17th December 2008 Archive

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Internet gambling mogul surrenders $300m in guilty plea

Party's over

An internet tycoon who made billions of dollars building an online gambling empire has agreed to forfeit $300m after pleading guilty to violating the US Wire Act. Anurag Dikshit, co-founder of Gibraltar-based PartyGaming, entered the plea Tuesday in US District Court in Manhattan. A lawyer for Dikshit told US District Judge …

Security 17 Dec 2008, 00:21
Palm store now sells catch-up

But will developers find it sufficiently tasty?

Palm today revamped its Software Store to allow Palm and Windows Mobile users to directly download 5,000 applications and games onto their mobile devices. The store's marketing rap promises support for "over 25 Palm devices, from the Centro to the Treo Pro," but doesn't offer any more system-support specifics. The store also …

Mobile 17 Dec 2008, 01:21
Fly-tipping yes, dog poo no - Jacqui promises Ripa changes

And takes the under-tens off DNA database

Much-loved Home Secretary Wacky Jacqui Smith today announced changes to the code of practise which governs use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and promised to remove the under-tens from the DNA database. Local councils' use of Ripa has caused a media storm this year although the majority of incidents covered …

Government 17 Dec 2008, 08:02
2008's top three music phones

Kit of the Year Apple. Nokia. Sony Ericsson. Fight, fight, fight

The mobile phone may not have killed the MP3 player, as some pundits prediced, but that hasn't stopped it trying. So if you're going to put music on a mobile, which give the best performance? Apple iPhone 3G It's overall score may suggest that the iPhone 3G shouldn't be our top-of-list music phone, but we think that's …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 09:02
Europe-wide emergency number is go

112 for gendarmerie, guardia civil, policií

The last country in Europe, Bulgaria, has now signed up to the universal emergency number 112. All 27 countries in the European Union now share the same number, although existing services, like 999 in the UK, will not change. Viviane Reding, the EU Telecoms Commissioner said: “There is still work to be done by the EU Member …

Telecoms 17 Dec 2008, 10:04
Designer pitches solar-powered AA battery

Clever roll-up panel

It’s time to bin recycle your traditional batteries, according to one designer who’s dreamt up a solar battery that can be rolled up and slotted into your gadgets. The Solar Soft Battery The Solar Soft Battery concept was designed by Wu Jian to provide an environmentally friendly way of collecting solar energy and an easy …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 10:32
NASA inks deal for ISS plasma drive tests

Keeping the station out of this world

Plans to test a super-efficient plasma space drive aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been confirmed. The Ad Astra Rocket Company, which is developing the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR), has announced the signing of an agreement for the tests with NASA. The ISS - shortly to be kept up …

Space 17 Dec 2008, 10:34
iPhone 3G finally unlocked

God bless you, iPhone Dev Team

If an O2 contract’s all that’s standing in-between you and an iPhone 3G, then hardware hackers the iPhone Dev Team have a treat for you: an upcoming unlocking tool. According to the team’s blog, it has successfully cracked the iPhone 3G for use on any network with an unlock codenamed 'yellowsn0w'. Unfortunately, the unlock …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 11:14
Adobe sales are flat in tough market

'Will emerge from current recession stronger than ever'

Adobe Inc saw revenue rise less than one per cent to $915.3m from $911.2m, notching up its slowest growth in seven quarters for Q4. Earlier this month the software maker blamed sluggish sales of its new Creative Suite 4 (CS4) family of products that began shipping in its fourth quarter in the US and Europe for putting a dent …

Software 17 Dec 2008, 12:07
Motorola prepping four-strong phone launch?

Handset designs leaked online

Motorola has been pretty quiet of late, but the discovery of pictures of four potential new models could mean the manufacturer’s looking to kick-start 2009 with a bang. Motorola's Flash looks, well, flash The most exciting looking of the four phone pictures – uncovered by website BGR – is a touchscreen talker said to be …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 12:21
EA misled gamers with Wii Woods ad, says watchdog

Wrong footage

Electronic Arts has been slapped on the wrists by the Advertising Standards Agency, following complaints that adverts for Tiger Woods PGA Tour '09 on the Wii used footage from the Xbox 360 version of the game. The advert showed Woods swinging a Wii Remote, the subsequent in-game footage used was actually taken from the Xbox …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 12:27
IBM wins borders deal

Pips EDS, Fujitsu to £3m agency post

The UK Border Agency has awarded a £3m contract to IBM to set up its immigration casework management system. The strategic system integration deal, procured through the strategic supplier group framework established for the National Identity Scheme, is set to last for three years with the option to extend for a further four. …

Government 17 Dec 2008, 12:45
Minister confirms low Lorenzo usage

NPfIT system users could probably fit in phone box

Health minister Ben Bradshaw has acknowledged that so far just 24 people are using one of the core systems in the NHS National Programme IT (NPfIT). Bradshaw said that University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust is making "limited clinical usage in a single ward, with 10 system users", of the Lorenzo patient administration …

Government 17 Dec 2008, 12:46
Economists: European ancestors are what make you rich

No shit, Sherlock

A pair of American economists believe they have found out the underlying factor which predicts which people will be rich and which ones poor. The men believe that the wealth of a country is directly related to what proportion of its population's ancestors lived in Europe five hundred years ago. In a department-of the-bleedin- …

Science 17 Dec 2008, 12:51
Censored scenes from the Congress WMD report

Last minute bioterror rewrites?

