6th June 2007 Archive

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Storage 'robot' guards loads of data

RAID for dummies

Drobo is not much of a robot per se, but the little black box from California-based startup company Data Robotics does offer an interesting solution to external data storage. Data Robotics has opened up its RAID alternative today, targeting non-technical users awash in a sea of data. Conspicuously dubbed a "storage robot," …

Storage 6 Jun 2007, 00:30
Judge pours generous portion of cold water on Zango

Crudware maker 'unlikely to prevail on the merits'

Poor Zango can't seem to get a break. The creator of Hotbar, Seekmo Search Assistant and other adware programs of dubious value has already ceded one lawsuit against Zone Labs and agreed to pay the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) a $3m fine to settle a formal complaint stemming from deceptive downloads. Now a federal judge has …

Malware 6 Jun 2007, 00:54
Microsoft puts in Stirling work for unified security Nirvana

Also: Visual Studio and SQL Server updates

Microsoft is prepping a security software suite that will take it deep into Symantec and McAfee heartland. They won't be quaking in their boots just yet: the suite, called Stirling, hits the streets in 2009, at the earliest. Stirling integrates Microsoft's anti-virus, anti-spam and content filtering software, Internet Security …

Enterprise Security 6 Jun 2007, 02:32
200 million people use DSL

That's some contention ratio

Over 200 million people worldwide use DSL technology to access the internet, according to figures released yesterday at Broadband World Forum Asia in Beijing. The stats, compiled by Point Topic, show a 29 per cent increase in DSL subscribers over the past 12 months. Globally, DSL remains by far the most popular broadband access …

Telecoms 6 Jun 2007, 03:19
ITIL v3 is go

Best practice books by the yard

After three years gestation, the UK's Office of Government Commerce (OGC) yesterday gave birth to ITIL version 3. ITIL's friends promptly held a launch party in London to celebrate. Once upon a time, ITIL was merely an acronym for the IT Infrastructure Library. But now it is a “brand” for IT service delivery and represents an …

Developer 6 Jun 2007, 04:08
Unknown group sues DOJ over gambling laws

GIGSE 2007 The fundamental right of all Americans to lose money

An obscure organization - the Interactive Media and Gaming Association (iMEGA) - filed a lawsuit in federal court today seeking to challenge American policy on internet gambling. The suit seeks both an injunction against the pending enforcement of the controversial Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, as well as a …

Law 6 Jun 2007, 04:18
Apple adds LED-backlit displays to updated MacBook Pros

Faster CPUs, Firewire 800 too

Apple has upgraded its 15in MacBook Pro laptops, equipping the new models not only with Intel's latest mobile processors but also LED-backlit displays, as anticipated a month ago. Apple's 15in MacBook Pro: now with LED backlighting Two 15in models are available, with, respectively, 2.2GHz and 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processors …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 07:28
Computex SanDisk doubles Flash hard drive capacity

SanDisk has added 64GB models to its growing line of Flash-based hard drives for notebooks and media players. That said, it'll be some time before you'll be able to buy any of them. SanDisk's 64GB 1.8in and 2.5in SSDs The memory card specialist introduced 32GB 1.8in and 2.5in drives in January and May, respectively, but …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 07:55
US appeals court smacks down FCC obscenity rule

F-bombs away!

Fans of open-mic celebrity blunders rejoice! The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has just ruled that the Federal Communication Commission's recent shift in its standards for obscenities uttered during a broadcast violated administrative rulemaking requirements. After declaring the new standards null and void, the court vacated …

Law 6 Jun 2007, 08:47
Buttocks, thongs, and bullsh*t: Street Viewers cop an eyeful

Nothing escapes Google's all-seeing eye

According to an illuminating report yesterday, Google's new Street View might, if deployed across Europe, provoke a flurry of litigation from unfortunates caught in compromising positions by the facility's all-seeing eye. Well, we haven't yet seen any snaps of couples going at it like jackrabbits in New York doorways, or nude …

Bootnotes 6 Jun 2007, 08:52
Computex Intel de-cloaks Bearlake chipsets

Consider Intel's latest chipset family, 'Bearlake', launched. Formally dubbed the 3 series, the chipsets have had a semi-official status since April, but at the Computex show in Taipei, Taiwan yesterday, Intel made them a real product. Intel's G33 chipset The discrete P35 and integrated G33 have been leaving Intel's …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 08:52
Olympic promotional footage provokes epileptic fits

'I was thinking about the 2012 Games and then I was out'

