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21st August 2009 Archive

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  • Seeking web security, exploit operators prefer Firefox

    Opera comes second

    Criminals running websites that push drive-by exploits overwhelmingly prefer the Firefox browser, according to a researcher who spent the past three months surveilling their browsing habits. Mozilla's Firefox was used by 46 per cent of the exploit kit operators who were tracked in the study, according to Paul Royal, principal …

    Security 21 Aug 2009, 00:03

  • Apple applies for in-call music swapsies iPhone patent

    Concurrency plus

    Apple has filed a patent application that would enable iPhone users to transfer files and typed messages to others while speaking with them during a voice call. Entitled Auto Messaging to Currently Connected Caller, the filing was published on Thursday by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The filing describes a method in …

    Mobile 21 Aug 2009, 00:37

  • NAO tells MoD to keep tabs on its kit

    New IT system a must to monitor masses of gear

    The National Audit Office has called on the Ministry of Defence to implement a new management system after it failed to account for equipment worth £6.6bn. The official auditor says the MoD needs a "good quality inventory management system" to provide logistical support for operations and to prevent theft and fraud of its £14. …

    Government 21 Aug 2009, 07:02

  • Trade body loses laptop full of driving conviction data

    Speedy changes in data policy follow

    A trade body has lost a laptop computer containing the personal details of 37,000 people and information on 1,900 people's driving convictions. The information was kept on an unencrypted laptop which was stolen from a locked vehicle. Repair Management Services of Blackburn has promised the Information Commissioner's Office ( …

    Law 21 Aug 2009, 08:02

  • US magazine to display Harry Potter-style moving images

    Entertainment Weekly to get video screens

    Aside from dishing out news about celebrities and TV shows, US magazine Entertainment Weekly has inked plans to add video displays to its pages. From next month, the publication will run a series of editions with Video-in-Print (ViP) LCD screens integrated into its printed pages, a move thought to be a world's first. The ViP …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 09:00

  • BT shifts network, blame to fourth party

    Outsourcing the outsourced

    BT is planning to consolidate maintenance contracts on its outsourced local networks, the copper in the ground, to Carillion and Telent in a £1bn cost-cutting measure. The deal, currently at the letter-of-intent stage, involves putting all the maintenance and extension of BT's local-loop business under one contract in the hope …

    Broadband 21 Aug 2009, 09:17

  • Musk/Tesla Motors lawsuit by former exec dropped

    Updated Nobody wants to say why

    The lawsuit mounted by former Tesla Motors executive Martin Eberhard against the firm and its chief, renowned hecamillionaire tech-biz kingpin Elon Musk, appears to have been dropped. The San Jose Business Journal reports this week, quoting Eberhard's lawyer, that the suit was dropped two weeks ago at the former CEO's …

    Science 21 Aug 2009, 09:43

  • Sony sparks digi book fireworks with ePub move

    Analysis Giving Mills and Boon readers something to hide

    Sony has said its ebooks will henceforth be supplied solely in ePub format, creating a duopoly with Amazon's Kindle platform. Sony's endorsement of ePub gives the format a welcome breath of life, but its decision to mandate Adobe's Content Server is more interesting; the combination challenges Amazon's Kindle and could lead to …

    Applications 21 Aug 2009, 09:43

  • PCI organisation confirms PCIe 3.0 delay

    Six-month setback to ensure full backwards compatibility

    The next version of the PCI Express bus standard, 3.0, won't appear until 2010 and not this year as originally anticipated. Publication of the final version of the specification inevitably leads the appearance of devices that incorporate the standard, so the delay pushes the release of PCIe 3.0-compliant kit out from 2010 to …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 09:44

  • MSI intros 12in Wind notebook-not-netbook

    Netbook size, notebook chippage

    MSI has formally introduced the latest addition to its Wind netbook series - only it's arguably not a netbook. The Wind 12 U200 is powered by a 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU3500 processor rather than an Atom. As its name suggests, it has a 12.1in screen with a resolution of 1366 x 768, driven by a GMA 4500MHD graphics core in the …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 10:17

  • PS3 backwards compatibility gone for good

    Definitely not coming back, says Sony

    It’s official: Sony has confirmed that backwards compatibility definitely isn’t returning to the PlayStation 3. During a recent interview, John Koller, Sony’s Director of hardware marketing, said: “It’s not coming back.” The PS3 did feature support for PS2 games when it launched back in 2006. North American and Japanese …

    Games 21 Aug 2009, 10:27

  • Twitter tells you what twits' where

    And how to avoid them...

