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6th January 2009 Archive

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  • Microsoft and Apple: 25 years of couples therapy

    Macworld Expo Saved by a giant head

    Microsoft wants you to know that it's not just the Mac that's holding a 25th birthday party: 2009 marks the 25th year that Redmond has developed software for Apple's quarter-centarian computer. The Apple/Microsoft relationship has had its rocky moments, to say the least. But the fact remains that Microsoft has consistently …

    PCs & Chips 6 Jan 01:38

  • Former eBay CEO preps for California power post?

    She'll be back

    Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman has reportedly cleared the way for taking a pop at Arnold Schwarzenegger's job of California governor in 2010. Whitman, a Republican, quit her board-level positions at eBay, Proctor and Gamble, and Dreamworks SKG on December 31 for "personal reasons" her spokesman said. The former eBay …

    Government 6 Jan 01:43

  • Twitter's veracity chewed up by Britney's four-foot vagina

    Attack of the Tweats

    Micro-blogging site Twitter had to temporarily suspend accounts belonging to Barack Obama, Britney Spears and other celebrities after they were hijacked by miscreants and used to spread scandalous and false information that appeared to come from their owners. The attack on 33 celebrity accounts caused Fox News to apparently …

    Security 6 Jan 01:52

  • Freesat signs up LG

    Tuner-integrated TVs first. Set-top boxes to follow?

    LG is to follow Panasonic and release a series of TVs with integrated Freesat tuners later this year. LG didn't say which of its LCD and plasma tellies will get Freesat support, but it hinted that the partnership with the free-to-air SD and HD satellite broadcasting service could be extended to other products - set-top boxes …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 08:02

  • Nature moves into 3D publishing

    Articles finally catch up with ads

    Astronomers, publishers and computing experts claimed a "significant milestone" in the New Year's Day edition of heavyweight boffinry journal Nature, saying it is "the first time a major scientific journal has used a 3-D PDF of graphics in an article". The 3D pdf format, which can be displayed by any computer with up-to-date …

    Applications 6 Jan 10:14

  • Ofcom warns telcos over hidden customer penalties

    Embiggen that small print, you

    Telecoms companies must be clearer about additional charges they levy and must help customers to understand them better, telecoms regulator Ofcom has said. From April Ofcom will take action against any that do not comply with newly-clarified rules, it said. Telecoms contracts must comply with the Unfair Terms in Consumer …

    Networks 6 Jan 10:26

  • Skype pops up on Mac

    Beta release of scrummy new features

    Skype will be launching a new client tomorrow just for Mac users, which provides screen sharing, bigger avatars and Wi-Fi hotspot access to the ubiquitous VoIP service. Skype Beta 2.8 for Mac goes into Beta release tomorrow, according to Disruptive Telephony, and offers a range of new features that take the product well beyond …

    VoIP 6 Jan 10:28

  • Motorola goes eco

    World's first phone made from recycled water bottles

    If you thought Motorola’s phones were a load of junk, then you were right – sort of. Because the company’s unveiled what it’s claimed is the world’s first mobile phone featuring a body made from recycled water bottles. The body of Motorola's W233 Renew is made from recycled water bottles As a result, Motorola’s stated that …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 10:36

  • Taiwan moves to save chipmakers

    $6bn bailout ahoy

    The Taiwanese government is moving closer to a $6bn bailout of the country's chipmakers who are suffering from the credit crunch and falling prices for DRAM despite production cuts. There are also rumours that the Taiwanese government could work with Japanese firms to help save its domestic chip business. Taiwan's ProMOS …

    Channel Register 6 Jan 10:47

  • Siemens patent snafu sees Seagate slip away

    Oi, that idea ain't yours

    Siemens went to the US courts to try and get Seagate to cough up patent royalties - only to be told its patents were invalid. Siemens reckoned Seagate had infringed a group of patents it thought it owned concerned with multi-layer hard disk drive sensor technology in GMR (Giant Magneto-Resistive) read heads. Siemens claimed up …

    PCs & Chips 6 Jan 10:52

  • Microsoft trumpets Xbox 360 sales growth

    Wii still in the lead, though

    Microsoft’s Xbox 360 promotional department has kicked off 2009 with a bang, by claiming that over 28m units have now been sold worldwide since the console's 2005 launch. The console's sales figure puts it ahead of Sony’s PlayStation 3, which has sold roughly 20m units since 2006, according to a report by the LA Times. Aaron …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 11:17

