7th March 2008 Archive

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Bluetooth set to tech up pillow talk

CeBIT Rest you head for a natter

Imagine the scene: you’ve just come home from a night out and have flopped down on the bed to enjoy 40 winks, but then your friend rings. You want to chat, but can’t be bothered to hold the handset to your ear or hook on a Bluetooth headset. What do you do? purCushion integrates a microphone that connects to mobiles over …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 00:02
Sun's 256-thread African journey begins next month

Exclusive Meet T5140, T5240 and T5440

Sun Microsystems will leave the midwest and head to Africa next month with the release of its fanciest ever multi-core servers, The Register has learned. On April 9, Sun plans to unveil a line of systems known internally as the Maramba boxes. The 1U and 2U servers will run on the UltraSPARC T2+ processor - aka Victoria Falls …

Servers 7 Mar 2008, 00:50
Steve Jobs unveils plans to dominate RIM BlackBerry, Life, the Universe, and Everything

'We will build 12 Amazons. Or 4 Googles'

Apple will rejigger the iPhone in a sweeping effort to satisfy email-addicted business people, video game junkies, and third-party software developers who don't mind getting Apple's approval for their applications. Today, during a press fest at its Cupertino, California headquarters that did not include The Reg, Steve Jobs and …

Mobile 7 Mar 2008, 01:26
Relax JCP and Java license process - Spring father

QCon 2008 preview Less is more

Rod Johnson, chief executive of SpringSource, made his name both as a critic of bloated Java environments and as an advocate of a slimmed-down, pragmatic approach to Java-based development in enterprises. His experience as a consultant in the late 1990s prompted him to look at how Java had failed to deliver good results in …

Software 7 Mar 2008, 06:02
Supermarket sweeps up Medion satnav

Can i use my clubcard?

We’ve already seen supermarkets launch Medion's low-cost PCs, but if you navigate your way down to Aldi later this month, you’ll be able to spend a little and save a lot on a budget Medion satnav. Medion's E3212: spuds, chicken, bread, milk, satnav... The supermarket chain is attempting to lure customers to try something …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 09:02
HP wants R&D to be serious business

Reorganises labs for fun and profit

Hewlett-Packard is measuring out business suits for its research and development arm, HP Labs. The vendor is reshaping its prestigious - yet never terribly profitable - research arm to "balance exploratory research with an entrepreneurial approach", the company announced today during a press event at its Palo Alto, California, …

Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 09:54
.NET Framework fan? Get your online courses here

Activate and learn

Register Books is offering 20 per cent off all Microsoft’s Official Online Learning courses covering the .NET Framework 2.0, all of which can help you prepare for exam 70-536 TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation. These courses are delivered online and can be activated within minutes of placing …

Site News 7 Mar 2008, 10:01
PCMCIA pitches USB 3.0-friendly ExpressCard update

Doubling the bandwidth

The ExpressCard add-in standard for notebooks is to be updated to bring on board compatibility with USB 3.0, the PCMCIA organisation announced at CeBIT this week. ExpressCard 2.0 will double the data transfer rate between card and host to 5Gb/s - just above USB 3.0's target data speed, 4.7Gb/s. ExpressCard 2.0 will support USB …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 10:38
Casio's extends Exilim line-up

Room for another?

Growth of Casio's Exilim digicam series shows no signs of slowing, because the manufacturer has crammed yet another model into the brand, offering a high number of megapixels in a colourful metal body. Casio's EX-Z9: 8.1 megapixels and 3x optical zoom in a colourful shell The EX-Z9 has 8.1 megapixels and will be available …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 10:44
Phorm launches data pimping fight back

Interview CEO Kent Ertegrul on spyware, bullshit and opting-out

A week is a long time in internets. Last Friday we all felt like we were shouting at the bins about Phorm and its deals with BT, Virgin Media, and Carphone Warehouse. Now, you can't move for stories about data pimping and the massive change in people's relationship with their ISP Phorm represents, not to mention the new legal …

