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5th April 2007 Archive

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  • SCO tries to grok Pamela Jones (again)

    Come out, come out, wherever you are

    SCO Group has asked a US court to reel in the reclusive legal blogger Pamela Jones of Groklaw fame in its arcane Linux intellectual property prosecutions of Novell and IBM. In a filing that draws heavily on press articles - including one from your very own El Reg, SCO said Jones's testimony is relevant to its case. The …

    Law 5 Apr 2007, 00:06

  • Software testing? Not likely

    Getting free and easing with the truth

    Go to the website of software testing company SQS and one of the first things you'll see is an interesting question concerning all Windows-based environments: "Eighty per cent of your applications will work with Vista, but do you know which 80 per cent?" It does rather neatly sum up one of the key issues about software …

    Developer 5 Apr 2007, 05:02

  • UK.biz still reluctant to report cybercrime

    No publicity please

    A third of UK businesses fail to report information security crimes and breaches, according to a new survey. The poll of 285 firms, which was followed up by in depth interviews with 20 Chief Security Officers (CSOs) of large enterprises, revealed that IT managers are faced with a dilemma about whether or not to report crime. …

    Crime 5 Apr 2007, 06:02

  • Intel eyes big biz with Centrino Pro

    Centrino + vPro = 'Santa Rosa' with all the options

    Intel has formally launched the Centrino Pro brand, designed to promote business-oriented notebooks incorporating the chip giant's corporate-friendly vPro platform technologies. Centrino Pro combines Intel's upcoming 'Santa Rosa' incarnation of the Centrino laptop platform - due to debut in May by all accounts - and vPro …

    PCs & Chips 5 Apr 2007, 07:47

  • Intel 'Robson' renamed Turbo Memory

    Add-in Flash cache rebranded

    Goodbye, 'Robson', the codename Intel applied to its add-in Flash cache unit for notebooks. Hello, instead, Intel Turbo Memory, the go-to-market name for the system start-up acceleration system. Intel claimed ITM will reduce boot times by up to 20 per cent and potentially half the time it takes frequently used applications …

    Reg Hardware 5 Apr 2007, 08:01

  • Advertising Standards slap down BT complaint

    Sky's 'free' offer gets thumbs-up

    The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rejected a complaint made by BT against BSkyB's "free" broadband campaign last year. BT complained to watchdogs that Sky falsely advertised its broadband offering as "free", since customers had to pay a £40 connection fee. Sky rolled out the service in summer last year, soon after …

    Wireless 5 Apr 2007, 08:02

  • Adobe takes UK price hikes to new level with CS3

    Not just pounds for dollars any more

    Adobe Systems, producers of Photoshop, Acrobat and Flash, has long had a relatively chummy image compared to – say – Microsoft. But that might be changing, at least for some customers, as the company moves even beyond Redmond's position on price differentials between the UK and US. Of course, British consumers are well- …

    Applications 5 Apr 2007, 08:02

  • Gear4 pours out 'liquid rubber' iPod case

    Yes, iPod accessory specialist Gear4's iVak sounds like a trendy carpet cleaning tool, but it's actually a hard plastic case with a "liquid rubber" texture on the outside and a clear plastic panel to protect the player's display. There's a clickwheel cover in the box too. The case comes in two parts that clip together - …

    Reg Hardware 5 Apr 2007, 08:30

  • Windows Media Player sends music site silent

    Say hello, wave goodbye

    A music-sharing site popular with small and independent artists is suspending operations because of incompatibilities with Microsoft's latest version of Windows Media Player. Weedshare, home to 10,000 musicians and 100,000 tracks, will go offline next week after four years because Windows Media Player 11 does not play music …

    Applications 5 Apr 2007, 08:55

  • UK Gov deploys lie detectors on benefits claims

    Voice risk analysis

    Benefits claimants will now have to face a software lie detector test under a new regime to be outlined today by Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton. Hutton says the system is designed to speed up the claims process for "the honest majority", and weed out the cheats. The software will analyse a caller's voice for signs of …

    Public Sector 5 Apr 2007, 09:02

  • Solar flares ate my GPS

    Worse to come in 2011?