World at Risk, the final report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, received a good build-up. Its publicity stretched from reports outlining a draft of it in the Washington Post over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, with more news and private and public briefings the …

Government 17 Dec 2008, 12:52
Sony Rolly dancing MP3 player

Review Rollin', dancin' music thang

The silence at the end of the phone was unusually ominous. “We've got something for you,” said the voice from Vulture Central. “Great - what is it?” Silence, then: “Just open the box when it arrives...” Twenty-four hours later and a small black 300g rugby ball shaped dancing MP3 player is sitting on our desk: Sony's Rolly: …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 13:02
'Complacent' businesses turn blind eye on IP crime, says UK.gov

Viva Hooky Street!

The government has accused UK businesses of not doing enough to protect their intellectual property. According to new research commissioned by the Intellectual Property Office’s IP crime group, many companies understand the need to protect IP but fail to do anything about it. It found 40 per cent of individuals surveyed took …

Small Biz 17 Dec 2008, 13:21
Three short papers about desktop TCO

Wintel camp beats the same drum

Our weekly ransack of the Reg Whitepaper library yields three Wintel papers all promoting best desktop PC practice. First up is Intel and vPro, which has been a bit of a marketing flop and, in its first iteration, a tad lacking on the management front. Intel wants us all to look again at vPro for reduced total cost of ownership …

PCs & Chips 17 Dec 2008, 13:36
European Court OKs rich Finns text list

Balances data protection and press freedom

A company that sends text messages revealing the income of Finland's wealthiest citizens is subject to European data protection laws but could be protected by an exemption for journalism, according to a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The processing of personal data made available by Finnish tax authorities may …

Mobile 17 Dec 2008, 13:50
Don't delay: Delete your DNA today

What to do now

Now that a European Court has decided that the retention of the DNA of innocent people is illegal - what should you do now? Earlier this month, 17 judges on the Grand Chambers of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled unanimously that the UK is in violation of the right to respect for private and family life (Article …

Public Sector 17 Dec 2008, 14:51
Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah set for top two spots in Christmas Day charts

Buckley fans try to bump Burke

A bunfight has kicked off on the interwebs between fans of the teary-eyed winner of X Factor and fey, navel-gazing muso types who want their Hallelujah back. The result? Leonard Cohen’s oft-covered love song could occupy the number one and number two slots on Christmas Day. Fans have been doing their best to counteract …

Music and Media 17 Dec 2008, 14:58
Western Digital hits the buffers

2,500 face the axe

Western Digital has faced up to the deepening recession by announcing the loss of up to 2,500 jobs, executive pay cuts and the closure of manufacturing plants in Malaysia and Thailand. These actions are the result of a sudden and dramatic fall in demand for hard drives, particularly OEM demand for desktop, notebook and …

Storage 17 Dec 2008, 15:06
Mozilla hastily shoves Firefox updates out door

Versions 2 and 3 get even patchier

Mozilla has rushed out updates to plug a few critical holes in versions 2 and 3 of its popular open source Firefox browser. Firefox 3.0.5 fixes three critical security flaws in the browser, while 2.0.0.19 stitches four critical vulns. Mozilla said that XSS vulnerabilities in SessionStore, XSS and so-called JavaScript “ …

Security 17 Dec 2008, 15:20
Best Buy sees dramatic Q3 profit shrinkage

Struggles to digest Carphone Warehouse losses

US retail giant Best Buy saw Q3 profit plummet 77 per cent as consumer spending on electronic goods took a nosedive for the quarter. The firm, in a move to cut costs, said it is offering “enhanced” redundancy packages to about 4,000 employees at its headquarters in Richfield, Minneapolis. Best Buy said it also plans to cut …

Channel Register 17 Dec 2008, 16:21
Rail companies roll out barcode ticket standard

We don't need no stinkin' NFC

The UK's rail operators have agreed to adopt a national standard for electronic tickets with bar-codes, opening the way for train tickets on mobile phones to be accepted everywhere. Following successful trails with various train companies Masabi has worked with the Rail Settlement plan - the body that cross charges networks …

Mobile 17 Dec 2008, 16:39
Yahoo! to! kill! most! search! engine! data! records! after! three! months!

Raises anonymisation bar

Yahoo! has taken Microsoft’s demands for internet giants to slash the time they keep online search query data to six months, and raised it by anonymising most of the info after just 90 days. The search engine firm announced today that it would decrease its data retention from a standard of around 13 months to three months for …

Music and Media 17 Dec 2008, 17:01
How Warcraft reigned supreme in 2008

Due a Jedi ass kickin'?

