gave "formal notice" that the Conservatives would …

Government 6 Feb 2007, 07:51
CCTV steam train ignores detractors

Review concerned only 'stakeholders'

A Police proposal to introduce a CCTV law will be published about three months late while the Home Office considers the concerns of social and civil liberties groups. The joint review of CCTV "effectiveness" by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office was drafted in consultation with CCTV operators and law …

Public Sector 6 Feb 2007, 07:57
Adobe takes on Java and .NET

Why Flex and Apollo will shake up client application development

Adobe Flash came from nowhere to become the obvious choice for embedding video into websites, despite the presence of well-established alternatives including Real, Windows Media and Quicktime. Could it have a similar impact on client application development? Last month Adobe’s Ben Forsaith ran a Flex 2 workshop for the press, …

Developer 6 Feb 2007, 08:01
Gorbachev tells Gates to leave the pirates alone

The quality of mercy

Mikhail Gorbachev, the former, and last, leader of the Soviet Union is asking Bill Gates to intervene in a case of a Russian school teacher who is facing time in a Siberian prison camp for using pirated software. In a letter on his website, yes Gorby's got a blog, Gorbachev calls on Gates to show mercy. The letter says, via …

Law 6 Feb 2007, 09:45
Safer Internet Day highlights dangers online

Reid: 'Bandwagon ho!'

The fourth Safer Internet Day, today, will be marked with events worldwide aimed at raising awareness of online child protection issues. Safer Internet Day, organised by EU online safety initiative Insafe, will include a repeat of 2006's "blogathon", where children in 25 countries will showcase work being done in classrooms to …

Law 6 Feb 2007, 09:55
Trenchcoated astronaut on battery, kidnapping rap

Updated Space shuttle Columbo?

A NASA astronaut has been arrested and charged with battery and attempted kidnapping. Mission specialist Lisa Nowak is alleged to have tried to kidnap Colleen Shipman, who she appears to have considered a rival for the affections of her fellow astronaut William Oefelein. Nowak is reported to have driven 1,000 miles from Houston …

Space 6 Feb 2007, 10:23
NAO kicks DoH for Dr Foster move

Tendering process under scrutiny

The National Audit Office (NAO) has sharply criticised the Department of Health for an information spreading initiative. It says the DoH failed to go through proper procedures and could not show value for money in setting up a joint venture between the Information Centre, which collects and disseminates information across the …

Public Sector 6 Feb 2007, 10:26
Ofcom revises analogue switch-off safeguards

Minimising interference

Existing digital television services could be affected by the national switchover to all-digital television, Ofcom has warned. The communications regulator will review its Code of Practice to govern the switchover to digital and the switch off of analogue television, which will take place from 2008 to 2012. It has outlined some …

Networks 6 Feb 2007, 10:38
AMD to roll out quad-core Opterons through Q2, Q3, Q4?

Latest timetable leaks

AMD's initial array of quad-core Opteron processors will go into production in June, the latest roadmap to apparently leak out of the company indicates. Further models will get punched out in the following quarter, with workstation-oriented versions following in Q4. The details come courtesy of DailyTech, which lists the …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 10:39
Intel to cut one-way system Xeon prices in April?

Quads, duals both targeted

Intel has allegedly earmarked April not only for desktop four-core processor price cuts but also to reduce what it charges for quad- and dual-core chips designed for single-processor systems. Taiwanese server maker sources cited by DigiTimes, claim the cuts coming to Xeon 3200 and 3000 series will see up between 10 and 38.7 …

Servers 6 Feb 2007, 10:54
Neteller funds held by FBI

Don't bet on getting it back

The FBI has frozen access to Neteller accounts as part of its ongoing investigation into the company. Neteller provides electronic wallet services which were popular with gambling sites because they allowed US residents to gamble without using credit cards which would give away their home addresses - most gambling sites took …

Law 6 Feb 2007, 11:13
Storage virtualisation back on the menu

This time it's really fit for use, says DataCore

Storage virtualisation is finally going mainstream, DataCore Software has claimed, as it limbers up for a major new release of its flagship SANsymphony app later this week. The new software - SANsymphony Enterprise Edition 6.0 - includes several significant features, such as virtual SANs, iSCSI/Fibre Channel agnosticism, …

