The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

3rd June 2008 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Sun's sales stud defects to HP

    Emerging Markets counter offensive initiated

    Sun Microsystems has performed a sales shakeup in a bid to add some new life to its server business. The company today tapped Peter Ryan as its sales and services chief. Ryan replaces Don Grantham, who was seen as quite the star at Sun. In addition, Sun has created a new Emerging Markets "sales geography," which will be tasked …

    Servers 3 Jun 2008, 00:16

  • Heaven and Earth moved to slot Sun chip in IBM blade

    Themis works mortal magic

    Sun Microsystems has found an OEM partner wanting to give its UltraSPARC T2 chips a new home — inside an IBM BladeCenter chassis. Themis Computer today said it will use Sun's eight-core UltraSPARC T2 - aka Niagara - processors in a new line of blade servers, called T2BC. The deal is a rare third-party licensing victory for …

    Servers 3 Jun 2008, 00:22

  • Tech luminaries honor database god Jim Gray

    A tribute, not a memorial

    In the early nineties, when David Vaskevitch decided that Microsoft should tackle the enterprise database business, the first thing he did was pick up the phone. He dialed the sharpest software minds he knew, and he asked each one who he should talk to about all things DB. They all gave the same answer: Jim Gray. And each …

    Applications 3 Jun 2008, 00:37

  • Best Wireless Broadband modem option?

    Q&A

    I have recently purchased myself a shiny new Dell XPS M1330 laptop. One of the options when I was configuring the machine was to include a Wireless Broadband card which was tied to Vodafone, but I already have a USB modem and contract with 3. I am looking for a more integrated solution for my broadband. Is it possible to …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 07:02

  • Bangladesh cuts off anonymous handsets

    Every SIM to have registered owner

    Mobile operators in Bangladesh this week cut off more than a million connections to customers who bought their SIMs anonymously, despite the fact that doing so was completely legal at the time. Operators have already got the deadline extended twice, giving users more time to let the operators know their identity, but the …

    Mobile 3 Jun 2008, 07:02

  • Intel releases 'Diamondville' Atom CPU

    Computex One for laptops, one for desktops

    Intel has begun shipping its 'Diamondville' Atom processor - the incarnation of the CPU series aimed at Small, Cheap Computers™ rather than mobile internet devices, which were the subject of April's original Atom launch. As anticipated, Diamondville has been realised as two 22mm² chips: the N270 and the 230, the former for …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 07:02

  • Sim card reader takes cue from Toblerone

    Chocs away

    Register Hardware has come across a chocolate bar that lets you take as many bytes as you want, without ever causing you to put on a single pound. Toblerone Sim: save contacts with the zero per cent fat chocolate bar The Toblerone-inspired back-up device can store up to four Sim cards, thanks to its 32KB memory - although …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 08:02

  • Virtualisation titles for virtually nothing

    Get 'em here

    Virtualisation is the abstraction of resources such as servers and machines so that all detail is hidden from the end user but they still get the benefits of what can be offered. It is rapidly gaining prominence as a useful IT tool and we have a range of titles, both online learning and physical books, that cover various aspects …

    Site News 3 Jun 2008, 08:18

  • Discovery docks with ISS

    First spacewalk later today

    Discovery yesterday docked successfully with the International Space Station at 18:03 GMT, with mission STS-124 astronauts boarding at 19:36 GMT (see pic). The shuttle arrived bearing mission specialist Greg Chamitoff, due to join the exisiting Expedition 17 crew, relieving flight engineer Garrett Reisman. It also carries the …

    Space 3 Jun 2008, 08:26

  • ESA: space tourism greener than ordinary airline flights

    Virgin finally achieves some eco credentials

    Suborbital rocketplane flights of the type planned by Virgin Galactic - and other nascent space-tourism ventures - would have a lower carbon burden than ordinary airline journeys, according to the European Space Agency. Flight International reports that a preliminary ESA study indicates less CO2-equivalent emissions per …

    Space 3 Jun 2008, 09:01

  • Police protester snap did not breach rights

    High court finds for plod in privacy case

    Police-ordered photography of an anti-arms trade protester did not breach the protester's privacy rights, the High Court has ruled. It is one of the few times that such alleged intrusion by the state rather than the media has been the subject of a UK ruling. Andrew Wood, a media co-ordinator for the Campaign Against Arms Trade …

    Policing 3 Jun 2008, 09:20

  • Asus announces 10in, HDD-equipped Eee PC

    Computex But Linux version to cost more than the Windows XP model

    Asus has announced the anticipated Intel Atom-based Eee PC - and a pair of new models that, the company claimed, boost battery life to more than seven hours. Oh, and they sport 10in displays, hard drives and 802.11n Wi-Fi. As expected, the new version of the current 8.9in Eee PC 900 is the 901, while the 10in versions are …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 09:49

  • Samsung promises 'fastest' 256GB SSD by year's end

    Mainstream spec - but what about the price?

