The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

2nd April 2009 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Intel trades ownership for popularity on mobile Linux project

    Atom drivers wanted

    Intel is handing over its mobile Linux effort to the Linux Foundation to stimulate broader interest. The Linux Foundation will run Moblin's developer events starting next week in San Francisco, and it will host Moblin's infrastructure and forums, executive director Jim Zemlin told The Reg. Zemlin noted Intel developers would …

    Operating Systems 2 Apr 2009, 00:47

  • 'Freakishly fast' Ruby coming to the Mac

    Blowing up the bridge

    Mac developers intrigued by Ruby's ease of use and simple maintainability but deterred by its turgid performance will be happy to hear that MacRuby 0.5 - aka its "experimental branch" - is remarkably snappy. Exactly how snappy is remarkably snappy? A suite of low-level benchmark tests recently performed by Antonio Cangiano of …

    Software 2 Apr 2009, 00:50

  • Microsoft plays coy over iPhone Office

    Web 2.0 Expo 'Keep watching'

    Redmond has hinted it soon may bring Microsoft Office to the iPhone. In a Q&A with Tim 2.0'Reilly at the hypemeister's Web 2.0 Expo in downtown San Francisco this afternoon, Microsoft Office honcho Stephen Elop was asked how his aging desktop software suite would survive in a world increasingly obsessed with putting apps in the …

    Applications 2 Apr 2009, 05:14

  • Google admits data center podification

    And battery-powered big iron

    Google has admitted that its data centers are pieced together using intermodal shipping containers pre-packed with servers and cooling equipment. As reported by our friends at Data Center Knowledge, the search giant dropped its long-standing data-center wall of secrecy this morning during a company event in Mountain View. …

    Servers 2 Apr 2009, 06:25

  • What if IBM doesn't buy Sun?

    Opinion Schwartz and McNealy exit would be on the cards

    Are we witnessing Sun's death rattle with both CEO and chairman of the board poised to walk the plank? That is highly likely to be the outcome if IBM does not buy Sun. IBM is thought to be carrying a kind of due diligence on Sun as it ponders buying the company - but is it really thinking about buying Sun? If it isn't or if …

    Servers 2 Apr 2009, 08:02

  • DARPA wants 'clandestine' 3D building-interior mapping kit

    'Active' probes via plumbing, wiring etc

    Pentagon bizarro-tech chiefs have issued a requirement for mysterious sensor systems which would be able to peer through concrete walls to produce a complete internal picture of a building. US Forces would use such kit for "overseas urban building interior awareness". The new plans are known as "Comprehensive Interior …

    Science 2 Apr 2009, 08:55

  • We read WiReD, so you don't have to

    It's out. But is it any good?

    There was a surprise in the goodie bag for attendees of WiReD UK's launch party. Alongside a copy of the launch issue and a Windows game, was a small bottle of Thunderbird - the fortified wine beloved of students and park bench alcoholics. Actually - I made the last bit up. There was no Thunderbird. But you'll need something …

    Media 2 Apr 2009, 09:02

  • Apple Mac Pro

    Review Goes like the proverbial off a shovel

    The recent updates to Apple’s iMac and Mac Mini desktop systems rather suggested that the company was treading water. Both machines sported new graphics chips and faster system buses, but their processor speeds had barely changed and there was a steady trend towards higher prices that suggested Apple was planning to weather the …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2009, 09:18

  • Playmobil Bible faces wrath of lawyers

    Company objects to Eve boob job and heat-treated Jesus

    A German evangelical pastor who's recreated biblical scenes from Playmobil figures has been given until 6 April to pull his website, or face the wrath of the company's lawyers. According to the Telegraph, 38-year-old Markus Bomhard's principal sin was to adapt the figures - for example by gluing breasts to Eve and melting …

    Bootnotes 2 Apr 2009, 09:51

  • AMD, Nvidia introduce new GPUs

    GeForce 275 GTX sneaks in ahead of Radeon 4890

    AMD has taken the wraps off its latest 'world's most powerful' graphics card - a claim curiously absent from Nvidia's announcement, made just hours before, of a new GPU of its own. AMD, first. The card in question is the ATI Radeon HD 4890, with a speed of "nearly 1GHz", the company gushed. Almost, guys, but not quite. Wake us …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2009, 10:03

