The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

19th December 2007 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Intel flips optical bits and bobs to Emcore

    $85m in transponders

    Intel held an "everything must go" transponder sale this week, shipping the telecom bits of its Optical Platform division to EMCORE for $85m. Lucky duck that it is, Emcore will have at Intel's tunable lasers, tunable transponders, 300-pin transponders and integrable tunable laser assemblies. The company figures that it can now …

    Hardware 19 Dec 2007, 01:45

  • T-Mobile (temporarily) halts Web 2.0rhea

    Dry heaving Twitterites

    For several days, many Twitter users in the US were unable to digitally vomit with their T-Mobile phones. Last week, as one loyal Reg reader points out, an army of Twitterers were unable to satisfy their Web 2.0 fix when their T-Mobile phones wouldn't let them post mini-messages to their "micro-blogs" via SMS. Naturally, one …

    Mobile 19 Dec 2007, 01:46

  • Man siphons info for 300 credit cards from hotel kiosks

    Not bad take for three days work

    A former computer consultant has admitted to breaking in to more than 60 business kiosks at hotels and stealing credit card information during a three-day crime spree earlier this year. Hario Tandiwidjojo, 28, of Lomita, California, pleaded guilty to one count of unauthorized access to a protected computer. He faces a maximum …

    Channel Register 19 Dec 2007, 01:50

  • Why Borland trashed its spreadsheet

    Myths and legends Finds hidden meaning

    Always remember, the compiler is your friend. Programming is stressful but no matter how many f**ks and b***ocks you might occasionally feel the need to insert into the comments, the compiler will always strip them out. It's great. Of course, it doesn't actually go looking for rude words. So it would be a mistake to use them …

    Software 19 Dec 2007, 07:52

  • 3G still trapped at 2.1GHz

    EU deal for low frequency 3G delayed

    European mobile operators will have to wait a while before they can deploy 3G technology into 900 and 1800 MHz, thanks to a power struggle between the EU Commission and its Parliament. There's widespread agreement that operators should be able to deploy 3G technologies into the 900MHz and 1800MHz bands, where they currently …

    Networks 19 Dec 2007, 09:40

  • US tech support outfit seeks pocket sniffer

    Highly-specialised freelance gig

    Attention all IT freelancers with a couple of spare hours and a fully-functioning olfactory system: US tech support outfit Computer Assistant recently issued a request for a highly specialised onsite service: SERVICE REQUEST # 1012646 REQUESTED BY: Pablo at Computer Assistant REPLY TO: XXXX@computerassistant.com JOB …

    Bootnotes 19 Dec 2007, 09:42

  • Confusion marks StarOffice anniversary

    Anything but Microsoft

    As the tenth anniversary of Sun Microsystems' StarOffice acquisition approaches it grows increasingly difficult to fathom what Sun intends for its suite. Sun this week released a minor upgrade based on the latest iteration of OpenOffice - version 2.3 and unveiled a bunch of plug-in extensions that appear useful enough. One …

    Applications 19 Dec 2007, 09:46

  • Concerned comrades floor China's anti-graft website

    Falls over on first day

    A new Chinese government website aimed at encouraging comrades to report corruption was brought to its knees yesterday by a stampede of eager citizens, Reuters reports. No sooner had yfj.mos.gov.cn come online, than it was floored by sheer weight of numbers. The Beijing Youth Daily quoted an official as admitting the "number …

    Bootnotes 19 Dec 2007, 10:16

  • Arthur C Clarke lists three wishes on 90th birthday

    Would like a call from ET ASAP

    Famed sci-fi writer Sir Arthur C Clarke took a detour into the fairytale genre at his 90th birthday party this week, detailing his three wishes. At the celebration the author said he would like to see takeup of cleaner power sources, lasting peace in his adopted homeland Sri Lanka, and evidence of intelligent alien life. …

