The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

30th April 2007 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Marshal aims to secure laptop content

    Will extend its messaging security to control PC files too

    Messaging security developer Marshal is to launch content security software for PCs - but there are questions over how it will work for remote users, as it will require users to be online before they can get permission to copy or share new content. Marshal's email processing software uses deep content inspection to protect …

    Security 30 Apr 2007, 07:02

  • Adding mobility with Antenna Software

    Editors' Blog Mobilise everything

    I recently had a chance to talk to a couple of execs from Antenna Software - Gregg Plekan, SVP Product Development and Jim Somers, VP of Marketing – about its Antenna Mobility Platform (AMP), announced at San Francisco Gartner Symposium/ITxpo on April 23, 2007. Antenna Software has been around since 1998 or so and claims to …

    Developer 30 Apr 2007, 08:02

  • Vodafone's new pricing model excludes VoIP and P2P

    How much is your application worth?

    While ADSL providers are imposing caps and resorting to traffic throttling, Vodafone has slipped in a clause allowing it to charge different amounts for mobile bandwidth depending on the application, though how it will do so is unclear. Vodafone's new pricing model for data comes in on 1 June and at a glance seems fair enough …

    Mobile 30 Apr 2007, 08:51

  • Ofcom and DTI slam Murdoch TV strategy

    'Scuse me, while I piss off Sky

    On Friday, Ofcom and the Office of Fair Trading both delivered reports to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) accusing Sky of behaving badly, the same day that Virgin laid down its case against the company. The DTI's report found that Sky's purchase of 17.9 per cent of ITV could be considered anti-competitive and should …

    Broadband 30 Apr 2007, 08:59

  • Google cedes Chilean village to Argentina

    Government demands return of Villa O'Higgins

    The Chilean government is demanding the return of a village which Google has rather splendidly ceded to Argentina, Reuters reports. The hamlet of Villa O'Higgins - named after Chilean independence hero Bernardo O'Higgins - lies some 1,600km south of Santiago. Or rather, it currently lies roughly 1,900km southwest of Buenos …

    Applications 30 Apr 2007, 09:02

  • OLPC bumps prices, adds Windows capability

    The $175 '$100 laptop'

    The $100 laptop at the heart of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) scheme is now going to cost $175, the organisation has announced. The machine, which originally was to run its own open source operating system, will also be capable of running Windows. OLPC is a non-profit organisation, set up by the former head of MIT's Media …

    Hardware 30 Apr 2007, 09:28

  • Yahoo! buys! ad! exchange!

    Right Media joins the club

    Yahoo! has bought Right Media - the online ad exchange it bought a stake in last October. Yahoo! is paying $680m for the remaining 80 per cent of Right Media - made up of half shares and half cash. Terry Semel, CEO of Yahoo!, said in his "blog": "Right Media connects the various online ad players (advertisers, publishers, ad …

    Applications 30 Apr 2007, 09:32

  • Get bug-free with these software testing titles

    Test your way to success

    In a world where there is greater demand for more timely, concise, and accurate data, software testing has become an integral part of any organisation's endeavours for a stable IT infrastructure. Software testing helps identify the correctness, completeness, security, and quality of developed computer software, ensuring data …

    Site News 30 Apr 2007, 09:43

  • New law could save internet radio

    Congress looks to overturn crushing royalty ruling

    A law has been proposed in the US Congress that would overturn a recent ruling on internet radio royalty payments. The bill could save internet radio, according to activists. Earlier this month the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), which reports to the Library of Congress, increased the charges which internet radio stations will …

    Law 30 Apr 2007, 09:47

  • Samsung speeds Flash for MP3 players

    Samsung has begun pumping out 16Gb (2GB) Flash storage chips, the first chip maker to do so, it claimed this weekend. It maintained the parts have almost double the speed off its current Flash offerings. How come? They're fabbed at 51nm - Samsung's other Flash chips are fabbed at 60nm. The new chips' read and write speeds …

    Hardware 30 Apr 2007, 09:52

  • 'Artificial snot' enhances electronic nose

    Nothing to sniff at

    Researchers at the University of Warwick and Leicester University have used what they refer to as "artificial snot" (nasal mucus) to significantly boost the performance of electronic noses. Electronic noses are used to discern gases and odours and have been around for a few years already. The Warwick and Leicester researchers …

    Science 30 Apr 2007, 10:17

  • Scotty blasts off on final mission

    Actor's widow beams him up

    James Doohan, the actor better known as Star Trek's Scotty, made it across the final frontier this Saturday when his ashes were launched into space aboard a 20 foot rocket. Doohan's cremated remains have been waiting for this trip since the actor passed away from Alzheimer's and pneumonia two years ago. Various technical …

