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3rd March 2008 Archive

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  • Microsoft's data center offensive sounds offensive

    24 new information plants rumored

    Microsoft appears on the verge of ambushing rivals with a data center shock and awe initiative. Rumors of Microsoft's great "cloud" build out arrive from Nick Carr. The technology pundit has been hearing things, and apparently the voices are not just in his head. They're the voices of Microsoft insiders falling over themselves …

    Servers 3 Mar 2008, 05:21

  • Jimbo Wales dumps lover on Wikipedia

    eBay hath fury of woman scorned

    On one level, it's an encyclopedia. On another, it's The Comedy of Errors. Over the weekend, in response to a story from Valleywag, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales used the world's most popular online encyclopedia as a means of dumping his girlfriend - onetime Fox News pundit Rachel Marsden. Marsden responded by …

    Media 3 Mar 2008, 06:22

  • Underground tools foil generic virus detection

    Covert malware testing

    Cybercrooks are developing covert tools to test malware before releasing it. The effectiveness of malicious code is largely determined by whether or not it's detected by anti-virus scanners. By replicating the scans of leading security products using test tools located on underground forums and web pages, miscreants gain the …

    Security 3 Mar 2008, 09:06

  • Spanish bull breeder to clone prize stud

    Fighting spirit - at a price

    A Spanish breeder of fighting bulls will pay €30,000-35,000 to clone his prize stud "Alcalde", "rather than risk buying a traditionally bred replacement", Reuters reports. Victoriano del Rio, from Guadalix de la Sierra, near Madrid, hopes that the perfect genetic copy will in the future sire offspring to match those of the …

    Science 3 Mar 2008, 09:38

  • CERN completes 'world’s largest jigsaw puzzle'

    Slots final major component into Large Hadron Collider

    The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) last Friday lowered into position the final major component of its Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - a 100-tonne "small" wheel which forms part of the ATLAS muon spectrometer. The last piece of the "world’s largest jigsaw puzzle", as CERN puts it, was lowered down the 100 metre …

    Science 3 Mar 2008, 10:25

  • Bolluxed router configuration? Click here for help

    Marketing email tells it like it is

    Here's a refreshingly frank marketing email to start the week, courtesy of PacketTrap Network Management Solutions: The Failures: Sluggish network...*#$!%!....Is it the server? The application? How about a bolluxed router configuration? An overtaxed port on a switch? Or it could be...just about a few hundred other things... …

    Bootnotes 3 Mar 2008, 11:01

  • Route 66 Mini Regional

    Review Bargain

    If good things do indeed come in small - and cheap - packages then Route 66 should be on to a winner with its pocket-sized Mini satnav. At the same time 'small' could equally mean the screen is illegible, while 'cheap' could mean that when you ask it to take you to Dorking it takes you to Skegness instead. With external …

    Science 3 Mar 2008, 11:57

  • T-Mobile sinks money into femtocells

    Tiny cell vendor finds room for operator cash

    T-Mobile Ventures, the investment arm of the network operator, has announced a strategic investment in Ubiquisys, the femtocell manufacturer that already counts Google among its backers. Neither company is saying how much is being invested, but they are saying "strategic" rather than "significant", and as Ubiquisys raised $25m …

    Mobile 3 Mar 2008, 12:08

  • Bain and Huawei return to 3com buy-out table

    Will they appease US concerns this time around?

    Bain and Huawei's planned $2.2bn buyout of 3Com is back on. The two firms plan to resubmit their bid under the same financial terms with the difference that Huawei will receive only restricted access to 3Com's security products, the Wall Street Journal reports. 3Com's TippingPoint division sells intrusion prevention technology …

    The Channel 3 Mar 2008, 12:11

  • Polish builder sacked for humping hoover

    London kids' hospital outrage

    A Polish building contractor working at London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital was given his marching orders after a security guard caught him having sex with a Henry Hoover, the Sun reports. The unnamed perv was supposed to be locking up the site, at hospital admin offices, but was instead discovered in the staff …

    Bootnotes 3 Mar 2008, 12:16

  • Intel launches Atom brand for UMPC CPUs

    Centrino version too

    Intel has launched 'Silverthorne' and 'Diamondville', its two processor families developed from the ground-up for UMPCs and low-cost computers like the Asus Eee. Both will be made available as the Atom processor and platforms based around them as Centrino Atom. The Atom CPUs are Core 2 Duo compatible. Fabbed at 45nm, they …

    Hardware 3 Mar 2008, 12:30

  • Asus revs compact Lamborghini laptop

    Smaller model for city use?