  • Seagate dishes up 1TB drive, looks ahead to 2TB

    But big Barracuda has others on its tail

    Seagate says it's the first HDD manufacturer to ship 500GB 3.5-inch disk platters with its 1TB, 2-platter Barracuda 7200.12 HD product. The highest-capacity Barracuda, the 7200.11, can gulp up to 1.5TB of data on its four platters, meaning 375GB per platter. So a theoretical Barracuda 7200.13 could have four 500GB platters and …

    Storage 6 Jan 11:24

  • Anonymous celebrates first anniversary of Scientology protests

    Still plugging away

    Bemasked protest group Anonymous is marking the first anniversary of its campaign against the Church of Scientology with a round of further demos. The group will hold the 12th of its monthly protests against the Cruise-favoured organisation on 10 January, with others taking place on 17 January. Anonymous is a loosely- …

    Law 6 Jan 11:29

  • Picasa for fanboys arrives

    Google dishes up free photo-editing tool to Mac faithful

    Google has finally released a version of its Picasa software for the Apple Mac. The internet giant said yesterday that a public beta of the free photo editing tool was now available for download via Google Labs. Of course, the firm also wanted to score big ink by ensuring the announcement coincided with the Macworld Expo, …

    Applications 6 Jan 11:35

  • Robotic mower goes solar

    You'll never have to cut the grass again

    If that helper monkey you got for Christmas isn’t working out, then cast your eyes upon the latest in grass cutting technology: an eco-friendly and robotic lawnmower. The Automower Solar Hybrid Automower is described as a solar hybrid lawnmower because it’s powered by a mixture of electricity and solar power, which is …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 11:51

  • 2GB MP3 player head-to-head

    Review Samsung's YP-U4 vs Sony's NWZ-B135F

    The relentless march of the iPod into the price bracket known as 'Good God! How much?' makes the near simultaneous release by Sony and Samsung of the new runts of their MP3 player litters more interesting than would otherwise be the case. A couple of 2GB USB stick-style MP3 players with FM radios and screens each for under £40? …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 12:02

  • Hubble probes Milky Way's turbulent core

    Fetching new infrared mosaic

    A newly-released composite colour infrared image of our galaxy's core has revealed the Milky Way's centre in all its turbulent glory. The mosaic, showing an area 300 by 115 light years, is made up of 2,304 snaps from the Hubble Space Telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) combined with a …

    Space 6 Jan 12:05

  • Remaining UK plods to get mobile-data gadgets

    Every copper hooked up to Home Office's blue cloud

    The government has announced further funding for police mobile data devices, intended to equip those forces which received no funding in the initial push announced last year. The idea is that having access to the police network while in the field will let officers return to stations less often, spend less time trying to find …

    Policing 6 Jan 12:13

  • Dark Knight eyes Producers Guild award

    Up for best picture

    The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominations for its annual awards, which will see The Dark Knight battle Frost/Nixon for the best picture crown. Joining them in the ring are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire, while Bolt, Kung Fu Panda and WALL-E will slug it out for the top …

    Entertainment 6 Jan 12:26

  • Motorola parades touchscreen talker

    Dare we say it? The latest iPhone killer?

    The touchscreen mobile market has expanded yet again, following Motorola’s introduction of the MotoSurf A3100. Motrola's MotoSurf A3100: a touchscreen tablet talker Described as a “touch tablet,” the device runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 but has a customisable home screen layer that can be personalised to provide everything …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 12:27

  • Three Regcasts about software and productivity

    Now on demand Reg tech panel surveys made flesh

    In December, The Register ran three live webcasts about software-driven productivity gains. They were all based on surveys we conducted with the Reg Technology Panel. And yes, they were sponsored by Microsoft and our analyst partner Freeform Dynamics. Reg moderator Tim Phillips kept our experts in line and fires out reader …

    Software 6 Jan 12:39

  • Logitech cuts jobs and dumps guidance

    Mousey misery

    Logitech has withdrawn financial guidance for the year and will cut 15 per cent of salaried staff. The French Swiss mouse firm said December sales had been bad all round, and it expected things to get worse in what it believes will be an extended downturn. Gerald Quindlen, Logitech's president and CEO, said: “During the …

    Channel Register 6 Jan 13:00

  • iPhone gets Office docs

    Had to happen Soonr or latr

    2009 will finally see Microsoft Office documents arrive on the iPhone, it seems, with Soonr allowing access to documents stored in the cloud while QuickOffice makes good on its promise of local editing. The QuickOffice product is Excel-only, with other formats to follow later in the year as promised back in November, but does …

