12th February 2009 Archive

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Elevator music files for Chapter 11

But keeps on playing

Muzak isn't just musically bankrupt. It's financially bankrupt. Yesterday, the South Carolina brain-softening outfit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, after failing to make a $105m payment to its creditors. But CEO Stephen P. Villa says the elevator music will play on - and on and on. "We believe Chapter 11 will provide us …

Financial News 12 Feb 00:38
Gmail adds location-aware signatures

This email is coming from INSIDE THE HOUSE!!

Google must be on a location-aware kick this month. Just a week after the search firm released its Latitude mobile device friend-tracker, Google Labs has a new tool that lets Gmail automatically include your location in an e-mail's signature. "Sometime ago, I noticed how all mail systems tell you when an email was written, …

Applications 12 Feb 01:03
Cuba crafts extra-communist Linux distro

Down with the Microsoft bourgeoisie

Cuba has launched its own Linux variant, dubbed Nova. The Nova project has been cooking away for the past year, and it was formally unveiled this week at the annual International Conference on Communication and Technologies in Havana. At last year's conference - a Microsoft-bash-fest - open source luminary Richard Stallman …

Operating Systems 12 Feb 01:13
Barcelona boffin births swarming microrobots

ISSCC Programmable, autonomous, and aware

Microrobotics just took a giant step toward reality, according to a paper presented at this week's International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco. Microrobots are the subject of intense experimentation and development in a project formally known as Intelligent Small World Autonomous Robots for Micro- …

Rise of the Machines 12 Feb 01:36
New Windows virus attacks PHP, HTML, and ASP scripts

Virut gets around

Researchers have identified a new strain of malware that can spread rapidly from machine to machine using a variety of infection techniques, including the poisoning of webservers, which then go on to contaminate visitors. The malware is a variation of a rapidly mutating virus alternately known as Virut and Virux. It has long …

Security 12 Feb 01:43
Silverlight for Linux hits with Microsoft punch

Adobe claims "fizzle" not "sizzle"

An open-source version of Silverlight has been released with Microsoft's support, as Flash rival Adobe began crowing about the new media player's death. Moonlight 1.0 from the Novell-backed Mono team was posted Wednesday, having passed all of Microsoft's regression tests. Moonlight plugs into Firefox and is available for all …

Developer 12 Feb 05:38
Kids online: Parents need to regulate, says Ofcom

Take some responsibility, would you?

Parents should take greater responsibility for what their children get up to on the internet, according to Jeremy Olivier, Ofcom’s Head of Convergent Media. Richard Mollett, Director of Public Affairs for the BPI went a step further. He said: “When it comes to copyright issues, parents may no longer be able to use ignorance as …

Government 12 Feb 07:02
BT profits crash

Global Services loses half a billion

BT's pre-tax profit fell 81 per cent compared to the third quarter of last year. In the three months ended 31 December 2008 the telco made £113m in profit, compared to £601m in the last three months of 2007. Revenue was £5,437m, up five per cent from £5,154m the year before. BT is writing off £336m as a result of contract …

Networks 12 Feb 09:24
Satellites crash over Siberia: Iridium bird destroyed

Orbital frag up by 3%: conspiracy theories, 100

A defunct Russian satellite has collided in orbit with another from the Iridium satcomms fleet, according to reports. Both spacecraft were wrecked, creating two large clouds of hazardous high-speed debris. The International Space Station (ISS) is not thought to be in danger, however. The Guardian quotes US air force colonel …

Space 12 Feb 09:51
Software body slams uk.gov's 'special treatment' of music biz

Don't ya think we're sexy?

The Government's Digital Britain plan is a failure that gives favourable treatment to the music business and props up failed business models, a software trade body has said. The Federation Against Software Theft and Investors in Software (FAST IiS), which promotes the legitimate use of software, has launched a stinging attack …

Law 12 Feb 10:12
Tesla names Model S rollout date

'Leccy Tech Courtesy of US Department of Environment cash?