    Did you get lost while out driving in December? If you did, blame the solar flare that zapped signals sent out by the GPS satellite network to keep travellers travelling in the right direction. According to researchers at New York's Cornell University, two major solar flares observed on 5 and 6 December emitted blasts of …

    Reg Hardware 5 Apr 2007, 09:33

  • Harassed employees: dispute resolutions are failing

    Victims tend to suffer even more

    Workplace dispute resolution procedures make cases of discrimination worse and do not benefit the victim, according to sufferers of harassment on grounds of religion or sexual orientation. In a new survey by employment relations and arbitration body ACAS, the victims of religious and sexual orientation-related abuse said …

    Business 5 Apr 2007, 09:39

  • EU court rules monitoring of employee breached human rights

    UK gov coughs up £3,000 damages and costs

    The monitoring of an employee's email, phone and internet use by a Welsh college was a breach of her human rights, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. The UK Government must pay £3,000 damages and legal costs in the case. Lynette Copland said her email traffic, internet activity, and telephone usage were all monitored …

    Law 5 Apr 2007, 10:00

  • CCTV nails sheep-shagging Turk

    Suspicious farmer mounts surveillance op

    A Turkish citizen faces a fine or possible three years' chokey under German animal protection laws after a farmer's CCTV system caught him indulging in a bit of homo-ovine sexual interaction, Reuters reports. The sheeps' owner "became suspicious" last year and duly rigged the video surveillance set-up. It recorded the unnamed …

    Bootnotes 5 Apr 2007, 10:00

  • HMRC pushes online tax filing

    Small firms offered £150 incentive

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has urged small employers to send their 2006-07 "pay as you earn" returns online. It has issued a statement reminding firms that employ fewer than 50 people that they could claim a bonus payment of £150 by filing online before the 19 May deadline. A spokesperson told GC News it is part of a five …

    Small Biz 5 Apr 2007, 10:10

  • Griffin ExpressCard 5:1 Card Reader

    Review Fit a memory card reader into your reader-less laptop

    Plenty of notebooks incorporate memory card readers these days, usually units capable of handling many, many different kinds of card. Not so Apple's Pro laptop line-up and a fair few portable PCs too. Enter Griffin's ExpressCard 5:1 Card Reader. The name say it all: this a a five-in-one memory card reader constructed around …

    Reg Hardware 5 Apr 2007, 10:37

  • Nintendo nudges sales forecast upward

    Higher Wii, DS demand than expected?

    Nintendo now reckons it will sell have sold rather more Wii and DS consoles during its recently closed financial year than it previously suggested, the videogames pioneer announced today. The Japanese company isn't due to publish its results until 26 April, but today it said it expects to report full-year sales of ¥966bn ($8. …

    Reg Hardware 5 Apr 2007, 10:51

  • Orange to carry Blyk network

    Free service finds itself an operator

    Orange has agreed to carry Blyk's free calls and messaging service, to be launched in the UK later this year. The Blyk service will be targeted at the teenage market and provide free voice calls and texts in exchange for demographic information which will be used to target advertising. That's all Blyk is saying at the moment, …

    Mobile 5 Apr 2007, 11:04

  • Indonesia's Playboy 'not pornography', judge rules

    Editor cleared of indecency charges

    The editor of Indonesia's edition of Playboy has been cleared of indecency charges relating to provocative images of scantily-clad models which had the country's Muslims up in arms, the BBC reports. Erwin Arnada and Playmate Kartika Gunawan were cuffed last year over the latter's appearance in Indonesia's first edition of the …

    Entertainment 5 Apr 2007, 11:05

  • Polar caps wane as Mars tries global warming

    All those little green men in their 4x4s

    Global warming and melting polar ice caps are not just problems here on Earth. Mars is facing similar global changes, researchers say, with temperatures across the red planet rising by around 0.65 degrees over the last few decades. The trigger for the changes on Mars are, however, totally different from those mechanisms …

    Space 5 Apr 2007, 11:06

  • Britney fears used as ANI exploit lure

    Toxic

    Interest in troubled pop star Britney Spears is being used by hackers to trick surfers into visiting websites exploiting the Microsoft animated cursor vulnerability, the subject of a out-of-sequence patch by Microsoft on Tuesday. Spammed emails are directing internet users to hacked PHP websites with the promise of candid …

    Malware 5 Apr 2007, 11:08

  • Vista upgrades not so 'express' after all

    Irredeemable wait?

