26th October 2007 Archive

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Robo Development Conference in pictures

Robo Developer Know thy roboenemy

Robots. Sure, they're evil, but are they a threat to us yet? The Register takes a look at the show floor of Robo Developer Conference in San Jose to see how the coming war with machines may play out. Our first stop is a robot named Monty, from Anybots. He stands at about 5'7" and has one fully articulated hand, driven by …

Rise of the Machines 26 Oct 03:07
Robot builders hunt for a killer application

Robo Developer How to sell a robot for pleasure and profit

Right now, commercial robot builders are planning to invade our homes with their mechanical creations. But first they'll need us to invite them in. "Robotics today is comparable to computers in the '70s," appears to be a popular mantra for the developers' market space enthusiasm. The analogy has already popped up several times …

Rise of the Machines 26 Oct 03:14
New strain of Gozi Trojan prowls the net

Variant of SSL-sniffing malware unleashed in nasty PDF attack

A new variant of the Gozi Trojan has been discovered, raising the specter of a comeback for the infamous malware, which excels at pilfering financial information even when it's protected using supposedly secure mechanisms. The new strain was first detected on Tuesday when Russian miscreants unleashed a small avalanche of …

Enterprise Security 26 Oct 03:18
Vonage shuts door on Verizon suit (almost)

'You might get $120m. You might get less'

Vonage has settled its legal tete-a-tete with Verizon, agreeing to pay the telcom giant somewhere between $80m and $120m. Final terms of the deal depend on one last ruling from the US Court of Appeals. Verizon tossed a patent infringement suit at Vonage back in June last year. Nine months later, a jury awarded the telco $59m in …

Telecoms 26 Oct 03:19
OCZ buys high-end PC builder

Hypersonic drive

OCZ, the California memory module maker, has gone and bought itself a PC company. Its new baby is called Hypersonic PC, a New York-based "performance" - i.e. expensive - system builder, which specialises in gaming rigs, fancy notebooks and juiced up workstations. The money it paid Silicon Data Inc., Hypersonic's former owner, is …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 05:04
Long lunching Luddites show world how to do IT

Column Vive La France!

Last week, a report emerged with one of the most unlikely conclusions in the short history of digital policy. The report was built around yet another ranking of the technological performance of different countries around the world. Its main finding was this: "France, which spends a substantial one per cent of GDP on …

Music and Media 26 Oct 07:02
Court convicts 'million pound' modchip man

Vows to fight back

A Bristol man has vowed to fight on after being found guilty by a UK court of more than two dozen counts of possessing and selling modchips for games consoles. Neil Stanley Higgs, 39, of Speedwell Road, Speedwell, Bristol, who called himself Mr Modchips, was found guilty of 26 offences under a 2003 amendment to the 1988 …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 07:02
Scottish poll probe: e-counting gets 'hold off until safe' verdict

Not to blame, but not a fabulous idea

Investigators looking into the cock-up that was the May elections in Scotland have issued their final report. Looking at the media coverage, you'd be forgiven for thinking they'd given the whole thing a clean bill of health. Headlines proclaim the report's conclusion that the electronic counting process was not to blame for the …

Government 26 Oct 07:02
Intel opens second 45nm chip plant

Claims it's greener then the rest

Intel has opened the second of its chip factories capable of punching out 45nm processors, the chip giant announced last night. Clearly feeling the pressure of raised environmental awareness, it was keen to stress the plant's green credentials rather than its chip-making potential. Fab 32, located in Chandler, Arizona joins …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 08:42
IBM grabs London congestion charge deal

Boots out Capita

Transport for London has awarded IBM the contract to run its congestion charge scheme. The company won the deal from Capita, which has managed the scheme since it was introduced in 2002, at the end of a competitive tendering process in which Thales Alliance also took part. IBM will take over the role, including the relevant …

Business 26 Oct 08:42
Global mobile penetration to reach 75% by 2011

Asia-Pacific region drives surge

Over half of the world's population will have a mobile phone by 2008, according to new research. A new report from Portio Research predicts that the global mobile penetration rate will surpass the 50 per cent mark next year. That's not all though, because a further 1.5 billion mobile phone users are expected over the next four …

Mobile 26 Oct 08:52
European Commission asks for new IP protection layer

WIPO 'not flexible enough'

The European Commission wants to create a new layer of intellectual property protections because it says existing structures such as WIPO are not flexible enough. The commission is seeking EU member states' permission to negotiate new trade agreements with a list of specific countries, including the US, Japan, Korea, Mexico, …

Law 26 Oct 08:56
Microsoft racks up best quarter since 1999

You mean someone's actually buying Vista?

