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26th November 2007 Archive

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  • Virgin America tunes up with YSlow

    Me and my... Firefox plug in Soaring open source skies

    Ravi Simhambhatla's latest project employing open source has been to juice up the web site for Virgin America, the US's newest carrier, so travelers can surf smoothly and purchase tickets without waiting for pages to build. Virgin America relies heavily on the power of virginameica.com, which pulls in 80 per cent of sales, …

    Applications 26 Nov 2007, 00:02

  • Telling lies to a computer is still lying, rules High Court

    Discount scheme deception

    A person can be guilty of deceit when he lies to a machine rather than a human, a judge has ruled. Renault sued over abuse of a discount scheme and won the deception-by-computer argument. But its case was thrown out because it profited from the abuse. A company called Fleetpro Technical Services ran an affinity scheme with …

    Law 26 Nov 2007, 09:05

  • Inmarsat wins ESA space satellite contract

    £360m boost for UK comms

    Inmarsat is to build the UK's space satellite programme, with financial backing from three regional development agencies. UK satellite operator Inmarsat has won a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to develop Europe's space satellite programme. The £360m project is backed by £36m in financial support from the East of …

    Science 26 Nov 2007, 09:16

  • Phones 4 O2

    O2 makes up with retailer, denies any relationship issues

    High-street retailer Phones 4u and operator O2 have patched up their differences and will be working together again come December, though O2 claims this was always part of their plan. O2 dropped Phones 4u early this year, focusing on their relationship with Carphone Warehouse as part of a trend which seemed to see network …

    Mobile 26 Nov 2007, 09:22

  • Click here for the UK's worst-paid IT job

    Hard times for support engineers

    Any support engineer out there who has fallen on seriously hard times and is right now subsisting on boiled cardboard while scouring the jobs ads in the hope that he or she can find some way of paying off the credit card bills before the bailiffs turn up and repossess the Wii is directed to this tempting offer up there in …

    Bootnotes 26 Nov 2007, 09:24

  • Irish courts take tough line on data protection

    No HMRC debacle in the Emerald Isle

    The Irish legal system has deployed the ultimate weapon in the war against inadvertent loss of confidential data - a foolproof system of outside contractors coupled to shredders which ensures that no potentially sensitive information is ever read by anyone. In a successful test run of the new scheme last week, all of the mail …

    Government 26 Nov 2007, 09:26

  • Second jellyfish pack moves on UK

    Mauve stingers spotted off Scotland

    A second pack comprising millions of juvenile mauve stinger jellyfish has been spotted off the coast of Scotland, less than a week after an overwhelming attack by Pelagia nocticula killed 100,000 salmon at a Northern Ireland fish farm. The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) announced on Friday the sighting of massed mauve …

    Science 26 Nov 2007, 09:28

  • The mobile internet - always on our mind

    Reg Technology Panel It's the way of the future. Really.

    In the technology polls we've been running over recent weeks, we’ve been looking at the near-future of mobility, in terms of what configurations mobile users would find most beneficial (communications hub, anyone?) and what improvements they feel would make the most difference to their mobile experience (think: battery life and …

    Networks 26 Nov 2007, 10:02

  • UK Sidekick Slide sales suspended

    Local T-Mobile follows US lead

    T-Mobile has pulled the troubled Sidekick Slide phone from its the shelves of its UK stores following reports of “power cycle” faults in the US. Sidekick Slide: onsale in the US, but not the UK The device is manufactured by Motorola and was supposed to go on sale in the UK on 19 November. However, T-Mobile USA marred the UK …

    Phones 26 Nov 2007, 10:06

  • Galileo tugs on public purse strings

    Germany opposes funding deal

    EU states have hit upon a compromise deal that will allow them to fund the Galileo satellite project, and save some face. States voted to back a €2.4bn funding deal, drawing cash from unused farming subsidies, and restructuring research and industrial spending for the year. This means the European rival to the US military's …

    Science 26 Nov 2007, 10:17

  • Retailer touts sweat-swatting mouse

    Fan-tastic

    Sweaty palms afflict us all sometimes, but for office workers constantly plagued by hands that feel like a wet fish then a hand-fan’s ideal. Thankfully, one’s been built into a computer mouse. OptiWind: it really sucks, and blows Dubbed OptiWind, the USB mouse has a fan built into its base that sucks air in and that then " …

