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19th June 2008 Archive

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  • New vistas with windows frames

    Mac Secrets Open your mind

    Time to look at the mysterious 'borderView' object, used by the Cocoa libraries to render a window to the screen. Although you'll not often need the specialised facilities provided by the border view, they can be very useful when creating certain kinds of application. Here's a little experiment you can try. In xCode, create a …

    Developer 19 Jun 2008, 05:02

  • European release date inked for Samsung Omnia

    Not long now...

    Speculation continues to grow over the date on which Samsung will release its latest would-be iPhone killer, the Omnia, to European customers. Samsung's Omnia: could arrive here next month Samsung has already confirmed that the 3.5G phone will ship to South-East Asia during Q3, but it has never said exactly when European …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 07:02

  • Japanese mobile-based bank cashing in

    Mobile phone-based bank accounts

    Japanese carrier KDDI hopes the country's mobile users will soon begin shunning physical cash, as it's created a bank of its very own, paving the way for more mobile-mediated payments. The Jibun Bank Corporation (JBC) – a joint venture between KDDI and the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ – will begin accepting applications for …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 08:02

  • Tumble dryer bites woman in Weston-super-Mare

    RoTM Tin snips deployed in harrowing rescue ordeal

    A Weston-super-Mare woman is lucky to have survived an encounter with an obstreperous tumble dryer after a simple fluff-removal operation ended in an emergency services tin-snip deployment, a local rag breathlessly reports. Firefighters were called to the scene in Kewstoke on Monday to find the 30-something victim with her …

    Rise of the Machines 19 Jun 2008, 08:32

  • Bugs casts shadow over Firefox 3

    First day zero day bugs

    Firefox 3 is only hours old but flaw finders have already located bugs in the browser bairn. An unspecified flaw that creates a means to inject hostile code onto vulnerable systems affects both Firefox 3 and Firefox 2, TippingPoint warns. The security tools firm has informed Mozilla and is holding off details of the mystery …

    Security 19 Jun 2008, 08:42

  • FSA fines stockbrokers for poor data security

    Multiple failures put customers at risk

    A firm of stockbrokers has been fined for failing to adequately protect its customers from the risk of identity fraud. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) said its mistakes included failing to manage the risks introduced by staff using instant messaging and web-based email. Merchant Securities Group Limited also failed to …

    Enterprise Security 19 Jun 2008, 09:17

  • Vodafone hangs up on Tiscali auction

    Mamma mia!

    Vodafone has done an about-face on its ambition to acquire Tiscali's broadband punters, according to a report. The mobile operator's lack of a sizeable UK fixed-line broadband business had put it in the lead to acquire Tiscali's two million British subscribers, but the Financial Times today reckons it won't happen. Murmurings …

    Telecoms 19 Jun 2008, 10:00

  • Could pen-sized GPS jammers paralyse UK shipping?

    Analysis Obsolete satnav rivals troll for security pork

    Contractors and sector-straddling quangocrats sought yesterday to convince politicians of the need to spend defence or security funds on radio-based backups for GPS satnav, according to reports. The BBC, covering recent Commons defence committee testimony, gives serious play to the contention by VT Communications and Trinity …

    Government 19 Jun 2008, 10:02

  • US school cheat hack suspect faces 38 years jail

    Updated 'If we played by the rules right now we'd be in gym?'

    A pair of US teens are looking at an extended spell behind bars over accusations they hacked into school computers to change their grades. Omar Khan, 18, a student at Tesoro High School in Orange County, California, allegedly changed failing grades to As for himself and others using the purloined login credentials of teachers …

    Enterprise Security 19 Jun 2008, 10:07

  • Snail mail goes hi-tech – literally

    Molluscs deliver email by 'hand'

    Email’s near-instant delivery speed is one of its best selling points, but a group of British artists are challenging that with a work that uses living snails to deliver email in a true 'snail mail' fashion. The Real Snail Mail art project sees snails delivering emails over RFID The “slow art” project by Vicky Isley and …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 10:24

  • Oxford tops Blighty university rankings

    According to paper owned by Oxford graduate

    A well-known annual league table of British universities has been published today, and flies in the face of basic common sense by placing Oxford top. The Times Good University Guide is issued by the well-known London newspaper, whose reputation for impartiality has suffered ever since it was bought by billionaire media tyrant …