  • Sony unveils 'world's smallest' HD camcorder

    Chic design and 1080p shooting capacity

    Sony has crafted a camcorder that it claims is the smallest and lightest of its kind. It also has on-board GPS. Sony's HDR-TG7VE: good-looking The HDR-TG7VE measures a measly 62 x 117 x 30mm and has a titanium body with “premium hard coating” to ensure that everyday scratches don’t spoil the gadget’s chic design. Its …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2009, 10:09

  • Conficker suspect brought to book in Beavertown?

    Evidence of Russian sense of humour found!

    While the rest of the world bit its nails in terror that the Conficker worm would somehow rise up and swamp the internet on 1 April, Russian wags seized on the opportunity to craft a subtle April Fool joke. A story by Russian news agency RIA Novost that police in Belarus had arrested a pair of suspects looked plausible enough …

    Security 2 Apr 2009, 10:17

  • Subsidized netbook model could sweep away 20 years of PC history

    Attack of the Killer Laptot

    While many stories this week rest on whether or not Apple will bother with a netbook (Steve Jobs has said the iPhone does everything a netbook does anyway, and was reported as saying “We don’t know how to build a sub-$500 computer that is not a piece of junk”), the issue really is whether or not you belong to the school of …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2009, 10:18

  • YouTube yanks music videos from German site

    Meanwhile Billy Bragg takes a swipe at Google

    YouTube has blocked thousands of music videos in Germany, after a contract between Google and the country’s royalties’ collector, GEMA, expired on Tuesday. The free video-sharing site rejected GEMA’s request for an interim agreement to be drawn up to provide one cent to artists for each video played, according to German …

    Media 2 Apr 2009, 10:44

  • Most undergraduates 'show fear when asked to do maths'

    Choose easy joke degrees as a result

    Six out of every ten university students are afraid of mathematics to the point where it deters them from studying technical subjects, according to new research. The proportion of students who "show symptoms of anxiety" regarding maths is also significantly higher among females than males. In a survey of 885 first-year …

    Science 2 Apr 2009, 10:46

  • PS3 firmware update to add text chat

    Backs up downloaded videos too

    The PlayStation 3’s latest firmware update – version 2.70 - will be crammed with some juicy features for gamers, including “Text Chat” and a video backup option. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com Sony described Text Chat as a way for you to communicate online with PlayStation Network friends. …

    Games 2 Apr 2009, 10:53

  • Palm opens up, and goes back in time

    ECMAScript for the new, Codewarrior for the old

    Palm has launched its developer program for the as-yet-unreleased Pre device as a free download, but developers will have to justify their existence if they want a fast track to WebOS. The Mojo SDK - the development platform for Palm's WebOS - is to be dribbled out to developers who can justify their case, allowing them to …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2009, 10:57

  • EMC extends EmailXtender to SourceOne

    Start of general content archiving services platform

    EMC today announces its SourceOne product for archiving e-mails. This will be the foundation for a general content archiving services platform along the lines that Mimosa and Mimecast are currently developing. The idea is that e-mail usage is growing and growing and .. you get the idea. It's generally delivered and …

    Storage 2 Apr 2009, 11:19

  • The Cloud, Virtualization, and all that

    More Webcasting goodness from El Reg

    This is the first in a series of webcasts featuring interesting (or deadly dull) conversations about industry news and trends. These webcasts are hosted by Dan Olds, the principal analyst for Gabriel Consulting Group, a boutique IT industry analyst firm located in the US. Dan is a reasonably smart guy, has been around the …

    Servers 2 Apr 2009, 11:22

  • TomTom brings high-end features to low-end models

    One and XL models given IQ Routes

    TomTom has designed two satnavs for cheapskates, both featuring technologies previously found only on the firm’s higher spec Go gadgets. The TomTom One IQ Routes and TomTom XL IQ Routes are essentially updates of the existing One and XL models, but both black-bodied models now feature IQ Routes technology for finding the best …

    Science 2 Apr 2009, 11:23

  • What would you pay for 400,000 new green jobs?