    Many voucher-waving Microsoft customers in Europe are still awaiting their promised free Windows Vista upgrades from the software giant's "fulfilment partner", ModusLink. As we reported in February, customers were persuaded to part with their hard-earned cash to buy XP-based computers ahead of the long-awaited release of …

    Channel Register 5 Apr 2007, 11:32

  • Channel looks on the bright side, Woolies goes soft and Cisco aims small

    To subscribe to Channel Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of channel news in a single hit - click here.

    Let the good times roll Let's start with the good news. According to a survey of European channel distributors and resellers (that means you), 2007 will be a year of strong sales growth and rises in revenue. The ETech 2007 survey found 70 per cent of channel distributors and resellers were confident about their business …

    Channel Register 5 Apr 2007, 11:52

  • IPPR wants health warnings for planes

    'Flying causes climate change'

    The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has called for tobacco style health warnings to be displayed on advertising for flights, warning people about the possible damage their chosen method of travel will do to the environment. IPPR head of climate change Simon Retallack told Reuters: "The evidence that aviation damages …

    Science 5 Apr 2007, 11:56

  • 419ers take Kent minister for £12k

    Put not your faith in false windfalls

    A Kent minister has been taken for £12,000 in a textbook 419 sting, the BBC reports. The Rev Robert Nooney met a man claiming to be a Nigerian trainee pastor called David in a Christian chatroom. They duly got chatting about a "multi-faith church and soup kitchen" Nooney was planning to set up in Thanet, and David generously …

    Law 5 Apr 2007, 11:57

  • Apple/EMI, compulsory blogs and corduroys

    To subscribe to The Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of IT in a single hit - click here

    Apple and EMI write the news The world's favourite tech story this week was Apple and EMI doing a deal to offer DRM-free music tracks. This has been a longtime coming and, as such, was so welcomed that hardly anyone stopped to question the deal. Except the European Commission. Along with other regulators, like Norway, the …

    Business 5 Apr 2007, 12:22

  • Don't do a Bush on stem cells, urge MPs, scientists, doctors

    Ban on hybrid embryos 'unacceptable', slams report

    MPs have warned that the UK government's proposed ban on hybrid embryos could damage UK science, and charged that it will restrict development of life-saving stem cell treatments. The accusation comes from the Science and Technology Select Committee, which today published a report (pdf) on the regulation of hybrid and chimera …

    Biology 5 Apr 2007, 12:28

  • Sacred Joan of Arc relics actually from Egypt

    Mummy, not martyr

    Expert analysis of remains purported to be those of Joan of Arc has shown they're actually bits of Egyptian mummy, The Telegraph reports. In 1431, the English burnt the 19-year-old as a witch in Rouen, Normandy, elevating the "Maid of Orleans" to instant martyrdom. The jar of bits and bobs - marked "Remains found under the …

    Science 5 Apr 2007, 12:47

  • Vodafone turns to Sagem for handsets

    Sagem brand moves further into the shadows

    Vodafone has announced that Sagem will be providing it with own-brand phones, to be sold as Vodafone branded handsets. This, along with its recent announcement that it would be making low-end handsets for Sony Ericsson, marks a return to the background for the Sagem brand, which has been losing money and was expecting to be …

    Mobile 5 Apr 2007, 12:57

  • Brussels rolls coppers over rights barrel

    Rearguard action to restrict police data sharing

    Civil libertarians are holding the security hawks in Brussels to ransom over plans to share police data across the continent. Ensconced in the European Parliament, they have no say in a European Commission proposal for data sharing between European police forces because security matters are outside their legal competence. But …

    Law 5 Apr 2007, 13:12

  • HP makes PC gaming play

    Comment But still more shiny shoes than sneakers

    HP this week unveiled its strategy to frag the competition and become the crowned head of PC gaming: it's... er... going to make and sell some gaming PCs. And a view-filling curved monitor. Maybe. HP acquired gaming PC specialist VoodooPC in September 2006. Almost seven months on, the best the company could this week say …

    PCs & Chips 5 Apr 2007, 13:27

  • Linux gets squeezed

    Smaller, faster PDA apps the target

    It's Easter, and peoples' thoughts turn to many things that are not work. Entertainment, finding new things to do, finding and purchasing that special something you have always wanted and, yes, sometimes even being obliged to do some work. All of them are targets for one's time at Easter, and all can be done online. But that …

    Developer 5 Apr 2007, 13:32

  • Smut-swapping sailors leak secret missile specs

    Japanese naval porn ring probed

    The Japanese navy was left red-faced today after newspaper reports revealed that smut-swapping sailors had inadvertently leaked high-tech missile data. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, three petty officers in the Maritime Self-Defence Force (the Japanese navy's official title) have now been implicated, having accidentally …

