15th August 2008 Archive

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Did we say you can read that?

When the police replace librarians

An issue that refuses to go away is whether some academic research now needs a license from the local police. Regular readers may remember the case of Hicham Yezza and Rizwaan Sabir, which we reported on in May. This kicked off when Mr Sabir, a postgraduate student at Nottingham University, asked Mr Yezza to help him out by …

Law 15 Aug 2008, 07:02
Michael Dell mulls 'Newcastle Utd investment'

We are not making this up

Here's an odd one, from the sports pages of yesterday's Daily Telegraph (can't find a link online, sorry). Citing reports, the paper says Michael Dell is mulling an investment in Newcastle United, the Premier League football club. Indeed the Texan tycoon is "thought to be due to meet Newcastle's billionaire owner, Mike Ashley …

Channel Register 15 Aug 2008, 07:25
Facebook sued for Beacon blunder

Eat my class action...bitch

Facebook is being sued for breaking privacy and wire-tapping laws by introducing Facebook Beacon - the ad service which tracked what you did on other websites. If you bought something on a partner site working with Facebook then this fact would be displayed on your profile page for all your friends to see. Users were signed up …

Business 15 Aug 2008, 08:17
Seagate said to be sniffing SanDisk

Deal more about IP than Flash production?

Is Seagate about to acquire SanDisk? That's one claim that's been doing the rounds at a US Flash storage conference this week. According to an EETimes report, that's what attendees at the Flash Memory Summit have been whispering. Neither party's commenting, of course. But would such a deal make sense? Solid-state storage may …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 08:32
Microsoft, Google and Yahoo sued for foetus sex selection ads

Indian suit calls for sites to be blocked

The Supreme Court of India has issued notices against Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! for advertising products to select the sex of foetuses. Sabu Mathew George filed the complaint against the three firms. He told the New York Times that the ads deliberately targeted Indian users. He told the paper 900,000 female foetuses are …

Law 15 Aug 2008, 09:02
Intel touts user-defined app cache Vista speed boost tech

Turbo Memory revamped

Will Intel's revamped Turbo Memory software - the code that comes with its Centrino-oriented Flash cache modules - make good on the technology's promise to accelerate Windows Vista application load times? The chip giant certainly hopes so, but its solution - to let users, rather than Windows, choose which apps are cached doesn …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 09:11
HP takes shine to VIA's Nano CPU?

'Order placed' for ultra low-power chip

HP looks set to adopt VIA's ultra low-power Nano processor, but as yet it's not known what the PC giant will use the CPU for. The claim that HP has placed an order for an unknown quantity of Nanos comes from industry moles cited by DigiTimes. If true, it's good news for VIA. How good depends on what HP plans to do with the …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 09:39
Brocade unfurls FCoE roadmap

CNA and FCoE switch next year

Brocade is aiming to deliver an FCoE switch and FCoE server adapters, and sign a tier-one HBA OEM by the end of the year. FCoE means Fibre Channel over Ethernet and involves sending Fibre Channel (FC) protocol messages across ethernet links. Traditionally FC messages pass through a fabric with switches and director nodes …

Storage 15 Aug 2008, 09:53
Healy vacates top slot at Calyx

Maurice Healy has resigned as CEO of Calyx, the Anglo-Irish reseller group he navigated through a €104m MBO last year, ENN.ie reports. His replacement is Tara Brady, who joined the company from Getronics in June as chief operating officer. Healy remains a shareholder.

Channel Register 15 Aug 2008, 10:01
Arctic ice refuses to melt as ordered

There's something rotten north of Denmark

Just a few weeks ago, predictions of Arctic ice collapse were buzzing all over the internet. Some scientists were predicting that the "North Pole may be ice-free for first time this summer". Others predicted that the entire "polar ice cap would disappear this summer". The Arctic melt season is nearly done for this year. The …

Environment 15 Aug 2008, 10:02
Palm lets slip Treo Pro piccies

HSDPA version of Treo 800w?

Palm's upcoming Treo Pro, the smartphone formerly assumed to be the Treo 850, has made an early appearance on the web - courtesy of the manufacturer itself. Palm's Treo Pro: leaked An inquisitive reader of the WMExperts online forum found a Treo Pro pre-release presentation on Palm's website. Palm's yanked it now, of course …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 10:04
Home Office reaches half-way hash in secure data handling

Analysis Encryption bureau to operate like internal post office

The UK Home Office has introduced procedures to handle encrypted personal data from external partners. However, guidelines on how the new Home Office Central Cryptography service will work raise concerns about possible shortcomings with the service which, while a big improvement, falls below best practice in sectors such as …

Enterprise Security 15 Aug 2008, 10:09
Sony intros sub-aqua touchscreen-friendly cam case

