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16th July 2007 Archive

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  • Saudis to execute Sri Lankan teen

    Amnesty condemns legal 'scandal'

    Amnesty International has condemned Saudia Arabia's decision to execute a 19-year-old Sri Lankan maid accused of murdering a baby in her care - despite the fact she was 17 at the time of the alleged offence and has denied confessing to the crime. Rizana Nafeek was arrested in May 2005 in Jeddah and was "believed to have …

    Crime 16 Jul 2007, 08:39

  • Top 10 e-commerce developments of the decade

    They've changed how we use the internet

    Google has topped a list of the 10 most significant e-commerce developments of the past 10 years, as chosen by staff of the Software & Information Industry Association, a trade association for the software and digital information industry. Ken Wasch, President of SIIA, said: "It's no surprise to see Google rank as the most …

    IT Director 16 Jul 2007, 08:50

  • Your boss could own your Facebook profile

    If it was created in the course of business

    Employers could have grounds to demand ownership of employees' social networking profiles, such as those generated on Facebook, MySpace or Bebo, according to a leading intellectual property lawyer. The news comes in the wake of a court ruling which forced a journalist to hand over the contents of his contacts list to his former …

    Law 16 Jul 2007, 09:08

  • Net paedophile jailed for life

    Raped child of woman he met online

    A Derbyshire paedophile was last Friday jailed for raping the two-year-old daughter of a woman he met online, the Derby Evening Telegraph reports. Simon Webb, 22, of South Normanton, began a physical relationship with the girl's mother following an internet encounter in November last year. In March, he raped the child. Webb …

    Crime 16 Jul 2007, 09:16

  • Mum given young nympho's phone number

    Not-so-Virgin Media shocker

    A 34-year-old mum who swapped lines from BT to Virgin Media was somewhat shocked to find her new phone number besieged by chaps demanding to speak to "the young nympho", the Sun reports. Youth worker Rachel Collick made the switch on 2 July at her Plymouth home, and is now enjoying around six calls a day from horny punters. She …

    Mobile 16 Jul 2007, 09:22

  • Bang&Olufsen BeoSound 6 surfaces

    Bang and Olufsen (B&O) has expanded its BeoSound portable music player range with model number 6, a stylish silver-clad player with simplistic operation and, more than likely, a designer price tag. B&O's BeoSound 6: is a manicure essential? No word has yet been given on what the BeoSound 6's tech specs will be, but some …

    Reg Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 09:52

  • How to recover your 'unrecoverable' laptop

    Backup solutions you can rely on

    Q: When does a backup not fulfil its function? A: When you cannot actually recover from it. Is this a rare problem? No, not if you are talking laptops on the move - and if you are mobile worker that probably means you. It is also a major headache for IT departments who have a responsibility for their employees' laptops (as well …

    Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 09:53

  • US gov demands Saudi-BAE documents

    Should Blighty piss off the Saudis, or Uncle Sam?

    The US government has asked for full cooperation with its investigation into Saudi-BAE arms deals from the British Home Office, and Whitehall is considering its response. The US Department of Justice has asked officials to hand over all documents related to BAE's payments to Saudi royals. BAE Systems is now under federal …

    Law 16 Jul 2007, 10:09

  • Intel launches Core 2 Extreme for laptops

    Clock unlocked

    Intel has apparently announced its long-awaited mobile Core 2 Extreme gaming processor. It's a dual-core chip clocked at 2.6GHz and with 4MB of shared L2 cache. Like Intel's regular Core 2 Duo mobile CPUs, the X7800 - as the new model is dubbed - is fabbed at 65nm and operates on an 800MHz frontside bus. Its 2.6GHz clock …

    Reg Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 10:11

  • Antigua attorney speaks out on landmark WTO case

    House of Cards DOJ, USTR keep heads in sand

    With the recent news that the Conference of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has joined the EU, Japan, and India in supporting tiny Antigua in its WTO case against the US regarding the cross-border provision of gambling services, we thought the time was right to finish our interview with Mark Mendel, lead counsel for Antigua in …

    Law 16 Jul 2007, 10:21

  • Buffalo targets Mac users with 1TB high-speed storage box

    Japanese peripherals maker Buffalo has developed an external HDD for the Mac that it claimed is able to offer better-than-USB data-transfer rates and a storage capacity ranging up to 1TB. Storage in style The HD-MU2 series is also available in smaller-capacity, 320GB and 500GB versions, while its iMac-esque white casing …

    Reg Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 10:31

  • Mobile roaming. Do you care?

    Or is it just a big business concern?

    If there is one topic that is guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of the average corporate telecoms manager, it's mobile roaming charges. The level of fees imposed by mobile operators on customers making or receiving calls when travelling internationally has been a bone of contention for many years. When talking about …

    Mobile 16 Jul 2007, 10:43

  • Sony BMG sues DRM developer

    Seeks $12m damages

    Record label Sony BMG is suing the maker of digital rights management (DRM) software which was accused of harming computers in 2005. The company is seeking $12m in damages to compensate for the effects of the software. Sony is suing the Amergence Group, which was previously called SunnComm International. In 2005 software from …

    Law 16 Jul 2007, 10:46

  • Belkin unveils Wireless USB hub

    Updated Flash drives, printers, external HDDs accessed over Wi-Fi WUSB

    Accessory maker Belkin has launched a USB hub that uses the wireless version of the popular peripheral plug technology. Belkin's Wireless USB Hub: USB-over-next-gen Wi-Fi The unit's specifications and look have changed a bit since we reported on the prototype. Originally intended to be a shiny black slab of a product, the …

    Reg Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 10:56

  • Netgear XEPS103 powerline power brick

    Review Why plug two boxes into the mains when you only need one?