    Enterprise Security 5 Apr 2007, 14:09

  • Astronomers peel back layers of Cloudy Venus

    New pics from ESA

    The latest images sent back by Venus Express have given scientists greater insight into the underlying mechanics of the planet's mysterious cloud system. Equipped with state of the art infrared imaging kit, as it is, Venus Express can peer through the incredibly dense cloud covering, peeling back layer after layer of the …

    Space 5 Apr 2007, 14:13

  • Ukrainian woman smuggled dope in vibrator

    'Thorough' search foils cunning plan

    A Ukranian woman failed in a bold attempt to smuggle marijuana from New Delhi to Kiev, despite hiding her stash in a vibrator's battery compartment on the grounds that "no one would ever think of touching it, let alone looking inside it". According to Ananova, 26-year-old Svetlana Ivanyshka was cuffed after being asked to empty …

    Bootnotes 5 Apr 2007, 14:15

  • Thai King video wag pulls YouTube clip

    Site still blocked, however

    The creator of a 44 second skit on Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which yesterday prompted Thailand to block YouTube, has voluntarily removed the video, Reuters reports. The offending vid outraged Thai Buddhists principally because of "the juxtaposition of a pair of woman's feet, the lowest part of the body, above his [Adulyadej …

    Entertainment 5 Apr 2007, 14:16

  • Aussie bike bandits may be packing rocket launchers

    Army officer busted for flogging weapons on black market

    An Australian army captain sold military rocket launchers to underworld arms dealers, according to police in New South Wales, Australia. The Herald Sun reports that Australian feds and state cops swooped in a series of dawn raids yesterday, nabbing the officer and a former colleague. A 63-year-old woman was also arrested. …

    Crime 5 Apr 2007, 14:37

  • Are you a Top Gear Tiger or an iPod Babe?

    Part 1: Modern mobile marketing explained

    You've heard of Soccer Mom and Mondeo Man. Millions are spent each year on research that segments us to into such convenient categories. But have you ever felt these vague and unimaginative descriptions leave you wanting more? If the marketeers are going to be so reductive, why not get creative and give us a 'Wolverhampton …

    Mobile 5 Apr 2007, 14:38

  • Virgin Media chucks rocks in 'unlimited' debate

    From atop a fibre optic tower

    Cable incumbent Virgin Media has called on ADSL rivals to stop marketing their services as "unlimited", when fair use policies often mean they aren't. As exclusive owner and operator of its infrastructure, Virgin is able to guarantee unlimited downloads, but told The Reg ADSL providers shouldn't try to do the same because they …

    Telecoms 5 Apr 2007, 14:52

  • Nokia coughs $20m to Qualcomm

    But legal battle continues

    Nokia is paying Qualcomm $20m for licensing its technology for use in the second quarter of 2007. The two companies are still arguing over their old license agreement. The payment of $20m relates to patents which Qualcomm makes available through the European Telecommunications Standardisation Institute. Today's payment is not …

    Financial News 5 Apr 2007, 14:56

  • EU tells Microsoft to open its Windows

    Don't expect much compensation though

    Microsoft will be forced to hand over sensitive technical information about the Windows operating system to its rivals but can expect next to no compensation, according to a report in the Financial Times. In its anti-trust ruling three years ago, the European Commission said Redmond had to licence technical information to …

    Operating Systems 5 Apr 2007, 15:05

  • Transatlantic police data roadmap laid

    Looking a bit sketchy

    Europe and the US have begun to plot the direction of a data sharing link between their police and immigration forces. It's a long way off, but indications after talks in Berlin today between European and US negotiators are that both sides are in agreement that's where they are headed. "Our common goals are clear," Franco …

    Law 5 Apr 2007, 15:09

  • Regulator lays down the law for TV quizzes

    Attempts to regain trust

    The ICSTIS has published new regulations (pdf) for TV quizzes which rely on premium-rate phone lines. The regulations, which mandate the provision of more information to callers, are an attempt to restore viewer confidence after a raft of dodgy phone-in scams. The primary change is the addition of an on-screen, near-real-time …