    Science 19 Dec 2007, 10:55

  • Tiger Team brings haxploitation to TV

    Penetration testing telly show up against the Queen

    The haxploitation genre is coming to the small screen with a forthcoming series about a team of penetration testers. Tiger Team follows a group of elite freelance security consultants hired to test organisations' security by using social engineering, hacking, and physically defeating security mechanisms. So we expect to see …

    Security 19 Dec 2007, 10:58

  • Rio drug traffickers take exception to Santa's chopper

    Open fire on flying Saint Nick

    A Brazilian Santa en route to a kids' party in a Rio de Janeiro favela (slum) was forced to seek an alternative means of transport after drug traffickers opened fire on his helicopter, the Telegraph reports. The actor was being ferried to the bash in the Nova Mare favela on Sunday when the chopper came under fire as it passed …

    Bootnotes 19 Dec 2007, 10:59

  • Centro a bright spot in Palm's quarterly results

    Record sales, but numbers still down

    Palm is still losing money, despite the Centro selling in record numbers (for Palm). The company lost $9.6m in the three months to 30 November, on revenues which are down 11 per cent on last year to $349 million. So good are sales of the diminutive Centro that Palm is now concerned they won't have enough components to meet …

    Mobile 19 Dec 2007, 11:06

  • 700MHz attracts Paul Allen

    Chunk of spectrum latest must-have accessory for the super-rich?

    The FCC has revealed the list of bidders interested in owning a little 700MHz, a spectrum due for release in January next year with the switch off of analogue TV. Among the usual suspects is Microsoft founder and general investor-in-unlikely-things Paul Allen. Mr Allen is listed with Vulcan Spectrum, a company which seems to …

    Wireless 19 Dec 2007, 11:38

  • Intel delays quad-core Penryns to pummel Phenom?

    Can't hit AMD while it's down...

    Intel has delayed the release of a trio of 45nm 'Penryn' quad-core processors because, motherboard maker moles allege, AMD's Phenom chips aren't mounting a sufficient performance challenge. So claims a DigiTimes report, and who are we to comment? Suffice it to say that last month AMD admitted there were issues with its four- …

    Reg Hardware 19 Dec 2007, 12:01

  • Microsoft spits out final XP service pack, beta version

    Nudges users with Vista talk, again

    Microsoft yesterday quietly dished out a beta version of its Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), but also continued to bang the less-than-convincing "Vista is better for you" drum. By the time a full version of the update arrives, expected in the first half of 2008, it will have been nearly four years since Windows XP SP2 was …

    Channel Register 19 Dec 2007, 12:22

  • Ofcom urged to clamp down on broadband speed deceit

    Updated But 8Mbit/s could happen...theoretically

    The Ofcom Consumer Panel has called on regulators to pull their fingers out and demand that ISPs are more honest with us about the limitations of broadband. The group wants a new mandatory code of practice to force providers to qualify their dodgy "up to" speed claims, which accompany virtually all broadband marketing. The …

    Telecoms 19 Dec 2007, 12:24

  • Israeli eggheads in pinhead bible publishing breakthrough

    Working towards books readable 'with the naked eye'

    Israeli scientists yesterday announced a major breakthrough in the important research field of minuscule religious book publishing, revealing that they had printed a complete Old Testament on a half-millimetre silicon chip. "This is the world's tiniest Bible," said Ohad Zohar, of the Technion institute, quoted by AFP. The 308, …

    Science 19 Dec 2007, 12:39

  • Intel P45 chipset to support AMD's CrossFire X

    Gamer's delight, apparently

    Intel's upcoming discrete 'Eaglelake' chipset, the P45, will support AMD's new CrossFire X multi-GPU technology, it has emerged. A presentation slide posted by Chinese-language website HKEPC shows the P45 and AMD's as-yet-unannounced 'RV680' GPU as a "winning combination" - Intel's words - for gaming. The P45's contributions …

