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4th September 2008 Archive

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  • 3,400 votes vanish from Florida election

    Son of Hanging Chad

    Florida elections officials are determining whether they can give their counterparts in Palm Beach County more time to certify voting results of an election last week, following the revelation that more than 3,400 ballots have vanished into thin air. Arthur Anderson, Palm Beach's supervisor of Elections certified the results …

    Government 4 Sep 2008, 02:13

  • Microsoft slashes US Xbox 360 to sub-Wii price

    The $200 Arcade

    Microsoft will slice the price of the Xbox 360 in the US this Friday, making an entry-level version of its game console less expensive than a Nintendo Wii. Microsoft confirmed today the Arcade model will retail for $200 beginning 5 September, which is down from its previous price of $280. The standard model will cost $300, …

    Reg Hardware 4 Sep 2008, 03:51

  • Oracle's Ellison spanked for withholding evidence in shareholder suit

    The missing Softwar tapes

    A federal judge has upbraided Oracle CEO Larry Ellison for withholding evidence in a class-action suit brought by company stockholders. Yesterday, Bloomberg reports, US District Court Judge Susan Illston ruled that Ellison failed to preserve or intentionally destroyed emails and audio recordings that should have been turned …

    Financial News 4 Sep 2008, 04:25

  • Amazon to sell one OLPC laptop for the price of two

    Retail giant takes on charity notebook

    Amazon will soon sell the OLPC Linux laptop using the approach taken by the hardware charity's 'buy two, get one' programme. So said OLPC EMEA chief Matt Keller, in an interview with IDG. Keller said Amazon will add the XO notebook to its product list late in November, though it seems a limited run that extends only to the …

    Reg Hardware 4 Sep 2008, 07:41

  • Google restores Chrome's shine

    Polishes up its EULA

    Google has acted with speed and retracted the objectional sentences in Chrome's EULA, so that any content you post via Chrome is yours and yours alone. The ruckus was caused by our old friends, the paralegal firm Cut 'n' Paste Inc. Their employment has now been terminated and a new contract arranged with Fink First, Cut 'n' …

    Law 4 Sep 2008, 08:12

  • Scottish beavers (and Cali cacti) get their chips

    The fluffier face of tracking

    As a report from the US Computing Technology Industry Association shows the number of companies adopting chipping for one or more projects up by a third on 2007, it is nice to think that just occasionally, chips and other tracking devices can be put to uses that are relatively benign – or even green. September is likely to …

    Biology 4 Sep 2008, 09:39

  • Kids may benefit from mobiles in class

    Smartphones bring smarts

    A study from Nottingham University found that kids can actually benefit from using mobile phones in class. Teachers and parents have often complained about mobile use, and been tricked by kids using ringtones that adults can't hear, but a nine month study at five secondary schools found that phones can be a useful learning aid …

    Mobile 4 Sep 2008, 09:42

  • Dell launches Inspiron 9 mini laptop

    But no Linux version for now

    Dell has launched the Inspiron Mini 9, as expected. Alas, it's not as cheap as previous rumours suggested. The 1.04kg Mini 9 sports the 8.9in, 1024 x 600 display; 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor; 1GB of DDR 2 memory; Intel 945 chipset with GMA 950 graphics; trio of USB ports; VGA out; 802.11b/g Wi-Fi; Ethernet; and 1.3- …

    Reg Hardware 4 Sep 2008, 09:43

  • Rooster Cogballmer

    Microsoft virtualization splash on Monday?

    Remember Rooster Cogburn, that aggressive old man with one last stand left in him? Word is that Microsoft will make a splash on Monday around Hyper-V and System Center Virtual Machine Manager with a host of supporting supplier statements. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer pictured as Rooster Cogburn Anyway, it got me thinking …

    Virtualization 4 Sep 2008, 10:06

  • AMD to spin off fabs, claims analyst

    Chip maker to remodel itself on Nvidia et al?