    Twitter, thrillingly, is adding location information to every tweet, so now you'll be able to avoid twits physically as well as electronically. The service will be opt-in, and the accuracy of the location information will be dependent on the Twitter client used, so the new API is being shared with client developers before it …

    Mobile 21 Aug 2009, 10:33

  • IM client library bug plagues Pidgin

    Feathers fly due to Libpurple vuln

    Users of Pidgin and other alternative IM clients need to update their software following the discovery of potentially serious security flaws. Pidgin, Finch, Adium, Meebo, and Gaim are all vulnerable to a flaw that stems from a bug in Libpurple, library software for multi-protocol support that's used by many IM clients. The …

    Security 21 Aug 2009, 10:34

  • SpinVox: £30m debt due by Christmas

    Exclusive Only 131 shopping days till payback time

    SpinVox's July round of funding has left it burdened with a £30m debenture that must be paid before Christmas, according to documents just filed at Companies House. The debenture is held by Tisbury Master Fund Ltd, whose director John Botts has now become chairman of SpinVox, SpinVox's PR company told us this week. Botts …

    Mobile 21 Aug 2009, 10:39

  • Apple to offer own-brand HDTV, claims analyst

    Integrated movie, music and games downloads

    Sony, LG, Panasonic, Toshiba and Samsung are all firms you associate with TV sets. But from 2011 you’ll be adding a new name to the list: Apple, according to an outspoken analyst. Gene Munster, Senior Analyst at US-based investment bank Piper Jaffray, has predicted that Apple will launch a branded telly with integrated DVR and …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 10:49

  • Dan Brown is most unwanted author says Oxfam

    Does anyone want chief Vatican baiter on their shelf?

    Vatican botherer-in-chief Dan Brown has been awarded the accolade of most-donated fiction author to Oxfam shops, the charity announced today. Brown's offerings may sell in their millions, but clearly they leave people feeling the same way as an ill-advised one night stand - good idea at the time, but now you don't them hanging …

    Bootnotes 21 Aug 2009, 11:22

  • 64-bit Chrome takes centre stage in Linux land

    Google shoves Windows to one side, for now

    Google engineers have been beavering away at a 64-bit version of the company’s Chrome browser for the Linux platform. According to Chrome developer Dean McNamee, Mountain View’s V8 team has been tinkering with a Chromium Linux 64-bit for several weeks now. V8, in case you were wondering, is the web kingpin’s JavaScript engine …

    Applications 21 Aug 2009, 11:25

  • No more Eurofighters for RAF, despite 232-jet pact

    Spiralling costs unlock UK ejector seat

    A senior RAF officer has stated unequivocally that the British government considers itself under no obligation to buy any more Eurofighter/Typhoon jet fighters. The statement would seem to confirm that no more will in fact be bought: but the taxpayer may yet spend billions more on upgrading the existing RAF fleet. Final …

    Government 21 Aug 2009, 11:53

  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7

    Review Compact super-zoom with HD video

    Panasonic’s DMC-TZ7 has been around for a while now, although the company maintains it in its current range. It's not surprising, because it’s one of the few compact super-zooms on the market that includes HD recording – its closest rival is Canon’s PowerShot SX200 IS. Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-TZ7 The DMC-TZ7 is what you might …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 12:02

  • Microsoft cuts down Chinese 'Tomato Garden'

    Pirates squashed as court plays ketchup

    Microsoft scored a big victory in China yesterday, after four people were reportedly sentenced to jail terms for reproducing and distributing illegal copies of the firm's Windows XP operating system. The four were found guilty of punting the software via a website called "Tomato Garden". Microsoft described the court win as …

