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31st October 2007 Archive

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  • Uncooking the books costs Dell 'only' $92m

    Let the buybacks begin

    Dell today presented the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with cleaned-up accounts for the years 2003-2006 and the first quarter in 2007. The restatements show that Dell earned $92m less net income than it had previously stated in earlier filings. In August, the company said that it might have to write down up $50m-$ …

    The Channel 31 Oct 2007, 02:39

  • 1and1's dedicated servers go titsup

    More of a little lie down, claims hosting firm

    Vulture Central received a flurry of complaints yesterday from annoyed customers of large Germany-based hosting firm 1&1 Internet. Its dedicated servers had gone fully titsup, and calls to the firm's support lines were getting either an engaged tone or no answer. Here's 1&1's side of the story: A very small number of 1&1 …

    Broadband 31 Oct 2007, 08:02

  • Best GPS-enabled Nokia phone?

    Q&A

    My query is regarding two new arrivals from Nokia, the N95 8GB and the Nokia Navigator 6110. I don't know which to choose. Basically, I want a good, accurate GPS already pre-installed with voice direction. Can you guide me which one of the above has a better GPS?

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 09:02

  • Jordan mulls mamtastic epitaph

    Gravestone to read...

    Those among you who are still wondering with a kind of shocked disbelief why oh why oh why didn't talented chanteuese and Bulgarian airbag scaffold Jordan feature on the list of top Brits wits need look no further than today's Sun for enlightenment. While the late Spike Milligan was honoured for, among other classics, his …

    Bootnotes 31 Oct 2007, 09:34

  • Judge extends Microsoft oversight till January

    As states look for five year extension

    Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly has extended US government oversight of Microsoft, which was due to end in two weeks. Several US states are asking the judge to extend its oversight of Microsoft by as much as five years. The oversight program is a result of the original 2001 antitrust judgement against the software giant. Those …

    The Channel 31 Oct 2007, 10:09

  • Sun: MoD has Bond/Potter/Klingon cloaking device

    Boffin predicts invisible sheds on market in 5 years

    The quality press is awash with invisible-tank stories this morning, as the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Ananova news wire et al pile into an exclusive scoop by the Sun. It would seem that the Currant Bun scribes have spoken to a squaddie from the Royal Engineers, who claims to have been involved in trials last week featuring a ( …

    Science 31 Oct 2007, 10:13

  • World to face laptop famine this Xmas?

    Plenty of demand, not enough parts

    Want a new notebook this Christmas? Then get your order in early. That's the message coming out of Taiwan, source of almost all of the world's laptops, from the big brands to the little-known names. Intel's operation on the island this week confirmed that demand for its laptop-oriented processors, Wi-Fi modules and chipsets - …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 10:13

  • Tarzan's yell must be written in music for trademark registration

    Application denied on appeal

    Tarzan's distinctive yell cannot be registered as a trademark because it is almost impossible to represent graphically. Sounds can be registered as trademarks, but the ruling (pdf) could limit that to sounds that can be written in standard musical notation. Tarzan was created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and the application to …

    Law 31 Oct 2007, 10:38

  • Samsung spins out world's fastest dual-layer DVD writer

    The 16X DVD+R dual-layer drive

    Samsung claims to have created the world’s fastest dual-layer DVD burner, a drive with Lightscribe label-etching technology that can write a DVD+R DL disc at 16x speed. Samsung said that since 10-12x is the current standard for dual-layer burning, its new internal drive, the SH-S203N, takes a 30-40 per cent less time to fill a …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 11:01

  • Is storage becoming IT's Hummer?

    VMware blamed as storage nears top of leccy guzzle pile

    VMware is set to turn storage administrators into the energy-profligate and hated SUV drivers of the corporate world, a top analyst has claimed. That's because consolidation will cut servers' share of data centre power consumption and propel storage to pole position in IT's energy greed league, claimed Enterprise Strategy …

    Servers 31 Oct 2007, 11:02

  • Glasgow is UK's runner-up in software piracy stakes

    Taking the low road

    Glasgow has been crowned the worst city in the UK for software piracy outside of Greater London. In a bid to crackdown on the problem, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) will kick-off a month-long awareness campaign this week. The BSA said from this Thursday (1 November) local businesses will be given a 30 day cooling off …

    The Channel 31 Oct 2007, 11:05

  • Software cracking tools open the door to malware

    One in six PCs harbour dodgy utilities

    Some of the most prevalent "hacking tools" are those which users unwittingly install themselves, according to stats from anti-virus firm Trend Micro. Trend Micro warns that, for example, key generator programs designed to unlawfully activate Nero CD burning software from a trial mode into a paid mode are often packaged with a …

    Security 31 Oct 2007, 11:15

  • Blu-ray BD+ crypto tech to be cracked by year's end?

