26th August 2008 Archive

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Amazon sending Kindle to college

What price bong waterproofing?

Amazon is planning a new student-friendly version of its Kindle e-book reader, according to McAdams Wright Ragen analyst Tim Bueneman. He recently told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that Amazon has high hopes for the device in the lucrative college textbook market. The book vendor is reportedly now working on at least one …

Music and Media 26 Aug 2008, 00:10
Breakup with Sadville lion ends in kidnap plot, duct-taped dog

Happiness is a warm laser sighted taser

In Sadville, they were close. But in our world, the relationship quickly took a turn for the worse. He dumped her. She walked into his office with a gun and tried to kidnap him. And when that failed, she broke into his apartment with handcuffs, some duct tape, a taser, a BB gun, and a dog named Gogi, shining some sort of "laser …

Music and Media 26 Aug 2008, 01:37
E-voting outfit confesses vote-dropping software bug

Ten years later

Electronic voting machine manufacturer Premier Elections Solutions has warned government officials of a critical programming error that can drop votes before they are tallied. The logic error is present on Premier's touch screen and optical scan equipment and occurs when votes are being transferred from memory cards to a …

Security 26 Aug 2008, 03:08
Asus readies fourth incarnation of Eee 900

Hard drive model coming soon?

This is getting silly. Asus is planning another variant of the Eee PC 900 in addition to the three models already carrying the 900 moniker - and the nine other Eee-branded mini laptops Asus currently lists. This time it's the 900HD, a hard drive equipped model that's just turned up on the US Federal Communications Commission …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 08:15
Million bank details sold on eBay

And a few more gone AWOL

A computer hard disc containing one million sets of bank details was bought on eBay for just £35. The secondhand PC contained details of customers from American Express, NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland. The files included names, addresses, sort codes, account numbers, credit card numbers, mobile phone numbers, mothers' …

ID 26 Aug 2008, 08:57
World+Dog predicts new iPods, Macs imminent

Announcement in two weeks' time?

The net's abuzz with anticipation as to what Apple's going to announce at an event said to be taking place on 9 September. At the very least, new iPods seem certain to be unveiled shortly, and quite likely new laptops Macs too. First, it's important to note that Apple usually announces iPod refreshes late August/early …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 09:31
Infosys swoops on Axon

Snaps up SAP firm

Shares in computer software firm Axon Group jumped more than 20 per cent this morning after it agreed a £407.1m takeover from Infosys Technologies. Infosys announced yesterday (pdf) that it planned to buy the UK-based SAP consultant for a recommended cash offer. Axon consults with multinationals that use SAP as their …

Channel Register 26 Aug 2008, 09:39
Reader comments bigger legal risk than forums

Mod squad issues dire warning

Media sites which ask readers to comment on news stories are at greater risk of bearing responsibility for those comments than for comments in online forums or discussion groups, leading web moderators have warned. Though there are few verdicts to help lawyers and site moderators come up with hard and fast rules, it is …

Law 26 Aug 2008, 09:43
Grazing cattle display animal magnetism

Bodies align to north-south axis

Researchers have explained why cattle will tend to face the same direction when grazing - a behaviour long known to herdsmen and hunters but previously attributed to either prevailing winds or the sun's position. In fact, Reuters reports, they align their bodies along a north-south axis, suggesting the Earth's magnetic field …

Biology 26 Aug 2008, 09:46
'Child protection' database slammed as plod data mine

Troubled kids' pasts open to investigators

A new database purporting to help protect vulnerable children could be used by authorities to gather evidence against them for criminal prosecutions, it has emerged. The ContactPoint database is being promoted as a tool to ease cooperation between schools, social services and other authorites who hold information on kids. The …

Policing 26 Aug 2008, 09:54
Nuns face off in online beauty contest

Updated! Sine qua nun?