Telecoms 7 Mar 2008, 10:45
Magellan charts path to entry-level satnav trio

RoadMate brand expanded

Magellan has further expanded its range of basic in-car GPS products to include more models and more features. Magellan's 1425: flagship model The 1400, 1415 and 1425 all fall under the RoadMate brand, which already includes the 1200 series. Each new model has a 4.3in touch-sensitive widescreen display with an anti-glare …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 10:49
Stroustrup and Sutter: C++ to run and run

SD West 2008 10 is the new six

For the second year in a row organizers at the Software Development Conference & Expo West felt the super sessions hosted by C++ legends Bjarne Stroustrup and Herb Sutter were worth some ink on the event agenda. "There was a time in the late 1990s and early 2000s when they simply stopped advertising C++ sessions at this …

Software 7 Mar 2008, 11:02
Local councils dish out shoddy computer recycling advice

Delete data properly

People looking to recycle old computer kit are being given confusing advice by local councils that could lead to identity theft, a consumer group has warned. Which? Computing magazine telephoned more than 100 councils across the UK asking for information on how to safely recycle defunct computers and monitors. Only two fifths …

Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 11:06
DNA sequencing for the masses

Etech How far are we from Gattaca?

New fathers always think their newborn baby daughters are beautiful, and Hugh Reinhoff was no exception. Sure, she had giant feet, a cleft uvula, and contractures in some of her fingers. But those thoughts, along with a suspicion that her eyes were oddly widely spaced and her chin was a bit recessive, were easily forgotten in …

Biology 7 Mar 2008, 11:21
UK supercomputer probes secrets of universe

CP violation, kaons and the Standard Model

A team of theoretical particle physicists at Edinburgh University has applied some hefty computing power to one of the great unanswered questions of particle physics - why does the universe contain more matter than antimatter when, on paper at least, there should be equal amounts of both and we shouldn't exist at all. The …

Servers 7 Mar 2008, 11:31
Sony chews the Blu-ray fat with Microsoft

Apple too

Sony has confirmed that it's in talks with Microsoft about supporting Blu-ray Disc. Apparently, it has also been chatting to Apple, even though the Mac maker is already a Blu-ray Disc backer. The Japanese electronics giant’s US president, Stan Glasgow, told the Financial Times this week that Sony is talking to both companies. …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 11:31
Pentagon rattles sabre at Google's Street View

Search monolith banned from military bases

The US defence department has banned Google from capturing images of military facilities for its entertaining Street View facility on Google Maps following the shock discovery of intimate pics of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. It said in a statement that the offending snaps included "360-degree views of the covered …

Public Sector 7 Mar 2008, 11:47
Mobo makers show unlaunched Nvidia chipsets

CeBIT 790i, GeForce 8300, anyone?

A number of Nvidia's upcoming chipsets made unscheduled appearances at CeBIT this week, in particular the as-yet-unlaunched nForce 790i and variants. So did the 'MCP78', expected to debut as the GeForce 8000 series. Nvidia already offers the GeForce 8200 for AMD processors, but a few motherboard makers were showing off Intel …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 11:49
Mesh Ultimate Q8 Tri-SLI gaming PC

Review We've drooled - now it's time to see Nvidia's Tri-SLI in action

Everything about the Mesh Ultimate Q8 is imposing. The black CoolerMaster 832 aluminium case is 62cm long and 53 cm tall, and, according to our bathroom scales, weighs in at 22kg. We love the industrial looks of the case and a visiting (bloke) neighbour thought it looked dead impressive, though the missis thinks it's one of …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 12:02
BOFH: The secret gentlemen's club

Episode 8 Never say never again

It's mid afternoon and the PFY and I are sneaking around the building in pursuit of the IT director because he's acting funny... [READER: DEGAUSS NOW FOR FLASHBACK REALISM!] ...10 minutes ago... "Right, so you just want this signed then?" the director asks, scribbling blindly at the bottom of the page. "Okay, now if you'll …

