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30th April 2009 Archive

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  • Time Warner mulls AOL spin off

    Synergistic deal not so synergistic

    Plummeting revenues at AOL helped batter Time Warner's net income in the first quarter. In related news: Hey, anyone want to buy some red hot AOL stock? Anyone? The media conglom told American regulators today it's considering selling off all or parts of its ailing AOL unit - but it did so an extremely ambiguous way that's …

    Financial News 30 Apr 03:51

  • Red Hat pitches software-patents-free Europe

    Hopes to flip court system

    Red Hat is today expected to join others in making the case against the enforcement of patents in software across the European Union. The company is expected to submit an 11-page report to regulators, which makes the case that patents in software damages innovation in software. If the principles in Red Hat's report are …

    Applications 30 Apr 03:57

  • IBM unloads Nehalem towers, clusters

    System x family gets rounder

    It's Dynamic Infrastructure blitz week at Big Blue. In a kicking out new entry and midrange rack servers and funky new blade server based on its Power6+ chips and a bunch of storage enhancements and Fibre Channel over Ethernet and other networking products rebadged from Brocade, IBM previewed two upcoming x64 tower servers and …

    Servers 30 Apr 04:24

  • QLogic rumored as EMC takeover target

    Server-storage networking smackdown

    With only two companies in the world who make host adapters for networking servers to external storage - and one of them trying to shake off a hostile takeover - it is no surprise that the other one is rumored to be the target for a takeover too. Barron's, the offshoot of the Wall Street Journal that used to be a weekly paper …

    Storage 30 Apr 04:32

  • Intel scales EPA 'green' list

    Wither HP? IBM? Sun?

    For the past several years, IT vendors have been heavy on the lectures about how companies need to get with it and go green. But do they take their own advice? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, working with an organization called the Green Power Partnership, puts out a quarterly report that tracks companies; local, …

    Science 30 Apr 04:40

  • Windows 7 — It’s like Vista, only less annoying

    Review The mop-up starts now

    Today, Microsoft will start official downloads of the Windows 7 Release Candidate. It's the last-planned release of Windows 7 before Microsoft sends the polished code to OEMs and starts boxing up the bits as product. It's been nearly four months since Microsoft released its only Windows 7 beta, and it's likely that further …

    Operating Systems 30 Apr 04:59

  • NAO wants sustainable ICT procurement targets

    Government departments falling short

    Central government's spending watchdog has called on the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to work with departments on new goals for the sustainable procurement of ICT. In a report on the environmental impact of government procurement, the National Audit Office says …

    Government 30 Apr 07:02

  • Acer ponders Android smartphone

    Android netbook too?

    Acer has followed in the footsteps of arch rival Asus with talk of possible plans to launch an Android-based smartphone. CEO Gianfranco Lanci said at the company's Q1 investor’s conference this week that Acer is “working on an Android solution for the smartphone”, according to a report by PC World. Lanci added that the as-yet …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 07:05

  • Fujitsu LifeBook P8020

    Review Light and powerful - Fujitsu means business

    Hot on the heels of Sony's Vaio TT and the Toshiba Portégé R600, Fujitsu's LifeBook P8020 is a similarly small and light affair looking to tempt business types away from the likes of Lenovo and Dell. Netbook fans will yet again baulk at high price tag, but there's clearly still a market for premium ultra-portable laptops …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 08:02

  • Euro space 'scopes go for 14 May launch

    Herschel and Planck set to probe universe

    The European Space Agency's Herschel and Planck space telescopes are set to blast off on 14 May atop an Ariane 5 ECA launcher from French Guiana, the agency reports. The 'scopes are destined for "L2", the second Lagrangian point of the Sun-Earth system lying around 1.5m km from Earth. ESA explains that this is one of five …

    Space 30 Apr 08:07

  • ICO acts on student privacy breach

    Slapped wrist for Manchester Uni

    Manchester University has been censured by the Information Commissioner's Office for publishing personal information about students. The ICO said it had taken enforcement action against the university for a breach of the Data Protection Act after a member of staff emailed an attachment to 469 students which contained the …

    IT Director 30 Apr 08:36

  • Will CA's stringent roadmap come back to haunt it?

