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25th January 2008 Archive

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  • DfT magicians conjure a nation of car sharers

    The planet will have whatever they're smoking...

    We are an environmentally conscious nation of car sharers, apparently. Or so the casual browser might conclude from a Department for Transport announcement claiming new research highlights "the popularity of car sharing." Sadly, predictably, all is not as it seems. According to the announcement a hefty 61 per cent of those …

    Environment 25 Jan 2008, 10:11

  • Polish IT worker calculates exact speed of snail mail

    And guess what, it's slower than a...

    A Polish IT worker has calculated the exact speed of snail mail after receiving on 3 January a letter which was sent priority mail on 20 December, Reuters reports. Michal Szybalski whipped out his calculator and determined that the missive had spent 294 hours in transit, covering the 11.1km between sender and recipient. The …

    Bootnotes 25 Jan 2008, 10:24

  • MP calls for law to force online shops to verify customer age

    Just asking isn't enough

    A bill has been introduced in Parliament which would force online retailers to check customers' ages before selling goods that cannot be sold to children. The Online Purchasing of Goods and Services (Age Verification) Bill received its first reading in Parliament on Tuesday when it was introduced by Labour MP Margaret Moran as …

    Law 25 Jan 2008, 10:29

  • RIPA could be challenged on human rights

    Forcing encryption keys out of defendants a little iffy

    The government's new powers to force the handover of encryption keys could be vulnerable to a legal challenge under the Human Rights Act's guarantee to a fair trial. People who refuse keys or passwords face up to five years in jail. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) was changed last autumn to allow police to …

    Law 25 Jan 2008, 10:33

  • IBM's anti-MacBook Air goes up for sale on eBay

    Forgotten Tech Fancy a 5155 Portable Computer, anyone?

    Want to own a piece of portable computing history? Actually, we use the word 'portable' advisedly - we're talking an IBM 5155 here, a 30lb (13.6kg) monster that, as the eBayer offering it up to the highest bidder admits, "is not a MacBook Air". IBM's 5155: carry-out computing Up for sale from a UK seller, the 5155 is a …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 10:40

  • Oz organ recipient changes blood group

    A 'one-in-six-billion miracle'

    An Australian teenager has been dubbed a "one-in-six-billion miracle" after her blood group changed following a liver transplant, Reuters reports. Demi-Lee Brennan, now 15, suffered liver failure at nine and received a donated replacement. She subsequently became ill while on anti-rejection drugs, but her blood group …

    Biology 25 Jan 2008, 10:41

  • Handsets for the teenager or businessman in your life

    Pick-your-image phones

    If you’re a businessman by day and a dedicated follower of fashion by night, then you’ll have to buy both of Sony Ericsson’s latest handsets. That’s because the T270 and T280 have been designed with just one thing in mind: your dress sense. Sony Ericsson's T270: means business SE claims that the T270 “combines grown-up …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 10:43

  • ER thesp joins Doctor Who

    Alex Kingston to guest in two-parter

    Alex Kingston of ER and Moll Flanders fame will guest in a Steven Moffat penned two-parter in series four of Doctor Who. The Beeb describes her role as "a mysterious character who meets The Doctor on an expedition to uncover the secrets of an abandoned library", and she'll be joined for the adventure by James Bond regular …

    Entertainment 25 Jan 2008, 11:02

  • Shuttle launches Intel X38-equipped gaming SFF PC

    Pair of PCIe 2.0 slots on board

    Small form-factor PC specialist Shuttle has rolled out one of its compact boxes, this time equipped with Intel's X38 gamer-oriented chipset to allow it to take a 45nm processor and a pair of graphics cards. Shuttle's XPC SX38P2: ready for 'Penryn' The XPC SX38P2 incorporates a 450W power supply unit to keep all the …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 11:10

  • Vista SP1 RC Refresh 2 tweak out now

    Not for general consumption, yet

    Redmond said yesterday that it has shot out another beta build of Windows Vista SP1, although this one is reserved for hardcore testers only. The latest updated release candidate – Windows Vista SP1 RC Refresh 2 – has been pumped out to an elite cadre of just 15,000 beta testers. Microsoft also offered up the usual fuzzy …

    Operating Systems 25 Jan 2008, 11:27

  • High Court orders Manhunt 2 release to be re-evaluated

    Gory game to hit the shelves at last?

