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12th August 2008 Archive

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  • Google tells Congress it's not Phorm

    'Our users trust us'

    Google wants you to know that in targeting online ads, it doesn't use Phorm-like deep packet inspection. But it still refuses to acknowledge its own massive threat to the privacy of humankind. Early last week, amidst the ongoing controversy over data tracking ad firms like Phorm and NebuAd, some Congressional big wigs asked …

    Broadband 12 Aug 2008, 01:40

  • UK.gov pushes £50,000 fine for online copyright infringement

    Clampdown on commercial piracy

    The government has launched a consultation on plans to increase the maximum fine for traders in copyright-infringing material from £5,000 to £50,000 as part of a plan to protect "creative Britain". The change would bring the financial punishment for online copyright infringement for commercial purposes in line with the penalty …

    Law 12 Aug 2008, 06:02

  • Research firm emails 20,000 addresses in the clear

    Don't they teach BCC at PR school?

    We've almost got bored of stories about people sending emails to lots of subscribers without using the BCC field, but not when the mail is sent to 20,000 people. Today's doofus is investor research company Digital Look. It sent a mail yesterday morning which revealed 22,129 email addresses. Whoops. Two hours later Digital …

    Management 12 Aug 2008, 07:02

  • Gmail outage causes outrage

    'We feel your pain'

    Google has apologised to users unable to get into their Gmail accounts last night. The ad serving giant blamed a problem with Gmail's contact system for stopping the service loading properly. The official blog post was titled: "We feel your pain, and we're sorry." The problem happened late afternoon Eastern Time and so …

    Applications 12 Aug 2008, 08:27

  • AMD releases 'world's fastest' graphics card

    One board, two GPUs.

    AMD has launched its two-GPU Radeon HD 4870 X2 graphic card, as expected, with a host of suppliers offering boards based on the design. AMD claimed it's the "world's fastest" graphics card. The first in our in-tray: Sapphire's HD 4870 X2. Both GPUs pack in 800 unified shaders in cores clocked at 750MHz. Each connects to 1GB …

    Hardware 12 Aug 2008, 08:35

  • Filesharing teen gets damages reduced in ignorance claim

    Too young to understand, court rules

    A 16-year-old girl has successfully argued that she was too young to understand that her copyright-infringing downloading of music was unlawful. A US court said she will only have to pay $200 per song downloaded instead of the $750 demanded in the case. A number of record labels including Maverick, Universal, Sony BMG and …

    Law 12 Aug 2008, 09:08

  • SIM modding kit offered to Brits

    Beat the iPhone 3G network tether

    Easy handset unlocking has come to the UK courtesy of online supplier SIMable which is now offering a 20 quid kit to let any SIM work with (almost) any network-locked mobile. SIMable: sits alongside your SIM SIMable seems a typical turbo SIM modifier, of the kind recently launched by Hong Kong supplier Brando. The SIM-sized …

    Mobile 12 Aug 2008, 09:08

  • NEC raises PC prices (in Japan)

    Folds to rising costs

    Rising PC component prices and labour costs in China have prompted NEC to raise prices in its home country for the first time in six years. The computer giant aims to push through a three per cent rise to Japanese customers in September, Bloomberg reports. Fujitsu told the newswire that it had no plans to follow suit, while …

    The Channel 12 Aug 2008, 09:17

  • Recycled PCs despoil developing world

    The Mail on Sunday has run an expose on secondhand computers tipping up in Ghana, in which the intrepid reporter obtained an NCR PC containing National Health Service patient data. Worse, much worse, is the picture the article paints of PCs being sent to the developing world for supposed recycling, as opposed to re-use. The Mail …

    The Channel 12 Aug 2008, 09:21

  • Dell to launch 'Eee PC beater' today

    More sexy that the Acer Aspire One, too

    Dell is expected to unveil its eagerly anticipated attempt to out-Eee Asus' Eee PC later today at an event focused on a "new generation of mobility products". The PC giant is saying nothing, of course, beyond admitting that it will be hosting an event this afternoon - first thing, San Francisco time; that's where the launch is …

    Hardware 12 Aug 2008, 09:50

  • Motorola prepping second iPhone killer?