    Bootnotes 19 Jun 2008, 10:46

  • Nokia N78

    Review Nokia's newest N-series quad-band candybar

    Nokia’s latest N-series "multmedia computer" bundles a 3.2-megapixel camera, music player, satnav and maps into a sleek go-anywhere, do-it-all device. The N78 is certainly a classy looking handset, and the smart touch goes much deeper than its looks. Its sleek, gloss-black front may at first glance resemble the touch-sensitive …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 10:53

  • Big TV flips ad blockers the bird

    Hulu says goodbye

    At Hulu - the ad-driven streaming video site cooked up by media giants NBC and News Corp. - you can watch mainstream feature films and big-name TV shows without paying a penny. But you aren't welcome if you've installed an ad blocker. Roughly a month ago, Hulu began serving this message to any user who dares equip their …

    Applications 19 Jun 2008, 11:02

  • Yahoo! email! fans! get! more! domains!

    'A happy user stays with us for life'

    Yahoo!’s free online email service is to grow new tentacles with the company planning to add two domains alongside its existing “@yahoo.com” addresses. The struggling internet firm said it is to introduce “@ymail.com” and “@rocketmail.com” to give people who use its service a better choice of Yahoo! email address options. …

    Telecoms 19 Jun 2008, 11:15

  • New mobe operator slash Wi-Fi hotspotter launches in UK

    Aims to avoid the standard crash 'n' burn model

    Just when you thought the UK mobile phone business was pretty much settled along comes UK01, claiming its place as the sixth mobile phone operator and brandishing its own GSM spectrum to prove it. UK01 claims to be a real GSM operator, and has just signed a deal with Spectrum Interactive to put its GSM base stations into phone …

    Mobile 19 Jun 2008, 11:16

  • Do you know how much of your porn is extreme?

    Updated If you've got the time, ask a policeman

    It seems likely that the government thought that passing a new law on extreme porn would be the last word on the matter. Recent events in Birmingham suggest that this may not quite be the case. Restrictions on the possession of material deemed to be “extreme” and “pornographic” were introduced in the Criminal Justice Bill in …

    Law 19 Jun 2008, 11:25

  • 3G iPhone packs in $100 of hardware - analyst

    Asia manufacturers hear ring of tills, jump for joy

    Apple's 3G iPhone costs just $100 to make, it has been claimed. Yet Asian component makers are jumping for joy at the boost they expect the handset will make to their revenues. The new iPhone's not even on sale yet, but US market watcher Portelligent has already totted up the cost of all the components - the bill of materials …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 11:35

  • Smile! You're on grin-gauging HD camcorder

    Sony camcorder touts smile capture mode

    Smile detection has already taken over the compact-camera market, so it was only a matter of time before one manufacturer became the first to integrate the toothy feature into an HD camcorder. Sony's HDR-CX12: can recognise smiles and faces And the award goes to Sony, because its HDR-CX12 Handycam is claimed to be the first …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 11:37

  • Net addiction a 'clinical disorder', says US shrink

    Turn off that PC and get help

    A US psychiatrist has declared internet addiction a "clinical disorder" with some sufferers so hooked on cyberspace they "required medication or even hospital treatment to curb the time they spent on the web". Dr Jerald Block, of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, describes in an editorial in the American …

    Biology 19 Jun 2008, 11:56

  • British Columbia stray foot tally hits six

    Latest find size 10, wearing Adidas

    The British Columbia stray foot tally yesterday reached a round half dozen with the discovery of a size 10 right foot wearing a black Adidias trainer which turned up on a beach in Vancouver Island. According to CTV, the foot was found by a woman collecting rocks who quickly ran for help and encountered one Sandra Malone, who …

    Bootnotes 19 Jun 2008, 12:02

  • WD RAIDs up My Book external hard drive

    Western Digital has rolled out one its My Book external hard drives, this time packing a pair of disks in RAID configuration to guard against data loss. The My Book Mirror Edition contains two terabyte drives, though since they form a RAID 1 array, you'll only get 1TB of storage capacity. Copy your content to the drive, and …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 12:16

  • Jumbo bug crashes Cisco anti-hacker appliances

    I saw a peanut stand, heard a rubber band

    Security appliances from Cisco can crash when handling Jumbo Ethernet frames, the networking giant warned on Wednesday. Cisco has published a software patch designed to address a denial of service vulnerability in its Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) appliances. IPS systems are designed to block common hacker attacks and …

    Data Networking 19 Jun 2008, 12:22

  • Preachers caught squatting in white spaces

    US debates, while Ofcom plans yard sale

    The Wireless Innovation Alliance has written an open letter to the FCC accusing US churches, clubs and events of illegally operating in the white space they want for themselves - though it says it's prepared to compromise in exchange for access. The letter (pdf) comes as part of evidence presented to the FCC in the ongoing …

    Networks 19 Jun 2008, 12:32

  • AMD SB750 chip to support 'OverDrive Extreme' overclocking

    Speed boost for future 790FX, 790GX mobos

    AMD's upcoming SB750 southbridge chip, destined for use with the 790FX and 790GX chipsets, is set to allow the company's Black Edition CPUs to be overclocked further than was previously possible. The 790FX is already available, and implements the AMD OverDrive overclocking utility. It launched late last year with the SB600 …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 12:46

  • Google faces probe over Yahoo! advertising deal

    How dominant is too dominant?