Tesla has finally set a date for the unveiling of a road-usable prototype of its four-door Model S electric car. The date? 26 March. The place? The Tesla Design Studio inside the SpaceX factory in Hawthorn, California. Though keeping the look of the S a closely guarded secret, Tesla has said its objective with the Model S was …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 10:33
NetApp restructures after $75m loss

Large system buying strike

NetApp a turned in $75m loss in the third quarter after corporates went on a buying strike and the firm took a $128m hit from a dispute with a US government agency Revenues for its fiscal 2009 third quarter (Q3 fy09), which ended on January 23, were $746m, down 16 per cent year on year. Excluding the GSA dispute accrual the …

Channel Register 12 Feb 11:22
McKinnon UK trial decision delayed

Hacker has to hang around

A decision on whether or not to prosecute Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon in the UK may come later than expected. As part of his fight against extradition to the US on hacking charges, McKinnon offered a signed confession to UK prosecutors through his lawyers in December. A UK prosecution would at least suspend, and possibly …

Law 12 Feb 11:29
Bletchley Park fires up Big Green-Eyed Monster

Vintage air traffic computer lands at National Museum of Computing

The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) has announced the revitalisation of two PDP11-based radar stations which, as part of the IRIS investigative radar recording system, for 25 years helped control the UK's airspace from "without a single incident ever being attributed to an Air Traffic Control failing". With the transfer …

Science 12 Feb 11:31
NSA offering 'billions' for Skype eavesdrop solution

Counter Terror Expo Business model for P2P firm at last?

News of a possible viable business model for P2P VoIP network Skype emerged today, at the Counter Terror Expo in London. An industry source disclosed that America's supersecret National Security Agency (NSA) is offering "billions" to any firm which can offer reliable eavesdropping on Skype IM and voice traffic. The spybiz exec …

Government 12 Feb 11:32
Garmin-Asus unveils M20 Nüvifone

The first motorway-inspired handset?

A partnership between Garmin and Asus to develop mobile phone-cum-satnav devices has resulted in a new addition to the existing Nüvifone range: the M20. The Nüvifone M20: from Garmin-Asus The M20’s described by the partnership, known as Garmin-Asus, as an “all-in-one phone, mobile web browser and premium navigation system …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 11:38
Apple White MacBook Early 2009

Review Apple's best-value mobile Mac by far

Recession or no recession, Apple’s latest set of quarterly financial results saw the company top $10bn in sales for the first time ever. As well as selling zillions of iPhones and iPods, it also increased Mac sales by almost ten per cent. That growth was largely down to the success of its MacBook range of laptops, which were …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 11:39
'World's first' eco satnav hits the road

'Turn right at the next corner... Use less gas...'

The new Econav satnav can’t make calls like Garmin-Asus’ M20 Nüvifone can, but maker Vexia has promised that its navigation device will help cut your carbon emissions. Lexia's Econav: helps reduce petrol consumption and carbon output Described as the world’s first ecological GPS, Econav tells its user in real time about the …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 11:56
BlackBerry seduces punters but not profits

Subscribers up, profits down

RIM, owner of the BlackBerry brand and service, has increased projections for subscriber growth, but still expects revenue to come in at the lower end of expectations. Back in December RIM reckoned another 2.9m punters would have acquired the CrackBerry habit, at which time the company expected revenue to be around $3.4bn. …

Mobile 12 Feb 12:06
Capgemini reports flat 2008 revs, expects 'modest' decline

Says 'non' to full year outlook

IT consultancy firm Capgemini now expects to see a “modest” drop in its first half sales, but hopes to keep its operating margin above 6.5 per cent despite the global economic downturn. The French company, which is Europe’s largest computer consultancy, added that it couldn’t offer an outlook for the full year. “In a climate …

Channel Register 12 Feb 12:12
Pioneer unplugs tellies and 10,000 workers

Hopes the DJs will save its life

Gadget maker Pioneer is axing jobs and pulling out of making flatscreen tellies because "there are no prospects for improving profitability under current conditions". Both LCD and plasma boxes are for the chop. The Japanese firm will concentrate on car electronics, navigation, audio and professional DJ kit instead. Pioneer had …

Financial News 12 Feb 12:17
MI5 to get unmanned 'manned unmanned' robo spyplanes?