Father Jack would dribble into his drink - a rather open-minded Italian priest is running a beauty contest for nuns. The pageant, which is the brainchild of Father Antonio Rungi of Mondragone near Naples, is intended to challenge the stereotype of the nun as plain at best and grotesque at worst. According to the Times, Father …

Bootnotes 26 Aug 2008, 09:56
HTC's big-talking talker

All the features, and two keyboards

The design of HTC’s latest slider handset may hark back to early smartphone formats, but the S740 still packs in all the technology necessary to make it a leading contender in the modern mobile market, its maker claims. HTC's S740: how you type is your decision The HTC S740 can be used in either a vertical format, giving …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 10:21
Best Western plays down impact of hack attack

8 million records? Huh, more like 10

Hotel chain Best Western has denied falling victim to a large-scale hacking attack. A report in the Scotland's Glasgow Sunday Herald claims that the hotel chain has been turned over by a hacker who lifted eight million customer records. It reports that the Indian hacker who carried out the heist sold on the information to …

ID 26 Aug 2008, 10:36
MSI touts 'first' mobo for Intel Core i7

Full three-channel memory supported

Want a peek at Intel's 'Nehalem'-oriented X58 chipset? Well here it is, courtesy of mobo maker MSI, which today announced its first board for Core i7 processors. MSI's Eclipse: awaiting Core i7 MSI's X58 Eclipse is equipped with the Socket B - LGA-1366 - interconnect to support the likes of 'Bloofield', Intel's upcoming …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 10:37
TomTom goes upper class

Pro satnav range driven in

TomTom has shifted into fifth gear and is chasing down business executives with a taste for high-end satnavs. TomTom's Pro 8000: the Duo's daddy The Pro range comprises the 4000 and 8000, which have the edge over existing TomTom satnavs by coming with a selection of additional services that ‘lower class’ models don’t have …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 10:42
Qinetiq trumpets midsummer robo solar-plane 'record'

Now let's see it work at winter solstice

Controversial warboffinry spinoff firm Qinetiq claimed a new world record over the weekend, saying that its "Zephyr" unmanned solar-powered plane had made a 3-day flight earlier this summer. However, the test took place in uniquely favourable circumstances. The Zephyr, a large lightweight electrically-powered aircraft, …

Government 26 Aug 2008, 10:45
Olympus E-420 digital SLR

Review It’s dinky and it delivers good pictures

Many of us want the slimmest, lightest, most portable camera we can afford. No surprise, then, that Olympus is making a lot of noise about the E-420, claimed to be the “world’s most compact DSLR”. The E-420 is certainly a tiddler when compared with most other DSLRs on the market, measuring 129.5 x 91 x 53mm and weighing just …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 11:02
Beeb to resurrect Reggie Perrin

Martin Clunes in frame for Rossiter role

The BBC is planning to resurrect The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin, with Martin Clunes in the frame to take the lead role made famous by the late Leonard Rossiter, the Guardian reports. Speaking at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International TV Festival, new BBC1 supremo Jay Hunt professed her love of the original show - …

Entertainment 26 Aug 2008, 11:10
Mobile broadband: What's it for?

Don't ask the operators

In the next few weeks (hint: CTIA is in three weeks) I'm expecting mobile operators to be offered a new tool, which will allow them to work out what on earth their mobile broadband customers are doing. The mystery, however, is not "what is this tool, Guy?" - all will become clear quite quickly. What is mysterious is the answer …

Telecoms 26 Aug 2008, 11:11
Tories want data loss prosecutions

Knowing or reckless heads on spikes, please

The Conservatives have repeated their call for those involved in data losses to face criminal charges, following the Home Office's loss of data on all prisoners. The party said the government should make it a criminal offence for someone to "knowingly or recklessly" cause the loss of data, reports the Observer. The opposition …

Government 26 Aug 2008, 11:14
Nokia unveils N79 and N85 smartphones

'Let us entertain you,' shout new N-series talkers

The iPhone 3G may be hogging all the limelight, but Nokia’s bounced back with two new N series multimedia handsets to liven up your days. Nokia's N85: well-equipped, sexy slider The N85 slider has a 2.6in OLED display that sits within an iPhone-esque body. It comes with ten N-Gage games and a five-megapixel camera that’s …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 11:27
MessageLabs takes smut-blocking tech in-house

We liked it, so we bought the company

Web security services outfit MessageLabs has acquired image analysis technology firm Fortium ICA Limited. Fortium Technologies, the parent company of Fortium ICA, will continue to market and develop video copy control and fingerprint detection technologies as an independent company. Terms of the technology acquisition deal, …

Channel Register 26 Aug 2008, 11:32
Street View spycars need some TLC

And percussive maintenance, evidently

Our Street View spycar Google Maps Web 0.2 mashup has proved a spectacular success, with around 85 sightings to date submitted by sharp-eyed readers and 400,000 hits down there at the search monolith's cartographical tentacle... View the Map (opens in a new window) The two latest submissions in particular caught our eye, …