    Nuts in May

    Management software firm CA is superstitious and refuses to release a product with the number 13 attached to it. The result? The next version of the vendor’s ARCserve Backup product will skip straight from 12.5 to 14 to avoid, it hopes, any bad luck along the way. CA has laid out an ambitious roadmap for its backup products. …

    Applications 30 Apr 08:37

  • Firefox finds more pesky bugs

    Patches week-old release

    Mozilla Corporation has released a new version of Firefox in order to remove a bug found just a week after an updated version of the browser was released. Firefox 3.09 was released last Wednesday. It fixed nine security holes, one of which was considered "critical". It was also meant to be more stable than previous versions. …

    Enterprise Security 30 Apr 08:38

  • Peugeot preps 4WD diesel hybrid

    'Leccy Tech Electric for extra grunt, fuel conservation

    Peugeot's interesting HYbrid4 diesel hybrid 4WD system - previously known as HYmotion4 - has made the leap from the drawing board and concept car to prototype production in preparation for it hitting the streets in the summer of 2011. HYbrid4 will first see the light of day in Peugeot's new 3008 Crossover, the petrol- and …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 09:27

  • Virgin wi-fi rolls up two years late

    Wrong kind of WiMAX

    Virgin has finally switched on wi-fi access on its trains, a mere two years after it was supposed to arrive. The service is now available on all "Pendolino" trains operating on the West Coast Main Line, which the company tells us is around 70 per cent of the fleet. Wi-fi access comes in the form of T-Mobile hotspots, so is …

    Data Networking 30 Apr 09:31

  • Koreans cook up glow-in-the-dark beagles

    And the Lord said unto Crufts: Let there be light

    South Korean scientists say they've cooked up a quartet of glow-in-the-dark beagles, boasting red nails and abdomens even under normal light and which emit a spooky red glow when subject to ultraviolet. The four transgenic mutts - all dubbed "Ruppy" (Ruby + Puppy) - were produced by a team from Seoul National University led …

    Biology 30 Apr 09:35

  • Study finds IT heads not interested in power saving

    Power saving is in sleep mode...

    A Forrester Research Survey has shown that, despite green pretensions, the vast majority of PCs have no power management regime because the IT chief says it's not his problem. With most business IT energy costs not the CIO's (chief information officer) responsibility, IT people are not bothered about leaving unused PCs powered …

    IT Director 30 Apr 09:52

  • DSGi plans £310m rights issue

    Requires funds to continue "transformation"

    DSGi is looking to raise £310m through a rights issue to underwrite its continuing overhaul and offset a drying up of credit insurance. The placing was revealed as the firm, which owns PC World, confirmed a slide in revenues and forecast a loss for the year ending May 2 once charges for businesses it is closing are included. …

    Channel Register 30 Apr 10:16

  • Northamber reports loss, reviews vendors

    Figures still regarded as 'commendable'

    Veteran tech distie Northamber is reviewing its vendor lineup and increasing its focus on its more "supportive suppliers" as it tries to hold up margins through the continuing recession. In an interim management statement today, the firm said its warning in February "that it would be inappropriate to be optimistic for the near …

    Channel Register 30 Apr 10:36

  • Sony unveils world's first 'self-cleaning' telly

    Free duster with every purchase?