    Science 30 Apr 2007, 10:45

  • Satisfaction guaranteed by ComputerLand

    Books shutting anytime now

    ComputerLand promised the city no nasty surprises when it issued a trading statement this morning just before it shuts its books for the year to April 30. The reseller and services group said trading in the second half has been “satisfactory” and accordingly, results for the full year will be “broadly in line with market …

    The Channel 30 Apr 2007, 11:00

  • BT wants your small business juice

    Aromatic

    BT's small business tentacle has launched a competition aimed at bottling "the essence of the UK's entrepreneurs". A panel of industry wonks will appoint the country's 20 most impressive entrepreneurs, who'll get their businessy mugs plastered over the gallery walls at the Oxo tower. BT has engaged the services of "renowned …

    Small Biz 30 Apr 2007, 11:05

  • PlayStation mag tears out 'unsuitable' slaughtered goat pic

    Would entrails have revealed future furore?

    The UK's Official PlayStation Magazine has said today it will yank a picture depicting a headless goat - a day after the Mail on Sunday newspaper branded the imagery "depraved". The picture was taken at an Ancient Greece-themed event recently hosted by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) to launch God of War II, an …

    Games 30 Apr 2007, 11:13

  • Sickly NHS provider still seeking saviour

    iSoft in advanced talks

    Troubled health provider iSoft says it is in the advanced stages of talks which may lead to its sale. But iSoft's role in the government's attempt to change NHS IT systems - the National Programme for IT - has made discussions more difficult. The statement said: "These options include discussions with several external …

    Applications 30 Apr 2007, 11:15

  • BT brings Wii-like remote control to PCs

    Shake, rattle and roll

    UK telco British Telecom has built an add-on for laptops, tablets and ultra-mobile PCs that allows users to control their computer simply by moving it around. Called Balance, the unit plugs into a spare USB port. Inside, it contains a set of motion sensors similar to the detectors build into Nintendo's Wii Remote game …

    Hardware 30 Apr 2007, 11:34

  • ID card will be needed to vote, says UK election watchdog

    Use it to fix the bit that isn't broken...

    Unexpected support for ID cards has come from Electoral Commission chairman Sam Younger, who has told the Times that photo ID should be required at polling stations, and that if (or, in the view of the current Government, when) ID cards become compulsory they would "undoubtedly" be applied in elections. "I think there’s a very …

    Government 30 Apr 2007, 11:38

  • BT furnishes strategy boutique

    Top brass installed

    BT has released more details of its spanking new group strategy and operations division, aimed at improving technology roll-out across the firm. Last week, BT said it had appointed Andy Green to head a drive to better coordinate IP product development and deployment across BT's four businesses: retail, wholesale, global …

    Broadband 30 Apr 2007, 12:32

  • Apple 'revises' sub-notebook Mac release date

    Mac Mini not due until 2008?

    Apple's rumoured Flash-fitted sub-notebook Mac will not appear until much later this year and possibly not until 2008, it has been claimed. According to an AppleIndsider report, the reasons for the alleged revision to the machine's release schedule are unknown. The site's sources, who first dropped hints about the sub- …

    Hardware 30 Apr 2007, 13:13

  • Lords investigate 'unconstitutional' surveillance society

    Call for evidence goes out

    The House of Lords will investigate whether the UK's "surveillance society" is unconstitutional. The Lords' Constitution Committee has asked for evidence (doc) in an investigation it has launched into surveillance in the UK. "The inquiry, which is set against a backdrop of increased use of CCTV, the creation of the national …

    Policy 30 Apr 2007, 13:27

  • Peter Gabriel takes sledgehammer to music downloads (again)

    Updated Genesis of ad-supported services

    Serial internet investor and musician Peter Gabriel today took the wraps off We7, a free at the point of use music download service where tracks are paid for by 10-second adverts spliced to their beginning. The tracks will be MP3-encoded, and unencumbered by DRM, the firm said. A representative told The Register that the files …

    Media 30 Apr 2007, 13:31

  • Top scientists list favourite gizmos

    Innovations that changed the world

    A survey, asking the world's top boffins what they think the greatest innovations have been in their fields, has turned up a dizzying list of inventions, from the world wide web to the humble microscope. Online magazine Spiked asked more than 100 top scientists, academics and influential thinkers including six Nobel laureates, …

    Science 30 Apr 2007, 13:50

  • Beeb's iPlayer service gets greenlight

    Video thrills the radio star

    Viewers in the UK will be able to access a full weeks' worth of BBC output via their PCs and other digital devices when the broadcaster finally launches its iPlayer service later this year. The BBC Trust received 10,500 responses from companies and individuals after it first outline proposals for the service. As a result two …

    Applications 30 Apr 2007, 14:26

  • F1 engineers plan appeal in Ferrari espionage case

    In the pit

    Two former Ferrari engineers accused of stealing trade secrets have been convicted of industrial espionage. Angelo Santini and Mauro Iacconi were last week sentenced by an Italian court to jail terms of nine and 16 months respectively over charges of stealing confidential engineering data from Ferrari and using it to design …