Storage 6 Feb 2007, 11:18
AMD's RS690T, SB700 notebook chipset: details emerge

North and South bridges exposed

Details of AMD's next-generation South Bridge chip, the SB700, have leaked out. With them, the chip maker's plans for its latest notebook reference platform, codenamed 'Trevally' - designed, it seems, to take Intel's 'Santa Rosa' Centrino head on. The gen comes via a Spanish-language report at ChileHardware. Apparently, …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 11:20
Motorola home surveillance kit comes to UK

Reader offer Keep your stuff in sight, even when you're out

Motorola's Homesight remote domestic monitoring kit is to be offered in the UK, allowing parents to keep an eye on their kids, spouses to spy on crafty consorts and travellers to bust burglars at a distance using a computer or a mobile phone. Reseller MySecurity247 today announced it will next month ship a variety of Motorola …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 11:24
Techies plan sustained revolt at Fujitsu

Six strike days a month

Unionised technical support staff at Fujitsu IT Services have agreed to stage an unrelenting campaign of strikes until the employer gives them what they believe is their fair share of pay and recognition. In a business climate where offshore outsourcing and public service restructure have put pressure on IT departments, …

Channel Register 6 Feb 2007, 11:46
Sony Ericsson to add 'super 3G' to laptop datacard line

Sony Ericsson has updated its range of notebook-oriented mobile connectivity cards with a model that supports almost every cellular network link, including HSDPA for high-speed 3G downloads. The PC300 Mobile Broadband PC Card is, as its name suggests a PCMCIA add-in, so it's not for notebooks with the more advancted …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 11:47
Microsoft Zune wireless music player

Review Microsoft attempts to win over the iPod-infatuated

After five years Microsoft has decided to combat Apple's domination of the portable music market head-to-head with Zune - a hard drive-based MP3 player with full colour screen and built-in Wi-Fi music sharing... Zune is only available in the US at the moment - and Microsoft is keeping tight-lipped about when the player will …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 12:02
When Mercury went down

Stob Life and times of an email nag

Last month, Kiwi programmer David Harris officially threw in the towel. After 17 years, he announced he was ceasing development of Pegasus Mail, the famous, free-as-in-beer, email program. (That Mr Harris subsequently retrieved the towel, now damp in patches and covered in other people's hairs, I will get around to in a …

Verity Stob 6 Feb 2007, 12:19
Vista users get free Wi-FI

Just sign up with The Cloud

Users making the leap to Microsoft's latest OS will get a few months' free Wi-Fi usage courtesy of hotspot aggregator The Cloud. To activate their free trial punters just visit The Cloud website and enter their Windows Vista registration code, which is verified online before they're allowed free access to all The Cloud's …

Wireless 6 Feb 2007, 12:30
Check Point adds hardware UTM

Aims boxed SMB security at the IT generalist

Check Point has announced its first universal threat management (UTM) appliance in a bid to win over mid-sized organisations who want their own security systems, but don't want to buy security software and install it themselves. Called UTM-1, the box will compete with similar devices from Cisco and Juniper, and from a host of …

Small Biz 6 Feb 2007, 12:34
Sony Ericsson grows Cyber-shot phone line

Sony Ericsson today announced a raft of budget candybar handsets pitched at consumers seeking a new camera phone, a device designed for music playback or punters seeking access to O2's i-mode online service. It also rolled out more mid-range Cyber-shot handsets. The K810 and K550 both sport the Cyber-shot logo, usually …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 12:36
Projects begin at Diamond synchrotron

Brighter than ten billion suns

The first research projects have begun at the newly opened Diamond Light Source, a state of the art synchrotron facility in Oxfordshire. Scientists working on cancer research, developing new data storage techniques, and the origins of our solar system will be among the first to use the synchrotron. The research groups, drawn …

Storage 6 Feb 2007, 12:53
'Timna' - Intel's first system-on-a-chip

Forgotten Tech Before 'Tolapai', before 'Banias'...

With Intel's 'Tolapai' system-on-a-chip (SoC) part making headlines this week, it's worth remembering this embedded part isn't Intel's first highly-integrated processor. Ironically, the core Tolapai is said to be based on, the Pentium M, may have been instrumental in the demise of 'Timna', the chip giant's first major SoC …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 13:09
Taking wing with Apache 2

A new and flexible framework

In October, we developed a simple HelloWorld module. Last week, my book finally appeared in print. To celebrate the happy event, let's take a look at the more advanced topic of how Apache 1's fixed request processing morphed into a new and more flexible framework in Apache 2. Any competent CGI or PHP scripter knows the basics …

