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2nd March 2009 Archive

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  • LG 830 "Spyder" phones recalled for dropping 911 calls

    Stranded motorist sparks nationwide handset fix

    US consumer safety regulators have issued a recall on some 30,000 LG mobile phones after a software error caused a stranded motorist's phone to drop its connection to 911 emergency services. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the recall involves LG 830 "Spyder" touch-screen cell phones sold in the US from September …

    Mobile 2 Mar 03:51

  • Apple overhauls MobileMe

    Drains swamp of embarrassment

    Apple has introduced a handful of improvements to its MobileMe online service, further draining the swamp of embarrassment caused by the utility's botched introduction. In an email recently sent to MobileMe subscribers, "The MobileMe Team" announced four improvements to the struggling service, including a new way to share …

    Applications 2 Mar 03:59

  • Iomega muffs hard drive DLNA testing

    Home Media Network not compliant

    Iomega's Home Media Network Hard Drive is not DLNA-certified. Although Iomega says device users can "play back...pictures, videos and music from digital media adapters such as game consoles, digital picture frames or networked TVs," the HM NHD has a problem playing MP3s on DLNA-compliant Sony Bravia TVs. DLNA is the Digital …

    Storage 2 Mar 04:24

  • Citrix taps VMLogix for fake server jukeboxing

    Just what Microsoft needed

    Last week, Microsoft annointed long-time partner Citrix Systems as the provider of management tools for virtualized Windows server environments using its Hyper-V hypervisor. But Citrix needed help closing the deal. It landed its own partnership with VMLogix, grabbing some of the key pieces that are actually worth money to …

    Virtualization 2 Mar 04:43

  • Melting flash-mem giant Spansion files for Chapter 11

    Ex-CEO vows return of golden handshake

    Melting flash-mem giant Spansion has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, less than a week after suddenly axing 35 per cent of its workforce. Meanwhile, Spansion ex-CEO Bertrand Cambou has vowed to return the $403,000 in severance he received after leaving the company in early February, telling a local newspaper he's "literally in …

    Financial News 2 Mar 05:13

  • Great Australian Firewall dead in the water?

    Sex Party add insult to injury

    The final nail in the coffin of the great Australian Firewall was hammered home last week when independent Senator Nick Xenophon withdrew support for the measure. This takes the voting arithmetic in the Australian Upper House beyond the point of no-return, as there are now 43 votes stacked up against the proposal with just 33 in …

    Government 2 Mar 09:13

  • Brit nuke subs exposed on Google Earth

    GCHQ. MI6 and SAS also laid bare

    The UK's military top brass are said to be "furious" that updated imagery on Google Earth has laid bare pretty well all of Blighty's defence infrastructure, including Faslane nuclear sub base, the "nuclear crisis HQ" in Northwood, North London, the SAS barracks in Herefordshire, GCHQ in Cheltenham and MI6's spook central in …

    Government 2 Mar 09:35

  • Two papers about data quality and governance

    Stop the firefighting

    A delve into the Reg Library reveals two rather good, but very different, papers about data quality. Without further ado, to the summaries: Observing Data Quality Service Level Agreements This is a proper white paper from Dataflux: lots of information, no vendor pitch, and an academically dry tone established by the author …

    Tech Panel 2 Mar 09:51

  • Phishers automate attacks using 'Google hacking'

    Why pay when you can pwn?

    Three in four phishing sites are hosted on compromised servers, according to a new survey. A study of 2,486 fraudulent websites found that 76 per cent were housed on hacked webservers, typically pwned after hackers identified well-known vulnerabilities using search engine queries. Free web hosting for fraudulent websites was …

    Enterprise Security 2 Mar 10:00

  • Obama chopper plans leaked on file-sharing nets

    Secret 'Marine One' copter blueprints seen at Tehran IP

    Confidential blueprints and specifications for the planned new US presidential helicopters have been accidentally leaked to the torrents by download-hungry defence contractors, according to reports. WPXI News reported at the weekend on findings by Pennsylvania security firm Tiversa, tagline: "The P2P Intelligence Experts - Do …

    Public Sector 2 Mar 10:52

  • Data Domain doing faster dedupe

    Doubling up and up

    Data Domain has increased the speed of its deduplication to between 50 and 100 percent through a software update. The speed boost varies from 50 per cent on DD510, 530, and 580 models, 58 per cent on the DD565, up to 90 per cent on the DD690g and DDX array, and 100 per cent on the DD120. The DD690g had a 1.4TB/hour throughput …

    Storage 2 Mar 11:13

  • BlackBerry Bold sales suspended in Japan

    Some handsets heat up too when re-charged

    Some would say that the BlackBerry Bold’s a hot bit of kit. But few would think it's so hot that Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo would decide to suspend sales of the phone because of complaints about the handset's temperature. But that's what has happened. The network took the drastic step late last week because it received …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 11:26

  • Satyam sale possible before probe ends

    'Ere, wanna buy a scandalous IT firm?