    Telecoms 5 Apr 2007, 15:32

  • Anarchist blog boy freed

    Emma Goldman 2.0

    After the longest stretch ever served in the joint for refusing to disclose a source, blogger/activist Josh Wolf is a free man. Wolf spent 226 days, nearly 7 1/2 months, in the Federal Penitentiary in Dublin, California after refusing to testify before a grand jury and withholding footage of a 2005 anarchist rally in San …

    Law 5 Apr 2007, 16:16

  • Amazon patents Citizens' Sweatshop

    Democratising Drudgery for Nodes

    Amazon.com has been awarded a patent for a "Hybrid machine/human computing arrangement". It describes the model behind its Mechanical Turk, which is a kind of eBay for distributed piece work. The company acts as a broker, finding home workers to perform tasks that computers aren't well suited to do, such as speech or image …

    Law 5 Apr 2007, 16:27

  • UK boffins are going on an alien hunt

    Going to catch a big one...

    Physicists have been hearing this afternoon about attempts by UK astronomers to find evidence of alien life - buried in over 2000 hours of archived telescope data. A group of researchers at Leeds University re-examined images collected by the Whipple Cherenkov telescope in Arizona, and presented the results at The Insititute of …

    Space 5 Apr 2007, 16:31

  • Quantum won't stoop to de-dupe coup?

    Analysis Friendly fire aimed at NetApp and EMC

    Could Quantum's amiable treatment of rival Data Domain in a patent dispute be a move to create a kinder, gentler environment for the storage market's rage du jour - de-duping software? Nestled amongst the usual market clicks and whistles of Data Domain's IPO registration statement last week was an announcement that caught the …

    Storage 5 Apr 2007, 16:51

  • Linux malware for iPods poses little risk

    Proof of pain in the a**

    Virus hunters have discovered what's described as the first malware designed to infect iPod portable media players. Podloso is a proof of concept program which poses no immediate threat beyond illustrating the point that VXers are always on the hunt for new platforms to infect. The "malware" is a file which can be launched …

    Malware 5 Apr 2007, 17:31

  • In the wake of RegisterFly, is ICANN taking flight?

    Only the paranoid survive

    In the aftermath of the ICANN meeting in Lisbon, the RegisterFly disaster continues to inspire both litigation and paranoia. Those connecting the dots are convinced that an ICANN report debated at the Lisbon meetings exploring the possibility of changing ICANN to an international organization along the lines of the …

    Law 5 Apr 2007, 17:53

  • Software AG acts on webMethods customer envy

    Feel the width...

    Software AG is buying webMethods in a $546m market expansion deal colored by strong overlap between the companies' SOA software products. Germany-based business integration specialist Software AG said Thursday morning it will purchase webMethods for $9.15 per share in cash. Wall St greeted the news by bumping webMethods' …

    Financial News 5 Apr 2007, 19:40

  • Cray starts pimping BlueArc's storage Titan

    Pair go nuclear

    Storage player BlueArc has entered a partnership with supercomputer vendor Cray to resell BlueArc's Titan 2000 network storage systems to high performance computing customers. The reseller relationship was announced Wednesday with their first customer showcase up and humming. The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) of …

    Storage 5 Apr 2007, 19:47

  • Google funds $500k evil-blocking forcefield for CEO

    Family hopes it's out of beta

    Even billionaire colored ball advocates heading companies that do no evil have their problems. Google last year coughed up $530,000 just to keep CEO Eric Schmidt safe. Google disclosed Schmidt's gold-laced security protection plan in a regulatory filing issued Wednesday. In addition, the ad broker noted $22,000 of payments made …

    Financial News 5 Apr 2007, 21:11

  • IBM hurls confident 'to come' ship date for late Power6

    Abandons years

    A disturbing presentation slide from Big Blau has shifted the delivery date of IBM's Power6 chip from mid-2007 to “to come,” seeming to confirm that suspicions of Power6 issues are correct. Over the past few weeks, IBM has been holding technology discussions in Germany, disclosing information on its Power-based server line. The …

    PCs & Chips 5 Apr 2007, 23:51

  • Borland swaps out CodeGear CEO

    Four months too long for Smith

    Borland Software has named a new chief executive for its unwanted CodeGear tools subsidiary, with incumbent Ben Smith exiting after barely four months. Taking over as CEO is Jim Douglas, a veteran of the sales and marketing side of a trio of businesses involved in the semiconductor sector. Douglas is a former vice president …

    Applications 5 Apr 2007, 23:58