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20th June 2007 Archive

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  • HP's storage gets a case of the greens

    Technology Forum Think disk made out of trees

    HP is going greener than a green thing from a green land with its latest storage boxes HP has popped out three, new EVA boxes that contribute to its energy efficient computing agenda. Customers will find the EVA4100, 6100 and 8100 midrange boxes, which apparently chew threw 45 per cent less power than their predecessors while …

    Storage 20 Jun 2007, 00:01

  • Gateway recalls 14,000 batteries

    Is that a barbecue in your lap or...

    When laptop batteries aren't bursting into white-hot flames, incinerating loved-ones, treasured possessions and airline luggage compartments in a ball of fiery plasma — they're right useful products. Shame about the little catch. Today, Gateway is issuing a voluntary recall of about 14,000 lithium-ion battery packs to prevent …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 00:04

  • Pillar packs more storage in Axiom boxes

    Going green, crowded, but green

    Storage unstart-up Pillar Data Systems has contracted a case of the market's green fever, but focusing its appeal to data centers worried over skyrocketing operational costs through power and cooling, but the size of their box. Pillar feels the eco-friendly hype-masters have committed the sin of overlooking the size of the …

    Storage 20 Jun 2007, 02:27

  • Nota bene: World goes notebook crazy

    Can't get enough of 'em

    iSuppli, the tech market researcher, has raised its forecast for PC shipments this, following a surge in notebook sales in the first quarter. It now estimates that PC makers will ship 264 million units in 2007, up 11.2 per cent on 2006's 239 million units. Previously it pegged market growth for the year at 10.7 per cent. In …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 03:31

  • Handy guides to SharePoint Server 2007

    Books Share 'em with your mates

    The latest version of Microsoft's popular collaboration and productivity platform, SharePoint Server, was released towards the end of last year, and this next generation of software expands on the core capabilities of the 2003 version. Register Books has taken a look at the titles on the market for the new application and has …

    Developer 20 Jun 2007, 08:02

  • CruiseControl builds for the Enterprise

    Screen Digest

    If there is one concept that is central to the Agile development process, it's probably Continuous Build. Although small projects can rely on manual builds, automation is the key to using Agile for ever larger projects. If you're into Open Source, as many Agile developers are, one continuous build tool of choice is …

    Developer 20 Jun 2007, 08:02

  • SAP expands mobile reach

    SOA features

    SAP has begun recruiting partner ISVs to its NetWeaver platform update for mobile devices to increase uptake of its applications in the field. The enterprise resource planning (ERP) giant said it's working with both existing and new mobile ISV partners to certify their applications to the SOA-enabled version of SAP NetWeaver …

    Developer 20 Jun 2007, 09:01

  • Post Office loses Amazon contract

    Last cheque's in the post

    The Post Office has lost its £8m contract for Amazon.co.uk's second class deliveries. The key contract will be a big loss for the Royal Mail. In a statement, Royal Mail said: "We're very proud to work with Amazon and the loss of such a significant piece of their business demonstrates very clearly that Royal Mail's higher …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 09:05

  • Consumers happy to pay 'green premium'

    Give thumbs up to price hikes for enviro-friendly kit

    Results of a survey released Tuesday show that a majority of European consumers are willing to pay that little bit extra for environmentally friendly technology. The survey was conducted by UK research firm Canalys and interviewed 2,000 employed adult mobile phone and PC users in France, Germany, Italy Spain, and the UK. …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 09:05

  • Will Murdoch swap MySpace for Yahoo! stake?

    Tabloidtakeovertastic...

    Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is considering swapping MySpace for a stake in Yahoo! The talks are ongoing, but have been hit by the departure of Terry Semel earlier this week. According to Murdoch-owned The Times, News Corp will hand over MySpace in exchange for a 25 per cent stake in Yahoo!. The search and portal giant …

    Financial News 20 Jun 2007, 09:14

  • Employers must spot signs of depression

    Mental ill health the second largest cause of sick leave

    Mental ill health is the second largest cause of time lost due to sickness absence in UK organisations with stress, depression, and anxiety accounting for over 50 per cent of these mental health problems, according to a report published this month. The findings from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) …

    Business 20 Jun 2007, 09:33

  • Open Rights Group recounts e-voting horror story

    Lovers of democracy, turn away now

    The Open Rights Group (ORG) has condemned the May 2007 pilots of e-voting and electronic vote counting in the English and Scottish local elections, saying the technology involved is simply not suitable for use in statutory elections. "We came into this not as a blank sheet," ORG e-voting coordinator Jason Kitcat concedes. "But …

    Government 20 Jun 2007, 09:45

  • UK extends ecommerce directive to terrorism laws

    A blog posting in Europe could land you in UK courts

    Regulations come into force this week that explain how and when a foreign company can be brought to justice in the UK over blog postings that encourage terrorism. The regulations integrate Europe's ecommerce laws with the UK's Terrorism Act. The Electronic Commerce Directive (Terrorism Act 2006) Regulations 2007 were laid …

    Law 20 Jun 2007, 09:56

  • Gateway recalls 14,000 more laptop batteries

    Gateway has asked a further 14,000 of its customers to send back their laptop batteries in a recall that stretches back more than four years. Unlike the broad battery recall the PC company announced in October 2006 in the wake a spate of incidents in which batteries from a variety of laptop vendors spontaneously combusted, …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 09:57

  • Amero case spawns effort to educate

    Julie Group seeks to avoid future wrongful convictions

    A group of security professionals, legal experts, and educators who helped former Connecticut substitute teacher Julie Amero overturn a conviction on charges of exposing her students to pornographic pop-up ads has formed a permanent organisation that aims to educate the courts and legislators about technology, crime, and digital …

    Law 20 Jun 2007, 10:09

  • Fring thing comes to Windows Mobile

    Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN, and Twitter all in one client

    Symbian VoIP and messaging client Fring has launched a version for Windows Mobile 5 and 6, connecting them to multiple VoIP and messaging services from a single client for free. Fring has been providing connections to Skype from Symbian handsets, over 3G or Wi-Fi connections for a while now, and more recently added GoogleTalk …

    Mobile 20 Jun 2007, 10:11

  • DSG computing sales up, profits down

    Downers include laptops, France

    The increasing popularity of laptops helped deflate margins at DSG international's computing operation, the firm revealed in its full year results today. The electronics group turned in full year revenues of £7.9bn for the year to 28 April, up 14 per cent on the year. Pre-tax profits were £114.1m, down on the previous year's …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 10:35

  • Google takes aim at Microsoft, carbon, China

    Zentering on PowerPoint competitor

    Google's acquisition spree of recent weeks has continued with the acquisition of Zenter, another PowerPoint-but-online outfit. As usual, terms are undisclosed. Zenter was focused on the user interface and sharing technology for the front end of online presentations, while Tonic Systems, which Google drank of in April, was …

    Applications 20 Jun 2007, 10:39

  • Samsung spins up 1TB desktop HDD

    Samsung has become the latest hard disk drive maker to get a 1TB desktop product out the door, with the launch of its SpinPoint F1 series. It follows hot on the heels of Seagate, which got its own terabyte drive out last week. Samsung said the 3.5in F1 packs in three 334GB platters which spin at 7200rpm. There's 32MB of cache …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 10:43

  • Need hard facts? Try Conservapedia

    'The truth shall set you free', claims Wiki rival

    The Wikipedians among you should take note that your days of punting liberal bias may be numbered. Enter stage right Conservapedia, a "conservative encyclopedia you can trust", which has been enjoying a certain amount of attention stateside for its unashamedly and decidedly non-liberal content. Conservapedia (Motto: "The …