    Sony has launched a self-cleaning TV, of sorts, that, it claimed, produces the smoothest and clearest motion reproduction of any Bravia to date. Sony's Bravia Z5500: self-cleaning, kind of OK, so the Z5500 won’t actually dust itself down and polish its screen each day, but it does feature what Sony calls Image Blue …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 10:47

  • Mole talks up Palm Pré... 2

    An update to the not-even-out-yet smartphone

    Everyone knows salt’s bad for you in large amounts, but you’ll need a fair sized dose if you’re to swallow the latest Palm Pré rumour. But it’s Register Hardware’s duty to report that a second Pré smartphone’s supposedly in the works. Yes, we know what you’re thinking: 'But the first one’s not even out yet.' But according to …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 10:53

  • LoTR fan film set for net premiere

    The Hunt for Gollum - three grand and a cast of thousands

    Fans of the Lord of the Rings who have not yet had their fill of cinematic Middle-earth should make a date for Sunday 3 May at 4pm (UK time), when the internet and the Sci-Fi-London festival will simultaneously host the premiere of The Hunt for Gollum - a "film for fans by fans" knocked together for just 3,000 quid: Hunt …

    Entertainment 30 Apr 10:55

  • Wii induction charging stand unveiled

    Contactless power

    An induction-based charging dock for Wii Remotes has been designed so you’ll no longer have to strip your controller bare each time you need to replenish its juice. The Energizer Induction Charging System The Energizer Induction Charging System allows you to simultaneously recharge two Wii Remotes without having to remove …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 11:14

  • Apple setting up chip division for next-gen iPhones?

    Poaching execs from AMD

    Apple appears to be amassing a team of engineers, with the intention of making its own chips for the next generation of iPhones. The suggestion comes from the Wall Street Journal, which has put together the news from recent hires by the company and searches of LinkedIn, and reckons that the lads in Cupertino are as motivated …

    Mobile 30 Apr 11:51

  • NASA gets cold feet on Moon base plan

    Lunar outpost apparently off the agenda

    NASA is dithering about whether its future plans should include a Moon base or focus on missions further out into the solar system, New Scientist reports. Speaking yesterday, the agency's acting administrator, Chris Scolese, suggested "a shift in the agency's direction", from his predecessor Mike Griffin's commitment to a …

    Space 30 Apr 11:54

  • Toshiba Regza DV556DB

    Review The perfect second set?

    The market for TVs with integrated DVD players has never quite reached its potential. Dogged by some indifferent products, a very large installed base of standalone DVD players already out there and manufacturers’ desire to sell us two products instead of one, TV/DVD combos have struggled to make a real impact. Toshiba's …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 12:02

  • Meet Phorm's PR genius

    As used by Aitken, Goldsmith, Pinochet

    Your reporter's reaction to Phorm's publishing of a delusional attack blog this week was one of confusion: what troubled mind could have fathered such a downright weird attempt at rebuttal? We're indebted this morning, then, to The Guardian's Charles Arthur, who today reveals Stopphoulplay.com was the idea of a new "adviser" …

    Bootnotes 30 Apr 12:02

  • Ditch satnavs, urges ambulance chief

    Local knowledge better

    Ambulance drivers in North East England have been told to reduce their reliance on satnavs when speeding towards emergencies after too many of them arrived on scene late. Paul Liversidge, Director of Ambulance Operations in the North East, warned that GPS gadgets should only be used as a guide. In a memo to staff, he said he …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 12:55

  • Department of Homeland Security to destroy swine flu victims

    Harsh measures to combat pig plague

    It's evident that the US of A's Department of Homeland Security is taking the H1N1 threat very seriously indeed, and we reckon that Secretary Janet Napolitano may have been taking some advice from Condoleeeeza "Waterboarding" Rice as to how to apply a "Guantánamo Bay" solution to the menace posed by swine flu. Here's an …

    Bootnotes 30 Apr 13:37

  • Security luminaries chew the fat on e-voting

    Delorean 'time-machine' lands in Earls Court

    Our Infosec show diary on Wednesday brought you news of ripped posters, fire and underpants. So it's time we raised the level of discussion for our latest roundup from the annual IT security shindig, which is located in Earls Court for the first time this year. Security rockstars take a bow (Whitfield Diffie far left and …

    InfoSec 30 Apr 13:51

  • Free mobile broadband from Vodafone

    For one day only

    Anyone who isn't paying for mobile broadband can have a free shot tomorrow, as Vodafone is giving away access to publicise the launch of the network's new 50 pence tariff. Until tomorrow, punters wanting to dip into the internet on a Vodafone connection would be skinned a quid for the privilege. Now they'll be able to do the …