BOFH 7 Mar 2008, 12:02
Intel talks up 'Eaglelake' DX10 chipset GPU tech

Confirms Q2 debut

Intel this week confirmed its 'Eaglelake' chipsets - the P45, P43, G45, G43, Q45 and Q43 - are indeed scheduled to debut in Q2. The integrated parts will incorporate the new GMA X4500 HD graphics engine. Actually, the G43 will use the GMA X4500, while the Q45, the Q43 and the unmentioned G41 - it's due late this year or early …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 12:09
Net wag endorses Playmobil Security Check Point

Amazon customer review merriment

One net wag has wasted no time making merry at the expense of the improbable but entirely genuine Playmobil Security Check Point, sadly currently unavailable down at Amazon.com. The manufacturer's blurb states: "The woman traveler stops by the security checkpoint. After placing her luggage on the screening machine, the airport …

Bootnotes 7 Mar 2008, 12:38
Home Secretary in ID card gaffe

Unhackable? Up to a point, minister

Security experts have rubbished claims by the Home Secretary that databases for the controversial National ID Cards will be "unhackable" because they are being kept off the public internet. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday, Jacqui Smith said "none of the [ID card] databases will be online, so it …

Government 7 Mar 2008, 12:40
Pioneer officially ends plasma TV production

Supplier yet to be announced

Pioneer today confirmed that it will soon begin wrapping up its in-house plasma panel production in its entirety. The announcement follows weeks of rumours that some or all of the operation was for the chop. The company admitted that maintaining the cost-competitiveness of plasma display panels at projected sales volumes will …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 12:51
Yahoo! wins sponsored links ruling in High Court

Businessman's lawsuit 'totally without merit'

Yahoo! did not infringe a businessman's rights by displaying adverts for other companies when users entered his trade marks as search terms. The High Court dismissed a lawsuit against the web giant as being "totally without merit." The trade mark was not used by anyone other than the user who entered the trade mark term into …

Small Biz 7 Mar 2008, 13:25
The best external hard drive for Apple's Time Machine?

Q&A

I need help selecting an external hard drive. I've just bought a Macbook Pro and need something to run Time Machine on. I have an Iomega Ego 160GB but do a lot of photography and it fills up quickly when I'm away on a job. I was going to buy the new apple storage but have read various conflicting reports. What would you …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 13:27
Police raid CeBIT stands

180 officers launch patent crackdown

German police raided 51 booths at the CeBIT computing show this week because of breaches of audio compression (MP3) patents. According to senior prosecutor Hans-Jurgen Lendeckel, several mobile phones, screens, sat navs and MP3 devices were seized. Italian firm Sisvel, which itself has a booth at CeBIT in Hall 19, filed patent …

Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 13:45
BBC iPlayer for iPhone and iPod Touch is iGo

You've got to pick a pocket device or two

The BBC's streaming iPlayer for Apple's iPod Touch and iPhone has today gone live in beta. As promised last month, the release marks the resurgent iPlayer's first foray onto mobile devices. Some programmes that are available on the desktop haven't made the leap to your pocket yet, but we're promised it's just a matter of time …

Music and Media 7 Mar 2008, 13:49
Alienware punches out four-GPU CrossFireX gaming PC

Alienware has marked AMD's release of CrossFire X-compatible Catalyst drivers with the launch of a four-graphics chip gaming PC. It's even named the beast after the multi-GPU technology. Dubbed the Area-51 ALX CrossFireX, Alienware's machine comes with two ATI Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics cards, each of which has a pair of 3870 …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 14:07
Microsoft partners cosy up on interoperability

Happy OOXML clappers

Microsoft yesterday announced an alliance with vendors as the first step towards its brave, new world of interoperable software. The company said existing partners, DataViz, Quickoffice, and Novell were all working on the new "Document Interoperability Initiative" to test incompatibilities and to make it easier to shift …

Software 7 Mar 2008, 15:07
NZ charidee cybersquatter fears burning in Hell

There are contradictions in the Bible?!!

