25th June 2008 Archive

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Xbox 360 owners tougher than PS3 fans - survey

But more likely to still be living with their mums?

Are you interested in home décor? Do you think friends more important than family? Does standing out in a crowd make you sweat? If you answered 'yes' to all of those questions, then you’re probably a PlayStation 3 owner, according to the latest research. The consumer research arm of credit reference agency Experian questioned …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 00:02
Eclipse will be watching you very closely

To Io and beyond...

The Eclipse Foundation wants to know who is using Eclipse and how they are using it ahead of next year's planned mega release. One of the main innovations in the Eclipse Foundation's Ganymede synchronized release of 24 projects this year, out today, is a feature called Usage Data Collector (UDC). Eclipse Foundation executive …

Developer 25 Jun 2008, 05:02
easyJet warns Expedia: 'Hands off our flights'

Exclusive 'Bang, bang, click, click, click'

Budget airline easyJet.co.uk has warned Expedia.co.uk to stop selling its flights via its website or face the possibility of legal action. An easyJet spokeswoman told The Register yesterday that the UK arm of Expedia, whose parent company is US-based Expedia Inc, has "no business relationship whatsoever" with the holiday e- …

IT Director 25 Jun 2008, 08:38
Nokia pays 8 2* years' royalties in advance

Did they jump into the open, or were they pushed?

Nokia has paid €264m for outright ownership of Symbian, which sounds like a lot until you realise that's about what the Finnish giant will owe in royalty payments over the next 8 2* years, so the question becomes not why they bought Symbian, but why they are letting everyone else share the goodies. It's hard to make money …

Mobile 25 Jun 2008, 08:52
Intel preps gaming-oriented chipset for 'Nehalem'

'Tylersburg' to debut in X58

Intel looks set to follow the release of its 'Bloomfield' 45nm processors - all based on the 'Nehalem' architecture - with a gamer-oriented chipset, the X58. The chipset's specs aren't known, but it's not hard to guess. The northbridge will be 'Tylersburg', the chip that links to the host processor over Intel's new …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 09:27
T-Mobile launches price promise

You won't find more minutes

T-Mobile reckons it can beat any competitor's tariff, and is promising more minutes for your money even if you're in the middle of your contract, though as ever the devil is in the detail. The deal applies to Solo, T-Mobile's SIM-only offering, and Combi, which comes with an 18-month contract, but only for customers paying 30 …

Mobile 25 Jun 2008, 09:46
Panasonic parent makes 30in OLED TV play

Wants to be first to market

Matsushita - best known as the owner of Panasonic - will be punching out 37in OLED TVs within three years, it has been claimed. According to Japan's Sankei Shimbun newspaper, Matsushita wants to be the first TV maker to get decent-sized OLED TVs to market. Sony is currently the only consumer electronics company selling OLED …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 10:07
Intel knocks back dual-core Atom debut

Single-core shortages to blame?

Speculation a month or so back that Intel will soon be releasing a dual-core Atom processor failed to be followed by the anticipated announcement. Now we know why: shortages of the single-core version. So maintain motherboard-maker moles cited by DigiTimes. They claim that the two-core Atom - model number 330 - was due to go …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 10:31
AMD launches hotter dual-slotter

Radeon HD 4870 debuts, delivers 2x performance of 3870

AMD has rolled out the Radeon HD 4870. The chip maker touted the GPU's ability to churn through more than a trillion floating-point calculations each second. It also heralded the part as the first to be connected to GDDR 5 memory. AMD's Radeon HD 4870: dual-slotter The 4870 accompanies the 4850 launched last week - after …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 10:34
HSBC scripting flaws play into the hands of phishers

XSS calamity

Several HSBC websites are subject to scripting flaws that create a possible mechanism for crooks to create more convincing phishing scams. Security blog xssed.com has posted a list of affected domains, which include HSBC sites in multiple territories including the UK. Xssed has been tracking problems on the bank's sites since …

Enterprise Security 25 Jun 2008, 10:38
Eco-activist gets tougher with gadget makers

Greenpeace shifts green goalposts

Sony and Sony Ericsson (SE) may have topped Greenpeace’s latest Guide to Greener Electronics, but almost all manufacturers saw their scores plunge thanks to new, more stringent marking criteria. Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics: how the vendors rated Greenpeace said that “given the increasing evidence of climate …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 10:50
Ofcom chairman will quit next Easter

Curried watchdog

Ofcom's first chairman Lord David Currie is to quit next year, the communications regulator has announced today. No replacement has been named. Currie will unplug himself from the best-paid quango in all of quangistan at Easter. He will have completed almost seven years in the job, having started when Ofcom replaced Oftel in …