    Mobile 6 Jan 13:04

  • Israel hacks Arab TV station

    Cyberspace becomes battleground in Gaza conflict

    Israeli military forces have reportedly hacked into a Hamas-run TV station to broadcast propaganda. The hijack of the Al-Aqsa television station last weekend represents the latest phase in a war in cyberspace that has accompanied the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Al-Aqsa is known for featuring allegedly antisemitic childrens' …

    Enterprise Security 6 Jan 13:06

  • Ballmer backslaps server veteran Muglia

    Gets presidential treatment for doing same job

    Microsoft has promoted Bob Muglia to president of the firm’s server and tools biz. Boss Steve Ballmer told employees yesterday that he had kicked MS veteran Muglia upstairs in recognition of his contribution to the company’s growth. Muglia joined Microsoft in January 1988, since when he has helped build the software giant’s …

    Financial News 6 Jan 13:15

  • Late bets on new Who hit Paddy Power's pocket

    Ten punts around Matt Smith's home town

    The largely unexpected announcement that 26-year-old Matt Smith will become the next Doctor Who was possibly not quite as unexpected in the actor's home town of Northampton, according to bookmakers Paddy Power. The bookies is £5,000 out of pocket having taken 15 bets on Smith securing the keys to the Tardis, with "with two …

    Entertainment 6 Jan 13:19

  • Mattel bemuses gamers with 'brainwave' toy

    Neuroheadsets for Barbie and Ken to follow

    As Emotiv Systems’ Epoc neuroheadset is currently going through a rocky patch, Barbie maker Mattel has stepped in with what's rumoured to be a similar type of brainwave toy. Mattel's Mindflex moves a ball according to brainwave activity Mattel’s keeping mum about the technology behind its Mindflex game, but – according to …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 13:19

  • Vikings' bleeding-edge tech came from Afghanistan

    Bouncing-bomb boffins probe ancient weapons trade

    Boffins at the UK's famous National Physical Laboratory (NPL) - birthplace of the Dambusters' bouncing bomb and perhaps the internet - say they have used an electron microscope to analyse Viking swords. In a surprise twist, it turns out that the old-time Scandinavian pests, many of whom moved to England to become our ancestors, …

    Science 6 Jan 13:20

  • Tories pledge high speed broadband for all in 10 years

    Cameron to do what civil servants decide

    David Cameron has pledged that a Conservative government would seek connections to high speed broadband networks for all parts of the country within ten years. The Tory leader set the target during a speech on the economy on Monday. He also said that more than half the country should have access to high speed broadband …

    Telecoms 6 Jan 13:24

  • Mobiles finally admitted to English hospitals

    Hello? I'm on the trolley

    England is catching up with Scotland and Wales in liberalising mobile phone use in hospitals, a mere five years after it was established that such use didn't present a significant risk to medical equipment. The guidance comes from the Department of Health and states that outside intensive care, and specialist baby units, …

    Mobile 6 Jan 14:44

  • Dell unwraps Inspiron 15

    Mid-size movie machine

    Dell has expanded its low-cost Inspiron laptop line with the launch of the Inspiron 15. Dell's Inspiron 15 laptop The 15’s appeal, according to Dell, is in its “clean and sleek design,” “all-around performance” and – of course – the “affordable price,” which starts from about $600 (£409/€448). And you really do get more …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 14:52

  • Online crime maps go live

    Scareyourself.com

    All 43 police forces across England and Wales are now offering online crime maps showing offences broken down by area. The Metropolitan Police began offering such a service in beta in August which went down to ward level - about every 600 households. Police have used mapped crime information internally for some time when …

    Policing 6 Jan 15:03

  • Yes! It's the Star Trek captain's chair!