    The controversial ‘slasher’ videogame Manhunt 2 is to be re-assessed by the UK's Video Appeals Committee (VAC) after the High Court this week judged its decision that the game should be released was legally flawed. Rockstar's Manhunt 2: release to be re-evaluated The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) ruled in …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 11:29

  • Tesla shifts gear out of park and into interim

    One gear fits all?

    Tesla has confirmed that the first models of its electric sports car will ship with an interim transmission which reduces expected acceleration. Production will start in a limited way in March. Early buyers will get a free upgrade to the transmission and engine when they are available later in the year. The first production …

    Science 25 Jan 2008, 11:43

  • Palm punts unlocked Treo 500 smartphone

    Vodafone-free

    Palm Europe has released the unlocked version of its compact Treo 500v handset, previously only available on the Vodafone network. The Treo 500 - available now for £269 - runs Windows Mobile 6 Standard on a Marvell XScale processor. Palm's Treo 500: the 500v without Vodafone It's got a 320 x 240, 65,536-colour display; tri …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 11:58

  • Critics split over DDoS attacks on Scientology

    Xenu phobia

    Websites associated with the Church of Scientology are intermittently unavailable today after an internet group calling itself Anonymous declared war on the controversial organisation. In a statement posted via video on YouTube and through various internet sites Anonymous claimed its actions were designed to safeguard the …

    Enterprise Security 25 Jan 2008, 12:06

  • Man stumps record £375k for number plate

    New owner 'privileged' to sport F1

    A businessman has stumped a record £375,000 to secure the F1 number plate, the Mirror reports. Afzal Kahn, who owns a car conversion firm, secured his prize at an Essex county council auction, in the process beating the previous record of £331,000 paid for M1. The council had held the plate since 1904. Kahn said: "I am …

    Bootnotes 25 Jan 2008, 12:10

  • Sony shrinks Blu-ray laser

    Microscopes at the ready

    What do you get when you cross Sony with Japanese laser specialist Nichia? The answer’s a tiny blue-laser data reader module that paves the way for slimmer, cheaper and portable Blu-ray drives. Sony/Nichia's Blu-ray head: tiny Sony’s new laser unit measures 14 x 7.4 x 3mm and is expected to be built into slimline Blu-ray …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 12:16

  • Malware authors target Mac emerging markets

    Following the money

    Cybercrooks are looking beyond PCs running Microsoft as targets for attack, with Macs increasingly in the firing line of hacker activity. That's according to the latest edition of the SophosSecurity Threat Report, which predicts that - based on early flaws with the inbuilt Safari browser - Apple's iPhone devices might also …

    Security 25 Jan 2008, 13:10

  • Scottish Government to block wind farm plan

    Two fingers to Isle of Lewis turbines

    The Scottish Government will reject plans to build a 181-turbine wind farm on the Isle of Lewis, according to the BBC's Gaelic news service Radio nan Gaidheal. The £500m project, proposed by Lewis Wind Power, was approved in February 2007 by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) members, who voted 18 to eight in …

    Environment 25 Jan 2008, 13:34

  • Nokia E51 executive phone

    Review Does the business

    Business is business, so it’s no surprise that the world’s most successful mobile maker knows exactly what makes the executive phone user swoon. Nokia has a long track-record of producing handsets that may not get consumers’ pulses galloping, but which absolutely bowl over businesspeople. The E51 is Nokia’s latest of these. …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 13:39