Bootnotes 26 Aug 2008, 11:38
US utilities plot remote switch off

I'm sorry Dave, I can't turn that kettle on

HomePlug, the networking standard for sending data over mains wires, is to implement ZigBee's Smart Energy protocol, allowing utilities to reach out and the thermostat turn down, or up, when power is short. An array of US utility companies is pushing the initiative, which sees HomePlug extending ZigBee Smart Energy to work …

Telecoms 26 Aug 2008, 11:43
IT pay jumps as skills gap widens

Offshoring blamed for cash bonanaza

The IT skills shortage in the UK is being made worse by the routine offshoring of entry-level tech jobs. Income Data Services’ (IDC) latest findings on IT pay for 2008 shows that offshoring low-levels IT jobs to the likes of China and India has led to fewer graduate opportunities because firms are reluctant to invest in their …

IT Director 26 Aug 2008, 11:45
Sony designs photo frames for the digital age

Printed photos? Pah!

If you’ve recently splashed out on a new digital SLR, such as the Olympus E-420 we've reviewed here, then you’ll need some where to show off your snaps. Sony knows this, so it’s unveiled two LCD photo frames. Sony's 10.2in D100 frame... The main difference between the D80 and the D100 is display size. Whilst the D80 has a …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 12:14
iPhone 2.0.2 crack posted then pulled

Update promised

Hours after the latest version of the iPhone Dev Team's PwnageTool iPhone cracking utility hit the servers, the group appears to have pulled the app. However, it promised the app will return later today. PwnageTool 2.0.3 was announced late last night. This morning, attempts to grab it using PwnageTool 2.0.2's on-board update …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 12:15
How can I run Windows apps on a Linux Acer Aspire One?

Q&A

It just read your review of the Acer Aspire One. I've had one for a week or so and find that I can't load up windows files (*.EXE), which is a bit of a blow as I wanted to be able to do basic Autocad drawings. Is there an easy way to get it to run windows files? And what are the basic hacks needed to be able to install …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 12:25
EC misleading EU on copyright extension, says boffin

'Wilfully ignored' studies that disagreed

A leading academic has warned that the European Commission "wilfully ignored" studies that it paid for whose conclusions disagreed with its policy, and that the Commission is misleading the European Union Council, Parliament and citizens over copyright extension. Professor Bernt Hugenholtz is the director of the University of …

Law 26 Aug 2008, 12:31
Council clamps down on 'man on the street'

He won't be manning the switchboard, that's for sure

Chichester District Council has provoked the wrath of Middle England by suggesting to staff and members that the phrase "man on the street" would better be expressed by "general public", since the former is "based on the assumption that the world is male and makes the views or work of women invisible". The West Sussex …

Bootnotes 26 Aug 2008, 12:33
Colonel: Bowman army comms 'astonishingly bad'

Battery life & range crap - but at least it's heavy

The long-bedevilled Bowman digital comms infrastructure for the British army is continuing to enrage and frustrate its users - a British commander in Afghanistan has described Bowman as "broken" and "astonishingly bad". Bowman was finally forced through acceptance trials in 2004, after a nightmare 14-year gestation period. The …

Government 26 Aug 2008, 12:45
Yahoo! reinvades! Iran!

Tech giants forge Axis of Email™

Yahoo! has reinstated its free webmail services in Iran, less than a year after the firm blocked new registrations from the country citing tighter US sanctions. Iran has also reappeared in the registration country list of Microsoft's Hotmail service. Last November we reported how both had blocked new webmail and instant …

Law 26 Aug 2008, 12:50
Kindle fails to set light to unsold e-book pile

Rumours of death of paper greatly exaggerated

The humble paper-based book isn't burnt just yet. Amazon is keeping schtum as to how many e-books it has sold, but evidence is mounting that predictions of iPod-grade sales and billion-dollar revenues were a smidge optimistic. Earlier this month CitiGroup predicted that Amazon would shift 380,000 electronic books during 2008, …

Music and Media 26 Aug 2008, 13:11
Geek tech takes hoovering to new heights

Extreme ironing anyone?