Microsoft made revenues of $13.76bn in the three months ended 30 September 2007, an increase of 27 per cent on the same period last year. Net income was $4.29bn, up from $3.48bn in the same three months of 2006. The company credited good consumer sales of Vista and sales of Halo for its success. Chief finance officer Chris …

Financial News 26 Oct 09:03
Going mobile is part of the process

Workshop roundup Because life's not just a bowl of BlackBerries

As mobility has entered the mainstream, most of the focus to date - at least in the media and among analysts - has been on connecting up mobile professionals via BlackBerries, Windows Mobile devices and laptop data cards. The drivers for this kind of investment have mostly been concerned with improving collaboration and …

Workshop 26 Oct 09:13
Intel roadmaps next-gen Extreme 'Nehalem' chips

Chipset details emerge too

Intel's first 'Nehalem' desktop processors will be aimed at gamers, the latest update to the chip giant's product roadmap has revealed. Expect a set of four-core Extreme - Core 3? - parts codenamed 'Gainstown' and 'Bloomfield'. Gainstown will be pitched at dual-processor machines, for which intel is developing 'Tylersburg', …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 09:14
Government backs down on controversial FOI fees change

Bows to pressure groups

The UK Government has dropped controversial proposals that critics said would have neutered the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. Changes to the charging structure that would have allowed bodies to refuse more requests will not now go ahead. The move comes amid significant opposition from pressure groups and media companies, …

Government 26 Oct 09:21
AMD 'Spider' gaming platform to debut next month

Phenom plus RD790 plus RV670

AMD looks set to give its 'Spider' high-end gaming platform its first major outing on 14 November - two days after Intel introduces its first 45nm 'Penryn' processors - Register Hardware has learned. Spider is based on AMD's quad-core Phenom processor, the company's RD790 chipset - approved by the PCI SIG organisation for PCI …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 09:39
Oracle snubs BEA on share price

$21 per share? You're having a laugh

Oracle scoffed at BEA last night, describing the middleware's self-set $21 per share price tag as "impossibly high" and saying it had no intention of raising its offer. BEA has been snubbing Oracle's offer of $17 per share, but yesterday said it would authorise negotiations with Oracle and other bidders at a price of $21 per …

Financial News 26 Oct 09:56
Big fines and jail time for MS scammers

Operation Cyberstorm nabs conspirators

Four people convicted last year of scamming Microsoft by reselling discounted education versions of its software have been ordered to pay $5m in fines, return $20m to Microsoft and serve up to five years in prison. Husband and wife Mirza and Sameena Ali, of Fremont, got five-year sentences for conspiracy, mail fraud, wire …

Channel Register 26 Oct 09:58
Samsung to mass-produce 14in OLED TVs in 2010

Will Toshiba get there first?

Sony may be about to ship the world's first commercial OLED TV, but don't expect anything bigger than the telly's 11in screen until 2010. Well, not from rival OLED maker Samsung, at any rate. Lee Sang-wan, head of the South Korean giant's LCD operation, yesterday said the company will begin mass-producing 14in OLED (Organic …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 10:03
Software upgrade KOs gas shipping auction system

Fax machines running red hot at UK's National Grid

A botched Oracle upgrade last Sunday has denied access to an online trading system used to sell space on the UK gas pipeline network. Fax machines have been running hot all week as every transaction has had to be entered manually. The Gemini system at the centre of the affair doesn't control movements of gas, nor is it used …

IT Director 26 Oct 10:16
Pol Pot's Merc - yours for £35k

100,000 miles, one despotic owner

So, you've shelled out for the eye-catching L1NUX number plate, and now need a set of wheels worthy of bearing the illustrious open source celebration. Let's face it, a second-hand Ford Fiesta isn't going to do the job, so what about a 1973 short wheel base stretch Merc, once owned by fun-loving Khmer Rouge grand fromage Pol …

Bootnotes 26 Oct 10:44
Ingram Micro Q3 results buoyed by weak dollar

Worldwide sales leap

Computer distie giant Ingram Micro said yesterday that it saw third quarter profit shoot up 15 per cent driven by strong sales in Asia and Europe. Revenue rose by more than a billion dollars to $8.61bn from $7.51bn last year. Ingram Micro said a weaker dollar contributed about five percentage points to its overall revenue …

Channel Register 26 Oct 10:48
UK minister pledges policing for Second Life

Will the cops be imaginary too?