  • Apple applies to light up laptop touchpads, iPod clickwheels

    Visual feedback

    Apple has touched on a new way to help you find your way around its products. The company has registered technology in the US that could see the iPod’s clickwheel or your MacBook Air’s touchpad light-up when you finger it. Apple's design for iPods with light-up clickwheels The patent application, which was filed recently …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 13:50

  • Growing virus production taxes security firms

    The engines cannae take it, captain

    The volume - if not the variety - of malware samples has undergone almost exponential growth over the last three years. Malware samples reached 5,490,960 in 2007, five times more than the 972,606 recorded in 2006; which was itself almost three times more than the 333,425 recorded in 2005. The figures, compiled by AV-Test.org, …

    Malware 25 Jan 2008, 14:11

  • Netgear recalls 82,000 powerline Ethernet adaptors

    Overheating hazard

    Netgear UK has asked anyone who owns and uses its XE103 85Mb/s powerline Ethernet adaptor to send them back - all 82,000 of the ones that it's sold here and elsewhere in Europe. The XE103 adaptor allows you to connect networked devices over mains power wiring rather than standard Ethernet cables. They're based on the HomePlug …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 14:18

  • ID cards delayed, Microsoft in court and HP buys bills

    To subscribe to The Register's weekly newsletter - seven days of IT in a single hit - click here

    Taxes and piracy - money goes round and round Chancellor Alistair Darling this week made a concession for small business over the recent capital gains tax changes, which had some SMBs howling. The Entrepreneur's Relief tweak may placate grumbling small biz, but concerns were raised over the perceived lack of consultation …

    Business 25 Jan 2008, 14:36

  • Best Buy nixes in-store Heath Ledger shrine

    Apologises for Brokeback Mountain DVD Mountain

    US retail giant Best Buy has apologised to Heath Ledger's family and fans after one of the firm’s employees erected a makeshift movie display in memory of the Brokeback Mountain star. Just a day after the world learned of the sudden death of the Australian actor, who was found dead in his New York apartment earlier this week, …

    Entertainment 25 Jan 2008, 14:40

  • New Bond film title voted a 'Licence to Thrill!'

    Beeb poll heartily endorses Quantum of Solace

    An online poll down at the entertainment section of the Beeb's website indicates that the vast majority of those voting are fully in favour of Bond 22 being titled Quantum of Solace. And when we say vast majority, we mean 95.88 per cent declaring it a "Licence to Thrill!" with a mere 4.12 per cent reckoning it's "From Russia …

    Entertainment 25 Jan 2008, 14:44

  • Viewsonic VX2240w 22in monitor

    Unwired Video Review A great display for gaming?

    For monitors, 22in seems to be the size of choice at the moment. They're bright and cheerful, offer more screen than a puny (!) 20in, but are far cheaper than a 24in - although lacking the screen resolution. This effort from Viewsonic has got a 4000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a 2ms response time, which should make it great …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 15:27

  • Giant solar plants in Negev could power Israel's future

    DLD08 Payback time for the unlucky, oil-free desert?

    A series of solar energy power stations in the Negev could supply all of Israel's power needs - or, if you wanted to be really ambitious, you could supply all of the world's electricity needs with the aid of slightly under 10 per cent of the Sahara. So says Professor David Faiman of Israel's Ben-Gurion University, man with a …

    Environment 25 Jan 2008, 15:54

  • Leaked email reveals civil service laptop rules

    Civil servant finally leaks data correctly - to us...

    The Register has received the email sent out to all staff at the Medical Research Council passing on instructions from the Cabinet Office that the ban on taking laptops out of the office could apply to mobile phones too. The mail was sent to senior staff on Wednesday afternoon, but forwarded onto to everyone within the …

    IT Director 25 Jan 2008, 16:04

  • When Green Computing attacks - hype or heaven?