Snap away with the fishes

Sony has plumbed the depths of underwater photography to create a waterproof camera case that still lets you access the features of a touchscreen snapper. Sony's Marine Pack lets touchscreens be accessed underwater The electronic giant’s upcoming Marine Pack case has five levers on the back that, when depressed, push on the …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 10:11
Murdered Chinese students linked to online betting scam

Forum threats over football bets

The two Chinese Newcastle University graduates murdered last weekend could be linked to a complex web betting scam, Northumbrian Police believe. The couple, Xi Zhou and Zhen Xing Yang, were found dead by police on Saturday. Police said the two were tortured for some time before being killed. Bizarrely, the couple's cat was …

Crime 15 Aug 2008, 10:14
Sats blunder firm sacked

ETS ends with an F

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has put ETS out of its misery with an agreement to “dissolve” their five year contract for national curriculum tests after just one year. The mercifully quick despatching of the hapless US examination organisaton follows a chaotic summer marking season for the tests which are taken …

Government 15 Aug 2008, 10:48
BOFH: Burying the hatchet

Episode 28 In someone's back, naturally

There's something about a newly refurbished building that just appeals. Whether it's the contrast of old and new (i.e. the ancient glass fronted axe cases in the stairwell which no-one in their right mind would install these days, versus the almost ubiquitous security cameras which everyone seems to be installing these days) …

BOFH 15 Aug 2008, 10:51
Intel blogger slams employer over G45 IGP issues

Firm off the hook on Blu-ray complaints, though

If you've bought a PC based around Intel's G45 chipset - desktop or mobile - and your Blu-ray Disc performance is pants, change your software, the chip giant has suggested. The remedy comes from a staffer and blogger called Aaron Brezenski, now achieving his 15 minutes of fame thanks to a couple of grumbles he's made about …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 10:59
Samsung SGH-F400 music phone

Review Bang & Olufsen speakers on a handset? Oh yes.

Some phones get all the luck. Some get to be called Soul, or Tocco - we found out it's Italian for 'touch' - or even Omnia. But others get lumbered with a less emotive moniker. Like F400. The Samsung handset is fairly standard to look at, with silvered sides and a glossy black front. At 17mm thick, it's chunky, but then it …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 11:23
Thai court jails 'swirly-face' paedophile

Three years for abusive acts

A Canadian schoolteacher who was arrested after police appealed for the identity of a man depicted abusing boys on images circulating on the net has been jailed for three years and three months in Thailand. Christopher Paul Neil, who taught English in several Asian countries, was arrested last October in Thailand after …

Law 15 Aug 2008, 11:31
M&S pimps school uniform for iPod era

Are you listening to me, Wilkes Minor?

Marks and Sparks has given the old-style school uniform a tech overhaul, by creating a blazer with integrated iPod cradle. Teachers beware. M&S' school blazer, with iPod connection The Recycled Stain Defence Blazer for iPod Stormwear jacket - phew - includes an iPod pocket that allows the pupil to discretely hide their …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 11:36
Be Unlimited pulls plug on home CCTV service

Disabled customer marooned by sudden withdrawal

A wheelchair user faces losing vital security and independence because his broadband provider Be Unlimited is withdrawing a recently launched network CCTV service. The ISP has not offered any reason for the imminent withdrawal of the Home Monitor package, which costs £150 for a plug-and-play networked security camera and £5 …

Telecoms 15 Aug 2008, 11:53
Microsoft starts stoking hype for Windows 7

Wait 'til the leaves turn brown, people

Microsoft has told the blogosphere it will reveal more about its next operating system, Windows 7, on 27 October. The vendor has launched an Engineering Windows 7 blog, which contains scant detail of the planned OS, presumably in the hope of whetting the appetite of Windows lovers ahead of two “significant events” where it …

Operating Systems 15 Aug 2008, 11:59
US PS3 sales fell 45% in July

Wii down too

July's US console sales figures are in, and the PS3 managed to come in ahead of the Xbox 360 despite a massive drop in sales. Both consoles were again mightily thrashed by Nintendo's Wii. 2008 US Console Sales Source: NPD According to market watcher NPD, Microsoft sold 205,000 Xbox 360s in July, down slightly on the 219,800 …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 12:07
Mashed up Met Police crime maps go online

Plan your next spree

A test version of the Metropolitan Police crime statistics map has gone online showing crime figures broken down by ward and sub-ward - about every 600 households. A quick search for the Vulture Towers postcode shows we're in a high crime area with 44 crimes in June compared to just 29 in May. Reg staffers were probably not …

Policing 15 Aug 2008, 12:13
Motorola puts phone 'overbite' to good use

ZN200 slider, with feature status overbite

Overbites aren’t usually something to be smiled at. But the overbite on Motorola’s latest sexy slider is more than just a questionable style feature. Motorola's ZN200: overbite Atop the ZN200’s overbite are status icons, including ones for Bluetooth and messaging. These give you a quick visual reference to see whether, say …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 12:21
Our plasmas last for 42 years, claims Panasonic

