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4th August 2009 Archive

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  • Clearwire spreads more WiMAX on US

    Today, Texas. Tomorrow, the world

    WiMAX fans just received two bits of good news: Clearwire will launch its WiMAX-based Clear 4G service in 10 new US markets next month, and a worldwide study suggests "strong potential" for both mobile and fixed WiMAX implementations in regions as disparate as the US and Africa. The Intel-championed wireless broadband …

    Wireless 4 Aug 00:06

  • EnterpriseDB offers 'way out' from Oracle price hikes

    Gentle application of pressure

    EnterpriseDB has announced a migration assessment program for database customers who want a "way out" from Oracle price hikes. The program features what the open-source database company called a "detailed benefit analysis" and a methodology for migrating to its Postgres Advanced Server. EnterpriseDB announced its assessment …

    Applications 4 Aug 00:07

  • HPC CIOs drifting into clouds

    Not just for webish apps

    Platform Computing - a pioneer in grid-style supercomputing - is trying to figure out how to make a living in this cloud-computing racket, so it's asking potential customers what they're up to, cloud-wise. The company is keen to keep itself relevant as computer architectures continue to evolve not just inside the high …

    HPC 4 Aug 00:21

  • Mozilla squashes critical bugs in Firefox

    SSL spoofing vuln slain

    Mozilla on Monday issued an update for Firefox that fixes four critical security bugs in the popular open-source browser, including one exposed last week that could make it easy for attackers to spoof SSL certificates used to secure websites. The vulnerability meant Firefox could be tricked by rogue certificates, a potentially …

    Security 4 Aug 05:37

  • PS3 global sales top 23m units

    Xbox 360 still ahead

    The PlayStation 3’s latest global sales figure are in, and it seems that Sony still has a long way to go before its console overtakes Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Since launching in late 2006, 23.8m PS3 consoles have been sold across the world – the Japanese electronics giant has annouced. But the figure pales in comparison to the …

    Reg Hardware 4 Aug 08:02

  • Ofcom to start new number mobility consultation

    Another attempt to herd network cats on porting

    Following years of legal filibustering from the incumbent networks, the UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has published new consultations on both the technical management and customer experience involved in moving a mobile-phone number. Right now it's supposed to take two days to port a number between mobile network …

    Mobile 4 Aug 08:52

  • Judge: Informal emails, phone calls did not establish a contract

    Create a proper document: Signature in blood optional

    A series of emails and phone calls were not sufficient to establish a contract, the Court of Appeal has ruled. The communications did not contain enough information or the formal qualities necessary for a contract to have been made, it said. Language school the European Language Center (ELC) used to use vacant summer …

    Small Biz 4 Aug 08:56

  • RM's high school musical hits all the right notes

    Gets revved up about Computrac

    RM expects to see sales grow in the full year, thanks in part to the recent purchase of US-based Computrac. The educational software and services supplier said in an interim management statement today that trading in RM's first three quarters meant the company remained on track to meet expectations for its financial year, …

    Channel Register 4 Aug 09:06

  • PayPal goes offline again

    Hope no-one missed an eBay auction

    PayPal suffered another embarrassing outage last night, and was unavailable for about four hours from 6.30pm UK time - one of the busiest times on eBay. The preferred payment service for the tat bazaar was last unavailable for several hours in late June, which really isn't great for a payment service: particularly one which …

    Small Biz 4 Aug 09:07

  • Nikon unveils world's first projection camera

    40in stills on your bedroom wall

    The days when you only viewed holiday snaps on your camera’s tiny built-in display are dead. Why? Because Nikon’s launched the world’s first compact camera featuring an integrated projector. Nikon's S1000pj can project images measuring between 5in and 40in The S1000pj will project images onto any available flat surface and …

    Reg Hardware 4 Aug 09:23

  • Pirate Bay mouthpiece puts a zip on it

    BrokeP says it's 'time for biological dispersal'

    The Pirate Bay's spokesman Peter Sunde, aka BrokeP, has quit his role as the BitTorrent tracker's mouthpiece because it's taking up too much of his time. BrokeP confirmed his decision to back away from his media tard role at TPB in a blog post yesterday. "The past years I’ve been very active in the discussion of the current …

    Music and Media 4 Aug 09:31

  • Will cloud put traditional hosters out of business?

