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2nd October 2007 Archive

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  • Phoenix IT ready to get hands dirty with ICM

    Stops talking, starts doing

    Phoenix IT yesterday said it was time to stop talking about integrating ICM Computer Group and time to start doing it. The board cautioned the "integration may cause some short term disruption", but the logic of the acquisition remains, well, strategic. Considering that Phoenix only bought ICM, a disaster recovery biz-cum- …

    The Channel 2 Oct 2007, 00:12

  • Two of three Dell accountants settle insider trading charges

    Meat Loaf says that ain't bad

    The US Securities and Exchange Commission has settled with two of three former Dell accountants accused of insider trading. The SEC filed civil charges in September 2006 against former Dell employees Salvador Chavarria, John Nieto and Glen Leftwich in US District Court in Texas. The Commission alleges that the three …

    The Channel 2 Oct 2007, 01:00

  • Mobile the next AJAX frontier

    Ready or not

    It may still be baking as a technology, but that hasn't stopped Silicon Valley's vanguard from trying to squeeze rich internet applications (RIAs) on to mobile devices. The OpenAJAX alliance has kicked off a task force for mobile AJAX to explain how developers can become successful at building mobile mash-ups. The focus of the …

    Applications 2 Oct 2007, 01:38

  • Mobile phone meets designer stereo

    Samsung and Bang & Olufsen Creations Ltd

    Given the current trend of manufacturers creating phones with designer clothing companies, it's nice to see another joint offering Samsung and Bang & Olufsen - another consumer electronics company. Still, the device looks more like an inverted iPod than a phone. B&O's Serenata: upper-class The Serenata is operated via a …

    Phones 2 Oct 2007, 09:25

  • AMD readies Radeon HD 2950 Pro

    AMD's ATI Radeon HD 2950 Pro graphics chip will debut on 19 November - a week after Intel's first 45nm processors, also aimed at gamers - it has been claimed. The DirectX 10.1, Shader Model 4.0 part - codenamed 'RV670' - is believed to support PCI Express 2.0 and HDMI with HDCP. According to Taiwanese moles cited by …

    Hardware 2 Oct 2007, 09:45

  • Solar storm rips tail from comet

    NASA catches it on camera

    STEREO, NASA's satellite sent up to the heavens to examine the surface of the Sun, has captured the first ever images of a collision between a comet and a solar "hurricane". The force of the solar storm, a coronal mass ejection (CME), was so great that it tore the plasma tail from the comet. The tail comes off a comet. Credit …

    Science 2 Oct 2007, 09:47

  • Mobile VoIP waits on 4G networks

    Everything over IP, but not yet

    Mobile VoIP services have yet to make their mark on the telecoms market, despite the availability of suitable technology. Barriers to adoption might leave services languishing, at least until the rollout of next-generation mobile networks by carriers, according to panelists at a debate on the topic at the NetEvents summit in …

    Broadband 2 Oct 2007, 09:56

  • Samsung delays dual-format Blu-ray, HD DVD player?

    Could leave Xmas to PS3

    Samsung has thrown its weight entirely behind its dual-format Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD player and will de-emphasis its BD-only offerings, online reports suggest. However, the two-format machine, the BD-U5000, may have been delayed. Separate reports point to a December release in the US, with the European debut taking place …

    Hardware 2 Oct 2007, 10:11

  • Amazon: James Blunt is still a tedious w*nker

    Q.E.D.

    Yesterday we broke the important news that demobbed whining blueblood James Blunt is now officially a wanker. Since then, there's been some censorious skulduggery down at Amazon.co.uk, which was host to the British people's judgement. Instead of "akira, kt tunstall, wanker", the related searches for Captain Blunt are now "akira …

    Bootnotes 2 Oct 2007, 10:14

  • MasterCard customers hit by system failure

    Red and yellow balls not up

    Anyone wishing to do a spot of early Christmas shopping last weekend may have had trouble making a transaction with their credit card due to a technical cock-up at MasterCard. A Reg reader contacted us on Saturday to say that the cash pumping giant had been hit by what appeared to be a sizeable technical problem affecting …

    Management 2 Oct 2007, 10:16

  • M2M jumps beyond the line

    Mobile Workshop The wireless Heineken effect?

    Much debate about the use of wireless technology in business tends to revolve around providing mobile and remote workers with access to central systems of one kind or another. The growing popularity of notebook data cards and handheld email devices among professionals is probably the most obvious illustration of this, though …

    Workshop 2 Oct 2007, 10:28

  • American space self-monitoring plan delayed

    Satellite must sit on arse

    America is delaying controversial plans to use satellites for spying on itself. It was announced yesterday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would not open its planned National Applications Office until legislators' concerns were addressed. The idea of the National Applications Office was that it would allow the …

    Government 2 Oct 2007, 10:31

  • Sony Walkman NWD-B105 2GB MP3 player

    Review Simple 'n' sweet?