    Google and Yahoo! will face a competition probe over their proposed advertising deal. The inquiry will look at whether the deal gives the already-dominant Google too much market power. The deal only applies to the US and Canada at the moment and US authorities have said they will investigate it, but it is likely that European …

    Financial News 19 Jun 2008, 12:52

  • Devil dog laughs in the face of Taser

    And gets shot for its trouble

    A Saarf London teen's Staffordshire Bull Terrier was earlier this week shot dead by police after an attempt to subdue the devil mutt with a Taser failed to stop it in its tracks. According to the Telegraph, officers confronted the 13-year-old lad's "dangerous" animal on the mean streets of Croydon on Monday night. A Scotland …

    Bootnotes 19 Jun 2008, 12:54

  • Mario Puzo's son sues Paramount over Godfather royalties

    Seeks $1m damages for EA game

    The son of The Godfather author Mario Puzo yesterday filed suit against Paramount Pictures claiming $1m in damages over a 2006 Electronic Arts game based on the classic Mafia tale, AP reports. Anthony Puzo, of New York, claims the film studio failed to pay royalties according to a 1992 deal with his father which promised a " …

    Entertainment 19 Jun 2008, 13:02

  • AMD rolls out Radeon HD 4850

    Next-gen desktop GPU launched

    AMD has launched its Radeon HD 4800 series, kicking the next-gen GPU line off with the 4850, aka 'RV770'. Expect a second chip, the 4870, next week on Wednesday 25 June, our moles tell us. Sapphire was one of the first graphics card suppliers out of the door with a 4850-based product, the Sapphire HD 4850, to be precise. Its …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 14:11

  • Sanyo invites you to splash out on 52in waterproof HD TV

    Watch Michael Fish outside

    Fans of Singing In The Rain can now actually watch the film in a downpour, because Sanyo has produced a waterproof 52in HD TV. Sanyo's CE52SR1: can shrug off everything from spilled drinks to rain The flat-panel telly has a “marine grade” anodised aluminium frame and cabinet construction, helping to protect the innards …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 14:24

  • We've harvested your green computing views

    Reg Tech Panel ...and boiled them down into a tasty report

    Oh no, not another 'green' report. Yep. But this time it's the result of teamwork between you (well, the 1474 of you who responded to our survey), The Register and FreeForm Dynamics. Green Computing: the role of IT in the push towards environmental sustainability has a good rummage round inside organisations to find out what's …

    Tech Panel 19 Jun 2008, 14:50

  • Sprint promises WiMAX in September

    Before 'competing 4G' technologies

    Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has laid out a schedule for the company's much-awaited WiMAX deployment, which will now be launched in Baltimore in September. Washington DC and Chicago will also get coverage before the end of the year. While Hesse was addressing NXTcomm his CTO, Barry West, was extolling the utility of their WiMAX …

    Mobile 19 Jun 2008, 14:58

  • Sky HD prices to tumble next month

    Sky is to knock £99 off the price of its Sky HD satellite TV set-top box, reducing the price of the hardware from £249 to £150. It's hard to see the decision not motivated by the arrival of Freesat and its free-to-air HD offering, but whatever Sky's reasons, the move will see installation cost new subscribers £30 - upgraders …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 15:14

  • Apple out to trump gadget warranty fraudsters

    Water damaged goods no longer covered

    If you’ve dropped your iPhone down the privy and tried to get a new one by saying “it simply stopped working”, your cover’s blown. Apple is working to prove when a gadget’s been damaged by water. Apple's patent app could see an end to false warranty claims According to an Apple patent application entitled “Water Detection …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 15:18

  • SMS addiction awakens 'sleep-texting' phenomenon

    R U UP?

