24th January 2008 Archive

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Pentax pours forth four new shooters

Two DSLRs and two compacts

Even though PMA - the annual imaging event in Las Vegas - is only one week away, the big players in the photography industry aren't waiting to introduce this year's products, and Pentax is no exception, today launching two DSLRs and two compacts. Successor to the K10D, the K20D now boasts 14.6-megapixel resolution, 2.7in …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 00:02
International tradewinds fill Symantec's Q3 sails

Time to rename it 'Symaunteuc?'

Symantec should be thankful for a healthy year's worth of publicized data pratfalls an ocean away. International sales rose 21 per cent in its third fiscal quarter, bolstering a strong quarter for the security software firm and a cheery outlook for Q4. Net income for the quarter rose 13 per cent to $132m, compared with $117m …

Channel Register 24 Jan 00:08
eBay's CEO throws in the three kitchen towels in a jute bag - $4.99

Successor has big pricing changes ready

Ten years of hawking Britney Spears' used undies and Hummel figurines proved enough for Meg Whitman. The eBay CEO today announced her departure plans, as her company dished out solid fourth quarter figures. Whitman will give up the CEO post at the end of March but remain on the board. John Donahoe, current president of eBay …

Financial News 24 Jan 00:14
Sun's JavaFX tools to interop with Adobe

Java mobile & embedded developer day Rich-media darrrlings

Sun Microsystems is working on interoperability between design tools from Adobe Systems and its upcoming JavaFX tools for application developers building rich application interfaces and rich-internet applications (RIAs). James Gosling, Sun vice president and fellow, told Register Developer that Sun is working to ensure …

Applications 24 Jan 00:21
MPAA admits movie piracy study is 29% full of @$#%

Exaggerated case used to push legislation

A 2005 study by the Motion Picture Association of America claimed that illegal downloads from college students accounted for an enormous 44 per cent of the industry's domestic losses. Now the MPAA admits the figure was inflated just a wee bit as result of "isolated error" in the methodology. College kids are actually only …

Music and Media 24 Jan 01:22
Mozilla security chief confirms data leakage bug in Firefox

Help on the way

Mozilla's chief of security has confirmed a vulnerability that could cause fully patched versions of Firefox to expose a user's private data. The confirmation, which was posted here by Mozilla's Window Snyder, follows the release of proof-of-concept code by researcher Gerry Eisenhaur. The bug resides in Firefox's chrome …

Security 24 Jan 05:26
100Mbit/s sewer broadband rollout coming your way

The internet is coming up the toilet

The idea of laying fibre along sewer lines has been sloshing around the networking business for years. Now a UK firm claims today's broadband will seem a trickle compared to the torrents of data it'll soon offer. It's always been hard to argue with the logic. Sewers are deep underground where cable would be protected from …

Telecoms 24 Jan 08:02
How can I make the most of old CPUs?

Q&A

I am about to retire a number of PCs at work. I have a half-dozen Compaq desktops, all 1GHz; a similar number of Dell Optiplex GX270 - three at 2.8GHz, two at 2.6GHz - and one 2.8GHz GX280, plus all the memory. Does anyone know of a motherboard that I can use to take a set of these CPUs, either the Compaqs or preferably the Dell …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 08:02
Samsung unveils second-gen GX digital SLR

The GX-10 grows up

Samsung has followed its GX-10 digital SLR (DSLR) with the GX-20, which is the first DSLR to feature an image sensor manufactured by the South Korean colossus. Samsung produced its own 14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor for the GX-20 The company claims that by producing its own sensors, its cameras benefit from reductions in size …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 09:02
Nokia blings up Prism fashion phone with synthetic gem

A Vertu for the less well-off?

If you love diamonds and bling, then forget jewellery, because Nokia’s latest Prism handset is apparently the in thing for the design-conscious tech consumer. Nokia's 7900 Crystal Prism: a real gem? The 7900 Crystal Prism, which sits on the shelf above the one decorated by Nokia’s existing 7500 Prism - reviewed here - has a …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 10:02
Bloke takes missus up the Oxo Tower

NSFW A 'memorable experience', enthuses restaurant reviewer

Any reader who has a special date coming up - perhaps a wedding anniversary or other half's birthday - could do worse than consider taking a trip up the Oxo Tower, which comes highly recommended down at Restaurant-Guide.com: For those of you not au fait with the Oxo Tower, it's a south-of-the-river landmark with a restaurant …

Bootnotes 24 Jan 10:33
Accenture and BAE pull out of ID card project

Updated: Let's walk quietly away from this impending disaster

The UK ID card project suffered another serious blow today with news that two potential suppliers have pulled out of the procurement process. Accenture and BAE Systems have both decided not to chase contracts for the controversial scheme. A short list of possible suppliers is due to be published in the next few months but …

Channel Register 24 Jan 10:36
Darling backtracks on CGT

Updated Expected to make concessions for small biz

The chancellor Alistair Darling is today expected to make a U-turn over plans to bring a single rate of capital gains tax (CGT) into play, following pressure from small business (SMB) lobby groups that deeply opposed the reform. Darling looks set to announce in the Commons later today that the government will introduce a lower …

Small Biz 24 Jan 10:40
Starbucks mocha clocked at 628 calories

Updated Would you like that tall, grande or grosso?