    Security 30 Apr 2007, 14:50

  • Euro police data plan attacks 'fundamental rights'

    EDPS slates police data sharing proposals, again

    A proposal to allow European police forces to share data undermines fundamental human rights, the European Data Protection Supervisor said today. The European Council's proposal to extend data protection into police and judicial matters was designed to ensure first that police managed their data properly so that they could then …

    Law 30 Apr 2007, 15:05

  • Home Secretary bigs up fingerprint-activated iPods

    Jeesh Maria

    Home Secretary John Reid is asking Apple and Sony, and other manufacturers, to join his crime fighting summit. The summit will look at what manufacturers can do to add "anti-crime" features to their products. A Blair policy review, released last month, raised the red herring very clever plan of fingerprint-activated MP3 …

    Law 30 Apr 2007, 15:23

  • A tribute to Jim Gray

    Lost, but not forgotten

    As we post this, Jim Gray has been missing for three months. It now seems very unlikely that he is still alive, although his family has not given up hope. We decided to publish the following tribute to him, because his life deserves to be celebrated. James 'Jim' Nicholas Gray (born 1944) History excels at recording …

    Software 30 Apr 2007, 15:38

  • EVGA 680i LT SLI nForce-based motherboard

    Review Cut-down 680i - or shoved up 650i?

    For some time, Nvidia's 600 family of chipsets has had a gaping chasm between the nForce 650i SLI, which typically sells for £90, and the nForce 680i SLI, which starts at £165. Enter the 680i LT SLI chipset, a budget version of the 680i SLI. EVGA's nForce 680i LT SLI board from the front As the name suggests, the nForce …

    Hardware 30 Apr 2007, 15:49

  • MS to 'backport' Office 2007 security improvements

    Papering over the cracks

    Microsoft plans to push security improvements made in Office 2007 down the food chain with the next major update for Office 2003. Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Office 2003 will "backport" some (but not all) of the security improvements built into Office 2007. "We're trying to take what we learned from building Office 2007 and …

    Security 30 Apr 2007, 15:52

  • Xbox 360 Elite arrives in US - or does it?

    Big-name sites show limited availability

    Microsoft's 'none more black' Xbox 360 Elite has gone on sale in the US, allowing Xbox buffs to trade up to a 120GB hard drive and HDMI connectivity for just $480 - if they can find one, that is. Although the machine was to have been made available yesterday, quite a few of the big names in online retail didn't have units …

    Games 30 Apr 2007, 16:28

  • Supreme Court: Microsoft off the hook in AT&T case

    Decision could save companies billions in future patent battles

    The Supreme Court has sided with Microsoft today, in a patent infringement case filed by AT&T over international copyright liability. The 7-1 ruling, which relieves Microsoft of US legal responsibility of infringing software sent overseas will give many other software companies a sigh of relief. Microsoft had the unusual …

    Software 30 Apr 2007, 18:27

  • On Business Objects' Cartesis acquisition

    Performance management consolidation

    Business Objects last week announced that it is to acquire Cartesis, arguably the most important pure play vendor in the corporate performance management market (CPM - Business Objects refers to enterprise performance management - EPM) that was (hitherto) left standing. There are two interesting aspects to this: first, the …

    Developer 30 Apr 2007, 18:43

  • DSDM Atern goes beyond IT

    Fast project principles extended to all business change

    The DSDM Consortium has set itself the ambitious aim of covering all types of project management with its revamped development framework launched last week. The framework has been rebranded under the name DSDM Atern and replaces the existing DSDM version 4.2 - although the Consortium describes the change as an evolutionary …

    Developer 30 Apr 2007, 19:00

  • Child porn investigations keep FBI agents busy

    Guilty plea, charges in two unrelated cases

    A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography using peer-to-peer software provided by iMesh. David Leroy Knellinger Sr, 59, faces five to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 and supervised release for an indefinite term after being released from prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 17, 2007. …

    Security 30 Apr 2007, 19:09

  • Microsoft flashes up Silverlight media challenge

    MIX07 So many languages, so little time

    Microsoft is adding .NET Framework development for Silverlight, its wannabe challenger to Adobe Flash, which is released today as a beta. Opening Microsoft's Mix 07 web and designer conference, Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect threw down the gauntlet to Adobe and to AJAX. He announced the cross-platform, cross- …

    Software 30 Apr 2007, 19:28

  • Rackable president ousted after two days

    Ejector Board seat

    Tom Barton got to play king for a day — or two days, as it were — reigning over Rackable systems as CEO and President over the entire weekend before being offed completely. The storage and server maker listed a Q1 revenue drop of 15 per cent Friday, and replaced its previous year $6m profit with a $10m loss. With the news, …

    Servers 30 Apr 2007, 21:05