    After 'Alexander', 'Attila'

    Pictures and specifications of the latest would-be iPhone 3G 'killer' have emerged online, and this time the codenamed handset comes from Camp Motorola. Is this Motorola's latest iPhone killer? Picture courtesy of BGR That’s according to a testimony by website BGR, which has published the leaked details of a handset …

    Phones 12 Aug 2008, 09:56

  • JDA gobbles up i2

    More supply chain consolidation

    JDA Software is buying i2 Technologies for $346m in borrowed cash. The two supply chain specialists reckon they can find $20m in annual savings, and the combined company will have revenues of $635m - including $300m in annual maintenance and subscription fees. The deal will create a big supply chain player to go up against …

    Applications 12 Aug 2008, 10:18

  • Date bug kills VMware systems

    Virtual machines shot down on inglorious 12th

    Irate VMware customers were left unable to power up their virtual servers this morning because of a bug that killed their systems when the clock clicked round to 12 August. The bug was sent out to customers in ESX 3.5 update 2, VMware's latest hypervisor, which went out on 27 July. The version could have been downloaded and …

    Servers 12 Aug 2008, 10:28

  • Space shuttle replacement delayed until 2014

    This is why a former astronaut should run for president

    NASA has put back the planned launch of its Orion spacecraft for a year, meaning the first test launch won't be until 2014 at the earliest. The agency's publicly-announced deadline set by Congress to conduct a first test launch of a manned Orion capsule was 2015. Internally, though, it was hoped to fast-track this to 2013 …

    Science 12 Aug 2008, 10:32

  • 2e2 rolls up Netstore for UK channel glory

    Scale model

    2e2, the private-equity backed reseller group, is buying Netstore for £57m in cash. The deal appears to be more about scale than heavy cost-cutting - 2e2 says customer overlap with AIM-quoted Netstore is limited. To 2e2, bigger means better customer retention, and easier-to-find and keep good staff. And of course, it brings …

    The Channel 12 Aug 2008, 10:41

  • Virus writers go for Olympic gold

    Back-ends left open to superbly over-muscled Trojan

    Websites carrying news of the Olympic games have been targeted in a new wave of SQL injection attacks. Vulnerabilities in sites including New Delhi Television Limited's NDTV.com have been booby-trapped with exploits designed to install malware onto users' computers. NDTV is syndicating AFP’s Olympic content but has failed to …

    Security 12 Aug 2008, 10:43

  • Swedish men left frustrated by state sex aid policy

    Gov pharmacy pushes dildos over plastic vaginas

    Outraged Swedish men are up in arms over the state run pharmacy Apoteket’s policy of stocking only female-oriented sex toys. Perhaps surprisingly, Swedish pharmacies have only been permitted to stock toys since June. However, what seemed like liberation has been revealed as a dastardly plot to promote female (self) pleasure …

    Bootnotes 12 Aug 2008, 10:45

  • Dutch unlocked iPhone site takes €700,000 then goes offline

    Phones down, site owner 'missing'

    A Dutch online reseller who promised customers simlock-free iPhones has apparently gone missing, leaving coworkers bemused and hundreds of consumers a total of €700,000 in the hole. The owner of the website iPhonehelpdesk.nl has allegedly emptied his offices in Amsterdam and disappeared without a word to his colleagues. Like …

    Mobile 12 Aug 2008, 11:10

  • Generic VoIP toolkit comes to the iPhone

    But will Apple allow it?

    Global IP solutions is now punting its VoiceEngine Mobile technology for the iPhone, making it simple to add VoIP to any iPhone application. Developers wanting to add VoIP capabilities to mobile applications - such as adding voice communications to a game - can licence the stack from Global IP Solutions. Apple has been clear …

    VoIP 12 Aug 2008, 11:14

  • Philips Cineos 42PFL9603D Ambilight LCD TV

    Review Enjoy the HD experience, now with added Ambilight

    Philips' Ambilight feature at first seems bizarre: back-mounted lights that change hue as the dominant screen colour does. However, it's hard to switch off once you’ve used it. So what do we make of Philips' new, uncompromisingly-designed LCD model that has hidden speakers, the latest image processing technology and Ambilight …