    Bootnotes 20 Jun 2007, 10:50

  • Sony debuts dual-box HD-editing PC

    One unit for you desk, one for under it

    Sony has taken the wraps off a desktop system that contains not only system unit but two, one for the bulk of the PC's innards, the other for the optical drives - one of which is a Blu-ray Disc unit. Sony's Vaio RM1N: one unit for you desk, another for under it Aimed at HD content editors and dubbed the Vaio RM1N, the PC …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 11:04

  • Lag caught with phone charger up jacksie

    Prison officers notice murderer's 'discomfort'

    A lag at Swaleside Prison on the Isle of Sheppey was caught with an entire phone charger up his jacksie after officers noticed his "discomfort" during a search of his cell, The Sun reports. The appropriately-named Tony Pile, 22, serving a life stretch for "beating a man to death in a race hate attack in 2005", was collared …

    Mobile 20 Jun 2007, 11:07

  • Neverland director to helm Bond 22

    Marc Forster issued licence to thrill

    Finding Neverland director Marc Forster will take the helm of Bond 22, the BBC reports. Forster, 37, will replace Martin Campbell, who successfully guided Daniel Craig in his first outing as 007 in Casino Royale, having done the same for Pierce Brosnan in 1995's GoldenEye. The German-born Bond newbie has just completed work on …

    Music and Media 20 Jun 2007, 11:11

  • Albatron brings Nvidia GeForce 8400 GS in on a budget

    DirectX 10 for the masses?

    Albatron was the first of many graphics card companies to tell us today it has released a graphics card based on Nvidia's new, 65nm GeForce 8400 GS chip, developed as an entry-level DirectX 10 product. Albatron's 8400GS: get into DirectX 10, inexpensively Albatron's version is simply called the 8400GS. The board connects …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 11:37

  • Jack Straw: let MPs use handhelds, laptops in Commons

    Bums-on-benches push could see live TV spamming

    Backbench MPs struggling with a tide of emails led by former foreign minister Jack Straw are pressing to be allowed to use handheld networked devices and even laptops during Parliamentary debates. In a report (200 page pdf) entitled Revitalising the Chamber: the role of the back bench Member, the House of Commons' modernisation …

    Government 20 Jun 2007, 11:38

  • iPhone variants on the way?

    No s**t, Sherlock...

    With the offical US launch of Apple's iPhone now just days away, the rumour mill has begun grinding out news that variants on the device are also on the horizon. The source of these unconfirmed rumours? American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu, who has been quoted as saying: "Apple needs to round out its iPhone product …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 11:57

  • Texas cops taser diabetic seizure man

    'We just took care of him'

    A Texas man who called 911 to request medical assistance for a diabetic seizure earned a tasering from local cops for his trouble, the Waxahachie Daily Light reports. Allen Nelms, 52, was suffering said seizure "during the early morning hours of April 28 when his girlfriend, Josie Edwards, called 911 to request paramedics". A …

    Bootnotes 20 Jun 2007, 12:25

  • Phishermen, not zombies, causing biggest security woes

    McAfee issues revised forecast

    Data-swiping phishing sites are causing a greater security headache than expected while botnet numbers have taken an unexpected dip over recent months, according to revised security predictions by net security firm McAfee. McAfee Avert Labs recorded a 784 per cent increase in phishing websites in the first quarter of 2007 …

    Security 20 Jun 2007, 12:32

  • Sex game bloke traps modesty in padlock

    Cue firemen bearing hydraulic cutters

    A Kent man who got his manhood trapped in a padlock "after a sex game went wrong" had to be cut free by firemen, The Sun reports. The unnamed victim, in his 50s, intially presented the coupling of padlock and pecker at his local fire station. They packed him off to hospital, but since docs "could do nothing", he was forced to …

    Bootnotes 20 Jun 2007, 12:40

  • Boeing offers 'optionally manned' jets for US Navy

    At last, backseaters could be rid of troublesome pilots

    Aerospace giant Boeing unveiled its bid for the US Navy's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) programme at the Paris Air Show yesterday. BAMS is a technologically ambitious scheme, under which the USN wants to procure advanced ocean-patrolling drone aircraft. This role was formerly performed by the venerable P-3 Orion …

    Government 20 Jun 2007, 12:45

  • Swedish man gets benefits for Black Sabbath addiction

    Who's next? Ozzy?

