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18th August 2009 Archive

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  • Georgian cyber attacks launched by Russian crime gangs

    With help from Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft

    Last year's cyber attacks that brought internet traffic to a standstill in Georgia were carried out by civilians and Russian crime gangs, in some cases with the unwitting help of websites and software companies located in the US, according to researchers. In a report released Monday, a non-profit research group called the US …

    Security 18 Aug 2009, 00:23

  • Info Tribunal appeals to split from January

    New two-tier system for ICO appeals

    People appealing against rulings by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) will face a new tribunal structure from January next year. The Information Tribunal, which hears appeals on ICO rulings, will become part of a wider system. Under the new regime, which awaits Parliamentary approval, very serious or very complex …

    Law 18 Aug 2009, 07:02

  • Onyx Group scoops up financial services IT provider

    Hedges bets with Moffat Communications

    Onyx Group has bought London-based IT firm Moffat Communications for an undisclosed sum. The managed networks and hosting outfit said the acquisition was its fourth in 18 months as the company attempts to expand its operations to become a "leading national IT provider." Moffat, which was formerly part of Grant Thornton UK LLP …

    The Channel 18 Aug 2009, 08:02

  • Nvidia chuffed by Zune HD design win

    A Tegra in its tank

    Microsoft's upcoming Zune HD media player contains an Nvidia ARM-based system-on-a-chip, Tegra, the chip maker has revealed. Nvidia buffs will rejoice, but does anyone else care? What matters, surely, is what the Zune HD can deliver - HD video out is the main thing; playing back HD content on a sub-SD, 480 x 272 screen is no …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2009, 08:23

  • Video captures camera-capable iPod Touch

    Set for 7 September unveiling?

    The iPod Touch looks set to gain a camera, if a recently leaked video is to be believed. Click for video North American shock-jocks Steve Covino and Rich Davis - reporters of “dude culture”, apparently - recently posted a video to their online blog, which they claim shows a third-generation iPod Touch fitted with a rear- …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2009, 08:27

  • IBM tempts threadbare councils with off-the-peg data analysis

    Comment But do councils need culture change before hi-tech?

    An initiative from IBM may help strengthen its ties in the public sector – but questions remain as to whether prospective clients are capable of getting the most from such a service. Last week, IBM announced "the creation of a new practice focused on delivering advanced analytic solutions to public sector clients". The new …

    Government 18 Aug 2009, 09:02

  • Japan's top-selling mobile: iPhone 3GS

    Apple cracks 'difficult' market?

    The iPhone 3GS was the top-selling mobile phone in Japan last month, figures from market watcher GfK show. The Japanese mobile market is very different from those in the West. Over there, mobile net access has long been taken for granted, local phone makers are favoured and Japanese definitions of what makes a good handset don …

    Phones 18 Aug 2009, 09:03

  • 38% of large US companies have full-time email monitoring staff

    Dept of snooping and personnel

    Nearly four in ten companies have staff whose main job is to monitor the outgoing email of colleagues, according to US data security research. More than a third of the companies surveyed hired staff to perform only that monitoring function. Email security company Proofpoint interviewed email chiefs at 220 companies which …

    Management 18 Aug 2009, 09:11

  • Virgin hijacks empty pages

    Updated All your void are belong to us

    Virgin broadband has started serving up advertising, instead of empty pages, when the domain you were looking for turns out not to be there. Users of Virgin's Broadband service have started seeing Virgin's "Advanced Network Error Search" instead of the traditional Server Not Found error when they enter a URL that doesn't exist …

    Broadband 18 Aug 2009, 09:18

  • Apple won't take tablet to September iPod event, says mole

    Bitter pill for fanboys to swallow?

