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30th June 2008 Archive

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  • Spain dodges Zapatero kiss of death

    Crowned European champions, despite ministerial voodoo

    Spain is this morning in a state of (hungover) shock after its footballers were deservedly crowned European champions - despite the presence at the clash with Germany of prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. Zapatero, we should explain, was considered by Spaniards a certain kiss of death for the national team's European …

    Bootnotes 30 Jun 2008, 09:09

  • Retailer pitches tiny A2DP earphones

    You can't get much smaller

    Over-ear cans are great if only the best noise-cancelling audio quality will do. But if portability and compactness are your key requirements, then the tiny JayBird Bluetooth Stereo Earphones could be the alternative answer. JayBird's JB-200: tiny Online retailer Advanced MP3 Players claims the in-ear JB-200 headphones are …

    Hardware 30 Jun 2008, 09:38

  • Mini-Me sues online celebrity muckraker over 'stolen' sex tape

    How short is he?

    Verne "Mini-Me" Troyer has sued TMZ.com for $20m, after the online celebrity gossip rag posted a sex video in which the 2 foot, 8-inch actor sticks it to former girlfriend Renae Shrider. The pint-sized film thespian is best known for playing Mini-Me in the second and third films in the Austin Powers comedy series: The Spy Who …

    Bootnotes 30 Jun 2008, 09:43

  • C&W closes in on Thus acquisition

    Shareholders asked for thumbs-up

    Cable and Wireless has increased its offer for smaller rival telco Thus Group, as it bids to gain weight for its battles against BT for big business contracts. C&W's surprise first 165p per share offer for Glasgow-based Thus was rejected by its board early in June. Today's improved 180p per share bid values Thus at about £ …

    Financial News 30 Jun 2008, 10:12

  • Asus to revamp Eee PC 901 with bigger keyboard?

    Fixing what ain't broke

    Asus' latest Eee PC, the 901, hasn't even gone on sale in the UK yet - tomorrow, since you ask - but the company is already preparing the machine's successors. Asian reseller moles cited by DigiTimes claim Asus is working on the Eee 904 and 905. Like the 901, both are expected to use Intel's Atom processor and sport an 8.9in …

    Hardware 30 Jun 2008, 10:21

  • Analyst: Intel Atom inside iPhone in 2010

    Flight from Arm forecast

    When a European Intel exec was recently said to have claimed future iPhones will use the chip giant's Atom processor, the company quickly stated the fellow alleged no such thing. But now someone else has made that very claim. JoAnne Feeney, an analyst with US investment hours FTN Midwest Securities, recently told clients that …

    Phones 30 Jun 2008, 10:51

  • Pioneer launches LCD TV line under Kuro plasma brand

    The blackest blacks of an LCD

    Pioneer has launched a three-strong line of Kuro LCD TVs, which it claims deliver a picture that closely matches the “visual experience” a plasma telly can produce. Pioneer's Kuro: now LCD too Until now, the Kuro range has been exclusively plasma-based and sold mainly on the claim that Kuro – which is Japanese for 'black …

    Hardware 30 Jun 2008, 10:58

  • Sony details European DualShock 3 launch date

    Vibration gaming coming to Blighty

    Rumours about when Sony will release the DualShock 3 wireless PlayStation 3 controller have been rumbling for ages. But now the electronics giant’s finally broken its silence and named the date. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has confirmed that the controller will hit European stores - yes, we said European, not …

    Games 30 Jun 2008, 11:03

  • China sacks officials over faked big cat snaps

    South China tiger makes surprise appearance

    China has given more than a dozen government officials their marching orders over faked photographs of the highly-endangered South China tiger, Xinhua reports. Last October, forestry officials in Zhenping county, northern Shaanxi province, published the photos citing them as evidence of the tiger's survival. The animal had not …

    Science 30 Jun 2008, 11:21

  • Tech giants team for online ID cards

    Passwords are so passé

    A group of software and online payment companies are teaming up to find a better way than passwords to protect, and prove, your identity online. Problems with passwords are well known - people require ever more passwords which means they either get forgotten, or people use the same word for several different services which is …

    Security 30 Jun 2008, 11:24

  • Warning sounded over black hole in UK physics teaching

    Boffin targets to be missed

    One in four state secondary schools do not employ a specialist physics teacher, according to research out today. The picture, based on a survey of school recruiters, trainees and colleges, varies around the English regions. The situation is bleakest for physics in inner London, where half of the schools don't have a specialist …