Those among you looking to control your calorie intake would do well to think twice before wrapping your laughing gear round some high street coffees. Consumer group Which? has found that one Starbucks mocha contained no less than 628 calories, or "nearly a third of the recommended daily amount for women and a quarter of that …

Biology 24 Jan 10:41
Samsung SGH-F700 smartphone

Review iPhone insurrection quashed without incident

With the world and his wife seemingly happy with either Symbian or Windows Mobile running their smartphones, any phone OS newcomer - especially one without an Apple logo slapped on it - has something of a hill to climb. Samsung's new F700 actually has two mountains to tackle. The touchscreen UI makes for an obvious comparison …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 11:02
Phishing coders hook clueless crooks

No honour among Web 2.0 thieves

Cheapskate fraudsters hoping to run phishing scams for peanuts have themselves been hoodwinked. Security watchers have spotted a free phishing kit containing a hidden backdoor that siphons off stolen credentials from the fraudsters who use the technology. Script kiddies are unlikely to twig that captured credit card numbers …

Security 24 Jan 11:30
Autothrottle problems suspected in Heathrow 777 crash

Possible clues from previous engine failure incident?

Investigators probing last Thursday's Heathrow Boeing 777 crash may be able to glean useful information from six previous engine failures on the type, one of which could prove highly significant in pinpointing the cause of the incident. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has apparently ruled out bird strike and fuel …

Physics 24 Jan 11:35
HTC to include high-res video support in handsets

Pledge to patch up performance problems

HTC has promised to include video acceleration hardware in its future video-centric handsets, which some users may see as a move by the manufacturer to calm a pressure group seeking blood over performance issues with its handsets. Earlier this month, the organisers behind the HTCClassAction website warned that they would file …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 12:08
BlackBerry gets fruity with Lotus

Free downloads

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) confirmed yesterday that it plans to offer a free download of IBM's Lotus Connections biz social networking software later this year. The deal comes hot on the heels of our report last week that the firm's handset rival Apple has been developing a Lotus Notes client for the iPhone to …

Mobile 24 Jan 12:14
Wii not the way to lose weight

Step away from the pie

If you’re serious about getting fit then the Wii’s sports games will get you partly there, but they’re no substitute for traditional exercise, according to a group of Canadian students. Duh. The 28-strong band of testers from Dalhousie University in the East Coast city of Halifax, Nova Scotia each played the console’s Wii …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 12:17
Sun Java update creaks under weight of bug fixes

Phew what a whopper

Sun has pushed out a major update to its Java software package that features scores of bug fixes, including a number of security updates. Java 6 Update 4 includes a hefty 370 bug fixes (as explained here). Most of these are minor tweaks to improve performance or application glitches, but some are more notable as they address …

Security 24 Jan 12:24
Dell's slow response to straying data

All too familiar sinking feelings

A Dell customer is complaining to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) after a serious data breach led to his confidential details being posted to the wrong address. Stuart Nathaniel told The Register that Dell had failed to swiftly deal with the blunder despite the fact that he was seeking reassurances that the …

Hardware 24 Jan 12:33
Translate my website... bitch

Gullible time-rich polyglot? Facebook wants you!

Facebook is headed for a problem. In the wacky innovation-lite and revenue-poor world of web 2.0, you have to be able to show your investors and the hordes of "I want to believe" journalists some sort of growth. Forget profits growth - advertisers just aren't yet hip to your super-awesome targeting kung fu, nor to how you're …

Applications 24 Jan 13:05
Sony denies $299 PS3 talk

Keep filling your piggy-bank

If you’re hoping to bag a cut-price PS3 then Sony has some bad news in store. Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) has stated that rumours of a $299 (£150/€210) PS3 are nothing more than wishful thinking. Speculation about a newly priced PS3 appear to have stemmed from Slickdeals.net, where one user’s thread claims that …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 13:29
New Bond movie is Quantum of Solace

