6th June 2008 Archive

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Microprocessors are the new cigarettes

JP Morgan urges chip CEOs to inhale

Chip companies need to start acting their age, according to a sage analyst. Chris Danely, director of semiconductor research at JP Morgan, thinks the major semiconductor players should behave more like old-line companies in the tobacco, food and oil games. He'd like to see the chip firms manage their cash better and reward …

Financial News 6 Jun 2008, 00:29
Multi-threaded development joins Gates as yesterday's man

Knuth and Bray call time

When he wasn’t ruminating at this week’s TechEd on the “millions” of servers running Microsoft’s planned on-demand services, Bill Gates was talking about how to architect software to take advantage of powerful “transistors” in massive server farms. Applications - like, for example, Microsoft’s BizTalk Server and SQL Server …

Developer 6 Jun 2008, 05:02
City of London pilots national fraud project

Banks can report e-crime

The City of London Police will pilot a national fraud project which will enable banks to report e-crime. The force, which covers the capital's financial Square Mile and several hundred international banks, is taking the lead in setting up a national fraud reporting centre. A spokesperson for the force told GC News that it is …

Policing 6 Jun 2008, 06:02
Dotcom icon ISP Breathe inhales Fast4

Suck it up

Breathe Networks Limited (BNL) has acquired small ISP Fast4 for an undisclosed sum. The merger will see Fast4 bosses Steve Kaye and Nick Pulsford become Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer of BNL. Fast4 will survive as an independent brand. Kaye said: "Fast4 users will not experience any changes as Fast4 has …

Telecoms 6 Jun 2008, 06:43
Two top posts at NPfIT are still empty

Get those CVs dusted off - please

The NHS's National Programme for IT is still looking for leaders following the departure of director general Richard Granger in January. In April, the NPfIT announced it would also lose its chief information officer Matthew Swindells, who was a temporary replacement for Granger. He will leave this month. Richard Jeavons, the …

Government 6 Jun 2008, 07:02
Phone watchdog plans text spam clampdown

Wd u lk 2 buy sm vgra? No? Txt u l8r NEway

PhonepayPlus, the regulator responsible for the premium rate and phone-paid services industry, is planning to clamp down on the black market in lists of mobile numbers in response to growing anger at text spam. Trading of such lists is thought to be a major factor behind a surge in public complaints over unsolicited text …

Mobile 6 Jun 2008, 07:02
Intel said to be unwilling to share USB 3.0 toys

Computex Even though SuperSpeed's not even standard yet

Intel's apparently not too keen on other chipset makers building USB 3.0 - aka SuperSpeed USB - into their products. To that end, one website claims, the chip giant's not sharing its toys. According to a story over at Fudzilla, it's being whispered around Taipei among the vendors gathered for Computex, that "at this time you …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 07:02
CSC cranks the whalesong up to 11

LogoWatch 'Emotionally compelling' new brand frontage

It's come to our attention that CSC, the "leading global consulting, systems integration and outsourcing company", has had a bit of a face-lift and is poised to unleash on an unsuspecting world its "emotionally compelling" new brand frontage - evidently the result of thousands of hours of whalesong-driven blue-sky brainstroming …

Bootnotes 6 Jun 2008, 08:47
Microsoft proposes gadget feature disabling tech

'Please switch off your mobile' enforcement

Depending on your point of view, it’s either intensely annoying when someone uses their phone in a train’s quiet zone, or very annoying when you’re in one and want to use your phone. Microsoft has made itself mediator and hopes to patent technology to ensure that if you shouldn’t be using a gadget in a certain place – then you …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 09:38
US Intel case delayed again

AMD vs Intel Competition punch-up set for 2010

The Intel AMD antitrust case has been delayed and now won't be heard until 2010. The case is being heard in the District Court in Delaware and will now start in February 2010 rather than April 2009. The original case was brought in 2005 and accused Intel of offering discounts to computer makers who pledged not to use AMD …

Channel Register 6 Jun 2008, 09:55
Virgin Media and BPI join forces to attack illegal filesharing

