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14th May 2007 Archive

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  • AMD unveils ATI Radeon HD 2000

    Tessellated belly-dancers, whatever next?

    Readers may recall a few weeks ago that The Register was invited along to the launch of AMD's latest range of graphics card, the ATI Radeon HD 2000 series. But, having stepped off the plane at Tunis, we learned that a press embargo prevented us from reporting anything about the launch until today. Despite AMD's efforts to …

    Channel Register 14 May 2007, 05:17

  • Littlewoods bombards man by phone. Big mistake

    Barrack-room lawyer tells El Reg how you can claim compensation

    A Manchester man has received £150 compensation from Littlewoods Shop Direct Group after he was repeatedly subjected to misdirected telephone marketing calls. Dave King received the money in an out-of-court settlement from Everyday Financial Solutions, Littlewoods' financial services business. He had threatened court action …

    Law 14 May 2007, 05:44

  • Salesforce.com embeds Skype into CRM

    Voice choice

    As part of its sustained campaign to dominate the emerging world of on-demand applications, salesforce.com has announced a version of the Skype Internet-based telephone software to work with its Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) package. The special version of Skype, developed by the German voice-over-IP …

    Applications 14 May 2007, 05:59

  • AMD launches Phenom brand

    FASN8-ing

    AMD has launched the Phenom FX, X2 and X4 processor families - well, the name at least - pledging to ship the chips formerly known informally as the 'star' line in the second half of the year. Right now, AMD isn't saying much about Phenom, preferring to stress that it comprises "true" quad-core designs, unlike its arch-rival' …

    Reg Hardware 14 May 2007, 07:50

  • AMD's ATI R600 launched for desktops, laptops

    Delayed Radeon HD 2900 debuts

    Yes, 'R600' is here. AMD today launched the delayed next-gen graphics chip, offering both desktop and mobile versions of the DirectX 10-ready GPU. The desktop line-up comprises the $399 ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT - it's less than half the price of arch-rival Nvidia's top-of-the-line GPU, the GeForce 8800 Ultra - and the mid- …

    Reg Hardware 14 May 2007, 08:11

  • Tiscali touts 'voice-ready' business broadband

    Targeting SMEs who're ready to move on from ISDN

    Tiscali is targeting ISDN users looking to move to broadband with a DSL package that provides carrier-class voice quality for up to four IP phone calls. The service provider said that as well as prioritising voice traffic over its network and guaranteeing enough bandwidth in each direction for four voice calls, its Voice-Ready …

    Networks 14 May 2007, 08:20

  • Biofuels are the 'next environmental danger'

    Everything that is good, is bad

    Far from being the salvation of an oil-hungry society, biofuels could actually trigger increases in food prices and deforestation, according to a report. The Co-operative Insurance Company, part of the UK's Co-op Group, has published a study that warns that the fuels might never live up to their promise, and could have a …

    Science 14 May 2007, 08:23

  • America haunted by ghost of ice gravity

    Actual proper research, honest

    Canadian researchers have found a gravitational shadow hanging over North America, left over from the last ice age. The work is published in the May 11 edition of the journal Science. Using four years of data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission – a pair of satellites that are measuring the …

    Physics 14 May 2007, 08:28

  • Europe gives thumbs up to product placement

    But must alert viewers

    Product placement on television will be permitted in Europe, but only in programmes that carry a special signal in their titles, according to the most recent version of a European Directive approved by a crucial committee of the European Parliament. The European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education has accepted a …

    Law 14 May 2007, 09:04

  • BT regains broadband lead

    More woe for Virgin

    BT will reclaim the lead in the broadband race from Virgin Media when it announces quarterly results this week, according to reports. The Sunday Telegraph said BT will reveal it has netted 200,000 new punters in the last three months, bringing its total subscriber base to 3.6 million. Last week, Virgin said it had added a more …

    Networks 14 May 2007, 09:14

  • Are you virtually safe in virtual worlds?

    Editor's blog Should you care?

    We all know about the risk of identity theft in the real world, or we should know about it. But what about the virtual world? Holger Wandt of Human Inference, a specialist in natural language processing to remove errors and duplicates from real world datasets, recently raised an interesting question concerning personal …

    Developer 14 May 2007, 09:20

  • UK tech inventors defeated by cash drought

    TiVo inventor says VC shortfall stymying innovation

    British technology is being crippled by a lack of venture funding, according to a leading UK entrepreneur who made his fortune in Silicon Valley. TiVo founder Mike Ramsay says a lack of cash is forcing inventors to lower their hopes and ambitions. Edinburgh-raised Ramsay, who invented the trailblazing TV hard disk recorder the …

