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5th November 2007 Archive

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  • Gov u-turn sinks EDS's Indian outsourcing plans

    Exclusive 50 staff told to return to India

    The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has told EDS to cancel plans to outsource government work to India. The reversal means that 50 of EDS's Indian staff, who had been setting up the firm's Application Development, Applications Maintenance and Support (AMS) activities account, will be required to return to India as work …

    Public Sector 5 Nov 2007, 09:43

  • Panic in smartphoneland

    Analysis Google to unveil phone; world ends at noon

    Google is set to give the mobile phone business a body blow today - the second punch in the guts it's had this year. Apple delivered the first blow, by turning the operators' subsidy model upside down - as well as making rival manufacturers look like knuckle-dragging Neanderthals. But Google's arrival may prove to be more …

    Mobile 5 Nov 2007, 09:48

  • Congestion charge dodgers register Bentleys as minicabs

    TfL to probe luxury cab trade

    Owners of upmarket sets of wheels have discovered a cunning ruse to avoid paying London's congestion charge - simply register the car as a minicab. According to the Times, Transport for London (TfL) is "particularly suspicious" that a large number of exotic motors and two-seater sports car owners have coughed the £82 …

    Government 5 Nov 2007, 09:50

  • Fuel-cell UAV achieves 'record' distance

    Tech could replace battery whisper-drones

    A fuel-cell company has announced a "record-breaking" flight by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propelled by one of its fuel cells. Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies of Singapore revealed on Friday that the Pterosaur UAV had made a 78-mile flight in California. Lots of UAVs have flown further than this, but Horizon claim it is a …

    Science 5 Nov 2007, 10:01

  • Shampoo boffins decode dandruff fungus' DNA

    Threaten own business model with promise of cure

    Researchers working for the maker of Head and Shoulders anti-dandruff shampoo have mapped out the genome of the microbe that causes the pesky condition. The news is being hailed as a breakthrough that could put millions of snowy-shouldered people out of their misery, according to a report in The Sunday Times newspaper. …

    Biology 5 Nov 2007, 10:06

  • E-Ten unveils 'affordable' satnav smartphone

    Taiwan's E-Ten has unwrapped its latest Glofiish smartphone, the X600: a slim tablet-like handset that packs in Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth 2.0, all for what the company promised would be an "affordable price". E-Ten's Glofiish X600: metal casing What will you get for your money? A 107 x 58 x 14.7mm, 136g handset that's based …

    Reg Hardware 5 Nov 2007, 10:44

  • Telnic proposal spurs internal ICANN debate

    ICANN 2007 - Los Angeles Road map at last for intractable Whois mess?

    The acrimonious debate surrounding the Whois database is ICANN's most enduring ritualistic dance. Three times each year, The Register covers the ICANN meetings; and at each meeting the same intransigent entrenched opposing interests, after considerable howling and gnashing of teeth, throttle whatever reform efforts are on the …

    Telecoms 5 Nov 2007, 10:46

  • Warner slaps Nokia for Web 2.0 swap site

    New Age crud costs dear

    Nokia's Music Store went live last week - but look in vain for anything by Led Zepp, John Coltrane, or Smokey Robinson. That's because Warner Music Group (WMG) is refusing to license its catalogues to the phone giant, in protest at its Web 2.0 file swapping site, Mosh. WMG says Mosh is a hotbed of copyright infringement. Nokia …

    Music and Media 5 Nov 2007, 10:52

  • How feasible is the personal communications hub?

    Reg Technology Panel It's the comms capability that matters, not the device

    How would we like to use mobile technologies in the future? The answer seems to be that we'd prefer to consolidate all of our messaging and calls to a single device. A recent Reg survey considered the importance of having such a comms hub, and more than 60 per cent of you responded that it would be highly desirable or desirable …

    Networks 5 Nov 2007, 11:09

  • Rewriting the SaaS laws

    Comment No need to commit your soul

    I sometimes think I am living in a parallel universe when I get into conversations about Software as a Service (SaaS). People keep talking to me as if there is some kind of seismic shift taking place in the way organisations are acquiring and running software. Then I look around me and down at the results of study after study of …

    Small Biz 5 Nov 2007, 11:17

  • Asus spills AMD 7-series chipset beans

    Socket AM2+ mobos launched

    Asus has jumped the gun on AMD's 7-series chipset announcement by unveiling today a pair of motherboards based on two of the as-yet-unannounced product family. This morning, Asus posted details of its M3A32-MVP Deluxe and M3A mobos on its website. The first board, which will also be made available in a version with Asus' …

