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2nd August 2007 Archive

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  • Techies blast big media over copyright warnings

    More like copywrong warning, am I right? I'll get my coat

    A trade group that includes Google, Microsoft, Yahoo! and other big names in tech is asking federal regulators to clean up allegedly misleading language in copyright warnings. The Computer & Communications Industry Association announced today it has filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on behalf of consumers. The …

    Music and Media 2 Aug 2007, 00:15

  • Google: Kill all the patent trolls

    US patent system 'in crisis'

    Google's head of patents believes the U.S. patent system is "in crisis". Discussing patent reform at the annual Stanford Summit in Northern California, associate general counsel Michelle Lee told conference attendees that the American system is "out-of-balance [and] needs to be remedied". "The Patent Office is overburdened," …

    Law 2 Aug 2007, 00:38

  • Making open-source browsing safe for the masses

    Black Hat A short conversation with Mozilla's 'chief security something or other'

    It's been an eventful month for Window Snyder. As chief security something or other at Mozilla, Snyder has shepherded two updates that fixed critical vulnerabilities in the way the browser handles uniform resource identifiers. The most recent patch punctuated several weeks of debate over exactly who owned the vulnerability. …

    Security 2 Aug 2007, 04:49

  • ESA backs satellite broadcast to mobile phones

    DVB-H party hots up

    The European Space Agency (ESA) has joined the DVB-H party by funding development of technologies for broadcasting TV to mobiles via satellite. This follows the EU's recent endorsement of DVB-H as the broadcast standard for mobile phones. ESA has called its standard DVB-SH (Digital Video Broadcast - Satellite, Handheld) and …

    Mobile 2 Aug 2007, 07:02

  • e-Borders to cost £1.2bn

    The price of tougher checks

    The Home Office has estimated its electronics borders programme will cost £1.2bn. The assessment follows trials of the system, which has already screened 29 million passengers before they travel to the UK. The e-Borders programme is a joint project led by the Border and Immigration Agency, in partnership with the police, HM …

    Public Sector 2 Aug 2007, 08:56

  • Xerox job losses on the cards after all

    We'll save your jobs..oh no we won't

    Xerox employees who were due to move to IBM after the firm outsourced their jobs have been dealt a blow, with news that IBM plans to make them redundant. The outsourcing was part of a review of Xerox's operations that had been carried out by the document firm in a bid to control costs. Under the original plan, Xerox was to …

    Business 2 Aug 2007, 09:09

  • Use of web archive was not hacking, says US court

    Though bypassing its protection measures could be

    The use of web archive The Wayback Machine did not constitute hacking in the case of a law firm which used the web archive to see pages which owners did not want it to see, a US court has ruled. The deliberate bypassing or evasion of the archive's protection measures could still be deemed hacking, though, said Judge Robert …

    Law 2 Aug 2007, 09:26

  • Sealand seeks to cash in on online casino bonanza

    Fictitious nation to thumb nose at Cheney administration

    It could be an episode of South Park, or a Bunuel conceit were he alive: a non-existent nation has pledged to open an online casino open to Americans on a formerly abandoned military platform in the North Sea. The Cheney administration can now confront that rarity, a government more surreal than its own: namely, that of the …

    Law 2 Aug 2007, 09:56

  • Worm threat forces Apple to disable software?

    Disables support for gateway device

    When an online identity (group of identities) known as InfoSec Sellout made grand claims of a proof of concept worm, dubbed Rape.osx, that targets OS X, it led to a lot of heated argument and drama - including anonymous death threats and an accidental deletion of their blog. While there has still been no external proof of …

    Security 2 Aug 2007, 10:07

  • Judge ruled against NSA surveillance in US

    Bush move against star-chamber not coincidental

    The Bush administration's attempt to change laws governing wiretapping by US spies was prompted by a defeat in the FISA secret star-chamber court, it has emerged. Newsweek reporters Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball, quoting an unnamed legal source "who has been briefed on the order", revealed yesterday that a FISA(Foreign …

    Law 2 Aug 2007, 10:23

  • HP withdraws case against Pelikan

    Printing supplier admits selling new for old

    HP and Pelikan have reached an out of court settlement over HP's accusations that the printing supplier was selling new printer cartridges while claiming they were recycled. The hearing was scheduled to take place today. HP alleged that Pelikan was selling new, and patent infringing, printer cartridges and branding them as …

    Hardware 2 Aug 2007, 10:27

  • Lenovo profits soar

    Net income leaps 13-fold

    Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's third largest PC maker, today announced healthy first quarter revenue of $3.9bn, up 13 per cent. The Chinese firm said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange that net income for the three months ended 30 June had leapt to $66.8m, or 0.74 cents a share, from $5.2m, or 0.06 cents a year …