    Government 30 Jun 2008, 11:42

  • eBay Terror Ambulances of DEATH menace UK - top cops

    Blues Brothers law sought vs al-Qaeda strip-o-bomb-o-grams

    In a move which would, three decades ago, have seen classic movie The Blues Brothers stillborn, British cops and officials are seeking to prevent private sales of ex-police and emergency services vehicles and uniforms. The Telegraph reports today that senior plods at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), allied with …

    Law 30 Jun 2008, 11:49

  • King Arthur was English 'propaganda', French claim

    By the Lord Harry, etc, etc

    French historians are risking a visit by gunboats bearing the white ensign after declaring King Arthur an English legend promoted for "political reasons". That's according to the organisers of "King Arthur: A Legend in the Making" - a forthcoming conference and exhibition at Rennes university which will "provide ample evidence …

    Bootnotes 30 Jun 2008, 11:55

  • Dismissed deputy head launches legal fight

    Computer says no...

    In the week that a Civitas report slammed new government legislation on vetting, the case of John Pinnington provides a scary reminder of where we could soon be heading. Mr Pinnington used to be deputy principal of Thomley Hall, a college for autistic children in Oxfordshire. He was fired when his employers requested an …

    Law 30 Jun 2008, 12:01

  • Siemens siphons off 17,000 jobs

    Battening down the hatches

    German engineering group Siemens is to lay off 17,000 workers from its 400,000 workforce, including 6,450 jobs in Germany alone, as part of an effort to save €1.2 billion. Trade union IG Metall had anticipated only 10,000 jobs as part of a broad revamp of the company's operations. The world economy and oil prices are adding to …

    Business 30 Jun 2008, 12:20

  • Bill Gates has gone, what's his legacy?

    From hippy to hanger-on

    This week marks another first in the 33-year history of Microsoft - life without Billg. The company and the man who co-founded it and rose to become the world's richest geek have parted ways. Bill Gates is no longer chief software architect and will be checking in only as company chairman. Gates is hailed as the visionary who …

    Applications 30 Jun 2008, 12:47

  • Dualit DAB Lite radio

    Review Howdy doodley dooo...

    This latest offering from Dualit is based on the iconic toaster products the company is better known for. Bored of knocking out breakfast, Dualit is now knocking out music to accompany your muesli. Now before we go any further, a few words on DAB itself. There has been a lot of knife chucking of late, so let's just take stock …

    Hardware 30 Jun 2008, 13:18

  • Speedo sports sub-aqua MP3 player

    Underwater MP3 player for serious swimmers

    Speedo’s latest swimming gadget may look like a desktop mouse, but it’s actually a waterproof MP3 player designed to keep you amused whilst doing some lengths. Speedo's Aquabeat: whale song while you swim? The Aquabeat may only have a measly 1GB of storage, but then you’re not likely to be underwater long enough to justify …

    Hardware 30 Jun 2008, 13:24

  • Japanese girls taught English by Nintendo DS

    Americas lectured by Zune

    Japanese teachers might feel a little uneasy about their job security, as one of the country’s schools has begun trialling Nintendo’s DS console as a way of teaching kids to read and write English. A Japanese student learns English with her DS Image courtesy Reuters According to a report by Reuters, Japan's education …

    Phones 30 Jun 2008, 13:34

  • Commercial iPlayer faces anti-trust shakedown

    BBC, ITV, C4 joint venture delayed

    Project Kangaroo, the commercial on-demand web TV service being developed by BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4, will be investigated by the Competition Commission amid concern that it could stifle rival online efforts. The probe will run for up to 24 weeks, and could mean the joint venture is forced to supply competing services …

    Broadband 30 Jun 2008, 13:52

  • iPhone will ship in green packaging

    Wrapped in Dutch spuds

    Apple's new iPhone 3G will be shipped on July 11 in a potato starch paper tray. Apple placed an order with Dutch company PaperFoam, which also makes packages for Motorola. The company confirmed this today to Dutch blog Bright. According to CEO Hans Arentsen, Apple ordered "millions of paperfoam packages" for its new 3G iPhone …

    Science 30 Jun 2008, 14:21

  • T-Mobile not alone in spinning price hikes

    But O2 takes the disinformation trophy

    T-Mobile isn't alone in its innovative reading of Ofcom recommendations, but at least the company only implied that the regulator was responsible for the increase in its prices: O2 is claiming it outright. 0870 numbers are non-geographic: they are national calls regardless of where the call originates or terminates. Mobile …

