24th May 2007 Archive

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Microsoft too busy to name Linux patents

OSBC Reworks definition of visibility

First you get everyone riled claiming open source and Linux infringe on your patents, then you won't detail those patents. Why? The paperwork. Yes, Microsoft cited administrative overhead for not detailing the 235 Microsoft patents its chief legal counsel recently told Fortune exist in Linux and open source. Microsoft …

Software 24 May 2007, 01:02
SME sector to 'explode with blades': IBM

Blade server market to be worth $11bn by 2010

The blade server market will be worth $11bn worldwide by 2010, according to IBM, with SMEs being a particularly fruitful market. Big Blue expects the market will grow significantly from its current standing of $4bn over the next three years. The IT giant said the mood among customers towards blades has improved in recent …

Servers 24 May 2007, 09:02
Server market continues to thrive

HP and IBM jockey for first place

The server wars are heating up again, with HP and IBM both scrapping over the number one spot in the first quarter of 2007. Research firms can't seem to agree who is top dog in the market in terms of revenue, with IDC giving the number one place to HP, while Gartner said IBM came out the winner. Either way, it seems it's a …

Servers 24 May 2007, 09:19
Four-radio AP touts high-density Wi-Fi

Wireless Event Extricom's channel blanket wins friends

Extricom has launched a quad-radio access point for its high-density wireless LAN systems. These are combinations of ultra-thin APs with a wireless switch that runs all the APs as a single cell so they can be on the same channels without interfering. Having four radios in each AP means you can run three non-overlapping Wi-Fi …

Telecoms 24 May 2007, 09:25
Spyware bill seeks Senate approval

Third time lucky?

The US House of Representatives has passed an anti-spyware bill, but the measure must be passed by the Senate before it becomes law. The Senate does not currently have anti-spyware legislation in front of it. The bill, passed by a voice vote in the House this week, is a less radical law than some of the alternative proposals …

Security 24 May 2007, 09:26
Ryanair check-in site exposes data

Doors to manual

Ryanair's online check-in service fails to ensure users submit confidential details across a secure connection. As a result, travellers are invited to send confidential data across an unencrypted link. "I checked every step when checking into a recent flight from Luton to Dublin to attend a funeral. At no point is SSL used, …

Enterprise Security 24 May 2007, 09:29
Business Objects gobbles Inxight

Shoulders its way into search tech

Business Objects' stated intention of becoming a $2bn company was never going to be achieved only through organic growth, and it was inevitable that there would be a number of acquisitions along the way, of which the latest is Inxight Software. Inxight was originally created as a spin-off from Xerox Parc in 1996 and it …

Financial News 24 May 2007, 09:33
Sony to release PS3 firmware update today

Upscaling comes to old games, movies

Sony is to update the PlayStation 3 system software today, rolling out a firmware tweak that allows PSOne, PS2 and DVD movies to be upscaled by the console to full 1080p HD resolution via HDMI. Well, if you've got the right kind of telly, of course... PS3 Firmware 1.80 also rolls out internet-spanning remote control using a …

Reg Hardware 24 May 2007, 09:46
Fancy a nuclear power station in your backyard?

A southern nuclear explosion

Brighton, Bristol, and picturesque Oxfordshire have topped the list of places most suitable to have new nuclear power stations bestowed upon them, replacing existing coal or gas fired power stations. The report was submitted to the government last year. According to The Guardian, Greenpeace made several attempts to force …

Government 24 May 2007, 10:08
Monster mashes iPod Shuffle, 'phones

Monster - a company best known for its high-end A/V cables and its lavish Consumer Electronics Show parties - has started selling iFreePlay, a set of foldable earphones with an integrated dock for Apple's second-generation iPod Shuffle. Monster iFreePlay: with added Shuffle The headset weighs a mere 46g, though plugging in …

Reg Hardware 24 May 2007, 10:19
Europe mulls anti-ID theft law

But doesn't expect it to be useful

The European Commission is considering new legislation against identity theft. The proposal is contained in a just-published policy on EU-wide plans to fight cybercrime. The European Commission's policy on fighting cybercrime in Europe is the product of many years of consultation and focuses on greater co-operation between …