    Elasticity isn't everything

    It sometimes seems as if the whole world has gone cloud crazy - well at least most of the vendors, pundits and many in the media. If we listen to the evangelists, the days of the enterprise data centre are numbered and players like Google, Amazon and Microsoft will inherit the earth. Even David Cameron, the illustrious leader of …

    Virtualization 4 Aug 10:02

  • UK teens bullied into sending sex texts

    P2P playground predators exposed in new survey

    UK teenagers are increasingly sending provocative pictures of themselves to each other in mobile phone and email messages, with some youngsters getting bullied or coerced into making explicit images of themselves. A survey of 2,000 UK youngsters by charity Beatbullying found that more than a third (38 per cent) of 11-18 year- …

    Mobile 4 Aug 10:16

  • INQ launches 3G Twitter phones

    Mobile social networking for the people

    INQ is taking Twitter to the masses with two “social mobile” handsets. INQ's Chat 3G: for BlackBerry types? The INQ Chat 3G and Mini 3G both support a 3G connection, as their names suggest. But while the flagship Chat is targeted to BlackBerry types on a budget, the Mini is an entry-level phone for the sensitive” pre-pay …

    Reg Hardware 4 Aug 10:19

  • Vetting database shows suspicion and spying are the new trust

    Manifesto Club dissect guidelines

    "The Government’s desire to regulate all 'relations of trust' between adults and children has created a suspicious and irrational policy, with absurd distinctions between who will and who will not be checked." That is the conclusion of a just published report - "Regulating Trust: who will be on the vetting database?"- written …

    Government 4 Aug 10:28

  • Aussie net filtering goes into reverse

    Delivers filthy insight into air-speed of a swallow

    Red faces all round in the New South Wales Education Department, as news surfaced last week that a filter supposed to block porn was actually letting it through, and blocking perfectly good educational material instead. This unfortunate state of affairs came to light when a female school student from Greenfell, NSW, went …

    Government 4 Aug 10:43

  • Toshiba Satellite A350-12J

    Review Shiny, but samey

    If you like your laptops nice and shiny, Toshiba's new Satellite A350-12J will go down a treat. Not only do you get a glossy black chassis with a lid that's surprisingly smudge-resistant, but the keyboard is also coated in the stuff. It's not something that will appeal to all tastes, and we found it felt very odd to type on. …

    Reg Hardware 4 Aug 11:02

  • Dell and Intel prep tablet-cum-e-reader

    Information wants to be charged for

    Dell and Intel are collaborating on a touchscreen tablet-cum-e-reader that’s inked for release early next year. So says a “well-connected industry executive” who has blathered to Wired. The magazine's exec is not well connected enough to know much about the spec, but reveals the device is a subscription-based e-reader that …

    Reg Hardware 4 Aug 11:02

  • FCC barks at Apple for silencing Google Voice

    Was it personal or just business?

    Apple's rejection of the native iPhone client for Google Voice has attracted attention from the FCC, which has written to each of the players involved asking them to explain themselves. Google Voice is a telephony service that offers (invited users) discounted international calls and free text messaging, integrated through a …

    Mobile 4 Aug 11:07

  • US Stealth bombers may get nuke-bunker nobbler for 2010

    14-tonne supersonic steel pencil could have your eye out

    Reports from Washington suggest that the US military is seeking to speed up efforts to deploy a new 14 tonne bunker-piercing conventional weapon aboard its fleet of B-2 stealth bombers. The Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) could be used to strike at heavily protected Iranian or North Korean nuclear facilities. Reuters reports …

    Science 4 Aug 11:14

  • Watchguard bags BorderWare to push content security

    Small security firms have bigger phish to fry

    Net security firm WatchGuard has acquired privately-held email and web security firm BorderWare Technologies, of Toronto, Canada. Terms of the deal, announced Tuesday, were undisclosed. Watchguard said the deal will allow it to add BorderWare's messaging, content security and cloud-based security services to its portfolio. …

    Enterprise Security 4 Aug 11:25

  • Toshiba unveils new external 3.5-inch drive

    But stays tight-lipped on whose disk it uses

    Toshiba has introduced its first external 3.5-inch format disk product, and it probably uses a third-party drive. It holds up to 1TB of data and comes with USB 2.0 and eSATA connectivity. Bundled software backs up and restores files, and also the entire attached PC system. The drive comes with a USB cable and an AC adaptor and …

    Storage 4 Aug 11:34

  • Apple, Google not out of regulatory woods yet

    FTC scrutiny continues despite Schmidt's Apple resignation

    The US Federal Trade Commission is continuing to probe whether overlapping board seats between Google and Apple might somehow stifle market competition, despite the fact that Eric Schmidt has now resigned. Google's boss was cut loose from Apple's board of directors yesterday, after the Jobsian outfit pointed out the blindingly …

    Financial News 4 Aug 11:36

  • Is Apple plotting a search of its own?