A Kiwi cybersquatter has recanted his domain hostage-taking after a Bible-powered epiphany taught him the error of his ways. Jeff Twigge, of Palmerston North*, North Island, used to see himself as a Robin Hood figure, ransoming domains and donating the proceeds to charity. But now he's issued a public apology for his misdeeds …

Bootnotes 7 Mar 2008, 15:08
'Vista capable' isn't and Yahoo! foils MS proxy attack

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Wikileaks stays afloat A court decision against Wikileaks, a website for whistleblowers to publish info exposing unethical practices, has been reversed. US District Judge Jeffrey S White has rescinded his orders to shut down Wikileaks after its operators raised two fingers in his direction by setting up on a "bulletproof" …

Business 7 Mar 2008, 15:18
Infamous malware group calls it quits

29A has left the building

The shutters are being pulled down on old school virus writers' group 29A. 29A, hexadecimal for 666, is an underground VXer collective known for creating the first Win 2000 virus, the first 64bit virus, and early examples of mobile malware that infected devices such as PDAs. The group also published information on how to …

Malware 7 Mar 2008, 16:02
Publisher fights to save comment forums from plastic surgeons

Countersues over trademark claim

A US online publisher is fighting to keep its product review forums alive in the face of a trademark lawsuit that seeks to ban the use of one company's product name. Realself.com is a site where people who have undergone plastic surgery review various products and procedures. It has been sued (pdf) by Lifestyle Lift, a …

Small Biz 7 Mar 2008, 16:33
World's greatest hardware guru turns flacktastic

Brunswick tags a Loon

Steve Milunovich - the world's greatest hardware guru - has given up on the guru business in favor of being a flack. Milunovich joined the Brunswick Group, becoming a partner at the "communications consultancy." The firm expressed excitement over Milunovich's investing and technology "expertise." Apparently, they missed his …

Bootnotes 7 Mar 2008, 18:34
IBM clubs nano noise with graphene sandwich

Mayo or may not usurp silicon transistors

IBM researchers say they've overcome another obstacle in making the nano material graphene a true star in the semiconductor world. First discovered in 2004, graphene - an atom-thick layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice - promises the construction of vastly smaller nano electric circuits than even today's …

PCs & Chips 7 Mar 2008, 20:02
Fresh 'PSP phone' patent surfaces

Could this be the final design?

Sony has long denied rumours that it's working on a PlayStation Portable (PSP) phone, but the company has lots of explaining to do now that a new Sony Ericsson patent application has come to light detailing just such a device. Sony Ericsson's sketch for a PSP-cum-phone The online application shows a device that consists of …

Reg Hardware 7 Mar 2008, 20:37
'Fuzzy' royalties policies challenge Microsoft's open API pledge

Mix 08 The devil, the details, and Windows

Royalties charged by Microsoft on Windows APIs and protocols are the next hurdle the company must clear in its wooing of open source developers. Leading open source figures have questioned charges Microsoft makes on its protocols and APIs, with a call to clarify whether Windows server, client and application APIs and protocols …

Applications 7 Mar 2008, 21:11
MobiTV backs away from threats to website that posted links to free videos

Updated A change of heart

A provider of TV shows for mobile phone users has backed down from threats to shut down a website forum that showed how to watch its videos for free. Lawyers for MobiTV had warned the owner of HowardForums.com that he faced legal action if he didn't immediately remove plain-text links from the forum that gave free access to a …

Music and Media 7 Mar 2008, 22:02
Xerox bets R&D future on pap

Don't dream or see us work

Having just encountered Xerox's top technology strategist for the first time, we're concerned that the company faces some very troubling issues in the years to come. Like suckers, we expected a speech on "Innovation Strategies in a Global Economy" to touch on innovation strategies in a global economy - or at least something …

Business 7 Mar 2008, 22:18
Brothers caged for selling pirated Adobe software

Cops and Robbersons

An American software internet piracy ring destroyed, and for once eBay is absent from the story. Two middle-aged brothers have been sent to prison for selling "massive amounts" of pirated software from Adobe, Autodesk and Macromedia, at huge discounts. They sold software over the internet with a retail value of $5.6m for about …

Channel Register 7 Mar 2008, 23:17