    Hardware 26 Nov 2007, 10:18

  • Commuters shouting into their mobiles? Just jam 'em

    Column There's just one problem. It's illegal

    When a columnist starts off "Silent, but deadly..." you know he's trying to be funny; and Matt Rudd's recent praise for phone radio jammers is, clearly, not based on the fact he doesn't know what SBD actually means. Anti-social behaviour on trains these days isn't limited to producing methane; it is more commonly believed to …

    Mobile 26 Nov 2007, 11:01

  • Government accused of sneaking out missile news

    Menwith Hill buried

    The Foreign Affairs Select Committee (FASC) has criticised the government for sneaking out plans to turn Menwith Hill into a missile tracking station for the United States' missile defence shield. The decision was announced the day before the summer recess. The committee noted that a written statement on 25 July announced …

    Government 26 Nov 2007, 11:03

  • Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS revamp due 11 December?

    'G92' replacement for old 'G80' part

    Nvidia will release its next 'G92'-based graphics chip, the GeForce 8800 GTS 512, on 11 December, it has been claimed. As its name suggests, the new part extends the existing 8800 GTS line up with a model that connects to 512MB of memory. Today's 8800 GTS family comprises 320MB and 640MB models - the latter is said to be …

    Hardware 26 Nov 2007, 11:11

  • Feds working round UK gov in BAE slime case

    Swiss banks cough, arms biz catches cold

    UK-headquartered global arms behemoth BAE Systems is in the news again this morning, as reports indicate that US anti-corruption investigators are gathering evidence against the firm despite stalwart obstructionism by the British Government. BAE has been dogged for most of its history by allegations that the company - in …

    Law 26 Nov 2007, 11:12

  • Missing, presumed tardy: Orange IPTV

    Squeezed out

    Orange is cutting it extremely fine if it plans to meet its own target of launching an IPTV service in the UK this year. Repeated announcements by the former portable telephone network have pledged we'll see it complete its quadruple play of mobile, home phone, broadband, and pay TV by the close of 2007. Orange now has just 35 …

    Broadband 26 Nov 2007, 11:44

  • Tasers can be instrument of torture, says UN

    Further Taser-related deaths fuel controversy

    The UN's Committee Against Torture has declared that Taser use can constitute a form of torture, contrary to the UN's convention against the same. The committee last Friday delivered its verdict after examining the Portuguese police force's adoption of the TaserX26, described as a weapon with "proven risks of harm or death" by …

    Science 26 Nov 2007, 11:48

  • Intel to debut GPU-in-CPU chips in 2009

    PCI Express 2.0 to become the system bus

    Intel's first next processors based on its next-generation 'Nehalem' architecture are due to appear a year from now, in Q4 2008. But the really interesting models will arrive during the first half of 2009: desktop and mobile CPUs with integrated graphics cores. The chip giant's roadmap currently has the first Nehalems, …

    Hardware 26 Nov 2007, 12:02

  • Mio launches cheap-as-chips sat nav

    A to Basic

    Mio has launched an entry-level sat nav which it claims is ideal for first-time users or as a 'backup’ to your main device. Mio C230: a 3.5in display and basic functionality The company has based the C230 on a 400MHz processor and it also includes the obligatory SiRF SiRFStar III GPS chipset. The C230 has a 3.5in TFT …

    Science 26 Nov 2007, 12:08

  • QuickTime streaming media exploit targets unpatched bug

    Don't RSVP to dodgy RTSP invites

    Hackers have created a proof-of-concept exploit for an Apple QuickTime player streaming media vulnerability. Release of the exploit on Sunday follows hot on the heels of the public disclosure of the as-yet-unpatched buffer overflow bug, which involves the QuickTime RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) Response Header, on 23 …

