20th February 2008 Archive

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US Supremes reject challenge to warrantless wiretapping

ACLU complains of a Catch-22

The US Supreme Court has refused to hear a challenge to the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping program. The American Civil Liberties Union and others, representing reporters, lawyers and Muslim groups, argued in court documents that the surveillance program violated constitutional guarantees to privacy. They also …

Government 20 Feb 2008, 00:13
Microsoft preps Yahoo! proxy attack

Fair's fair

When Bill Gates says an offer is fair, he means it. According to The New York Times' DealBook blog, Microsoft will soon spark a Yahoo! proxy fight rather than up its $44.6bn bid for the beleaguered Web portal. An increased bid would cost the company billions more, but sources tell DealBook that Microsoft could launch a proxy …

Channel Register 20 Feb 2008, 01:15
Huge VAT fraud tab eclipses EU's age-old scams

'Something must be done,' MEPs thunder

Carousel and VAT fraud is far outstripping Europeans' traditional financial fiddles on EU funds, prompting MEPs to call on the European Commission to overhaul its anti-fraud operation to combat the problem. MEPs yesterday voted to adopt an “own initiative” report on the commission’s 2005 and 2006 reports on its fight against …

Channel Register 20 Feb 2008, 06:02
UK PC maker launches three-core Phenom line

AMD's 8000 series in the wild

UK PC supplier Mesh has jumped the gun on AMD's official announcement and begun offering desktops based on the chip maker's three-core Phenom 8000-series processors. Mesh is currently listing a pair of tri-core systems on its website, one based on the 2.1GHz, 2MB L3 Phenom 8400, the other on the 2.3GHz, 2MB L3 8600. The 8600- …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 06:02
O2 binds Bluebook SMS security bug

Yet more URL manipulation mischief

O2 has plugged a security hole that allowed customers to view text messages sent by other UK subscribers online. The issue involves O2's Bluebook application, which allows subscribers to save any text messages they send or receive for viewing online. Coding errors in Bluebook created a means for registered users to view other …

Enterprise Security 20 Feb 2008, 07:02
Ricoh unwraps 10Mp digicam duo

One for you, and one for me

Ricoh has unveiled two ten-megapixel cameras: a redesign to an earlier model and a brand-spanking new snapper. Ricoh's R8: replaces the R7 Ricoh’s 7.1x optical wide-angle zoom lens Caplio R8 is the successor to the existing R7 camera, and improves on its 8.1-megapixel predecessor by also doubling the 2.7in LCD's resolution …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 08:56
Qualcomm and the real story behind Mobile World Congress

Analysis Intellectual booty

The story behind the story is always more interesting, somehow, than the story itself; and the story behind last week's Mobile World congress wasn't just the obvious stuff about backhaul capacity. Instead, people were mumbling furtively about piracy - intellectual piracy, that is. You know, like intellectual property, but …

Mobile 20 Feb 2008, 09:02
HD DVD firesale begins on eBay

Defunct format sell-off

eBay said today it expects to an increase in listings for HD DVD products following Toshiba's announcement yesterday that it is going to ditch its optical disc format. "With a large variety of now defunct entertainment formats, including Betamax and Mini Disc being regularly traded and ultimately becoming collecters items, [we …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 09:02
Symantec Endpoint Security throws out error bugs

Update But remains functional, company says

Symantec is working on a patch for a bug that generates errors in corporate security protection updates. Workarounds designed to quell the message storm are available but a more comprehensive fix is still in testing. The glitch in the Symantec's LiveUpdate package has left sysadmins managing Symantec Endpoint Protection …

Enterprise Security 20 Feb 2008, 09:02
Intel brings forward tech for low-cost PCs

More desktop, notebook Eee-alikes on the way

Intel has brought forward the launch of its 'Shelton' platform for budget-priced PCs, it has been claimed. Originally due in Q3, the technology for desktops and notebooks will now debut in May. Shelton is based around the 45nm, single-core 1.6GHz 'Diamondville' processor and variants of the 945G integrated chipset. …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 09:19
Sony sells $835m PS3 CPU plant to Toshiba

Consolation prize?