    Is AMD about to announce that it's going to reinvent itself as a fabless semiconductor company? That's certainly what one analyst thinks. John Lau, an analyst with investment hous Jefferies & Co. this week told his clients that moles have told him AMD has such a strategy in mind and might announce the plan as early as mid- …

    Reg Hardware 4 Sep 2008, 10:13

  • Secure Computing snaps up user control firm Securify

    Pimp My Firewall

    Security appliance firm Secure Computing has bought user access monitoring and control firm Securify, in a deal valued at up to $20m ($15m guaranteed in cash and stock, plus an earn-out of up to $5m). Securify's appliance-based technology allows organisations to control and keep tabs on user access to applications. The …

    Security 4 Sep 2008, 10:18

  • LG launches 8Mp full-of-firsts cameraphone

    Divx, GPS, kitchen sink included

    LG has taken the wraps off its superlative-laden eight-megapixel cameraphone, which it'll bring to Blighty next month. The LG-KC910 is not only the slimmest 8Mp cameraphone on the market, LG claimed, but it's also the first to sport a touchscreen interface. It's also the first with Dolby Mobile sound tech, the Korean company …

    Reg Hardware 4 Sep 2008, 10:32

  • Lockheed demos AI-based roboforce command tech

    'Intelligent agents' control droid legions: flee now

    US aerospace colossus Lockheed Martin says it has taken an important step towards the inevitable rebellion of heavily armed, highly intelligent slaughter machines bent on the elimination of humanity. (We're paraphrasing the company release, obviously.) The arms globocorp announced yesterday that it had "demonstrated …

    Government 4 Sep 2008, 10:54

  • Intel P45 desktop chipset

    Review Makes life more difficult for overclockers

    The P45 Express is Intel’s latest mainstream chipset for the Core 2 range of processors. In many respects, it's a refinement of the P35. However, it has developed in an interesting direction. We generally expect that a new Intel chipset will major on CPU and memory support, but Intel has already got that side of things covered …

    Reg Hardware 4 Sep 2008, 11:22

  • Holiday text messages to cost less than 9p

    Text and data caps detailed

    Viviane Reding has begun circulating details of her proposed caps on data and SMS roaming. She wants to see prices capped at €.11 for a text message and €1 a MB for roamed data. The draft text has been sent to the EU Commissioners for consideration ahead of a formal vote on the matter in October. It also includes a proposal to …

    Mobile 4 Sep 2008, 11:29

  • Phorm: Our business is fine, honest

    UK.gov promises legal explanation for secret trials this month

    After its share price slumped to a new low, Phorm today sought to allay investor fears about the ISP-level adware business by repeating assurances that a critical third trial with BT will go ahead. Yesterday Phorm closed at £5.80, an all time low. The announcement seems to be having the desired effect; at time of writing Phorm …

    Telecoms 4 Sep 2008, 11:43

  • Sony recalls burning US laptops

    Vaio short circuit danger

    Sony is recalling 73,000* Vaio TZ-series laptops sold in the US, as a possible short circuit of wires near the hinge could burn users. *The BBC reports 440,000 machines in the US and Japan are affected by the recall, but none in the UK. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission is working with Sony to get the machines back. …

    Channel Register 4 Sep 2008, 11:48

  • Hi-tech cops lose their website

    Forget to re-register did we?

    The lapsed website of the UK's National Hi-Tech Crime Unit has been snapped up by an opportunistic German marketeer. Up until recently nhtcu.org redirected to the official website of Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). SOCA was created in April 2006 with the merger of the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal …

    Policing 4 Sep 2008, 12:02

  • UK's top boffin: Renewables targets were 'a mistake'

    EU premiers were in the dark: now we all will be

    A former chief scientific advisor to the government has said that EU renewable-energy quotas will cause widespread fuel poverty. Sir David King believes that European heads of state, in agreeing the targets, may have mistaken electricity usage for total energy consumption - leading to overly ambitious and expensive goals being …