    Method discovered, claims software developer

    Bullish optical disc decryption software developer Slysoft has claimed it has cracked Blu-ray Disc's BD+ copy-protection technology, though the most recent version of its disc hacking tool only extends to the AACS anti-rip mechanism. Slysoft announced AnyDVD 6.1.9.3 earlier this week. Among its features, the developer claimed …

    Security 31 Oct 2007, 11:39

  • Garmin trumps TomTom bid for TeleAtlas

    Hardware guys battling for content - plus ça change

    Satnav hardware heavyweight Garmin has gone head to head with rival TomTom in a bidding war for control of Dutch map data provider TeleAtlas. Reuters reports that Garmin has entered the lists hoping to win the favour of TeleAtlas with an offer of €24.50 per share, topping TomTom by 15 per cent. TomTom offered €21.25/share in …

    Financial News 31 Oct 2007, 11:47

  • Freecom MusicPal gets friendly with internet radio

    If you’re not connecting with friends anymore, then Freecom hopes you’ll be attracted to its pal - or, more specifically, the MusicPal, a digital radio and MP3 streamer. Freecom's MusicPal: internet radio and MP3 streaming The MusicPal receives internet radio transmissions over 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, although an Ethernet port’s …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 11:50

  • Google corrals web 2.0 turkeys for Facebook fightback

    Everybody's API nowadays

    Google is to make a me-too social networking move aimed at outflanking the Facebook Platform tomorrow with more interoperability for web app developers. Despite being mostly useless, and occasionally irritating, some Facebook Platform applications have been a hit with users. Flagging music service iLike has been reinvigorated …

    Applications 31 Oct 2007, 12:08

  • Sony updates Alpha 700 DLSR camera firmware

    Thanks to Apple, we live in the age of the firmware update. Time was, only computers needed system software patches, but since Apple began rolling out regular tweaks to the iPod's operating system, more and more consumer electronics kit is gaining updates too. The latest: Sony's Alpha 700 digital SLR camera. Announced …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 12:22

  • Likely Lib-Dem leader in 'no to ID card data' pledge

    Ah, but what about the card, Nick?

    Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary Nick Clegg has vowed to break the ID Cards Act by refusing to hand over his personal details when ID cards are made compulsory. Clegg, currently the likeliest winner in the LibDem leadership race, could therefore become the first major party leader to break cover as a law-breaking ID card …

    Government 31 Oct 2007, 12:25

  • Alcatel-Lucent cuts off 4,000 workers

    Jobs go as losses grow

    Alcatel-Lucent boss Pat Russo shuffled the executive deck chairs and axed 4,000 workers today as the networking group lurched into the red for the third quarter. Russo appointed Hubert de Pesquidoux CFO, announcing Jean-Pascal Beaufret was leaving to pursue other opportunities. De Pesquidoux was previously head of the firm's …

    Data Networking 31 Oct 2007, 12:26

  • UK boffins ID three new exo-planets

    Robotic sky scanner comes up trumps

    Planet-hunting boffins based in the UK have announced the discovery of three more spinning globes to add to the more than 200 extrasolar planets already known to science. The planets turned up during the Wide Area Search for Planets (WASP). All are gas giants, roughly the size of Jupiter, and are orbiting their parent stars so …

    Science 31 Oct 2007, 12:32

  • Google phone-spotting reaches fever pitch

    Fishy tails and fishy tales

    Inventive rumors of Google's "phone" have circulated for many months - and The Register brought the first confirmation of the company's plans as long ago as March. But for many, fantasy is still preferable to hard fact - much as sex-starved sailors, who'd been at sea for months, would see a mermaid where there was merely a …

    Mobile 31 Oct 2007, 12:36

  • Trick or trojan - watch out for Halloween malware

    Don't download the dancing skeleton

    Surfers are warned to be wary this Halloween of malicious spam messages playing on Wednesday's horror-themed holiday. A run of Halloween-themed spam invites would-be marks to visit a site and download a "dancing skeleton", a malicious package that falsely claims to create a novelty dancing skeleton on users' desktops. In …

    Security 31 Oct 2007, 12:43

  • Cisco offers $10m prize in small biz bingo

    Entrepreneurs and inventors required

    Cisco is launching a global contest to find great business or technology ideas. The "I-Prize" will include the chance to help Cisco start a new business unit along with $10m in funding over the first three years. There is also a $250,000 signing bonus. The prize was launched as part of the opening of Cisco's centre in …