    Hardware 2 Aug 2007, 10:30

  • Disney p-p-picks up Club Penguin

    Mickey Mouse social network bags $700m

    Disney has become the latest global media conglomerate to stomp into the social networking fray, with the purchase of children's site Club Penguin in a deal which could run to $700m. Club Penguin sits at the virtual world end of the social networking spectrum, with 700,000 paying subscribers, mostly in North America, pretending …

    Entertainment 2 Aug 2007, 10:37

  • Victim turns to Facebook in hunt for brazen burglar

    Crimewatch: Web 2.0-style

    A London resident who fell victim to a brazen burglar has enlisted social networking site Facebook in a bid to hunt for the cheeky crook. Jackie McGeown said the man tricked his way into her apartment block before robbing electronic goods from three flats in the building. Builders were working in the back garden of the house …

    Crime 2 Aug 2007, 10:43

  • Sir Alan Sugar makes more than Ingram, and Eminem takes second bite at Apple

    To subscribe to Channel Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of channel news in a single hit - click here.

    Let's imagine someone's talking, making a pitch. This is what they're saying: "Here's the deal. We set up a distribution company, call it Ingram Micro, and turn it into the biggest IT distributor in the world. Good plan, right? And once we're the biggest in the world, the sky's the limit. Massive sales - $8.19bn in the second …

    Channel Register 2 Aug 2007, 11:00

  • Gaming 4G warfare for the USAF, with rayguns

    Among other things...

    In press coverage of how virtual wargames will revolutionize actual war, the lion's share of publicity has generally gone to private sector boffins bankrolled by the US Army. Most often, they appear as wizards from the University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies. Journalists love the place and can't …

    Government 2 Aug 2007, 11:44

  • Sony talks up PS3 TV tuner

    But where will it launch?

    The PS3's capabilities could be expanded to include a digital tuner, enabling it to double as a programmable TV recorder, a Sony spokesman said. The changes are due to come into effect next year, but it's uncertain how many countries will benefit. Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand marketing head Warwick Light told a New …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2007, 11:46

  • Teachers vote to ban internet

    Miniskirts, The Beatles, gramophones next on list?

    British teachers have launched an all out war against technology, with calls this week to ban YouTube and Wi-Fi. Pupils under the age of seven or over 16 have also come in for a whacking from fed-up Sirs and Misses. Technology has proliferated in schools in recent years, with teachers getting their coffee and roll-up stained …

    Public Sector 2 Aug 2007, 11:48

  • Dell to acquire ASAP

    And ex-CEO Rollins joins private equity group

    Computer maker Dell has entered into a £340m agreement to acquire software solutions and licensing services provider ASAP. If the deal, which is subject to regulatory conditions, gets the go ahead Dell said it expects to see the software arm of its business grow with a little bit of help from ASAP's "expertise" in licensing, …

    Software 2 Aug 2007, 12:15

  • Police want DNA collection superpowers

    All your genes are belong to us, sonny Jim

    Police in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales are seeking to extend their already world-beating powers to collect and store DNA samples from the general population. Current powers allow the coppers to collect samples, which are digitised and stored permanently, from anyone arrested on suspicion of, but not neccesarily charged …

    Law 2 Aug 2007, 12:26

  • US robot carrier-jet contract announced

    Top Gun soundtrack remix: Take my job away ...

    The US Navy has finally chosen a builder for its new robot carrier plane demonstrator, awarding a $635m contract to Northrop Grumman. Northrop, partnered with Lockheed, is expected to develop its existing X-47 drone for this purpose. This is an almost 20 tonne, 60-foot-wingspan stealth jet which will offer 3,500 nautical …

    Hardware 2 Aug 2007, 12:54

  • I bumped into that Alan Sugar on memory lane...

    Column Sweet nostalgia for the PCW generation

    Alan Sugar reminds me of Hugh Laurie. In the same way that you look at the star of Jeeves and Wooster and House and think: "What a remarkable actor - but he'd have made a brilliant musician!" I look at Sir Alan and think: there goes the man who could have been one of the best journalists in the country. Two of my wealthiest …

    PCs & Chips 2 Aug 2007, 13:01

  • US cracks down on mod-chippers

    'Storms' businesses, homes in 16 states

    A US government agency has launched a big investigation into gaming console piracy. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has executed 32 federal warrants across the country, searching businesses and homes for clues surrounding the potential sale and distribution of illegal modification chips and disc copyright …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2007, 13:06

  • Bluetooth gets better pairing for less power

    Joins NFC party too

    Bluetooth version 2.1+EDR has been approved, tweaking the pairing system and reducing power consumption, as well as bringing in support for NFC pairing. Pairing, the process of linking together two Bluetooth devices, still confuses many consumers so has been the focus of several improvements to Bluetooth over the years. This …

    Mobile 2 Aug 2007, 13:10

  • UK watchdog calls for an end to 'piecemeal' e-voting trials

    Stop messing about

    The Electoral Commission has called for the end of "piecemeal" telephone and internet voting pilots in the UK until improvements in security and testing are put in place. The independent voting watchdog said on Thursday that further trials have little merit until the government has set out a strategy for modernising the …

    Government 2 Aug 2007, 13:29

  • Nokia ships 100 million phones in Q2

    iPhone who?