ID 24 May 2007, 10:21
Big brains gather to ponder future of UK security

Ashdown, Robertson, to head panel of cops, spooks, peaceniks

A group of high-profile political, academic, and military heavyweights will come together over the next 18 months to ponder the future direction of UK security strategy. The independent Commission on National Security in the 21st Century will be co-chaired by two well-known peers of the realm. First up is former special-forces …

Government 24 May 2007, 10:34
Enormous vulture menaces home counties

Do not approach a 'very large bird' called Emmy

One of the world's largest birds, a Ruppell's Griffin Vulture called Emmy, is on the loose in Bedfordshire after escaping from the English School of Falconry on Wednesday. The vulturine female, which "got spooked" during a show, has a wingspan of more than three metres. The biggest specimens of Wandering Albatross, the world's …

Biology 24 May 2007, 10:44
iPod generation can get Lost

TV-based game comes to fifth generation iPods

iPod owners, bored of watching the latest Lost episode in post-it-note o'vision, can now enter the immersive world of Lost thanks to Gameloft, whose game of the TV series is now available on iTunes. You too can experience what it's like to wake up next to a crashed plane and run around in small circles following indicator …

Music and Media 24 May 2007, 10:47
Sony goes Bose with teeny-tiny home cinema rig

Sony's latest home cinema system looks set to give micro-speaker pioneer Bose a run for its money. The DAV-150's sub-woofer is a big as you'd expect but the five satellite speakers are small enough you could paint 'em with dots and play a game of dice. Sony's DAV-150: let's hear if for the small speakers The five …

Reg Hardware 24 May 2007, 10:59
Dell sees the channel light while Microsoft is cast as open source redeemer

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It's finally happened. Dell has publicly stated what we in the channel have known all along. You can't live without resellers and partners. Not long after his second coming at the company and after many years of outright hostility to the indirect channel, CEO Michael Dell has undergone a conversion, telling CRN US: "There are …

Channel Register 24 May 2007, 11:02
Elgato Turbo.264 H.264 encoder

UK-first review Vroom, vroom

Apple TV and iPod. Sony PlayStation Portable. Different devices, but united in common support of the H.264 video compression technology, part of the MPEG 4 standard. And since a lot of us own these, the need for H.264-encoded content is high. The snag: it takes a heck of a lot of processing power to produce. Elgato's Turbo. …

Reg Hardware 24 May 2007, 11:02
HP escapes fine for boardroom spying scandal

Promises not to do it again

HP has settled allegations over its failure to disclose why one of its directors resigned in the midst of last year's boardroom mole fiasco. The computer giant has not been fined and said it neither admitted nor denied the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) findings, but has agreed to a cease and desist order, effectively …

Hardware 24 May 2007, 11:19
Compelling Linux server slithers into the open

Get Slugged

The Linksys NSLU2 is a cheap and compact Network Attached Storage (NAS) device with an Ethernet connection and two USB ports for connecting hard drives and/or USB flash disks to a LAN. It sports a simple web-based interface that is used to configure the device, format any attached disks, set up disk shares and so on. It's a …

Developer 24 May 2007, 11:27
Google wants to really get to know you

Which database would you like to be stored on?

Google wants to know what you are thinking. Erik Schmidt has, after a couple of quiet years, started talking again about his ambitions for the firm to be able to answer questions like "What shall I do tomorrow?", or "What job shall I take?" Since most people don't know what they are thinking from moment to moment, we have to …

Software 24 May 2007, 11:32
Straight blokes best at reading maps

But don't ask them to find the car keys

Straight blokes are best at reading maps, but if you want to know where you left the car keys, you'd best ask a woman, a new study has revealed. According to The Telegraph, researchers at the University of Warwick probed "how we perform mental tasks in light of sexual preferences", and found that the map reading ability league …

Biology 24 May 2007, 11:34
PlusNet blames itself for webmail spamfest

Russian connection in hacking investigation

PlusNet has accepted blame for its latest email blunder, having previously fingered vulnerabilities in third party webmail software for last week's security flap. The Sheffield-based ISP admitted late yesterday that it was its implementation of @Mail's webmail code which exposed thousands of subsciber email addresses and …