The 2012 Olympics website has pulled "a segment of animated footage" featuring "a diver diving into a pool which had a multi-colour ripple effect" after the snippet reportedly provoked epileptic fits. We hasten to add the animation did not feature the much-maligned Olympics logo, which to date has merely provoked apoplectic …

Government 6 Jun 2007, 08:53
Autonomy pumps up the MS-Sharepoint search action

Go faster stripes for enterprise accounts

Microsoft has turned to Autonomy to inject structured and unstructured search capabilities into its SharePoint collaboration platform for large, mixed deployments. The partnership will enable users of SharePoint to search and return results securely from more than 300 structured, relational, XML, video and voice sources …

Applications 6 Jun 2007, 09:02
Ask.com rolls out new algorithms, skins

Four per cent of all Web searchers take notice

Take that, Google. On Tuesday, Ask.com unveiled a revamped version of its online search engine, the web’s fourth most popular behind Google, Yahoo!, and MSN/Live.com. Dubbed Ask3D, the new Ask.com offers a fresh interface and an underlying search technology designed to give users quicker access to the data they’re looking for …

Applications 6 Jun 2007, 09:12
Dell eyes up service companies

Scottish buy just the beginning

Michael Dell says his company needs to buy service companies to improve on growth. The direct seller has already said it needs to make big changes in strategy, and has started talking about increasing indirect sales through the channel. Adding services is another Damascene conversion. Talking to the Financial Times, Dell …

Channel Register 6 Jun 2007, 09:14
House of Lords steps into US-EU data spat

UK ATS pilot still not catching terrorists

The House of Lords has called for some fair play in the homeland front of the "war on terror" after examining the massive data gathering exercises the US is using to build risk profiles of people travelling through its borders. In weighing the balance between public security and private rights, the House of Lords EU Committee …

Government 6 Jun 2007, 09:29
Ads watchdog okays Intel 'world's best processor' claim

Time for a re-think?

The UK's advertising watchdog has rejected complaints that a claim made by chip giant Intel that Core 2 Duo CPUs are the "world's best processors" is false. The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) said today it had received seven complaints after Intel began broadcasting its latest TV ad for the Core 2 Duo, the one that …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 09:44
Citrix unveils branding program

Customer awareness push

Citrix has launched a new branding program to help customers identify products by partners of the access infrastructure provider. Citrix Ready is designed to help the firm's customers understand the impact products from its partners have on their IT systems. The new branding was announced at the Citrix iforum in Edinburgh on …

Channel Register 6 Jun 2007, 09:55
D-Link debuts 200Mbps mains networking pack

D-Link has packed a pair of its 200Mbps powerline Ethernet adaptors into a starter kit it hopes will make networking over mains power cables more attractive. D-Link's DHP-301: ready for HD streaming over the mains The DHP-301 PowerLine HD pack contains two adaptors, but it's easy to buy and add more to create an array of …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 10:12
Wireless power limit doubled to bridge digital divide

And UWB licences to be axed

Ofcom has allowed fixed broadband internet providers to double the power of their signals in a move the UK telecoms regulator says will help bridge the digital divide. The new rules apply to the 5.8GHz frequency, which is used by fixed WiMax radio technology for wireless internet connections. The frequency is subject to light …

Wireless 6 Jun 2007, 10:29
Virtualisation gets trendy

It's real versatile, man

Had you 'Rip van Winkled' your way through the first half of this decade, you could have fallen asleep thinking virtualisation was merely a means of slicing-up large servers. However you would have awoken to discover it is in fact one of the most versatile tools in IT. Virtualisation is now involved in the most trendy fields in …

Servers 6 Jun 2007, 10:37
MoD boffins in Cornwall GPS-jamming trials

Could be spoofing satnav, not just jamming

UK gov defence boffins will carry out GPS-jamming trials in Cornwall today and tomorrow. Jamming transmissions will be made at the Portreath MoD site, a remote radar station operated by the RAF's Air Surveillance and Control Systems Force Command. The old airfield was once used (low down on page) as an outstation of the former …

Science 6 Jun 2007, 10:42
Pipex retains personal data for escapees' own good

ISP expecting ex-customers to come back

Pipex says it retains departed customers' bank details in case they ever change their minds. Yesterday, we reported on how a new customer account website had revealed that the ISP does not delete personal information when users cancel their contract. According to Reg readers who are former Pipex customers, the data is still …

Telecoms 6 Jun 2007, 11:18
Perfumier concocts Paris Hilton chokey scent

Limited edition fragrance 'distilled in toilets'

An online perfumier has fragrantly decided to offer a limited edition scent to celebrate Paris Hilton's all-too-brief spell in chokey. Black Phoenix describes its "Pruno" thus: "Jailhouse hooch. Distilled in toilets, this vintage is comprised of chow line droppings, including oranges, apples, ketchup, and sugar." Discerning …

Entertainment 6 Jun 2007, 11:32
Swedes unfurl talking paper

Coming soon: the interactive Playboy centrefold?

