19th February 2009 Archive

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Intel and Nvidia take licensing kerfuffle to court

Huang claims PC's soul

A continuing dispute between Intel and Nvidia over the scope of a 2004 cross-licensing pact has, rather unsurprisingly, made its way to court. Chipzilla filed a motion in Delaware court on Monday asking for a judge to bar Nvidia from making chipsets compatible with Intel's Nehalem-based processors. Nehalem introduces an …

PCs & Chips 19 Feb 01:12
US gooses economy with IT billions

Grab a bucket and get in line

The $787bn American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), signed Tuesday by US president Barack Obama, contains significant chunks of cash targeted towards IT spending. Some of the line items are relatively straightforward, such as over $1bn for IT upgrades at the Social Security Administration, State Department, …

Government 19 Feb 01:20
Blogger fights Psion's claim to 'netbook' name

'Considerable chutzpah'

A campaign has been launched to thwart Psion Techlogix's attempt to re-assert its trademark over the name "netbook". A blogger who claimed to have helped thwart Dell's attempt to trademark "cloud computing" has called on OEMs and retailers to stand their ground and continue using the phrase "netbook" when describing sub- …

PCs & Chips 19 Feb 01:44
Hacker pokes new hole in secure sockets layer

Moxie Marlinspike's man-in-the-middle

Website encryption has sustained another body blow, this time by an independent hacker who demonstrated a tool that can steal sensitive information by tricking users into believing they're visiting protected sites when in fact they're not. Unveiled Wednesday at the Black Hat security conference in Washington, SSLstrip works on …

Security 19 Feb 05:38
Western Digital flashes home backup and media server

Don't call it a NAS box

Using its 1 and 2TB Caviar Green drives Western Digital is introducing a shared home backup system with media serving capabilities. The My Book World Edition plugs into a router using gigabit Ethernet and can then discover home network-connected PC and Mac desktop and notebook client hard drives. It carries out a full backup …

Storage 19 Feb 08:02
Robots used to treat autistic kids

Hmmm

US boffins say they have developed a method for treating children with autism - the condition characterised by repetitive behaviour, difficulties understanding human language and/or lack of imagination - by having them spend time with robots. Automated autism. "It has been shown that the children are attracted to robots, …

Science 19 Feb 09:02
Romeo 419ers take Canadian women for $300k

Lonely hearts, empty wallets

Nigerian fraudsters have relieved a number of Edmonton women of a total of $300,000 in what the local Sun describes as "an online dating scam". One unnamed middle-aged divorcee - who admitted to losing "a lot" of money - was baited last September by a text message purportedly from a US businessman buying antiques in Nigeria. …

Spam 19 Feb 09:42
Berry warns about plodding police IT

Integration not proceeding

The former head of the Police Federation has called for the Home Office to mandate the integration of police IT systems by 2015 In an interim report on police bureaucracy for the Home Office, Jan Berry says that although forces are at different stages in their development of IT, there is an operational need for them to have …

Policing 19 Feb 09:59
Northamber: 'It would be wrong to be optimistic'

Revenues slide in first half

Northamber said it would be "wrong to be optimistic" as it weighs the chances of an upturn in the economy after the first six months of its financial year saw revenues slump 30 per cent. The veteran distributor turned in revenues of £68m for the six months ending December 31, compared to £97m a year ago, while last year's £453 …

Channel Register 19 Feb 10:17
Cameraphone with physical shutter spied

MWC Eliminates ghosting and blurring, it's claimed

Camera firm Jabil has showcased an 8Mp camera module with a physical shutter. The firm hopes it could soon make its way into smartphones. A working model of Jabil's 8Mp cameraphone module with physical shutter The module measures 10 x 10 x 8mm and has a moving blade-style shutter that prevents light from entering the lens …

Reg Hardware 19 Feb 10:20
Judge strips MS 'Vista Capable' lawsuit of class action status

Plaintiffs must sue individually

Microsoft scored a major win in the ongoing “Vista Capable” lawsuit yesterday after a US federal judge ruled that the case no longer warranted class action status. Judge Marsha Pechman said that each PC buyer who claims to have been hoodwinked by Microsoft’s Vista marketing campaign has to bring their own legal action if they …

Channel Register 19 Feb 10:33
Reg Hardware trials gesture-controlled videogame

MWC Look ma, no only hands!