    Asus has introduced a compact version of its Lamborghini laptop, redesigning the sportscar-styled machine around a 12.1in widescreen display. The Lamborghini VX3 will come with Intel's Centrino brand - the laptop has a 2.5GHz, 45nm 'Penryn' Core 2 Duo T9300 on board, an Intel PM965 chipset and the chip giant's 802.11n 4965ABGN …

    Hardware 3 Mar 2008, 12:52

  • Fujitsu Siemens pitches Eee-style sub-notebook at pros

    Updated Launches 1kg Centrino tablet with 8.9in screen

    Fujitsu Siemens is taking on the likes of Asus, Toshiba and Sony with ultra-compact 1kg laptop of its own, this one with a 8.9in, 1280 x 768 display and HSDPA/HSUPA 3G connectivity. Fujitsu Siemens' Lifebook P1620: Eee beater? The high-speed cellular technology is optional, but if you don't want to pay a premium for it, the …

    Hardware 3 Mar 2008, 13:37

  • Microsoft's cloudy vision revealed

    Good news or bad news for partners?

    Microsoft is expanding its existing online services to businesses of all sizes. Redmond, which appears to have been busily building its data centre empire, presumably in readiness for its online assault, said yesterday that it plans to widen the availability of its internet services for email and collaboration software. The " …

    The Channel 3 Mar 2008, 14:15

  • Northamber sees slight H1 upswing

    'Cautiously confident'

    IT equipment distributor Northamber PLC reported a first half rise in pre-tax profit and revenue helped by a moderate trading recovery and an overheads cutback. The Surrey-based firm saw pre-tax profit for the six months ended 31 December 2007 of £453,000 compared to £369,000 for the same period a year earlier. First half …

    The Channel 3 Mar 2008, 14:18

  • Apple's Time Capsule: is its HDD really 'server grade'?

    Pics suggest Mac maker's using desktop drives

    Apple's Time Capsule, which went on sale last week, may not be quite what the Mac maker maintains it is, in the storage department at least. Time Capsule is Apple's 802.11n Wi-Fi router with an integrated 500GB or 1TB "server-grade hard disk drive", to use Apple's words. But when one buyer took his TimeCapsule apart, he found …

    Hardware 3 Mar 2008, 14:30

  • Sony Ericsson site indicates Xperia 'arc slider' set-back

    Out in '09 not '08?

    Sony Ericsson may have run into some problems in the development of its first Windows Mobile handset, the Xperia X1, because the company appears to have put back the device’s launch from this year to 2009. Sony Ericsson's website reveals all The so-called "arc slider", which was announced during the Mobile World Congress …

    Mobile 3 Mar 2008, 14:48

  • Europe hits one million FTTH broadband connections

    But still lags US, Japan

    The number of countries with fibre to the home (FTTH) connections is continuing to expand, according to an updated global ranking issued by the Fibre to the Home (FTTH) Councils of Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America. Last week, an Informa report said there were already one million FTTH broadband connections in Europe. …

    Broadband 3 Mar 2008, 14:55

  • Endemol tech chief to be released from Dubai slammer

    Airport drugs investigation dropped

    Cat Le Huy, the television industry IT executive who was locked up in Dubai earlier this year by airport authorities on suspicion of drug smuggling, is to be released without charge. Le Huy, a German national known as "Diz" by colleagues at Endemol UK, was arrested on arrival in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when officials …

    Security 3 Mar 2008, 14:57

  • DoH IT projects overshoot budgets by £247,000

    'Unexpected technical issues'

    Five of 15 IT projects run by the Department of Health and its agencies are costing £247,000 more than expected. Health minister Ben Bradshaw produced the figures in response to a written parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat shadow chancellor Vince Cable. Bradshaw attributed the overspend to "unexpected technical …

    Policy 3 Mar 2008, 15:25

  • Baidu sued by Chinese copyright group

    Claims 'unfettered piracy'

    A music industry group in China said it sued Baidu.com earlier this year for the search engine's alleged violation of copyright involving more than 50 songs. Music Copyright Society of China released a statement last Friday in which group official Qu Jingming said Baidu had provided "music listening, broadcasting and …

    Media 3 Mar 2008, 15:34

  • Nokia unveils network-tied handset pair

    Vodafone and T-Mobile only

    Nokia clearly doesn’t want to show allegiance to just a single network operator, because it’s launched two new handsets: one of which is available through Vodafone, while the other’s only for T-Mobile customers. Nokia's 6124: Vodafone's special treat Vodafone has been granted access to the candybar 6124 handset, which has a …

    Phones 3 Mar 2008, 15:59

  • Ofcom stands up to Information Commissioner

    When regulators attack

    Ofcom is going to the High Court to stop the British public getting access to a list of every mobile phone mast in the UK. The telco regulator is appealing the Information Commissioner's decision that the public has the right to know where cellphone masts are located. Last September, an Information Tribunal ruled that the …

    Policy 3 Mar 2008, 16:07

  • Acer kick-starts smartphone biz with E-Ten buy

    New owner for Glofiish

    Acer-branded smartphones may soon become a common sight, because the acquisition-hungry PC manufacturer’s bought Taiwanese smartphone company E-Ten. E-Ten's Glofiish x800 will soon be owned by Acer The acquisition will set Acer back TWD$9bn (£145m/€210m/$290m) and is expected to be done and dusted in Q3. The purchase breaks …

    Phones 3 Mar 2008, 16:08

  • Smut peddlers and spammers invade Google Groups

    Junk bazaar

    Porn peddlers and spammers are upping their assault on Google Groups. Many links on the discussion group site link to porn aggregators, some of which redirect to malware sites pushing Trojan horse malware (such as VirusHeat) disguised as video codecs. Anti-spyware firm Sunbelt Software has identified more than 270 Google …

    Security 3 Mar 2008, 16:12

  • T-Mobile Germany schafts Nokia

    The radical price of zero handsets?