A UK government minister made a virtual pledge to police virtual worlds this week, as the problems of the real world are increasingly reflected in the likes of Second Life. Lord Triesman, talking at the Virtual Worlds Forum in London, flagged up a number of "causes for concern" that would need government input to control. The …

Government 26 Oct 10:51
Racist Reg ignores Nigerian helicopter pioneer

FoTW 'You disgust me!!!!!!'

In case you missed it, Nobel prize winner James Watson recently got himself into a bit of trouble after claiming that black people are less intelligent than white people. This provoked a bit of a rumpus, and Watson was subsequently suspended by his research lab for his trouble. All pretty straightforward, you might think, but …

Bootnotes 26 Oct 10:55
BOFH: A foray into HR

Episode 36 It takes six pints to really know a guy

"It’s a somewhat unique situation," the HR droid says to the PFY and me as we meet in the IT director's office. "You see we've never replaced an entire department at one time and as such we need to be sure that due diligence takes place." "Due diligence?" the PFY asks. "Well yes. From a company standpoint we want to ensure …

BOFH 26 Oct 11:02
Motorola Razr 2 V8 mobile phone

Review Cutting... er... edge

To say it’s been difficult for Motorola to follow up the massive hit of the Razr V3 with something better is an understatement. Since its release to the sounds of jaws dropping in mid-2004, the Razr has gone from high-end must-have to mass-market. Now comes the Razr 2 V8, billed as the next-gen V3. So does it offer more than …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 11:02
Brown promises simultaneous liberty and security

No mention of egalité or fraternité

Gordon Brown's government yesterday sent mixed messages on questions of personal liberty versus collective security. On the one hand, the Prime Minister pledged reforms and initiatives aimed at simplifying and reducing official powers to enter homes and private property. Justice Minister Jack Straw, too, kicked off several …

Government 26 Oct 11:07
Police tackle crime hotspots with scary warning poster

Denying lay-bys the use of law enforcement

In a bizarre follow-up to its 'Denying Criminals the Use of the Roads' strategy, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has announced an initiative that might perhaps be called, 'Assigning Criminals the Leasehold of the Lay-bys.' Things have come to a pretty pass, as crusty old Tory MPs might once have complained, when …

Law 26 Oct 11:17
Online sales of stolen gear prompt call to list serial numbers

eBay must act on crime

The US House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary yesterday heard police and retail witnesses call for eBay to include serial numbers in its auction postings. Members of the Committee said the issue of organised shop lifting needed action from legislators because it was now costing US retailers $30bn a year. Brad …

Crime 26 Oct 11:24
California teen offers GPS challenge to speeding rap

Radar gun mistaken, log shows

A California teenager is contesting a speeding ticket which claims he was doing 62mph in a 45mph zone, since a GPS system fitted to his Toyota Celica appears to show he was actually within the limit. Shaun Malone, 17, was caught on 4 July by a Petaluma police officer using a radar gun, AP reports. The lad had in the past …

Law 26 Oct 11:24
A fine week for MS, Intel and Vonage

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Unappealing prospects Microsoft has finally blinked in its three year stare-out contest with the European Commission. This week the firm said it would not launch another appeal against the landmark €497m anti-trust fine slapped on it in 2004. Accordingly, it'll now have to open up access to APIs to let other developers, …

Business 26 Oct 12:48
Intel and AMD tug of war drags up Q3 chip sales

Kerching

Microprocessor chip sales hit record levels in the third quarter thanks in large part to an intense two-horse race between arch rivals Intel and AMD, according to a new study. IDC, which published the findings this week in its Worldwide PC Processor 3Q07 Vendor Shares report, said PC processor shipments grew 14.3 per cent in …

Channel Register 26 Oct 12:55
UK.gov plans more active-traffic motorway ANPR cams

As Big Blue takes over in the Big Smoke

Things are jumping in the world of UK roadside cameras. In the last 24 hours the main contract for the London congestion charging zone has been won by IBM, edging out former provider Capita, and the government has announced plans for many more speed cameras on motorways - to be used in "active management" of heavy traffic. …