Developer 6 Feb 2007, 13:14
German police Trojan tactics verboten

Suspect computers off limits

German police have been prohibited from using hacking tactics to obtain intelligence from suspects' computers. But the ruling by Germany's Supreme Court on Monday may not be a definitive victory for civil liberties. Germany's Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble is expected to propose legislation that would legalise convert …

Security 6 Feb 2007, 13:19
Accounting firm hit by letter bomb

Two injured in Berkshire

A second letter bomb exploded in the UK this morning injuring two men. The Wokingham office of accounting firm Vantis was the target of the bomb, which exploded at 9.00am. The men did not require hospital treatment. This follows a letter bomb sent to Capita yesterday. Capita's projects include the London Congestion charge and a …

Financial News 6 Feb 2007, 13:33
Apple sounds Vista iPod corruption warning

Wait for next iTunes before upgrading, firm suggests

Windows-using iPod owners have been advised to wait for the next release of iTunes jukebox software before upgrading to Windows Vista if they want to avoid "compatibility issues" between their favoured player and the new operating system. According to Apple, these issues include an inability to play songs bought from the …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 13:40
Sony Ericsson set to stun with wafer-thin Walkman phone

London launch of long-suspected super-slimline handset

The early pics and rumours about the launch of a super-slim Walkman handset from Sony Ericsson are true: the W880/W888 - successor to the Sony Ericsson W810 Walkman phone - was formally announced in London today. Thinner than a CD case - which is 10mm - the 9.4mm thick UMTS/3G 2100, GSM/GPRS/EDGE 900/1800/190 handset will …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 14:22
So you call yourself a web professional?

Site offer Code with the best of them

With reports that UK online sales in the weeks before Christmas hit nearly £7.7bn, and with the emerging markets in the Far East stamping their mark on today's online communities, it is a brave man that will bet against the web developing still further in terms of its importance in global financial markets. SitePoint has …

Site News 6 Feb 2007, 14:36
Reid declares net safe as Paris's bits are hidden away

Letters And Vint Cerf drops us a line

We at El Reg are used to hobnobbing with the cream of internet high society [er, we are? - Ed], so we were not surprised at all when one of the Founding Fathers dropped us a note in response to an article we'd written about the threat of botnets, as highighted to the World Economic Forum. So used to it, in fact, that we thought …

Letters 6 Feb 2007, 14:43
Customs arrests 10 alleged VAT-fraudsters

Carousel fraud

Customs arrested 10 people this morning suspected of involvement in a £250m carousel fraud. The arrests were made as a result of Operation Euripus back in July 2003 - which saw 46 people arrested after raids on 93 addresses across Europe. As a result of that operation half a million pages of documents and 28 terabytes of …

Channel Register 6 Feb 2007, 15:11
HDS swallows Archivas

Content together

Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) announced today it will acquire privately-held storage software firm Archivas for an undisclosed sum. SearchStorage reports that sources close to the deal estimate HDS will cough up to $120m for the target. Archivas, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, competes in the active archive and content …

Storage 6 Feb 2007, 15:17
Dell bundles laptop theft-recovery service

Ping to beat pinchers

Dell is to bundle Absolute Software's burglar-beating Computrace LoJack for Laptops recovery service with "select" Inspiron notebooks, the PC giant said today. Absolute's code listens out for signals sent by the company when it receives notification from the police that a laptop has been pinched. If it receives them - …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 15:31
Chip and PIN card security compromised (again)

Relay attack hands baton to fraudsters

Doctored payment machines could be used to lift confidential authorisation codes from Chip and PIN credit and debit cards, security researchers at Cambridge University have discovered. Shoppers attempting to use fake terminals to make purchases might unwittingly allow scammers to hijack details and make fraudulent purchases …

Crime 6 Feb 2007, 15:44
Conservatives flesh out ID opposition

Enlightened Conservatism

The Conservative Party launched its campaign against the government's ID card scheme today, juxtaposing a libertarian stance on identity against a tough stance on crime, punishment and immigration. First and foremost the campaign's image doctors have presented in their advertising message a moniker for their anti-ID campaign …

ID 6 Feb 2007, 15:55
Wii whups PS3 in Japan's January sales chart

Enterbrain - Japan's largest videogames magazine publisher, according to the Reuters newsagency - today claimed Nintendo's Wii outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 by almost - appropriately - three to one during January. Enterbrain's research puts January's Wii shipments at 405,000, while Sony sold 148,000 PS3s. Sony recently …

Reg Hardware 6 Feb 2007, 16:11
KPN trades fixed line for IP telephony

Goodbye to POTS

Dutch telco KPN joins BT by turning off its public switched telephone network (PSTN) in less than three years. Eelco Blok, the CEO of KPN's fixed network, told German magazine WirtsschaftsWoche it will abandon its 100 year-old fixed line network in 2010 in favor of IP telephony. By ripping out its legacy networks, including …

Telecoms 6 Feb 2007, 17:02
Cisco pulls its security together

Promises more collaboration - and about time too...