Music and Media 25 Jun 2008, 10:57
Microsoft dishes up Mac Office converters

Arrives months after Office 2008's debut

Microsoft has finally released file format converters that allow Office 2004 for Mac to read the Open XML file formats that were introduced in Office 2007 for Windows. The converters should have been available around the time of Office 2007’s launch but Microsoft delayed their release several times because it was too busy …

Applications 25 Jun 2008, 11:28
Culture of insecurity blamed for HMRC data loss

Official reports lambast UK.gov over data breaches

A culture of insecurity rather than mistakes by any single official has been blamed for the HMRC data loss debacle, an official inquiry is expected to report on Wednesday. The Poynter report will highlight poor security practices at the government agency leading up to the loss of discs contained child benefit information on 25 …

Government 25 Jun 2008, 11:35
RFID could kill you

Report uncovers hospital menace

Researchers in the Netherlands have discovered that RFID systems, intended for tracking hospital kit, can fatally interfere with life-support systems from a distance of 30 centimetres. The tests were pretty rigorous: 41 different devices from 22 manufacturers were each tested against passive and active RFID systems. The …

Wireless 25 Jun 2008, 11:38
Staff internet policies must be Facebook-ready, warns expert

Web 2.0-up your regs

Dealing with staff who misbehave on the web may be hampered by office policies written without Web 2.0 sites in mind, an employment expert has said. The warning follows disciplinary action against 18 police officers who boasted about crashes on Facebook. Employment law specialist Ben Doherty of Pinsent Masons, the law firm …

Policing 25 Jun 2008, 11:43
Boris' crime map plan comes unstuck

Victims' privacy at risk

Boris Johnson's manifesto pledge to provide detailed crime maps of London has hit problems with privacy regulators. The London Mayor promised to introduce "New York-style crime maps which show the true crime levels in every neighbourhood". But the Information Commissioner's Office is worried about victims' privacy and possible …

Policing 25 Jun 2008, 11:45
Bus-spotting paedo terror bust: Shock CCTV image

Rights? You don't have any rights

Our recent piece on the terrorist paedophile bus-spotter driven off the UK's streets by public and police hostility prompted a certain amount of speculation as to what exactly are your rights when you whip off the lens cap. The answer? You don't have any rights, as this shock CCTV image proves: Yup, this particular …

Bootnotes 25 Jun 2008, 12:02
Motorola preps 'great' 8Mp cameraphone?

Handset set to rival the C905

Sony Ericsson only recently unveiled its eight-megapixel Cyber-shot C905 phone, but speculation is rife that Motorola’s set to steal its rival's thunder by releasing its own 8Mp handset. Sony Ericsson's C905: 8Mp camera could be matched by Motorola According to numerous online sources, Motorola’s super-snapper handset has …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 12:21
Staffer spills beans on O2 UK 3G iPhone launch

Jump the queue with a pre sign-up process

If you’re itching to buy the 3G iPhone on 11 July, then you’d better set your alarm-clock because O2 is said to be letting the first devices leave its stores at 7am – provided you pass a credit check. The launch day details stem from a posting by MacRumors forum contributor 'Johnpartridge' who claims to have recently visited a …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 12:30
Let air passengers smoke dope, say Denver potheads

How to beat air rage, man

A pro-marijuana group has come up with an ingenious plan to combat air rage - let passengers skin up before flying out of Denver International Airport (DIA) which has become "a hot spot for arrests of drunken, unruly airplane passengers", according to the Denver Post. Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, aka SAFER, is …

Bootnotes 25 Jun 2008, 13:17
Germany, Spain and Belgium get free mobile calls

The world turns Blyk

Ad-financed network operator Blyk has announced plans for expansion into Germany, Belgium and Spain, taking the concept of mobile-phone operator for freeloaders right across Europe. Blyk customers get 43 free minutes and 217 text messages in exchange for receiving targeted adverts based on the demographic information they …

Mobile 25 Jun 2008, 13:23
Asus: Eee Box fast-boot tech a boon for flustered females

Asus' recent launch of the initially Linux-less Eee Box compact desktop PC mentioned the machine will come with ExpressGate fast info access technology. But what does it do exactly? Well, if Asus' latest YouTube posting is anything to go by, it's a way to get party girls fired. Poor lass wake late. Make up applied and pop- …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 13:37
Dell coughs to second Vostro laptop keyboard cock-up

QWERTYUI-OOOPS

Despite admitting a month ago that it had shipped Vostro laptops to Europe with the wrong keyboard, Dell confessed this week that it has made the same blunder again. The computer giant this week emailed UK and Italian buyers of its Vostro 1310 and 1510 notebooks that they've got the wrong keyboard - just as it had to do in May …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 14:22
Facebook takes a break

OMG!