    Nokia shipped 100.8 million handsets in Q2, and at the same time increased the margin on its sales, according to the firm's results. The figures for the three months to 30 June show Nokia turning over €12.6bn, and making €2.36bn in profit. During the period they shipped 1.5 million of its top end multimedia phone, the N95, with …

    Mobile 2 Aug 2007, 13:35

  • Nokia's New Coke moment?

    Analysis The Communicator software debacle

    Some products bewitch because of their style or inventiveness - such as the iPhone. But others earn their keep through sheer usefulness, and for a decade Nokia's Communicator has proved itself to be one of the latter. Until now, that is. While it may be too early to call this Nokia's "New Coke" moment, MBA students may be …

    Software 2 Aug 2007, 14:17

  • Cassini to make third Enceladus flyby

    And NASA recycles a comet-chaser

    NASA has announced plans to send the Cassini spacecraft back for a closer look at Enceladus, the Saturnian moon with famously leaky tiger stripes. As part of its freshly declared budget clampdown, the agency says it wants to improve the value of space exploration by getting more science out of existing missions. Sending Cassini …

    Space 2 Aug 2007, 14:35

  • Laptop industry hit by components shortage

    Bye bye, cell cell

    Laptop computer makers are bracing themselves for a components shortage due to significant dents in the supply chain brought on by massive recalls and heavy demand. Semiconductor price tracker and electronics market researcher DRAMeXchange said the notebook industry was squeezed last quarter by a lack of key components …

    Hardware 2 Aug 2007, 14:51

  • Expansys to punt Samsung i620

    Beats Vodafone to the starter's block?

    Online retailer Expansys may have beaten Vodafone to the chase by launching the Samsung i620 device before what was supposed to be the mobile operator's exclusive UK release. Vodafone was expected to launch the handset onto the UK market "soon", but Expansys has said it can deliver the device to Joe Consumer from 22 August …

    Reg Hardware 2 Aug 2007, 15:27

  • Scientists force confessions from mucky fingerprints

    No more clean getaways

    Wannabe criminals would do well to listen to their dear old ma's and wash their hands regularly, or PC Plod will be knocking on the door in double quick time*. According to boffins at London's Imperial College, minute traces of chemicals are left behind in our fingerprints that could be very useful to police trying to track …

    Science 2 Aug 2007, 16:09

  • Russian phishers loot $500K in two-year hacking spree

    Turkish banking customers target in long-running scam

    A pair of Russian hackers looted more than $500,000 from Turkish bank accounts during the course of a Trojan-powered two year hacking spree. One of the unidentified perps is on remand following his arrest on fraud charges in June while the other remains at large, Russian Interior Ministry investigators told the RIA Novsoti …

    Malware 2 Aug 2007, 16:14

  • Free Software Foundation plans protests at 'corrupt' BBC

    Video, sound and fury over iPlayer

    The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is planning protests at key BBC sites because it believes the national broadcaster's management has been corrupted by Microsoft. Protests will be mounted outside Television Centre in London and outside the corporation's Manchester offices on Tuesday, 14 August. The activists' move has been …

    Applications 2 Aug 2007, 16:52

  • Intel revolted by its own 'insensitive and insulting' ad

    Racist inside?

    Intel apologized this week for a print advertisement circulating around blog-land that some claim is racist. The ad depicts a white man in casual office attire, arms folded and grinning triumphantly between two row of cubicles. The fella is flanked on each side by three spandex-clad black men crouched in a sprinter's starting …

    PCs & Chips 2 Aug 2007, 18:36

  • Man cuffed over 'cycling cheat' email hack

    Tour de Farce

    A man suspected of hacking into the emails of controversial Danish cyclist Michael Rasmussen in a bid to look for dirt has been arrested in Denmark. The 30-year suspect, who can't be named for legal reasons, allegedly broke into Rasmussen's account in a hunt for evidence of his whereabouts at the time of missed drug tests. The …

    Crime 2 Aug 2007, 18:42

  • Miserable Brits declare War on Comfort

    Comment Politician joins the patio heater jihad

    All the year round, but especially during the summer, British newspapers love to serve up stories of American idiocy. These involve US citizens exhibiting strange overreactions, or cult-like behaviour, or generally imposing themselves in an irrational or hysterical way. In a nation as big as the USA - or even a state so rich in …