Enterprise Security 24 May 2007, 11:50
Competition Commission to probe Sky's ITV buy

Sky says: 'Bring it on'

Almost a month after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) recommended Sky's purchase of over 19 per cent of ITV be brought to the attention of the Competition Commission, DTI Secretary of State Alistair Darling has done just that. The buy up was an unexpected and audacious move which prevented a much-rumoured takeover of ITV by …

Entertainment 24 May 2007, 12:12
Ofcom rules on Celebrity Big Brother racism rumpus

C4 forced to broadcast apology

TV watchdog Ofcom has administered a stern telling-off to Channel Four for its handling of the Shilpa Shetty Celebrity Big Brother racism rumpus. For anyone who's spent the last year up a tributary of the Amazon, the Bollywood actress was subjected to some rough treatment at the hands of Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O' …

Entertainment 24 May 2007, 12:18
Lenovo swallows tasty profit

Waves goodbye to Mary Ma, says hello to US

Chinese computer maker Lenovo said its profits grew by more than 600 per cent in the fourth quarter. It attributed its best results since the purchase of the PC division of IBM two years ago to a strong performance in all geographic areas including North America, which chalked up 29 per cent of the firm's total revenue. …

Channel Register 24 May 2007, 13:26
Chimera bill: consultation begins

Select Committee wants evidence

The new joint committee on the draft Human Tissue and Embryos Bill has issued a call for evidence as it starts its analysis of the proposed legislation. The committee has specifically asked for views on the proposed new Regulatory Authority for Tissue and Embryos and whether this is the best way to oversee the new area of …

Biology 24 May 2007, 13:29
Pupils flog public school on eBay

Updated 'Not quite as good as it used to be'

Those among you who've ever fancied roasting young toffs over an open fire should get yourselves down to eBay where the pupils of one seat of learning have decided to put their beloved alma mater on the market: The blurb explains: Have you ever wanted to own an authentic traditional school, with centuries of history?! Well …

Bootnotes 24 May 2007, 13:32
Robot gunships join US Army

Airwolf cyber-copters ready next year

The march of the killer droids continues, with news that a US robot helicopter gunship has passed a significant milestone - engine testing. This success means the robot can head for production - once avionics and sensors arrive. The cyber-copter in question is the RQ/MQ-8 vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned air …

Rise of the Machines 24 May 2007, 13:38
UK arrest gives AllofMP3 touts the fear

Euro touts lose bottle

The arrest of an alleged UK reseller of Allofmp3.com vouchers has frightened other merchants on the continent. Allofmp3.com set up the voucher scheme to get around the removal of its card processing facilities in the UK and Europe last year. But the bust of a London-based reseller earlier this month has prompted his colleagues …

Music and Media 24 May 2007, 13:42
Desperately seeking WLAN apps for London

Wireless Event Westminster offers prizes to get citizens using city Wi-Fi

City wireless LAN pioneer Westminster City Council has kicked off a competition to find new applications to run on its planned city-wide Wi-Fi network. Along with sponsors BT and Vertex, it is offering prizes of £1,000 in each of three categories: Wireless Living to improve the daily life of individuals, Wireless Neighbourhood …

Wireless 24 May 2007, 14:00
Mayor Ken's Low Emission Zone - a load of hot air?

Analysis Motorist surveillance goes orbital

London Mayor Ken Livingstone wants to clean up the capital's air. But at what cost to motorists? The Mayor has a legal requirement, primarily under the Environment Act, to ensure that the quality of London's air meets the prevailing legal standards. Earlier this month, Livingstone gave the green light to a London-wide Low …

Public Sector 24 May 2007, 14:21
Bird flu confirmed in Wales

Not the really scary one, though

Bird flu has been confirmed at a farm in Wales, but it is not the virulent and potentially-fatal-for-humans strain H5N1, but another, called H7N2. There is now a 1km exclusion zone around the farm. According to a BBC report, the owners of the farm bought 15 Rhode Island Red chickens two weeks ago. The first chicken became ill …

