7th July 2008 Archive

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AVG chokes fake traffic spew

Updated LinkScanner to quit scanning links

After howls of protest from countless web masters, AVG has promised to quit spewing fake traffic across the internet. Earlier this year, the Czech-headquartered security company paired its new anti-virus engine, AVG 8, with a real-time malware scanner that vets search engine results before you even click on them. If you search …

Applications 7 Jul 2008, 05:39
EU forms an opinion on CUS'ing

But wants to see more polite radios

Common Use of Spectrum such as the 2.4GHz band that makes Wi-Fi possible should become more prevalent to drive innovation and efficient spectrum use, the EU Spectrum body says. But legislation may be needed to ensure radio systems play nicely together. The Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSGP) was asked to look at Common Use of …

Mobile 7 Jul 2008, 06:02
How to be an instant Web me-2.0 developer

Stob If you're so smart, how come you ain't rich?

Are you a Web 1.0 duhveloper in a rut? Is rich web codery passing you by in Internet time? Do you nibble on the ASCII Alphabetti Spaghetti of server-side processing, while younger, feck- (careful) and talent-less colleagues slurp the UTF-Eightti Vermicelli of client-side coquetry? You do? I knew it. But don't let it get you …

Verity Stob 7 Jul 2008, 09:02
Yahoo! talks! to! Time! Warner?

And others...

Yahoo! spent the holiday weekend locked in talks with Time Warner. The two are looking for a way to split Yahoo! up in order to fend off Microsoft's takeover attempt. The idea is to find a way to merge AOL with Yahoo! in order to fend off both Microsoft and activist shareholder Carl Icahn. The firms spent the time in talks …

Financial News 7 Jul 2008, 09:12
Prius hybrid to get rooftop solar panel

A £20 one from Maplins would do just as well

Motor mammoth Toyota, maker of the famed Prius hybrid car, is rumoured to be thinking about fitting some new Prius models with solar panels. The possible move is unlikely to seriously affect the car's fuel consumption, however, and is being seen by some as a PR stunt. Toyota is offering no official comment on the suggestions, …

Science 7 Jul 2008, 09:27
Asus details 'comfort keyboard' Eee PC 904

Dilution

Asus UK has formally announced the rumoured Eee PC 904, adding the version that runs Windows XP to its website. The gain: a bigger keyboard. The loss: it doesn't use an Intel Atom processor. As expected, the Small, Cheap Computer - formally, the 904HD XP - is based around the large chassis of the 1000 series but sports the …

Hardware 7 Jul 2008, 09:36
O2 starts 3G iPhone stampede - and runs away

Chokes the upgrade madness

O2 today started taking pre-orders on its website for Apple's iPhone 3G - and stopped taking them again within minutes of opening the doors. Customers were told by text message that new iPhones were available to existing customers who upgrade. But they were presented this morning with error messages on the O2 upgrade site …

Mobile 7 Jul 2008, 09:37
Trojan trawls recruitment sites in ID harvesting scam

All your CV are belong to us

Hackers have turned the harvesting of personal information from Monster.com and other large US jobsites into a lucrative black market business A Russian gang called Phreak has created an online tool that extracts personal details from CVs posted onto sites including Monster.com, AOL Jobs, Ajcjobs.com, Careerbuilder.com, …

Security 7 Jul 2008, 09:55
Daily Mail loses employee info

Names, addresses, bank accounts and sort codes

Northcliffe Media, owner of the Daily Mail, is the latest company to lose a laptop load of sensitive staff information. A laptop containing names, addresses, bank accounts and sort codes of Mail and General Trust staff has been stolen, it emerged last week. The company told staff that the laptop was password protected - and so …

Security 7 Jul 2008, 10:22
Pioneer proudly pitches 400GB ~~Blu-ray~~ optical disc

16-layer disc detailed

Pioneer has pressed what it claims is the world's first 16-layer optical disc. It's keeping mum about the medium's format, but it's telling that each data layer has the same capacity as a Blu-ray Disc. With 16 layers and a per-layer capacity of 25GB, that's a staggering 400GB in total, plenty of room not only for all the …

Hardware 7 Jul 2008, 10:25
Final Arthur C Clarke novel on the way

Last Theorem is last hurrah

The final novel by legendary sci-fi author Arthur C Clarke is to be published in August. According to the Independent, Clarke's unfinished book The Last Theorem was completed by fellow scribe Frederik Pohl. Publisher HarperCollins coughed six figures to secure the rights earlier this year. The book appears to have been a …

Bootnotes 7 Jul 2008, 10:54
Sony spin-off planning 2009 FED TV launch

OLED? Pah... SED? Fuggedaboutit...