    Financial News 14 May 2007, 09:28

  • Radeon HD 2400, 2600 due to debut in XT, Pro versions

    AMD didn't detail its upcoming ATI Radeon HD 2600 and 2400 graphics chips, but the basics have slipped out in any case. AMD ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT Both series will initially comprise two models, suffixed XT and Pro, respectively, Japanese-language site PCWatch claims. AMD had already said the 2400s use a single-channel, 64- …

    Reg Hardware 14 May 2007, 09:33

  • Pirate Bay plundered by hackers

    Bloggy data pillage

    Buccaneering BitTorrent source The Pirate Bay has been hacked and a copy of its user database stolen, the site admitted. The Swedish outfit copped to the data breach in its blog, which ironically was the site of the vulnerability. It said: They have got a copy of the user database. That is, your username and passwords. But, …

    Security 14 May 2007, 09:38

  • Scientology tries to discredit BBC documentary

    Auntie vs Xenu

    The Church of Scientology has launched an online campaign against the BBC, ahead of the broadcast of a Panorama documentary investigating the organisation as a "cult". Journalist John Sweeney has been targeted with a DVD made by the Church, which has distributed copies to MPs. Sweeney got a little over-excited, during one …

    Entertainment 14 May 2007, 10:23

  • PowerColor Radeon HD 2900 XT graphics card

    Review Worth the wait?

    AMD/ATI has been working on its DirectX 10 graphics chip, codenamed 'R600', for an awfully long time, which is somewhat surprising when you consider that this is its second-generation DirectX 10 part. The first was the Xenos chip that powers Microsoft's Xbox 360 games console. Although AMD is announcing a full range of …

    Reg Hardware 14 May 2007, 10:30

  • LG.Philips shows off 'first' 14in colour e-paper

    LCD maker LG.Philips has developed what it claims its the world's first 14.1in colour display that's flexible enough to bend. It announced the "breakthrough" a year on from showing off the first bendy monochrome 14.1in panel. The developer said the panel - roughly the size of an A4 sheet of paper - has a 180° viewing angle …

    Reg Hardware 14 May 2007, 11:06

  • WIN an £800 Shuttle XPC X200M mini media centre

    Competition Win with Register Hardware

    Shuttle's XPC X200M micro media centre system won our applause when we reviewed it earlier this year, and now you have the chance to try it out for yourself. Shuttle is giving an X200M away to one lucky Register Hardware reader. The X200M on offer packs in a 1.6GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB of 667MHz memory and a 250GB …

    Reg Hardware 14 May 2007, 11:12

  • Microsoft puts a figure on open source 'patent infringements'

    Number of the beast

    Microsoft's top lawyer says open source software violates exactly 235 entries in the firm's vast patent portfolio. General counsel Brad Smith released the figure to Fortune as part of Microsoft's long-running campaign to seed doubts over the legality of Linux and other open source efforts. Redmond's licensing boss Horacio …

    Software 14 May 2007, 11:26

  • DCC looks down from peak

    Expects come-down after profit high

    Irish distribution giant DCC Sercom has said it expects profits to dip after pulling off a dramatic climb last year. The firm's preliminary results for the 12 months ended 31 March 2007 showed today that it had managed a 35.3 per cent hike in operating profit on the prior year. Sercom's parent, DCC group, managed an overall …

    Channel Register 14 May 2007, 11:30

  • About that TV service, Mr Branson...

    Column Losing your Virginity

    Dear Richard Branson, I don't know why on earth I'm writing this to you, because I happen to know it's got nothing to do with you. But the message may be of interest: "Virgin Media, farewell!" I'll be dropping my subscription to Virgin Media just as soon as my Virgin phone starts working again and I can contact customer …

    Networks 14 May 2007, 11:32

  • Brando eyes iPod fans with Shuffle-like USB hub

    Want to convince the world your so hip you're in possession of one of those much-rumoured but never released black first-generation iPod Shuffles? Then nab yourself one of Hong Kong-based Brando's Shuffle-like USB hubs. Available in white as well as black in that same long, thin shape as the Shuffle - and look how …

    Reg Hardware 14 May 2007, 11:39

  • Virgin: stop whinging and deal with the debt

    Analysis Sky battle self-inflicted

    Virgin Media used its quarterly conference call last week to throw another tantrum at Sky. What's ridiculous is that most of Virgin Media's current problems are self inflicted. The dispute with Sky involves a few tens of millions in fees: that's dwarfed by the amount of debt the group now carries. Without new capital, the cable …

    Music and Media 14 May 2007, 11:43

  • World's smallest mobile phone spotted in UK

    The handset held to be the world's smallest is now available in the UK. Made by China's Haier and dubbed the Elegance, the 9.1 x 3.5 x 1.8cm, 64g micro-phone packs in a tri-band GSM cellular link, an FM radio and an MP3 player. In fact, you'd easily mistake its curvy shiny black casing for a digital music player. The …