    This New Green Deal is gonna cost

    Good news emerged from the recent Low Carbon Summit hosted by bailed-out £10bn loss-making bank, RBS. Peter Mandelson got covered in custard, and the government announced a new industrial strategy. Apparently 400,000 new "environmental sector" jobs will be created by 2017, according to Gordon Brown, who reckoned 1.3 million …

    Science 2 Apr 2009, 11:24

  • UK.gov to get power to force ISPs to block child porn

    IWF refuseniks under pressure

    The European Union wants new laws that would grant national governments the power to force ISPs to block child pornography. The move would enable the Home Office to impose filtering technology on small ISPs who say they cannot afford it, or argue it is ineffective. Article 18 of the proposal for an EU framework decision on " …

    Broadband 2 Apr 2009, 11:44

  • Aussies backtrack on firewall plans

    Conroy racks up another gaffe

    The Aussie communications minister Stephen Conroy seems to be moving away from his planned test of a compulsory internet filter. But Conroy has also made some rather dubious comments about an ongoing court case involving one of the ISPs which publicly ridiculed his planned Great Aussie Firewall. Conroy told SBS's Insight …

    Broadband 2 Apr 2009, 11:59

  • Apple cracks down on rogue app stores

    iPhone T&Cs switcheroo to smother competition

    Apple has launched a pre-emptive strike on stores selling unauthorised iPhone applications, by changing the terms and conditions of the iPhone SDK to make authoring content for such sites against the rules. The terms of Apple's iPhone SDK have been criticised as being too restrictive before, but this time Apple has added a …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2009, 12:05

  • Swedish web traffic tumbles as IPRED arrives

    New anti-piracy law hits net usage

    Internet usage in Sweden took a dramatic 30 per cent dip on Wednesday, as the country’s new anti-file sharing law came into effect. According to Netnod, which measures web traffic access points between five Swedish cities and international networks, internet usage was 30 per cent lower at 4pm on 1 April, compared to on the eve …

    Broadband 2 Apr 2009, 12:08

  • PS3 players prefer gaming to bonking

    'Not tonight, Josephine, I'm trying GTA.'

    A survey has discovered that almost three-quarters of PlayStation 3 owners would happily swap a night of passion with their partner for time to try a newly released game. The silly survey quizzed 1130 British blokes who own a PS3. If you’re wondering why Xbox 360 owners weren’t asked, it’s because the research was commissioned …

    Games 2 Apr 2009, 12:11

  • Nokia E75

    Review The Finns' first full slide-out alpha keyboard

    The E75 is the first Nokia smartphone to feature a slide-out Qwerty keyboard and style-wise it would appear to be a sort of cross between the conventionally sliding E66 and the E90 Communicator – the latest incarnation of Nokia's long-established hinged Qwerty-keyboard business phones. Nokia's E75: a slightly tubby candybar …

    Phones 2 Apr 2009, 12:21

  • The security expert's armoury

    Episode 5 Audio with slides attached

    In part five of our Regcast series assessing the state of the IT Security market, the panel tackle what is required in the Security expert’s armoury. Panel members Jon Collins from Freeform Dynamics and Jon Clay of Trend Micro provide their opinion and advice throughout. Understanding that it is difficult to have all the key …

    State of Security 2 Apr 2009, 12:42

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office plans biometrics bonanza

    £15m earmarked for embassy security systems

    The Foreign and Commonwealth Office plans to buy biometric systems for security use in British embassies. FCO Services, the department's internal system integrator, plans to spend around £15m over three years on a new framework agreement for biometric software, algorithms and hardware, according to a notice published on 31 …

    Government 2 Apr 2009, 12:42

  • Microsoft focuses on 3D camera company

    Make gestures at your XBox

    Microsoft is reported to be buying 3D digital camera company 3DV Systems for $34m, giving it remote gesture recognition technology. Israel-based 3DV Systems is a venture capital-backed startup that has raised about $38m from investors. The company was founded in 1996 by two Israeli defence industry scientists who had worked on …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2009, 12:45