It's official

Bond 22 is now officially Quantum of Solace, the film's producers announced today. The movie - whose title is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming's 1960 For Your Eyes Only - has already begun shooting at Pinewood and will later go on location in Austria, Italy and Panama. It's Daniel Craig's second outing as 007, following …

Entertainment 24 Jan 14:19
Nokia grabs 40% of phone market for first time

iPhone? 0.6 per cent in Q4

Apple's iPhone may have been the most talked-about handset during the final quarter of 2007, but its sales were dwarfed by the majors in a period that saw Nokia grab more than 40 per cent of the global market, the first time it's done so. According to market watcher Strategy Analytics, Apple shifted 2.3m iPhones worldwide …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 14:29
Samsung unveils compact trio

More snapper choice

The Samsung digicam production line continues unabated, with the South Korean giant unveiling details of three upcoming models: the i80, i100 and S1060. Samsung's i80 is an 8.1-megapixel snapper... Its i80 and i100 further expand its i-series of digicams, which focuses on combining photography with music. Both new models …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 14:34
DC Comics to kill off Batman?

Dark rumours

DC Comics will kill off Batman as one of a "series of cosmological cataclysms" designed to prop up circulation in the face of the increasing newsstand and cinematic domination of rival Marvel. That's according to the Times, which says the axe is due to fall in April's issue 676, representing the latest in a string of …

Entertainment 24 Jan 14:59
Canon shows off Spring Collection

Seems to be the day for camera announcements

This morning in London, Canon showed off its Spring collection for 2008, comprising of 16 new products in total, including four new compact cameras and a new DLSR. The new additions to Canon's cluster of compacts are the Digital IXUS 80 IS, the PowerShot A590 IS, the PowerShot A580 and the PowersShot A470. Canon Digital IXUS …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 15:08
Estonia fines man for DDoS attacks

Local pest rather than international conspiracy

Estonia has fined a local man a year's salary for involvement in last April's sustained denial of service attacks against the Baltic nation's critical internet systems. Dmitri Galushkevich, 20, of Tallinn, was fined 17,500 Estonian Krooni ($1,641) on Wednesday after he was found guilty of launching an assault on the website of …

Enterprise Security 24 Jan 15:16
Auntie hops in bed with Murdoch on MySpace

BBC relations with BA, Face and Hannibal still tense

The BBC's commercial tentacle has turned a blind one to the Corporation's past antipathy toward Rupert Murdoch in its hunt for wandering youthful eyeballs. A deal with MySpace, announced today, will see clips from TV shows and web-only videos pumped into the chaotic network worldwide. Management are worried the BBC will be …

Music and Media 24 Jan 15:44
Gizmondo co-founder to revive ill-fated console

Second time lucky?

Ex-Gizmondo exec Carl Freer is to revive the ill-fated handheld games console, which could be back on sale by May for just $99 if he gets his way. Incredible, some peoples' perseverence... And it's interesting that news of the revival broke almost two years to the very day that Gizmondo Europe, the gadget's original owner, …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 15:48
Is Oracle really the next Microsoft?

Analysis of the BEA acquisition from Reg reader input

The gobbling-up by Oracle of BEA, the last significantly-sized independent middleware vendor, is another sign of the trend we are seeing towards increasing consolidation in the IT industry. It leads to obvious questions about customer choice, disruption, and protection of investment that will sound very familiar to those …

Reg Technology Panel 24 Jan 16:00
Will you go 'Radio Ga Ga' over Sony Ericsson's FM handsets?

Tune in and find out

Wacky is probably the best adjective to describe the design of Sony Ericsson’s latest handset: the R306. Sony Ericsson's R306: an AM/FM treat? The clamshell handset’s unique selling point, Sony Ericsson claimed, is its ability to tune into FM and AM radio broadcasts and pump it out to a pair of headphones or through its two …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 16:01
Virus writers charged with copyright violation

Movie-munching Trojan miscreants go all Winny

Japan has arrested its first suspected virus writers, but in a strange twist the three suspected creators and distributors of a strain of P2P malware have been charged with copyright violation, in an arrest that recalls Al Capone's prosecution for tax evasion. The trio were cuffed by cops in Kyoto on suspicion of involvement …

Anti-Virus 24 Jan 16:11
Tax deadline strike cancelled

HMRC agrees to more talks

A civil service strike which would have thrown the UK's tax service into chaos has been put on ice. The Public and Commercial Services Union was balloting members about strike action on 31 January - which threatened to disrupt the deadline for handing in self-assessment forms. But the action has been suspended while talks are …