    Reg Hardware 5 Nov 2007, 11:20

  • Petty crimes, 150,000 kids and a million new records

    Police DNA database under fire

    Have you ever used one of those machines at a fairground or on a seaside pier? You know, the ones that stretch a penny out, imprinting it with a touristy message and the date of your holiday? Well, get yourself down to the local nick and hand over your fingerprints and a DNA sample immediately, because defacing a coin is one …

    Law 5 Nov 2007, 11:31

  • Evesham Technology creditors back administrators

    Liquidation looms

    Creditors owed about £6.8m by collapsed British computer maker Evesham Technology have accepted DTE Leonard Curtis’s proposals that it proceed with the administration of the company. The decision was reached at a creditors' meeting with the Evesham administrators on 12 October, according to records filed with Companies House …

    Channel Register 5 Nov 2007, 11:42

  • Wikipedia not a publisher

    France rules Wiki not responsible for site contents

    A French judge has ruled that Wikipedia is not responsible for defamatory content it hosted on its website. The open source encyclopedia was facing action for damages from three people described as homosexual by the website. Each wanted €69,000 in damages, according to AFP. But Judge Emmanuel Binoche said that under a 2004 …

    Law 5 Nov 2007, 11:49

  • Samsung samples SATA II 2.5in SSD

    Solid-state storage for laptops

    Samsung has begun sampling a 2.5in notebook-oriented 64GB solid-state drive the connects to a host computer using a 3Gb/s SATA interface, the electronics giant said today. Comparing the product with an equivalent, 80GB 2.5in HDD, Samsung highlighted the SSD's superiority in weight, performance, power consumption, shock …

    Reg Hardware 5 Nov 2007, 11:58

  • MySpace ads zero in on user data

    Your move, Facebook

    MySpace has tightened its advertising targeting system to let marketeers aim their pitch at more specific user interests, in the hope they'll be more likely to respond. The social network first introduced 10 categories earlier this year to allow products to be pitched at interests listed by MySpace members, such as "movies". …

    Financial News 5 Nov 2007, 12:29

  • It doesn't take much to master MySQL

    Site offer Multi-user management muscle

    MySQL is a multi-user SQL database management system with over 10 million installations worldwide. MySQL is commonly used within web applications and acts as a database component of the LAMP, MAMP and WAMP platforms. The rise of PHP as a popular web application has contributed to MySQL's popularity as they are often implemented …

    Developer 5 Nov 2007, 12:31

  • Lost CD may put pension holders in peril

    HMRC dodges cryptic question

    Thousands of customers of UK insurer Standard Life have been left at risk of fraud after their personal details were lost by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). Data on 15,000 pension policy holders, sent in a CD from HMRC offices in Newcastle to Standard Life's Edinburgh headquarters by courier, never arrived. The lost disc …

    ID 5 Nov 2007, 12:49

  • Honda to put ultracapacitors on the road in '08

    MIT 'Electric shag' nanocarpet tech proposed

    Everyone who owns a mobile phone knows something about rechargeable batteries, but not that many non-engineers really know about capacitors. Even so, big capacitors - aka supercapacitors or ultracapacitors - have just gone mainstream. It was announced last week that the Honda FCX will be sold to ordinary drivers from 2008. …

    Physics 5 Nov 2007, 13:28

  • Heads roll at ACS

    Service co's shareholders left blowing in the wind

    Outsourcing outfit Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) last week confirmed that five of its independent board members agreed to resign after an embarrassing public spat with the firm's founder and chairman. Darwin Deason had verbally asked the five men to quit during a board meeting on 30 October, but they had initially refused …

    Channel Register 5 Nov 2007, 13:31

  • Shuttle crew completes daring wing repair

    'Now let's get outta here'

    The space shuttle Discovery has uncoupled from the International Space Station and is heading back to Earth, after an eventful 11 day stay in orbit. The shuttle's journey home will take two days, and it is scheduled to land back at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday afternoon. The crew of Discovery spent time this …

    Space 5 Nov 2007, 13:34

  • NHS will not appeal contract publication ruling

    Freedom of information could extend to private sector

    NHS Lothian will not appeal the decision of the Scottish Information Commissioner that forced the publication of a £1.2bn private finance initiative (PFI) hospitals contract. The decision could be a landmark in extending freedom of information (FOI) legislation into the private sector. Scottish Commissioner Kevin Dunion told …