Sony today re-iterated its plan to sell its Cell processor chip factory to Toshiba, which will pay ¥90bn ($835m) for the facility. Toshiba's buying the plant in Western Japan, but it'll be run by a joint-venture co-owned by the two giants. The JV was announced in October 2007, part of Sony's plan to exit the costly chip …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 09:38
Jedi to open Surrey academy

Home Counties feel the Force

Wannabe Jedi Knights are advised to brush up on their lightsaber techniques, dust off their copy of the Jedi Handbook, and get down to Surrey, where two Star Wars aficionados have announced their intention to open a training centre dedicated to promoting the popular alternative religion. The plan is the brainchild of Daniel …

Bootnotes 20 Feb 2008, 09:57
Government 'lost' DNA data on 2,000 criminal suspects

More crimes committed before disc found

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the latest government institution facing humiliation over its inability to properly deal with sensitive data. The CPS was sent files on 2,000 serious criminal suspects, including DNA profiles, by Dutch police over a year ago. Dutch authorities were hoping the CPS would check the files and …

Government 20 Feb 2008, 10:15
US man saved by bulletproof DVD

Disc takes a slug for South Carolina fire chief

A South Carolina fire chief caught up in a scuffle for a gun had a close shave when a ricocheted bullet hit a DVD in his jacket pocket, saving him from a slug in the guts. Barry McRoy, director of Colleton County's Fire and Rescue Department, had popped into Walterboro Waffle House early on Saturday morning after helping put …

Bootnotes 20 Feb 2008, 10:51
All aboard the WS-* standards express

Myths and legends IBM and Microsoft in the driving seat

It seems there is a disquieting trend in IT: concepts are getting steadily vaguer, and claims harder to verify. Take web services, for instance. The very name is disingenuous. They are services of a kind, but they don't have much to do with the web. Their key protocol is SOAP, which stands for Simple Object Access Protocol. …

Software 20 Feb 2008, 11:02
Some firm named Unisys does something

Has to do with servers and services

Unisys. Unisys. Unisys. No, we can't quite rememb . . . Oh, that's right - the company that sells hardware and services. Some of you might not be old enough to remember Unisys, but that's okay because there's a new Unisys for you to explore. Where the old Unisys sold hulking servers and offered services, the new Unisys sells …

Servers 20 Feb 2008, 11:18
Turn your monitor into an HD TV, says Asus

Add-on box

Want an HD TV on the cheap? Asus this week launched a box that'll turn a standard flat-panel PC monitor into a hi-def telly. There's an element of 'solution seeking problem' here, we think. But bear with Asus for the moment. Its HDTV Suite-HDMI - as the box is called - incoporates inputs for HDMI, VGA/DVI, TV aerial, RCA …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 11:19
Intel rolls out Skulltrail high-end gaming mobo

Dem bones, dem bones

Intel has formally launched 'Skulltrail', its two-CPU gaming motherboard that's ready for both AMD's CrossFire and Nvidia's SLI multi-GPU technologies. Skulltrail - which Register Hardware reviewed last month - can take two quad-core 3.2GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9775 processors - essentially a pair of server-oriented Xeon CPUs with …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 11:38
Restored Vulcan hits financial turbulence

More cash needed for flight test programme

The trust which last October successfully got Avro Vulcan XH558 back into the air following a £6.5m restoration is rattling its tin again amid fears it may not have the cash to make the aircraft ready for the 2008 airshow season. The Vulcan to the Sky trust explains that its cash shortfall is due to "potential sponsors [who] …

Science 20 Feb 2008, 11:46
Mozilla opens the doors on Messaging subsidiary

Thunderbird is go

The Mozilla Foundation has opened up a new subsidiary tasked with developing the Thunderbird email software package. Mozilla Messaging will initially focus on the development of Thunderbird 3, which promises improved features including integrated calendaring and better search. The new non-profit organisation is also interested …