    Desperate for iTablet news, World+Dog is reporting that Apple will host a music-centric event on 9 September. And... er... that's it. Yes, all Apple has to do is issue an invite and bloggers' pants moisten with anticipation. Actually, it has yet to issue the invite, but sources close to the company have told one Wall Street …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2009, 09:26

  • Day of REST approaches for the cloud

    Comment It's a style thing

    The term REST keeps on popping up when vendors and analysts talk about cloud storage. We're told that RESTful interfaces are more advanced than traditional filer interfaces such as NFS or CIFS. What is REST all about? Let's take a fairly simplistic look at REST, cast an eye in the direction of its advantages over the traditional …

    Storage 18 Aug 2009, 09:42

  • Directgov farms out web content across Europe

    Updated Putting public service oeufs in many baskets

    The UK government’s internet portal that serves as a one-stop public services shop for British citizens caches its website at locations throughout the European Union, The Register has learned. Directgov, whose content management system, hosting and managed service is maintained by NTT Europe Online, operates from “primary …

    Government 18 Aug 2009, 09:43

  • Xbox 360 price to rise

    Arcade to replace the Pro?

    Microsoft is to increase the recommended retail price of its Arcade model Xbox 360, according to retail channel reports. Igor Cipolletta, boss of online games retailer ShopTo, said he was told by Microsoft that the Arcade’s price will jump from £130 to £160 ($262/€186) from 1 September, website Eurogamer reports. An unnamed …

    Games 18 Aug 2009, 10:03

  • Apple second only to Nokia in Euro smartphone biz

    Wins big globally

    Apple has overtaken Research in Motion in the race to be Europe's top smartphone seller, figures from market watcher Canalys show. During Q2, Apple shifted 1.9m iPhones in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, up from 200,000 in Q2 2008. That took its market share from 1.3 per cent to 13.6 per cent, enough to put it just ahead …

    Phones 18 Aug 2009, 10:04

  • Miami health centre starts RFID soap snooping

    Paging Dr Kildare, you dirty bugger

    RFID tags are being deployed at the University of Miami to report when doctors and nurses wash their hands, and let them know if their fingernails aren't clean. In contrast to previously-suggested systems involving chemical sniffers, the RFID-based technology being used in Miami just monitors when a doctor or nurse is near a …

    Broadband 18 Aug 2009, 10:49

  • Mozilla tries to shunt Firefox 3.0 users over to 3.5

    Upgrade or die!

    Mozilla is coaxing users off Firefox 3.0 by prompting them to shift over to version 3.5 of its popular open source browser. The outfit has begun sending out messages to users of Firefox 3.0.13 encouraging them to upgrade to Firefox 3.5.2. As an added incentive, it’s telling stick-in-the-mud types to update their browser to …

    Applications 18 Aug 2009, 10:55

  • BMW's X6 turns eco

    Leccy Tech ActiveHybrid X6 unveiled

    BMW’s X6 is about to be re-born as an environmentally considerate hybrid. BMW's X6 ActiveHybrid: slightly more eco-friendly than the X6 Set for official unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month, the X6 ActiveHybrid retains the original model’s 400bhp, twin-turbocharged 4.4l V8 engine – yet gains two electric motors …

    Science 18 Aug 2009, 11:06

  • Sony to delay 11in-plus OLED TV launch

    Cashflow to blame?

    Sony's development plans for large-size OLED TV screens have stalled, a mole has alleged. The Japanese electronics giant has pushed back the launch of its next OLED TV - the follow-up to the 11in XEL-1, launched in 2007 - until next year at the earliest. Mass-production of the pricey tellies would exacerbate existing losses …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2009, 11:12

  • Bungling cybercops' r00t-y0u.org sting backfires

    Hack me? Hack you!

    Australian Federal police have been humbled after boasting of taking over an underground cybercrime forum - only for hackers to break into a federal police computer system, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Police computer security experts claimed responsibility for taking over the r00t-you.org cybercrime forum as part of a …

    Security 18 Aug 2009, 11:18

  • EU turns beady eye on flaming iPod menace

    Updated Investigates claims that 'i' is for 'incendiary'

    The European Commission has reportedly launched an investigation into the outbreak of flaming iPhones and iPods which has apparently raged across Europe this summer. According to the EU Observer the Commission's Industry and Enterprise tentacle has requested information from both the company and member countries. The …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2009, 11:19

