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9th October 2008 Archive

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  • Oracle shareholders choke on Ellison's package

    Size an issue

    Larry Ellison's days as one of the tech-sector's best-remunerated chief executives could be numbered if a group of activist Oracle shareholders get their way this week. Investors attending Oracle's annual general meeting in California Friday are being asked to support a "say-on-pay" plan that could see them approve the pay and …

    Financial News 9 Oct 2008, 03:49

  • Geode - the Firefox add-on that knows where you are

    Give or take 20 meters

    Mozilla's virtual lab has unveiled an experimental browser add-on capable of identifying where you are. Give or take 20 meters. Known as Geode, this Firefox 3 add-on leverages the new W3C Geolocation spec, a way for websites to request your physical location - and for you to oblige. If you feel like it. In trumpeting Geode …

    Software 9 Oct 2008, 04:02

  • EC wants pan-Euro online shopping laws

    Now all we need is pan-Euro shopping police

    An EU directive that will harmonise consumer protection for online and bricks and mortar sales made another lurch along the Brussels’ legislative roadmap yesterday. The European Commission’s proposed consumer rights directive builds on proposals first made last year to simplify and replace four existing directives covering …

    Law 9 Oct 2008, 06:02

  • Big Blue bucks the downturn

    Recession? We sh*t 'em son

    IBM gave investors something to cheer about today - Big Blue will not be nationalised any time soon. The company pre-announced a summary of its third quarter results, which show it has hit targets for the period, and fully expects to continue to do so. Earnings per share were $2.08 compared to $1.68 for the third quarter of …

    Financial News 9 Oct 2008, 08:31

  • Home Office defends retaining comms data

    But hasn't figured out how yet

    The Home Office has said that ministers have not yet decided how to retain data on all communications - but defended the importance of doing so. Several press reports have said that the government will build a single database to hold everyone's communications data, collected from all service providers – adding that this would …

    Government 9 Oct 2008, 08:51

  • Martin Sheen backs Paris for president

    'See you at the fake inauguration, bitches'

    Paris Hilton has deployed some heavyweight backing for her bid to become the next (fake) president of the US of A - none other than West Wing thesp Martin Sheen, who offers the talented heiress some sound campaign advice in this rather silly video down at Funny or Die: Paris watchers will, of course, be aware that Ms …

    Bootnotes 9 Oct 2008, 08:52

  • New USAF Cyber-war formation downgraded

    Cyber Command becomes Space Command Cyber Force

    The US Air Force will proceed with plans to create a large, dedicated cyber warfare force, it was confirmed yesterday. However, rather than being an independent "Command" in its own right, the net battle formation has been downgraded in status and will now be subordinate to USAF Space Command. The original plans to form a full …

    Government 9 Oct 2008, 09:05

  • Asus confirms touchscreen Eee in pipeline

    Asus will launch an Eee PC netbook with a touchscreen display early next year, a company executive has said. Gigabyte's M912: inspiration for Asus' touchscreen Eee? The introduction looks set to take place at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas early in January 2009, where Asus has already lined up a major …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 09:13

  • Netbook makers point to H2 '09 for dual-core mobile Atom debut

    Year's wait ahead

    Don't expect a dual-core Atom-based netbook until next summer, manufacturers of Small, Cheap Computers have warned. This week, Asus chief Jerry Shen promised his company would offer a dual-core Eee PC whenever Intel ships a dual-core Atom suitable for mobile devices. The chip giant, he indicated, has not said when this will be …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 09:31

  • Scottish NHS data safeguarded by bizarre questionnaire

    Sturgeon ends fishy practices

    Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has welcomed new rules to tighten up security around patient records in Scotland. This follows the discovery of confidential details about patients and their treatment in two separate – and derelict - hospital premises. In July, records turned up at the Law hospital in Carluke, …

    Government 9 Oct 2008, 09:37

  • Armed cops ice South London devil dog

    Second satanic mutt execution follows canine rampage

    Armed police officers yesterday shot dead a devil dog which attacked four people during a uncontrolled rampage in Mitcham, South London. According to the Telegraph, the terrier (breed unspecified) escaped from its owner's garden in South Lodge Avenue through a hole in the fence. It promptly "bit a young child’s leg at around …

    Bootnotes 9 Oct 2008, 09:39

  • Navman locates addition to S-series satnav line

    Satnav manufacturer Navman has today unveiled a stylish, super-slim addition to its S range of GPS-enabled gadgets. Measuring only 13.5mm thick and weighing 150g, with a 4.3in flat widescreen display, the new product is the thinnest satnav on the market, Navman claimed. The brushed aluminium casing certainly makes it one of …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 09:45

  • Drop the DAB donkey, says analyst

    Digital burden is killing radio

    OFCOM should relieve British radio of its costly obligation to support digital as well as analogue broadcasts, a leading analyst company advised this week. If it doesn't, the commercial radio sector will die. Enders analyst Grant Goddard doesn't pull his punches. Broadcasters are obliged to make a digital commitment, he notes …

    Music and Media 9 Oct 2008, 09:50

  • Blu-ray add-on coming to the Xbox 360?