    Software 26 Nov 2007, 12:14

  • Buffalo unveils 'world's most capacious' pocket hard drive

    Portable storage, and lots of it

    Buffalo has launched a 320GB handheld hard drive, which it claims is the world’s first 2.5in drive to boost such a quantity of storage capacity. Buffalo's MiniStation TurboUSB Dubbed the MiniStation TurboUSB, the range is protected by a “tough armoured outer case”. The 5400rpm hard drive is powered through a USB 2.0 …

    Hardware 26 Nov 2007, 12:18

  • Mars Express circles planet 5,000 times

    Seen lots, done lots, plenty still to do

    Mars Express has completed 5,000 orbits of the red planet, just short of four years after it arrived on Christmas day, 2003. The craft has sent back marvellously detailed pictures of Mars' surface, adding to our knowledge of the planet's geological history and evolution. Clay deposits on Mars. Most significantly, thanks to …

    Science 26 Nov 2007, 12:19

  • Mobe, mobe, mobe. There - we've said it

    Linguistic democracy? We've heard of it

    We'd just like to clarify something this afternoon for the benefit of those commentators among you who have a) not been keeping up with developments regarding the word "mobe" and b) seem to believe that Vulture Central operates some kind of democratic system in which the unwashed masses are allowed to chip in their two bits' …

    Bootnotes 26 Nov 2007, 12:34

  • T-Mobile iPhones unlocked post-purchase by iTunes

    Easy way to SIM-independence for everyone else?

    What's the difference between the locked Apple iPhone sold by T-Mobile Germany and the much more expensive unlocked version sold by the same carrier? Not a jot, it seems: the process of unlocking the handset is handled post-purchase by iTunes. So claims local website MacNotesDe, which detailed the process. Buy an iPhone and …

    Phones 26 Nov 2007, 12:50

  • China celebrates first lunar pictures

    A nation 'standing tall'

    China is celebrating the first pictures of the Moon beamed back by its Chang'e 1 spacecraft. The country's leaders hailed the mission as a success, but downplayed reports of plans to put a man on the Moon by 2020. China's first pics of the moon. Credit: Xinhaunet "There are no plans at the moment to send anyone on to the …

    Science 26 Nov 2007, 13:12

  • UK pushes token security line on child database

    Balls promise on ContactPoint

    The British government is bending over backwards to try and calm fears that a new database of every child in the country will inevitably go the way of HMRC's child benefit database when it goes live next year. ContactPoint will feature name, address, gender, date of birth, and a unique number for every child in the country, as …

    Government 26 Nov 2007, 13:30

  • UK punters lose faith in phished brands

    Collateral damage

    Email phishing attacks tarnish the reputations of targeted firms, according to a new UK survey. Two in five UK adults (42 per cent) quizzed feel that their trust in a brand would be "greatly reduced" if they received a phishing email purporting to represent it. Despite this, the majority of respondents to YouGov's online …

    Security 26 Nov 2007, 13:41

  • UK.biz faces severe penalties for hiring illegal workers

    And penalties for discrimination...

    British businesses have been warned by the Home Office that they will need to prove the legal status of their migrant workers. At the same time, they will have to ensure they don't weed out illegal workers by using methods that could be construed as racist. Under the proposed rules outlined last week, a maximum fine of £10,000 …

    Small Biz 26 Nov 2007, 14:11

  • Geeks gifts for Christmas

    Site offer Part One: Your festive shopping starts, and stops, here

    Last year, our Geeks Gifts for Christmas offer proved to be a roaring success with lots of you taking advantage of our great deals on both tech and not-so-tech titles in time for Christmas. In fact, it was so good we even ran a sequel. Well, in 2007 we have decided to make it bigger and better – so we're producing a trilogy of …

    Site News 26 Nov 2007, 14:27

  • PSP 'Lite' passes 1m sales mark in Japan

    PSP workout proves successful

    Shed a bit of weight and you’re usually guaranteed some more attention, even if you’re an electronic gadget. Sony said today it’s sold over 1m units of its latest slimline PSP in the two months since its Japan debut. Sony's slimmer and trimmer PSP The ‘PSP 2’ went on sale in Japan on 20 September, and the company claims it …