Another year gone, and Blizzard's World of Warcraft remains the unrivaled champion of the massive multiplayer online (MMO) genre, and - in many ways - PC gaming in general. At its feet lay 2008's pile of would-be "WoW-killers" left charred, battered, and wondering what Blizzard's four-year-old creation has that they lack. " …

Music and Media 17 Dec 2008, 17:02
Sony prepping PSP 4000?

Could this finally be the PSP Phone?

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) isn’t dead yet it seems, because Sony will launch yet another redesign of the handheld console next year, a tech source has claimed. Two concept PSPs with slide-up screens The source, which frequents the publishing world, according to Eurogamer’s report, said that Sony will unveil a PSP-4000 …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 18:29
~~Xbox~~ iPhone to welcome Metal Gear Solid

Konami does Jesus phone gaming

We’ve got some bad news for Xbox gamers, but some good news for iPhone users. It turns out that Metal Gear Solid isn’t coming to the Microsoft console any time soon – despite suggestive messaging – and is instead set to launch on the Jesus phone. Metal Gear Solid Touch is coming to the iPhone and iPod Touch The game’s …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 18:36
TV remote argument allegedly prompts stabbing

Murder on the set-top

Register Hardware hacks get pretty defensive when someone ‘borrows’ their gadgets, but verbal exchanges are usually as heated as disagreements get. But a US man’s been stabbed, allegedly by his ex-girlfriend, in an argument over.. ahem... the TV remote. Brittney Love Venton, 19, of St Paul, Minneapolis, has been charged with …

Reg Hardware 17 Dec 2008, 18:40
France liberates Jesus Phone from Orange

Liberté, égalité, l'iPhone disponibilité

On 18 September, French mobile-phone carrier Bouygues Telecoms complained to the country's competition council, charging that the agreement between Apple and Orange - the main brand of France Telecom - violates basic principles of competition. Today, the competition council - the Conseil de la concurrence - agreed with …

Mobile 17 Dec 2008, 19:00
Sprint modem straddles 3G, WiMAX

The slow and the Clear

Sprint has unveiled a wireless modem capable of jumping between its old-school CDMA cell network and the fledgling 4G WiMAX network it recently launched in Baltimore, Maryland. "Sprint intends to be the leader in 4G and bring the wireless Internet to life," reads a canned statement from CEO/TV pitchman Dan Hesse. "This first- …

Mobile 17 Dec 2008, 19:04
Motorola to freeze pay rises, pensions

Co-CEOs take 25 per cent cut

Motorola has announced that many of its workers won't get pay raises next year, that it's freezing US pension plans, and that it's suspending contribution-matching for employee retirement funds. The mobile maker's two co-CEOs have also agreed to have their base salary cut and will forgo a 2008 cash bonus. Motorola's latest …

Financial News 17 Dec 2008, 19:44
Leaked memo details Walmart iPhone

Or does it?

According to an arguably authentic-looking leaked memo procured "from a source within Walmart," the oft-rumored Walmart iPhone is a done deal, scheduled to appear on December 28th in a big box near you. If the memo is to be believed - and, hey, rumors are fun, so let's play along with Engadget - there'll be no $99, 4GB …

Mobile 17 Dec 2008, 21:26
Microsoft's Live Search cash-back chief joins exodus

Run for the hills

Microsoft's internet strategy involves either replacing all staff or ensuring things are so bad people just can't stand working there. Brad Goldberg, general manager for Live Search, has reportedly become the latest online executive to quit the company. Goldberg, who's joining investment-firm Peak 6, apparently launched …

Applications 17 Dec 2008, 21:30
Yahoo! mocks Google Privacy Theatre

Analysis Less-nonsensical anonymization

The privacy gap between Yahoo! and Google is greater than you think. It's not just that Yahoo! will anonymize user search data 6 months before Google anonymizes user search data. It's that Yahoo! anonymization is less nonsensical than Google anonymization. Today, as we dutifully reported, Yahoo! said it would anonymize user …

Software 17 Dec 2008, 21:54
New York 'iPod tax' incites media bleating

Four-cent proposal twists knickers

It's a sign of the digital times: New York's governor proposes a state budget that slashes spending on education and healthcare, lays off hundreds of workers, and increases taxes on everything from cigars to beer to luxury yachts, and most media reports focus on the proposal's misleadingly monikered "iPod tax." Think we're …

Government 17 Dec 2008, 22:56
Microsoft issues emergency IE patch as attacks escalate

Patch now

Microsoft has issued a rare emergency update for its Internet Explorer browser as miscreants stepped up attacks targeting a vulnerability on hundreds of thousands of webpages. In many cases, the websites distributing the toxic payload are legitimate destinations that have been commandeered, allowing an attacker to snare …

Applications 17 Dec 2008, 23:51