    Set phasers to stun

    There’s nothing wrong with sitting in your car, flipping switches and pretending to be Captain Kirk navigating Sulu and the gang through space. But now you can do it in style, because a replica of the captain’s chair from Star Trek is available. The Star Trek Captain's Chair The full size chair measures 42in x 39in x 41in …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 15:27

  • Google picks up third spot in spam-friendly shame list

    Blogspot exploits and Gmail scams slammed

    Google has leapfrogged Microsoft to reach third place in a blacklist of spam-friendly ISPs and hosting firms, compiled by anti-spam organisation Spamhaus.org. Microsoft, which cropped up at fifth place on the November edition of the same list, has cleaned up its act to the extent that it no longer appears in the rogues' …

    Spam 6 Jan 15:41

  • Xobni gets $7m cash injection from Cisco and co

    I'll be your email mirror

    Silicon Valley startup Xobni, which develops MS Outlook plug-ins, has raised a $7m series B round of funding led by network giant Cisco. Investors from the series A round of funding - Khosla Ventures, First Round Capital, Baseline Ventures, and Atomico - also contributed to this cash splurge. Xobni said the latest investment …

    Applications 6 Jan 15:56

  • 'First algae-fuelled airliner flight' takes off tomorrow

    Scum-burning 737 to debut in Texas

    US airline Continental says it will carry out "the first biofuel flight by a commercial carrier using algae as a fuel source" tomorrow. Previous airliner biofuel trials have used controversial "first-generation" feedstocks, seen as contributing to world hunger and deforestation, apart from a recent New Zealand test involving …

    Environment 6 Jan 15:57

  • UK scientists hit by lack of brains

    Donors required to combat 'dire' research shortage

    UK scientists have appealed for people to donate their brains to researchers facing a "dire" shortage of grey matter, the BBC reports. According to Dr Payam Rezaie of the Open University's Neuropathology Research Laboratory, scientists urgently need "thousands more brains... to look for the cause and treatments for conditions …

    Biology 6 Jan 15:59

  • Lenovo prices up dual-screen ThinkPad

    Watch films while typing emails

    Two heads are better than one, but does the same apply for two laptop screens? If you want to see for yourself your pockets had better be deep because the price of Lenovo’s dual-screen ThinkPad is now confirmed. Lenovo's ThinkPad W700ds The W700ds’ existence was leaked online late last month, but Lenovo has now announced …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 16:30

  • Bogus LinkedIn profiles punt malware to fools

    Beyoncé's not your friend, you berk

    Bogus profiles on social networking website LinkedIn are punting malware to the credulous and starstruck. Fraudulent accounts in the name of celebrities such as Beyoncé Knowles, Victoria Beckham, Salma Hayek and others are littered with links that take surfers to site harbouring malware, Trend Micro reports. The attack - which …

    ID 6 Jan 16:34

  • IBMers hear sound of axe being sharpened

    Up to 16,000 jobs could go

    The rumor mill, being stoked by IBM employees talking on a pro-union web site, has it that Big Blue is getting ready to lay off up to 16,000 employees, or about four per cent of its 400,000-strong global workforce, thanks to the slowing of the economies in the United States and Western Europe. As usual, the Alliance@IBM, which …

    Financial News 6 Jan 16:42

  • Dell moving into GlassHouse?

    Comment Stars align for services buy

    Back in December 2007, a confident GlassHouse Technologies, sensing good prospects in its services and consulting area, filed for an IPO. In the spring of 2008, it entered a strategic partnership with Dell, made another acquisition - and then the recession happened. The company has started firing people as it cuts costs and …

    Storage 6 Jan 18:10

  • SanDisk's faster netbook flash

    Tipping point approaches?

    SanDisk has announced new netbook and USB thumb drive flash products at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Consumer flash It has mimicked the Maxtor OneTouch backup idea with a flash drive. The Ultra Backup USB flash drive will backup files when a button is touched and stores from 8GB to 64GB of data. Access to the …

    PCs & Chips 6 Jan 18:53

  • Japan designs high-tech space nappy

    No need for bog roll

    Holidays in space are the next big thing, according to Richard Branson. So the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency has begun working on a wearable toilet for use among the stars. The space nappy is being designed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency the hi-tech space nappy is designed to be worn at all times by …

    Reg Hardware 6 Jan 19:02

  • AMD mushes out 'ultrathin' Yukon notebook

    Chipmaker joins HP in Atom challenge

    AMD has mushed out its new 'Yukon' mobile platform today, which is set to indirectly compete with Intel's Atom platform in slim, low-cost portable PCs. The platform bundles AMD's new Athlon Neo MV-40 chip with ATI Radeon X1250 integrated graphics. Computer builders also have the option of including ATI mobility Radeon HD 3410 …

    PCs & Chips 6 Jan 20:06

  • Microsoft moves Macs closer to PC parity

    Macworld Expo Macs to join PCs in the cloud

    Microsoft has announced two products designed to provide users of Office 2008 for Mac with improved access to existing server-based Microsoft services. The first of the two, Microsoft Entourage for Exchange Web Services, will be a free upgrade to Entourage 2008 for Mac that will enable that email, contacts, and calendaring …