    A Swedish man is to receive sickness benefits for his addiction to heavy metal music. The lifestyle of 42-year-old dishwasher Roger Tullgren from Hässleholm in southern Sweden has been classified as a disability by the Swedish Employment Service, which has agreed to pay part of Tullgren's salary, and his new boss has given him …

    Music and Media 20 Jun 2007, 12:52

  • Byrne explains the UK's wondrous, biometric, ID card future

    Count them in, count them out, count them all about...

    Immigration Minister Liam Byrne this week unveiled - to a certain amount of derision - his vision of the ID Card scheme as some sort of 21st Century equivalent of the 19th Century railway network or the 20th Century national electricity grid. It will be pervasive, and in 20 years time it will be a great British institution, " …

    Government 20 Jun 2007, 12:55

  • Newspapers not killed by net - shock!

    But web freeloaders fill their boots

    A survey into the newspaper reading habits of the British has some rare good news for newspapers - and a warning for their net strategies. The good news for media groups is that online readers show a strong loyalty to their favourite paper, with two thirds of Mail readers also buying a print copy, for example. However, the …

    Music and Media 20 Jun 2007, 12:56

  • Evesham 26in Alqemi V and VX HD TVs

    Review Hi-def, lo-price

    Evesham is rapidly building a rep for releasing inexpensive but decent low-cost LCD TVs, and its Alqemi line is leading the way. The range stretches from flat-friendly 26 inchers right up to palace-perfect 42in models, but we decided to audition its two cheapest: the Alqemi V and the Alqemi VX. While both screens are …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 12:57

  • Yahoo! and MSN up the mobile browsing stakes

    We will fight them on the desktop...

    Hot on the heels of Opera's latest browser, Microsoft has updated its MSN Mobile service, and Yahoo! is to launch its intelligent client on Friday. MSN Mobile is a portal site, to which you connect using your mobile browser. The normal quick links to weather, sports, email, and so on are supplemented by a mechanism which …

    Mobile 20 Jun 2007, 13:10

  • Pentagon's raygun-packing 747 to visit DC

    Jumbo wants pork

    The Airborne Laser, the US Missile Defence programme's raygun-equipped jumbo jet, is to visit Washington tonight in an attempt to drum up support on Capitol Hill. The Airborne Laser aircraft, intended to explode ICBMs shortly after liftoff. The Missile Defence Agency says (pdf) the flying energy-weapon platform will fly into …

    Physics 20 Jun 2007, 13:14

  • Logitech out to lure laptop users with latest accessories

    Mouse maker Logitech has rolled out a raft of accessories aimed at laptop owners - and, let's face it, these days a lot of us are. Among the selection: backpacks, notebook stands and assorted add-ons. Mouse maker Logitech has rolled out a raft of accessories aimed at laptop owners - and, let's face it, these days a lot of us …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 13:39

  • Dell outputs its 'smallest' colour laser printer

    First we had the mini skirt, then we had the mini motorcyle and now we have the mini printer or, more specifically, the Dell 1320c – the manufacturer's smallest colour laser printer to date. Its 40 x 42 x 38cm measurements mean it's sure to fit onto even the smallest of desks. The slinky black number also gives a 600dpi …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 13:55

  • Mobile Clinic: How do you make mobile data secure?