    Reg Hardware 19 Dec 2007, 13:02

  • Smurf gives Paris Hilton a mouthful

    Shock scenes at Berlin Xmas market

    Paris Hilton allegedly got a bit of a mouthful from a Russian dwarf posing as a Smurf when she attempted to "adopt" a pair of the loveable characters at a Berlin Xmas market. According to the Daily Star, the talented heiress may have been a bit the worse for wear when she spotted the diminutive actors painted blue to promote …

    Entertainment 19 Dec 2007, 13:11

  • Canon PowerShot A460 compact camera

    Review Cheap and cheerful

    Quality used to cost. We all know that whenever we bought a consumer electronics product, part of what we paid went on the brand name. Well, things have changed and the Canon PowerShot A460 is sure testament to this, and a snip at just £70, the A460 is very much a budget-priced product. At this price, quite a few compromises …

    Reg Hardware 19 Dec 2007, 13:27

  • Milton Keynes council embraces WiMAX

    ConnectMK connects MK

    Milton Keynes Council has launched what is thought to be the UK's first commercial wireless broadband service using WiMAX technology. ConnectMK, a private company set up by the council to address the issue of poor broadband connectivity across Milton Keynes, has joined forces with Freedom4 to provide residents and businesses …

    Data Networking 19 Dec 2007, 13:47

  • Police shut non-urgent crime reporting portal

    'Serious defects and delays'

    An internet portal to enable the public to report non-urgent crime has been closed following "serious defects and delays". The Police Portal, an award winning secure electronic system to allow the public to alert the police to minor offences, has been shut. A spokesperson for the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) …

    Public Sector 19 Dec 2007, 13:54

  • Philips sells set-top box biz to Pace

    IPTV kit too

    UK-based Pace Micro Technology has agreed to buy Philips' set-top box business in exchange for 70m of its shares - equivalent to 23 per cent of the business - the two consumer electronics companies said today. Pace shareholders have to agree, of course, and so do regulatory authorities. The UK company said the deal will allow …

    Reg Hardware 19 Dec 2007, 13:57

  • Sony updates PS3 protein-probe program

    Folding@Home tweaked for firmware 2.10

    Sony has rolled out the latest version of the Stanford University-created Folding@Home protein analysis utility for the PlayStation 3. Folding@Home distributes the task of analysing how protein molecules fold and unfold across millions of connected computers, including the PS3. It's hoped that the analysis will reveal how …

    Reg Hardware 19 Dec 2007, 14:12

  • TorrentSpy hands Hollywood victory

    'Fair trial impossible'

    The Motion Picture Industry Ass of America has won an unexpected victory after a Los Angeles Court terminated a copyright lawsuit against TorrentSpy in its favour. The judge in the case issued the unusual verdict after concluding that a fair trial was impossible, because TorrentSpy had tampered with and destroyed evidence. …

    Law 19 Dec 2007, 14:32

  • US surgeon snaps patient's tattooed todger

    Disciplinary hearing for 'Hot Rod' mobe pic sawbones

    An Arizona surgeon who used a mobile phone to photograph a patient's wedding tackle during a gallbladder operation may face disciplinary action and the wrath of his victim's attorney. According to the Arizona Republic, Dr Adam Hansen, chief resident of general surgery at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix was grassed up by a …

    Bootnotes 19 Dec 2007, 14:36

  • Open Office standards row heats up

    Wag the dog

    Microsoft is facing growing criticism of its bid to have Office Open XML (OOXML) accepted as an international standard ahead of a crucial vote by the ISO scheduled for February. Redmond initially promised that the ISO would have control of OOXML if and when it became a standard. Critics reckon Microsoft is now backsliding on …

    Software 19 Dec 2007, 15:49

  • Facebook accuses MP of impersonating MP

    Account suspended following complaints

    A Liberal Democrat MP suffered the online humiliation of having his Facebook account suspended after the social networking site decided he "wasn't real". Steve Webb, 42, member of parliament for Northavon, Gloucestershire, tried to log on on Monday but was told "his account had been disabled following complaints he didn't …