    Comment Turning Spotlight onto the possibilities

    Could Apple offer its own branded search, to compete with Google, Bing/Yahoo! and every other search engine available through a browser? There have been a couple of recent mentions of the idea on the web, SearchEngineWatch.com and Silicon Valley Watcher, Tom Foremski's blog. Techcrunch reported lots of rumours about an Apple …

    Applications 4 Aug 12:21

  • Chinese youth beaten to death at net addiction bootcamp

    Kill not cure

    China's anti-internet addiction industry has claimed another victim, after supervisors at a rehabilitation camp allegedly beat a 16 year old inmate to death. Deng Senshan had been sent to Guangxi Qihuang Survival Training Camp to "cure" him of his internet addiction, the AFP reports. His parents were paying $1000 for the …

    Telecoms 4 Aug 12:22

  • Flying 'Motorbike'/Reliant Robin 'to take off next year'

    Hogs may fly

    A radical "motorcycle" able to pop out a pair of wings and take to the skies will make its first flight next year, according to reports. More Trotters Independent Traders than Judge Dredd movie Lawmaster, really. The "Switchblade sky bike" from US firm Samson Motorworks was on show in mockup form at the Oshkosh AirVenture …

    Science 4 Aug 12:42

  • Tyre firm sketches rubber SUV concept

    Leccy Tech With self-inflating wheels

    Rumours about the possible death of the big 'ol SUV may have been exaggerated, that’s if the recycled leccy car concept from Korean tyre maker Kumho is anything to go by. Kumho's Fortis concept would have recycled rubber for doors The firm’s Fortis car would employ four 75kW (100bhp) electric motors - one for each wheel - …

    Reg Hardware 4 Aug 13:18

  • Small biz reseller swallowed by Systemax

    So long then, WStore

    Systemax - the company behind CompUSA and the owner of Circuit City's ecommerce business - is buying WStore Europe. WStore specialises in supplying small and medium businesses and the public sector, and operates in France as Inmac, WStore SAS and I-Com Software. Systemax trades using the Misco brand in Europe. Richard Leeds …

    Small Biz 4 Aug 13:38

  • Europe launches probe at Sun Oracle deal

    Watchdog concerned about Java licensing

    The proposed takeover of Sun by Oracle will be investigated by European competition regulators. The European Commission Competition will look at the deal, which is already facing scrutiny from the Department of Justice in the US. The DoJ is believed to be concerned about Java licensing. Given the combined companies' share of …

    Financial News 4 Aug 13:45

  • Scareware package mimics Windows Blue Screen of Death

    A fatal credulity has occurred

    Miscreants have developed a scareware package that mimics Windows' infamous Blue Screen of Death. Prospective marks are presented with a seemingly crashed system, along with a text warning that they need to buy "security software" to clean up their systems. But the SystemSecurity rogue package on offer has no utility other …

    Enterprise Security 4 Aug 14:04

  • Cisco website down

    Cisco? Grip up lads...

    The main Cisco website is down while it is "being updated." Attempts to access www.cisco.com around 3pm were met with this error message: "An error occurred while processing your request. Reference #97.320dd58.1249393806.999942" This is a strange tack to take for the world's largest networking products company: to shut its …

    Data Networking 4 Aug 14:13

  • Launch your own satellite for only eight grand

    Prospective world domination candidates apply here

    Interorbital Systems is offering your own orbiting satellite for only $8,000, including launch, though evil geniuses might balk at the expected 2-week lifespan before a fiery re-entry. The plan is to launch 32 of the diminutive TubeSats into low earth orbit, around 310Km up, using a single Neptune 30 launcher (under …

    Telecoms 4 Aug 14:59

  • Windows XP Mode digs deeper into Windows 7

    Legacy hold out

    Microsoft has released polished code for desktop virtualization software to run legacy Windows XP applications on machines loaded with Windows 7. The company plans to make Windows XP Mode available as a release candidate for testing, with finished product due at the time of the Windows 7 launch on October 22. Changes to …

    Operating Systems 4 Aug 15:02

  • Buddy, can you spare a PC processing cycle?