  • Unauthorised Wolverine claws his way onto interwebs

    X-Men movie leaked ahead of 1 May release

    The forthcoming superhero movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine has tipped up on a number of BitTorrent websites ahead of its 1 May release. The film made its unauthorised debut on Tuesday. Its distributor, 20th Century Fox, coughed to the embarrassing leak yesterday, when the studio described the illegal download as an incomplete …

    Media 2 Apr 2009, 13:17

  • Carbon capture would create fizzy underground oceans

    North Sea could turn to Perrier, cautions prof

    New research has possibly given a boost to the idea of carbon capture, indicating that CO2 is sometimes held dissolved in underground water for millions of years. However, it is acknowledged that CO2 contained in subterranean water is prone to bubble out again, and often does so - famously at naturally-sparkling springs, for …

    Science 2 Apr 2009, 13:23

  • EU gets real in fight against counterfeiters

    It's all about drugs and handbags

    The European Commission's Counterfeiting and Piracy Observatory was launched today to find better ways to fight fake goods and illegal downloads. The group will be made up of one delegate from each member country working with private sector representatives. The Observatory will work in four main ways: 1. Obtain better …

    The Channel 2 Apr 2009, 14:14

  • Fulton imbues protection with power

    Makes the case for proximity charging

    Fulton Innovation has signed a deal with Case-Mate, the protective case manufacturer, to embed charging circuits into their products. The deal is light on specifics, but the plan is to embed Fulton's charging circuits into the cases, which will subtly plug into the existing power socket, rather than leaving a gap as they …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2009, 14:33

  • Jabra reveals 'world's first' dual-mic Bluetooth headset

    Noise isolation for call clarity

    Jabra has launched a Bluetooth headset with two embedded microphones to help drown out noisy neighbours. Jabra's Halo: blocks out background noise Called Halo, the wireless headset allows you to take calls and listen to music without others around you affecting the sound quality. This is achieved by using two microphones …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2009, 14:35

  • MSI names UK date, price for 'hybrid' netbook

    HDD and SSD on board

    MSI has finally announced when its netbook incorporating both a solid-state drive and hard disk will arrive in Blighty. MSI's U115: has a 160GB HDD and an 8GB SSD The Wind U115 – first seen back in January – will feature a 160GB HDD and an 8GB SSD. There’s no mention of a 16GB SSD and 120GB HDD alternative set-up mentioned …

    Hardware 2 Apr 2009, 14:40

  • Brits build e-car friendly solar parking bay

    'Leccy Tech Ideal even for the land of rains?

    British manufacturer of laminated photovoltaic solar panels Romag thinks it has the answer to all those people who can't help but bang on about electric cars not really being environmentally friendly because the power they use probably comes from a monstrous CO2 belching, Gia-strangling coal-fired power station. Its answer? A …

    Science 2 Apr 2009, 14:54

  • MEPs urge govs: Set up surveillance register

    Watchers must be seen to be watched

    Governments should create a list of all organisations that track internet use and produce an annual report on internet surveillance, the European Parliament has said. The Parliament also said that users' online activity should not be monitored in the fight against piracy. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted by a …

    Government 2 Apr 2009, 15:32

  • ClaraNet email falls over

    You haven't got mail

    ClaraNet customers have been without email access all day, after the business ISP's POP3 system took a lie down this morning. Engineers are battling to fix the snafu, which struck just after 9 this morning. ClaraNet said it hoped to have a partial fix in place by 6pm this evening. "It will not however be fully functioning …

    Broadband 2 Apr 2009, 15:33

  • Bigger Indigo - shades of AT&T's NCR grab

    Comment Deal due Friday?