Counter Terror Expo Fleshy dominance strictly optional

In a confusing tech-pendulum backswing, it has now emerged that so-called "manned unmanned" spy aircraft are now able to operate without a crew. Yes, that's right: the unmanned manned unmanned robotic surveillance plane has arrived. The new developments emerged yesterday at the Counter Terror Expo in London, where the world's …

Public Sector 12 Feb 12:22
Nokia chops and changes for cost-efficiency

Site closures, 'temporary lay-offs'

Nokia will close its Jyväskylä product-development site by the end of 2009, and scale back its Salo site - a shame for those who got relocated there in the last round of cuts. Jyväskylä employs 320 people, all of whom will be affected by the closure, while the Salo site - to which staff laid off from Turku were relocated in …

Mobile 12 Feb 12:41
Spotify: We kick the tyres

Review Best thing since sliced vinyl?

Spotify, which opened up to all UK users this week, is a streaming music access service that's gathered an ecstatic response from some users. It's even "made illegal file sharing look like too much hard work" according to one Reg commenter. That's a pretty big claim - but then it's a pretty ambitious service. So what it is …

Music and Media 12 Feb 12:52
Pioneer turned off HD TV

Farewell, Kuro...

Kuro TVs look set to become something of a collector’s item, because Pioneer has announced plans to leave the telly market. The shock move has, according to the Japanese firm, been decided upon as a way of helping it improve profitability. Pioneer will officially withdraw from the TV business by the end of March 2010 - not …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 12:58
Sony plans movie+game dual-media Blu-ray Discs

Coming this year, says exec

Blu-ray Discs holding both games and movies will be launched for the PlayStation 3 this year, a Sony executive has said. John Koller, Director of Hardware Marketing for the PS3, said that Sony envisages a future when a movie and a game are placed on the same disc, according to a report by website Video Business. “There are a …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 13:04
Police drop investigation into 'rent-a-Lords'

Quivering peers brace for 'robust' treatment

The Metropolitan Police has ended its investigation into four peers - Lord Moonie, Lord Truscott, Lord Taylor of Blackburn and Lord Snape - in part because getting evidence was proving too difficult. The four men were caught in a Sunday Times sting allegedly offering improper help to undercover journalists in exchange for cash …

Government 12 Feb 13:18
Photography rights: Snappers to descend on Scotland Yard

Comment Papping the police shouldn't mean a pop to prison

The individual right to take photographs is being threatened, and distrust of police and government motives in respect of photography is growing. On Monday, the issue will be defiantly, peacefully raised as a mass demonstration, supported by comedian Mark Thomas, converges on New Scotland Yard to assert the right of snappers to …

Policing 12 Feb 13:29
What did you do on Emergency Services day?

Aide, hilfe, ayuda, hulp, etc

Having agreed on a cross-Europe emergency services number, 112, the EU was shocked to discover that hardly anyone in Europe knew it, and so declared yesterday, February 11, to be "European 112 Day". Reg readers, being a distinctly Europhile crowd, were out in force celebrating the day in suitable fashion by summoning the …

Telecoms 12 Feb 13:34
Colonel: US Army has working electropulse grenades

Machine rebellion strangled at birth?

Contradicting previous reports, a US Army electronic-warfare colonel has apparently confirmed the existence of working non-nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) ordnance - apparently so portable that it is even available in hand-grenade size. The revelation came at a blogger roundtable (press conference) held in order to …

Science 12 Feb 13:54
Win 7 and smartphones targeted in Pwn2own challenge

Hacker security shootout shindig

An annual hacking challenge has put the security of browsers and smartphones in the firing line. The latest Pwn2own contest at CanSecWest next month will reportedly include challenges involving hacking into browser packages running on Windows 7 PCs and a separate contest involving breaking into next-generation smartphones. …

Enterprise Security 12 Feb 14:12
Low-end Nüvifone to make 'satnav simple'

For navigation novices

Yet another Nüvifone has been unveiled by Garmin-Asus: the G60, which appears to have been built for less technologically-mind fellows. The Nüvifone G60: makes GPS simple That’s because the G60’s described as an “easy-to-use” device that helps answer all those perplexing questions like "Where am I?", "Where am I going" and …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 14:36
Copyright cops launch MS-happy software compliance tool

Fast way to make a buck (or £3.5k)