Let's make threatening music together

Virgin Media will launch a campaign against illegal downloading next week, when it’ll begin firing off warning letters to subscribers the BPI believes are sharing copyright music files. The move is being billed by the cable firm as an “education campaign”. At this stage there will be no “three strikes” process; customers who …

Telecoms 6 Jun 2008, 10:04
AMD launches external graphics ~~card~~ box

Computex VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort... and not XGP

AMD used the Computex show in Taipei this week to propose XGP - eXternal Graphics Platform, a slimline box you connect your GPU-lite laptop to when you need more graphics horsepower. Fujitsu Siemens (FSC) was on hand to demo the concept with its Amilo GraphicBooster, an AppleTV-like unit with an AMD ATI Radeon HD 3870 GPU …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 10:34
Second ISS spacewalk runs on rails

Light tinkering with Kibo

Busy STS-124 mission specialists Mike Fossum and Ron Garan yesterday completed their second spacewalk outside the International Space Station, in the process carrying out preparatory work for attachment of the "Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized Section" to Japan's Kibo laboratory. During the seven-hour, 11-minute jaunt …

Space 6 Jun 2008, 10:44
PSP going nowhere, gaming exec alleges

Sony needs to make clear what the handheld's about

Sony hasn't a clue what to do with the PlayStation Portable (PSP), and if it doesn't sort matters out quickly, developers will desert the platform, it has been claimed. Rob Cooper, UK managing director of French videogames publisher Ubisoft, this week told website Gamesindustry.biz that the handheld console lacks direction. …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 10:57
Wikipedia kills Greatest Show On Earth

It was better than Cats

The curtain has dropped on the web's longest running farce. Or so it seems. Back in December, we told you the tale of an epic online spat pitting the cult of Wikipedia against the quixotic CEO of Overstock.com. It had everything from conspiracy theories to tabloid UFOs. There was sockpuppeting, spyware, and a cover up of …

Financial News 6 Jun 2008, 10:58
Sony Alpha 200 digital SLR

Review Surprise super snapper from Sony

Sony came to the digital SLR party late, with its first model, the Alpha 100 - launched in 2006. Its successor, the Alpha 200 (A200), is also aimed at the entry-level market. First announced in January, Sony recently sent one over for a more in-depth look. That isn’t to say that the A200 is a basic camera – no sireee – but it …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 11:02
BOFH: Dealing with engineers

Episode 21 Sometimes it takes a bit more effort

It seems the cunning machinations from last week have come to no avail - someone at the coloured pencil office still wants the PFY to give them a hand installing some macintoshes. "I hate going to see the designers," the PFY whines. "They're a bunch of overfed smelly beatniks who think that buying expensive desktops makes …

BOFH 6 Jun 2008, 11:02
Dell's wee Eee-alike loses some keys

Launch pushed back too

The launch of Dell’s miniature notebook may be pushed back until late summer and feature a keyboard that’s several keys short of a full set, one of the company’s executives has confirmed. Dell's redesigned the Mini Inspiron's keyboard from the one shown here According to a report by website APC, Alex Gruzen, senior VP of …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 11:08
Besuited cubicle monkey trashes office

Good day at work, dear? Er, no...

Those among you who've ever been forced to work in a cubicle farm will certainly enjoy this CCTV footage of what happens when a suit reaches breaking point: And here's the action from another angle, captured on a mobile phone: Splendid. There are suspicions among sceptical netizens that this rampage may be a put-up, but …

Bootnotes 6 Jun 2008, 11:28
Firefox 3: now available bug-free, say devs

Ready for record attempt

Mozilla is claiming the second release candidate of Firefox 3.0 is free of bugs. There may be problems with software on the server side or websites but the browser itself has had 10 problems fixed with the second release candidate (RC2), made available yesterday. By bugs developers mean issues that they are aware of rather …

Applications 6 Jun 2008, 11:34
Biofuel 2.0 gets off ground in Kiwi airliner trial

Oily desert nuts juice up righteous jumbo

Air New Zealand has announced that its planned airliner biofuel test will be carried out using biodiesel made from jatropha nuts. Jatropha plants, able to survive in deserts, could offer a biofuel source which would not compete with food production or drive deforestation. "Air New Zealand is absolutely committed to being at …

Science 6 Jun 2008, 11:43
Cyber B52 strikes mooted as response to Chinese infowar

PHP is our profession...