Register Hardware just tested gesture-based gaming technology. Our verdict? It rocks! No need for a controller Gesture-based technology works by tracking the movement of objects, such as faces or hands, and has already been integrated into several mobile phones, including Sony Ericsson’s F305. At Mobile World Congress …

Reg Hardware 19 Feb 10:35
Security for medium-sized companies

Regcast Grill our experts from your desk

The Register's latest live interactive webcast examines security from the perspective of middle-sized companies. It kicks off at 3pm GMT on 4 March. We are constantly told of security threats to business. Most times such reminders are pitched at the security policies, practices and tools for larger enterprises, or point- …

Tech Panel 19 Feb 10:38
Cybercrime losses tax UK small business

Exposed SMEs call for reporting security blanket

Cybercrime and fraud are costing Britain's small business £800 a year each, according to a survey by the UK's Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The SME lobbying group is calling for more action to tackle online crime as a response. More than half (54 per cent) of smaller businesses polled in the survey said they were a …

Small Biz 19 Feb 10:39
US teen cuffed for disorderly classroom texting

SMS-happy whippersnapper heads for court

A text-happy Wisconsin teen who refused to stop messaging during a high school maths lesson was arrested, charged with disorderly conduct, and now faces a court appearance for her trouble. The unnamed 14-year-old girl was busted last Wednesday at Wauwatosa East High School. According to the rap sheet posted on The Smoking Gun …

Bootnotes 19 Feb 11:13
ESA gives £6m to Brit spaceplane project

Just another $9,993m needed to get it flying

The European Space Agency (ESA) has inked a deal with British firm Reaction Engines Ltd to work on a paradigm-punishing new type of spacecraft engine. The tech could lead to fully reusable runway-launched space shuttles "within ten years". According to Alan Bond, MD of Reaction Engines: “Traditional throw-away rockets costing …

Space 19 Feb 11:20
Swiss boffins build bonkers iPhone-operated electric sportster

'Leccy Tech Goes like stink, transforms into a one-seater

The Geneva Motor Show tends to bring the crazies out of the woodwork and it looks as though 2009 won't be an exception. The renowned Swiss auto-boffins at Rinspeed have released details of a working concept car they'll showing at Geneva called the iChange. Rinspeed's iChange: goes like stink, apparenty In the quest for …

Reg Hardware 19 Feb 11:31
Fring looks to ID to boost ~~ego~~ coffers

Hopes operators will foot the bill

Fring, maker of free phone software used to access a variety of loss-making services, reckons there's money to be made hosting identities for network operators. But the company's commitment to end users could be its undoing. Fring's software consolidates a user's identities on the various loss-making services that are so …

Mobile 19 Feb 11:46
College IT departments told to deploy anti-terror dragnet

Union criticises UK.gov web snitch plan

The government has told colleges to monitor web browsing for Islamic extremist sites and report students to police, drawing criticism from union chiefs that it could alienate muslim communities. The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) released a "toolkit" yesterday calling on IT departments to "prevent …

Policing 19 Feb 11:55
Irish cops tripped up by Prawo Jazdy dragnet

Mr Driving Licence clocks up 50 motoring offences

Irish cops have finally uncovered the identity of one of the Emerald Isle's "most reckless drivers" - a Pole who had by June 2007 clocked up over 50 speeding fines and parking tickets on the Garda Pulse computer system without once being convicted of a crime against motoring. The penny finally droppped when a Garda traffic …

Policing 19 Feb 12:09
Pirate Bay supporters ram Swedish IFPI website

'We're winning, stop hacking plz'

Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde has pleaded with fans to stop attacking official entertainment industry websites after the Swedish wing of the The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s (IFPI) site was hacked yesterday. Sunde, who is among four men facing prosecutors representing the likes of Sony, MGM and …

Enterprise Security 19 Feb 12:21
Samsung Emporio Armani Night Effect designer phone

Review Sophisticated - or silly?

After some flash for your cash? Hot on the well-turned heels of LG's new Prada phone, Samsung and Armani have delivered their latest ensemble - the Emporio Armani Samsung Night Effect. Samsung's Emporio Armani Night Effect: sophisticated? Rather than reworking last year’s elegant Giorgio Armani Samsung touchscreen …

Reg Hardware 19 Feb 12:29
ICO strengthens criticism of Government data sharing

Changes mind, speaks up a bit

The Government's controversial plans to share personal data between departments and with the private sector are "too wide" and the safeguards "weak" according to privacy watchdog the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO has released its second opinion on the contents of the Coroners and Justice Bill, which proposes …