    Mobile Clinic Keeping it safe

    We asked and you responded in kind with the key issues you're facing with mobilising your workforce. Below, we've got three industry experts - all of whom have racked up more years in the mobile world than most of us have had hot dinners - who are trying to give you some pointers on nailing this stuff. We'll be tackling …

    Workshop 20 Jun 2007, 14:02

  • Google boss brandishes 'powerful' iPhone

    Schmidt triggers positive feedback

    On a jaunt to Paris yesterday, Google CEO Eric Schmidt whipped out his iPhone in public, waved it around and proclaimed it a "powerful new device". The Apple board member, whose iPhone had already been glimpsed as he sat an watched Steve Jobs' Worldwide Developers Conference keynote last week, was speaking at a mobile …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 14:18

  • Brown asks cops for gadget wish list

    Write to Santa

    Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown has asked the police to come up with a wish list of gadgets they can use to combat crime. In a speech to the annual conference of chief police officers in Manchester yesterday, Brown suggested technology might help them strike a balance between the demands of volume crime and the need to …

    Government 20 Jun 2007, 14:36

  • BlackBerry versus Microsoft

    Reader Poll Let's get specific

    Our workshop on selection of mobile email platforms taking place over here is leading to some interesting insights. In particular, a couple of readers with direct experience of both BlackBerry and MS Exchange/Windows Mobile contrast the two environments. Here are a couple of extracts from their feedback to give you a flavour …

    Workshop 20 Jun 2007, 15:04

  • Woman cleans keyboard... in dishwasher

    Keyboard survives to type the tale

    You've got a desktop keyboard. And it's stained, grimy and filled with crumbs - not to mention the odd short, curly hair that really can't have got there through natural means. What do you do? You put it in the Whirlpool, that's what. At least, that's what Michele - the US' answer to our very own Hardware Widow by the sounds …

    Reg Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 15:41

  • Quick-charging electric cars could be round the corner

    Updated Main problem of battery vehicles potentially fixed

    The rules of the game for electrically-powered vehicles may be about to change, as new battery technology approaches road service. Thus far, modern electric vehicles such as the Tesla Roadster have tended to employ large lithium-ion battery packs coupled to electric motor-generators in lieu of petrol tanks and engines. This …

    Hardware 20 Jun 2007, 15:42

  • Brits to US tech firms: we need you!

    ...to catch our criminals

    The UK's outgoing Home Secretary John Reid told US consumer electronics kingpins today that if they spent as much time turning their products into crime-stopping gadgets as they did making them look nice and work well, we might wash petty crime from our streets. Reid, who has been courting industry groups of late, leaves his …

    Crime 20 Jun 2007, 15:51

  • Apple buyout rumours circulate as iPhone launch nears

    Can St. Steve move up a plane?

    Scepticism about the launch of the Apple iPhone is growing, and it isn't helping the Apple share price. What a coincidence that exactly as things get tougher in the stock market, rumours start appearing that will "cause a 40 per cent premium on the Apple share price"! The rumours simply say that Google may buy Apple. The …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 15:59

  • Harry Potter transcript claim doesn't convince

    Meddling muggles boast of last book transcript attack

    A hacker posting on a full disclosure email list run by InSecure.org claims to have obtained a copy of a transcript of the forthcoming book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The self-proclaimed hacker - who calls himself Gabriel - claims to have compromised the PCs of one or more workers at Bloomsbury Publishing, the …

    Security 20 Jun 2007, 16:06

  • Police officer arrested over IT abuse

    "Very serious allegations"

    The Police Complaints Commission is to investigate "very serious" allegations about misuse of North Wales Police computers An officer from the North Wales Police has been arrested following an allegation of improper use of the force's computer system. The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is managing the …

    Crime 20 Jun 2007, 16:14

  • YouTube hits iPhone

    Oh, and Apple TV too

    YouTube is now available on Apple TV - but that's just a footnote. Apple also announced that it will include a specialized YouTube app with the iPhone when the long-awaited handheld device ships on 29 June. Starting today, Apple TV users can download a free software update that allows them to “easily navigate through YouTube’ …

    Mobile 20 Jun 2007, 17:34

  • Is that YouTube clip you just watched booby trapped?