    Rumours flare up, again

    Microsoft has commissioned two of the biggest names in consumer electronics to manufacture a Blu-ray Disc drive for the Xbox 360, market sources have claimed. A joint venture between Samsung and Toshiba has been tasked with making the add-on drives for the console, an Xbit Labs report maintains. Although the drive’s technical …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 09:53

  • No takers for Huawei handset division

    Not even if we throw in this nice toaster?

    Chinese telecommunications-kit giant Huawei has failed to find a buyer for its handset division, with the state of world markets being blamed for all but two bidders pulling out. Back in May the company decided to sell off control of its handset division, and hired Morgan Stanley to find a buyer for a majority-shareholding in …

    Mobile 9 Oct 2008, 10:10

  • US satellite returns first hi-res snap

    GeoEye-1 pics destined for Google Earth

    Satellite imaging outfit GeoEye has released the first pic from its GeoEye-1, launched on 6 September and destined to provide hi-res snaps for Google's all-seeing Earth and Maps services. The image in question is of Kutztown University, Pennsylvania, caught on camera while the satellite was "moving north to south in a 423-mile …

    Space 9 Oct 2008, 10:12

  • Secret docs loser to appear in court

    Civil servant, intel docs, train seat

    The civil servant accused of leaving secret intelligence documents on a Waterloo to Surrey train will appear in court later this month. Richard Jackson has been summoned to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on 20 October 2008 to answer the following charge: That on 9 day of June 2008 being a crown servant and …

    Government 9 Oct 2008, 10:31

  • Ford cars to gain prang-preventing radar rigs

    A hit. A very palpable hit.

    Ford is to build radar into some of next year's cars in order to prevent (hopefully) drivers bumping into things. Dubbed "Collision Warning with Brake Support", the system sends out radio waves. If a rebounding signal reveals that the relative speeds of the car and the object in front indicate an impact, a buzzer sounds in the …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 10:33

  • Sanyo beams as next-gen laser cuts it for 100GB Blu-ray Disc

    Princess layer

    Sanyo has developed a blue laser that could enable 100GB capacity Blu-ray Discs and 166.67MB/s write speeds, 12 times the standard speed. The new GaN laser diode operates at 450mW in pulsed mode - current diodes run at 250mW - and has enough power to write to four layers in a BD. Current disks top out at two 25GB layers and 6x …

    Storage 9 Oct 2008, 10:52

  • LG's second 8Mp cameraphone unveiled

    Slider shooter

    LG has officially unveiled its second eight-megapixel phone: the KC780. LG's KC780: a must for mobile snappers? News that LG was working on an eight-megapixel follow-n to the KC910 was leaked last week, but it’s taken the Korean firm until now to confirm the rumours. The all-important proof... The 13.9mm-thick phone has …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 10:56

  • Land Warrior soldier-puter to get hoverbot vid hookup

    'Get that droid outta the girls' showers'

    The US Army's techno-revolution push is making some progress, according to reports. Small military hover-droids in Iraq will be increased by 60 per cent, and there are unspecified plans to integrate footsoldiers' wearable computers into the wider military net. In you go, R2, we're right behind you The Ares blog at Av Week …

    Science 9 Oct 2008, 11:07

  • Cisco ships Mexican drug runner music on VPN CD

    Bootleg bootup CD features Narco Corridos tune

    A sysadmin looking to set up a VPN network was surprised to discover that a Cisco installation CD contained Mexican music instead of security software. Cisco has acknowledged the issue and said that affected customers will be offered replacement CDs. Instead of the intended software, some CDs shipped to Cisco customers …

    Enterprise Security 9 Oct 2008, 11:10

  • Porn, abuse, depravity - and how they plan to stop it

    Policing the Internet Part one: Strangling content

    Contrary to popular belief, the government and police forces have hitherto not exerted a great deal of direct control over content. But, after a decade of growth in self-regulation and filtering by the industry to avoid government intervention, that may be about to change. Current UK law on content is a mish-mash. The first …

    Law 9 Oct 2008, 11:12

  • Touch sensitive Flip launched

    Classy buttons

    The Flip pocket camcorder range has widened with the addition of a model sporting touch-sensitive controls and redesigned body. The Flip Mino: touch sensitive Although the Flip Mino has already made an appearance in the US, the latest model is now set to be released in the UK with keys that’ll only be displayed when they …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 11:19

