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8th June 2009 Archive

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  • Google Squared - the Cuilest search app ever

    Fail and You Everybody point and laugh

    Google recently released Google Squared, which is the Mountain View Chocolate Factory’s attempt at structured data search. Riding the tails of the Wolfram Alpha launch, Google hopes to convince people that they actually should care about structured search. Alpha showed us that it’s possible to do something interesting, albeit …

    Developer 8 Jun 04:30

  • Somerset County Council to review 'shambolic' SAP system

    IBM contract in public spotlight (again)

    In opposition, the Conservatives criticised Somerset CC's Southwest One "secretive" outsourcing deal with IBM. Now the party is in control, after beating the Liberal Democrats in last week's county council elections. "Lately they've made some awful mistakes, and it's those mistakes we need to put right," Ken Maddock, …

    Channel Register 8 Jun 07:02

  • AMD Istanbul - Time for something new already?

    A question of qualification

    Did anyone notice that AMD's roadmap puts maybe ten months between the company's 'Istanbul' Opteron and its next-gen server platform? That's an awfully small window when you're looking to qualify a multi-core server chip. AMD has delivered the six-core Istanbul several months early, but the question is whether it will have a …

    Servers 8 Jun 07:11

  • Canon EOS 5D Mark II

    Review Firmware fix frees frustrated filmmakers

    Back in 2005, the EOS 5D digital SLR marked the best way into full frame (24x36mm) shooting for Canon owners. Optically, this model was on a par with 35mm cameras of old. With a sensor this size, finally, here was a way of getting the original focal length of your old 28mm lens back from the scaling beyond 40mm that occurs when …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 08:02

  • Hackers claim T-Mobile scalp

    Updated US division puts brown trousers on standby

    Hackers claim to have stolen all T-Mobile US's corporate data, customer accounts, network infrastructure - the whole lot. According to emails from "pwnmobile": "We have everything, their databases, confidental documents, scripts and programs from their servers, financial documents up to 2009." The mail, sent to The Reg, …

    Enterprise Security 8 Jun 08:37

  • Research: Airliners can be more eco-friendly than trains

    Flying cars bound to be greener than normal ones, surely

    Research carried out by boffins in California appears to have seriously undermined a major piece of received wisdom regarding transport: namely, the belief that railways are more eco-friendly than airliners. The cage-rattling analysis comes from profs at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley. …

    Environment 8 Jun 08:58

  • ETERNUS sunshine for a spotless drive

    Fujitsu updates SMB range

    Fujitsu is applying the ETERNUS brand to the CentricStor and FibreCat storage products from the now-ended Fujitsu/Siemens Computers joint venture, and introducing an Eternus DX array for small and medium enterprises. ETERNUS is now Fujitsu's world-wide brand for storage products. The CentricStor virtual tape library (VTL) …

    Storage 8 Jun 09:19

  • Asus touts wireless-boosting laptop skin

    'Non-conductive vapour metallisation' for your notebook

    Asus has already introduced bamboo-clad PCs, but now it has unveiled two finishes that, it claims, do more than simply beautify laptops. Asus' Satin-brushed Aluminium surface The first of the pair – “satin-brushed aluminium” – is apparently able to improve wireless and Bluetooth performance by eliminating interference from …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 09:31

  • 'Press pose danger' to health record introduction

    Glad to be of service

    Managing the media is a key part of introducing Summary Care Records (SCRs) successfully, according to NHS Connecting for Health. "The programme comes under intense media scrutiny," Siobhan Roberts, a communications lead for CfH, told a session at Assist's annual conference at the NEC in Birmingham on 4 June 2009. During the …

    Government 8 Jun 09:31

  • Pirate Party wins seat in European Parliament

    Drops anchor in Brussels

    The pro-internet file sharing Pirate Party yesterday scored a big win by securing a seat in the European parliament. It pulled in 7.1 per cent of votes in Sweden, which handed the party one of the country’s 18 seats in the European parliament. "Privacy issues and civil liberties are important to people and they demonstrated …

    Music and Media 8 Jun 09:55

  • Met 'studies Chinese bugging tactics' for 2012 games

    'I had MI5 in the back of my cab last week'

    Police are considering bugging London cabs as part of increased security for the 2012 Olympics, it's reported. Senior officers have studied methods used by the Chinese for the Beijing games, according to The Sunday Times, which included installing thousands of covert microphones in taxis. A restricted report on the tactics …

    Policing 8 Jun 09:56

  • Rock up to the TechNet virtual tech conference

    Free, interactive, June 19

    Another call for Microsoft’s TechNet's first virtual conference for the UK tech community. Register now for the first TechNet Virtual conference and be in with a chance to win one of 500 bags stuffed full of TechNet goodies*. The all-day free event opens for business at 9.30am BST on June 19 and brings together Microsoft …