    We at Register Hardware like powerline networking - using mains electricity cabling to send data throughout your house - very much, but an issue with most powerline adaptors is their 'one power socket, one data port' implementation. Netgear's XEPS103: it's a power brick, a powerline network adaptor Each device you connect …

    Reg Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 10:58

  • US seeks mini-Imperial Walker mule-bots

    Cry 'pork', and let slip the BigDogs of war

    Ever since the days of the Roman legionary, foot soldiers have struggled to carry all their gear, and have preferred that someone or something else give them a hand. Arse-kicking Roman general Gaius Marius, trying to reduce the size and unwieldiness of the legions' baggage trains, made his new professional soldiers - the …

    Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 11:04

  • Cisco and Sprint set new pattern of collaboration in IP

    Enterprise WAN product to target next-gen mobile market

    Cisco and Sprint have co-developed an enterprise WAN product that indicates the way the IP giant is likely to attack the next generation mobile market. The two companies have launched an interface card, for use with Cisco's Integrated Services Routers, a cornerstone of its convergence strategy, and with Sprint's EV-DO network …

    Data Networking 16 Jul 2007, 11:08

  • VeriSign takes $160m hit to cover stock option mess up

    As CFO resigns

    VeriSign's chief financial officer resigned last week as the digital certificates firm announced it would take a $160m hit to cover mishandled stock option grants. The firm blames sloppy record keeping and a laissez-faire attitude to managing stock options for errors which led it to delay filing its papers with the SEC for …

    Financial News 16 Jul 2007, 11:18

  • Destroying sandboxes

    There'll be malware for it soon

    One of the mechanisms used by anti-malware applications is to institute a virtual "sandbox" to isolate suspicious files from the rest of the system while they are quickly analysed for malicious content or behaviour. Creating a sandbox requires the anti-malware software to essentially institute a Virtual Machine - a computer …

    Security 16 Jul 2007, 11:21

  • Motorola Pebl to be reborn... as a music phone

    Motorola has apparently been secretly working on a project to capitalise on the popularity of its Pebl handset series, by adding in musical functionality and by launching it onto the market as the Rokr U9. Moto's Rokr U9 According to a report at Cellpassion, the Rokr U9 looks set to include an external colour display and …

    Reg Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 11:57

  • Crazy cyber-jihadi emails planned death for Mayport, FL

    Vivid imagination of al-Q 'web guru' revealed

    Younis Tsouli - irhabi007 - was earlier this month jailed for ten years. It's a good sentence for the cyber-jihad twit, someone who became fodder for television news shows like 60 Minutes. Wishing to show how al Qaeda was beating the pants off the good guys on the Internet, Tsouli was the perfect example for them, one of …

    Crime 16 Jul 2007, 12:34

  • Blu-ray body bites back at HD DVD sales claims

    Recent claims made by the European HD DVD Promotion Group that Toshiba HD DVD players currently account for 74 per cent of European next-gen optical disc players are "misleading" because they exclude PS3 and PC drive sales, the organisation's opposite, the Blu-ray Disc Association European Promotions Committee, has alleged. …

    Reg Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 12:38

  • Sony snaps Grouper shut, gives Crackle a pop

    Drops video sharing biz model, goes in search of 'emerging talent'

    Sony Pictures is challenging YouTube's dominance of the user-generated content market by turning its online acquisition Grouper into a mini studio. From today Grouper, which was acquired by Sony Pictures for $65m last August, will now be known as Crackle. And, in a marked change to its original video sharing business model, …

    Music and Media 16 Jul 2007, 13:04

  • Vodafone denies vapour Verizon bid

    Talking telephone numbers

    Vodafone has denied rumours that it is considering a leveraged buyout of US giant Verizon. According to sources quoted on a Financial Times blog today, Vodafone is considering a $160bn bid for the US giant. Vodafone already owns a 45 per cent stake in Verizon Wireless, the group's mobile network, and the larger of its two …

    Networks 16 Jul 2007, 13:17

  • Programming constructs in BPEL

    Part 3: BPELJ and Compensation

    In this column in our series examining BPEL and its use within Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) systems, I'll will be looking at BPELJ and Compensation. BPELJ is an extension to the core BPEL (Business Process Execution Language), which allows the direct inclusion of Java code within a BPEL script. Compensation is actually a …

    Developer 16 Jul 2007, 14:07

  • Dismal Q2 evidence of deeper problems at Motorola?

