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13th February 2008 Archive

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  • IBM updates oh-so-much storage gear

    Big switch, array, disks, and birthday surprises

    IBM's storage hardware lineup is getting a big ol' heap of upgrades. The meaty merchandise menagerie includes an OEM'd Brocade switch, a NetApp array, and upgrades to its archiving system and various disks. We'd like to think today's sweeping product roll-out is a salute to the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the beloved sixteenth …

    Storage 13 Feb 2008, 00:05

  • Sun's UltraSPARC T2 goes flame-retardant

    Netra: Now with 64 threads

    Congratulations go out to Sun Microsystems for doing its best to make a new NEBS box seem exciting. Sun will ship you a NEBS server that supports 64 software threads, don't ya know. Telcos will now find the Sun Netra T5220 server. This system run on Sun's UltraSPARC T2 processor, which has 8 cores and supports 8 threads per …

    Servers 13 Feb 2008, 00:58

  • Amazon pooh-poohs (ingenious) New York net tax plan

    Affiliates get physical

    More than happy to let the people of New York avoid paying vast amounts of internet sales tax, Amazon.com has spoken out against a new net tax plan from Governor Eliot Spitzer. Back in November, The New York Sun leaked word that Spitzer was poised to roll out a clever new policy that would force big name e-tailers like Amazon …

    Channel Register 13 Feb 2008, 01:08

  • Champion of competitive CAT-5 untangling is crowned

    Great sport, or greatest sport?

    They came to the City of Angels to unravel the threads of destiny. Their gifts have been honed in plastic-shielded spiderwebs that writhe and twist in unspoken places. Sweating and seething. Endlessly toiling in the forgotten cavities of desks and closets. Indentured to their knots like vampiric shades. Yet no mean spirit …

    Data Networking 13 Feb 2008, 01:15

  • System upgrade to blame for BlackBerry outage

    Haven't we heard that before?

    A three-hour outage that left many BlackBerry users unable to send and receive email was the result of an upgrade gone wrong. The upgrade to Research in Motion's internal data-routing system was designed to expand capacity. But instead, it disrupted email service for many subscribers located in North America. The episode, …

    Telecoms 13 Feb 2008, 02:06

  • Cash-burning Montalvo tapes out Silverthorne rival

    Is Nvidia the SugarDaddyForMe?

    Montalvo, Montalvo, Montalvo. Few chip start-ups without an actual product on the market have received so much attention. Those who know exactly what Montalvo Systems is up to remain sworn to secrecy. Still, some information has leaked out of the company's hidden lair, revealing that Montalvo hopes to release a low-power x86 …

    PCs & Chips 13 Feb 2008, 02:17

  • How believable are government claims on ID cards?

    Home Office research reveals all

    British people are maintaining steady levels of disbelief over goverment claims about ID cards, according to official Home Office research. Lobby group No2ID picked up on the research this week, but a spokesman for the IPS said it had been published on ips.gov.uk in November. Google has a cache from earlier this month. The …

    Public Sector 13 Feb 2008, 07:02

  • Ruby runs on Rails with NetBeans

    NetBeans and Ruby, part 2 Build a web application in minutes

    Having limped along in the wake of Eclipse, Sun Microsystems' NetBeans is getting its second wind. One thing that's helping is a fresh focus on scripting, particularly around Ruby on Rails. In this piece, I shall show how well Ruby on Rails has been integrated into NetBeans using the creation of a very simple application as an …

    Applications 13 Feb 2008, 07:19

  • Dell goes on EMEA channel deoffensive

    Promises pricing harmony

    Dell is to offer its nascent EMEA channel a pricing structure that it claims won’t pit partners and its internal sales team against one another. The company’s PartnerDirect programme kicked off Stateside in December last year, and now it's being launched in Europe, the Middle East and Africa too. In a teleconference yesterday …

    Channel Register 13 Feb 2008, 08:02

  • Samsung dolls out entry-level talker trio

    Mobile World Congress No need to save up

    Samsung clearly doesn’t believe entry-level handsets are just about squeezing basic mobile features into an ugly box, because it’s launched a trio of beauties into the price-conscious space. Samsung's J150... The J150 and J700 slider each have 1.3-megapixel cameras and Micro SD card slots built into their slimline frames, …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 09:16

  • Email pen concept does away with keyboards

    Note to self...