Government 26 Oct 12:58
Red Arrows to fly at Olympics, Sun announces

Tessa Jowell 'determined' to rope in flyboys

The Red Arrows will (probably) fly at the 2012 Olympics, the Sun has announced. The redtop has received a letter from Olympics Minister Tessa Jowell, stating: "I am very clear in my own mind that the Red Arrows should be part of London’s welcome to the world in 2012 and I know Seb Coe shares my view." Jowell added: "I want to …

Bootnotes 26 Oct 12:59
UK mobiles not worth stealing

Home Office parrots MICAF good news

Mobile phones stolen in the UK are locked from their own network within 48 hours, and 98 per cent of them are locked from all (UK) networks within 48 hours. Despite that 800,000 were stolen last year, according to government figures. The locking figures come from tests run by MICAF (Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum) during …

Mobile 26 Oct 13:46
Griffin evolves wireless music

Cables are history

Audio company Griffin has started shipping its Evolve wireless sound system for iPods, letting users wirelessly wander their homes with miniature ghetto-blaster speakers at their sides. Griffin's Evolve wireless sound system Evolve consists of a base station, with built-in docking stations for two cube-shaped wireless …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 13:53
LG switches on latest display

Small scale, good features

LG has unveiled its latest small size display for the high definition (HD) consumer, which wouldn’t look out of place in the bedroom or as a dedicated gaming screen. LG M228WD: Moderate size, sleek appeal The 22in widescreen display, dubbed M228WD, has a 1680 x 1050 resolution and sits within a stylish gloss black frame. …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 14:01
The retro arcade controller

For button tappers everywhere

If wireless, vibrating and hand-moulded console controllers are too complicated for you, then reminisce over arcade machine games with an arcade-style Xbox 360 controller. Xbox 360 Solo Controller: Quarters not accepted The Xbox 360 Solo Controller features authentic coloured convex or concave arcade push buttons and a …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 14:10
Devon beachcombers can keep Napoli booty

No plans for prosecutions over salvaged treasure

The scavengers who descended on East Devon's Branscombe Beach earlier this year and quickly made off with the cargo of 70,000-ton freighter MSC Napoli can keep their booty, the Receiver of Wreck has confirmed. The beachcombers helped themselves to £1m worth of car parts after the Napoli ran aground, shedding its treasure-laden …

Bootnotes 26 Oct 14:14
British computer society blunders on BCC

Email gaffe leaves 700 emails out to dry

The British Computer Society (BCS), home to the "Professionalism in IT" campaign, has made an amateur email error. This morning it sent over 700 members an email without using the blind carbon copy field - so all recipients could see all the other email addresses. The message was a request for people to fill in an online survey …

IT Director 26 Oct 14:44
3 UK brings VoIP to cheapskates

Skype handset to launch Monday

3 UK has admitted that it's working on a Skype phone to bring VoIP connectivity to more of its mobile customers. 3 UK's Skype phone - allegedly. While the mobile operator would confirm the phone's existence, exact details are scarce, though industry rumours suggest the handset will be launched Monday and available in-store …

Mobile 26 Oct 15:03
Bike bonk bloke lands on sex offenders' register

Cleaners catch cycle molester in flagrante delicto

A man who was caught in flagrante delicto attempting sexual intercourse with a bicycle has been placed on the sex offenders' register, the Telegraph reports. Robert Stewart earned himself a hearing at Ayr Sheriff Court following the incident last October when two "extremely shocked" cleaners at local Aberley House Hostel …

Bootnotes 26 Oct 15:14
Astronauts ride robotic arms into space

ISS spacewalk under way

The crew of the space shuttle Discovery have wasted no time and are already hard at work extending the International Space Station (ISS). An astronaut on the end of a robotic arm. Credit: NASA TV Mission specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock started the first spacewalk just after 6am, Eastern US time. The schedule …

Space 26 Oct 15:15
BMW gives away 5 Series and $850k

Lagos-based 'International Awareness Promotion'

Our very own John Lettice was very pleased with himself earlier this afternoon since he'd just been handed a shiny new Beemer 5 series and a whopping $850k. Yes, we know what you're thinking - "That's completely ridiculous, why on earth would BMW give away a car and a big, big suitcase full of cash?" Well, it must be true, …