    Troubled Indian outsourcer Satyam is asking for formal bids from potential buyers before the final details of its fraud investigation are known. The company, which is the country’s fourth largest outsourcing outfit, wants to invite bids for a potential sale of its business as soon as regulatory approvals are completed. “While …

    Channel Register 2 Mar 11:33

  • UK indie resellers get new body

    When two become one

    Two trade bodies representing the UK's independent resellers are to merge. The union is not official yet as it needs to be approved by both groups' members, but the management of the National Association of Specialist Computer Retailers and the Independent Trade Association of Computing Specialists have agreed in principle to …

    Channel Register 2 Mar 11:58

  • Office booze-up battered in CPW cutbacks

    'Beer Bust' busted to avoid going bust

    Carphone Warehouse staff who escape the current round of 450 redundancies will lose many of their perks, including the firm's long-running monthly drinking session, according to documents seen by The Register. When job losses were announced last week, presentations were given to surviving staff detailing a much more frugal …

    Mobile 2 Mar 12:00

  • NASA delays Kepler launch for rocket checks

    Habitable-planet finder mustn't fall in the sea

    NASA has moved back the launch of one of the most eagerly-anticipated spacecraft for some time, in order to check out concerns regarding its launch rocket. The Kepler telescope, expected by many to discover evidence of habitable worlds orbiting other stars, will wait until March 6 while engineers re-examine elements of its …

    Space 2 Mar 12:20

  • Three months on, you still can't get off the DNA database

    Carry on sampling...

    Almost three months on from the unanimous ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) against the UK's mass retention of DNA of innocent people, the situation has turned worse. Although eventually the UK should become compliant with the ruling, police forces are adopting a wait and see attitude, while Jacqui Smith is …

    Policing 2 Mar 12:21

  • Gamer suspended from Xbox Live after saying she's gay

    No sex please - we're Xbox gamers

    A gamer has claimed that Microsoft suspended her from Xbox Live because she identified herself as a lesbian to other members of the online gaming network. The woman – identified only as Teresa, by a Consumerist online report – claimed she was harassed by other gamers who were peeved that she'd dared to state her sexuality in …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 12:33

  • Sony DSLR-A900 Alpha 900 digital SLR

    Review Looks great on paper

    If cameras were rated on specifications alone, Sony’s Alpha 900 would be a hard act to beat. Let’s consider the evidence: there’s a full-frame Exmore CMOS sensor packed with 24.6 million pixels - and, please note, this is the effective number. The sensor measures 35.9 x 24mm. Other goodies include a built-in image stabilisation …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 13:08

  • Asus confirms Eee Box 206

    Miniature PC with HD support and eco credentials

    Asus has officially launched the latest addition to its Eee Box desktop PC line: the 206. Asus' Eee Box 206: fit for HDMI Although first spied online back in December, Asus has now confirmed that the 223 x 178 x 16mm machine is based on Intel’s 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor and 945GSE chipset. An AMD ATI Radeon HD 3450 GPU is …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 13:25

  • Pirate Bay prosecutor argues for one year prison terms

    BitTorrent coat-holders should do bird

    The chief prosecutor in The Pirate Bay trial wants to see each of the four defendants spend a year in prison for running the BitTorrent tracker website. Håkan Roswall argued that the sentences should be handed to the four men accused in the case during a closing statement he made in the Stockholm district court this morning, …

    Music and Media 2 Mar 13:39

  • Conficker call-backs threaten to swamp legit domains

    Southwest Airlines faces Friday the 13th horror

    The infamous Conficker worm is set to disrupt the operation of at least four legitimate websites this month. Machines infected with Conficker (Downadup) are programmed to dial home for updates through a list of domains which changes every day. Microsoft is heading an alliance to block unregistered domains on this list but that …

    Malware 2 Mar 13:42

  • Last call for UK liberties

    Convention rallies support against government madness

    On Saturday 28 February, several hundred activists and interested citizens got together to issue a rallying cry to all concerned by the government’s ever increasing encroachment on our traditional civil liberties. Or, if you prefer the Labour Party version: a bunch of mostly white, middle-class, middle-aged do-gooders …

    Government 2 Mar 14:16

  • Psion countersues Intel in not-netbook spat

    Sold $60,000 worth of Netbooks last year, apparently

    Psion Teklogix has filed a counterclaim against Intel in response to the chip giant's attempt to get its Netbook trademark nixed in the US. The complaint - filed, like Intel's, with the US District Court for Northern California - wants Intel brought to book for allegedly infringing said trademark. "Intel has acted willfully …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 14:28

  • Retailer reveals Touch Diamond 2 launch

    Pro 2 date still a secret

    Online retailer Expansys has revealed that HTC’s recently unveiled Diamond 2 smartphone will be available next month. HTC's Diamond 2: coming in April The phone was unveiled last month at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona. At the time, HTC would only confirm that the handset would arrive in Europe during Q2 2009 …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 14:34

  • Is Intel outsourcing chip fabs?