Government 19 Feb 12:34
UK gov to fund Virgin mothership micro-sat launcher

Pocket rocket to launch from WhiteKnightTwo jet

The British government is reportedly prepared to fund development of a rocket able to put small satellites into orbit, launched from the WhiteKnightTwo "mothership" piggyback jet which will carry Richard Branson's planned space-tourism rocketplanes to startup altitude. Flight International reports today that "a senior official …

Space 19 Feb 13:00
Scotland Today in news nipslip outrage

NSFW Substantial RBS bonus for teatime viewers

Viewers of STV's Scotland Today got an unexpected Royal Bank of Scotland bonus on Tuesday when the teatime edition of the news prog featured a "busty blonde" nipslip boob. According to the Scottish Sun, the woman "unwittingly bared all from the passenger seat of a car as the driver - an RBS worker - was being interviewed about …

Entertainment 19 Feb 13:03
Laptop facial recognition defeated by Photoshop

Taking a long hard stare at biometric security

White hat security researchers have demoed how to bypass the facial recognition systems on several laptops. The facial recognition software on Lenovo, Asus and Toshiba laptops (known as Veriface III, SmartLogon 1.0.0005 and Face Recognition 2.0.2.32, respectively) was compromised by security researchers including Duc Nguyen, …

ID 19 Feb 13:15
HP imposes staff wage cuts

Mark Hurd lowers the floor to save workers

Hewlett-Packard workers fired up their PCs this morning to find a long memo from Mark Hurd explaining why he was imposing wide-ranging pay cuts in an effort to prevent further job losses at the computer vendor. The move followed HP’s first quarter earnings report yesterday in which it posted a double digit dip in printer, …

Financial News 19 Feb 13:36
Airline pilots told to switch off mobile phones

No Mandy, I can't talk right now

The US Federal Aviation Authority has issued an alert to airlines reminding them that its not just passengers who should keep their phones switched off, but pilots too. The alert follows an incident where an air-safety inspector was observing take-off, moments prior to which the crew heard a "warbling sound" which turned out …

Mobile 19 Feb 14:37
How to upgrade an Acer Aspire One netbook's memory

Screwdriver at the ready

Acer's Aspire One A110/A150 may have been knocked off the top of the totem pole by Samsung's NC10, and it may be on the verge of being superseded by its new big brother, the 10in version, but it's proved a hugely popular netbook. Lots of folk own one, lots of folk use one and lots of folk reckon the base model doesn't have …

Reg Hardware 19 Feb 14:46
Pro-Heathrow demo challenges Carbon Cult killjoys

Cheap flights for all

As eco warriors descend on Parliament this afternoon to protest against the expansion of Heathrow, an obscure counter demonstration will be taking place. It's quite unusual: Modern Movement will be demonstrating in favour of something, not against it: cheap travel. "What we want to counter is the small number of green …

Environment 19 Feb 14:48
Ricoh reveals speed snapper

CX1 unveiled

Ricoh will next month roll out its latest high-end compact camera, the CX1. Ricoh's CX1: more to it than megapixels? For once, the megapixel count - it's 9.39 effective, by the way, on a 1/2.3in sensor - wasn't highlighted at at the announcement. Instead, Ricoh touted the CX1's "highly evolved" image processing system, the …

Reg Hardware 19 Feb 15:11
Raygun jumbo: 'Long duration' ground blasts begin

'We had to turn it off, the power meter was melting'

Energy weapon maker Northrop Grumman has announced further successful ground tests for the mighty laser cannon installed in America's prototype nuke-blasting jumbo jet. Northrop says that "multiple long-duration, lethal" blasts were fired in ground tests last week, allowing engineers to "tune" the mighty megawatt-range energy …

Science 19 Feb 15:19
Fasthosts to offshore support staff

Romanian call centre to offer 'improved experience'

Budget web hosting provider Fasthosts will soon make almost all of its UK customer service team redundant, to be replaced by call centres in Romania and the Phillipines, staff were told on Wednesday. Up to 38 posts are set to go at Fasthosts' Gloucester HQ as a result. In a statement to The Register today, the firm said the " …

Telecoms 19 Feb 15:26
Grifters punt 'get rich quick' scams at Facebook users

Social networking marks made an offer you can refuse

Grifters are using Facebook to lend credibility to an elaborate get rich quick scam designed to trick punters into handing over credit card details. The ruse begins with an ad on Facebook touting an offer to "get paid for posting links – Google will pay you great money for doing this". Users who respond to the come-on by …

