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7th January 2008 Archive

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  • Neo1973: long-distance contender to Apple and Google?

    Inside the mobile matrix, part 1

    If you're a developer working with mobile devices few decisions will be more critical than the platform you choose to focus on. With the correct choice, your skills and creativity may pay off both financially and personally when thousands of users enjoy something that you brought into the world. This being the month of the …

    Mobile 7 Jan 2008, 00:02

  • CES 2008: Complete Coverage

    News Round-up All the stories, all the best kit

    The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) brought a bumper harvest of gadgets and goodies to Las Vegas. Here are all of Register Hardware's CES 2008 stories, brought together for your reading and viewing pleasure... CES on Video •MS demos smart-cam phone software •Crucial solid-state drive passes vibrator test •OpenMoko preps …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 00:19

  • Samsung enhances Q1 Ultra UMPC performance

    CES Premium model gets longer battery life too

    Samsung has upgraded its Q1 Ultra UMPC, adding 'Premium' to the machine's moniker and boosting the handheld's processing power and its battery capacity. The Q1 Ultra Premium sports the same 7in, 1024 x 600 display as the Q1 Ultra, but behind it beats a 1.33GHz Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) Intel Core Solo U1500 CPU. The new model …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 00:46

  • Toshiba remains upbeat about HD DVD

    CES And launches Low-def models

    Today’s Toshiba press conference at CES saw an unprecedented queue hundreds of metres long as hacks lined up to hear Toshiba's take on Warner Home Video's recent announcement to opt for the Blu-ray format. One UK reporter was even offered $50 for her press pass. Inside, Jodi Sally, Marketing VP of the digital A/V Group, …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 01:28

  • Samsung spins 128GB SSD

    CES Half-a-terabyte laptop hard drive too

    Samsung isn't the first manufacturer to take the wraps off a laptop-friendly 500GB hard drive - take a bow, Hitachi - but it did claim today to be the first to announce a 9.5mm-high unit. It also touted a 128GB solid-state drive for notebooks. Samsung's SpinPoint M6: half a terabyte The SpinPoint M6 follows the standard 2. …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 01:29

  • CES moots move from expensive Las Vegas

    CES Playground of the rich too expensive

    The organisers of the Consumer Electronics Show - where most forthcoming products are announced for the year - are scouting for a cheaper US city to stage the annual convention, the Las Vegas Sun reports. Exhibitors have complained that the increasing cost of hotel accommodation, food and drink are threatening to price show …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 01:44

  • Sony revamps Mylo mobile internet device

    CES More teen friendly

    Sony has revamped its Mylo - My Life Online - internet access handheld, enhancing the Wi-Fi gadget's support for teen-friendly social networking sites and the like of YouTube. Gone is the toy look of the previous Mylo, replaced with a more serious look that might almost appeal to business users. The slide-out Qwerty keyboard's …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 02:13

  • Sony ships 11in OLED TV in the US

    CES Yours for $2500...

    Want the very latest in flat-panel technology? Then book yourself a trip to the States – Sony's just launched its XEL-1 OLED HD TV over here. Sony's XEL-1 OLED TV: now available Stateside The telly doesn't come cheap, mind. It may only be 3mm thick, but it'll set you back $2500 (£1300) – the cost of three decent-sized …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 02:35

  • AmigaOS 5 surfaces... sort of

    CES Amiga launches AmigaAnywhere 2

    AmigaOS 5 made a covert appearance at an event outside the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), turning up in the guise of a version of Space Invaders running on a Windows Mobile 6-based smartphone. Amiga – the company – was ostensibly showing AmigaAnywhere 2, the new version of its virtual machine technology. But taking Amiga …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 06:21

  • How to delete your DNA profile

    A cut-out-and-keep reference guide

    It's a little known fact that it's possible to have your DNA profile removed from the National DNA Database (NDNAD). While the Police have processes to gather and retain DNA samples - they don't yet have a procedure to delete the DNA of innocent members of the public. It's complicated - but for now, this is what you should do …

    Law 7 Jan 2008, 08:02

  • How can I get better browsing with a smartphone?