  • On VoIP for business

    A Reg primer for SMEs

    Small businesses are often reluctant to take the plunge and switch to VoIP - and this isn’t just about upfront cost of change, and potential disruption. A big part is linked to the absence of more granular information on how to actually go about an implementation, and knowing what is appropriate in different circumstances and …

    VoIP 18 Aug 2009, 11:20

  • Dell denies dPhone debut

    Concept design demo'd at China Mobile event, apparently

    The Mini 3i Android-based mobile phone Dell showed off at a China Mobile even this past weekend was merely a proof of concept device, the company has claimed. Handy, that, because it means Dell may yet feel then need to change the handset's specifications. Reports from the event confirmed previous claims that the phone lacks …

    Phones 18 Aug 2009, 11:41

  • Zombie plague analysed by Canadian maths prof

    Quarantine, cure no good - violence is only hope

    A Canadian infectious-diseases boffin has published an authoritative mathematical model of zombie plagues. He concludes that the only scenario in which our civilisation could survive a zombie outbreak is one in which normal humans react immediately using extreme violence against the undead, without any attempt to cure or …

    Science 18 Aug 2009, 11:43

  • Intel X25-M 34nm Flash SSD

    Review The chip giant's second-gen solid-state drive

    Intel was the first company to deliver a Sata SSD, its 80GB X25-M, and we were blown away by the combination of speed and silence. Unfortunately, the price was rather steep but you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs. When we reviewed the X25-M, it never occurred to us to ask about the fabrication process that Intel …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2009, 12:02

  • Wireless power gets lovely shiny logo

    No application yet, but hey!

    The Wireless Power Consortium is very close to having a specification, but it has managed to create a logo and an unpronounceable name, so ticking all the Web 2.0 boxes. The consortium was set up last year in recognition of the fact that without interoperability the technology was doomed to die a quick death, as opposed to the …

    Broadband 18 Aug 2009, 12:08

  • Terracotta swallows open-source Java speed pill

    IP and brains buy

    Open-source Java clustering startup Terracotta is today expected to announce an acquisition that'll potentially boost the speed of clustered Java applications. The company said it's buying the IP behind the Apache-licensed Ehcache along with Ehcache founder Greg Luck, who'll be joining the Terracotta team. The goal is to …

    Developer 18 Aug 2009, 12:10

  • Dawkins' website forum hacked to send spam

    God! What a nuisance

    A website forum run by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins was compromised on Monday. Cybercrooks hacked into the forum to send members an invite to sign up to a warez site. A message on RichardDawkins.net confirms the hack and adds that site admins are working to restore the forum to normal. By Tuesday morning the forum …

    Security 18 Aug 2009, 12:11

  • SpinVox: Patricia Russo joins, quits almost immediately

    Exclusive Short stay parking for ex-Alcatel-Lucent chief

    SpinVox recruited former Alcatel-Lucent CEO Patricia Russo as a director in June, only for the veteran telecoms exec to fly the coop almost immediately. A form filed on Friday with Companies House show that Russo was appointed as a director of SpinVox Limited on June 2, 2009. No announcement was made to the press at the time …

    Mobile 18 Aug 2009, 12:29

  • NASA: Extraterrestrial sample holds ingredient for alien life

    Definitely not lab contamination, insist boffins

    NASA boffins say that they have identified an amino acid, one of the key building blocks of Earth-style life, in material recovered from a comet far out in space. They say this supports the idea that life may be commonly found throughout the universe, and that they have eliminated the chance that the cometary sample has been …

    Science 18 Aug 2009, 12:39

  • Getting under the shell of virtualization

    Round up Week 3 On kernels and other nut puns

    What's an operating system anyway? The questions we posed this week were quite disconnected, but they inspired similar perspectives from the comments. Not least, respondents to the first article sought to address what exactly was an operating system. Graham Bartlett summed it up perhaps, by saying: The answer really is " …