    A designer has put pen to paper and created a concept fountain pen that allows users to write and send emails directly from a sheet of A4. Reuben Png's D:Scribe email pen Aside from fulfilling all your standard writing requirements, the D:Scribe pen’s designer Reuben Png also envisages it being able to recognise and capture …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 09:30

  • LG's mystery Communicator - what's it like?

    Camping World Congress Attention: Cargo Cults!

    We got our mitts on the mystery Communicator from LG at MWC today, and dear reader Kebabster, you are quite correct. The KT-610 isn't going to win any prizes in a design contest. We're not even sure it's a serious product, or just pads out LG's catalogue. But quite a few Reg readers value utility over bling, and this design …

    Mobile 13 Feb 2008, 09:49

  • Spielberg quits as Beijing Olympics advisor

    Cites Chinese involvement in Sudanese 'crimes against humanity'

    Steven Spielberg has quit as advisor to the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics in protest at the Chinese regime's backing of the Sudanese government, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Sudanese authorities have been heavily critised for failing to tackle violence in the country's Darfur region, in which the …

    Entertainment 13 Feb 2008, 09:59

  • Microsoft ready to play with PlayReady

    Mobile World Congress All your media are etc....

    Microsoft is proudly showing off its PlayReady technology at MWC, but woe betide anyone who describes it as a DRM platform. PlayRead was announced at last year's conference, but this time it's demonstrable. It comes with a slew of deployment announcements from Zimbabwe to Spain and includes Omnifone's MusicStation, used by …

    Mobile 13 Feb 2008, 10:33

  • EU to share data with Japan in anti-piracy deal

    'Cooperation is indispensable'

    Japan and the European Union have agreed to create an information exchange scheme to beat intellectual property crime. The countries made the agreement as part of a new trade co-operation deal. The protection of intellectual property was one of the three main aims of a recently-agreed deal to pool efforts in customs matters. …

    Law 13 Feb 2008, 10:34

  • Paleontologists unearth Mexican trumpet-playing hadrosaur

    The Louis Armstrong of the late Cretaceous?

    Researchers led by the Utah Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah have unearthed a new species of dinosaur - a massive plant-eater belonging to the hadrosaur group of plant-eating duck-billed dinos, which may have had the ability to bang out a tune using a fan-shaped bony crest on its skull. The 72-million-year- …

    Biology 13 Feb 2008, 10:59

  • Panasonic says when it will ship 32GB SDHC

    But SanDisk in on the case too

    Anyone with a hunger for shed-loads of memory card capacity will soon be satisfied, because Panasonic's announced that its 32GB SDHC card will be available to buy worldwide in April. Panasonic's 32GB SDHC memory card The card, a prototype of which was shown off by Panasonic at last month's CES show in Las Vegas, carries a …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 11:08

  • Tools vendors stuck on UML and agility

    Give us our refactoring moment

    People sometimes do a double take when I talk about analysis, design and agility in the same sentence. And if I mention UML and agility, they spin round several times and fall over. At the expense of inviting a flurry of email replies for posing a rhetorical question, I have to ask: why? Aside from the analysis paralysis issue …

    Software 13 Feb 2008, 11:16

  • Morse shrugs off market uncertainty

    Meets H1 expectations, confident on second half

    IT services group Morse said it was unflustered by the turmoil rocking the financial markets as it unveiled its interim results today. The firm, which has recently been shedding its non-services businesses, turned in consolidated revenues of £123.8m for the period ending December 31, compared to £132.2m a year ago. Pre-tax …