    With increasing hard drive sizes, the arrival of touchscreen technology and ever more features and falling prices, it's easy to forget the more humble end of the personal digital music player market. However, Sony's NWD-B105 proves there are still some good value and strongly featured products at the lower price points. At …

    Hardware 2 Oct 2007, 11:02

  • British teens offered boozing qualification

    Multiple choice - beer, wine AND spirits

    British parents can stop worrying about their offspring being out-of-control boozepups. The education system is stepping in and teaching them how to get bladdered the socially-responsible way. Snakebite-addled teens can now try out for an "alcohol awareness certificate", The Times reports. The drinky diploma has been developed …

    Science 2 Oct 2007, 11:11

  • Sony e-book Reader turns over new leaf

    Bookmark sales slide

    In literary circles, first editions are often highly prised. However, Sony hopes the second edition of its Reader digital book, the PRS-505, will prove more popular than its predecessor, thanks to what it claimed was a much better display. Sony's PRS-505: paperback wiper? The PRS-505 uses E Ink's latest display technology …

    Hardware 2 Oct 2007, 11:51

  • Mr WebTV skewers US patent bill

    Startups in danger?

    The man who invented WebTV thinks the US patent system is on the verge of ruin. Last month, after a heavy lobby from big-name tech companies like Apple, Google, Intel, and Microsoft, the House of Representatives approved a bipartisan bill that seeks to reinvent patent litigation, and Steve Perlman is adamant this Patent …

    Law 2 Oct 2007, 12:02

  • Japanese Wii sales rain on PS3 parade

    Sony console outsold 4:1

    Nintendo's Wii continues to dominate the Japanese games console biz, outselling Sony's PlayStation 3 by a factor of four to one over the past six months. According to Japanese games magazine publisher Enterbrain, Nintendo sold 1.6m Wiis in its home market between the beginning of April up until the end of September. Sony …

    Games 2 Oct 2007, 12:08

  • Ingres buys pair of system integrators

    Takes two to tango

    Open source database firm Ingres Corporation said yesterday that it has acquired a brace of system integrators as it swoops to gain ground in the global enterprise market. Financial terms of both deals were undisclosed but Ingres, which was spun out of CA and Garnett and Helfrich Capital in 2005, said it has swallowed up …

    The Channel 2 Oct 2007, 12:38

  • Coding errors expose hidden area of BT site

    Breeches unbuttoned

    Coding errors on BT's price calculator website have left 'hidden' web areas of the site exposed. Users visiting the call price calculator may be surprised to see the other options on their sidebar and the "you are here" section. Options include "Cat_HiddenArea", "Cat_HiddenPlaypen" and "Topic_HiddenTest". These diverting- …

    Security 2 Oct 2007, 12:43

  • Console peripherals promise Porsche-style driving experience

    911 parts going cheap

    If you can't afford a Porsche, then the 911 steering wheel gaming kit will at least get you slightly closer to one. Peripherals manufacturer Fanatec claims the set gives PS3 and PC gamers the “genuine Porsche feeling”, but with an obvious cost saving. Fanatec's Porsche 911 Turbo S The Porsche 911 Turbo S sells as a kit and …

    Games 2 Oct 2007, 12:49

  • Discovery gears up for rehearsal launch

    Testing all systems

    The space shuttle Discovery is primed and ready for launch. It arrived on the launchpad this weekend, and engineers are getting ready for a dress rehearsal of the launch. The shuttle is due to blast off for the International Space Station on October 23 under the designation STS-120. The mission will see Discovery deliver …

    Science 2 Oct 2007, 13:02

  • Skype pair happy to take the money and run

    Joost in time

    Skype's founders say they are happy to have shaken down eBay for $530m, despite missing out on the huge payday they would've scored if the service was a bigger success. The cash is only a third of what Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom would have trousered in 2009 if Skype had hit profit targets. In a posting on this blog, …

    Networks 2 Oct 2007, 13:05

  • US Special Ops buys hydrogen droid strato-comms tech

    Super-troopers offer 3G coverage, HD propaganda

    The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has decided to buy a hydrogen-fuelled robot plane which can cruise at 60,000 feet or more for five days at a time. The cost-plus deal allocates $57m for an initial "Global Observer" drone, with options for an additional two aircraft which could take the total value to $108m. SOCOM …

    Science 2 Oct 2007, 13:57

  • Eircom wireless security flaw revealed

    250,000 routers vulnerable to piggybacking

    A serious security flaw has been uncovered in certain models of wireless broadband routers supplied to up to 250,000 of Eircom's residential and business customers. The flaw allows the security encryption of an Eircom wireless network to be bypassed by outsiders, who can then "piggyback" on a customer's internet connection. In …

    Broadband 2 Oct 2007, 14:33

  • Panasonic to ship 45nm chip ahead of Intel

    UniPhier video processor out before 'Penryn'

    Panasonic is set to become the first technology company to release products that consumers can actually buy and take home that contain 45nm chips, its parent, Matsushita, claimed today. The Diga-brand DVD and Blu-ray Disc recorders containing the 45nm chip, a video processing part called UniPhier - short for UNIversal …