    Software 18 Aug 2009, 13:02

  • Shop risks legal action for posting 'shoplifter' CCTV online

    Your face here. Or not

    A new online initiative designed to crack down on shoplifters could be set to rebound badly on the retail chain pioneering it - and police advice on the law in matters of surveillance may yet again prove to be more optimistic than accurate. Liverpool-based operator TJ Morris Ltd, better known on the High St as Home Bargains, …

    Law 18 Aug 2009, 13:10

  • Robo autopilot 'digital parachute' lands light plane hands-off

    Vid Another key piece of flying-car tech cracked

    US aerospace firm Rockwell, prominent in the unmanned aircraft biz, is engaged in developing truly automatic pilots - ones able to conduct even landings without human input - for light manned aeroplanes. The developments offer another small step towards the long-desired flying car. The company announced the developments …

    Science 18 Aug 2009, 13:19

  • Most gamers fat and miserable, finds study

    Thirtysomethings

    Overweight? Depressed? Aged 35? Answer 'yes' to all three and you are almost certainly a gamer. So suggests a joint study conducted by scientists from the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC), Emory University in Atlanta and Andrews University in Michigan. Researchers concluded that frequent gamers tend to be fatter and of …

    Games 18 Aug 2009, 14:26

  • DIY GSM network is go

    A Blue Peter badge for Hackers At Random

    Delegates attending the Hacking At Random conference managed to string together their own GSM network, demonstrating just how ubiquitous, and modular, mobile telephony has become. The network runs from antennae slung from a tree and connected to a PC running OpenBSC, a GPL-licensed free network infrastructure stack …

    Mobile 18 Aug 2009, 14:32

  • Campaign for official Turing apology gathers steam

    Downing Street petition up

    A grassroots UK campaign to a secure a posthumous apology for computing pioneer Alan Turing over his persecution for homosexuality has begun. Turing's conviction for gross indecency in 1952 brought an end to an outstanding career as a wartime cryptographer, mathematician and computing pioneer. Denied the opportunity to …

    Bootnotes 18 Aug 2009, 14:33

  • MSI to beat rivals to market with next-gen Atoms?

    Wants to be ahead of the crowd of new netbooks

    MSI will be the first to market with Intel's next-generation netbook platform, 'Pine Trail', Asian moles have claimed. Will it incur the wrath of Intel? Pine Trail, which is set to ship as the Atom N450, has been roadmapped for a Q4 2009 release. However, in June it looked like the chip might debut sooner rather than later on …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2009, 14:53

  • UK.gov won't drop 50p high speed broadband tax plans - yet

    Electioneering ain't what it used to be

    The government is still mulling the possibility of bringing in a 50p a month stealth tax on fixed phone lines to fund next-gen broadband, despite Treasury minister Stephen Timms hinting that those plans could be shelved during election year. Uk.gov “remains committed to the timetable for introducing the 50p levy on fixed lines …

    Broadband 18 Aug 2009, 14:54

  • Leica unwraps £16k, 32Mp camera

    2000 pixels per Pound

    Twelve megapixels is fine for your average Joe photographer, but if you’ve got £16,000 to burn then feast your eyes upon the Leica S2 – which boasts a whopping 32Mp sensor. The S2 has the look and feel of a traditional 35mm SLR camera, but the camera’s internal signal processing can detect and eliminate annoying layered moiré …

    Hardware 18 Aug 2009, 15:22

  • Apptio counts the cost of virtualization

    As well as cash from Andreesen and other VCs

    One of the problems with distributed systems (which was not much of an issue when a company had one mainframe or midrange box a few decades ago) is keeping track of who uses what IT resources so the cost of that processing can be pinned on the users and not the company in general. With the advent of virtualization on servers, …

    Virtualization 18 Aug 2009, 15:55

  • iTunes swallowed a quarter of US music sales

    World's largest retailer thumped

    One in four songs sold in the US are done so via Apple’s iTunes store, according to a new report. NPD Group's MusicWatch division said today that while audio CDs remain the most popular format among music consumers, digital tracks notched up 35 per cent of all songs sold in the first half of 2009. That’s a 15 per cent leap in …