    Bootnotes 19 Dec 2007, 15:52

  • Fire stations too much like fire stations, says Govt

    Fire Minister unveils weird green community outreach plans

    You may not have noticed that you have a problem with fire stations, but fortunately the Department of Communities & Local Government is there to put you right. Today, the bit of government that is all that remains of John Prescott's expensive and ephemeral empire unveiled its "vision for a new generation of open, accessible, …

    Government 19 Dec 2007, 15:54

  • Supersonic stealth jumpjet rolls off production line

    Harrier successor: very cool, but is it useful?

    The plane which will replace the famous Harrier "jump jet" passed an important milestone yesterday, with the first production F-35B rolling off the assembly line at US builder Lockheed Martin. The F-35B rollout ceremony. Note the raised covers above the lift fan and supplementary dorsal engine intakes. Most of the F-35B's …

    Science 19 Dec 2007, 16:11

  • TV licence fee 'to fund Welfare For W*nkers'

    Ofcom's Nathan Barley Quango flies again

    It was ridicule from Register readers that helped kill one of the year's daftest ideas. The £150m-a-year "Public Service Publisher" quango is Ofcom Chief Ed Richards' pet initiative: he views this bold foray into gimmicky interactive games and Web 2.0-buzzword compliant websites as his "legacy". Your response to Ofcom's PSP …

    Music and Media 19 Dec 2007, 16:18

  • Validus backers banking on swing to DC

    Data centres should convert or take Highway To Hell

    Validus Systems said yesterday that it will throw a large wad of cash at developing data centre power infrastructure that uses direct current (DC) in the hope of lowering power consumption. It said in a statement that it had raised $10m from Oak Hill Venture Partners, and expects to begin punting its DC technology in late …

    Servers 19 Dec 2007, 16:20

  • Remembering the browser wars with Netscape's ex-CEO

    Radio Reg Barksdale: The Microsoft splitter

    Jim Barksdale refuses most interviews these days. He's no longer serving as, say, CIO of FedEx or CEO of Netscape and has little use for hacks. Still - via a bit of string pulling - we were able to secure the business and technology legend on Semi Coherent Computing. Many of you will remember Barksdale as the star of the …

    Semi-Coherent 19 Dec 2007, 18:15

  • Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! settle un-American activity claims

    $31m appeases gambler-hating government

    Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo! have spilled a total of $31.5m to settle claims they promoted one of the most un-American of activities: online gambling. Today, the US attorney for the eastern district of Missouri - that's St. Louis country - announced that the tech-happy trio agreed to resolve charges that they took money from …

    Law 19 Dec 2007, 22:25

  • Mainframe hopeful PSI sends lawyers at IBM in Europe

    Itanic fired up for EC gripe

    Platform Solutions Inc. (PSI) has opened up a European front in its war against IBM. The start-up, which makes Itanium-based servers capable of running mainframe software, has lobbed a complaint at the European Commission, charging IBM with abusing a mainframe monopoly, according to media reports. The complaint was apparently …

    Servers 19 Dec 2007, 22:58

  • Dell spills its Guts over Ubuntu gear

    Upgraded and pitchy

    Dell has caught up to the Ubuntu release machine, adding the latest version of the operating system as a standard option with Linux-friendly laptop and desktop. Customers in the US can now purchase select Dell kit with Ubuntu 7.10 - aka Gutsy Gibbon for the Teletubbies fans out there. The OS will make its way to Dell's …

    PCs & Chips 19 Dec 2007, 23:37

  • Portuguese-speaking worm attacks Google Orkut users

    Over 655,000 served?

    Google's Orkut social networking site was hit by a quick-spreading worm that managed to infect a large number of users when they viewed messages that came from friends who were already exposed. Infected users became part of a community dubbed "Infectatos pelo Virus do Orkut," which loosely translates from Portuguese to mean " …

    Security 19 Dec 2007, 23:48