    Software 6 Jan 20:07

  • Pranksters infiltrate live Macworld feed

    Blasphemy on Jobsian high holy day

    As unfounded as they may be, reports of Steve Jobs's demise have spread to a live feed of Macworld Expo provided by Apple gossip site MacRumors after griefers managed to breach the website's security. The micro-blogging feed at Macrumorslive.com appeared banal enough through the first 23 minutes of Monday's Macworld Expo …

    Security 6 Jan 20:32

  • Curl taps Adobe RIA infrastructure

    The perils of open source

    One of the side effects of Adobe Systems releasing code under open-source, the company said last year, has been to let competitors into its Rich Internet Applications (RIA) back yard. One such competitor is Curl, which has announced its latest piece of Adobe-inspired work, something intended to gently cut the umbilical cord …

    Developer 6 Jan 20:34

  • Apple iTunes Store goes '100% DRM-free' - allegedly

    Macworld Expo Schiller keynote makes $1.29 the new black

    Take your pick - the iTunes Store is going 100 per cent DRM-free, or Apple is whacking 30 cents onto the price of each song and encouraging you to upgrade your whole iTunes library to iTunes Plus, at 30 cents (UK 20p) per song. Apple prefers the 100 per cent DRM-free line, naturally, but there's a price being paid to the record …

    Music and Media 6 Jan 20:50

  • IBM approves Obama's IT stimulus package

    $30bn will create 900,000 jobs, healthy IBM

    If you were the incoming president of the United States, and you wanted to gauge the effect of an economic stimulus package geared to information technology as a means to create jobs, who would you ask for advice? The economists at the Labor Department? The hot shots at IDC and Gartner? Or maybe the economists at MIT, the …

    Channel Register 6 Jan 20:51

  • Best Buy punts resurrected Jesus Phones

    Answers AT&T, Wal-Mart

    Following in the footsteps of AT&T, US electronics retailer Best Buy is now selling resurrected Jesus Phones at a discount. Beginning today, 350 Best Buy Mobile stores are offering returned and refurbished iPhones for $50 less than brand new models. That's $149 for the 8GB model and $249 for its 16GB sister. Best Buy will only …

    Mobile 6 Jan 20:58

  • A crack in the madness of clouds

    Sanity check 09?

    Besides providing some of the biggest technical innovation of 2008, the cloud also wins the award for most amorphous product definition. Few people define "the cloud" or "cloud computing" the same way, leading to market noise and a wealth of misinformation. "The cloud" as a term really started as a metaphor for the "internet" …

    Software 6 Jan 22:09

  • Apple unveils 17in MacBook, iLife tweaks, Tony Bennett

    Macworld Expo Jobs-free keynote fails to inspire

    In one of the least eventful keynote speeches in recent memory, Apple's SVP Phil Schiller, filling in for the ailing Steve Jobs, announced upgrades to iLife and iWork, an upgraded 17-inch MacBook, and iTunes Store pricing-structure changes and DRM-removal plans. A performer is only as good as his material - but Phil Schiller …

    PCs & Chips 6 Jan 22:30

  • 'Sonic boom' golf club may 'damage hearing'

    Fore!! - the new sound of fear

    Golf isn't exactly known as a sport of deafening noises, but a provocative (albeit suspiciously anecdotal) study is making the rounds claiming golfers may risk losing their hearing by using newfangled thin-faced titanium drivers. The latest generation of titanium drivers can apparently produce an ear-shattering "sonic boom" …

    Science 6 Jan 22:34

  • Salesforce.com outage exposes cloud's dark linings

    Software as a (dis)service

    Exposing the dark side of cloud computing, Salesforce.com suffered an outage that locked more than 900,000 subscribers out of crucial applications and data needed to transact business with customers. Salesforce, the 800-pound gorilla in the software-as-a-service jungle, was unreachable for the better part of an hour, beginning …

    Applications 6 Jan 23:37

  • Super Micro fiscal Q2 sales not so super

    Banking on Nehalem

    Motherboard and server maker Super Micro Computer said today it was not going to make its expected numbers for its fiscal second quarter ended December 31. The economic meltdown is the culprit - of course. But the good news is that Super Micro says that business picked up in December - just not enough to offset a bad November …

    Hardware 6 Jan 23:46