    Media 18 Aug 2009, 16:24

  • US software pirate fined $210K for auction sales

    Counterfeit CD seller feels burn

    A US man has been fined $210,000 for selling illegal copies of software through internet auction sites. Matthew Miller of Newark, Delaware, was hit with $195K in damages and $15K in legal fees by US District Judge Susan Illston in the case brought in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Miller sold …

    Software 18 Aug 2009, 16:35

  • Adobe patches 'critical' flaws in ColdFusion, JRun

    Code execution, information disclosure bugs dead

    Adobe Systems has released updates that patch vulnerabilities in two widely used web development applications, several of which let attackers steal sensitive data or take complete control of users' machines. In all, the patches fix seven flaws in versions 8.0.1 and earlier of ColdFusion and JRun 4.0. The most serious of them …

    Security 18 Aug 2009, 18:21

  • Drizzle for Christmas - year-end-prediction for MySQL fork

    Tightening up changes

    A production ready version of the MySQL fork Drizzle could be ready by the end of this year. Brian Aker, Drizzle lead architect, has said the project will start to look production ready and people can begin production testing in earnest after the next milestone build. If development and testing goes as hoped that means we …

    Developer 18 Aug 2009, 18:49

  • Scientists unlock DIY DNA

    Collars artificially felt

    Scientists in Tel Aviv say they've demonstrated that DNA evidence can easily be faked to match the wrong person - assuming the nefarious framer has access to a biology lab and DNA database. The boffins fabricated phony DNA using blood and saliva samples to match someone else's profile without any tissue from that person, …

    Science 18 Aug 2009, 19:18

  • Citrix: Novell's only option for virtualization marriage

    Rush to beat Red Hat, repent at leisure

    What is commercial Linux distributor Novell going to do about server and desktop virtualization? It's a good question, and one that the company's top brass has not really addressed. In July 2006, with the launch of SUSE Linux 10, Novell was the first commercial Linux vendor to ship a Xen hypervisor tuned for Linux. And it is …

    Virtualization 18 Aug 2009, 20:03

  • Finger crossing won't lure iPhone coders to Windows Mobile

    Microsoft's miscalculation compounded

    Apple will sell more than 82 million iPhones in 2012, teaming up with RIM and Palm in an industry that will ship 500 million plus smartphones that year and leave Microsoft out in the cold. The trio will forge a "new world order" as smart phones become the next wave in computing according to a research report from RBC Capital …

    Developer 18 Aug 2009, 20:59

  • Woman charged with cyberbullying teen on Craigslist

    Girl's pics and number posted to Casual Encounters

    A Missouri woman has become the first person to be charged with felony cyberbullying in that state after she allegedly posted photos and personal information of a teenage girl to the Casual Encounters section of Craigslist. Prosecutors said Elizabeth A. Thrasher, 40, posted the 17-year-old's picture, cell phone number, email …

    Security 18 Aug 2009, 21:43

  • Sony reveals slim PS3, drops price

    Slinky fall debut planned

    After months of rumors, leaks and internet fakery, Sony has finally conjured the details on a new slim version of the Playstation 3 and price cuts on existing models. The sleeker PS3 will hit stores September 1 for $300 in North America, Europe, and Asia. Sony also announced it will drop the prices of current 80GB and 160GB …

    Media 18 Aug 2009, 21:46

  • US telcos reject broadband cash as connections drop

    Won't compromise Tiger Woods' sponsorship

    US telcos are turning up their noses at broadband build-out stimulus funds just as US broadband growth hits a record low. Despite the Obama administration's offer of $4.7bn in broadband grants, and its stated intent to make broadband available to all Americans, AT&T, Verizon and Comcast couldn't be bothered, and appear to be …

    Networks 18 Aug 2009, 22:58

  • Windows XP customers positive but split on Windows 7

    Reading about it is enough

    A majority of Windows XP users are positive about Windows 7 but are split on whether to upgrade, with a large number keeping an open mind. That's according to preliminary results from a PC World and Technologizer survey of 5,000 Windows XP users, who also want Microsoft to keep offering their operating system of choice. …

    Operating Systems 18 Aug 2009, 23:55