If the Missus always nags you to help her clean, she’ll faint when you offer to vacuum the whole house. Thankfully, technology’s found a way to liven up this chore – but you’ll need a Wii Balance Board. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com Wii and vacuuming nerd “Ron” Tajima of Japan has developed a way …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 13:18
Citrix tries to woo crowds with XenApp 5

Lands next month

Citrix Systems yesterday announced the imminent release of XenApp 5, in its latest attempt to strengthen its hold on the data centre and desktop virtualisation market. XenApp 5, XenServer and XenDesktop will all be slotted into what the company has dubbed the Citrix Delivery Centre product line to create an “end-to-end …

Virtualization 26 Aug 2008, 13:39
Wind turbines put bats under (low) pressure

Scientists probe barotrauma fatalities

A research team from the University of Calgary has found that a large percentage of bat fatalities at wind turbine sites are caused by a sudden drop in air pressure around the turbine blades, the BBC reports. Reports of bat deaths at wind farms had previously been documented in Europe and the US, but quite why these generally …

Biology 26 Aug 2008, 14:09
Cowon shows off super-sexy PMP

The new iPod beater?

Many of you are desperately trying to discover if Apple’s about to release a new curvy iPod. But rival Cowon has jumped in before it and launched a sexier, more curvaceous multimedia player. Cowon's S9: would it rock? It’s hard to define the S9’s looks. Apart from 'Cor yeah, it looks good', the player appears as though it …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 14:21
Joss-sticks increase cancer risk: Official

Scientists issue incense fug health warning

Researchers have warned that burning joss-sticks and incense is associated with "an increase in some types of lung cancer, and cancers of the upper respiratory tract, such as throat and mouth cancer", the Guardian reports. In what represents a terrible blow for hippies and Strategy Boutiques*, a 12-year study by Dr Jeppe …

Biology 26 Aug 2008, 14:35
Medion punts £599 Blu-ray PC

Want a Blu-ray quad-core PC on the cheap? Tesco is selling Medion's Akoya P36888 for a mere pound under 600 quid. £599 gets you a big shiny black box containg a 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad Q6660, 3GB of memory, 1TB of hard drive storage, an Nvidia GeForce 9300 GS graphics card and of course said Blu-ray Disc drive. Medion's Akoya …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 14:37
Amazon goes on Shelfari

Acquires ~~face~~booky wooky start-up?

Amazon.com is buying Shelfari – that is, according to the Seattle social networking start-up, but for now the online retail giant is keeping mum about the deal. Shelfari is a community and review site for books, or rather book readers. Co-founder and CEO Josh Hug cheerily announced the agreement in a blog post yesterday in …

Music and Media 26 Aug 2008, 14:40
Minister warns of national grid hack threat

And theft of commercial secrets

A UK government minister has warned that cyber-terrorists were attempting to take out the national grid. Security Minister Lord West of Spithead also said that state-sponsored hackers are attempting to infiltrate corporate networks to steal commercial secrets. Much of this could have been said at any time over the last four or …

Enterprise Security 26 Aug 2008, 14:52
Pure develops 'interactive' DAB radio

If you thought "listener interactivity" was just a reference to men who shout at radios, think again, says DAB hand Pure. Next month, it'll launch an Evoke DAB radio that links to its online portal. In what sounds suspiciously like an attempt to make DAB exciting and relevant to today's media-savvy listener, Pure today said …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 15:03
Casio and Hitachi pair on 8Mp cameraphone

Super-snapping, 3G style

In these days of megapixel madness, manufacturers don’t last long if they fall behind the benchmark. So Hitachi and Casio have teamed-up to create an 8Mp phone, according to FCC documents. The Hitachi/Casio phone's based on 8Mp Exilim technology The phone’s based on a clamshell design and called the W63CA. It’s branded as a …

Reg Hardware 26 Aug 2008, 15:05
Fringe box office FAIL pushes sales down 10%

Bad weather, Olympics, ~~leaves on line~~ credit crunch blamed

Ticket sales at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe were down ten per cent this year, in part because of the technical failure of its box office system. Organisers at the arts fest admitted 2008 has been a very difficult year for the festival. The Fringe launched its new Liquid Box Office electronic system in June, but it failed to …