    Small Biz 31 Oct 2007, 12:43

  • ANPR bags alleged uninsured pirate godfathers

    Discs, Daewoo, toner seized

    Breaking news has revealed that government vehicle tracking benefits us all, by ridding the community of desperate criminals. Durham plods, using the Automatic Numberplate Recognition (ANPR) technology that handwringing media pinkos make such a fuss about, on Monday snared what they say is a brace of heavyweight villains. The …

    Law 31 Oct 2007, 13:11

  • Western Digital pitches pink product... for charity

    Are pocket hard drives, WD's forté?

    Western Digital is the latest drive maker to offer pocket-friendly storage that triggers a charity donation every time one's purchased. Like Sony, Belkin, Seagate and other before it, WD's targeting Breast Cancer, but it's not going to stop giving after a month. WD's pink Passport: bad colour, good cause Register Hardware …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 13:22

  • World Cup Willie company loses case on own evidence

    Goodwill in trademarks can last years

    Goodwill in trademarks can last for 40 years even if the mark is rarely used in that time, the High Court has ruled. The Court ruled in favour of the Football Association (FA) which was defending its ownership of a mascot from the 1966 World Cup. A company called Jules Rimet Cup Ltd (JRCL) applied to register a trademark for …

    Law 31 Oct 2007, 13:29

  • Olympic ticketing system crashes under demand

    Fosbury flop

    Tickets sales for next year's Olympic Games in Beijing were suspended for a week on Tuesday after the ticketing system crashed under the weight of Chinese sport fans looking to snap up tickets for the eagerly-anticipated event. A lottery in June for the first round of 1.6 million tickets went smoothly enough. But the offer of …

    Servers 31 Oct 2007, 13:39

  • Darling swings on capital gains

    Not exactly a U-turn, but almost

    The Treasury is close to a compromise agreement on its controversial changes to capital gains tax. Alistair Darling raised the rate from a taper scale beginning at 10 per cent to a flat rate of 18 per cent in his pre-budget report in early October. The change was met with outcry, especially from the small business community …

    Small Biz 31 Oct 2007, 13:59

  • OQO Model e2 UMPC

    Review Probably the world's best ultra-mobile PC

    OQO may sound like a city in Japan, but it’s actually a company that makes ultra-mobile PCs - handheld computers capable of running a full-size operating system. It’s been around for seven years, and was founded by a team of ex-Apple engineers. The Model e2 is the company’s third shot at a UMPC, following in the diminutive …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 14:19

  • Toshiba DVR dumps HD to HD DVD

    But there's no cassette deck

    HD DVD backer Toshiba has unveiled a digital video recorder (DVR) that can archive HD broadcasts onto standard DVD discs. The Vardia RD-A301 uses an HD transcoder to convert HD broadcasts from their native MPEG 2 format into MPEG 4 AVC. Toshiba claims its transcoder compresses the HD video enough for it to be burnt onto a 4. …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 14:33

  • Saga shuffles into social networking

    Hip replacement (for actually leaving the house)

    OAP über-brand Saga has today dusted off its own social network aimed at the over-50s. Saga Zone has been in beta for four months, and so far boasts 13,000 members. It's "a new online community where you create a whole new social network of friends and easily stay in touch from the comfort of your home". There's nothing to …

    Applications 31 Oct 2007, 14:53

  • Oz nanoboffins punt paper-thin flak jacket plan

    Some kind of Robocop involvement. And geckoes, of course

    Astounding news from Australia today, as it appears that yet another unbelievable movie themed breakthrough has been made in gecko-related nanotech. This time, the flick ligged by ink-thirsty boffins is Robocop, rather than Spiderman or The Incredibles. Sadly, we aren't talking here about brains plucked from slain hero cops …

    Science 31 Oct 2007, 14:57

  • IT exam overseer fails test

    APMG has accreditation suspended

    APM Group, which is responsible for accrediting ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) and Prince2 examination bodies for the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), has had its accreditation suspended by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). The firm received a letter notifying it of its suspension on 12 …

    Management 31 Oct 2007, 15:04

  • Brussels asks Ofcom boss what he's on about

    When bureaucrats attack

    The European Commission has publicly questioned whether the UK's top telecoms regulator has any idea what he's talking about when it comes to, er, telecoms regulation. In a reponse to Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards' letter to the Financial Times today, the commission said: "We note that Mr Richards takes position against a …

    Networks 31 Oct 2007, 15:57

  • WD 'first to ship' 320GB laptop hard drive

    Out before Toshiba?