Fast Consultancy Services has begun selling a software compliance tool aimed at small to medium-sized businesses in the UK that run Windows-based machines, have Internet Explorer as their default browser and £3,500 to spare. The company, which is a spin off from the Federation Against Software Theft, launched the Fast …

Small Biz 12 Feb 14:43
Brits find accommodation a little uncomfortable

Further ~~Febuary~~ February spelling fail news

Hot on the heels of the shock news that native speakers of English struggle to spell "embarrassment", a net search engine analysis of "which words received the most queries requesting a correct spelling" revealed that Brits find "accommodation" the most challenging. That's according to Ask.com, which also fingered "accessory …

Bootnotes 12 Feb 15:15
Doubled-sided Acer phone spied on web

Two screens and a physical keypad

Pictures have appeared of an unknown Acer phone with a large screen on one side and a physical keypad on the other. Acer's DX650: but why the two screens? Images of the phone – thought to be called the DX650 – were uncovered by website Tinh-te. It said the double-sided device has a 2.8in screen on one side and a 1.2in …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 15:24
Nokia comes clean as Ovi bombs

Both Ovi users seriously inconvenienced

Nokia's Contacts for Ovi - the Finnish manufacturer's answer to MobileMe - was down for most of yesterday and has lost all amendments made since January 23 when the last backup was taken. Unlike its Cupertino-based competition, Nokia has come completely clean about the problems, explaining in detail that a cooler broke down …

Mobile 12 Feb 15:46
Siemens ditches consultants

Long walk for men with clipboards

Engineering behemoth Siemens is canning contracts with external management consultants in order to cut costs. Peter Löscher, chief exec of Siemens, told managers last month to cut contracts with external consultants as quickly as possible. Staff should use internal consultants or seek sign-off from the group's chief finance …

IT Director 12 Feb 15:54
Scareware scammers Rickroll Digg

Bot comment blitz intensifies

Digg.com has become the latest Web 2.0 service to be abused by hackers in order to punt malware. More than 500,000 bogus comments have reportedly been posted on the site in order to drive traffic to 15 malware-hosting domains that promote a rogue anti-virus (scareware) package. Panda Security compares the attacks, mounted by …

Spam 12 Feb 16:11
Pope's star watcher to visit Nasa and talk aliens

Unlikely to arrive in Chariot of the Gods

The Vatican is to go head to head with Nasa over the possibility of life existing anywhere else in the Universe except Earth. The discussion is actually likely to be rather convivial when Lynn Rothschild, astrobiologist at NASA's Ames Research Center, debates the topic with the Vatican Observatory's director emeritus George …

Space 12 Feb 16:16
Facebook hits back at Italian ban

Horse's head for Master Zuckerberg

Facebook has responded to a proposed Italian law that could see the social networking site forced to censor its members' postings and groups. The row started when Italian media noticed fan groups for convicted mafia members on Facebook. Although these are heavily outnumbered by groups of fans supporting prosecutors, the rumpus …

Law 12 Feb 16:31
Netbook gets Hello Kitty overhaul

Wind for the kids

If you’re a ten-year-old girl or just looking for a PC that’ll get you laughed at, look no further than the new Hello Kitty netbook. Medion's S1211 Hello Kitty netbook: cool, honest... The 10in limited edition S1211 has the brand’s famous cat face emblazoned across its lid and... er... that’s pretty much the only draw for …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 16:36
PC firm offers Ultra-Quiet Xbox 360

Console redesigned to reduce noise

If you’re sick of reaching for the earplugs each time you turn on your Xbox 360, a solution's now available: the Ultra-Quiet Xbox 360. The Ultra-Quiet Xbox 360 PC customisation firm Quiet PC has begun selling a redesigned Xbox 360, which essentially sees an off-the-shelf model taken apart and put into a specialist case – in …

Reg Hardware 12 Feb 16:47
MS puts up $250K bounty for Conficker author

Zombie masterminds wanted undead or alive

Microsoft is offering a $250,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the virus writers behind the infamous Conficker (Downadup) worm. The bounty, announced Thursday, represents a revival of Microsoft's mothballed Anti-virus Reward Program, launched in 2003 and virtually moribund since 2004. In …

Security 12 Feb 18:15
Apple animating iTunes stream machine?