    Q&A

    Most, if not all, smartphones fall short on the web browsing experience as they cannot display minimum 800-pixel-wide pages. How can I improve that experience and still use a compact, pocket-friendly phone that's good for phone calls? I'd like to make a quick check of emails and do short replies using the phone. But for more …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 10:02

  • Chancer! eBays! Yahoo.is!

    $100,000 to declare yahoo.is/shite?

    Ask yourselves this question: how much would you pay for the chance to declare yahoo.is/shite across the internet? Yes indeed, the comedy potential of the domain is endless, but you'll have to dig deep in this case to indulge your taste for quippery: According to the vendor, Yahoo! may itself be sniffing around yahoo.is, …

    Bootnotes 7 Jan 2008, 10:52

  • Why do women get plastered at fancy dress parties?

    No idea, admit US researchers

    US researchers have admitted they cannot explain why women are more likely than men to get legless at sexually-themed fancy dress parties - a shock finding which is the only known exception to the rule that chaps will invariably sink more alcohol at social gatherings than the ladies. Yes indeed, in the great tradition of …

    Bootnotes 7 Jan 2008, 11:08

  • And when did you you stop beating your CO2 cap?

    Reader survey Enviro survey redux

    We have received some stick about our latest reader survey that's running over here. The environmental sceptics among you think some of questions are a bit assumptive, and that by simply answering them it could be construed that you take the green argument seriously - a bit like trying to answer yes or no to the question "Have …

    Tech Panel 7 Jan 2008, 11:23

  • Intel coughs up EC anti-trust furball

    Update Monday blues

    Chip giant Intel today filed its response to formal anti-competitive charges leveled by the European Commission. The firm, which was originally due to respond on 8 October last year, had been granted an extension by the EC until 4 January to allow Intel more time to explain itself. However, Intel told Reuters on Friday that …

    Channel Register 7 Jan 2008, 11:29

  • Bill Gates gives $10m to probe the universe

    Large Synoptic Survey Telescope donation

    Bill Gates has donated $10m to the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) - an 8.4 metre beast boasting the world's largest digital camera designed to capture the entire available night sky every three days, "opening a movie-like window on objects that change or move on rapid timescales". The gift compliments another $20m from …

    Space 7 Jan 2008, 11:30

  • Sony launches low-price Blu-ray drive

    How low can you go?

    If you're strapped for cash following Christmas, Sony has unveiled a sub-$200 (£100/€135) internal BD-Rom drive which could help you recover from the festive season by staying in and watching Blu-ray movies on your PC. Sony's sub-£200 Blu-ray drive The BDU-X10S drive has a 2x BD-Rom read speed, together with an 8x and 24x …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 11:48

  • US regulator raises Dreamliner hacker risk fear

    Unfriendly skies

    Regulators have expressed concern that Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner passenger jet may be vulnerable to hacker attack. The US Federal Aviation Administration has raised fears that onboard computer networks are potentially exposed to tampering by passengers. Systems designed to give passengers in-flight internet access are …

    Enterprise Security 7 Jan 2008, 11:57

  • Samsung ML-1630 laser printer

    Unwired Video Review Sexy, sure - but is it any good?

    When you think of laser printers you don’t exactly think ’sleek and sexy’ - more like ‘beige and bulky’. But this new model from Samsung, the ML1630, is something that’s really quite different. Taking its design cues from Samsung’s range of TVs and laptops, this is glossy black and wouldn’t look out of place in a fashion …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 12:02

  • 2007 worst ever year for data protection

    Data on 37 million Brits mislaid

    Last year was the worst ever for data losses in the UK, with almost 37 million people having their private data compromised. The government's loss of 25 million child benefit records was the largest single screw-up, but other government departments and private companies played their part too. The figures were compiled by the …

    Public Sector 7 Jan 2008, 12:04

  • Radiohead top UK album chart

    Thom Yorke proved right about physical 'artefact'

    Radiohead's In Rainbows has climbed straight to the top of the UK album chart in the week following its physical release on CD and vinyl, apparently proving frontman Thom Yorke right in his assertion that fans want a tangible "object". The album was released online last October on a "pay-what-you-like" basis (ie, generally …