A team from Mid Sweden University have knocked together a "talking paper" billboard which uses conductive links and printed speakers to give forth when caressed, the BBC reports. The chattering display - showing the tech's "possible use for marketing holiday destinations" - uses a layer of "digital paper" printed with said …

Entertainment 6 Jun 2007, 11:39
Sun finally crafts proper x86 and SPARC blades

Once, twice, three times a lady

Contrary to public perception, Sun Microsystems does want to play in the mainstream blade server market. Sun today revealed yet another take on blade systems, showing a compact chassis that holds Opteron-, Xeon- and UltraSPARC T1-based servers. The new Sun Blade 6000 chassis compares favorably with existing systems from blade …

Servers 6 Jun 2007, 11:52
SEC slaps admin order on IBM

Probe dropped after two years - no admissions or denials

IBM has struck a deal with the SEC under which it promises not violate to security laws - not that it's admitting or denying that it’s ever done such a thing in the past. The deal closes an investigation by the SEC sparked by the IT giant’s expensing of equity compensation in its Q1 2005 earnings announcement. That quarter's …

Financial News 6 Jun 2007, 12:00
AMD desktop price cuts due next month

AMD has apparently told its product distributors to expect a round of price cuts early next month. The reductions, said to centre on the chip maker's desktop product lines, will see on average 20 per cent knocked off what it charges for dual-core CPUs. According to an AMD channel-oriented email quoted by fansite AMD Zone, the …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 12:02
UK boffins: extraterrestrial life will be discovered soon

Aliens' TV preferences could spark interstellar invasion

Top British boffins are convinced that evidence of alien life will soon be discovered outside the solar system. According to reports in both the Guardian and the Telegraph, a group of seven eminent astronomers was convened yesterday by UK Science Minister Malcolm Wicks. The brain trust collectively expected that indications of …

Space 6 Jun 2007, 12:07
C&W chairman in plea to join fat cat bonanza

Executive helicopters all round

Cable and Wireless has announced plans to rejig its rules on bonuses so its chairman can join other top brass at the firm in bagging a huge haul of shares. When the record-breaking bonanza for other execs was debated at last year's AGM, chairman Richard Lapthorne faced a barrage of criticism from shareholders, but the awards …

Financial News 6 Jun 2007, 13:06
BT Openzone closed for business

Wi-Fi access vanishes

BT has been experiencing problems with its Openzone network this morning, though it's still not able to tell us the scale of the problem or quite what went wrong. The network seems to have started failing at around 8am, and customers calling support were told that the whole network had gone down and they would have to wait and …

Wireless 6 Jun 2007, 13:07
Asus pitches wee Eee PC companion

Computex Sub-sub-notebook that's Palm Pilot for the 21st Century?

First Palm's Foleo, now Asus' Eee PC. Different names, but the concept's much the same: a highly compact laptop that focuses on mobile internet access rather than heavy duty personal computing. Asus' Eee PC 701: sub-sub-notebook The Eee PC 701 - announced this week at the Computex show in Taipei - is built around a 7in …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 13:12
MS anti-Trojan shield fails to protect older Offices

MOICE and sleazy

Microsoft's attempts to protect against the growing range of attacks targeting unpatched flaws in its Office application suite are only likely to be partially effective, according to security experts. The tool, Microsoft Office Isolated Conversion Environment (MOICE), is designed to protect against malformed Office 2003 …

Malware 6 Jun 2007, 13:18
Priapic litigant sues health drink outfit

Hard time after swilling extra vits

A US man is suing Novartis pharmaceutical company after its Boost Plus health drink allegedly provoked a nasty case of severe priapism. According to The Evening Standard, 29-year-old Christopher Woods bough the vit-enhanced beverage at a US drugstore on 5 June 2004. Boost Plus is claimed "to help volume-restricted patients get …

Biology 6 Jun 2007, 13:24
Wi-Manx launches WiMAX...nearly

Isle of Man steals Europe's wireless limelight

The Isle of Man has got Europe's first commercial WiMAX network - or, at least, a wireless network using WiMAX equipment, even if it's not actually on a WiMAX frequency. Wi-Manx's network is currently only available in Douglas, the capital, but the company has plans to expand island-wide in the future. Operating on 3.6GHz to 3 …

Wireless 6 Jun 2007, 13:37
Computex Intel details Core-based mobile, desktop Pentiums