Applications 20 Feb 2008, 11:48
Mio DigiWalker C620T true 3D satnav

Review All-terrain armoured transport

Every office has a luddite, even an organisation so devoted to the new and the technological as Register Hardware. There's always at least one person who clings to his or her fear and loathing of some aspect of the modern world. For instance, whenever a new satnav system would arrive here, our very own exemplar of the breed …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 12:02
Northern Rock FOI gag 'out of order' say Tories

Turning the air blue

The inclusion of a paragraph in the bill to nationalise the Northern Rock which exempts the bank from the Freedom of Information Act is completely unacceptable, according to the Tories. The legislation to bring the bank into public ownership includes a paragraph which states that the Northern Rock should not be covered by the …

Government 20 Feb 2008, 12:19
Software glitch hits Heathrow T4 baggage system

Flying today? Not with those cases you're not

Heathrow's Terminal 4 was yesterday hit by a software glitch which affected its baggage-handling capacity, the knock-on effect of which means that some passengers travelling have been told to leave any hold baggage at home. BAA's website currently offers: "The Teminal 4 baggage system is temporarily experiencing a reduction in …

IT Director 20 Feb 2008, 12:21
BBC mulls dropping Flash as iPlayer meets iPhone

Updated iDontbelieveit!

The BBC is considering ditching Adobe's Flash system for its iPlayer streams to improve the video quality of the on-demand service, it said on Tuesday. The news came alongside an announcement that iPlayer will be available on Apple iPhone and iPod Touch in the next few weeks. The move is unrelated to the BBC's commercial arm …

Applications 20 Feb 2008, 12:24
Sony beams down Bluetooth Walkman

Media player line-up extended

Sony has cut the cord and unveiled the latest walkman media players, now with Bluetooth connectivity to ensure you’re never entangled by cables when transferring music or just singing along. Sony's Walkman: ships with either 4GB or 8GB The player comes with a choice of 8GB or 4GB capacity - dubbed the NWZ-A828 and the NWZ- …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 12:28
Redmond puts key Vista update on ice

Now you see it, now you don't

Microsoft has suspended distribution of one of the updates required for Vista service pack one (SP1), after customers complained that their PCs wouldn’t boot up properly once KB937287 had been applied. The servicing stack update, which was pushed out to the Windows Update site last week, is an essential part of the Vista SP1 …

Operating Systems 20 Feb 2008, 12:47
Diners in 'suck my d**k' bill outrage

NSFW Restaurant service without a smile

A group of chums who were less than impressed with the service at a Staffordshire restaurant learned the hard way that you don't mess with England's waiting staff and walk away unscathed. The 10 friends had booked a table in the Joe Delucci's Italian restaurant in Lichfield for 8pm last Friday. Clare Watkin, 32, recounted to …

Bootnotes 20 Feb 2008, 12:59
Die for Gaia, save the planet?

The Soylent wing of the Green movement examined

The enviroloonies seem to have found their way out of the asylum again: this time to tell us that 70 per cent of Britons should die for the sake of Gaia. That's not quite the way they put it, of course. Rather, the Optimum Population Trust (there's a pedantic part of me that wants to tell them it's Optimal) tells us that the …

Environment 20 Feb 2008, 13:00
Space shuttle descends: Satellite turkey-shoot to commence

Updated US Navy books vast Pacific firing area five days running

The American military has issued further warning notices to aircraft and shipping in the Pacific, offering further opportunities for US warships to destroy a malfunctioning secret spy satellite before it descends to Earth. Meanwhile, NASA has cleared the space shuttle Atlantis to land as scheduled in Florida this afternoon, …

Space 20 Feb 2008, 14:02
Ban booze in supermarkets, says health adviser

Cunning plan to combat binge drinking

A health adviser to the government has formulated a cunning plan to tackle the UK's binge drinking epidemic which some claim has seen this green and pleasant land converted into a booze-fuelled version of a bad Saturday night in the Democratic Republic of Congo - simply ban the sale of alcohol in supermarkets. According to the …

Biology 20 Feb 2008, 14:15
Points mean passports: Citizenship Smith unveils 'like us' plan