    Hardware 2 Oct 2007, 14:53

  • Microsoft acquires shopping comparison tentacle

    Busts flush with Jellyfish.com

    Microsoft has reheated a market many web watchers had assumed a busted flush with the acquisition of Jellyfish.com, the bastard child of a shopping comparison site and QVC. It's one of a crop of sites that offer shoppers cashback for buying from its affiliate merchants, who can decide how much to pay to the site by way of …

    Financial News 2 Oct 2007, 15:40

  • NASA mulls strap-on astronaut carrier

    Lunar convoy under consideration

    NASA has come up with several concept vehicles for its planned future exploration of the Moon. Wannabe lunar wanderers should beware: Travelling across the hills and plains of our largest satellite will not be a dignified experience... Concept vehicles, per NASA, for future manned exploration of the Moon. The spacesuits …

    Science 2 Oct 2007, 15:44

  • Parents' fury at Google's copyright roadblock

    Use your rights if you dare, says web giant

    Imagine if you walked into Scotland Yard to report a crime involving children, only to be given a telling off, before you'd opened your mouth, about the dire penalties for wasting police time. And that your complaints would be forwarded to a watchdog - and that you'd better come back with a lawyer. That's how a group of parents …

    Law 2 Oct 2007, 15:51

  • Chinese internet security response team under attack

    You've been IFRAMED!

    A recent post by the team at the Chinese Internet Security Response Team to their English-language site indicates that some of the site visitors are experiencing an attack from the CISRT.org site as a result of an injected IFRAME tag. Injected IFRAME tags are not a new means of using legitimate sites to launch attacks on …

    Security 2 Oct 2007, 17:19

  • Cisco kicks UK distie for flogging counterfeit kit

    Distie says sorry

    A Manchester - based distie is to apologise publicly for selling counterfeit Cisco equipment. Gen-x it is also handing over supplier information and paying Cisco an undisclosed sum, in return for not being taken to court, CRN UK reports. in January 2005 Cisco made a test purchase from Gen-X IT, and then enlisted the help of …

    The Channel 2 Oct 2007, 18:50

  • Mobile spying service leaked sensitive details to the masses

    Mobile Spy opened and plugged

    The makers of Mobile Spy like to tout their tool for secretly tracking calls and text messages on smart phones as the perfect way to monitor employees or teens or catch cheating spouses. According to F-Secure, the service was also a way to leak sensitive information to anyone with a web browser. For $20 per month or $100 for a …

    Security 2 Oct 2007, 18:56

  • Microsoft UK cracks another head over grey software

    Man slapped with a sandwich board

    Microsoft has collared another pirate in the UK for flogging grey software on eBay. The software giant has scored £35,000 in damages against an internet trader for copyright violations and illegally importing cheap American software to Europe. R J Campbell and his company R J Campbell Ltd, which traded as "Software Price Beater …

    The Channel 2 Oct 2007, 19:31

  • BEA balances VMware with Xen

    Less is more

    Having snuggled up to VMware, the proprietary and expensive virtualization platform, BEA Systems is going to the other extreme by officially backing Xen. The middleware vendor is working to certify its recently launched WebLogic Server Virtual Edition against the free, open source Xen hypervisor by the end of this year. Guy …

    Virtualization 2 Oct 2007, 19:34

  • Solarweb-powered Westcoast tidies up MS-licensing act

    Westcoast has signed up to distribute Microsoft software through an automated licensing tool called licenseme. Its developer, UK-based Solarweb, says the technology cuts the "high error rates facing many in the channel". In some cases, it claims, 25 per cent of licence orders from the channel are "rejected by vendors due to …

    The Channel 2 Oct 2007, 19:47

  • The War on Terror's professional witness

    Analysis Evan Kohlmann does the rounds

    The recent conviction of Mohammed Atif Siddique on terror charges highlighted the role of globetrotting professional witness Evan Kohlmann. Defenders in the US and UK have come to recognize him as a figure brought in to furnish opinions which are only of use to prosecutions in the frightening of juries. Kohlmann was also tapped …

    Law 2 Oct 2007, 21:10

  • Microsoft-loving (former) security czar calls for closed internet

    Vint Cerf's firing squad awaits

    Richard Clarke, the man who served President Bush as a special adviser for cyber security, has a five-point plan for saving the internet. Speaking at a Santa Clara University conference dedicated to "trust online," Clarke called the net "a place of chaos in many ways, a place of crime in many ways," but laid out several means …

    Management 2 Oct 2007, 22:24

  • IBM upgrades brain-bending file system

    GPFS - it's about policy

    IBM on Friday is releasing a new version of its General Parallel File System (GPFS) for serious data crunchers. The update, now version 3.2, features improvements to GPFS's policy-based file management system and offers speedier searches. GPFS caters to hardcore users trying to run a file system across numerous systems. It …

    Storage 2 Oct 2007, 22:49