    Mobile 30 Jun 2008, 14:40

  • TVonics touts tiny digital telly tuner

    What's the most simple way to turn an analogue telly into a digital Freeview viewer? According to UK manufacturer TVonics, its MFR-300 gadget is. The 70 x 54 x 27mm unit plugs straight into your TV's antenna port - it has an co-ax aerial socket of its own - and once powered up searches out and maintains a list of channels you …

    Hardware 30 Jun 2008, 15:03

  • Stress-busting videogame controlled by thoughts

    Keep your brain on the ball

    Now that Euro 2008 is over, footie fans can keep their minds active until next season with a stress-busting football videogame controlled only by brainwaves. Well, wealthy ones, at least... Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com Mindball players won’t get paid £100,000 per week, but distributor Vivifeye …

    Hardware 30 Jun 2008, 15:03

  • Sony dates PS3 latest firmware debut

    Version 2.40 to launch alongside DualShock 3

    Sony has finally broken its silence over the launch date for the PlayStation 3’s 2.40 firmware version, and confirmed that it’ll be available on the same day that the DualShock 3 rumbling controller launches. The PS3's firmware update version 2.40 adds a trophy rewards function Register Hardware reported this morning that …

    Games 30 Jun 2008, 15:31

  • An iPhone with a keyboard?

    Never say never

    It is an article of faith, of course, that whatever Steve Jobs does is right. And so, since the iPhone currently has no keyboard on it, it must logically follow that it is wrong to have a keyboard, and therefore that Steve Jobs will never produce a version that does have a keyboard. Fervent fans can therefore see no reason to …

    Mobile 30 Jun 2008, 15:41

  • Overland snatches Adaptec's Snap Server biz

    Free at last with a virtual fire sale

    Adaptec has finally got out of the loss-making Snap Server business and, by buying it, Overland Storage has gained a valuable addition to its ULTAMUS primary storage product line. This is Overland CEO and president Vern LoForti's first acquisition since taking over the reins at Overland and represents a quite triumphant …

    Storage 30 Jun 2008, 17:52

  • Dell offers 'Windows Vista Bonus' to frightened customers

    The 'bonus' is XP instead of Vista

    Dell is actively promoting a Microsoft licensing loophole to channel partners eager to keep selling PCs installed with Windows XP, after Microsoft's official cut off. The Dell channel blog is pointing resellers to the loophole in the Windows Vista license that enables business customers to downgrade from the unwanted Windows …

    The Channel 30 Jun 2008, 19:24

  • The iPhone's love/hate relationship with hackers

    A year in the making

    Amazingly, it's now a whole year since metrosexuals and geeks waited patiently outside Apple and AT&T stores in the US for their very first iPhones. Since June 29 2007, the iPhone has gone from novelty spot to "oh, there's another" in bars and business meetings, as Apple has quickly overtaken Microsoft in US smartphone market …

    Developer 30 Jun 2008, 19:44

  • Real researchers discover 'Music Without Limits'

    Otherwise known as DRM-less MP3s

    The DRM deathwatch continues. Today, Real Networks announced that its Rhapsody digital music service is selling DRM-free MP3s from all four major records labels, following in the footsteps of Amazon and Napster. That means you can now shuttle Rhapsody tunes onto any MP3 player, including the iPhone and the iPod. Rhapsody will …

    Media 30 Jun 2008, 20:08

  • Family Guy creator's sellout to Google almost complete

    Two minute clips served with your ads

    Google is revealing new details on the recruitment of Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane to attract prime-time television advertising dollars to web-only video content. In September, the search giant plans to roll out a series of animated clips funded by its AdSense network called "Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy …

    Media 30 Jun 2008, 21:20

  • Feds urge court to dismiss lawsuit protecting life on Earth

    'We'll take our chances with the strangelets'

    The US government has asked a court to throw out a lawsuit that seeks to stop the world from ending. Late last week, federal lawyers along with other defendants asked for summary judgment in a lawsuit designed to halt the start-up of the most powerful particle accelerator yet built. The lawsuit, which was filed in Hawaii last …

    Science 30 Jun 2008, 22:22

  • CenturyTel joins Charter in data pimping freeze

    Do as Congress says

    Another American ISP has put the skids on its data pimping plans. Last week, under pressure from Congressional big wigs, Charter Communications suspended plans to deploy a Phorm-like behavioral ad targeting service from NebuAd, and over the weekend, Louisiana-based CenturyTel did much the same. "We have delayed implementation …

    Broadband 30 Jun 2008, 23:00