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6th March 2007 Archive

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  • EMC sales chief jumps to McAfee CEO post

    DeWalt drills new security role

    EMC's top salesman Dave DeWalt has left the storage giant to saddle up as CEO and president of security firm McAfee DeWalt joined EMC in 2003 when it bought his last CEO charge Documentum in 2003. After a management reshuffle last summer, some analysts put him in the race to succeed current EMC CEO Joe Tucci. DeWalt's …

    Financial News 6 Mar 2007, 00:35

  • Farewell, Wikipedia?

    Comment Bogus boy's departure puts trivia at risk

    After pressure over the weekend from Wikipedia's Il Duce Jimmy Wales, the encyclopedia's most illustrious fake professor Ryan Jordan has resigned his post at Wikia Inc. An assiduous editor with the nickname "Essjay", the 24-year old Jordan passed himself off as an older and more mature character: a Professor of Theology with …

    Media 6 Mar 2007, 02:10

  • eBay users targeted by advanced Trojan

    Updated Wild and dynamic

    eBay users are being targeted by an advanced Trojan that attempts to redirect traffic so it can silently bid on a car from the auction site's car section, Symantec is warning. It is the latest security headache for eBay, which has faced an onslaught of complaints from some users who say fraud on the site has increased to …

    Security 6 Mar 2007, 06:19

  • AMD's lawyers go ballistic as Intel's e-mails disappear

    AMD vs Intel Save, Delete. Who can tell the difference?

    You say 'tomato.' I say 'troubling and flawed document retention policy.' Yes, friends. AMD and Intel are at it again, attacking each other this time over Intel's e-mail saving strategy. The chip giant is in the process of turning over millions of e-mails and other documents to AMD's attorneys as the companies head toward an …

    Law 6 Mar 2007, 06:55

  • Babelgum bursts into Ireland

    Emerald Isle gets IPTV

    Italian media magnate Silvio Scaglia is to set up the international headquarters of his new internet broadcasting service in Dublin. The Irish Times reported on Monday that Scaglia, who ranks 764th in the Forbes list of billionaires, plans to create 100 media jobs in Dublin to support the launch of internet protocol television …

    Broadband 6 Mar 2007, 09:58

  • NetApp pumps its midrange

    SAN/NAS hybrid is a rose, not a monster

    Network Appliance has renewed another chunk of its midrange, sliding the 3040 series in on top of the 3020 and 3050. The new box adds technology such as 64-bit processors, 4Gig Fibre Channel and Gig Ethernet, and is in effect a half-size version of the 3070 released last year. The new box is available in two forms – the …

    Storage 6 Mar 2007, 09:59

  • ITV pulls plug on premium rate phone-ins

    Golden goose goosed

    ITV has cancelled all premium-rate phone-ins across its channels while auditor Deloitte checks the bills. The probe takes two parts - first to check all current phone-ins are being run properly and, secondly, a retrospective investigation into all such competitions which have been held in the last two years. Therefore, all …

    Broadband 6 Mar 2007, 10:02

  • Outsourcing a growing concern for tech sector; survey

    Strong job outlook offset by skills shortage

    The outlook for jobs in the European technology sector is good but the spectre of outsourcing looms ominously, according to a new report. The IT Confidence Study, conducted by Eurocom Worldwide and Simpson Financial & Technology PR (Simpson FTPR), asked 217 senior executives across Europe about their views on the sector. The …

    Business 6 Mar 2007, 10:09

  • Man prangs £830k Bugatti Veyron

    'World's costliest road crash'

    An unknown driver trashed an £830,000 Bugatti Veyron on Sunday in what UK tabloid The Sun is calling "the world's costliest road crash". The 253mph beast crashed in pouring rain on a 40mph stretch of the B375 near Chertsey, Surrey, while allegedly doing 100mph. The driver apparently lost control and the hand-built French motor …