Biology 24 May 2007, 14:55
RAF builds massively multiplayer flight sims

World's greatest LAN party is go

A UK defence initiative hopes to link up military flight simulators in the US and UK , allowing British pilots to train for complex multi-aircraft missions together with their American counterparts across the pond. Front line aircrew are now involved in the experimental phase of the £7.8m Mission Training through Distributed …

Telecoms 24 May 2007, 15:06
Studying Venus from the ground up

A helping hand for Venus Express

The European Space Agency (ESA) has enlisted the help of several ground-based telescopes for a project to complement Venus Express' study of our twin planet. As of yesterday, scientists working at observatories around the world have been aiming their 'scopes at our sister planet to perform measurements that are not feasible …

Space 24 May 2007, 15:41
Qualcomm to sink €100m into European SMEs

Form an orderly queue

Qualcomm is to sink €100m into small and medium-sized enterprises in Europe. The company has pledged the investment via its venture capital arm Qualcomm Ventures. So which technologies might be best placed to grab a share of Qualcomm's big pie? Qualcomm certainly knows something about technology. Thirty-five per cent of its …

Wireless 24 May 2007, 15:53
Expel the IT bodgers, says Microsoft

If you can't stand the heat, you'll get thrown out the kitchen

IT bods should be struck off if they create too many dodgy computer systems, according to Microsoft's UK national technology officer. Speaking to ZDNet yesterday, Jerry Fishenden, Microsoft's key government liaison, said something needs to be done if the IT profession is to earn the respect of normal people. "If you look at …

IT Director 24 May 2007, 16:08
Jajah calls patent big brothers for global VoIP domination

Meesah wanna takem over dem telephones

When a young company struts about proclaiming it wants to be "the Google of XYZ", it's hard to take seriously. Generally, it's a headline-grabbing conceit which doesn't actually mean a lot: every tech company would love Google's market share, stock price, teflon public image, and 767 party plane. Jajah, a Silicon Valley VoIP …

VoIP 24 May 2007, 16:59
Skype worm leaps onto MSN

IM in peril

Malware miscreants have created the first worm targeting Skype that's also capable over other instant messaging networks, such as MSN and ICQ. The unnamed worm poses as a chat message linking to a website, as with other example of Skype-spreading malware before it. This malicious website contains a .pif file, that poses as " …

Anti-Virus 24 May 2007, 17:51
Brinkster.com battens down the hatches

We're gonna need to change your lost password. Thanks

Web host Brinkster.com is requiring customers to change their account passwords because some of them may have been compromised, according to people who say they've received security bulletins. If confirmed, the breach is the latest example of sensitive information being lost en masse as a result of security lapses by a large …

Enterprise Security 24 May 2007, 18:08
Dell goes direct into Wal-Mart's clutches

Low prices meet always low prices

The dream of walking into a single store to purchase a messenger style diaper bag, an easy listening Piano Tribute to Coldplay CD, an engagement ring and a Dell computer for under $1,000 has become a reality. Dell peered into consumer hearts and materialized this secret fancy with mega chain, Wal-Mart. The PC vendor, which has …

Distribution 24 May 2007, 18:26
If Google is a Russian spy op, when will it buy U-Haul?

And Ninthly The Parboiled Age

He sat on one side of a blanket hung across the kitchen, and Smith sat on the other with his translation stones, intoning through the blanket. As if to make this an even happier scene, Harris was warned that if he tried to glimpse the plates, or look at the prophet, he would be struck dead - God is not Great by Christopher …

Entertainment 24 May 2007, 21:56
MP's son guilty of VAT carousel fraud

Dad will 'contest the verdict'

The son of Labour MP Mohammed Sarwar has been convicted of an £850,000 money laundering scam involving imported mobile phones. The Glasgow High Court heard that Athif Sarwar, 28 of Lynebank Place, Mearnskirk had handled thousands of pounds of money described as "criminal property", the BBC reports. Sarwar was found guilty of …

Channel Register 24 May 2007, 23:46