    Chips to Taiwan says rumour mill

    There are myriad reports that Intel is going to announce the outsourcing of its Atom processor chips and NAND flash chips to the Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. The Taipei Times reports that TSMC will manufacture and supply Intel's Mobile Internet Device (MID) and Atom chips. It will be the first time that Intel …

    PCs & Chips 2 Mar 15:21

  • Vendor punts laptop-as-server behemoth

    Intel quad-core Core i7 on board

    Eurocom is the first system builder we've heard from who's put a desktop Core i7 four-core processor into a laptop. Dubbed the Phantom-i7, the new machine's pitched as an "on-the-road mobile workstation" or "mobile server", though 'portable' would be a better word than 'mobile' since the machine's battery - cheekily branded an …

    Servers 2 Mar 15:45

  • AVG finally bothers with behaviour-based defences

    And what time do you call this?

    AVG has belatedly introduced behaviour-based anti-malware protection to its line of paid-for security products. AVG Internet Security 8.5, released on Monday, adds behaviour-based security technology to existing pattern-based detection. The technology comes from the recent acquisition of Sana Security. Sana's technology will …

    Malware 2 Mar 15:47

  • NASA shops for new Moon spacesuits and landers

    'Not your father's moonship', insists space agency

    NASA's return to the Moon with manned missions - planned to commence from 2020 - has taken some early steps in recent days. The space agency awarded a contract for its new generation of moonwalker spacesuits, and US defence globocorp Boeing submitted proposals for the new "Altair" lunar lander. Beer cans rated for helmet …

    Space 2 Mar 16:00

  • Protostar steers out Lampo 'leccy sportster

    'Leccy Tech Italian for 'lightning', apparently

    Swiss design company Protoscar has announced that it will unveil a new two-door electric sports cabriolet at the Geneva Motor Show on 2 March. This in itself should be quite some trick as the show doesn't actually open until the fifth... Protoscar's Lampo: Italian for 'lightning', don't you know Its Tardis-like abilities …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 16:02

  • 'Ich bin ein storyteller', says UK taxman

    German kids' tales punted on payroll CD

    Employers receiving HMRC's latest mailshot were confused to find the accompanying CD did not contain the promised payroll software but children's stories - read aloud in fluent German. The February edition of HMRC's thrice-yearly "Employer Bulletin" normally contains a CD of software designed to help small firms deal with …

    Small Biz 2 Mar 16:02

  • Samsung launches assault on 'hybrid' camera market

    A bridge to fear?

    Set to sit somewhere between a compact camera and a digital SLR, a new bridge series has been launched by Samsung. Samsung's NX series: part compact, part DSLR Samsung claimed that its NX-branded snappers will introduce a “revolutionary new family of hybrid digital cameras”. For example, Samsung’s ripped out the mirror box …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 16:14

  • Microsoft expands hosted services waistline

    Flabby online march

    Microsoft has confirmed that its online services package for businesses will touch down in Europe, Japan and New Zealand next month. The company said that trial versions of Microsoft’s biz software for email, collaboration and online meetings would be made available in 19 countries, including Finland, Italy, Germany, France, …

    Software 2 Mar 16:23

  • Ofcom wants mobile TV spectrum pulled

    TV without frontiers - or radio frequencies

    Aspiring mobile TV provider ICO Global Communications has reacted angrily to the UK regulator's decision to pull its spectrum, leaving it without the frequencies it needs to keep talking. ICO is a Cayman-Island-based company with aspirations of running a constellation of ten satellites for mobile satellite TV services. The …

    Networks 2 Mar 16:25

  • Small is beautiful for Xyratex arrays

    Which OEMs will take the SFFs?