    Bootnotes 6 Mar 2007, 10:10

  • European Commission debates eID

    Solving the 'interoperability puzzle'

    The European Commission is considering the feasibility of an interoperable electronic identity (eID) system across Europe. The eID system is expected to help reduce the administrative burden on mobile workers and travellers in the EU. It will also simplify cross border business transactions, company registrations, or payment of …

    Security 6 Mar 2007, 10:28

  • Riverbed boosts SSL over WANs

    Adds secure enterprise apps to the acceleration list

    Riverbed is the latest WAN optimiser to add SSL capabilities, with a version of its RiOS operating system that lets its Steelhead appliances look into and accelerate SSL traffic. Riverbed said the addition was essential given the number of mission critical Web-enabled enterprise apps which now use SSL for security. The …

    Data Networking 6 Mar 2007, 10:35

  • Naomi Campbell to mop NY floors

    Battling supermodel learns her fate

    Naomi Campbell will "mop floors and sweep corridors" for five days as punishment for chucking a mobile phone at her maid, the Evening Standard reports. In January, Campbell pleaded guilty in a New York court to a charge of reckless assault on Ana Scolavino, and was ordered to pay Scolavino's medical expenses of $363 and to do …

    Bootnotes 6 Mar 2007, 10:36

  • Commodore back - again - as gaming PC brand

    PET sounds

    Commodore Gaming, the latest incarnation of the famous 1970s/80s computing brand, wants another stab at the big time. Later this month it will show off a "new breed" of gaming PC. The company will unveil the machines as the CeBIT show in Hannover. Right now, it's keeping mum about the details, though it's hard to see what it …

    Hardware 6 Mar 2007, 10:43

  • Is that bell tolling for Diebold's election business?

    Analysts polled, vote for sale

    Prompted by a filing Diebold made last week with the SEC, analysts in the US are beginning to wonder aloud about the future of Diebold Election Systems. In the filing, Diebold warned that further changes to the rules governing electronic voting could hurt its business. It said it is "vulnerable to these types of challenges …

    Policy 6 Mar 2007, 10:54

  • How to clone a biometric passport while it's still in the bag

    Mail exposes the postal vulnerability

    In an investigation for the Daily Mail, security consultant Adam Laurie has demonstrated how a new UK biometric passport can be cloned without even being removed from its delivery envelope. The Mail exploit draws on previous work by Laurie and others, and puts together vulnerabilities in the chip technology, and in the chip …

    Security 6 Mar 2007, 11:20

  • China steps up assault on net cafes

    No new establishments during 2007

    China has announced a ban on the opening of new internet cafes, Reuters reports. Xinhua news agency today quoted a directive "jointly released by 14 government departments, including the Ministry of Culture", which declares: "In 2007, local governments must not sanction the opening of new internet bars." In addition, net cafes …

    Law 6 Mar 2007, 11:22

  • Nvidia launches 'G80'-based workstation graphics cards

    GeForce 8800 series GPUs go Quadro

    Nvidia yesterday rolled out its latest workstation-class graphics cards: three boards based on its 'G80' unified-shader graphics chip. The trio can be used to accelerate science and engineering apps as well a graphics software, the company said. The three new boards are the Quadro FX 4600, FX 5600 and Plex VCS Model IV. …

    Hardware 6 Mar 2007, 11:31

  • AMD ATI RV610 to support 'single-channel DDR only'

    Reference board and chip specs emerge

    AMD's anticipated RV610 budget DirectX 10 graphics chip will only support single-channel memory configurations when it's launched this coming May, it has been claimed. A report at Chinese-language site HKEPC, citing unnamed industry sources, alleged the 65nm chip will connect to memory across a 64-bit bus, though it will …

    Hardware 6 Mar 2007, 12:17

  • Microsoft calls Google thief

    Pot and kettle debate cleanliness

    Microsoft executive Tom Rubin will use a speech to the American Association of Publishers, which is suing Google, to slag off the search engine's attitude to copyright. The comments might sound a little rich coming from a company which just last month was ordered to pay $1.52bn for infringing patents belonging to Alcatel-Lucent …