    Channel Register 13 Feb 2008, 11:26

  • Microsoft dishes out six critical updates

    And a further five 'important' patches

    Microsoft released eleven patches yesterday, with six of them meriting a critical rating. The critical updates affect the WebDAV Mini-Redirector, Object Linking and Embedding Automation, Microsoft Word, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office 2000, XP and 2003, and Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac. They all focus on flaws in the …

    Software 13 Feb 2008, 11:30

  • Indian IT sector will employ 2m by end of 2008

    Still running like a train

    The Indian IT industry is on track to hit revenues of $64bn, up 33 per cent, by the end of this year and to employ some two million people. Figures from Nasscom - the National Association of Software and Service Companies - predict software and services exports will be worth $40bn, while domestic sales raise $23bn in the …

    Channel Register 13 Feb 2008, 11:33

  • Murdoch taps HP boss for News Corp boardroom

    Ink-stained veterans join hands

    HP boss Mark Hurd has joined the board of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp on the recommendation of the Silicon Valley veteran who blew the whistle on the 2006 journo spying scandal at the IT vendor. Hurd will serve on News Corp's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. His appointment was at the suggestion of VC giant Thomas …

    Channel Register 13 Feb 2008, 11:35

  • Cops hunt charred power cable thief

    11,000V + hacksaw = bang

    Derbyshire Police are looking for a "badly scorched" wannabe copper cable thief who decided it was a lucrative idea to hacksaw through an 11,000V power line, Reuters reports. Almost 800 residents in the village of Creswell were blacked out on Saturday night for several hours after the bright spark made his pitch for Darwin …

    Bootnotes 13 Feb 2008, 11:56

  • Mobile World Congress Alcatel unveils stack of sexy-but-budget phones

    That purveyor of cheap but stylish handsets Alcatel today took the wraps off its 2008 line-up. While none of the new phone will challenge the heavyweights when it comes to features, they do the basics - and they're smart lookers too. Alcatel's flagship phone is the OT-V770, and if you're not impressed by its 220 x 176 display …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 11:56

  • TomTom launches file-sharing service

    Turn right at the next byte

    You don't often get something for nothing. However, TomTom has launched a free content-sharing website for users of its GPS navigators. The website allows one user to upload content, such as their unit's personalised start-up image, and then other folk can download it onto a TomTom. The manufacturer said users will have access …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 12:01

  • Firefox 3 beta is live

    Get 'em while they're hot, unstable and buggy

    The Mozilla Corporation has released a beta version of Firefox 3 for download, but is warning it is not ready for "casual users" yet. You can get the browser here. It's available in 30 languages and claims several new features and improvements. The browser has architectural changes which should make page rendering quicker, …

    Applications 13 Feb 2008, 12:07

  • Nokia parades recycled handset

    The phone that's rubbish

    A Nokia executive has shown off a concept handset made from recycled cans at this year's Mobile World Congress (MWC) show in Barcelona. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com During a keynote speech, the Finnish mobile phone giant's chief executive, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, pulled a silver clamshell handset …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 12:30

  • NHS Direct launches text message service

    MY LFT RM IS TNGLNG

    NHS Direct has launched a text messaging service providing details of local health services. The pilot is linked to the already-available information service on Freeview digital TV, which was launched in December. Send a text message to 61121 containing the name of the service required and a postcode and a response will be …

    Public Sector 13 Feb 2008, 12:36

  • US may shoot down spy sat to safeguard tech secrets

    Talk about aggressive rights enforcement

    US defence officials are considering shooting down a rogue American spy satellite in order to prevent its top-secret technology falling into enemy hands, according to reports. Aviation Week revealed yesterday that Pentagon sources had confirmed the sat shootdown plans, though it is not yet certain that the US will put them …

    Science 13 Feb 2008, 12:47

  • Brit stargazers get Gemini reprieve

    Back on the 'scopes - for now

    British astronomers will continue to enjoy access to the Gemini telecope programme following an apparent Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) U-turn on its decision last month to withdraw from the consortium. The shock announcement would have left the UK's stargazers unable to view the Northern Hemisphere sky with …