    Environment 4 Sep 2008, 12:04

  • MS doesn't set world alight with Office Live Workspace

    Move along please, nothing to see here

    Microsoft claimed yesterday that one million subscribers have now signed up to the beta release of Office Live Workspace. The company’s web-based suite of apps has been publicly available for six months. They allow customers to create or edit documents online, but this being Redmond, there is a caveat: a licensed copy of MS …

    Software 4 Sep 2008, 12:08

  • Phone phishers hop on filesharing legal threats bandwagon

    Didn't see that coming... oh

    Fraudsters have begun cold-calling householders to accuse them of copyright infringement online and threaten them with court action, an ISP has reported. The development comes soon after the law firm Davenport Lyons won a widely-reported £16,000 default court award for a videogames firm from an alleged filesharer. Davenport …

    Crime 4 Sep 2008, 12:37

  • AMD to launch 45nm quad-core Phenoms on 8 January 2009

    125W 'Deneb' to make a splash at CES?

    What desktop processors are AMD planning to release during the final three months of the year? A leaked roadmap slide reveals all. And its first 'Deneb' desktops will debut in January 2009. The slide, sent to Spanish-language site ChileHardware, highlights 8 October as the next entry on AMD's calendar. On that day it'll launch …

    Reg Hardware 4 Sep 2008, 13:02

  • History shaped Google's Trojan Horse

    Analysis Unravelling the Chrome masterplan... with Windows 2.03

    When people buy software - buy it in seriously large amounts - it isn't just today's binary they're choosing. They're buying what they think is a bit of the future - they're buying a piece of risk insurance. This explains why very mature and well-proven systems often lose out to the Newest Kid on the Block. It also explains the …

    PCs & Chips 4 Sep 2008, 13:26

  • Chrome: A new force for web applications?

    Review Promise through the froth

    Google's new web browser has provoked an orgy of comment almost rivalling that for a new trinket from Apple. There's plenty of froth, but for once the interest is justified. This is not just a browser: it is a vehicle for delivering web applications, and it significantly changes the balance of power between those trying to …

    Software 4 Sep 2008, 14:17

  • Vodafone grabs carrier exclusive on HSDPA Dell Minis

    Carrier wins exclusive sales rights

    Vodafone has become the first carrier to say that it'll sell Dell's newly announced Inspiron Mini 9 little laptop. And it'll be the only carrier to do so. It has the European carrier exclusive on sales of the Small, Cheap(ish) Computer with a built-in HSDPA modem. That's an accessory notably absent from Dell's own website …

    Reg Hardware 4 Sep 2008, 14:32

  • Ubuntu documentation in shreds

    No smart suit for you

    An ambitious plan to smarten up the online documentation for Linux distro Ubuntu has ended in failure. Dubbed the Summer of Documentation by the Ubuntu forums beginner team who devised the plan back in June, the goal was to clean up the Ubuntu Community Wiki. The documentation wiki had "fallen into a huge state of disrepair …

    Software 4 Sep 2008, 15:01

  • Anonymous fights Scientology in schools

    We don't need no...

    The Anonymous collective has announced a new phase in its protests against the Church of Scientology, targeting the alleged mistreatment of youngsters by Scientologists. Operation: School's Closed is due to take place on 13 September and will involve a wave of protests against the "Church of Scientology management, its …

    Law 4 Sep 2008, 15:14

  • eBay sues business partners over alleged cookie stuffing

    Stuff this

    Internet auction site eBay is suing some of its business partners for 'cookie stuffing', a kind of advertising fraud. It claims partner sites are pretending that users have clicked on eBay ads when they have not. eBay pays other site owners to advertise its services. The site owners, or affiliates, are only paid, though, when …

    Channel Register 4 Sep 2008, 15:22

  • EU parliament says yes to hydrogen cars

    They will go like a bomb

    Members of the European Parliament have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a plan to bring in common standards for hydrogen cars and hydrogen filling stations across the EU. EU Observer reports that 644 MEPs in Brussels voted in favour of a report on hydrogen vehicles, with just two against and 11 abstaining. The report calls …