ID 19 Feb 16:16
Asus exec re-iterates plan to poleaxe 8.9in Eee PCs

10in for punters, 7in for telcos

So farewell, then, Asus' 8.9in Eee PCs. Another company executive has reportedly admitted they're for the chop. Benson Lin, President of Asus' Asia-Pacific operation, is indirectly quoted by DigiTimes as saying the 8.9in Eees will the completely phased out during 2009. Asus' Eee PC 901: for the chop Lin's comment, if …

Reg Hardware 19 Feb 16:43
Unisys threatens Itanium with death

Intel chip no Monster

The Itanium server chip from Intel needs all the allies it can get these days, particularly after the latest in a string of delays for the quad-core "Tukwila" chip. But it doesn't look like Intel can count on Unisys to be a particularly enthusiastic supporter of Tukwila when it does get out the door. Unisys is touting a new …

Servers 19 Feb 19:25
US feds pull travel site offline after hacker break-in

GovTrip trips up

A travel reservations website used by US government agencies remains offline more than a week after it was infected with malware that tried to install malicious code on the PCs of those who visited the site. Agencies including the Federal Aviation Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of …

Security 19 Feb 19:29
HP to spruce EVA storage arrays

More capacity, new controllers, SSD goodness

HP is set to launch its upgraded mid-range EVA storage arrays featuring 80TB+ increases in capacity, new controllers, and solid state drive (SSD) support. According to a training document seen by The Register, HP has already started briefing relevant employees, contract trainers, and partners across Europe. The launch is, …

Storage 19 Feb 19:42
Hulu's Hollywood overlords force Boxee block

I cannot watch them on a box. I cannot watch them without Fox

Hulu's Hollywood overlords have forced the popular American web TV portal to block fans from watching streaming shows on television sets with Boxee. Citing pressure from content providers, Hulu said the site's streaming shows will no longer be available through the free and open source media center platform. A joint ventures …

Music and Media 19 Feb 19:53
Windows 7 fast track alarms technical testers

Microsoft: write us an email

Microsoft has moved to contain growing criticism from beta testers that it's railroading the Windows 7 and Windows Live test programs, leaving bugs unfixed. Windows chief Steven Sinofsky has invited technical beta testers to contact him and provide details of areas where they feel Microsoft is not listening to their feedback …

Applications 19 Feb 20:27
Verizon preps LTE rollout for 2010

WiMAX suffers one-two punch

The ongoing battle over which technology will rule the future wireless-broadband world has tilted strongly in favor of Long Term Evolution (LTE), thanks to two announcements at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. On Monday, Alcatel-Lucent announced a "multi-industry initiative" called ng Connect, which will support the …

Wireless 19 Feb 20:32
Judge approves AP's online news copying suit

'Hot news doctrine' survives internet

The Associated Press can proceed with a copyright infringement lawsuit against an online news aggregation service after a federal judge ruled a century-old US Supreme Court ruling applies to the internet. In a ruling issued Tuesday, US District Judge Kevin Castel shot down arguments that the so-called "hot news doctrine" did …

Law 19 Feb 22:16
Norway mobilizes against IE 6

You can't a-fjord not to

Norwegian web sites are campaigning to have users dump Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 for a modern browser. Two of the country's three largest newspapers as well as local newspapers, search engines and ISPs, the Yellow Pages, and other communities have posted a message that ask users to upgrade. Microsoft is also reported to …

Applications 19 Feb 22:21
Yelp deflects 'Extortion 2.0' claim

Astroturfers build ethical minefield

Yelp continues to face questions over the ethics of its new-age city guide, billed as a place where "real people" write "real reviews" of restaurants, bars, shops, and other local businesses. And it continues to evade those questions. As we reported in August, several San Francisco Bay Area businesses have told The Reg that …

Applications 19 Feb 22:23
Intel to chase clouds with custom mobo

More Nehalem goodies

For a little more than a year now, IBM and Dell have been offering custom server designs to hyperscale data center operators that deliver more oomph for a given amount of juice. And it looks like Intel is going to be creating some specialized motherboards for the future "Nehalem" family of Xeon processors so it can get in on the …

Servers 19 Feb 22:57
Land of cheese adopts internet download tax

Wisconsin covets New York porn revenue

With many US states scrambling to fix major budget shortfalls, legislators are taking an added interest in taxes on digital music, videos, and software. Wisconsin today followed in the footsteps of New York State by passing a stimulus bill that includes a measure for adding sales tax to digital downloads starting October 1. …

Government 19 Feb 23:30