Intel has rolled out its anticipated extension of ye olde Pentium brand into the more advanced Core era with a quintet of desktop and laptop processors based on its new architecture. They're formally named Pentium Dual-Core processors, even those most existing NetBurst-based Pentium Ds are too. All five are fabbed at 65nm …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 13:42
Citrix and Microsoft introduce BOB

Open the box and find a branch

Citrix chief executive Mark Templeton says the company expects to deliver the first fruits of Project Evergreen, a joint development with Microsoft, by the end of the year. Speaking at Citrix's annual iForum event in Edinburgh, Templeton said Project Evergreen will combine Citrix's WANscaler network booster with Microsoft …

Developer 6 Jun 2007, 13:43
Pentax Optio M30 digital camera

Review Photo finish or super snapper?

The Optio M30 is a mid-level 7.1-megapixel compact digital camera, unveiled by Pentax at the beginning of this year. It features a 3x zoom lens, a 2.5in display and a maximum sensitivity of ISO 3200. Weighing in at just 135g and measuring a minuscule 5.7 x 9.7 x 1.8cm, the Optio M30 is one of the leanest and lightest …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 14:02
AMD's neo naming scheme - details emerge

Computex GP-7080, anyone?

AMD has begun detailing how it plans to replace its current processor numbering scheme, this time with an Intel-esque system based on chip class, power consumption and relative performance. The new AMD numbering scheme categorises processors first by type: L for single-core chips and some low-end dual-cores. Dual-core X2 …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 14:09
Long Beach cops boast first Segway-borne bust

Wheels of justice cuff teen tearaways

Long Beach cops have finally vindicated the much-ridiculed Segway - by busting three teen car thieves who failed to escape the long arm of one motorised pogo-stick-borne law enforcement operative. Last Thursday, 34-year-old officer Jose Miguez chose the two-wheeler to scoot around his beat. He explained: "I decided to take a …

Bootnotes 6 Jun 2007, 14:32
Computex Toshiba shows 'world's first' skinny HD DVD-RW drive

Toshiba will begin offering notebook makers samples of its upcoming slimline HD DVD-RW drive next month. The add-in is the first of its its kind, the company claimed. A slimline HD DVD-RW drive, yesterday Named the SD-L912A, the drive reads and writes burn-once HD DVD-R/RW media in both single- and dual-layer forms. It'll …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2007, 14:46
MS, Yahoo! and Google snub debate on freedom

Not all publicity is good publicity

Yahoo!, Google and Microsoft have passed up the chance to take part in a web conference on internet freedom being hosted by human rights group Amnesty International this evening. The event is being held to discuss how free debate is being quashed by oppressive regimes. The three tech giants could have made a crucial …

Law 6 Jun 2007, 14:51
Vodafone Live 'improvements' kill mCommerce

Repurposed not to work any more

Vodafone UK has launched a mobile optimising technology which reformats web pages to fit onto a mobile phone screen. Unfortunately, it also prevents anyone else doing the same thing, and breaks several mCommerce technologies. Dubbed Mobile Internet, the service includes a shiny new portal, which users can personalise with …

Mobile 6 Jun 2007, 15:01
Europe could give Microsoft verdict soon

Secret meeting last month

The European Court of First Instance could deliver its verdict on Microsoft's appeal of its anti-trust ruling before the summer recess. The last possible date for the arrival of the verdict is 17 September - the last working day before Bo Vesterdorf, president of the court, retires. But a secret meeting at the end of the …

Law 6 Jun 2007, 15:11
Firm offers to patent security fixes

Cash from chaos

The market for software vulnerabilities just got even more complex with the arrival of a firm that offers security researchers a chance to profit from their work by patenting security fixes. Intellectual Weapons offers a revenue split with researchers who embark on what it admits is an ambitious strategy. It claims rival …

Security 6 Jun 2007, 15:20
Networks First buys ANS

Converged services are us

Networks First has bought ANS (Access Network Services), a Hampshire based firm that supports IP telephony products. West-Midlands based Networks First claims this makes it the largest independent provider of converged network support services. The combined firm is predicted to turnover £10m within a year and brings the …

Channel Register 6 Jun 2007, 15:21
Dutch students brew up powdered alcohol hit

Booz2Go - alcopop in a sachet

Dutch students have developed what might be the ultimate Reg hack survival aid - a powdered alcohol beverage going out at €1-€1.50 for a 20-gram packet, Reuters reports. Just add water to Booz2Go and you get a "bubbly, lime-colored and flavored drink with just three percent alcohol content", ideal for those journalistic Bravo …

Science 6 Jun 2007, 15:26
So what's in a URL? The Reg URL?