    Phones 26 Nov 2007, 14:50

  • Civil service apologises for HMRC data loss

    UK Identity Crisis Very civil of them

    Everyone whose information was included on the two CDs of child benefit recipients which the government lost should have received a written apology this morning. The letter - from Dave Hartnett, acting chairman of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs - apologises for the loss and claims: "The copy of the data is still likely to …

    Government 26 Nov 2007, 15:20

  • Nominet plots one registry to rule them all

    All them phone numbers

    Nominet, the not-for-profit that runs the .co.uk domain name database, has been awarded the contract to build the new Enum registry. Enum domains will map telephone numbers to web addresses. Enum is designed to get around the problem that few phone keypads have an "@" key, which makes dialling an SIP address for a VoIP call …

    Networks 26 Nov 2007, 15:26

  • Melting ice kills polar bears, say boffins

    Starving, not drowning

    Al Gore might have been partly right after all. Melting sea ice could indeed be contributing to the death of polar bears, but the cause is more likely starvation than drowning*. Researchers analysing 20 years of population data of polar bears in Canada's Hudson Bay report a correlation between yearly survival rates of the very …

    Science 26 Nov 2007, 15:41

  • Nokia - Qualcomm circus comes to London

    Another day, another court

    Qualcomm's assertion that Nokia is infringing key patents kicks off before the UK High Court today, with the traditional denials from the defendant and brash arrogance from the plaintiff. The case was filed in May 2006 and follows similar filings by Qualcomm in a raft of countries, which are all supposed to prevent Nokia …

    Mobile 26 Nov 2007, 16:00

  • US man sets himself on fire and cuts off his own arm

    NotSafeForWeakStomachs

    A farmer from Kershaw County, South Carolina was forced to cut off his own arm to free himself from a threshing machine he got trapped in and set fire to. From the state of his stump, and the rusty machine, this happened some time ago but he's reliving the trauma for the internet today. According to local news station WIS10, …

    Bootnotes 26 Nov 2007, 16:13

  • IBM to shove ads onto DVDs

    Patently horrifying

    IBM hopes to slip commercials onto your DVDs. Big Blue has asked the US Patent Office for the exclusive rights to a "system and method of providing advertisements during DVD playback." If this thing ever shows up in your DVD player, your discs won't be ad-free - unless you shell out some cash for some sort of digital …

    Media 26 Nov 2007, 18:54

  • When good software gets complicated

    Build for simplicity

    A lot of recent articles have raised the issue of complexity in software (here, here, and here). So why is this subject back again? Surely it's been done to death? Apparently not. When I carried out a quick straw poll of some developers recently, few of them actually thought about avoiding unnecessary complexity in their …

    Software 26 Nov 2007, 19:06

  • Cyber Monday® destruction tests Yahoo!

    Sears.com bites it too

    [Updated casualty list] Turkeys of Black Friday Yahoo! Yahoo!'s payment! processing! system! is mostly exclaiming a death-rattle today, as online shoppers pound the cyber-checkout at the start of the holiday shopping season. The company said that several retailers who depend on Yahoo for e-commerce are reporting error …

    The Channel 26 Nov 2007, 20:43

  • Microsoft on the hunt for 'serious' Windows flaw

    Mass hijackings at risk

    Microsoft bug squashers are investigating reports of a serious security vulnerability in Windows operating systems that could allow attackers to take control of vast numbers of machines, particularly those located off US shores. A Microsoft spokesman had only minimal details about the investigation, which was prompted by a …

    Servers 26 Nov 2007, 20:53

  • HP goes even more virtual with Scalent

    Blade buddies

    HP has hitched it wagon to server management whiz Scalent Systems. Come Dec. HP will offer Scalent's V/OE (Virtual Operating Environment) software as an option with the c-Class blade server systems. Basically, this means HP customers can tap V/OE to handle tasks such as adding, swapping and failing over between blades. As a …

    Servers 26 Nov 2007, 21:08

  • Red Hat jumps on Amazon's cloud

    Marketroids come up with catchy name for enterprise service

    Red Hat is opening the beta of its on-demand Enterprise Linux, hosted on Amazon's internet computing service. The oafishly named Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) lets subscribers run applications certified for RHEL on Amazon's utility computing data center - the theory being that customers …

    The Channel 26 Nov 2007, 23:21