    Software 8 Jun 10:06

  • Air force pounds Philippine MILF lairs

    Scores believed dead, claims army's Ponce

    Regular readers will recall that we last year discovered that Phillipine armed forces were locked in a deadly struggle with rampaging MILFs - the rather unfortunate acronym for the separatist rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Well, according to a truly sensational headline down at The Phillipine Star, the air force has …

    Bootnotes 8 Jun 10:14

  • Twitter fights celeb imposters with Verified Account scheme

    Attempt to kybosh 'Kanye' and stymie 'Spector'

    Twitter has detailed plans to clamp down on celebrity imposters with a "verified account" service. The move follows a lawsuit by St Louis Cardinals boss Tony La Russa over bogus tweets made in his name, as well as the creation of numerous other counterfeit celebrity profiles over recent months. Twitter co-founder Biz Stone …

    ID 8 Jun 10:17

  • Intel tries again with flash cache

    Braidwood picks up Robson's dropped ball

    Intel has a new flash memory I/O acceleration system - codenamed Braidwood - coming for its CPUs, according to reports from Computex in Taiwan. It is a flash memory cache, possibly up to 16GB capacity, that caches I/O from the processor so that data in the I/O is available more quickly when it is next needed. Intel first tried …

    PCs & Chips 8 Jun 10:28

  • US spaceflight review suffers attack of the Twitters

    Unwashed masses invited to web party

    The US's Obama-prompted human spaceflight review has opened its doors to public participation. A dedicated website allows the unwashed masses to keep tabs on the independent committee's ruminations and chip in their two bits' worth. The site invites comments and suggestions which might help chairman Norman Augustine and his " …

    Space 8 Jun 10:50

  • Boffins build 'intimate contact' cathode for e-car 'super' batteries

    Lithium-sulphur tech a step closer to commercialisation?

    Scientists from Canada's University of Waterloo have developed what they claim is a crucial step forward in the creation of lithium-sulphur rechargeable batteries. A team led by Professor Linda Nazar have created a cathode capable of sustaining a reversible electrochemical reaction at high current rates. Lithium-sulphur is …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 11:02

  • A-Data touts 'world's slimmest, lightest' portable HDD

    Aluminium outside

    Storage firm A-Data has launched an external hard drive which the firm claimed is the world’s slimmest and lightest 2.5in portable storage unit... with an aluminium case. A-Data's NH92: 12mm thick The NH92 is a mere 12mm thick and weighs in at 152g – the lightest weight currently available for an aluminium-encased portable …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 11:14

  • New York cops seek tech solution to plod-v-plod shootings

    'Blue-on-blue': Not just a military term

    The New York City police, having recently suffered an incident in which a cop in plain clothes was shot and killed by his fellow officers, are reportedly looking for a tech solution to prevent such occurrences. AP reports that the NYPD are consulting with the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, after off-duty plod Omar …

    Policing 8 Jun 11:18

  • Fasthosts' email fails

    Updated Sticks customers with a very quiet weekend

    Fasthosts' customers have mainly been without email since Friday. But rather than enjoying the peace and quiet, the ungrateful sods apparently want the service back. The hosting firm has yet to respond to our enquiries but several customers have been in touch. They complained that they stopped receiving emails on Friday, …

    Telecoms 8 Jun 11:20

  • ICO: Upgrades must protect privacy

    Look before you leak, organisations told

    The Information Commissioner's Office is urging organisations to consider the impact on privacy before developing new IT or changing methods of handling personal data. The call came as the ICO published the latest version of its privacy impact assessment handbook. The handbook aims to help organisations address the risks to …

    IT Director 8 Jun 11:36

  • Chinese firm unveils long-distance e-car

    Leccy Tech Drive for 250 miles in the Zhong Tai

    A Chinese company has developed a battery-powered electric vehicle capable of travelling 250 miles on a single charge. New Power's Zhong Tai: can travel 250 miles on a single charge The Zhong Tai — which translates roughly as 'Peace and Safety for the People' – is branded by firm New Power, but the vehicle’s actually a …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 11:37

  • Sony said to be planing Android Walkman

    Chatter of Google OS GPS box too

    Sony may dip a toe into the Android world by launching a Walkman media player based on the Google-developed OS, it has emerged. Japanese moles have claimed that Sony will launch such a device early next year, website Impress Watch says. The same rumour has also been repeated by fellow Japanese website Nikkan, but with the …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 11:44

  • Vodafone and CPW set for big thaw

    Just in time for Best Buy rebrand

    The three year Cold War between Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse could break this week, weekend reports claimed. The UK's biggest mobile operator and the UK's biggest mobile retailer fell out back in 2006, when Vodafone struck an exclusive reselling agreement with Phones4U covering contract phone sales. CPW continued to sell …

    Channel Register 8 Jun 12:19

  • School worker's Facebook post prompts suspension

    Exclusive Two month sin binning for calling classes 'bad'