Your opinions solicited

The Register started out as a UK operation with a UK addressed web site, but accidentally and against our expectations became a pretty successful international operation. In deference to marketing we should point out that in recent years the international success has been both planned and deliberate, but that certainly isn't …

El Reg URL 6 Jun 2007, 15:30
UK MoD: O2 won't help employees serve in Iraq

Updated O2: Of course we will, but we don't support the war

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has mounted a media campaign this week to shame major employers into signing its statement of support for military-reservist employees. The UK's full-time forces are heavily engaged in Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other deployments worldwide. At the same time, their numbers are historically very …

Mobile 6 Jun 2007, 15:41
eBay's phishy old problem

Comment We were wrong, but is eBay wronger?

Reg Developer recently published a story about listings on eBay that point users to phishing sites. We thought we'd uncovered a new security issue on eBay, but it turns out we were wrong. Not wrong about the security issue, there certainly is one. Our error was in assuming that it was new and/or that eBay didn't know about it …

Developer 6 Jun 2007, 16:05
IBM lights on Watchfire

Development secured

IBM has burned an undisclosed sum of money to acquire Watchfire, a Massachusetts-based security firm, the IT omnicorp announced on Wednesday. Watchfire is a specialist in web application security, focusing on testing and development. IBM says it will integrate the technology into its Rational Software development platform, …

Security 6 Jun 2007, 16:13
Parliament must listen to the blogger in his pyjamas - Cameron

Spamocracy

Parliament may soon be debating whether to legalise incest, reclassify insomnia as a mental illness, microchip all children at birth ... or give pantomime actor Richard Griffiths a Knighthood. That's if opposition leader David Cameron has his way. A Conservative Party task force examining democratic participation proposes that …

Government 6 Jun 2007, 16:14
Chip start-up could ignite Blade PCs

Comment Living the PC lifestyle sans the space heater

Stealthy chip start-up Teradici Corp. in Burnaby, British Columbia emerged from behind the curtain on Tuesday to reveal their long anticipated semiconductor fix for the remote PC desktop dilemma. The product, geared towards OEM systems manufacturers, consists of a pair of chips designed to overcome the shortcomings of existing …

PCs & Chips 6 Jun 2007, 17:32
NetApp and 3Par become storage buddies

Block meets file

3PAR and Network Appliance have signed an agreement to consolidate their block and file storage services into a single SAN/NAS pool. The deal, announced Tuesday, allows 3Par's InServ system owners to connect with NetApp V-Series 3000 or 6000 systems and create a block and file data hybrid. As you would expect, direct block …

Storage 6 Jun 2007, 17:48
Crocodile tears for under-fire Microsoft MVP

'It pains us to threaten you, but...'

Microsoft has adopted a bullish stance in the Most Valuable Professional saga, in which it's making an MVP feel most unvalued. The software giant is threatening Jamie Cansdale for making his product TestDriven.NET work with the free-as-in-beer version of Visual Studio. Dan Fernandez, Lead Product Manager for Visual Studio …

Developer 6 Jun 2007, 18:28
ooVoo readies six-way Jetson chat client

Analysts suffering from video latency

Add another to the long list of free video-chat clients. With its new software, due to officially launch on June 11, startup ooVoo is entering a market that already includes AOL, Apple, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Skype, and a handful of smaller names. The difference? The ooVoo client focuses on multi-person video calls, allowing for …

VoIP 6 Jun 2007, 18:38
Substitute teacher's conviction for porn popups set aside

'Erroneous' testimony to the rescue

Julie Amero, the substitute teacher convicted of four felony counts when a computer in her classroom subjected seventh-graders to pornographic images, has been granted a new trial in light of fresh forensic information that came to light following her first trial. Amero faced up to 40 years in prison for the offense, which …

Law 6 Jun 2007, 18:44
NASA chief regrets having unpopular opinion

Right to ignorance under fire?

NASA administrator Michael Griffin has apologized to agency scientists and engineers for expressing an unpopular personal opinion regarding global warming during a recent radio interview. The space agency head tried to appease a scientific community frothing over comments made last week that downplayed humanity's role in global …

Space 6 Jun 2007, 20:28
Google beats chip and server makers to the future

Analysis Who needs oil and gas when you have text ads?

Google's orgiastic, eccentric acquisition of start-up PeakStream must scare the major players in the server processor and hardware universe. An ad broker has eaten a potentially super-valuable, industry-wide asset with no greater ambition than self-gratification in mind. As a result, high-end server applications could hobble …

Servers 6 Jun 2007, 21:50