    Science 2 Aug 2007, 19:25

  • Intel's 'Montvale' half the chip it used to be

    More good news for Itanium

    The speeds and feeds for Intel's upcoming "Montvale" version of Itanium have made their way to the web, revealing a chip far less spectacular than once hoped. According to DailyTech, Intel will ship 1.66GHz, 1.60GHz and 1.42Hz versions of Montvale under the Itanium 2 9100-series brand. The dual-core processor, due out near year …

    Servers 2 Aug 2007, 19:46

  • Public internet threatened by private telcos

    The net as 'Government regulated monopoly'

    What will the internet look like in 20 years? No one knows. But this morning at the Stanford Summit, an annual tech industry conference in Palo Alto, a panel of Silicon Valley experts laid down a few guesses. The trio of big-name panelists - Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim, HP personal systems group CTO Phil …

    Telecoms 2 Aug 2007, 19:47

  • IBM reorganizes System i into two new business units

    For big 'uns and little 'uns

    IBM has reorganized its System i product and management team into two new organizations, the Business Systems unit, and the Power Systems unit. The company stated that its System i business has split into two distinct client segments—large enterprise and small and medium business—each with its own set of requirements, and that …

    Servers 2 Aug 2007, 20:17

  • VMware prepares Fusion dump for Mac crowd

    Get it while it's cheap

    If you're at all interested in VMware's Fusion software that lets you run multiple operating systems on a Mac, you may want to pony up for the code now. On Monday, VMware will officially start selling Fusion, ending a very drawn out beta period. The software should retail at $79, but you can still order it ahead of time for $39 …

    Applications 2 Aug 2007, 20:25

  • Intel wins at Monopoly, grabs $60bn unfairly - says...

    You know who

    AMD has fired another venomous barrage at its rival Intel today. Following the European Union's intent to investigate alleged antitrust charges against Intel, AMD has released a study claiming 43 per cent of Intel's profits are a result of monopolistic practices. The study comes from the ERS Group and was commissioned by AMD …

    PCs & Chips 2 Aug 2007, 21:52

  • Flash: Public Wi-Fi even more insecure than previously thought

    Black Hat How to gain permanent access to Gmail accounts

    Users of Yahoo! Mail, MySpace and just about every Web 2.0 service take note: If you access those services using public Wi-Fi, Rob Graham can probably gain unlimited access to your account - even if you logged in using the secure sockets layer protocol. Graham, who is CEO at Errata Security, demonstrated the hack to attendees …

    Security 2 Aug 2007, 21:53

  • Google builds own phone

    More carrier disruption

    Looks like Google is again trying pull US telcos round to its way of thinking, this time with plans underway for a handset optimized for its online services. The precocious Silicon Valley company has reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars prototyping cell phones tailored to its search, email and a planned new browser …

    Mobile 2 Aug 2007, 22:00

  • Social networks to replace imagination and be woven into clothes

    Or maybe just pump more ads

    It’s official: There’s big money to be made selling virtual window dressing on the internet. Yesterday, at the Stanford Summit, an annual tech industry love fest, the dreadlocked virtual worlds guru Jaron Lanier told Silicon Valley that "in 25 years, we will all get rich buying and selling virtual goods", and today, the idea …

    Applications 2 Aug 2007, 23:12

  • Spammer gets 30 years in the slammer

    Suddenly wishes Viagra was harder to come by

    Notorious spammer Christopher "Rizler" Smith was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a federal judge on Wednesday. US District Judge Michael Davis called Smith a "drug kingpin" before throwing the book at him. Smith was convicted on charges of conspiracy, illegal distribution of drugs, money laundering and operating a continuing …

    Spam 2 Aug 2007, 23:47

  • Adobe bends to might of US printers

    Watch out Teamsters

    Adobe Systems has scrapped the "send to FedEx Kinkos" print button in iAdobe Reader and Acrobat Professional, in the face of overwhelming opposition from America's printing companies. Adobe said today it would release an update to its software in 10 weeks that will remove the ability to send PDFs to FedEx Kinkos for printing …

    Channel Register 2 Aug 2007, 23:48

  • HP puts customers to another Itanium test with aging gear

    2009 will be sweet. We promise

    HP's Itanium server customers face a daunting endurance test over the next two years. We've just learned that Intel's next version of Itanium - Montvale - looks set to disappoint. It will arrive this year at 1.66GHz - just a hair faster than today's 1.60GHz chip. Intel once hoped to kick Montvale up near 3.0GHz, but those …

    Servers 2 Aug 2007, 23:59