A Sony affiliate plans to launch large Field Emission Display (FED) TVs next year, a move that could see the firm trump attempts by rivals to commercialise a similar next-generation telly type: Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display (SED). Sony's FET arm could have 26in FED TVs out by next year According to a report by …

Hardware 7 Jul 2008, 10:59
NZ sports fans cop eyeful of hardcore

Rooting housewives invade Grass Roots Rugby

Shaken NZ sports fans have recounted how a relaxing Sunday afternoon in front of Prime TV's Grass Roots Rugby turned to horror and disbelief as they were treated to three minutes and 50 seconds of rooting Desperate Black Wives 2. According to 3 News, the "programming blunder" spewed no-holds-barred filth from one of Sky's …

Bootnotes 7 Jul 2008, 11:02
Drobo storage 'robot' to deliver music, movies to UPnP devices

Content serving software coming

Data Robotics, developer of the Drobo storage "robot", will release code later this month that will allow the unit to stream content to UPnP and DLNA devices. Drobo is an exapandable external hard drive system that uses proprietary data resillience techniques to ensure that if any of the HDDs installed fails - it can take up …

Hardware 7 Jul 2008, 11:22
Bavaria sanctions police spyware

Trojan horse rides roughshod over opposition

Bavaria has become the first German state to approve laws that allow police to plant spyware on the PCs of terror suspects. The controversial measures allow local law enforcement officials to plant Trojans on the PCs of terror suspects (and potentially other serious criminals) from the start of August, Heise reports (Google …

Law 7 Jul 2008, 11:31
UK.gov serves up GM food as price hike fix

Brown pushes Greens off plate while slamming food waste

The government's former chief science adviser Sir David King has said genetically-modified crops represent our best chance for improving yields sufficiently to deal with current food price problems. According to the FT, King said: "There is only one technology likely to deliver [the yield increases needed] and that is GM.... …

Government 7 Jul 2008, 11:37
Vodafone prevails in £2bn UK tax spat

HMRC to appeal

Vodafone has won a key ruling in its long-running battle with the UK government over a disputed £2.2bn tax bill. A UK judge last week sided with the cellco's argument that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs was not entitled under EU law to make it pay the difference in corporate tax between the UK and another European country …

Financial News 7 Jul 2008, 11:40
Bon-viveur boffin: Biomimetic bird, bat & bug bots are b*llocks

Pooh-poohs flap-happy eggheads

Everyone knows about the current rage for biomimetics - the building of machines or robots which copy design features from living creatures. But now a top UK biomech boffin has hurled cold water over the whole idea. "My work should act as a reminder to be cautious in copying nature," says Dr Jim Usherwood of the Royal …

Science 7 Jul 2008, 11:48
BenQ administrator threatens to sue Siemens

Irregularities claimed

Was BenQ Mobile insolvent in May 2006, long before it filed for liquidation? The company's insolvency administrator in Germany, Martin Prager, is preparing a multi-million euro lawsuit against Siemens in the belief that it was. German paper Die Welt broke the news on Saturday, but initially a spokeswoman for the insolvency …

Mobile 7 Jul 2008, 12:02
SCH scoops up Fayrewood leftovers for £2m

Auto-dismemberment complete

Specialist Computer Holdings has bought the last two trading subsidiaries of Fayrewood for a knockdown £2m. The subs are Interface Solutions International Limited, a well known UK distie, and System Loans Services Limited, a minuscule company that dresses up IBM X servers for sale. Fayrewood's board said the disposals …

The Channel 7 Jul 2008, 12:10
Samsung SP-A400B movie and business projector

Review The Wash & Go of the projector market

Forget TVs - to get a truly huge picture, a projector is the only way to go, and if you want to take full advantage of HD media, there’s no better way to show it off. It needn’t cost you a huge amount either. Just £1000, in fact, if you opt for Samsung’s SP-A400B. It's capable of displaying 720p HD content at screen sizes of …

Hardware 7 Jul 2008, 12:15
Pulled PlayStation update to be re-released next week?