    Law 6 Mar 2007, 12:18

  • Compel sold to 2e2

    Private equity claims reseller

    Reseller 2e2 is paying £52.9m for all the shares of UK reseller and hire company Compel. Compel shareholders will get 149.3 pence per share. This price represents a 14 per cent premium on yesterday's close or a 59.5 per cent premium on its average closing price over the last year. The Compel board unanimously recommends the …

    The Channel 6 Mar 2007, 12:20

  • Fujitsu fêtes first 7200rpm SATA II notebook drive

    Ready for 'Santa Rosa'

    Fujitsu has introduced what it claims is the World's first 2.5in, 7,200rpm 3Gbps SATA hard drive, a notebook-oriented unit with a raw storage capacity of 160GB. The MHW2160BJ won't be available for laptop manufacturers to build into machines until the end of May - not coincidentally the same month in which Intel is expected …

    Hardware 6 Mar 2007, 12:38

  • US greenlights human/rice hybrid

    We're all fine young cannibals now

    The first ever plant/human hybrid is to be approved for commercial scale cultivation. According to reports, the US authorities have given preliminary approval for the crop to be grown on a 3,000 acre plot in Kansas. The plant in question is rice, but it has been spliced with human DNA that will make it grow a protein found in …

    Science 6 Mar 2007, 12:43

  • Apple QuickTime update lances multiple bugs

    Switch to manual

    Apple has released an updated version of its popular QuickTime media playback software that fixes eight security vulnerabilities. QuickTime 7.1.5, which also contains a number of bug fixes, guards against exploits that might be as straightforward as tricking users into opening maliciously constructed media files. The flaws …

    Hardware 6 Mar 2007, 12:43

  • Microsoft offers Architects a view

    First postcard from Microsoft's conference

    Always be careful what you wish for. I liked Stuart Okin when he was chief security officer for Microsoft UK and thought he did a lot for Microsoft's credibility in this area, but I'm afraid I occasionally laughed at Microsoft for putting a developer type in charge of security, instead of a superannuated spook as everyone else …

    Developer 6 Mar 2007, 12:58

  • Fatman iTube amplifier

    Review Old is the new... er... new. Valves are back, baby, oh yes

    The iTube is a valve amplifier - yes valves, those old-fashioned glowing things that TVs used to have - with an iPod dock unit, all encased in chrome and black metal. It's really two separate systems: a power amplifier, which is the analogue bit, and the dock. The amplifier has two sets of RCA/phono line inputs and some …

    Hardware 6 Mar 2007, 13:10

  • Nvidia set to put G84, G86 up against AMD RV630?

    GeForce 8500 and 8600 lines emerge

    Nvidia will bring a trio of mid-range DirectX 10 graphics chips to market next month in a bid to see off the challenge posed by AMD's upcoming ATI-branded RV610 and RV630 GPUs, it has been claimed. Industry moles cited by Chinese-language website HKEPC alleged today Nvidia will release the GeForce 8600 GTS, 8600 GT and 8500 …

    Hardware 6 Mar 2007, 13:19

  • Carphone Warehouse opts for musical life

    Ties up Virgin deal

    Carphone Warehouse is offering a music download service as an adjunct to its MyMobileLife website. MyMobileMusic is managed by Virgin Digital and based on Microsoft DRM, so only Windows users need apply, and there's no iPod compatibility (though, intriguingly, it claims to be "working on it" in the FAQ). Tracks come in at 79 …

    Mobile 6 Mar 2007, 13:22

  • Boffins brew up ideal Bond e-fit

    Composite mugshot 'more Connery than Craig'