    Mobile 30 Apr 14:09

  • UK 'digital tech hubs' to design future gadgets

    Interactive kitches, digital jewellery, pedestrian satnavs and more

    Microsoft, Philips and IBM have partnered with UK universities to create a trio of digital technology hubs, where cutting-edge gadgets for the elderly, disabled and rural dwellers can be developed and tested. Based at Newcastle, Nottingham and Aberdeen universities, the hubs “will develop new technologies utilising wireless …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 14:12

  • Army officer tossed laptops into the sea

    Denies destroying evidence in Iraq mistreatment case

    The High Court has heard how an army officer destroyed laptops containing pictures of Iraqis killed in a controversial battle near Basra. The hearing yesterday was part of a bid by six Iraqis to force the government to order a judicial review into the "Battle of Danny Boy", The Guardian reports. The six claim they were …

    Law 30 Apr 14:32

  • Palm's Pré: the $170 phone

    Yet could cost only $200 to buy

    The Pré smartphone could cost just $30 (£20/€23) more to buy that it actually costs Palm to make, according to a report by market analyst iSuppli. iSuppli forecasts that the phone will sell for roughly $200 (£135/€150) when it eventually comes to market. That’s despite a cost analysis calculating that that each unit will cost …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 14:54

  • How can I secure a USB Flash drive?

    I'd like to get a USB Flash drive that I can use to keep some personal information on securely - password-protected and encrypted, in other words. Do I have to buy a special drive to do this, or is there a way I can get the same results with software and a generic 16GB drive I have handy?

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 15:43

  • Getting started with TrueCrypt

    Turn your generic Flash drive into a secure data store

    TrueCrypt is a free, open source application that allows you to create encrypted file stores and open them under Windows, Linux and Mac OS X. It's UI can appear daunting to the newcomer, but the app's actually very straightforward to use. First, you need to download TrueCrypt for your preferred platform(s). We're using a Mac …

    Reg Hardware 30 Apr 15:44

  • Security researchers fret over Adobe PDF flaw

    Double danger

    Adobe has warned that its Reader and Acrobat PDF software is vulnerable to an unpatched vulnerability. A pair of flaws in the JavaScript functions of the PDF reading application are behind the problem, prompting Adobe to advise surfers to disable JavaScript as a workaround, pending the availability of a patch. Even after a …

    InfoSec 30 Apr 15:46

  • Kindle users get burnt

    More formats, but at a price

    Amazon has introduced a per-megabyte pricing mechanism for delivering files to the Kindle e-book reader, replacing the ten-cent flat rate for whispered content. Users wanting to put their own documents onto a Kindle reader, over the wireless network, will have to stump up fifteen cents a megabyte for delivery from Monday, …

    Entertainment 30 Apr 15:57

  • Torture case against Boeing subsidiary resuscitated

    Court rejects Bush, Obama state secrets gambit

    In a ruling sure to fan the flames of controversy over Bush-era torture policies, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals this week strongly repudiated the Bush and Obama administrations’ arguments of a broad reading of the so-called "state secrets" doctrine, which the Bush administration in particular had used to smother potentially …

    Government 30 Apr 16:19

  • Virtualization can't save Q1 profits for Citrix

    'Smaller IT budgets are the new reality'

    Virtualisation may be a hot technology, but making money on any kind of IT right now is a challenge, as the latest financial results from Citrix Systems show. In the first quarter ended in March, Citrix did a better job of pushing up its top line than many of its peers in the IT racket, with sales declining by 2.1 per cent to …

    Virtualization 30 Apr 17:52

  • Apple moves to patent mobile color

    NASCAR carbon cue

    Apple has filed a patent application describing a technique for creating fashionably colored carbon fiber device enclosures. Carbon fiber composites have been around for decades, prized for their light weight and great strength. As such, carbon fiber would be an ideal material for mobile devices such as laptops, smartphones, …