    Music and Media 7 Jan 2008, 12:12

  • Oz drafts 'batter an orphaned roo' guidelines

    Failing that, try a shotgun

    Oz animal protection groups are none too impressed by a draft government guide to disposing of young kangaroos (joeys) by either "forcefully swinging" their heads against a vehicle towbar or blasting them with a shotgun, Reuters reports. The proposed Department of Environment "code of conduct" is designed to deal with joeys …

    Biology 7 Jan 2008, 12:23

  • US trade body probes IBM patent grumble

    Judge appointed

    IBM's infringement complaint about some Asustek Computer products will be investigated by the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC said in a statement on Friday that the case would be referred to an administrative law judge who will hold a hearing to determine whether or not IBM's allegations could be upheld. That …

    Servers 7 Jan 2008, 12:33

  • Microsoft pleads ignorance on 'one interweb per child' pork barrel

    Schools minister said what now?

    Microsoft says it doesn't know anything about the government's plan to deliver home broadband to every child in the country, despite claims from the schools minister that he is putting pressure on it to drop prices. Contacted by the Reg following Jim Knight's interview in the Guardian's political pages on Friday, a Microsoft …

    Government 7 Jan 2008, 12:38

  • Gates kicks off farewell tour in Vegas

    Getting ready to spend more time with his fridge

    Bill Gates took the stage at CES last night to sing the first notes in a swan song that promises to eclipse even Tony Blair’s long goodbye. The Microsoft founder, who will step down from the company later this year, gave attendees his latest thoughts on the future of a digital revolution which some believe he largely brought …

    Applications 7 Jan 2008, 13:37

  • Solar Cycle 24 is go: Official

    Sunspot 981, come on down

    Scientists are poised to confirm that a "modest knot" of high-latitude, reversed-polarity magnetism spotted last December on the Sun has become a full-blown sunspot heralding the beginning of Solar Cycle 24: The sunspot, dubbed 981, marks the end of a lull in sunspot activity as Solar Cycle 23 passed away quietly, having …

    Space 7 Jan 2008, 14:11

  • Logitech touts armchair keyboard

    CES Never leave the house again

    If you’re into all things sofa-based, then a miniature wireless keyboard from Logitech that bridges the gap between PC and TV should have your fingers tapping with excitement. Logitech's diNovo Mini: handy The palm-sized diNovo Mini is a bit like a mobile phone, with your thumbs doing all the typing on its full QWERTY …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 14:14

  • Clarkson's 'steal my ID' stunt backfires

    Top Gear chap shoots self in foot

    Gobby TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been forced to reverse his position after he lost money after publishing his bank account details in a newspaper column. The Top Gear presenter rather rashly published his account details in a column in The Sun to back up his claims that the child benefit data loss furore, which resulted …

    ID 7 Jan 2008, 14:30

  • BT Vision targets Xbox gamers for growth

    Philips ditched for next gen set-top boxes

    BT is hoping to put a rocket up its slow-starting broadband TV service Vision, by making its movie and TV rentals available on demand to the UK's Xbox 360 owners. BT has what it calls a "medium term" target of two to three million Vision customers. Since launching in late 2006, it has attracted about 100,000, and looks set to …

    Music and Media 7 Jan 2008, 14:43

  • Logitech touts Harmony One remote control

    CES Direct touch? Wires? Pah!

    Logitech has expanded its universal remote control range and launched the Harmony One universal commander, sorry, remote. Despite looking like something that God might use to control his TV, its most unique feature is a 2.2in colour screen. It has numerous options, such as for playing a DVD, but responds to tiny electrical …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 14:48

  • Yahoo! joins rush to get widgets onto mobile phones

    There will be platform independence, this time

    Yahoo! has announced its intention to support third-party widgets on its mobile platform, promising platform independence and rapid development. The announcement came in a presentation at the CES event, currently taking place in Las Vegas. Widgets are small applications, generally written in JavaScript or similar, which …