  • Apple rattles legal sabre at Canadian tech school

    LogoWatch Logos too similar, computer giant claims

    Apple is none too pleased with the Victoria School of Business and Technology in Vancouver, which has for the last three years or so used a logo which the computer giant claims is too similar to its own brand frontage. According to Canada's Globe and Mail, Apple has threatened the educational establishment with litigation, …

    Financial News 9 Oct 2008, 11:27

  • BT outsources international network ops

    500 soon booted to Alcatel-Lucent

    BT will outsource 500 staff from its Design and Operate units to Alcatel-Lucent in a seven-year global deal. Staff were told on Monday that the contract is in the planning stages. Most of the jobs to be transferred are overseas, related to the networks picked up by BT Global Service in its acquisition spree. BT sent this …

    Telecoms 9 Oct 2008, 11:28

  • Sling shoots AppleTV rival into UK stores

    Sling Media's SlingPlayer-in-a-box gadget, SlingCatcher, is now available to Brits. SlingCatcher takes the network-beamed feed from a Slingbox tuner and displays it on a TV screen. Sling's pitching the product as an alternative to the laptops, desktops and mobile phones Slingbox users current remote watch their favourite TV …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 11:35

  • Microsoft leaks cloudy OS name

    Exposing the Strata

    Another day, another cloudy name for Windows arrives, this time it’s all about Strata, apparently. Microsoft temporarily flashed the name Windows Strata on its Professional Developers Conference (PDC) website, before removing the moniker yesterday after a few blogs zeroed in on it. Image courtesy of blogger Kit Ong MS head …

    Operating Systems 9 Oct 2008, 11:40

  • BenQ E72 budget Windows Mobile smartphone

    Review A business-savvy handset with mass-market appeal?

    The BenQ E72 has touched down in the UK initially as an exclusive device on the BT Fusion mobile/Wi-Fi dual-mode phone service, though you can find it SIM-free - and quite cheaply too. It’s a Windows Mobile 6 Standard-powered smartphone, using a non-touchscreen interface and a conventional candybar-style design. Although the …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 12:14

  • Halo 3 update confirmed

    Play through the eyes of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper

    Games developer Bungie has confirmed some good news: that there’s a new Halo 3 in the works. The bad news is how long’s left to go before it’ll be ready. Set to be called Halo 3: Recon, the title will be released as a standalone tite, with the developer having branded it a “new chapter in the Halo saga” that’ll let gamers “ …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 12:20

  • Ambulance Service not patient enough for Vista

    No plans to migrate to unloved OS, despite Camwood claims

    Londoners can sleep safe in their beds tonight after the London Ambulance Service confirmed that it has no plans whatsoever to migrate to Windows Vista anytime soon. A spokeswoman at the LAS was forced to rebuff claims this morning that the 999 service had in fact already adopted the unloved OS, after an app migration and …

    Operating Systems 9 Oct 2008, 12:21

  • Web palmtop offers life-time no-limits mobile surfing for £60

    No 'fair use' policy either

    Datawind has upgraded its PocketSurfer web browsing palmtop with a new airtime package that offers unlimited internet access for life, all for a mere £60. That's on top of the £199 you'll pay for the PocketSurfer 2R itself, which uses cheap GPRS cellular access and server-side site cacheing and data compression to give you …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 12:41

  • UK crypto boffins turbo-charge quantum cryptography

    Photodiodes get go-faster stripes

    Boffins at Toshiba’s Cambridge Research Labs have developed a technique for turbo-charging the speed of quantum cryptography transmissions. Quantum key distribution (QKD) systems currently operate at dial-up rates of less than 10 kbps for 20km, making them suitable only for point-to-point links. The Cambridge researchers have …

    Enterprise Security 9 Oct 2008, 12:49

  • Medion cuts netbook price to offer UK's cheapest rebadged Wind

    Medion has cut the price of its Akoya Mini E1210 Small, Cheap Computer, making it the cheapest rebadged MSI Wind in the UK. Just about, at any rate. Medion today said from now on UK grocer Sainsbury's will be charging £279 for the E1210, though we notice that's also what Medion itself has priced the SCC at on its own online …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 12:52

  • Bebo users release interstellar spamgasm at Gliese 581

    Alien f*ck-off pill expected in 2049

    A large amount of information compiled by Bebo users has now been beamed into space, aimed at a planet thought particularly likely to harbour intelligent alien life. The interstellar Bebo dump, known as AMFE (A Message From Earth), contains all kinds of information from the Web 2.0 teenybopper nerd portal. There are pictures …