    It's hard to find a laptop with more than 200GB of hard disk storage - at least ones that contains just a single drive - but you now can add your own, larger capacity drive, thanks to Western Digital. WD's Scorpio 320: biggest laptop hard drive money can buy? WD today rolled out its latest 2.5in Scorpio notebook-oriented HDD …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 16:24

  • US military cyber warriors looking for a home

    Operation Pork Snatch is go

    Cyberwarfare means different thing to different people. To cyberpunk buffs it means Operation Screaming Fist; to the Estonians it means Russian DDoS. In America, as with many other military activities, it means pork. Specifically in this case, the most important question exercising many Americans regarding cyber war is where …

    Government 31 Oct 2007, 16:35

  • Student taser victim spared electric chair

    Don't kick me out of university, bro!

    Florida prosecutors have decided not to pursue Andrew "don't tase me, bro" Meyer through the courts if he keeps his nose clean during 18 months probation. Meyer caused a farcical kerfuffle at a University of Florida speech by John Kerry last month. He scored 50,000 volts and internet infamy for his trouble. He'll soon be …

    Bootnotes 31 Oct 2007, 16:41

  • Newegg serves up Asus Eee PC to US buyers

    $400 a pop, in stock now, apparently

    US online retailer Newegg has begun offering the 4G version Asus' tiny Eee PC, offering the unit for $400. Asus formally launched the Eee PC earlier this month. Then, it announced four models, including an 8GB version that's proving tricky to track down. In the UK, we're likely to get only the 4G model, though the 2G version …

    Hardware 31 Oct 2007, 17:05

  • Virtual! stripper! game! targets! Yahoo!

    Captcha-busting Trojan warning

    Spammers have come up with a sleazy - but undoubtedly ingenious - way to defeat anti-spam security checks. The Captcha Trojan disguises itself as a stripper game that offers voyeurs the chance to see images of a model getting undressed. In order to get "Melissa" to lose an item of clothing, the user must identify the letters …

    Security 31 Oct 2007, 17:33

  • Midwich eyes consumer electronics

    Scoops up Invision

    IT distie Midwich has acquired a majority share in Invision UK Ltd. Midwich finance director Stephen Fenby said its takeover of audio-visual (AV) distie True Colours in April this year helped the firm decide to do the deal with Invision, a trade-only distie of home technology products. "The success of True Colours and our own …

    The Channel 31 Oct 2007, 17:40

  • First GPL lawsuit in US settles out of court

    For real this time

    After a false alarm last month, the first lawsuit to test the GPL in the US has actually settled. The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) announced yesterday that it has reached an agreement with Monsoon Multimedia to end the SFLC's copyright infringement suit against the company. The lawsuit accused Monsoon of violating GPL …

    Law 31 Oct 2007, 17:47

  • Aspect-oriented programming and security

    Comment Working together

    Aspect-oriented programming (AOP) is a paradigm that is quickly gaining traction in the development world. At least partially spurred by the popularity of the Java Spring framework [1], people are beginning to understand the substantial benefits that AOP brings to development. While several others have tied AOP to security [2 …

    Software 31 Oct 2007, 19:35

  • How to escape the clutches of world+dog's VMware fetish

    Interview Also, Diane Greene considers the meaning of life

    The polite thing to do after interviewing a high-powered CEO is to wrap the executive in a certain amount of praise. If you're a contemporary, backbone-infused journalist, you lather up that praise and then counter it with a helping of critical insinuations. The trick comes from being firm and aggressive but not too insulting. …

    Virtualization 31 Oct 2007, 20:26

  • Macs seized by porn Trojan

    When nudity attacks

    Miscreants have released a sophisticated Trojan into the wild that targets Mac users, according to Intego, a company that markets security software that runs on OS X. The malicious Trojan, dubbed OSX.RSPlug.A, is making the rounds on several porn websites. When Mac users try to view some videos, the site feeds them a page that …

    Security 31 Oct 2007, 23:03

  • Intel saddles HP with new Itanium

    Why Montvale? Why?

    Intel has stunned the server world by shipping a fresh version of Itanium running at 3.0GHz. Okay, that's a total lie. Rather, Intel has underwhelmed on the Itanic front once again by pumping out a host of lackluster "Montvale" or Itanium Processor 9100 series chips. The fastest version of the dual-core Montvale clocks in at 1. …

    Servers 31 Oct 2007, 23:44