Social networking site Facebook is mainly unavailable this afternoon. Several Register readers mailed to tell us of the problem for UK surfers. A spokeswoman for Facebook UK told The Reg it was aware of the problems and was investigating. The site is showing a blank page. Maybe too many people are trying to organise their …

IT Director 25 Jun 2008, 14:28
Thailand to get Acer Aspire One first?

With still no official word from Acer on the Aspire One Eee PC rival's release date over here, we're left looking oversees for hints. Specifically to Thailand, where the Small, Cheap Computer is due to go on sale at the start of July. So claims French-language site Blogeee.net, which has Thai flyer for the product on show. The …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 14:30
Tennis sites hit by drive-by download attacks

You cannot be serious

Two high-profile tennis websites are among scores of victims of a new wave of SQL injection attacks. The website of game regulators ITF and ATP, the professional players tour, were hit by automated attacks in the run-up to this week's Wimbledon championship. The ITF (International Tennis Foundation) website has since been …

Malware 25 Jun 2008, 15:01
Adobe swings out Acrobat 9

Flashier version lands

Adobe Systems today released the latest version of its document creation software – Acrobat 9. The San Jose, California-based company said that the revamped software includes built-in Flash and multimedia support. Customers using the new version can now convert .Mov and .Wmv files to Flash content that can be embedded within …

Applications 25 Jun 2008, 15:29
Yahoo! Mail! vuln! fixed!

Buddy hacker account compromise risk plugged

Yahoo! has fixed a vulnerability that left users of its popular webmail service at risk of having their login credentials stolen. The cross-site scripting flaw, which allowed session IDs to be be stolen, involves the interaction between Yahoo! mail and the Yahoo! Messenger instant messaging client. The flaw was discovered in …

ID 25 Jun 2008, 15:35
UK.gov calls on white hat hackers to spot data leaks

HMRC debacle to foster 'culture change', says Cabinet Office

The civil service's systems will be subjected to new attacks by independent white hat hackers in a bid to spot weaknesses in government data handling before catastrophic losses occur, it was announced today. The white hat programme is one of a suite of targets, training and scrutiny measures that Cabinet Secretary Gus O' …

Government 25 Jun 2008, 16:19
Dutch government gags Oyster researchers

Don’t kill the messenger

The publication of a scientific paper by Radboud University that discusses design flaws of the MIFARE chip in cards such as the Oyster travelcard may be in jeopardy. Dutch secretary of state Tineke Huizinga has urged the university not to publish any secrets that may lead to abuse. Last week researchers from Radboud University …

ID 25 Jun 2008, 16:25
Science MPs horrified by UK bio-lab management

Porton Downer

MPs have painted a embarrassing picture of the UK’s bio research facilities, describing some labs as “shabby” and “deplorable” after years of underinvestment and neglect. The Innovations, Universities, Science and Skills committee launched its investigation after the foot and mouth outbreak in Surrey last year, which was …

Government 25 Jun 2008, 16:28
Beeb's online music stations get rewind button

iPlayer buffed up

The BBC has launched a raft of updates to its iPlayer on demand service, including the long-awaited ability to rewind music radio stations online. The new version is set to go live in beta on Thursday and will run alongside the current site for a few weeks. The most significant structural change is the full integration of the …

Music and Media 25 Jun 2008, 16:34
Maxdata goes titsup

Slumping revenues

Maxdata has gone bust. The German computer manufacturer filed for insolvency proceedings at the Local Court in Essen today. The management board has "decided on this step because pending illiquidity puts continued business operations at risk", the company said in a statement. In other words, it has run out of cash. "The high …

PCs & Chips 25 Jun 2008, 16:55
Spam DDoS assault cuts off south Pacific state

(Un)happy Talking

Citizens of the Marshall Islands in the South Pacific have been left without a functioning email systems following a denial of service attack on the country's sole ISP. It could take days to full restore service, the general manager of the Marshall Islands National Telecommunications Authority (NTA) told Radio New Zealand …

Telecoms 25 Jun 2008, 17:02
Charter suspends NebuAd data-pimping experiment

Squeaky wheels kill pilot - for now

Charter Communications has suspended plans to deploy NebuAd's web usage tracking technology following howls of protest from critics who say that practice seriously compromised the privacy of subscribers. Charter, which is the biggest US-based internet service provider to test the NebuAd system, abruptly changed course on …

Telecoms 25 Jun 2008, 17:29
Loewe polishes off crystal-studded sets

Diamond-encrusted TVs

Today’s pop stars love getting blinged, sorry, 'iced' up. So, what better way to follow in their footsteps than to watch them on a jewel-clad telly? Loewe's crystal-studded TV High-end TV manufacturer Loewe has launched a 32in Swarovski crystal-studded 1366 x 768-resolution telly. Each of the 20 limited edition sets will be …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 18:36
Hyperic tells Amazon's cloud to turn its head, cough

New CloudStatus site monitors the ...cloud ...status...