Inclusive 'cohere or scram' scheme for migrants

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith today put forward a scaled-down version of a 'points for passports' citizenship scheme floated last summer. Under plans announced to Parliament today, non-EU immigrants would be faced with a pre-citizenship probationary period involving a deal of conspicuous joining in, and they may not have a lot of …

Government 20 Feb 2008, 15:02
Channel 4 music video provider goes titsup

Bum note

Musicbrigade, a Swedish company that provided websites including Channel4.com with music video content, has gone titsup.com. A message at the company's former website says: Musicbrigade has ceased to exist, at least in its current form! If you'd like to buy the Musicbrigade domain names, software and/or the server hardware, …

Financial News 20 Feb 2008, 15:03
Drunken Korean attempts to cook landlady's Chihuahua

Result? Fire, cuffs, etc

A South Korean man suffering from a bad case of the booze-fuelled munchies decided his landlady's Chihuahua would do nicely as a post-session snack, but ended up part-flambéd and cuffed for his trouble. The 52-year-old canine chef, named only as Park, kidnapped said mutt while his 69-year-old landlady was in the bathroom of …

Bootnotes 20 Feb 2008, 15:07
UML officially an unfunny matter

An action and an artifact walk into a bar...

Contrary to popular opinion, programmers are not a dry and humourless bunch. What old mainframer can fail to chortle at seeing the graffiti legend "Data error rules, OC7"? No, software development is rife with humor, a fact that sometimes lands the authors of hidden jokers in hot water. There are some things, though, you can' …

Software 20 Feb 2008, 15:41
Dell tells channel: You're not just a bit on the side

Snuggles up to dealers and talks prices

Dell is gunning to sign up a select bunch of channel resellers to the certification part of its two-tier programme over the next few months. The firm's new UK channel director Andy Dow said Dell no longer thinks of the channel as simply being “something on the side”. Dow, who was speaking at a Professional Computing …

Channel Register 20 Feb 2008, 15:47
The internet as a platform? Not as ISP bloodbath looms

iPlayer the assassin

After 15 years of utopian gibberish about the "internet as a platform" that (of course) "changes everything", the pigeons are finally flying home to roost. In 2008, IP networks look less like the future of media, and more like tarpits that promise to bankrupt anyone who tries to run one. Especially the middlemen - as the …

Telecoms 20 Feb 2008, 15:58
Miami cops trial 'hover and stare' ducted-fan Dalek

Portable petrol powered perv-patrols for 'urban tactics'

Miami police have purchased a small Dalek-like aerial surveillance droid capable of "hover and stare" missions. The American cops intend to trial the flying wastebin surveillance platform in urban "tactical operations". "Hover-&-stare" in Army hands. The machine in question is Honeywell's Micro Air Vehicle, or MAV, also in …

Science 20 Feb 2008, 16:33
Shamed 'alternative medicine' quack silences web critic

Jelly spine cure urgently needed by ISP

A discredited doctor has forced an ISP to silence a website that aimed to debunk claims made by his "Royal College of Alternative Medicine" (RCAM). The website, Quackometer, run by Oxfordshire IT worker Andy Lewis, was shuttered by ISP Netcetera on Monday following threats to sue for defamation from Joseph Chikelue Obi. The …

Telecoms 20 Feb 2008, 16:34
Ringin' in the old days

Update for the old classic retro phone

If you long for the…ahem… ‘good’ old days of people listening to the wireless and times when telephones were luxury items, then you’re bound to have a soft spot for the retro wired telephone, that’s actually wireless. The Grand Cordless Phone has the looks of a traditional telephone... Yes, it’s a strange concept. But, the …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 17:19
Wii Fit to hit UK in April

Mario Kart en-route too

Make a note in your diary and start limbering up, because Nintendo has finally revealed that both the Wii Fit and Mario Kart video games will hit the UK in April. Nintendo's Balance Board for Wii Fit The official UK release date for Wii Fit, which has already sold over 1m copies in Japan since its release in December, will …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 17:21
Dated disk drive now with 7-in-1 card reader