Cisco claims that it is finally getting its act together on security. The company has unveiled a new strategy, called Threat Control and Containment, or TCC, which it said would get its assorted security products working together more effectively. "TCC comprises several key initiatives - more collaboration between products, …

Data Networking 6 Feb 2007, 17:07
HP smacks Sun with Solaris stick

So much support

It appears that HP's fondness for Sun Microsystems' Solaris operating system has returned. The hardware maker today announced quick support for the latest version of Solaris across a number of its Intel-based servers. HP now supports the November 2006 release of Solaris on the HP ProLiant BL20p G4, BL460c, BL480c, DL360 G5, …

Servers 6 Feb 2007, 17:14
Nokia updates firmware DIY service

N73 and N93 users breathe sigh of relief

Nokia has at last pushed out updates for its N73 and N93 handsets after users grew increasingly frustrated at its self service software program. A new version of Nokia Update was made available this morning, allowing N93 users to upgrade their software. This follows the release of new firmware for the mobile operator's N73 …

Mobile 6 Feb 2007, 17:23
Why businesses need business continuity

Executive briefing Download our report here

So the worst happens: are you prepared? The Register's Martin Banks has a written a white paper on Business Continuity and implementation strategies, which we trust you will find useful. Business Continuity tools are the one set of products and procedures that every business hopes it will never have to use. The other side of …

Small Biz 6 Feb 2007, 17:24
Slacker or hacker?

IT saboteurs arrive late and argue with colleagues

The vast majority of insider IT sabotage is carried out by employees - or ex-employees - who have already showed signs of concerning behaviour such as tardiness, truancy, arguing with colleagues, and poor job performance, according to US researchers. According to the research - which ought to worry anyone who has difficulty …

Enterprise Security 6 Feb 2007, 18:27
Stop the US daylight saving madness!

It's a Topsy-Turvy world and that's a fact

US plans to change daylight saving hours this spring could wreak havoc on computer systems, Gartner claims. The analyst firm said automated systems could run haywire this March. Disruptions could affect calendars, billing programs and security systems, as well as undermining automated trading systems. This year daylight saving …

IT Director 6 Feb 2007, 18:45
Sun gives workers the okay to 'feel good again'

34,600 staff take a deep breath

Sun Microsystems has given the official word – its employees can hold their heads high. "Inside the company, the energy level is dramatically different," said Sun CFO Mike Lehman. "(The employees) are proud to say where they work again." An ebullient collection of Sun executives and staff dished out various versions of this …

Servers 6 Feb 2007, 19:25
US preps vast DNA dragnet

Round up the usual suspects

In a move reminiscent of Nazi Germany and 21st-Century Britain, the US federal government is about to implement rules requiring routine DNA collection from suspected illegal immigrants and anyone arrested by federal authorities, regardless of whether they are ever convicted of a crime. DNA collection will be performed in any …

Government 6 Feb 2007, 20:21
Jobs calls for DRM-free music world

Europeans, you've picked the wrong target

Steve Jobs today called on the music labels to license their music free of Digital Rights Managment (DRM) to Apple and others, to create a "truly interoperable music marketplace". In an open letter, the Apple CEO said his company is the wrong target for people who are concerned about DRM. "Perhaps those unhappy with the …

Music and Media 6 Feb 2007, 20:31
Gates: protect Windows Vista users with IP

Stoopid human

Improved technology and design alone will not be enough to keep Windows Vista and Office 2007 users safe from hackers and identity thieves, according to Bill Gates. The industry must find ways to protect users from themselves in a world where people and business connect more devices, and where more business is done online. …

Operating Systems 6 Feb 2007, 20:37
Ingram Micro sets up shop in South Africa

Distie for Saffies

Ingram Micro is opening up in South Africa, teaming up with local distie MB Technologies, to distribute components to PC builders South of the Sahara. Ingram Micro South Africa opens its doors on June 1. Presumably MB is doing the donkey work, while Ingram brings the supplier relationships on board. And presumably, at some …

Channel Register 6 Feb 2007, 23:38