Slaking the demand for on-demand

Apple will soon offer instant movie-watching gratification. According to a report from AppleInsider, Cupertino is prepping something called iTunes Replay. This new service would allow users to stream movie and TV content directly to their Macs, Apple TVs, iPhones, and iPods without having to first download that content to …

Music and Media 12 Feb 19:27
IBM, HP, and EMC press for encryption key juggler spec

Push unified protocol though open standards org

Any key management platform will be able to communicate across all of a company's encryption systems - if IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Thales, and EMC have their way. The companies today said they're heading a group of vendors proposing a standardized encryption management specification through the Organization for the Advancement of …

Security 12 Feb 19:34
Google pays $51.7m for newspaper destruction metaphor

Project Will Power eats paper mill

If there's one moment that sums up the gradual destruction of the world's newspapers, this is it. Google, the world's largest online ad broker, has just paid neatly $52 million for a 53-year-old paper mill in southern Finland, hoping to replace it with a data center. This morning, global paper-maker Stora Enso told the world …

Servers 12 Feb 19:36
Mozilla calls for 'open web' in EU Microsoft row

Defines good, bad, and ugly IE remedies

After days of unrest at Mozilla Towers, the Firefox firm has finally given its official word on Brussels’ preliminary findings against Microsoft for tying its Internet Explorer browser to Windows. The open source outfit put up a mealymouthed statement on its official blog yesterday in which it said it wants the European …

Applications 12 Feb 19:41
Heartland data breach hit 160 banks (and rising)

How deep does the rabbit hole go?

More than 160 banks have been affected by the information security breach at US payment processor Heartland Security. Heartland admitted that on 20 January, while US attention was on the Obama presidential inauguration, that a breach in its processing systems last year led to the disclosure of an unspecified number of customer …

Security 12 Feb 19:48
Symbian Foundation in anti-Android recruit drive

MySpace, Qualcomm, HP climb aboard

The Symbian Foundation is limbering up to face the Open Handset Alliance next week, announcing a raft of new members to take on the Android threat, while LiMo and Access Linux lurk nearby looking for scraps. Realising that the battle of operating systems is all about applications, Symbian has announced a load of new members …

Mobile 12 Feb 19:58
Cray thanks Uncle Sam for juiced revenues

Still in red

Supercomputer maker Cray pulled some big bucks from the US government in the fourth quarter, nearly tripling sales. But after writing down a few assets, the company posted a loss for the quarter - and for the year. Cray booked $155.4m in sales in the fourth quarter, including $100m for a portion of the "Jaguar" petaflops …

Financial News 12 Feb 20:44
Sun pitches JavaFX Mobile into RIA squabble

Microsoft and Adobe trade shots

Sun Microsystems has upped its ante in the rich internet application battle for mobile mind-share, just as Microsoft and Adobe Systems traded shots at each other. On Thursday, the systems and server company released a version of JavaFX for mobile devices here, branded JavaFX Mobile by marketing types but known to coders as …

Developer 12 Feb 21:56
Lenovo cuts 550 jobs across Europe

Re-embraces low-cost PCs

Lenovo has begun making about 550 job cuts across Europe, after the Beijing-based PC vendor's latest earnings showed its shipment numbers dropped faster than the industry average in every market except China. Lenovo spokesman Ray Gorman confirmed the layoffs, saying the European action is in line with its worldwide …

Channel Register 12 Feb 22:05
Opera proxy promises 'game changing' browser speed

'80 per cent boost'

Update: This story has been updated the clarify how Turbo operates. Opera will soon offer ISPs and mobile operators a server-side data compressor designed to significantly improve download speeds on its Opera Desktop and Opera Mobile browsers. "I really believe this will be a game changer when it comes to browsing on mobile …

Software 12 Feb 22:11
Intel convenes iPhone hitman summit

Chipzilla goes mobile?

Intel may build its own iPhone. Or maybe not. According to Silicon Valley gossip site Valleywag, Intel recently gathered a gaggle of gawking giga-geeks to garner gabble regarding its gadget goals. Apparently, Chipzilla hosted an "invite-only 'brain drain'" to solicit opinions on its plans for a new gee-whizzy smartphone based …

Mobile 12 Feb 22:27