    Streaming malware

    Video clips from YouTube might come booby-trapped with malware, security watchers warn. A fake video file containing the Zlob Trojan has been planted on the video-sharing site. If selected, the Trojan bombards infected users with ads. It might also be used to upload other forms of malware onto compromised PCs. According to the …

    Security 20 Jun 2007, 17:59

  • Opteron darling Newisys lives!

    Just a flesh wound

    Newisys, while much thinner, continues to march on, contrary to recent reports. Last month, the onetime Opteron server darling notified Texas regulators that it would fire 87 workers and endure a "plant closing." Now, however, Newisys officials say the "plant closing" language was a regulatory formality. The company isn't …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 18:01

  • Apple TV gets its first critical security patch

    Flaw made it possible to remotely access home networks

    Apple has patched a security hole in its Apple TV box that made it possible for remote hackers to access a user's network and spy on traffic passing through it. The flaw, which was patched in an update Apple released today, is the same vulnerability that plagued OS X until Apple released an update late last month. It resides …

    Security 20 Jun 2007, 18:05

  • Circuit City has outstandingly awful Q1

    Withdraws guidance for 2007

    Circuit City had a crap first quarter, losing $54.6m, against net income of $6.4m same time last year. Net sales fell 4.3 per cent, driven by a comparable store sales decline of 5.6 per cent. Gross profit margins fell 1.9 per cent on lower merchandise margins and lower take-up of extended warranties. The electronics retailing …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 19:30

  • YouTube 'riddled with 40-plus security vulnerabilities'

    Faced with ultimatum, Google finally responds

    Google researchers have at last responded to a hacker who says he's uncovered more than 40 YouTube flaws that put users at risk. Christian Matthies, says he's been trying to get the attention of Google bug squashers for the past several months, but was unsuccessful in getting a single reply to his emails warning of the …

    Security 20 Jun 2007, 19:36

  • Sun appears to own part of Java server start-up Azul

    As the settlement turns

    Did Sun Microsystems acquire a stake in Azul when the two companies settled their patent infringement dispute earlier this week? We're guessing yes. A Reg search through Delaware's stockpile of corporate records shows that Azul Systems amended its articles of incorporation on June 18. The two page filing reveals that it has …

    Servers 20 Jun 2007, 19:59

  • Google calls for greater Windows Vista openness

    Friends in government

    Google has welcomed Microsoft's proposed modifications to Windows Vista which make it easier for third parties to conduct desktop to third-parties' search. But it says its rival must go further. The internet's number-one search engine and aspiring Microsoft productivity challenger, has reportedly called for unrestricted …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 20:02

  • Operating systems are old and busted

    USENIX VMware founder wants data center coup

    Operating systems aren't so great. They lounge like bloated monarchs on a database server — getting far more credit than they're worth. Clutched in their sausage fingers are the keys to a kingdom far too vast to properly manage. But Stanford professor Mendel Rosenblum believes virtualization may be the guillotine that cuts the …

    Servers 20 Jun 2007, 20:42

  • Rivals torture consumers via Microsoft

    Comment Talk about unfair competition

    It looks like you can start thanking Google for making Microsoft's Vista operating system even worse. Microsoft has given in to demands that it afford rivals a more direct path for providing desktop search functions to users via Vista. The concession underscores Microsoft's revulsion for federal regulators. It will cede a …

    Channel Register 20 Jun 2007, 22:21

  • HP and Novell double team Sun

    Technology Forum Torched by Transitive

    HP and Novell grabbed hold of their Transitive stick this week and smacked around poor Sun Microsystems. Come July, HP's Itanium-based server customers will be able to run Solaris/SPARC applications on top of Linux via Transitive's QuickTransit software. The Itanium play adds to HP's existing deal with Transitive around moving …

    Servers 20 Jun 2007, 23:40