"I have watched this thing grow... to the incredible proportions it has reached today. I have studied the facts ... facts, and by projecting the statistics I realized the time has come to act. I realized I had to act before the entire will and vitality of the free Western world was sapped and polluted and made rancid... The …

Government 6 Jun 2008, 11:44
Sony selects tri-colour LED backlighting for top-end TVs

White light out, triluminous LED in

Sony has unveiled its top-end range of Bravia LCD TVs, some of which feature a panel backlit by three colour LEDs - instead of the normal white light - to improve the screens' colour quality. The new XBR range is split into three series, the XBR8, XBR7 and XBR6. However, only the XBR8 family features “Triluminous” LED …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 12:04
Asus quietly demos Eee Box

Computex Desktop peers out of sub-laptop sibling's shadow

Asus may have focused its attention during the Computex show, held in Taipei this week, on its Atom-based Eee PC 901 and 1000 sub-notebooks, but that didn't stop it showing off its Eee Box desktop. Chinese-language site HKEPC was there to take a few snaps, like these: Asus' Eee Box: Atom powered Images courtesy HKEPC The …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 12:11
Microsoft Patch Tuesday promises seven fixes

So let's get critical, critical

Microsoft's monthly security update next Tuesday will see seven fixes including a critical update for Internet Explorer. There are three critical updates, three important updates and one classed as moderate. The three critical updates fix holes in Windows, and one in Internet Explorer, which all allow remote code execution …

Enterprise Security 6 Jun 2008, 12:28
Computex Taipei 2008

Complete Coverage All the stories

All the stories... Small, Cheap Computers • Asus quietly demos Eee Box • Small, Cheap Computer sales to soar as Intel boosts Atom supply • Gigabyte intros tablet-style Eee rival • MSI unveils tiny eco-friendly desktop PC • Windows XP given additional resuscitation • MSI takes aim at Asus' Eee • Acer punts £199 Linux …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 12:33
Harvard rivals claim smoking gun in Facebook 'code theft' case

'See you in court... bitch'

The founders of ConnectU, an also-ran social network that emerged from Harvard University around the same time as Facebook, are renewing their charge that Mark Zuckerberg stole their ideas, amid claims of new "smoking gun" instant messenger evidence. ConnectU was founded by twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, contemporaries of …

Financial News 6 Jun 2008, 12:36
NASA chief: Europe should have own astronaut ship

Put some spam in the Jules Verne can

NASA chief Michael Griffin has urged Europe to build its own manned space vessels, saying that he is "worried" about the period from 2010 to 2015. During those five years, no Western nation will have technology able to carry people into space. "We welcome the development of independent European capabilities in space to provide …

Space 6 Jun 2008, 12:38
TfL hands out contracts for congestion charge tags

Tag and beacon to bring home the bacon

Transport for London has contracted six companies to introduce 'tag and beacon' technology for the next phase of the capital's congestion charge. The framework contract will provide roadside equipment to charge motorists for driving into the centre of London and the western extension which covers Kensington and Chelsea. Tag …

Government 6 Jun 2008, 13:58
US air force chiefs sacked in robot-armada brouhaha

Bigwigs also fingered in mislaid atom bomb bungle

The civilian and uniformed heads of the US Air Force have been fired, according to reports. The two men's reluctance to unleash armadas of drone aircraft into the skies of Afghanistan and Iraq was apparently a major factor in the decision. However, there was also some unpleasantness regarding mislaid nuclear weapons, and …