    Samsung has pledged to put a 256GB laptop-friendly solid-state drive into mass-production by the end of the year. Samsung's 256GB SSD: company's fastest, most capacious Flash drive yet The South Korean giant said the SSD will be made available in 2.5in and 1.8in forms. The latter will undoubtedly please MacBook Air buffs …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 10:09

  • Canon EOS 400D digital SLR

    Review New to digital SLRs? This could be just the camera you need

    DSLRs were once the province of the professional, with prices to match. But the cost has fallen, so for roughly twice the price of a mid-spec compact you can now pick up a decent digital SLR. A camera like the Canon EOS 400D for example. The EOS 400D has been around for quite a while now and Canon has since launched the EOS …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 10:13

  • Most 'malfunctioning' gadgets work just fine, report claims

    Lazy consumers blamed for most product returns

    People often return gadgets to the shop they bought them from because they think the gizmo’s faulty - but only five per cent of them actually are, according to new research. The study was conducted by tech services giant Accenture and it found that, in actual fact, 68 per cent of gadgets returned by buyers do work properly - …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 10:19

  • Tiscali subscribers to be sold to Vodafone tomorrow: report

    Deal will jump Voda forward in broadband market

    The Italian board of Tiscali will tomorrow approve a Vodafone offer to buy its broadband businesses outright, according to a report. The claims have been made in the Italian newspaper MF, and have been believed by investors, who have sent shares in Tiscali rocketing this morning. The bid is said to be worth about €2.8 per …

    Telecoms 3 Jun 2008, 10:27

  • MOD spectrum under the spotlight

    A lot more than defence of the realm

    The UK Ministry of Defence has published its first consultation on the huge quantity of radio spectrum it has unfettered access to, though it turns out the usage isn't as exclusive as it first appeared. The Cave report: an analysis of how radio spectrum is used in the UK, identified 23 bands that are allocated to the MOD, and …

    Mobile 3 Jun 2008, 10:51

  • Cybercrooks plant phishing scam on crime reduction website

    Home Office pwned

    Phishing fraudsters hacked a Home Office crime reduction website to host an Italian phishing website on Monday. An RFI (Remote file inclusion) exploit was used to launch the phished page off the webserver hosting crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk. As a result of the SQL Injection attack a page resembling the Poste.it site was …

    Enterprise Security 3 Jun 2008, 11:10

  • Brussels wants eID cards to work Europe-wide

    Another nasty acronym

    The European Commission is running a three-year pilot project to get national identity cards to work in different countries. The €20m project hopes to make eID cards work in 13 member states. The goal is to find a common set of specifications so different cards will allow access to services in all countries. The Commission …

    Government 3 Jun 2008, 11:15

  • US imposes 72 hour pre-reg for Visa waiver travellers

    Lastminuteweek.com

    Europeans and other potential enemies of the US are to be forced to deposit their personal details on the Department of Homeland Security’s computer system 72 hours before they get anywhere near the place. The new rules will apply to citizens of the UK, and other countries whose citizens can travel to the US under the “visa …

    Government 3 Jun 2008, 11:21

  • Can Wi-Fi really compete with Bluetooth?

    Ozmo's PAN tech pipes up at Computex

    Intel isn't ready to give up on pushing Wi-Fi just yet, and is pitching the technology as a competitor to Bluetooth with demonstrations by Ozmo Devices scheduled for today at the Computex trade show in Taipei. Intel has great interest in Wi-Fi, and the Centrino brand has done a lot to get the wireless networking technology …

    Wireless 3 Jun 2008, 11:56

  • Acer punts £199 Linux laptop

    Computex Aspire One launched at Eee-beating price

    Acer has launched its Eee PC wannabe, the Aspire One, pitching the product to Brits at just £199 including VAT - even though it's "not a low-cost notebook", according to the company. The One's specs largely match those of its rivals: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor; 512MB of 533MHz DDR 2 memory with a single SO-Dimm slot for …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 12:34

  • MSI takes aim at Asus' Eee

    Computex The latest minature PC

    MSI has officially launched its Wind notebook, the latest attempt to steal a slice of the Small, Cheap Computer™ craze ignited by Asus’ Eee PC series. MSI's 10in Wind: breath of fresh air? The Wind's screen measures 10in and has a 1024 x 600 resolution. MSI unveiled the machine at the Computex show, which is currently …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 12:44