    Mobile 7 Jan 2008, 15:13

  • Academics kick off nuclear power war of words

    Greens see red over Brown's reactor plans

    The anti-nuclear movement has fired an opening shot in the UK energy-policy debate, ahead of expected Parliamentary announcements from the Brown government this week. The Nuclear Consultation Working Group, a small gathering of academics and activists, last week issued a report arguing that Britain should not build any nuclear …

    Science 7 Jan 2008, 15:20

  • Home turbines can't light a candle

    A puny wind

    Domestic "microwind" turbines, recently championed as "power from the people" by opposition leader David Cameron, are about as useful as a chocolate teapot. A study of domestic turbines was published by renewable energy consultants Encraft in December. According to the study, only one of the 15 household wind turbines generated …

    Environment 7 Jan 2008, 15:28

  • One loves the Wii

    Wii are quite amused

    There’s nothing like a royal crest to give your product that certain je ne sais quoi, and Nintendo’s Wii console has finally got one - sort of. According to the online arm of newspaper The People, a source at the Palace recently revealed that the Queen became hooked on the console over the Christmas break, after her grandson …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 15:30

  • Blair's transport minister working for traffic-data firm

    Ladyman-ITIS to spread across Europe

    Stephen Ladyman, the former UK transport minister, is now working as an adviser to a traffic-data company. The MP, who stepped down from his ministerial post last year following the departure of Tony Blair but remains in Parliament, says in the Register of Members' Interests that he receives from £10,000 to £15,000 pa from …

    Public Sector 7 Jan 2008, 15:37

  • US laws restrict computer forensics to gumshoes

    Jobs for the boys?

    More US states are moving towards laws that limit computer forensics work to those with Private Investigator licences, or people contracted to work for licensed investigative agencies. Pending legislation in South Carolina would limit the specialist work of capturing and making sense of evidence on computer discs and server …

    Enterprise Security 7 Jan 2008, 16:29

  • Naomi Campbell chews fat with Hugo Chavez

    Prez disses US and Duchess of Cornwall

    Battling Streatham clotheshorse Naomi Campbell has quite magnificently conducted an interview with Venezuelan prez Hugo Chavez, in which the latter predictably railed against the US and concluded that Camilla Duchess of Cornwall is "not as attractive" as the sainted Diana, Queen of Hearts™. Campbell jetted to the sun-kissed …

    Entertainment 7 Jan 2008, 16:35

  • Nature sticks entire archive online

    Digitisation project concludes

    Science journal Nature has completed the digitisation of its entire archive by making available material from 1869's volume 1, issue 1 to 1949 as the final step in its five-year online deployment plan. According to the press release, goodies now available from the publication's first 80 years - encompassing more than 4,000 …

    Science 7 Jan 2008, 16:47

  • Carphone Warehouse shares rally with buyout rumours

    Just enough to recover from Thursday's slump

    Shares in Carphone Warehouse closed up 2.6 per cent on Friday after rumours that Vodafone were looking to acquire the company surfaced. The recovery made up for the drop on Thursday when sometime competitor DSG International issued a profit warning, the combination putting CPW shares about where they were last week. While the …

    Mobile 7 Jan 2008, 17:03

  • 'First' iPhone Trojan rolls into town

    More a prank than a threat

    Hackers have created Trojan horse malware targeted at Apple's much-hyped iPhone device. The package - more of a prank than a threat - poses as an "important system" upgrade supposedly needed prior to upgrading to version 1.1.3 of Apple's firmware. The "iPhone firmware 1.1.3 prep" seems to lack malicious purpose. Problems kick …

    Malware 7 Jan 2008, 17:15

  • Xerox boss says credit crisis could crunch IT budgets

    Yes, no, maybe. Can you repeat the question?