    Intel Facebook app for grid unlocking

    Intel has launched a scheme to turn your PC’s unused processing power into, possibly, a medical breakthrough or the answer to climate change. Progress Thru Processors is a Facebook app that allows users to donate their PC’s unused processor power to distributed computing projects, including one battling for cures to Alzheimer’ …

    Reg Hardware 4 Aug 15:02

  • Cray swings to a profit in second quarter

    Raises guidance for 2009

    Here's something that you don't hear much these days: an IT company doing better in its second quarter, raising guidance for 2009 and looking ahead enthusiastically to 2010. But that is the story over at supercomputer maker Cray. The company announced its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, and sales were up 34.3 …

    Hardware 4 Aug 16:28

  • Seagate closing Singapore plant

    2000 jobs to go

    Seagate is closing a hard disk drive facility in Singapore, making up to 2,000 redundancies as it strives to reduce costs. The one-million-square-foot site at Ang Mo Kio became operational in 1997. Seagate says it makes all of the company's mission-critical hard drives - understood to mean enterprise drives. There are about 4, …

    Storage 4 Aug 16:48

  • Marines mobilize to block Web 2.0

    Official Tweets banned

    US marines have been blocked from accessing Web 2.0 sites on the Corps' own network, pending a review of security. The Corps is reported to have forbidden access to sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace while it draws up a waiver system for permitting access during the course of work. The ban is expected to last a year …

    Music and Media 4 Aug 18:08

  • SpinVox: Enter the Dragon!

    Money to burn, Christina?

    To Marlow, where SpinVox today hosted a demonstration for journalists of its technology to convert voice messages to text: two groups of four journalists, to be precise. For a full report on the demo, see this report. Not long after the presentation had got underway, the door opened and in came the chief executive and co- …

    Mobile 4 Aug 18:54

  • Obama's top cybersecurity director resigns

    'Dismayed' and delayed

    The top White House aide for cybersecurity said she will resign following months of delays by the Obama administration in appointing a permanent director to oversee the safety of the nation's vital computer networks. Melissa E. Hathaway, told The Washington Post her last day would be August 21. Up to now, she had been …

    Public Sector 4 Aug 19:00

  • Cray lands $70m super deals

    Beats IBM in next-gen petaflop push

    Cray has won two big supercomputer deals with a combined value of $70m just as it reported decent sales and a profit in its second quarter and raised its guidance for 2009. The first deal is with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, upgrading its Jaguar XT5 massively parallel Opteron-Linux super to the latest six-core Istanbul …

    HPC 4 Aug 19:41

  • Floating IT lab woos Windows 7 app testers

    Skytapping

    Skytap is calling all Windows 7 app testers onto its floating IT lab. Backed in part by Bezos Expeditions - the personal investment arm of Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos - Skytap offers a virtual IT test lab that runs in, yes, that nebulous place people call the cloud. And with Microsoft set to release Windows 7 RTM code later this …

    Virtualization 4 Aug 20:03

  • AMD demos live Magny-Cours migration

    More French lessons needed

    Now that virtualization has become a key driver of x64 server sales, the ability to live-migrate workloads from machines using older chip generation to newer and future ones is important to data centers - which is why AMD's latest nerd porn demonstrates its Opteron architecture performing inter-generational migrations. The …

    Virtualization 4 Aug 20:23

  • Planned 3D web graphics standard taps JavaScript

    SIGGRAPH Hardware speed bump

    Two open-source developments move a step closer to hardware-accelerated 3D web graphics that take advantage of the latest capabilities in modern GPUs. Industry consortium the Khronos Group used SIGGRAPH 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Tuesday to showcase more details about their WebGL working group. Khronos also introduced a …

    Developer 4 Aug 21:10

  • Fraud groups ding Bing for illicit pharmacy promos

    Updated 9 of 10 drug ads flout US law

    Microsoft's new search engine Bing is a haven for criminal enterprises operating unlawful online pharmacies, according to a report that estimates almost 90 percent of sponsored links advertising prescription drugs on the site are violating federal and state laws. The report, jointly prepared by two groups that monitor websites …

    Security 4 Aug 21:54

  • Canonical removes middleman from Ubuntu management

    Open Landscape

    Canonical is offering a dedicated, local version of its Landscape systems management and monitoring server for Ubuntu, rather than insist you access the service through the company's own systems. Canonical will next month launch the Landscape Dedicated Server, which is a local copy of the current Landscape service. It will run …

    Operating Systems 4 Aug 23:15