Bootnotes 26 Oct 15:27
Sun throws legal counterpunch at NetApp

As Sandisk throws lawsuits round like confetti

Sun has issued a counter-lawsuit against Network Appliance (NetApp) which last month sued the Java overlords alleging it had violated seven of its patents. NetApp had also requested that the firm withdraw its ZFS file system from the open-source-loving crowd, restricting it only for use in computers and to forbid its use in …

Storage 26 Oct 15:45
Boffins uncover ginger gene in neanderthal DNA

Similar to modern humans

The continuing analysis of samples of neanderthal DNA have revealed that some of them had ginger hair. Researchers from the University of Barcelona identified a mutation on the gene MC1R that, in modern humans, causes hair to tend to the titian, and skin to tend to the pale. All humans carry a version of MC1R, but the redhead …

Biology 26 Oct 15:46
Welcome back, Apple. Seriously.

Leopard - they still do computers

Apple may have dropped the "Computer" from the company name earlier this year, but its latest OS released today gives it a chance to remind everyone where its real value lies. Thanks to success of the iPod, Apple is now bigger than the entire global record business - digital downloads included. That's an incredible statistic …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 15:55
Trolltech pulls the Greenphone

'Not really a hardware company'

The Greenphone, launched with much publicity at LinuxWorld 2006, has been discontinued as Trolltech reckons the Neo 1973 can fulfil the role of a development platform, and therefore Greenphone has served its purpose. LinuxDevices reports that Trolltech will continue to support their orphaned handset, but won't be making any …

Mobile 26 Oct 18:31
Sprint fails to explain XOHM nonsense

CTIA Love and kisses to Her Majesty

Sprint has confirmed that the name of its new broadband wireless service is not a typo. But it also admits that XOHM means absolutely nothing. Speaking yesterday at CTIA Wireless I.T. and Entertainment, a mammoth mobile-centric tradeshow, Sprint bigwig Atish Gude said the company chose the XOHM name because a marketing company …

Telecoms 26 Oct 18:36
Microsoft sics worldwide braintrust on XP vuln

PDF attack prompts round-the-clock patch fest

Escalating attacks exploiting a serious weakness in PDF files have prompted Microsoft to issue an all-hands-on-deck call to fix a vulnerability that lurks in the bowels of Windows XP. "We currently have teams worldwide who are working around the clock to develop an update of appropriate quality for broad distribution," Bill …

Security 26 Oct 19:40
BBC man: Sadville is great for bubblewrap kids

Your taxes at work

TV shrink Tanya Byron blamed over-protective parents for keeping "bubble wrap" kids away from real social interaction and tethered to technology such as the internet, we reported yesterday. The government is hiring Byron to tout a "Live Consultation", soliciting views on how the internet might affect children. That's your taxes …

Music and Media 26 Oct 21:24
Man who urinated on dying woman for YouTube glory jailed

Outraging public decency

A man who shouted "This is YouTube material" as he pissed on a dying, disabled woman has been sent to jail for three years. Anthony Anderson, 27, had been smoking cannabis and drinking heavily with friends, when he found Christine Lakinski, 50, collapsed in a doorway in Hartlepool, in northern England. Calling her a "smackhead …

Crime 26 Oct 21:28
World of Warcraft asks Europeans to please speaka da English

Until normal customer service is resumed

The lights have gone out and no-one is at home at World of Warcraft's European customer support site, right now. In a message posted to a WoW support forum, a "technical issue and subsequent loss of electricity" is blamed for the outage. An earlier forum post, now vanished into the ether, mentioned a "water hazard", a Reg …

Reg Hardware 26 Oct 22:03
Funnyman-loving Facebookers mock US prez race

Obama no better than online privacy

One million Facebook users have made a mockery of American politics. On October 16, television comedian/newsman Stephen Colbert launched a less-than-serious bid for the US presidency, and within hours, a social networking-crazed high schooler tossed up a Facebook group called "1,000,000 Strong For Stephen T Colbert," an obvious …

Bootnotes 26 Oct 22:32
Facebook sued for mis-sending dirty texts

'It's the new Google'

Facebook has been sued for bombarding the wrong people with intermittently-X-rated mobile text messages. Earlier this week, an Indiana mommy named Lindsey Abrams filed a federal class action suit against the Microsoft-propped social networking site. She's claiming that it sends thousands of unauthorized text messages to …

Law 26 Oct 23:10