Console-confounding glitches fixed

Sony has resolved the problems with version 2.40 of its PlayStation 3 firmware. The consumer electronics giant is said to be readying a fresh release of the update next week. According to a report by website CVG, Sony’s customer support division said that the firmware revision has now been renamed version 2.41. Apparently, 2. …

Games 7 Jul 2008, 12:28
Meet the UK's most spammed man

Workshop foreman in junk mail hell

Receiving a few hundred spam messages a day is bad enough, but spare a thought for an unfortunate Orange user who's the target of a server-straining 44,000 junk mail missives every 24 hours. Three of the five most spammed individuals on the books of spam filtering service ClearMyMail.com use Orange as an ISP. The other two …

Security 7 Jul 2008, 12:44
Sharp BDHP20H sub-£300 Blu-ray Disc player

Video Review Sony's not the only option

The second of our three sub-£300 Blu-ray players is this little baby from Sharp. It comes in at £250, and it provides a decent range of features. But how well does it perform? Can't see the video? Download FlashPlayer from Adobe.com Related Video Review Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray Disc player More video reviews at ChannelFlip. …

Hardware 7 Jul 2008, 13:04
No PAYG 3G iPhone in UK until Christmas

Carphone Warehouse names the date

The Carphone Warehouse has announced that pay-as-you-go 3G iPhones will be available "in time for Christmas" - a rather longer wait than hopeful buyers were anticipating. Carphone Warehouse has trumped O2’s PAYG 3G iPhone launch CW released a bland statement today letting punters know that it’s started taking orders for the …

Phones 7 Jul 2008, 13:14
Knife crime Definitely Maybe linked to games, claims Oasis man

Singer blames stabbings on violent videogames

Oasis’ guitarist Noel Gallagher has named violent videogames as one factor behind the spate of knife crimes affecting UK youth. Gallagher voiced his thoughts on videogame violence and its supposed link to knife crime while collecting a music award last week. According to a report by the BBC, he said: “People say [knife crime …

Games 7 Jul 2008, 13:27
Google's spycar revs up UK privacy fears

Privacy campaigners launch Street View ambush

Google's Street View cars, which grab real photographs of streets and the people in them for the search giant's Maps service, have come under fire from privacy campaigners. The spycar has been spotted in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff. A Reg reader was kind enough to send us a snap of the snapper-car in London. The pictures the …

Law 7 Jul 2008, 13:48
3 calls foul on T-Mobile price promise

Says offers more minutes, but for less money

UK operator 3 has called in the Advertising Standards Authority to rule on T-Mobile's claim that no one gives more minutes for thirty quid - on the grounds that 3 offers more minutes for a lower price. T-Mobile's claim is that no other operator bundles more minutes for £30, which is true, even though 3 charges three quid less …

Mobile 7 Jul 2008, 14:35
Samsung's latest touchscreen talker is uncovered

Firm prepping entry-level design?

Samsung hasn’t launched a phone for, well, several hours now. So the rumour mill’s begun churning out word that the firm’s prepping the release of yet another touchscreen mobile. Samsung's i740: could be an entry-level touchscreen device According to a report by Czech-language site Idnes, the phone’s thought to be called …

Phones 7 Jul 2008, 15:14
Microsoft: Yes! We're! talking! to! Icahn!