    Xyratex, one of the three main disk drive enclosure suppliers to the tier one storage array vendors, has introduced its small form factor (SFF) 2.5-inch drive array offering, using Seagate Savvio drives. Xyratex, along with Dot Hill and LSI Engenio, forms a triumvirate of drive enclosure suppliers for Fujitsu, HP, IBM, NetApp …

    Storage 2 Mar 16:26

  • Original Xbox kicks bucket

    Microsoft ends technical service

    If you’re still content with your original Xbox, Microsoft has some sad support news for you. Microsoft's original Xbox: ah, the memories... From today, service repairs on an original Xbox for which the warranty has expired will no longer by accepted by Microsoft. If, by some miracle, your original Xbox is still covered by …

    Reg Hardware 2 Mar 16:34

  • Gartner: PC sales, except netbooks, to slump in 2009

    'Sharpest unit decline in history'

    Here's how you know that the IT market is part of the global economy. IT is no longer immune to downturns, and when the economy gets the flu, IT does too. The box counters at Gartner this morning released their projections for PC shipments in 2009, and the late-season winter storm that was pounding the Northeast was in perfect …

    PCs & Chips 2 Mar 16:59

  • Nokia nixes flagship phone in US

    Seven hours on the shelves for 3G-unfriendly mobe

    Nokia is pulling the flagship 5800 Xpress Music phone from some US stores as the handset seemed to be having problems with American 3G networks. The withdrawal was spotted by The Nokia Blog, who popped into the New York store last week to take a look at the handset which was launched on Friday, only to be told that it had been …

    Mobile 2 Mar 17:06

  • Koobface variant worms across social networking sites

    Facebook reject 'martial law' app vetting idea

    A new strain of the Koobface worm is spreading across social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. The malware posts invitations to the friends of infected users inviting them to view a video. The linked website tries to trick prospective marks into believing they need an updated version of Adobe Flash Player …

    Malware 2 Mar 17:20

  • Convicted Romanian hacker is hot commodity in Italy

    Companies, authorities fawn over informatics whiz

    Software companies and government officials in Italy are falling over themselves to recruit a 22-year-old hacker serving a three-year prison sentence for electronic fraud. Gabriel Bogdan Ionescu, who is incarcerated at the Bassone Penitentiary in Como in northern Italy, has already been admitted to that country's prestigious …

    Enterprise Security 2 Mar 18:50

  • iPhone surfs to mobile web domination

    New love for open-source projects

    The iPhone dominated the market for mobile web surfing last month, and there were relatively healthy showings from Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows Mobile. Net Applications found Apple's handheld status symbol accounted for 66.61 per cent of mobile traffic browsing the web during February. The phone's nearest …

    Applications 2 Mar 19:06

  • Yang spent $79m snuffing Microhoo!

    A drop in the $47.5bn bucket

    Jerry Yang and his Yahoo! cohorts didn't just reject a $47bn takeover bid from Microsoft. They spent $79 million in the process. In a recent SEC filing, Yahoo! says that last year it shelled out $79 million to "outside advisors" as it battled multiple proposals from Steve Ballmer and company, stood up to a pro-Redmond proxy …

    Financial News 2 Mar 20:33

  • Prime Minister's health records breached in database attack

    Scottish rich and powerful victimized

    Personal medical records belonging to Scotland's rich and powerful - including Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Holyrood's First Minister Alex Salmond - have been illegally accessed in a breach of a national database that holds details of 2.5 million people. The files contained names, ages, addresses, and occupations of the …

    ID 2 Mar 20:40

  • Intel taps TSMC for low-power chip fabbing

    Atom gets a sister

    Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced Monday that the two companies will work together to produce system-on-chip (SoC) silicon based on Intel's low-power Atom processor cores. The chips will be manufactured by TSMC, the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry. The SoCs produced by …

    Financial News 2 Mar 21:23

  • EMC faces DoJ probe

    Someone blew a whistle

    EMC is facing a DoJ investigation. The disk storage and software maker recently filed its 10-K annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in that report, it said that the Civil Division of the US Department of Justice has launched an investigation into two different sets of allegations that some unknown …

    Government 2 Mar 21:27

  • Obama removes YouTube from YouTube-side chats

    Swallows Google spy cookie

    US President Barack Obama has removed the YouTube from his YouTube-side chats, after repeated complaints over the video sharer's use of long-term tracking cookies on his official White House blog. On Saturday, Obama's weekly video address made its usual appearance at WhiteHouse.gov. But this time, as reported by CNet, the site …

    Applications 2 Mar 23:05

  • Bill Gates bans progeny from iPhone Nation

    Microsoft matriarch suffers Apple envy

    Our hearts go out to little Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe Gates. Their mom and dad won't let them have an iPod or iPhone. But before you iPhone haters start cheering, we're talking about choice. Shouldn't Bill and Melinda's kids have a say in what digital-music player or texting-about-that-cute-new-kid-in-class device they use? …

    Mobile 2 Mar 23:17

  • AMD: 'At heart, we're a design company'

    Look, Ma! No foundry!

    Calling AMD a chipmaker is no longer accurate. The proper term is chip designer and seller. Today was Advanced Micro Devices first day of business without its chip foundry. In the short term, little will change between AMD, the chip designer, and the Foundry Company, the chip fabrication outfit the company has spun out. But …

    PCs & Chips 2 Mar 23:49