Pass a plasma from generation to generation

If you’ve always steered clear of plasma TVs because you think their average lifetime isn’t great, then think again. One manufacturer has claimed that its plasma TVs at least will last for over 42 years. That picture won't look so bright in 43 years' time Panasonic has stated that its 2008 line-up of 1080p Viera plasma HD …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 12:42
BT seals free Digital Vault

Download or pay £4.99

BT will shutter its free 2GB online storage service and press users to take a £4.99 per month 50GB package, it said today. Customers will lose online access to their files on 30 October unless they upgrade to a paid-for Digital Vault account. Digital Vault is pitched as a backup service rather than an alternative to local …

Telecoms 15 Aug 2008, 12:46
French cough in to filthy restaurants

France's name is merde

France’s bid to have its cuisine listed as a world treasure has been dealt a blow after it emerged that a quarter of its restaurants break hygiene rules or serve up food unfit for human consumption. The shocking and frankly rather disgusting news was revealed by the country’s own Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Michel …

Bootnotes 15 Aug 2008, 12:54
Orange to bundle free Eee with HSDPA modem, airtime

SCC subsidised

Orange will tomorrow offer Brits Asus' newly announced Eee PC 900 16G for... well... nothing at all. Orange will expect however, punters to sign up for a two-year, £25-a-month airtime contract. That package grants users up to 3GB of data transfers a month and up to 100 text messages sent from the machine. Asus Eee and friend …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 13:54
Broken off USB cable Flash drive goes on sale

Secret storage

Earlier this year, a crazed cable junkie released a walkthrough for transforming a sawn-off USB cable into a Flash drive. Now the inventor's idea has been turned into a money spinner. The cable looks broken, but it stores 2GB of data In April, self-styled mad scientist Windell Oskay published his walkthrough for creating a …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 14:03
Harness XML with PHP 5 extensions

Hands on A time to query

PHP is one of the most commonly used languages for developing web sites while XML has become an industry standard for exchanging data. Increasingly, web sites use XML to transfer data through web feeds such as RSS and Atom, or through web services. PHP 5 XML extensions provide support for parsing, transformation, XPath …

Developer 15 Aug 2008, 15:02
Microsoft ramps up vuln ActiveX controls cull

Third-party fire and exploit block

This week's Patch Tuesday update was nearly as difficult to digest as a Michael Phelp's breakfast. It contained 11 bulletins covering 26 underlying vulnerabilities, the most in two years. With all this high-calorie content to chew through two important points about the update have gone largely overlooked. Firstly, a promised …

Enterprise Security 15 Aug 2008, 15:58
Apple preps patch for 'problematic 3G' iPhone?

Rumoured release to cure connectivity woes

An upcoming software patch may bring relief to iPhone 3G owners whose handsets have been struck down by inexplicable connection problems. So reports the Wall Street Journal, which quotes unnamed “people familiar with the matter” who say that Apple is set to release a fix within weeks. Since the 3G handset’s release, customers …

Reg Hardware 15 Aug 2008, 16:33
Mystery web attack hijacks your clipboard

No, Macs are not immune

A new web-based attack is making the rounds that tries to spread poisonous links by hijacking end users' clipboards. Forum discussions here, here, here, here and elsewhere all report the same thing: the commenter surfs to a seemingly legitimate site (MSNBC.com comes up more than once) and suddenly a malicious link is copied to …

Security 15 Aug 2008, 18:02
Cock-up blamed for MCI customer site outage

All our records are safe - honest!

Human error is the "official" reason for a two-day outage of a web-based customer account management system used by America's second-largest long-distance phone company. A spokesman for MCI's US parent company Verizon Communications told The Reg that "somebody simply ran the wrong process on the server" that's used by MCI's …

Telecoms 15 Aug 2008, 19:31
JavaScript standards wrangle swings Microsoft's way

Adobe dons brave face

Adobe Systems appears to have been wrong footed and Microsoft left crowing on JavaScript’s evolution, following a decision by the ECMA. After several months of wrangling, ECMA technical committee (TC) 39 - responsible for JavaScript standardization - has agreed to abandon plans for an ambitious new standard dubbed ECMAScript ( …

Developer 15 Aug 2008, 19:49
Google murders second Anonymous AdSense account

Exclusive Pro-Scientology ads decorating anti-Scientology sites. Wah?

Google has shutdown the AdSense account of another anti-Scientology site. Three months after cutting off all ads served to Enturbulation, a site dedicated to promoting activism against the Church of Scientology and all its related organizations, Google has done the same with a similar site known as Epic Anonymous. Earlier …

Applications 15 Aug 2008, 20:37