Floppy disk bytes back

Just when you thought the traditional floppy disk drive was about to breathe its last breath, UK retailer Maplin has given it the kiss of life and unveiled an internal floppy disk drive with 7-in-1 card reader. Maplin's floppy disk drive with 7-in-1 card reader Aside from housing a 3.5in bay for the floppy disk, the unit …

Reg Hardware 20 Feb 2008, 17:31
Microsoft releases latest XP SP3 build

Still waiting for full version, though

Microsoft has flung open the door for anyone interested in getting their mitts on release candidate 2 of Windows XP SP3. The software giant had made RC2 of the final service pack of XP already available to several thousand beta testers a few weeks ago. Now, it feels brave enough to pump it out to the masses. Redmond has …

Operating Systems 20 Feb 2008, 18:24
FastScale dishes new Nicole Richie Composer Suite

What a slimming server

Dietary software specialist Fastscale has tied a bow around a new version of its flagship software and offered up the package to customers. Is there really software that helps you lose weight? Well, sort of. The FastScale premise revolves around the company keeping a centralized store of operating systems and applications. As …

Servers 20 Feb 2008, 18:33
Larry Lessig for Congress?

'Show your support right now'

Larry Lessig may battle Washington Corruption from the inside. Last last month, the Stanford Professor officially bid farewell to his longstanding fight for Free Culture, reiterrating that he's dead set on fixing America's money-happy political system. At the time, Lessig was vague in describing this crusade, but word has now …

Government 20 Feb 2008, 19:50
Unseen 'Marilyn Monroe' nude snap wows US expert

Madonna resemblance is uncanny...

A Marilyn Monroe expert has been left looking a bit of a twit after a photo he verified as being a hitherto unseen nude snap of Marilyn Monroe actually turned out to be one of unihibited popstress Madonna. Chris Harris was called in by Las Vegas couple Lawrence and Phyllis Nicastro. Mr Nicastro, 73, said he discovered the …

Entertainment 20 Feb 2008, 20:02
Latest China scare torpedos 3Com takeover

I trump your China card with my national security fears

3Com's proposed takeover by a US private equity firm and a Chinese rival lay in tatters today, with the three companies admitting defeat in their attempts to mollify US government national security concerns. 3Com stock plunged 20 per cent today on news that the company, along with wannabe owners Bain Capital and networking …

Channel Register 20 Feb 2008, 20:25
Data Domain makes de-dupe box for corporate boonies

Beams back remote office data to mothership

Data Domain wants to give its de-duplication technology a comfier fit in the wiring closet with a shrunken system for remote offices. The DD120 is a miniaturized edition of the Data Domain's current data de-dupe appliances, and is designed specifically to replicate data from a branch office to a company's data center HQ. …

Storage 20 Feb 2008, 22:25
Oz admits $85m p0rn filtering FAIL

'Let's do it again'

The Australian government has admitted that the AUS$85m it spent trying to protect kiddies from internet porn was AUS$85m too many. Little more than six months after Oz rolled out a free internet filter for concerned parents across the country, Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has dubbed the $85m scheme a " …

Government 20 Feb 2008, 22:28
Ubuntu chief ushers in the age of Intrepid Ibex

Goat boy's flehmen response

Canonical chief Mark Shuttleworth has revealed the name of the next Ubuntu release - Meeky Meerkat. Er, well, it's really called Intrepid Ibex and will likely arrive in Oct. as Ubuntu 8.10. It sounds as if Intrepid Ibex will center on laptop features such a tool to switch automatically between Wi-Fi and dial-in services. "A …

Servers 20 Feb 2008, 23:42
UK media consultant dupes 2.4m randy YouTubers

No 'Hot Girl Sex' for you!

UK "media consultancy" ST16 has discovered the secret to viral marketing: Hot Girl Sex. Today, a pr flack tossed us an email explaining that ST16 just won the New York Film Festival's International Gold Award for a "viral film" called Steamy Windows. In just six months, the press release said, the film attracted over 2.4m …

Music and Media 20 Feb 2008, 23:52