    Space 13 Feb 2008, 12:49

  • Pssst! Here's ECS' 'super 3G' sub-notebook

    Mobile World Congress HSUPA and HSDPA built in

    There's not much to say about ECS' 11in G10IL laptop other than the fact that it has built-in tri-band HSDPA and HSUPA 'super 3G' technology for downloads of up to 7.2Mb/s and 2Mb/s, respectively. ECS' G10IL: winner That's one reason that helped it with the GSMA's award for best pre-production mobile broadband notebook, but …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 12:59

  • Armed police swoop on MP3-packing mechanic

    4GB 'pistol' provokes Stoke-on-Trent kerfuffle

    An innocent Stoke-on-Trent garage mechanic enjoyed a spell in the cells after armed cops held him at gunpoint having mistaken his MP3 player for a pistol, the Daily Mail reports. Darren Nixon, 28, was grooving to some tunes on his black 4GB Philips on his way to catch a bus on 26 January "when a woman thought she saw him …

    Bootnotes 13 Feb 2008, 13:27

  • FBI issues prosthetic pregnant belly bomb alert

    Terrorist bang in the oven

    The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are warning US law enforcement agencies to keep a sharp look-out for "a new type of terrorism" in which apparently-pregnant women suddenly go bang due to the fact they aren't really mums-to-be at all, but cold-hearted suicide bombers packing explosives inside a swelling prosthetic …

    Bootnotes 13 Feb 2008, 13:38

  • HMRC self-assessment online gets awards nod

    Steps up for gong, trips on way down

    UK taxpayers will have been spluttering into their keyboards today to see HMRC's self-assesment website praised to the skies by the judges of an e-government awards ceremony. Gov tech website Publictechnology.net has recently been running case studies on the finalists in its e-government National Awards, which were handed out …

    Public Sector 13 Feb 2008, 13:51

  • Miidio speakers promise good vibrations

    "Help me Rhonda..."

    If you like music to shake you to your very core then you'll love the vibrating speakers from Miidio, because they boost their output sounds through flat surfaces, such as your table. Miidio's UFO speaker: vibrates on contact The speaker, which comes in three different designs, captures sound signals from a music source, …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 14:02

  • HP latches onto Qualcomm's Gobi chipset

    Mobile World Congress We don't need no stinking Wi-Fi

    HP is to incorporate Qualcomm's Gobi chips into its laptops, supporting both CDMA and GSM 3G technologies and making Wi-Fi connectivity redundant. The Gobi chipset is designed to provide the international traveller with connectivity everywhere (or at least everywhere with 3G, except Japan) and, by reusing as many components as …

    Data Networking 13 Feb 2008, 14:43

  • Nerf takes aim at the Wii

    With foam bullets, mind

    Gaming megapublisher Electronic Arts (EA) and foam projectile gun designer Nerf are rumoured to be working on a firearm that could be used with Nintendo’s Wii console. The Nerf/EA Blaster Controller for the Wii. Image courtesy of ShackNews Photos of the so-called Blaster Controller have shown up online and were, according …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 14:48

  • Academics propose carbon-capture kit for cars

    I will also turn water to petrol, says prof

    US-based researchers have unveiled a cunning plan for future motoring in which carbon-capture technology would be used aboard vehicles. The stored carbon would then be recovered at filling stations and - rather than being "sequestered" underground or wherever - get reprocessed back into synthetic fuel. "We wanted to create a …

    Science 13 Feb 2008, 15:10

  • US scientists puncture the ethanol biofuel bubble

    Crop switch likely to increase emissions

    Good science news (or bad, depending on your point of view) has arrived with two reports on the carbon footprint of biofuels, in the paper edition of Science magazine. They deal serious damage to the belief - which up to now has been driving the biofuel bubble - that stepped-up ethanol production in the US is an answer to global …

    Environment 13 Feb 2008, 15:31

  • Jabra unveils titanium talker

    It's a Jacob Jensen, didn't you know?