    Law 5 Nov 2007, 14:51

  • Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard - Finder

    Review Part 1 - the new look'n'feel

    The latest version of Apple's operating system, Mac OS X, is here and it's arguably the most significant revamp since X replaced 9. Leopard brings a new look to Mac OS X GUI, and a wealth of new features, some innovations other merely tweaks to old apps. In the first of a series looking at Leopard in depth, we go straight for …

    Reg Hardware 5 Nov 2007, 15:14

  • Official: P2P music not harming Canada

    Should cheer up Leonard Cohen, eh

    Another study of P2P networks has found that music file-sharing has no detrimental effect on the CD racket and, if anything, is associated with higher physical sales. This time the verdict comes from two University of London economists working for Canadian government business tentacle Industry Canada. Birgitte Andersen and …

    Law 5 Nov 2007, 15:14

  • Gaming PC makers team for open standard monitoring spec

    Nvidia and some of the leading lights in gaming PCs have introduced what they claim is a fully open software specification to allow control apps to monitor key PC components in real time - the better, they claimed, to help enthusiasts fine-tune their systems. Dubbed the Enthusiast System Architecture (ESA), the system allows …

    Reg Hardware 5 Nov 2007, 15:46

  • Security minister defends ID cards, longer detention

    'Computer giga-terror' threat explained

    The Liberal Democrat party has attacked the proposed National ID card scheme, on the grounds that the government cannot effectively implement simpler plans such as passport interviews. But the new government security minister has mounted a spirited defence. "The Government has made a total mess of introducing interviews for …

    Government 5 Nov 2007, 16:08

  • Publishers track down news lifters

    Software claims to spot cribbing...

    Software that can show news publishers if, and where, their content has been copied online has been launched. Called Attributor, the program, designed by a California start-up of the same name, has been tested by AP and Reuters for the last six months. Reuters began using it for real in September. The software looks for big …

    Applications 5 Nov 2007, 16:16

  • N-Gage fails to appear on Ovi

    Coming December, honest

    Nokia's latest assault on the gaming market, N-Gage 3: This Time It's Software, won't be debuting during November as originally promised because it still needs a bit more testing. The N-Gage hardware failed spectacularly because it was, basically, not a very good idea. The N-Gage QD was a bad idea done better, but still fell …

    Mobile 5 Nov 2007, 16:18

  • Dell bets big on storage

    Opens wallet for $1.4bn buy

    Dell is spending $1.4bn on storage company EqualLogic, which specialises in iSCSI storage area networks optimised for virtualisation. The direct-selling PC giant says the deal is done, it will hit earnings by 2 to 5 cents per share each fiscal year until 2010. The firm reckons hit is worth taking though to increase its share …

    Channel Register 5 Nov 2007, 16:33

  • US airforce: Solar 'leccy is too cheap to meter

    Can you say 'innovative tax credit debt equity financing'?

    A US Air Force base is bringing on stream America's "largest solar photovoltaic system", according to reports. Nellis airforce base is in the middle of powering up a 140-acre facility covered in solar arrays which swivel flower-fashion to follow the sun. Wired magazine quoted William Anderson, the USAF chief of installations, …

    Environment 5 Nov 2007, 17:11

  • Time Warner boss bows out

    Bewkes to whack AOL?

    Richard Parsons, CEO of AOL parent company Time Warner, has fallen on his sword in hope his successor can revive the fortunes of the unwieldy internet and media empire. Parsons will make for the exit on December 31, to be immediately replaced by current chief operating officer Jeffrey Bewkes. The move switch will be formally …

    Music and Media 5 Nov 2007, 17:14

  • Google's gives the world (another) Linux phone OS

    SDK next week, phones next year

    Google has unveiled its phone platform, Android. It's yet another Linux OS, freely licensed, and will appear in devices in the second half of next year. Google has signed up over 30 partners including Qualcomm, Motorola, HTC and operators including Deutsche Telekom for the "Open Handset Alliance". CEO Eric Schmidt described it …

    Mobile 5 Nov 2007, 18:24

  • Visual Studio 2008 release by end November, Sync Framework announced

    TechEd, Barcelona Christmas comes early

    Microsoft has announced that Visual Studio 2008 will be available to MSDN subscribers "by the end of November 2007". I'm a little disappointed not to find the RTM build here at Tech-Ed, but that's not long to wait. Along with Visual Studio we get .NET Framework 3.5. The package includes LINQ (Language Integrated Query), and …

    Software 5 Nov 2007, 18:36

  • The internet in your pocket?