    Xerox has become the latest established IT company to join a chorus of complaints about how the credit crisis has begun to rock spending in the tech sector. In an interview with the Financial Times today Xerox boss Anne Mulcahy, who has been working on turning fortunes around at the firm since taking charge in 2001, echoed the …

    Channel Register 7 Jan 2008, 17:19

  • Belkin wireless HDMI box spied at CES

    CES Cable-free link for HD TVs

    Belkin's experimentation with running HDMI connections wirelessly will finally bear fruit this coming summer when the accessory maker ships FlyWire, a wireless video connectivity box for HD TVs. FlyWire operates in the 5GHz wireless band to stream signals from a transmitter hooked up to, say, you Blu-ray Disc player over to a …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 17:39

  • Sony drives back into sat navs

    Find your way, with style

    Sony has found its way back into the sat nav market and unveiled two GPS devices which it claims offer an extra position finder over established GPS technology. The NV-U73T and NV-U83T both feature Position Plus which, Sony claims, uses pressure sensors, gyro sensors and acceleration sensors to help calibrate the driver’s …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 17:41

  • Eclipse gets Fishy on SOA

    Hype hangover

    The Eclipse Foundation's plan to push ahead with a Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) run-time framework later this year marks an interesting change of direction for the industry group. The Swordfish project, announced last summer, has now reached level of maturity where it can be evaluated and its significance assessed. …

    Applications 7 Jan 2008, 18:42

  • CES Linksys ships sleek Wi-Fi routers, ExpressCard

    How do you make a wireless router more consumer friendly? You stick it in a sleek, shiny casing. That's Linksys approach if its latest offerings are anything to go by. Linksys' WRT160N: antennae inside The WRT310N and WRT160N both sport slick wedge-like designs unspoiled with external antennae – the 160N has two, the 310N …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 19:59

  • CES GorillaPod guys slide out boom-equipped Bluetooth headset

    Here's Zivio, the upcoming Bluetooth headset from Joby, the company that brought you to GorillaPod bendy holder-cum-tripod for digicam's. It not only looks swish, but it's light, compact and incorporates a novel pull-out microphone boom. Joby's Zivio: slide out mic boom The boom's positively wire-thin, but it's rigid enough …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 20:33

  • Napster looks to de-tether downloads

    'We hear the kids like these MP3 things'

    Napster will once again deal in the scourge that are MP3s now that the major record labels have decided that MP3s are not evil but rather their future. The music vendor will allow customers to purchase DRM-free songs and albums in the MP3 format. However, those poor souls subscribing to the Napster music rental service will …

    Music and Media 7 Jan 2008, 20:53

  • Hitachi picks up Brocade's file virtualization suite

    StorageX spins into HDS

    Brocade has cut a deal with Hitachi Data Systems to vend its storage management wares. HDS will resell Brocade StorageX: a suite of applications that handles file management and virtualization (when it isn't driving against Speed Racer, of course). StorageX gives a global namespace (that's presenting a single, logical view of …

    Storage 7 Jan 2008, 21:14

  • Sears sued for website that leaked customer purchases

    Hackers get what they want

    Sears Roebuck and Co. is taking more flack from privacy advocates who say the retailer's websites don't adequately protect customer privacy. On Friday, a Sears customer filed a suit in Illinois state court alleging the retailer's Managemyhome.com website is "fatally flawed and was designed in such a way as to significantly …

    Law 7 Jan 2008, 21:21

  • Wikia unsheathes antidote to 'unhealthy' Google

    Jimbo: 'I am your spiritual leader'

    Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales has brought the Wikipedia ethos to his very own internet search engine. But he insists it will be far more trustworthy than search sites offered by Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft. Today, Jimbo's for-profit Wikia operation takes the wraps off a beta version of Wikia Search, a search engine that allows …

    Applications 7 Jan 2008, 21:25

  • Sling reschedules, redesigns SlingCatcher

    CES SlingPlayer-for-TVs finally coming in Q2. Hopefully...

    Sling Media has finally named the date when it will ship SlingCatcher, the SlingPlayer-for-TVs box it announced at last year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Sling's new SlingCatcher: SlingPlayer for TVs Based on the distinctive design of the Slingbox series - though the original look has been dropped - SlingCatcher can …

    Reg Hardware 7 Jan 2008, 21:36

  • Stay ahead of Web 2.0 worms

    XSS marks the spot

    Think you've protected your web applications from cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities? The odds are against you. Roughly 90 per cent of web applications have this problem, and it's getting worse as web applications and web services share more and more data. Many frameworks and libraries are encoding, decoding, and re- …

    Security 7 Jan 2008, 21:49