    Bootnotes 9 Oct 2008, 13:02

  • PSP fans tap directly into PlayStation Store

    Sony grants direct access from PSP

    PlayStation Portable owners will have direct access to the online PlayStation Store from next week, Sony has confirmed. Sadly, though, Sony has initially chosen to limit access to gamers from its home turf – Japan – and hasn’t yet announced a timescale for rolling the same level of access out to North America and European PSP …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 13:47

  • MEPs vote to recognise flag, anthem, motto

    'Ah, so that's what those tawdry baubles are'

    MEPs voted last night to recognise the EU flag, anthem and motto, which will come as something of a surprise to the rest of the world which has been recognising the EU flag for some years now. The flag, bearing 12 stars on a blue background, will henceforth be hung in parliament meeting rooms and at official events, while …

    Government 9 Oct 2008, 14:49

  • Toshiba launches latest MacBook Air beater

    Thin'n'light

    Toshiba has grown its slimline Portégé laptop range with the birth of a new model which the firm claims is the world’s thinnest and lightest fully featured machine to date. The R600 weighs in at 1.1kg (2.4lb) and measures 283 x 215.8 x 19.5-25.5mm. Unfortunately for Toshiba, the R600 will have to share its attributes crown …

    Reg Hardware 9 Oct 2008, 14:59

  • HP jilts Intel SSDs

    Smooches with Samsung

    After enthusiastically supporting Intel's solid state drive (SSD) launch in August, HP has gone and selected Samsung SSDs for its virtualisation blade server system. The HP ProLiant BL495c is a blade server designed to run virtual machines, and wanting it to be a performance screamer, HP has given it two quad core Opteron …

    Servers 9 Oct 2008, 16:53

  • Linux at 17 - What Windows promised to be

    You can't stop the port

    On October 5, 1991, the young man who would one day become the world's most famous programmer - and the brand name and poster boy for the open source software movement - sent a message to a newsgroup announcing the birth of what would become the Linux operating system. You can read that original message that marks the birth of …

    Operating Systems 9 Oct 2008, 17:20

  • Bull juices supers with German engineering

    Europe and indigenous HPC

    French server maker Bull made some noise earlier this week by shaking hands with a ginormous German supercomputing lab, and now, the company has acquired German HPC expert Science + Computing AG. S+C is based in Stuttgart and has offices in Munich, Berlin, Tuebingen, and Dusseldorf. Its 200 techies and 70 other personnel help …

    Servers 9 Oct 2008, 18:40

  • Romanian national cops to $700,000 phishing trip

    Who's your underworld Popa?

    A 22-year-old Romanian national has admitted he participated in a US-based phishing operation that raked in some $700,000 over a three-year period. Sergiu Daniel Popa, who for the past seven years has lived in New York and Michigan, pleaded guilty in federal court in Minneapolis to two felonies related to the scheme. He faces …

    Crime 9 Oct 2008, 18:47

  • Intel shakes AMD's chip-fabbing baby

    Cross-licensing custody battle

    AMD's plans to spin its debt-dependent chip manufacturing biz into a separate entity may free the chipmaker from a considerable financial burden, but old rivalries with Intel will assure things don't go down without a hitch. AMD intends to own 44.4 per cent of a new chip fabbing company, tentatively called The Foundry …

    Financial News 9 Oct 2008, 19:43

  • Microsoft moves to protect business from bank crunch

    Windows whatever the weather

    Microsoft is taking steps to make sure it's not left out of pocket as banking customers seek bankruptcy protection against their suppliers. The company's filed a motion with a US bankruptcy court to ensure it's kept abreast of latest developments in the $8.2bn Washington Mutual bankruptcy case. Microsoft filed the notice …

    Financial News 9 Oct 2008, 20:39

  • NSA spied on US aid workers, officers, and journalists in Baghdad

    Wiretapped phone sex

    The US National Security Agency routinely spied on the phone calls of American military officers, journalists, and aid workers calling back home from Iraq, according to two former NSA operators. The whistle blowers told ABC News that intercept officers listened to the personal conversations of hundreds of Americans "who are …

    Security 9 Oct 2008, 23:10

  • Micron to cut 2,850 jobs, slash NAND flash biz

    Hard Times Come Again No More

    Micron Technology, the largest memory maker in the US, plans to lay off 15 per cent of its workforce and halt production of NAND flash chips at its Boise, Idaho headquarters. The company had a rough year in fiscal 2008, posting a net loss of $1.6bn as market overproduction of NAND flash, falling prices, and reduced corporate …

    Financial News 9 Oct 2008, 23:59