    Hardware 12 Aug 2008, 11:51

  • Joint Committee gets it (mainly) wrong on human rights

    Freedom to mind your language

    The Joint Committee on Human Rights delivered its 29th report at the weekend on the vexed question of whether the UK should adopt a “Bill of Rights”, and if so, how. Make yourselves comfortable - it's a long one. It is said that the Ten Commandments could be expressed in a mere 300 words - the American Declaration of …

    Government 12 Aug 2008, 12:02

  • Huge write-off takes Insight Enterprises into loss

    UK back on track

    A strong performance from EMEA and APAC helped Insight Enterprises to raise sales nine per cent to $1.4bn in Q2. But the US reseller giant declared a massive loss for the three months ended June 30, by writing off all the goodwill on its North America books. That amounts to a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $313.9m, $ …

    The Channel 12 Aug 2008, 12:02

  • 16-card GPU bangs-per-buck mega shoot out

    We name the best GPUs for performance and price

    We've looked at a host of graphics chips, and while each new GPU generation has its fans who'll dash out and buy it no matter what, plenty of punters prefer to wait and see whether they're worth the money. In short, they ask, what level of bang will we get per buck? Or would be be better off spending a lot less on an older GPU …

    Hardware 12 Aug 2008, 12:09

  • Sony's floating Bravia

    Magical speakers hang mid-air

    Sony has expanded its Bravia TV line with a telly that not only boasts “floating” speakers, but a screen that can automatically dim itself to save power and improve contrast. Sony's Bravia X4500 has floating speakers The X4500 uses clusters of “energy-efficient” red, green and blue LED backlights – rather than traditional …

    Hardware 12 Aug 2008, 12:16

  • Colchester Hospital sacks manager over lost laptop

    Holiday car break-in leads to dismissal

    Colchester University Hospital has sacked one of its managers over the theft of his work laptop, which contained unencrypted patient records. The PC - which was stolen (pdf) from the unnamed manager's car in June - contained copies of the personal details and treatment plans of several thousand patients. Thieves took the …

    Security 12 Aug 2008, 12:27

  • Amazon Kindle set to go massive

    Print not dead, but tombstone prepared

    Amazon's Kindle e-book reader will sell more than 380,000 in 2008, according to analysts at CitiGroup. UK retailer Waterstones agrees that e-books are the future and is putting Sony Readers into its high street stores. The Kindle figures are based on positive reviews of the product as well as the way it's still topping Amazon. …

    Data Networking 12 Aug 2008, 13:17

  • Xbox Live meets iPhone

    Blogger creates gaming buddy app

    Obsessed with Xbox 360 online gaming? Addicted to your iPhone? Now you can mash the two together with an Xbox Live application for the iPhone. Pike's iXboxLive application for the iPhone Software engineer and blogger Nicholas Pike has created the iXboxLive application, allowing gamers to create a modified Xbox Live buddy …

    Games 12 Aug 2008, 13:21

  • Fringe plan box office balls-up post-mortem next month

    Bringing down the house

    Edinburgh Fringe organisers will wait until after the last acts have packed up and gone home before picking over the bones of its box office system fiasco. As we reported yesterday, the group plans to conduct an independent inquiry into the chaotic technical problems the organisation suffered following the botched …

    Management 12 Aug 2008, 13:24

  • Cisco welds Linksys into one SMB channel prog

    How to reach the little people

    Cisco is merging its Linksys small business channel with its own reseller channel, to present a unified SMB partner program worldwide. Small and medium businesses present a big growth potential, Cisco notes. But as everyone notes, SMBs are difficult to reach and can be expensive to service. This is why resellers come in so handy …

    The Channel 12 Aug 2008, 13:26

  • UK.gov misses deadline on EU Phorm probe

    Exclusive Commission's data pimping quiz-o-gram leaked

    The government has failed to meet a deadline to respond to European Commission questions over the UK's handling of BT's allegedly illegal secret trials of Phorm's ISP-level adware and its planned rollout of the system to millions of subscribers, The Register has learned. The Commission wrote to the UK government to quiz …

    Broadband 12 Aug 2008, 13:41

  • Blighty's first 8Mp phone cometh

    Samsung's i8510 out next month

    The days of minimal megapixel snapping will soon be dead, because Samsung’s announced the UK launch date for its eight-megapixel handset. Did we mention the i8510 has an 8Mp camera? A nice 8Mp rear? The i8510 will be launched through Carphone Warehouse (CW) next month as the first eight-megapixel camera-phone ever to hit …