IT Director 26 Aug 2008, 15:46
DARPA in Tom'n'Jerry robo-brain quest

First they came for the mice; and I said nothing

Pentagon boffinry chiefs are on the verge of inking a deal which could see US forces equipped with "neuromorphic" imitation brain modules, each potentially as intelligent as a cat. Wired magazine reports that HRL Labs of Malibu initially announced a firm deal on the feline-grade artibrain contract, referred to by the US …

Government 26 Aug 2008, 16:09
Apple goes auntie over slasher comic

Murders Murderdrome

Murderdrome is a comic published exclusively for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which makes its removal from iTunes something of a problem for publishers Infurious and bodes badly for their comic-rendering application. It should come as no surprise that a product called Murderdrome has found itself removed from a channel that …

Mobile 26 Aug 2008, 17:00
Scumbags punt Trojan with baby kidnap lure

A new low

With a sick email malware campaign, pond dwelling scumbags are claiming to have kidnapped the children of would-be targets of infection. The contemptible junk mail messages attempt to panic recipients into opening email attachment supposedly carrying images of abducted infants but in reality loaded with a variant of the Resex …

Spam 26 Aug 2008, 17:11
Crypto guru thinks outside the box with Cube attack

Stream ciphers easily split (maybe)

Senior cryptologist Adi Shamir is developing a new attack for rooting out potential weaknesses in encryption ciphers, dubbed the Cube Attack. Shamir, the S in RSA, explained at a talk at the Crypto2008 conference earlier this month that the attack methodology would succeed against cypher schemes providing that they can be …

Security 26 Aug 2008, 17:17
China pardons iTunes (but not Sting)

Music store returns - minus 'Songs for Tibet'

The People's Republic has pardoned iTunes after access to the online music store was apparently blocked in reaction to selling a new Tibet-themed album during the Olympic games. Apple customers in China can once again access the iTunes store, although the contested "Songs for Tibet" album released by the US-based activist …

Music and Media 26 Aug 2008, 18:45
EMC's Celerra starts smaller and gets cheaper

Entry-level replaces Fibre Channel with SAS

Just 12 months after introducing the Celerra NS20, EMC has increased its capacity by 50 percent, and replaced its entry level role with a cheaper NX4 model. The 6-60-drive NS20 came into the scene in July 2007 as a Clariion mixed Fibre Channel and SATA drive array topped by a Celerra NAS (network-attached storage) head also …

Storage 26 Aug 2008, 19:30
AT&T freshens tourist-trapping iPhone data plans

'You want savings? Pay us an extra hundred'

US telco giant AT&T has announced two new international data plans for the Jesus Phone, saying they'll save Americans "hundreds of dollars" on journeys abroad. But we all know this is just another way for the company to hold your wallet hostage. Tomorrow, AT&T will begin offering a 100MB per month international plan for $119. …

Mobile 26 Aug 2008, 20:33
Hardware hackers get second Bugs bite

Modular Linux goodies return

Hardware hackers can soon start building their own Linux gadgets with a fresh batch of Lego-like building blocks from Bug Labs. Bug Labs told The Reg it's targeting "late September/early October" for a second release of BUGmodules, version 1.3. Bug Labs had said earlier this month it hoped for release this week, but also …

Developer 26 Aug 2008, 20:53
Embarcadero rallies on Windows and web with CodeGear

Microsoft not the only fruit

Embarcadero Technologies has updated its recently acquired CodeGear Rapid Application Development (RAD) suite and languages for Windows. Delphi 2009 and C++Builder 2009 feature the first merging of previously separate development environments from CodeGear and Embarcadero, sharpening the focus on database development. The …

Developer 26 Aug 2008, 20:58
Hackintosh maker bites back at Apple

Calls for death of Mac EULA

Psystar, the company that sells open systems capable of running Mac OS X, plans to fight back against the copyright infringement lawsuit Apple has filed against it. The Miami-based firm said during a press conference this afternoon it plans to challenge Apple's long-standing licensing ban on running the Mac operating system on …

Channel Register 26 Aug 2008, 22:14
Houston, we have a virus

Worm infects International Space Station laptops

A computer worm that ferrets out passwords managed to stow away on laptops aboard the International Space Station, NASA has confirmed. It is not the first time a NASA computer has become infected. SpaceReg.com identified the infection as W32.TGammima.AG, a worm that spreads by copying itself to removable media devices. Once in …

Security 26 Aug 2008, 22:20