    Comment The search for seamless mobility

    Having seen off the challenge to his leadership from billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, Motorola CEO Ed Zander is under renewed pressure as the company warns of a dismal second quarter and a full year of losses in the core handset unit. While the infrastructure and Connected Home divisions are faring far better, they …

    Mobile 16 Jul 2007, 14:15

  • Iraq base plans left on open servers

    Bismillah, Abdul! It looks just the same as out the window

    Reporters trawling un-indexed FTP servers have recently been able to download large amounts of secret US military data, it has been revealed. Documents found included plans of a new military prison camp in Iraq and a fuel dump in Afghanistan - both likely to be targets for insurgents. Associated Press hacks who carried out …

    Servers 16 Jul 2007, 14:17

  • Java and Flash fixes tax system security

    More updates on the patch bandwagon

    Sys admins hoping to put their feet up after Microsoft's monthly update, which went far from smoothly, faced the problem of pushing out Java and Flash security updates issued at the tail end of last week. Users are susceptible to hacking attacks just by viewing a web page that contains malicious Flash or Java content, as a …

    Security 16 Jul 2007, 14:49

  • Man uses tank in phone mast flattening rampage

    Mad Max meets Convoy

    An Aussie bloke went on a phone mast destroying spree yesterday, on the grounds that his health had been damaged by mobile phone signals. According to the Times, John Patterson - who previously worked at Australia's biggest telecoms firm, Telstra - used a 15-tonne armoured personnel carrier (APC) to bring down seven phone …

    Mobile 16 Jul 2007, 16:13

  • Alltunes.com claims win in Russian copyright case

    Updated iTuneski resurgence?

    Alltunes.com has won a court case against a Russian agent of Visa over its decision to disconnect the online music stores' payment system. In a court ruling in Moscow, Rosbank Visa was found to have acted illegally in cutting off transactions made to the store, according to a statement from Alltunes. Visa and Mastercard had …

    Law 16 Jul 2007, 16:20

  • Italian police net 26 in phishing takedown

    Phish, Chip and Mules

    Italian police have arrested 26 people allegedly involved in an international phishing operation. The Guardia di Finanza (Military Financial Police) cuffed 18 Italian citizens and eight Eastern Europeans as part of "Phish and Chip", an operation aimed at dismantling a gang targeting users of Poste Italiane's home banking …

    Crime 16 Jul 2007, 17:26

  • Zune DRM stripped

    Hackers create demand for Microsoft iPodcopy

    Hackers have released an application that strips off copy-protection features on music bought via the Zune Marketplace, Microsoft's online music store. The package makes it possible to remove the DRM shackles off Zune Marketplace tracks. Zune Marketplace works with Microsoft's Zune media players in a similar way to Apple's …

    Security 16 Jul 2007, 17:41

  • His 'n' Hers USB kits to end battle of the sexes?

    Buying presents can be an arduous task, but when pondering the perfect gift for the gadget geek - or geekette - in your life then look no further than the His and Hers USB gift set. The USB gift set for men For the men, the set includes a mini vacuum cleaner with brush, a desk lamp, a cup warmer and a mood light pen holder …

    Reg Hardware 16 Jul 2007, 18:36

  • EMC goes disk mad with storage bonanza

    Symmetrix, Celerra, Centera, and Clariion lines get summer makeover

    As previously anticipated, EMC is rolling out a major storage initiative, upgrading almost every storage platform the company offers. Today's announcement covers the Symmetrix, Celerra, Centera, and Clariion lines, as well as a new entry-level file management application. Symmetrix EMC is introducing a new flagship model of …

    Storage 16 Jul 2007, 18:58

  • Intel gives Solaris a telco squeeze

    For the Linux loather in you

    Intel and Sun Microsystems have found some telco-filled fruits to go with their labor. The former mortal enemies and now partners have revealed a pair of Intel-based boxes certified to run Sun's Solaris x86 operating system. Customers so inclined can turn to Intel's TIGW1U Carrier Grade Server to handle their …

    Servers 16 Jul 2007, 20:15

  • IBM to buy DataMirror for $161m

    Backed up and integrated

    IBM plans on purchasing Ontario-based data protection firm DataMirror for approximately $161m. IBM will pay cash for the company, acquiring all outstanding stock for $25.88 per share. DataMirror produces data protection and auditing software for different types of applications, databases, operating systems and hardware …

    Applications 16 Jul 2007, 20:39

  • Ex-Broadcom CEO broadsided by cocaine and orgy torture charges

    Counter claim places aide near duffel bags with young men

    The latest caper looming over the technology sector makes us long for the days when HP spied on reporters and Oracle went slumming through Microsoft's garbage. Those were wholesome scandals centered on good, old fashioned corporate espionage. Now we find Broadcom co-founder Henry Nicholas locked in a lawsuit with former aide …

    Data Networking 16 Jul 2007, 23:20

  • El Reg lobs iPhone at Genius Bar

    Analysis Dignity restored for $111.87

    Friday was one of life's great days: I returned my iPhone. I was tired of Apple's adult-proof keyboard. I was tired of AT&T's piddling wireless network. But most of all, I was embarrassed that I'd bought the thing in the first place. First, I suffered the public humiliation of standing in line with hundreds of people who can' …

    Mobile 16 Jul 2007, 23:42