    The Channel 21 Aug 2009, 12:24

  • US women protest for the right to bare

    Changing definitions of lewdness from the top down

    American women are preparing for protests this weekend against laws which allow men to remove their shirts in public, but treat women who do the same as guilty of misdemeanour. The action will take place on Sunday 23 August when, according to the gotopless website (PNSFW), "topless women will rally in great numbers across the …

    Bootnotes 21 Aug 2009, 12:25

  • Desktop virtualization stirs interest

    Workshop feedback

    This week we have taken a look at how desktop virtualization solutions are being used and their potential for future deployments. Your comments on the topic are extensive, full of practical experience and, on the whole, fairly positive. But before rushing in to consider the feedback in depth, Camilla Smythe did make a fair …

    Software 21 Aug 2009, 13:02

  • FCC to vote on US mobile competition probe

    I'll take you all on!

    The FCC has scheduled an open meeting for next Thursday, to decide if the regulator should launch a full examination of competition in the US mobile industry. With its new-found willingness to take on all comers, the FCC is proposing a Notice of Inquiry tasked with gathering information about competition between commercial …

    Mobile 21 Aug 2009, 13:03

  • MS and Sophos incompatible over Win 7 XP Mode

    No eye-gouging, no fish-hooking

    A row has broken out between Sophos and Microsoft over the alleged patching and management difficulties posed by Windows 7's XP Mode. The technology allows XP applications to run in a virtualised environment within Windows 7. This offers backward compatibility with applications but comes at the expense of security, according …

    Security 21 Aug 2009, 13:42

  • Channel 4 to go 3D

    Plans week of 3D shows, films and magic tricks

    Not to be outdone by Sky, Channel 4 has broadcast plans for a week-long series of 3D TV programmes. Instead of broadcasting everything from John Snow’s news announcements to Hollyoaks re-runs in 3D, Channel 4 will only air selected shows in three dimensions. For example, several movies and a Darren Brown magic hour - 3D Magic …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 14:26

  • Axed factory workers try to drag Dell into court

    'Can't we just talk about this?'

    Former Dell workers axed from its Limerick factory are going to court to try and secure better redundancy packages from the US PC giant. The Dell Workers Committee is bringing a case covering 2,000 workers to Ireland's Labour Court, the Irish Times reports. The committee claims that when Dell announced its plan to cease …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 14:46

  • Fresh effects for Cocoa apps

    Mac Secrets One file, many identities

    I've decided to delve into Apple's CoreGraphics framework, to explore some of its undocumented features. Using these routines, you can add all sorts of wondrous effects to your Cocoa applications. I ought to begin by saying that I'm claiming no originality for the undocumented nuggets. If you trawl Google, you'll find similar …

    Developer 21 Aug 2009, 15:02

  • Tesla Model S poses for cameras

    Leccy Tech The e-car centrefold?

    Tesla has published some glossy shots of its upcoming Model S saloon caressing the tarmac. Tesla's Chief Designer tearing up the tarmac The images are the first of the Model S to have been shot at speed and in natural light, circumstances that certainly seem to suit the car's aesthetics. The lucky so-and-so behind the …

    Science 21 Aug 2009, 15:02

  • Eee Keyboard prepped for October launch?

    First May, then June..

    Asus’ famous Eee PC Keyboard may finally launch within months, a mole has claimed. The Eee – which incorporates a PC, a 5in touchscreen and a full-size Qwerty deck into a keyboard-sized case – will be available as early as October, the source told DigiTimes. It will be priced somewhere between $400 and $500 (£242-302/€279-349 …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 15:05

  • Pair charged with BNP list breach

    Due in court next month

    Two people have today been charged with offences under the Data Protection Act for leaking the BNP's membership list last year. The pair will appear before magistrates in Nottingham on 1 September, following a joint investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police and the Information Commissioner's Office. They were arrested in December …