Open source systems management specialist Hyperic is sticking its inquisitive probe into Amazon.com's cloud. The firm this week launched cloudstatus.com, a website that monitors and reports the status of Amazon's web services. It currently provides a non-customer specific view of Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Simple …

Servers 25 Jun 2008, 18:38
JVC docks into iPod TVs

The true Apple TV?

JVC’s latest line of HD TVs include all the usual features you’d expect, including HD resolution and HDMI ports. But the range also boasts one slightly quirky feature: an iPod docking station. JVC's P-Series TVs: all have integrated iPod docks The P-Series consists of a 32in, 42in, 47in and 52in model, all of which have a …

Reg Hardware 25 Jun 2008, 18:39
WebLogic man goes full circle with SpringSource

Second wind for Java application servers

We had an interesting conversation with Peter Cooper-Ellis, the guy who ran product management at BEA Systems from the time it acquired WebLogic and who's now taking on a similar role with SpringSource. Obviously, in the wake of the Oracle acquisition, it's not surprising that Cooper-Ellis jumped ship. But in making the jump …

Developer 25 Jun 2008, 18:59
Utility computing's 'dirty little secret'

Structure 08 No license to print money

Cloud computing has its very own catch-22. If we can tap into the cloud, grabbing our compute resources on the fly, we can free ourselves from the old school software licensing models. But old school software licensing models may prevent us from tapping into the cloud. "The dirty little secret of the utility computing business …

Servers 25 Jun 2008, 19:42
Dell develops ultra-efficient server power supplies

80 Plus gives them a gold sticker

Dell is fussing over itself again for being such a brilliant shade of eco-friendly green. No surprise. We dare say Michael Dell himself weeps a single tear of amber when you drop a paper coffee cup into the trash. But today, the vendor's nonstop stream of envirogratification is worthy of note: Dell says it's developed the …

Servers 25 Jun 2008, 20:49
North Carolina will pay IBM $750,000 for 10 jobs

Great BBQ and strip clubs for execs too

North Carolina will do just about anything to keep technology companies happy, including offering IBM up to $750,000 to bring just 10 jobs to the state. IBM has revealed plans to construct a $362m so-called "leadership data center" in either North Carolina, New York or Colorado. Hoping to secure this center, Durham County …

Servers 25 Jun 2008, 21:33
Google urged to make a more loving cloud

Structure 08 Open source BigTable and improve fluffiness, please

Yes, Google has opened its cloud to every developer down on earth. But for some, it's not quite as open as it should be. Speaking this morning at Structure 08, a mini-conference dedicated to cloud computing, Jason Hoffman, founder and CTO of Joyent, called on Google to open source its cloud-based database, BigTable - or at …

Servers 25 Jun 2008, 22:31
Red Hat rolls along in Q1

Over subscribed

Strong sales helped Red Hat's first fiscal quarter 2009 get a healthy increase of cash flow, but internal investments and taxes somewhat stymied the Linux licenser's end results. Revenue for the quarter (ended May 31) was $156.6m, an increase of 32 per cent from the same period last year. Subscription sales were up 27 per cent …

Financial News 25 Jun 2008, 22:46
Trojan heralds OS X's 'new phase of exposure to malware'

Modular malware comes to the Mac

The Mac security scene is heating up, with the discovery in recent weeks of a serious vulnerability in OS X and at least two Trojan horse programs that target the Apple OS. The most notable is a security hole in the latest versions of Tiger and Leopard that allows attackers to install malware on a Mac without first requiring a …

Security 25 Jun 2008, 22:51
Oracle reports bumper results

Price hikes yet to kick in

Oracle's decision to buy 40 software companies continues to pay off, as it announced annual and quarterly earnings growth of nearly a third. The company, which this month hiked prices of core products by up to 20 per cent, announced Wednesday robust sales of its databases, applications and middleware. For the three months to …

Financial News 25 Jun 2008, 23:12