Raider would flip Yahoo! to Ballmer

Microsoft confirmed today that it has been talking to Carl Icahn about possibly taking over Yahoo! should he succeed in ousting the board of directors. Since officially pulling out of talks after failing to agree on a price for Yahoo! Microsoft has kept quiet about its attitude to Icahn, who has built up a shareholding in …

Financial News 7 Jul 2008, 15:36
Inside man in failed £72m electronic heist jailed

Former HSBC clerk gets nine years

A former HSBC worker who tried to steal £72m ($141m) from the bank through an audacious electronic heist has been jailed for nine years. Jagmeet Channa, of Church Road, Ilford, was sentenced to 90 months for conspiracy to defraud and nine years for money laundering at a sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on Monday, after …

Security 7 Jul 2008, 15:56
Trousers Brown: Blighty faces 'food security' threat

Analysis It's all about the energy, stupid

Just in case we didn't all have enough to panic about these days - what with energy prices, global financial gloom, impending ecopocalypse, terrorism etc - the government says any British trouser not yet besmirched by fear is definitely worn by someone who isn't paying attention. Apart from all of the above, we now face a "food …

Government 7 Jul 2008, 16:04
Holidaymaker gets £31k data roaming bill

3 dons cap

Another jet-setting TV addict has fallen foul of unreasonable roaming fees, this time to the tune of £31,500, just to get their TV fix - just as the EU considers how best to curtail the operators' roaming rates. The chap concerned was on holiday in Portugal when he decided to forgo the local sights and download an episode of …

Mobile 7 Jul 2008, 16:17
Autumn release for HSDPA-enabled Eee PC?

Carrier deals come through

Europeans could get their hands on a 3G-equipped Eee PC as early as... the end of September, Asus has indicated. That's almost a year on from the Asian company's first public comment that it had such an offering in the pipeline. Since then, rival ECS has touted its G10IL 10in sub-notebook with integrated HSDPA. It's expected …

Hardware 7 Jul 2008, 16:25
Undercover cash conversations

Talk to your money

It’s often said that money talks, but no one ever meant it literally. However, Register Hardware’s come across a wallet-shaped gadget that lets you have covert conversations with your cash. Sort of. The Zrad covert earbud wireless receiving kit: stealth The Zrad covert earbud wireless receiving kit consists of an earpiece …

Hardware 7 Jul 2008, 16:27
Blind spot - the trouble with optical drives

Why so maligned?

Optical drives should be popular. They hold lots of gigabytes, can be intrinsically WORM and hold data for a guaranteed 30 years or more without the periodic refreshes needed by tape. But they are simply not used as a general data archiving product by business, having become niche products in areas such as medical image …

Storage 7 Jul 2008, 17:02
Segway CTO scoots to Apple's design team

Moves to street-legal devices

Segway's original boss of scooter development is retiring his gyroscopes to craft future merchandise for Apple. Doug Field, Segway's chief technology officer since 2001, will leave the company for the brushed aluminum-gilded halls of Apple as its new vice president of product designs. The news was broken by a post on the …

Data Center 7 Jul 2008, 19:19
Microsoft criticizes EU's 'unreasonable' judgement

Your manifest error blocks our manifest destiny

Microsoft has opened its promised appeal against a European Union court fine of $1.4bn (899m euros), calling the charge "unreasonable" and "error prone". The Commission ruled in February Microsoft had used high prices to discourage competition, and that it had failed to comply with earlier sanctions levied by the Commission. …

Law 7 Jul 2008, 20:27
ISPs laud their data pimping services but refuse to use them

The view from the Front Porch

Another American ISP has frozen its plans to embrace behavioral ad targeting. Massillon Cable TV, an ISP serving roughly 30,000 people in the great state of Ohio, says it was preparing to roll out behavioral ad technology from Silicon Valley start-up Front Porch, but as Congress continues to scrutinize the privacy implications …

Broadband 7 Jul 2008, 21:08
Rogue IT troubleshooter pleads guilty to scamming Cisco

The old bait and port trick

A former city contractor from New Jersey is pleading guilty to pilfering nearly $6.9m by exploiting Cisco's part replacement program. Michael Kyereme worked as a network troubleshooter for the city of Newark between 2002 and 2007. His job involved assisting city employees with IT troubles and ordering replacement networking …

Data Networking 7 Jul 2008, 23:15