Government 6 Jun 2008, 14:21
Carphones making a comeback - sort of

More vroom, vroom than ring, ring

Cars and gadgets go together like fish and chips. So much so that one intrepid retailer has hollowed out the guts of several toy cars and put a mobile phone inside them. It's a BMW, but also a phone. Genius! There are three cars to choose from: a Ferrari, an Audi TT and a BMW. But the talking point of each - literally - is …

Reg Hardware 6 Jun 2008, 14:53
Google silences Android critics

'It is an open platform. Just not yet'

Last month, on the official Android discussion group, David "Lefty" Schlesinger posted a message that questioned the open sourciness of Google's fledgling mobile platform. And he was promptly muzzled by Google developer advocate Dan Morrill. "Now I'm moderated," says Lefty, an open source guru with Access, the Japan-based …

Developer 6 Jun 2008, 17:45
US FTC cracks open anti-trust investigation on Intel

AMD vs Intel Alleged predatory pricing scrutinized

The US Federal Trade Commission has opened a formal antitrust investigation into Intel, a move that brings mounting scrutiny on Chipzilla's pricing strategy and other business practices. In the past few days, AMD, Intel and several of their customers in the personal-computer industry have received subpoenas issued in the …

Law 6 Jun 2008, 18:28
Amazon.com's US site KO'd!

Updated Assailant unknown

Amazon.com has been knocked out of service by an undiagnosed glitch that's making it impossible for people to access the website. At a few minutes before noon, California time, we were still getting an error that said only "Http/1.1 Service Unavailable" when trying to visit the online shopping site. The message has been …

Financial News 6 Jun 2008, 19:13
Icahn laughs at Yahoo!

Details Googlicious takeover plan

Carl Icahn has tossed yet another letter at Yahoo!, reiterating his claims that it botched a possible merger with Microsoft and detailing his plans for the company should he succeed in overhauling its board of directors. After booting Jerry Yang, Icahn says, he'll renew merger talks with Microsoft. And if that doesn't work, he …

Financial News 6 Jun 2008, 19:18
Cavalcade of privacy watchdogs bark for data pimping probe

Deep packet inspection goes to Washington

Fifteen privacy watchdogs - yes, fifteen - have tossed a letter at Congress, urging the House Telecommunications Subcommittee to hold public hearings on the use of so-called behavioral ad serving technologies. They want further scrutiny of ISPs pimping customer data to the likes of Phorm, NebuAd, and Front Porch. Addressed to …

Law 6 Jun 2008, 21:07
Eclipse slams Sun for 'mockery' of a Java process

Just like an old hardware vendor

Sun Microsystems has earned the displeasure of the Eclipse Foundation over its proposed modular Java specification alternative to the OSGi, for the next version of Java. Ian Skerrett, director of marketing at the Eclipse Foundation, has accused Sun of a lack of openness and using "backroom tactics" to push for a compromise …

Developer 6 Jun 2008, 22:07
Security militia sought to brutalize ransomware virus

Time to crack some key

After discovering a new and improved virus that encrypts important files on infected machines, researchers from Kaspersky are calling on fellow security professionals to lend a hand in cracking the massive key needed to liberate the ensnared data. The call to arms posted Friday comes two days after the antivirus provider …

Crime 6 Jun 2008, 22:37
Fellow from AMD ridicules Cell as accelerator weakling

Opteron and GPU will conquer all

IBM's Cell chip will struggle to woo server customers looking to turbo charge certain applications because the part has a fundamental design flaw, according to AMD fellow and acceleration chief Chuck Moore. Sure, sure. Cell is a multimedia throughput dynamo and its SPEs (Synergistic Processing Elements) are just lovely. "But …

Servers 6 Jun 2008, 23:24
What hell hath science wrought lately?

A quick guide to man's abominations

In the beginning, things were simple. That's arguably because people were far more stupid, but let's not split hairs. The point is, along came scientists with their fancy protractors, Bunsen burners and diesel-powered speedboats to complicate everything. Today there are scientific abominations all around us — and yes — they …

Science 6 Jun 2008, 23:48