  • T5 Transformers t-shirt bust: Shock snap

    Armed apparel supression team tackles terrorist threat

    The shock news yesterday that if you're travelling via Heathrow's splendid Terminal 5 it's probably best to leave the Transformers t-shirt at home prompted widespread condemnation of the UK's terror-busting airport security protocols. In the case of Brad Jayakody, he wisely opted to swap the offending shirt for something less …

    Bootnotes 3 Jun 2008, 13:02

  • Oz parliament enjoys multiple orgasms

    Genetically-modified, naturally

    An Oz Liberal backbencher secured his place in Austrlian parliamentary history by suffering multiple, genetically-modified orgasms while addressing the house yesterday, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Victorian MP Jason Wood got into trouble while discussing "genetically modified organisms". He wowed the mercifully sparse …

    Bootnotes 3 Jun 2008, 13:09

  • Nvidia launches next-gen laptop graphics chips

    Computex GeForce 9M series unveiled

    Nvidia has taken the wraps off the next incarnation of its notebook-oriented graphics chip line, dubbed unsurprisingly the GeForce 9M series. The chip maker claimed the parts will be up to 40 per cent faster than their GeForce 8M equivalents and ten times faster than typical laptop-oriented integrated GPUs. That gives them the …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 13:45

  • $8.2m study to probe medical benefits of videogames

    Doom to cure hoplophobia?

    The alleged negative effects of videogames have been well documented. But a multi-million dollar research fund has been created to discover if they could be used as an alternative form of clinical therapy. In the first round of funding, 12 research teams, including the Maine Medical Center and University of Southern California …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 14:11

  • MSI unveils tiny eco-friendly desktop PC

    Computex Asus Ebox rival?

    If MSI hasn’t blown you over with its Wind miniature notebook then the manufacturer’s got another offering up its sleeve: a dinky desktop PC claimed to be both quiet and energy efficient. MSI's Wind PC: Atom powered Images courtesy TweakTown MSI unveiled the Wind PC at Computex in Taipei this morning, amid a product …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 14:15

  • Hidden messages buried in VoIP chatter

    Skype covert channel confounds snoops

    Polish researchers have revealed the many ways you can hide messages within the bit stream of Voip phone calls. If secret policemen didn't like Skype and its IP telephony cousins before, they'll really hate it now. Burying hidden message in internet phone calls represents the latest evolution of steganography. Steganographic …

    Security 3 Jun 2008, 14:20

  • Intel lengthens first-gen 'Nehalem' CPU shelf life?

    Lynnfield, Havendale debuts delayed

    Intel's roadmap continues to show the arrival of its next-generation processor architecture, 'Nehalem', in Q4 this year, but the latest update shows that subsequent versions of the chip may appear later than anticipated. A report on Japanese-language site PCWatch has the gen. It shows Intel's second-gen desktop Nehalem, …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 14:41

  • Yahoo! bitchslapped Ballmer's $40 a share offer

    Yang accused of emotional response to MS offer

    Yahoo! did its best to stymie a takeover by Microsoft, even when it offered $40 a share, because chief executive Jerry Yang let his heart rule his head. According to documents released by Delaware's Chancery court this took two forms - adding poison pill clauses to contracts which would reward staff for leaving the company in …

    Financial News 3 Jun 2008, 14:55

  • Hi-tech couch, coffee table pitched at modern sloths

    Table boasts internal DVD player

    Getting up from the sofa to play a DVD or turn on the stereo is such a pain, isn’t it? One designer thinks it is, so he’s sketched plans for a concept coffee table that plays DVDs. Lea's concept table stores and plays DVDs Designer Peter Lea’s coffee table has a circular DVD storage rack integrated into the bottom and a …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 14:57

  • Intel launches P45 chipset, says it's OK to overclock

    Computex Bundled utility offers easy tweaking

    Intel is to give free rein to overclockers to tweak the settings that can be applied to its 'Eaglelake' chipset, the P45, the chip maker has revealed. Launched today at Computex in Taipei, the P45 will come with Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility (ETU), an app that the company said would bring "overclocking to the mainstream". The …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 15:24

  • Disconnected O2 punters to lose connections again

    Scottish power problems

    UK operator O2 has admitted a power failure yesterday cut off customers in an area east of Edinburgh, and could do so again this evening while a permanent solution is installed. The failure was due to a faulty power supply unit involved in base stations east of the city and down to the borders. Many customers were able to get …

    Mobile 3 Jun 2008, 15:33

  • Oz TV advises CO2-emitting children to die early

    Go now, for Gaia's sake

    Carbon Cult sickos are under fire for an interactive website that tells children they should die because they emit CO2. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's "Planet Slayer" site invites young children to take a "greenhouse gas quiz", asking them "how big a pig are you?". At the end of the quiz, the pig explodes, and ABC …