    Phones 12 Aug 2008, 13:49

  • Tories call for more freedom for snoopers

    Police nose bunged up with red tape

    The Tory Party is calling for less restriction of police snooping because current laws are "placing a disproportionate burden" on investigations of "volume crime". The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act was introduced in 2000 to provide oversight of public bodies' use of communications data, CCTV footage and other forms of …

    Law 12 Aug 2008, 14:27

  • Hitachi shoots out tri-format HD camcorder

    SDHC, HDD or mini Blu-ray disc, you decide

    Shooting HD video’s all well and good, but transferring footage between storage mediums is painful. Thankfully, Hitachi’s launched a camcorder that supports three different formats. Hitachi's DZ-BD10HA has a 30GB HDD, an SDHC slot and takes mini Blu-ray discs The seven-megapixel DZ-BD10HA captures 1920 x 1080p video footage …

    Hardware 12 Aug 2008, 14:29

  • Even Koreans turn off mobile TV

    Nobody's watching

    Despite billions invested in turning mobile phones into pocket TV sets, the public continues to find it all a giant yawn. A study by TMC Media published earlier this month suggests that peak-time viewing of direct broadcast TV on phones in Korea barely exceeds the pollsters' margin of error. TMC found that only 1.17 per cent …

    Mobile 12 Aug 2008, 14:35

  • No wireless sex please, we're American

    Prudes Congressmen pledge support for porn-free spectrum

    When it comes to filtering adult content in the US things are due to get that bit more um, sticky. Two Democrat members of the US congress have sent an open letter to FCC Chair Kevin Martin, supporting the agency's goal of a nationwide wireless service suitable for family viewing and accusing detractors of playing for time. …

    Mobile 12 Aug 2008, 15:16

  • Pentagon hacker McKinnon earns extradition delay

    European Court of Human Rights hangs fire

    Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon has been granted a short reprieve from possible extradition to the US while a European court decides whether or not to intervene. Law lords rejected McKinnon's appeal against extradition last month, leaving the European Court of Human Rights as his final avenue of appeal. McKinnon's solicitors …

    Law 12 Aug 2008, 15:24

  • Game rating system needs legal backing, claims supporter

    Exclusive ELSPA calls govt videogame report into question

    The Pan European Game Information videogame classification system needs a legal framework, but it's still best placed to protect children from disturbing games, according to the code’s primary backer. The code was recently criticised by a government report into UK videogame classification, which said that the British Board of …

    Games 12 Aug 2008, 15:44

  • BT hires ex-C&W boss to run Global Services (UK)

    BT has appointed Royston Hoggarth, the former CEO of C&W's UK operations, to run the UK side of its Global Services division. He replaces Tim Smart who is off to King's College Hospital (National Health Service) Foundation Trust, Dow Jones newswire reports. Hoggarth will be running running a bloody big business - the UK …

    The Channel 12 Aug 2008, 16:30

  • Is Microsoft's Silverlight evil?

    Olympic performance gets tested

    That's really the question John Markoff is asking in this New York Times piece about the way the NBC Olympics streaming video is putting Microsoft's browser plug-in on the map. Someone has even popped up to state that this is another go at technology monopoly: "They're still playing the same games," said Michael R. Nelson, …

    Developer 12 Aug 2008, 18:11

  • Dell thinks young and colorful with business notebook refresh

    Latitude adjustment

    It's been a couple years since Dell last had a major refresh of its Latitude business notebooks. Lo and behold, there's all these young, sleek rivals on the scene these days. Rather than buy a toupee and flashy car, Dell is re-imagining its Latitude line by mixing some sex appeal from consumer notebooks with a business- …

    Hardware 12 Aug 2008, 22:37

  • Nvidia pulls off Project Blowout in Q2

    Disappointing disaster

    Last month, Nvidia promised to bomb its second quarter. Today, the company delivered on those promises in smashing fashion. The graphics chip maker's revenue dropped 5 per cent to $892.7m. In addition, the company posted a net loss of $120.9m, which compares to a profit of $172.7m in the same period last year. Perhaps worst …

    Financial News 12 Aug 2008, 23:05