    This time it's Google making the claim

    So Google is working with some big industry players on an open-source operating system for mobile phones. The assumption is that developers are waiting for a completely open OS to change the mobile world. The Open Handset Alliance is to release a platform called Android. This is named for, and based on the technology of, a …

    Mobile 5 Nov 2007, 19:19

  • Hack database, change school grades, go to jail for 20 years (maybe)

    Peoplesoft hack, allegedly

    It's the stuff of movies such as War Games but two California men accused of hacking into a University database system to change their grades face up to 20 years imprisonment. John Escalera, 29, and Gustavo Razo, 28, are charged (PDF) with conspiring together to increase their marks by manipulating California State University …

    Enterprise Security 5 Nov 2007, 19:26

  • Microsoft talks Sync and BI for SQL Server 2008

    TechEd, Barcelona Digging deep

    Microsoft used its TechEd Developer Conference in Barcelona Monday to announce details of new features in SQL Server 2008, due next February. Among the changes is Sync Framework, which will lets users work on their documents without being connected with the ability for updated information to be incorporated back into the …

    Software 5 Nov 2007, 19:33

  • Cisco takes unified comms to the little people

    UC500 line gets bigger, Ethernet switches get smaller

    Cisco is shoveling more fuel into its SMB fire, with additions and updates for its Smart Business Communications System. The new gear includes tripling unified communication capabilities to 48 users, four new Ethernet switches and a new leasing package for Europe. The company is expanding its Unified Communications 500 line, …

    Channel Register 5 Nov 2007, 19:48

  • Microsoft lifts Visual Studio usage restrictions

    TechEd, Barcelona Non-Windows platforms ahoy

    Microsoft partners are now free to extend Visual Studio to target non-Microsoft platforms according to Microsoft's developer division corporate vice president S. Somasegar. "We never had any licence restriction on the product itself," he told El Reg. "Individual developers have done whatever they wanted to do. We had a …

    Software 5 Nov 2007, 20:14

  • The Register Virtualization debate is ready to roll

    Site news Last call for questions

    The Register’s first eSymposium, Virtualization, From the Data Center to the Desktop will hit your screen tomorrow (Tuesday). An 8.30am start on the west coast of America means a 11.30am EST schedule and a 4.30pm kick-off for readers in Blighty. Never was there a better excuse to have a lie in, leave work early, avoid the …

    Virtualization 5 Nov 2007, 20:20

  • Yahoo! Unveils! Another! Social! Networking! Also-Ran!

    Kick-starts Kickstart

    Yahoo! has launched another social networking service that few people are likely to use. Yesterday, the behind-the-times web portal unveiled something called Y! Kickstart, a service aimed at youngsters struggling to make a go of it in the real world. "Yahoo! realized that new graduates and college students were in dire need …

    Applications 5 Nov 2007, 21:15

  • Navisite scrambles to restore web hosting service

    Planned server migration knocked thousands of sites offline

    Navisite, the US webhosting firm, is scrambling to fix an extended outage that is believed to have rendered tens of thousands of websites inoperable for more than three days. The company hopes to completely resolve the problem by Tuesday morning at the latest. The interruption started Saturday as part of a planned move to …

    Telecoms 5 Nov 2007, 22:27

  • Start-up Arastra enters cheap 10Gig E fray

    Speedy little 48 port 1U device

    Another hungry California-based switch start-up is setting a place at the 10-Gbit/s Ethernet table. Up the road a few miles from fellow 10Gbit E start-up Santa Clara-based Woven Systems is a new contender in the networking market, Arastra based in Palo Alto. Woven uses some impressive homegrown packet processing silicon to …

    Data Networking 5 Nov 2007, 23:01

  • Get started with Silverlight

    Hands on A time to shine

    There has been much hype and more than a little confusion during the last year or so surrounding Microsoft Silverlight. Is it a Flash killer? Is it a designer tool or a developer tool? Surely it's for streaming videos? Is it a cross platform, browser-based version of Microsoft's Common Language Runtime (CLR)? Microsoft will go …

    Applications 5 Nov 2007, 23:03

  • Sun pumps out a profit as shipments continue decline

    Selling less for more

    Sun Microsystems failed to blow away investors with its first quarter results but did hand in a decent performance. The server maker boosted revenue by close to one per cent, hitting $3.22bn in sales. It also posted net income of $89m, which compares to a net loss of $56m in the same period last year. Sun managed to turn the …

    Servers 5 Nov 2007, 23:41