    Reg Hardware 14 May 2007, 12:26

  • BAE tries to polish corporate image ahead of Armor deal

    Analysis No matter how they scrub they'll never be clean

    BAE Systems plc's corporate migration to America may be entering troubled waters. The UK-based arms giant's latest plan is a £2.1bn acquisition of Armor Group, an American firm which makes Humvees and other vehicles for the US forces. This would be a good buy for BAE. Protected light vehicles are seen as a Pentagon "sweet …

    Hardware 14 May 2007, 14:23

  • Verizon bags Cybertrust

    Managing security concerns

    US telco Verizon has agreed to buy managed security services outfit Cybertrust for an undisclosed sum. Privately-held Cybertrust will be subsumed by Verizon Business, making the division the world's largest government and big business managed security operation. Cybertrust is based in Virginia and has about 800 employees …

    Security 14 May 2007, 14:40

  • Boffins develop synthetic human blood

    Vampire equivalent of Lite beer

    Sheffield University researchers believe they have developed a way of manufacturing artificial human blood using "dendrimers and hyper-branched polymers" to form "bio-mimetic molecules". Dr Lance Twyman of the university's chemistry department told the BBC that he and his team were "very excited about the potential for this …

    Biology 14 May 2007, 15:20

  • Virgin downloaders hit by AllofMP3.com fault

    Swashbuckling Russian site unavailable - not blocked

    Virgin Media has denied it has begun to block AllofMP3.com, the controversial music site currently under fire from the recording industry and US trade officials. Virgin subscribers contacted The Register fearing the Virgin brand's association with the recording industry, or desire to throttle bandwidth on its network, had …

    Music and Media 14 May 2007, 15:52

  • US forces to block YouTube, MySpace on DoD network

    Say they need bandwidth for killer robots

    The US forces will "block worldwide access," to a range of websites including YouTube, MySpace and Photobucket from the unclassified Defense Department internet (or NIPRNET) as of today. In a widely-reported memo, General BB Bell (commander of US forces in Korea) announced the upcoming blocks. He suggested that the changes were …

    Music and Media 14 May 2007, 16:09

  • MySpace to curb copyright violation

    Take Down Stay Down

    The clampdown on video copyright abuse continued Monday as social network giant MySpace announced measures to curb the use of copyrighted videos on member pages. A new feature, called Take Down Stay Down, prevents users from reposting videos that have been removed at the request of the copyright owner. MySpace has several other …

    Music and Media 14 May 2007, 16:53

  • Paid video has look and feel of dead duck

    You can't beat free, says Forrester

    Forrester Research has predicted that video download services such as iTunes will peak this year, unless consumers change their habits. Forrester analyst James McQuivey calls them a "temporary flash" but a "dead end". He forecasts a sharp ramp in revenue this year, from $98m to $279m, powered by what he calls "media addicts". …

    Music and Media 14 May 2007, 17:01

  • Alcatel-Lucent opens wallet for NetD

    Device gateway maker joins The Hyphen

    Alcatel-Lucent, the French telecom equipment company, is to buy NetDevices, a privately held producer of device gateways for large businesses. Financial terms are undisclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of Alcatel-Lucent's fiscal 2007 (subject the usual standard closing conditions) When the …

    Data Networking 14 May 2007, 18:46

  • On Microsoft's feeble Fortune-based nastygram to Red Hat

    Comment Missing BillG's pen

    Microsoft has lost its guts. Maybe they're on the floor of Bill Gates's "think week" cabin. Chairman Gates owned a steel sack once upon a time. You all remember the missive deriding computer hobbyists as software stealing criminals. "I would appreciate letters from any one who wants to pay up, or has a suggestion or comment," …

    Servers 14 May 2007, 20:27

  • MySpace users snowed in by new blizzard of spam

    Analysis Buried brunettes beg for help

    In the beginning, MySpace was a place to meet new friends and get to know old ones even better by browsing their journals, photos and network of chums. But soon, Viagra marketers, pedophiles and hackers latched onto MySpace and rendered it as ineffective as most other net-based public forums. It came to resemble one of the …

    Spam 14 May 2007, 20:31

  • Hitachi's Universal Storage Platform V is virtually huge

    Thin provisioning, fat box

    Hitachi lifted the curtain today on the next iteration of its high-end virtualizing storage system, the Universal Storage Platform V. The USPV offers a performance boost over previous Tagmastore systems. In addition, the new hardware ships thin provisioning software - technology yet to be implemented by Hitachi's high-end …

    Storage 14 May 2007, 22:05

  • US states press MySpace to give up sex offender data

    'Gravely concerned that sexual predators are using MySpace to lure children'

    Attorneys general from eight states say they have information that thousands of sex offenders have profiles on MySpace. They are concerned that predators may be using the social networking site as a virtual meeting place with their underage victims and today they authored a letter calling on the company to disclose the exact …

    Crime 14 May 2007, 23:44