    Environment 4 Sep 2008, 15:27

  • Red Hat buys Qumranet, sidesteps Microsoft

    Deep down and virty

    Red Hat has bought Qumranet, the company behind KVM virtualisation technology, for about $107m in cash. The acquisition means open source software giant Red Hat will be able to offer a virtualised platform to Windows desktop customers without having to play nice with Microsoft. Qumranet birthed SolidICE, the firm's take on …

    Virtualization 4 Sep 2008, 15:37

  • Mythbusters busted over RFID gagging

    Host backtracks on corporate pressure claims

    The co-host of popular science television show Mythbusters has backtracked on claims that the Discovery Channel spiked a planned exploration of RFID security after coming under commercial pressure from credit card companies. Previously, Mythbusters co-host Adam Savage told delegates at the Hackers on Planet Earth conference in …

    Security 4 Sep 2008, 16:19

  • Ice in fuel caused Heathrow 777 crash

    Nasty chill provoked reduced fuel flow

    The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has concluded that the 17 January crash-landing of a Boeing 777 at Heathrow was probably caused by "ice within the fuel feed system" which restricted flow to the engines. BA038 (G-YMMM), after a routine flight from Beijing, suffered reduced thrust in both engines while coming into …

    Science 4 Sep 2008, 16:37

  • US noses past Western Europe in 3G stakes

    No, really

    Though the US still trails in terms of freedom from mobile tyranny, it has surpassed Western Europe in the great race towards 3G. Just. Believe it or not, American wireless subscribers are now more likely to use high-speed 3G networks than subscribers in Western Europe. According to the people tracking mavens at comScore, 28. …

    Mobile 4 Sep 2008, 17:57

  • Scammers skirt spam shields with help from Adobe Flash

    The Viagra two step

    Online scammers have found a new way to skirt anti-spam filters, this time by making use of Adobe Flash files hosted on free websites. Spam messages with innocuous-looking content contain links to Flash-based files on ImageShack.com and elsewhere, according to a report from anti-spam service MessageLabs. Then commands embedded …

    Spam 4 Sep 2008, 18:14

  • 3 punts mobile email for £2.50 a month

    Some bits are more equal the others

    UK operator 3 is celebrating their first year of mobile broadband by launching a new data tariff of £2.50 for unlimited email use, though the price doubles to a fiver a month for suit-wearers using Exchange or Notes access. Both tariffs include a data bundle, 10MB and 1GB respectively, but the e-mail access is completely …

    Mobile 4 Sep 2008, 18:29

  • Applet accelerating Java update M.I.A.

    Last minute glitch kills welcoming party

    Sun Microsystems planned to push out a significant update to Java today, but a last-minute snag has made its date of arrival uncertain. A Sun spokeswoman told us a problem was discovered during final testing of the release candidate of Java Standard Edition 6 Update 10. However, the company would not specify the problem or its …

    Developer 4 Sep 2008, 19:29

  • Open source release takes Linux rootkits mainstream

    Script kiddies, the DR will see you now

    The art of burying invisible malware deep inside a Linux machine is about to go mainstream, thanks to a new open-source rootkit released Thursday by Immunity Inc., a firm that supplies tools for penetration testers. When implemented, Immunity's DR, or Debug Register, makes backdoors and other types of malware extremely …

    Security 4 Sep 2008, 22:51

  • Comcast files FCC impotence suit

    'We will comply without complying'

    As expected, Comcast has appealed the landmark FCC order that sanctioned the American ISP for secretly blocking BitTorrents and other peer-to-peer traffic. But the meatpuppetting cable outfit says it will comply with the order while its appeal plays out in federal court. Under the order (PDF), Comcast has until September 19 to …

    Networks 4 Sep 2008, 22:56

  • Amazon opens (American) video streaming shop

    Down with downloads

    Amazon's new streaming video storefront has gone live today, replacing the online retailer's previous attempt at vending digital video via downloads. Amazon Video on Demand arrives about two months after service was introduced as a beta build to a limited number of US customers. The store now lets users stream commercial- …

    Software 4 Sep 2008, 23:23