    Jabra has extended its range of fashion-centric Bluetooth headsets with a brushed anodized titanium design, dubbed the JX20 Purea. Jabra's JX20 Bluetooth headset has a titanium shell The headset has been designed by Jacob Jensen, former head of design at Bang & Olufsen, who designed Jabra's existing JX10 Bluetooth device. …

    Reg Hardware 13 Feb 2008, 16:06

  • Government wants every English child on 'secure' database

    Cos they know all about 'secure' databases...

    The government will announce plans tomorrow to give every English child an identifying number and a database entry of their school qualifications. The idea, if that's not too strong a word, is that the database will include a mini-CV which employers will be able to check. Every child of 14 will get a Unique Learning Number, …

    Public Sector 13 Feb 2008, 16:13

  • Students win appeal against cyberjihad convictions

    'Thought crime' verdict overturned

    Five British muslim students jailed for downloading extremist material from the internet were released today, after the Appeal Court ruled their convictions were unsafe. The Lord Chief Justice said that although the evidence was clear that the five had accessed the jihadi websites and literature there was no proof of any …

    Policing 13 Feb 2008, 16:19

  • EU menaces migrants with border biometrics, dragnets

    Want to become a European? Tough

    The Brussels government is working on plans for a range of aggressive new border-control measures designed to prevent mass migration into Europe - particularly from points south and east. The Wall Street Journal reports today that draft EU laws will be put forward for consideration by member states which would implement …

    Policing 13 Feb 2008, 16:53

  • Legal, major label DRM-free MP3s hit UK (at last)

    Play.com gets the mainstream jump on Apple and Amazon

    Play.com, the Jersey-based entertainment retailer, has beaten Apple and Amazon to the punch today by opening the UK's first mainstream* legal digital rights management-free music download store with major label backing. Amazon has yet to replicate its US digital store on this side of the Atlantic, and a spokesman for the firm …

    Music and Media 13 Feb 2008, 17:32

  • Comcast cops to BitTorrent busting

    Eight months later

    Eight months after an independent researcher revealed that Comcast was secretly throttling BitTorrent and other P2P traffic, the beleaguered American ISP has at last admitted that's exactly what it's doing. Of course, Comcast thinks this throttling is one great idea. And the company continues to deny it did this for months …

    Telecoms 13 Feb 2008, 18:58

  • Sun will have data centers after all

    Ignore our overzealous blogger

    Sun Microsystems has returned to its senses and re-committed to having data centers. Brian Cinque, a Sun internal IT leader, made a name for himself last month by declaring that his company would cut its data centers in half by 2013 and then do away with internal IT systems altogether – like magic – by 2015. Would Sun buy …

    Servers 13 Feb 2008, 19:45

  • FTC lists 2007's top consumer frauds

    Internet still a den of thieves

    For the seventh year in a row, identity theft is the number one complaint reported to the US Federal Trade Commission. Americans reported 20 per cent more cases of consumer fraud in 2007 over the previous year, with nearly a third of the 813,899 complaints related to stealing personal data. The FTC released its latest damage …

    Crime 13 Feb 2008, 22:06

  • Google in mass 404 land grab

    'Don't squat on us, but we'll squat on you'

    So, Google doesn't like other people hijacking their web pages, but it's more than happy to hijack someone else's. On December 8, the ever sneaky Canadian cable and telcom giant Rogers Communications was caught inserting Rogers-centric messages onto third party web sites. Since Rogers's high-speed internet service is co- …

    Music and Media 13 Feb 2008, 23:38

  • MayDay! MayDay! Ruskies reinvent cyber crime

    Not your father's botnet

    Researchers have unearthed two previously undetected botnets that exhibit sophisticated new capabilities that could significantly advance the dark art of cyber crime. One of them, dubbed MayDay by security firm Damballa, uses new ways to send and receive instructions to infected machines. One communication method uses standard …

    Crime 13 Feb 2008, 23:42