    A member of staff at a school near Cleethorpes has been suspended on full pay for more than two months for briefly commenting on the behaviour of pupils on Facebook. The 35-year-old woman, Mrs M, who worked as a cover supervisor at Humberston Comprehensive School close to the Lincolnshire seaside town, is currently awaiting …

    Public Sector 8 Jun 12:19

  • El Reg reader crafts Gordo Lolcatprat

    Sadness... I has it

    Following the righteous shoeing Brit voters administered the Labour party in the weekend's European polls, we feel it's an appropriate moment to offer reader Tom Tregenna's Gordo "Lolprat": Net vets will, of course, be aware of the inspiration for this: The truly hideous Lolcats phenomenon, which has been tickling ribs and …

    Bootnotes 8 Jun 12:20

  • Best Buy leaked memo spills Windows 7 upgrade details

    Move along from Vista, people. Nothing to see here

    A leaked memo has revealed that Best Buy will begin pre-selling Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system on 26 June in the US. The retailer confirmed late last week the date people can start buying Vista-based computers and subsequently qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7, when it lands in October. Engadget has published a …

    Operating Systems 8 Jun 12:33

  • Hannspree's 'mini notebook' goes on sale

    Another name for the MSI Wind

    The first netbook offering from firm Hannspree is finally available to buy in Blighty. Hannspree's wee netbook - the Hannsnote Called Hannsnote, the £260 ($412/€298) PC weighs in at 1.2kg, has a 10in display, measures less than a piece of A4 paper and yet still boasts a "full size" keyboard. It looks to us a lot like a …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 13:11

  • Anti-Eurofighter Downing Street e-petition started

    Comment Pay taxes and/or support our troops? You should sign

    A petition urging Prime Minister (for the moment) Gordon Brown to cease all further spending on the controversial Eurofighter Typhoon third tranche has appeared on the Downing Street website. The petition could gain substantial support among the army, the navy and those who support them: it's unlikely to find favour with the air …

    Government 8 Jun 13:12

  • Carnalpedia: PR possibly premature

    Is the new sex encyclo really the best place to get your RDA of RTA?

    Looking for cunnilingus? Fellatio? Or how about urolagnia? Despite marketing hype to the contrary, Wikipedia may still be your best bet for researching those - and a host of other slightly more exotic sexual practices as well. Online moralists were tutting this week at the announcement that a new online project, Carnalpedia, …

    Bootnotes 8 Jun 13:14

  • Last.fm phish strikes a bum note

    Crooks tune in to net unwary

    Fraudsters have launched an attack which aims to trick Last.fm users into handing over their login credentials. The assault is the latest example of cybercrooks applying phishing techniques towards Web 2.0 sites, such as Twitter and Last.fm, as well as the traditional targets of online banking and ecommerce sites. Part of the …

    ID 8 Jun 14:04

  • US team create carbon nanotube ultra-memory

    Chips to last a billion years, hold trillion bits/sq in

    US researchers have demonstrated a form of nanotube archival memory that can store a memory bit for a billion years, and has a theoretical trillion bits/square inch density. The researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley …

    PCs & Chips 8 Jun 14:14

  • Germany facing violent-videogame ban

    Ministers may outlaw production and distribution

    Just days after rape games hit the buffers in Japan, it has emerged that several of Germany’s politicians hope to ban the production and distribution of all violent videogames in the country. Sixteen Interior Ministers have reportedly banded together in an effort to demand that Germany’s national parliament introduce the ban …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 14:24

  • AMD to take on Intel's Atom... but not netbooks

    A nose by any other name

    Is AMD developing a netbook processor to rival Intel's Atom, or isn't it? Despite what AMD says about the part's target market, it is. Not that AMD is denying that it's working on a would-be Atom smasher. Company CEO Dirk Meyer was reported today as saying the part will sample sometime next year. AMD will sell it for less than …

    Reg Hardware 8 Jun 14:54

  • China wants parental control of all PCs

    That's a big bundling deal

    The Chinese government is ordering all computer makers to include a version of parental control software with every machine sold within China. From 1 July all PC makers must either pre-load porn-restricting software onto machines or include a CD. The software goes by the slightly-pornographic name of "Green Dam-Youth Escort" …

    Government 8 Jun 15:07

  • Dell heading to court over Tennessee factory?

    Lebanon considers claw-back

    Residents of Lebanon, Tennessee are apparently none too happy with PC and server maker Dell. According to the Austin American-Statesman, legal action may be imminent. The paper quotes city council member William Farmer, who says the city of Lebanon and the surrounding Wilson County are mulling over a lawsuit against Dell, …

    Channel Register 8 Jun 17:20

  • Storage body devises energy benchmark for wee arrays

    But how much is it in football pitches?