    Drinking and texting is a recipe for disaster, but you’re not likely to text an ex when you’re asleep in bed, right? Wrong, 'cause some now suffer from a sleep-texting affliction, it's been claimed. According to a report by Texan newspaper The Star, a 24-year old Italy, Texas woman recently awoke to discover that she’d sent …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 15:23

  • UK Unix group vows to appeal OOXML ruling

    But appeals for cash first

    A group of UK open source supporters today slammed a High Court judge’s decision to reject its call for a review of the British Standards Institution’s approval of Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML) document format as an international standard. The UK Unix and Open Systems User Group (UKUUG) said it planned to appeal the …

    Software 19 Jun 2008, 15:37

  • Bogus Beijing earthquake reports used to spread malware

    Playing with Olympic fire

    Supected botnet operators are using false reports that a fictitious earthquake near Beijing could disrupt the Olympic games to spread malware. Samples of the bogus alert doing the rounds, featuring subject lines such as "Million dead in Chinese quake", link to a website on a .cn domain. This site claims a quake measured in at …

    Malware 19 Jun 2008, 16:00

  • Asus Eee Box to debut in UK... minus Linux

    Exclusive Windows XP only at launch

    Asus will bring the Eee Box desktop to the UK in August. However, the company confirmed to Register Hardware that machine will initially only ship with Windows XP Home Edition. The compact desktop contains not Intel's desktop-oriented Atom 230 processor, as anticipated, but the less power-hungry notebook version, the N270, …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 16:12

  • Apple sells 5bn iTunes songs

    And 50,000 film rentals per day

    Apple has announced that over five billion songs have been downloaded worldwide through its iTunes online store in the past five years. The virtual record shop was originally launched in the US as the iTunes Music Store back in April 2003, and it took Apple around four years to notch up three billion downloads worldwide. But …

    Reg Hardware 19 Jun 2008, 16:22

  • Freescale loves open and closed source equally

    Does Eclipse and Microsoft on same day

    Freescale Semiconductor, whose chips power a broad range of business and consumer devices, has spread its bets in embedded software development by joining the open source Eclipse Foundation and Microsoft's embedded partner programme. Both moves, announced at the Freescale Technology Forum (FTF) in Orlando, Florida, are clearly …

    Developer 19 Jun 2008, 17:22

  • Red Hat opens Satellite service code for Spacewalk

    Summit Take your protein pills and put your helmet on

    Red Hat is opening the code of its Network Satellite Server, the locally hosted service behind the Red Hat Network (RHN) management platform. Available under the GPLv2 license, Project Spacewalk will act as a free upstream for future RHN Satellite and proxy products. Open source management code supported by Red Hat will appear …

    Servers 19 Jun 2008, 17:40

  • eBayer slaps $714 price tag on $630 in cash

    Will Microsoft pay the difference?

    In an attempt to game Microsoft's new Live Search Cashback program, an eBayer has put a $714 price tag on $630 in cash. Here's the listing in all its glory: Pay cash for cash That's right, $630 in cash can be yours for $714. But if you access the page through a Live Search ad link that returns 35 per cent of the purchase …

    Small Biz 19 Jun 2008, 18:53

  • MySQL quits Torvalds' former BitKeeper love interest

    Embraces the Canonical religion

    MySQL has ended its five-year relationship with BitKeeper and handed all code management for its database to a Canonical-backed system to secure broader community input on development. Sun's open-source database has migrated its code to Bazaar, a distributed, free revision control system sponsored and supported by Canonical, …

    Developer 19 Jun 2008, 19:22

  • Are Dell's Energy Smart servers really smart at all?

    $270 extra buys X amounts of brain

    A couple of years ago, Dell launched a new line of so-called Energy Smart servers. They were billed as modified versions of the company's standard PowerEdge systems, which cost a bit more up front but helped customers save more money over the long haul by reducing power consumption. But, we wondered, how smart were the Energy …

    Servers 19 Jun 2008, 21:09

  • Cobbler pieces together mass Red Hat Linux installations

    Summit Deploy Windows and then obliterate it

    One of the main community-driven projects that prompted Red Hat to open source its Satellite code today was the Linux boot server, Cobbler. Cobbler is a nifty piece of code that assembles all the usual setup bits needed for a large network installation like TFTP, DNS, PXE, installation trees etc. and automates the process. …

    Servers 19 Jun 2008, 22:18

  • AVG fake traffic spares Google AdWords

    You may pay. But not for clicks

    Yes, AVG's LinkScanner is spewing fake traffic across the internet, messing with the log files and bandwidth budgets of web sites large and small. But there's one thing it doesn't mess with: search engine paid clicks. Used by roughly 20 million people worldwide - and counting - AVG's new security tool scans search engine …

    Security 19 Jun 2008, 23:35