    Rumor has it that IBM will acquire Sun Microsystems on Friday morning. I am not by any means suggesting I have the kind of hard information that the Wall Street Journal seems to have been able to get its hands on - probably from people within Sun or IBM who don't want to see the deal go through. I am hearing things fourth hand …

    Servers 2 Apr 2009, 17:45

  • Intel, GE partner on healthcare gadgetry

    The internet will see you now

    Chipmaker Intel and manufacturing giant General Electric are pooling their efforts to computerize home-based healthcare. GE has two divisions - GE Healthcare and GE Healthcare Financing - dedicated to the healthcare sector. Together they account for $18bn (£12.2bn) in sales, according to Jeff Immelt, GE's chairman and chief …

    Business 2 Apr 2009, 18:05

  • UK operation patents DVD lockdown

    Premium content ransomed without use of special kit

    Liquid11, better known for phone-number aggregation service SwitchboardFree, has got a patent on a DVD lockdown technology that enables pay-to-play without mucking about with proprietary hardware or risking internet sharing of security codes. The premise is a DVD with some free content, and some that is only unlocked once a …

    Media 2 Apr 2009, 18:19

  • Amazon puts stuffed elephant in sky

    Distributed data crunching for the masses

    Amazon has floated a new data-crunching cloud based on Hadoop, the stuffed elephant open-source phenomenon that attempts to mimic the distributed computing platform driving Google's online infrastructure. Dubbed Amazon Elastic MapReduce, the new web service is a means of processing vast amounts of data "easily and cost- …

    Servers 2 Apr 2009, 18:45

  • US states may seek Microsoft anti-trust extension

    It's Windows Vista wot dunnit

    Some US states may ask for continued supervision of Microsoft, to ensure the software giant isn't breaching the government's 2001 anti-trust agreement. Microsoft oversight is due to expire on November 12, but states that signed on to the Department of Justice's (DoJ's) deal with Microsoft may now seek an extension that would …

    Operating Systems 2 Apr 2009, 18:48

  • China restricts online video after YouTube police beating

    Big Arnie and Willis welcome

    The Chinese government has issued strict rules on "harmful" internet videos, after blocking access to YouTube over a clip purportedly showing police beating Tibetan independence protesters. China's State Administration of Radio, Film and TV posted revised restrictions banning online videos that "oppose the basic principles of …

    Media 2 Apr 2009, 19:51

  • Apple seeks to patent movement, vibration and pleasure

    Shape-shifting scrolling

    Apple is investigating new user-interface ideas, including motion-based function selection and multi-layered interface elements that change their appearance during use. Two patents published Thursday by the US Patent and Trademark office give a glimpse into some of the interface thinking going on in Cupertino - and possibly …

    Media 2 Apr 2009, 20:14

  • Short bursts of The Reg at work increase your productivity

    Oz study calls for WILB time

    Sneaking a little web surfing into the work day increases our concentration and productivity overall, according to a University of Melbourne study. Report author Brent Coker, from the U's department of management and marketing, said folks who indulge in short browsing breaks are about nine per cent more productive than those …

    Media 2 Apr 2009, 22:03

  • Microsoft's latest open-source release catches a wrinkle

    .NET architecture pattern goes wild

    Microsoft has published its .NET architectural pattern under an OSI-approved open-source license to a mixed reception. The company's ASP.NET Model View Controller (MVC), released at Mix 09 just last month, has been published under the Microsoft Public License (MS-PL). ASP.NET author and vice president of the .NET development …

    Developer 2 Apr 2009, 22:20

  • RIM profits jump in Q4

    Recession, we've heard of it

    In a global recession, let them eat smartphones. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) beat its own earnings forecast today by posting a 84 per cent rise in revenues for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to the same period last year. RIM said it added about 3.9 million BlackBerry subscribers in Q4, raising the …

    Financial News 2 Apr 2009, 22:53

  • AT&T mistakes netbook for phone, sells with service plan

    Answers the call

    AT&T, America's largest land-line phone company and second-largest mobile service provider, is launching a trial program of subsidized netbooks with two-year contracts for wireless and wired internet access, with initial buy-in starting at fifty bucks. The AT&T trial program will be offered only at eight company owned retail …

    Mobile 2 Apr 2009, 23:13

  • Next-gen SQL injection opens server door

    1 in 10 sites naked

    A vulnerability estimated to affect more than 1 in 10 websites could go lethal with the finding that it can be used to reliably take complete control of the site's underlying server. Research to be presented at the Black Hat security conference in Amsterdam later this month will show how so-called SQL injection attacks open …

    Security 2 Apr 2009, 23:54