    Odds and Sods 30 Apr 17:55

  • Google Chocolate Factory patents Data Center Navy

    Water cooling, wave power, zero property tax

    The Mountain View Chocolate Factory has received a patent on its plans for a navy of podified data centers. On Tuesday, the US Patent Office gave Google exclusive rights to what the search giant cum world power calls a "water-based data center." This collection of Googlicious data center pods would sit on some sort of sea …

    Servers 30 Apr 18:07

  • Motorola still on the schnide

    Handset sales drop 45%

    Motorola is still losing money like gangbusters. In the first quarter of 2009, handset sales dropped nearly 50 per cent compared to last year. The company said it sold 14.7 million mobiles in the three month period ending March 31, spiraling down from 27.4 million year-over-year. Moto's total net loss in Q1 was $231m, a …

    Mobile 30 Apr 18:30

  • Adobe PSD pushes programmer too far

    Format rage, well-documented

    You work long hours, for an ungrateful organization wasting time programming around other peoples' mistakes and botched code. And that's in a commercial operation - never mind the unpaid effort that goes into community open-source projects. Venting in code comments, leaving hidden messages, and inserting the odd codified F**k- …

    Developer 30 Apr 18:42

  • ARIN heads off IP address land grab

    IPv4 depletion: T minus 2 years

    Older types of internet protocol addresses are about to get harder to come by - at least in North America. Starting in mid May, the non-profit group that allocates IP numbers in the US, Canada, and surrounding areas will require customers to submit an "attestation of accuracy" when applying for older, version 4 forms of …

    Networks 30 Apr 19:11

  • Twitter breach gives behind-the-scenes Obama peek

    Wanted: Security engineer

    Twitter still hasn't come clean, but it appears yet another administrative account on the micro-blogging site has been breached, giving world+dog an inside peek at the accounts of Barack Obama, Ashton Kutcher, and other celebrities. Screenshots posted on French blog Korben show more than a dozen images purporting to be taken …

    Security 30 Apr 20:02

  • Fujitsu offloads chipmaking to Taiwan

    Updated Apes Intel, AMD with TSMC tie-up

    Fujitsu has joined the parade of chip-design firms that are passing off all or part of their manufacturing to the giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The Japanese megaconglomerate is struggling to put its financial house in order. Earlier this month, for example, it cut contractors' pay by 15 percent. And …

    PCs & Chips 30 Apr 20:52

  • Cloud database guinea pigs sought by Microsoft

    Must be willing to share

    A Microsoft incubator project for online synchronization of databases is preparing to welcome early adopters. Organizers of Project Huron, part of Microsoft's stable of emerging cloud-based services, have asked Microsoft customers to help test the synchronization and solidify a first release. The curious should send an email …

    Developer 30 Apr 21:21

  • Solaris 11 due mid-2010

    But Solaris 10 5/09 is here today

    The number and gee-whizness of features Sun Microsystems is putting into updates to both the Solaris 10 commercial operating system and the related OpenSolaris development release of Solaris are slowing. That's the best indication that Nevada - the code name for Solaris Next or Solaris 11 or whatever you want to call it - is …

    Operating Systems 30 Apr 21:55

  • Acer nails Windows 7 for October release

    Microsoft extends RC play

    Another piece has fallen into place for an autumn 2009 release of Windows 7. Acer, the world's joint second largest manufacturer of PCs, has reportedly given October 23 as the date when Microsoft's successor to Windows Vista will become available. Bobby Watkins, Acer's UK managing director, gave the date saying there will be …

    Operating Systems 30 Apr 23:38

  • NetBSD, Mandriva get shiny new releases

    OS double feature

    The NetBSD Project has released NetBSD 5.0 into the wild today, marking the operating system's first major release since 2007. Among 5.0's features is a rewritten threading subsystem optimized for multi-core and multiprocessor systems. Multi-threaded apps can now efficiently make use of one or more CPU or core, the team said. …

    Operating Systems 30 Apr 23:41