    Nokia's "All Your Base" services strategy looks like it's hitting more resistence - from Nokia's biggest customers. T-Mobile Germany is dropping handsets which carry Nokia's Ovi portal and services, according to reports. Nokia announced a huge new services initiative in late August. Under the Ovi umbrella brand and portal, …

    Mobile 3 Mar 2008, 16:15

  • Which powerline for multi-room TV?

    Q&A

    I have an external aerial socket in one room but want to watch TV in a room in a completely different part of the house. Indoor aerials even boosted do not give a clear enough picture and are ugly. I don't like wireless solutions and am thinking of getting some homeplug kit to use the mains wiring to link up my computing …

    Hardware 3 Mar 2008, 16:22

  • US, Canada seize fake Cisco goods

    Rotten routers

    US and Canadian authorities have seized counterfeit Cisco hardware and product labels worth an estimated $76m following more than 400 raids. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement last Thursday that Feds, customs officials and Royal Canadian Mounted Police have all been …

    The Channel 3 Mar 2008, 17:12

  • Nokia lands another punch on Qualcomm

    UK High Court sides with the Finnish

    Nokia has won another battle in its ongoing patent spat with Qualcomm, though neither side is claiming the war is over. Qualcomm was seeking to prevent Nokia handsets being sold in the UK, on the grounds that they infringed two of the San-Diego-based company's patents, but the judge ruled that one patent lacked novelty, while …

    Mobile 3 Mar 2008, 17:25

  • Zend to extend Windows PHP work

    LAMP's WAMP challenge

    Zend Technologies is turning to the application server, database and hosting worlds as future areas for improved performance of PHP running on Windows. Zend plans to fine tune and certify its PHP application server, Zend Platform, for Windows in the second or third quarter, to improve performance and monitoring in areas like …

    Applications 3 Mar 2008, 18:02

  • Ballmer deploys greenery in CeBIT charm offensive

    How software can save the world

    On his first trip to CeBIT in six years, Steve Ballmer is hoping to fix up Microsoft's somewhat tarnished image in Europe. Tonight, he's at the official CeBIT opening ceremony along with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, and German chancellor Angela Merkel. Rumour has it he'll …

    Science 3 Mar 2008, 18:58

  • Adaptec lobs Series 5 RAID controllers at SATA and SAS

    So enthusiastic, they skipped Series 4

    Adaptec is pushing a new generation of unified RAID controllers today, boosting the performance of its gear and ushering in a 28 port product. The Series 5 RAID controllers — capable of connecting with both SATA and SAS disks — use the Intel IOP348 I/O processor running at 1.2 GHz. The hardware comes in 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 28 …

    Storage 3 Mar 2008, 20:29

  • US government forces military secrets on Brit webmaster

    Sorry, we thought you were us

    A website promoting the town of Mildenhall has been shut down after it unintentionally became the recipient of hundreds of classified emails, including messages detailing the planned flight path of President Bush. Over more than a decade, www.mildenhall.com received emails detailing all kinds of secret military information …

    Government 3 Mar 2008, 20:38

  • NetScape Navigator put out to pasture

    This is the end

    AOL discontinued support for NetScape Navigator on Saturday. The browser, which gave many people their first experience of surfing the web, is still available for downloaded but will no longer be maintained or developed. Die-hard users will be left on their own without further security updates. AOL will continue to maintain the …

    Applications 3 Mar 2008, 20:50

  • NextIO grabs $19m for virtualized PCI Express extravaganza

    Dell licks lips

    NextIO has been stealthing away down in Austin, Texas, flying under the radar of most server customers. You can, however, be sure that the major server vendors know about this small shop. The start-up last week revealed a $19m funding round led by Adams Capital Management and Crescendo Ventures. That cash infusion brings …

    Servers 3 Mar 2008, 22:13

  • Nine Inch Nails cracks net distribution (maybe)

    Finally, a plan we can take seriously

    Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor has become the latest recording artist to bypass the traditional music distribution machine by releasing a 36-track album over the internet. The album, titled Ghosts I-IV, is available on the band's official website for prices that range from free to $300 depending on the package. Reznor is …

    Media 3 Mar 2008, 23:46