    The Storage Performance Council has produced a storage energy benchmark, which will allow users to compare the energy consumption of storage arrays against a recognised standard. It is the SPC-1C/E, where the E stands for energy. This is an extension of the existing SPC-1C benchmark, based in turn on SPC-1. IBM and Seagate …

    Storage 8 Jun 17:23

  • DOS attacks threaten mobile network security

    Falling down

    New types of denial of service attacks threatened the security of mobile data networks, a senior telecoms security researcher warned last week. Krishan Sabnani, vice president of networking research at Bell Labs, said inherent weaknesses in the mobile IP protocol allow the launch of attacks that are relatively straightforward …

    Security 8 Jun 17:27

  • Sun rallies investors despite possible Oracle blocker

    Golden parachutes readied

    The wheels are rolling on Oracle's $5.6bn proposed purchase of Sun Microsystems, despite the prospect of a legal challenge later this month. Sun has named July 16 as the date for the company's stockholders to attend a special meeting at its Santa Clara, California campus to vote on what it's optimistically called a "merger." …

    Business 8 Jun 19:24

  • Webhost hack wipes out data for 100,000 sites

    Vaserv suspects zero-day virtualization vuln

    A large internet service provider said data for as many as 100,000 websites was destroyed by attackers who targeted a zero-day vulnerability in a widely-used virtualization application. Technicians at UK-based Vaserv.com were still scrambling to recover data on Monday evening UK time, more than 24 hours after unknown hackers …

    Small Biz 8 Jun 20:02

  • Juniper: 'We beat Cisco to 100G Ethernet'

    'Or at least we will'

    Juniper has unveiled what it calls the industry's first 100 Gigabit Ethernet router interface card. Last year, Cisco teamed with Comcast to test a 100-Gbit per second interface for its CRS-1 router. But Juniper says that wasn't real 100-Gbit Ethernet, and it wants you to know that it's the first company to actually distribute …

    Data Networking 8 Jun 20:09

  • Chipzilla sinks $43m into Japanese WiMAX

    Destroy all dialup

    Intel is investing nearly $43m to blanket Japan with a commercial WiMAX service. The chip maker's financial arm, Intel Capital, said today its pumping Tokyo-based WiMax provider UQ Communications with 4.15 billion yen (£26m) to bolster the firm's plans to provide WiMAX coverage to 90 per cent of the country by 2012. Intel is …

    Wireless 8 Jun 20:22

  • Apple adds 'S' to iPhone 3G

    WWDC AT&T shafts American fanbois

    Apple unveiled its updated iPhone today, and the only real surprise was its name: the iPhone 3G S. Well, that and a new Voice Control application, plus the fact that the rest of the world will get the new iPhone 3.0's internet tethering and MMS capabilities before US iPhone users. AT&T won't offer MMS until "later this summer …

    Mobile 8 Jun 20:44

  • Rambus drops (some) Nvidia allegations

    Those 9 patent claims? Forget 4

    Rambus is dropping allegations against Nvidia relating to four of nine patents the IP chip firm claims are being infringed by GeForce graphics processors and nForce chipsets. Nvidia says the withdrawal concedes the "weakness" of Rambus' claims, while Rambus says it's simply "streamlining" the process. Rambus asked an …

    PCs & Chips 8 Jun 22:13

  • Apple punts batterylicious MacBook Pros

    WWDC Chops prices, adds SD card slots

    Apple has slashed MacBook prices and introduced new versions of its 13in and 15in portables, both with beefed-up battery technology to boost plug-less playtime from five to seven hours. Revealed Monday at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), the two new aluminum unibody machines use the same lithium polymer …

    PCs & Chips 8 Jun 22:19

  • Fortune 1000 in Cisco California rush

    Sachs survey shines on Cisco

    Are the big companies that Cisco Systems is targeting ready to seriously consider the networking giant as a server provider for their data centers? Apparently so, if you believe the results of a recent survey of Fortune 1000 customers done by investment bank Goldman Sachs. As part of its launch of the C-Series rack-mounted x64 …

    Servers 8 Jun 22:31

  • IT budgets get more cuts in first quarter

    4.7% drop predicted for '09

    Four in ten IT managers saw bigger budget cuts in the first quarter than they planned, according to a new survey by Gartner. The research firm reports that about 42 per cent of CIOs recently surveyed made reductions to their IT budgets in the quarter since it was finalized. The average cut was about 7.2 per cent in the first …

    Channel Register 8 Jun 22:55

  • Microsoft architecture chief: Google Wave 'anti-web'

    Email-IM hybrid 'too complicated'

    Microsoft's chief software architect has branded Google's Wave collaboration effort as "anti-web". Ray Ozzie told the Churchill Club in California last week that Wave violates a principle he currently holds dear - that complexity is the enemy of the web. Ozzie said the open web relies on open data formats and protocols, not …

    Developer 8 Jun 23:39