    Academics have used Ian Fleming's own opinion of how the ideal Bond would look to create a composite e-fit of 007, the Daily Telegraph reports. Professors Rob Jenkins and Richard Wiseman of the Universities of Glasgow and Hertfordshire, respectively, used a technique dubbed "prototyping", which is based on the fact that most …

    Bootnotes 6 Mar 2007, 13:24

  • Branson points legal sabre at Sky

    Virgin not lying down

    Virgin Media isn't going to take Sky's withdrawal of its basic channels lying down, and has threatened legal action for abuse of a dominant position if Sky doesn't agree to independent arbitration within 30 days. Virgin pays Sky to carry Sky's channels on its cable network, but Sky also carries Virgin's channels (including …

    Mobile 6 Mar 2007, 13:30

  • Apple updates iTunes for AppleTV but not Vista

    iPod corruption glitch unfixed

    Apple has updated its iTunes jukebox software, but Windows Vista users hoping the new release provides the promised support for Microsoft's latest operating system will be disappointed: Apple is still listing the app as an XP-only affair. iTunes 7.1 is available now for both Mac OS X and Windows. The new release primarily …

    Hardware 6 Mar 2007, 13:31

  • Serbian vampire hunters prevent Milosevic come-back

    Drive 3ft stake through dictator's black heart

    Serbian vampire hunters have acted to prevent the very remote possibility that former dictator Slobodan Milosevic might stage a come-back - by driving a three-foot stake through his heart. According to Ananova, the politically-motivated Van Helsings, led by Miroslav Milosevic (no relation), gave themselves up to cops after …

    Bootnotes 6 Mar 2007, 14:05

  • Windows-like flaw hits Citrix

    Welcome to our world

    A flaw in Citrix's Presentation Server Client creates a means for hackers to compromise machines running the popular thin-client application. The vulnerability stems from an unspecified bug involving support for Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) connections through a proxy server. ICA is an application server protocol …

    The Channel 6 Mar 2007, 14:21

  • Meizu prices up iPhone-esque smart phone

    MeTooPhone?

    Meizu will be tempting consumers with four versions of is iPhone-like M8 MiniOne smart phone later this year, according to forum posts allegedly made by the company's CEO himself. The M8 will go on sale in two versions: one with a camera and one without. Both will be offered with 4GB and 8GB of on-board storage. The device' …

    Phones 6 Mar 2007, 14:56

  • Underpaid aliens bond over donkey sex

    Letters Collision mangles Bugatti, vapourises planet

    The government has announced plans to fingerprint kiddies and store their details on a database. Now don't get all upset about it, it's only once they turn 11, and it'll help keep out all those nasty illegal immigrants. All the really short ones, anyway. So they are clearly running scared that the big ID cards proposal is …

    Letters 6 Mar 2007, 16:33

  • Google kicks off student compo

    What you’ll do in your holidays

    In days of yore there were apprenticeships, that time when young people went through a mixture of work, education and mickey-taking by one’s elders and self-professed betters in order to learn something useful in the time to start proper employment. They are long gone of course, but increasingly are being replaced by student …

    Developer 6 Mar 2007, 17:22

  • Man sues MS after FBI uncovers smut surfing habits

    Respect my privacy, sobs bomb-making suspect

    A US man awaiting trial on firearms offences is suing Microsoft after FBI technicians found self-made sex videos and evidence that he frequented porn sites on his PC. Michael Alan Crooker, currently on remand in a Connecticut jail on charges of selling illegally modified firearms and possessing bomb-making equipment, is …

    Law 6 Mar 2007, 19:07

  • HP taps Forbes for new 'Fluff' printing campaign

    Comment Hack infiltrates Hurd's brain

    HP CEO Mark Hurd's next cost-cutting measure could come as the company axes its entire public relations staff. Who needs PR professionals, after all, when you have Forbes reporter Quentin Hardy? In 1999, Hardy gave the world "The Cult of Carly" - an inspirational story about a plucky Texas girl full of business savvy and …

    Financial News 6 Mar 2007, 21:54