    Environment 3 Jun 2008, 16:03

  • Over half of US HD TV owners blurry on Blu-ray

    Never heard of it

    Fewer than ten per cent of US HD TV owners plan to buy a Blu-ray Disc player, local market watcher NPD has said. The company bases its claim on an online survey carried out around the middle of March - a month after Toshiba effectively killed off the HD DVD format, but still almos three months ago. NPD's results allowed it to …

    Reg Hardware 3 Jun 2008, 16:18

  • Hackers hijack hacking tools website

    Ironic exploit

    Crackers briefly hijacked hacking tools website Metasploit on Monday. Metasploit is an open-source toolkit widely used by both hackers and security admins to test for website vulnerabilities. But visitors to the site on Monday were redirected to a page announcing the site was "hacked by sunwear ! just for fun", as recorded by …

    Enterprise Security 3 Jun 2008, 16:25

  • Gates' last act: frees IE 8 and Silverlight second betas

    TechEd 2008 Robot Steve seizes the stage

    Bill Gates has announced the next betas of Internet Explorer 8 and Silverlight 2 while outlining plans from Microsoft on development services. He also took the opportunity in his valedictory keynote at TechEd in Orlando, Florida today to unveil a Steve Ballmer 'bot. The second beta of Microsoft Silverlight cross-browser media …

    Developer 3 Jun 2008, 16:30

  • Time Warner gives America metered internet

    Choose a bandwidth cap. Any bandwidth cap

    Time Warner Cable is two days away from rolling out metered internet service in the Gulf Coast town of Beaumont, Texas. In January, Broadband Reports leaked a Time Warner memo that discussed this "consumption based billing" trial, and yesterday, in an interview with the Associated Press, the company finally announced the …

    Telecoms 3 Jun 2008, 18:59

  • Windows XP given additional resuscitation

    2010 pass extended to low-cost desktops

    Looks like the Small, Cheap Computer™ craze has yet again broken Microsoft's nerve to completely kill off Windows XP. Following the software giant's concession to extend the life of XP Home for the sub-notebook market until 2010, Microsoft is today granting the same reprieve for low-cost desktop PCs too. Microsoft has been …

    Operating Systems 3 Jun 2008, 19:13

  • 'Untraceable' phone fraudsters eye your credit card

    Press 1 for low-tech phishing scam

    Scams involving email and fake banking websites may get all the attention, but a recent rash of fraudulent phone calls shows criminals haven't given up on more traditional tools for tricking people into surrendering credit card numbers and other sensitive information. The calls begin with a recording that makes a tempting …

    Crime 3 Jun 2008, 20:26

  • World realizes Google home page is 'illegal'

    Beauty is advertising, advertising beauty

    Five years later, an army of privacy-minded watchdogs has suddenly realized the Google home page is illegal. Today, a coalition of privacy advocates - including the World Privacy Forum, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and the ACLU of Northern California - fired an open letter to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, pointing out …

    Law 3 Jun 2008, 23:10

  • Sun stretches for Flash dance

    SSD option in every server by 2010

    Sun Microsystems is completely smitten by Flash memory technology. The company today has vowed to start rolling out Flash-based products by the second quarter of 2008, and plans to offer SSDs in its entire server lineup in only two years time. Of course, Sun isn't the only data center vendor talking about adopting the …

    Storage 3 Jun 2008, 23:17

  • SanDisk makes sub-SSDs for sub-laptops

    Computex Hold me closer, tiny laptop

    SanDisk is prepping a new line of diminutive solid-state drives (SSDs), designed specifically to fit the cramped quarters of low-cost PCs and laptops. The SSDs will be available in 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB capacities — certainly not record-breakers, but the case-less memory module is only 3mm tall and has only one-tenth the weight …

    Storage 3 Jun 2008, 23:22

  • Online payment standards fall on deaf websites

    Beware of Belgians bearing card codes

    We see a lot of lip service paid to the importance of complying with payment card industry standards when merchants accept credit and debit cards. But it seems plenty of websites still can't be bothered to follow the rules, which are designed to protect their customers against fraud and identity theft. Just last week, Reg …

    Security 3 Jun 2008, 23:35

  • AMD manages to ship 'Budapest' for single socket boxes

    Cray exhales

    AMD's four-core chip aimed at single socket servers has finally made its way to market. The company today heralded the release of "Budapest." The chip will fit into single processor servers from the usual suspects and be sold under the 1300 Series brand. AMD once looked to get Budapest out "in the second half of 2007," but …

    Servers 3 Jun 2008, 23:55