Government 24 Jan 16:58
IBM hands server tech to Lenovo

Not doing a runner, though

Tech giant IBM has inked a licensing agreement with Lenovo that will see the Chinese computer vendor making and selling a range of x86 servers. The two firms are currently keeping quiet about the finer details of the deal, but it's a move that demonstrates Lenovo's wish to flex its muscles in the server market as well as extend …

Servers 24 Jan 17:21
Virgin Media trashes patent infringement accusations

TV Guide™ firm cries foul

Virgin Media has slammed a High Court patent infringement lawsuit brought by the firm behind the massive US TV Guide franchise as an act of "flagrant opportunism". TV Guide has gone all techie thanks to the rise of digital cable, and Gemstar-TV Guide International reckons it has now has "one of the world's most extensive …

Law 24 Jan 17:23
Sharp bursts its seams with 20 HD TVs

So many to choose from

Sharp has reasserted its presence in the LCD TV market by unveiling three new telly ranges, totalling 20 sets in all, one series of which it claims is the industry’s thinnest so far. Sharp's super-thin X series TVs in the X Series Aquos LCD TV range, which include a 37in, 42in and 46in set, measure a meagre 34.4mm at their …

Reg Hardware 24 Jan 18:15
Database gurus slammed for Google post

MapReduce: a "major step backwards"

A database pioneer and honored computer science professor have come under heavy fire for issuing a strong critique of Google's MapReduce technology for processing large unstructured databases. Ingres inventor and Postgres architect Mike Stonebraker and his colleague, University of Wisconsin computer science professor David …

Software 24 Jan 18:54
On Philip Pullman's grim eco-fantasy

Lucifer knows, he's miserable now

In a new book published this week, author Philip Pullman looked back with nostalgia at post-war austerity - and advocated the state cutting off your power as soon as you exceed your Carbon Ration. He also expressed his hope that Polar Bears would kill and eat lots of humans. More nasty misanthropy from a millionaire, then? But …

Environment 24 Jan 19:11
Employee's silent rampage wipes out $2.5m worth of data

Paranoia strikes deep

A Florida woman who believed she was about to get fired has been accused of deleting $2.5m worth of computer files to seek revenge on her employer. Jacksonville Sheriff's officials say Marie Lupe Cooley, 41, used her own account credentials to access the server of Steven E. Hutchins Architects and delete seven years' worth of …

Crime 24 Jan 19:14
Inside the Windows 2008 stack experience

Project Watch: Microsoft 2008 Laughter, tears, upgrades

Register Developer regular Mark Whitehorn is rolling out a significant new IT project. This has, at its heart, a database of around 1TB and is ultimately expected to support several thousand users. The project is using nothing less than upgrades to a trio of big-ticket products from Microsoft - Visual Studio 2008, Windows …

Software 24 Jan 19:56
FTC squelches Ethernet patent squatter's price hike

N-Data is its parent company's keeper

The US Federal Trade Commission is barring a patent-squatting firm from raising its royalty rates for a now-standard Ethernet technology. On Wednesday, the agency settled a complaint against Negotiated Data Solutions (N-Data) which the FTC claims was demanding unfair royalties for licensing its patents The FTC accused the …

Data Networking 24 Jan 21:12
Sun's war against clarity and business continues

Comment To replace data centers with jelly beans and justice

The problem with the Particpation Age, as Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz describes the current state of internet affairs, is that everyone thinks it a good idea to participate. We were beyond skeptical when Schwartz fired up a blog and started banging on about the Participation Age. CEOs have a horrible fondness for hearing their …

Servers 24 Jan 22:05
Sun shrugs off product slip in Q2

Services carry the load

Despite falling product revenue, Sun Microsystems posted decent enough second quarter results. Sun's overall revenue rose 1.4 per cent year-over-year to $3.62bn. But it was Sun's services division and not the core hardware units that did the dirty work. Product sales fell to $2.25bn from $2.26bn in the same period last year. …

Channel Register 24 Jan 22:09
Microsoft rides PCs and Xboxen to rich Q2

Take that, Apple

Microsoft reported fiscal second-quarter earnings that surpassed Wall Street's already lofty expectations, as sales of PCs and Xboxes soared. The company also forecast future results that met or beat analysts' outlook. Net income for the period ended December 31 rose 79 per cent to $4.7bn, or 50 cents a share, from $2.6bn, or …

Financial News 24 Jan 22:31
Juniper finds the black in fiscal '07

In brief Telecoms add greenery

Juniper Networks accountants were able to toss out their red pens for fiscal 2007. This year's charges didn't get the better of them. The network equipment maker's Q4 profit was up 73 per cent based on — what else — telecoms companies looking for new gear to expand their internet tubes. Juniper's net revenue for the fourth …

Data Networking 24 Jan 22:35