    Reg Debates You decide

    Whether you think global warming is the biggest swindle of our time or our greatest threat, one thing's for sure - energy-efficient gear could save your IT department a lot of money. Some of the best new technology is being developed under the eco-warrior Green label, but you don't have to be an evangelist to want to save cash …

    Environment 25 Jan 2008, 16:12

  • Best Buy 'framed' by pesky Windows virus

    Malware hitches a ride on digital photo frames

    Big box retailer Best Buy has admitted that it sold digital picture frames over the festive period containing malicious software that targets Windows-based PCs. The US electrical retail giant said that a "limited number" of the LCD panels were "contaminated with a computer virus during the manufacturing process". It sold the 10 …

    Malware 25 Jan 2008, 16:14

  • DuBreq Stylophone pocket organ makes a comeback

    Forgotten Tech Old age tech for the new era

    We thought the Stylophone pocket electronic organ was dead and buried, but no, the pianist’s portable training board has been revived for the hi-tech age. Stylophone: wah, wah-wah, wah, waaaaaah (repeat ad nauseam) For anyone too young, or old, to remember, the Stylophone first screeched its way onto the electronic music …

    Reg Hardware 25 Jan 2008, 16:47

  • Apple's iPhone numbers do not add up

    Millions being unlocked - or gathering dust at Carphone Warehouse

    Analysts looking at both Apple's results and those posted by AT&T - Apple's iPhone partner in the US - have noticed a large discrepancy in the figures. Apple says it has sold 3.7m iPhones in total. AT&T says it has sold 2m iPhones, and European operators are believed to have sold between 300,000 and 400,000 handsets. Which …

    Mobile 25 Jan 2008, 16:54

  • Rogue trader blows sox off control systems

    Developer turned gambler drops French bank in $7.2bn hole

    The apparent ease with which a former software developer turned rogue trader was able to sink France's second-biggest bank into a €4.9bn ($7.2bn) hole has sparked questions about the effectiveness of risk analysis systems. Jerome Kerviel, 31, a junior trader at Société Générale Paris headquarters, caused five times the damage …

    Enterprise Security 25 Jan 2008, 17:20

  • HP and Deutsche Post seal outsourcing deal

    Pushing the envelope

    Deutsche Post World Net AG has inked a letter of intent to enter into an outsourcing agreement with HP Services. Under the deal, Deutsche Post plans to outsource part of its global IT activities to HP. The Germany-based firm forecast IT cost savings of at least €1bn over the next seven years. If the agreement is finalised – …

    Channel Register 25 Jan 2008, 17:31

  • HP gets an ology for FOSS

    Knows its licenses

    Hewlett-Packard isn't known for software governance, but after years of sifting and sorting through its own systems for non-compliant code, the hardware vendor wants to share its experience with developers and foster construction of tools for tracking free and open source software (FOSS) permeating corporate systems. To wit: …

    Software 25 Jan 2008, 17:32

  • Just how cute are cats? W3C can help

    HTML 5 - now with added <em>phasis

    The recent announcement by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) of the first major overhaul of HTML in ten years was largely greeted with indifference down at the Vulture Central hackery department, where the average journo has trouble telling his <a>s from his <elbow>. However, were they to take the time to peruse the …

    Odds and Sods 25 Jan 2008, 17:55

  • Microsoft's smiley browser face turns sour

    Doubts about IE on Acid

    Microsoft's latest idea for tackling Internet Explorer's lack of web standards compliance in the up-coming IE 8 has attracted a barrage of criticism. Chris Wilson, Microsoft's IE platform architect, and chief IE bullet taker, has explained how Microsoft intends to overcome standards and backwards compatibility problems by …

    Applications 25 Jan 2008, 20:16

  • Sony signs on for made-to-order DVD service

    Niche titles given life through HP

    Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is to use HP's DVD manufacturing-on-demand service to release DVDs that would otherwise not see the light of day. Customers will be able to order certain Sony DVDs through retailers, who can in turn order only the quantity they need rather than bulk purchasing ahead of time, as is the usual way …

    Music and Media 25 Jan 2008, 22:43