    Law 21 Aug 2009, 15:09

  • Hewlett Foundation ponies up cash for Wikipedia

    Someone has to pay for free content

    The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which handles the cash donated to various charities and good causes by one of the co-founders of Hewlett-Packard and his wife, has given Wikimedia, the non-profit behind the Wikipedia online encyclopedia, a $500,000 grant to improve itself. Wikipedia is in no position to turn down cash …

    Media 21 Aug 2009, 15:11

  • Bubbly-belly-bugging boffins battle bovine belch peril

    Tesco agro-surveillance to ward off cow-burpocalypse

    In a desperate attempt to avoid all life on Earth being gradually suffocated by a growing global cloud of noxious cow-belch emissions, corporate chiefs have planted bugging devices on a herd of dairy cattle. The listening devices, it's hoped, may allow top-bracket scientists to sift valuable information from the creatures' …

    Science 21 Aug 2009, 15:21

  • Handset makers, the criminal's friend

    See no evil, speak no evil

    Last month the United Arab Emirates mobile operator Etisalat tried to sneak malware onto customers' BlackBerry handsets. But what pushed an operator to try such an underhand trick, and do so in such an inept manner? The snooping software was pushed out as an upgrade, authorised by the operator but almost certainly at the …

    Mobile 21 Aug 2009, 18:37

  • Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo! to join anti-Googlebook war

    All our reading material is not yours

    The battle to derail Google's Book Rights Registry has been joined by three heavyweight warriors: Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo!. The New York Times has reported that the three tech giants are planning to join efforts to block the court settlement of a 2005 copyright-infringement class-action suit that would give Google the …

    Media 21 Aug 2009, 19:17

  • Baby-roasting BBQ pulled from Sears site

    Red-faced retailer apologizes

    In a blunder that might top the Baby Shaker app on Apple's App Store, retailing giant Sears.com has been caught offering a Bar-B-Que grill specially designed to roast infants and other human morsels. The ad, which was spotted earlier by celebrity news site TMZ, showed a Kenmore natural-gas grill with five burners. A caption …

    Security 21 Aug 2009, 19:20

  • Trading in The Pirate Bay bidder stopped over deal funding

    Ground laid for clone attack

    Less than a week before Global Game Factory X (GGF) is due to purchase The Pirate Bay, the deal appears to be spiraling rapidly towards Davy Jones' locker. Swedish stock market authorities have halted GGF trading on suspicion the company doesn't have enough money to close the deal. The stoppage came as an anonymous TPB user …

    Media 21 Aug 2009, 19:46

  • Hotmail pulls Attach-Photo feature over security concerns

    Stealth suspension explained

    Microsoft has suspended the "Attach-Photo" feature in Hotmail as a result of security concerns. Webmail users can still add photos as attachments to Hotmail messages, just not in the same way as before. Microsoft expects to restore the suspended feature by the end of September. Microsoft spoke about the recent suspension in …

    Security 21 Aug 2009, 21:39

  • Eight accused in AT&T, T-Mobile $22m ID theft scam

    Customer databases illegally accessed

    Federal prosecutors have accused eight individuals of fraudulently obtaining $22m worth of wireless devices and services from AT&T and T-Mobile in an elaborate four-year scheme that exploited weaknesses in the cellular providers' network. Between 2005 and July this year, two of the defendants used their status as current or …

    Security 21 Aug 2009, 21:46

  • Nokia 'actively looking' at own netbook

    Cat-skinning time?

    Nokia could follow service providers into netbook territory, by offering a machine of its own. President and chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo is reported to have said in India: "We at Nokia is [sic] actively looking at this converged market... We are looking at the netbook market to see what kind of opportunity is there …

    Hardware 21 Aug 2009, 22:12

  • Microsoft goes Darwinian with evolutionary tree patent

    Multiplication tables next

    A Microsoft patent application has evolutionary biologists worried Redmond could claim standard techniques used by scientists to organize how animals are related through time. The patent application, which came to light in the August edition of Science, claims invention of methods for mapping biological data to an evolutionary …

    Science 21 Aug 2009, 22:44