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1st September 2009 Archive

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  • Mozilla: Web's future rests with millions outside IT

    'Seat-belt moment' is here

    The future of the web rests with millions of people outside the IT industry being persuaded to take an interest security, privacy, and freedom. That's according to Mozilla Foundation executive director Mark Surman, who believes the web has reached a "seat-belt moment," where we know there are problems that need to be solved, …

    Media 1 Sep 2009, 08:02

  • Discovery pair prep for first spacewalk

    Shuttle on its way with spectacular night launch

    Flight engineer Nicole Stott and mission specialist Danny Olivas will later today step outside the International Space Station for the first spacewalk of space shuttle Discovery's mission STS-128. The pair will later this evening "prepare for the replacement of an empty ammonia tank on the station’s port truss, or backbone, by …

    Science 1 Sep 2009, 09:12

  • Netbooks took a fifth of mobile PC biz in Q2

    Big demand in US, Europe

    Netbooks increased their share of the overall notebook computer market during Q2, accounting for 22.2 per cent of shipments of mobile PCs during the quarter. So says marker watcher DisplaySearch, which added that that figure was up from 17.8 per cent in Q1 and from 5.6 per cent in the Q2 2008. Given the frequency with which …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 09:13

  • eBay close to Skype sale

    Hanging up on VoIP

    eBay is close to getting shot of Skype - the VoIP phone service it paid $2.6bn for in 2005. The deal didn't make sense at the time, and eBay has never managed to integrate the technology into its core auction business. Meg Whitman's claim that the combination of the online tat bazaar and PayPal and Skype would "create an …

    VoIP 1 Sep 2009, 09:22

  • EU consults on problems of digitising libraries

    Sorting out the scanner-inners

    The European Commission will conduct a consultation on how best to operate a digital library of Europe's scanned-in books. Unlike Google's controversial digitisation programme, the EU's existing digital library does not scan in copyrighted works. Google has caused worldwide consternation amongst authors and representative …

    Media 1 Sep 2009, 09:43

  • Spanish boy racer cuffed for snapping self on mobe

    While drunk, without a licence, jumping red lights, etc etc

    A Spanish youth is in a bit of bother with the powers that be after drunkenly snapping himself on his mobile while fishtailing his wheels round a roundabout and jumping a few red lights in the process. When coppers descended on 18-year-old Vigo lad "JCR" at 2.50am local time yesterday, he decided to make good his escape, only …

    Bootnotes 1 Sep 2009, 09:46

  • Hitachi factories punch out 500GB, 7200rpm laptop HDD

    Built to Trusted Computing Group's Opal standard

    Hitachi's hard drive division has begun shipping - in "limited quantities", mind - a notebook-oriented 3Gb/s Sata HDD with a raw capacity of 500GB and a spin speed of 7200rpm. Like past TravelStar drives, the new 7K500 incorporates automatic data encryption. Hitachi said the drive is one of the first mobile drives to be …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 09:53

  • Opera stretches vocal cords with v.10 release

    Hits a few bum notes, but is anyone listening?

    Opera 10 is now available to download for Windows, Linux and Mac platforms, less than a week after Opera Software spun out the release candidate version of the browser. The Oslo, Norway-based company said the browser comes loaded with Opera Turbo, a compression engine intended to speed up slow web connections. It claimed the …

    Applications 1 Sep 2009, 10:05

  • 3 goes after Apple's App Store

    Samsung's arrives in a fortnight

    The race for control of the palm continues, with 3 launching a branded version of Handango's inHand on-device shop as Samsung announces its version will be up and running in a fortnight. Samsung will be launching its on-device mobile-application store on in the 14th September, at least in the UK, France and Italy, with the …

    Mobile 1 Sep 2009, 10:07

  • LG to demo 'world's biggest' OLED TV this week

    15in model beats Sony's pioneering XEL-1 - just

    LG is set to display the world’s largest OLED TV at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin later this week. LG's 15in OLED will be demoed at IFA this week But don’t get your hopes up for an OLED telly that’s able to replace the 32in LCD in your living room, because LG’s set is only 4in bigger than the world’s first …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 10:24

  • Samsung Android phone finally hits O2

    Updated Got here at last....

    Samsung’s first Android-based smartphone has finally appeared for sale on O2’s website. Samsung's i7500: now available from O2 The Galaxy i7500 is available for free on a £73-per-month ($120/€83) contract which includes 3000 minutes' call time and 1000 texts. But it will set you back £244 ($397/€276) if you opt for the £19- …

    Phones 1 Sep 2009, 10:28

  • NZ woman sacked for SHOUTY EMAILS

    Awarded NZ$17k for UNFAIR DISMISSAL

    A NZ woman who was sacked for sending "confrontational" emails in red, bold and CAPITAL LETTERS has been awarded NZ$17k (£7,150) for unfair dismissal, the New Zealand Herald reports. Financial controller Vicki Walker was shown the door at ProCare Health back in December 2007 for her lack of netiquette. One particular email …

    Bootnotes 1 Sep 2009, 10:33

  • Celebs join call for official Turing apology

    Fight for posthumous justice

    Celebrities including writer Ian McEwan and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins have signed a petition calling for a posthumous government apology to computing pioneer and wartime code-breaker Alan Turing. A Downing Street petition calling for an apology for the "prosecution of Alan Turing that led to his untimely death" …

    Government 1 Sep 2009, 10:58

  • Samsung steels itself for Twittering yoof touchphone release

    Presenting the... er... Corby

    Samsung will launch a new yoof-centric mobile phone later this month. The handset shares a moniker with a former Northamptonshire steel town. Samsung said the Corby will sport a 2.8in, 320 x 240 touchscreen and provide access to users' Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts. There's no HSDPA or even 3G: the Corby goes to the …

    Phones 1 Sep 2009, 10:59

  • Lord Mandelson wants mobile internet fix

    Operators called in to explain themselves

    Mandy has summoned heads of all the UK mobile operators in the hope of sorting out the 900MHz question, a roadblock on the way to Digital Britain which shows no signs of moving. The news comes courtesy of the Guardian, which reports that Lord Mandelson has called the meeting on Tuesday. He is hoping to get the operators to …

    Government 1 Sep 2009, 11:00

  • Official: Grand Theft Auto coming to iPhone

    Apple gadget embraces virtual underworld

    Gaming on the iPhone is about to get a lot more violent. Rockstar has confirmed that the Grand Theft Auto videogame series is coming to the handset. Rockstar plans to release the Chinatown Wars version of the game on the iPhone - no great surprise as the edition has already been ported onto similarly small-screen consoles the …

    Games 1 Sep 2009, 11:01

  • O2 just can't keep it up

    Another data outage over Bank-holiday weekend

    O2 again showed its commitment to mission-critical wireless by dropping the national data network on Saturday, another unexplained outage that left customers having to talk to each other again. The statement we finally managed to get out of O2 this morning simply admits that there was an outage, and that it lasted for around …

    Mobile 1 Sep 2009, 11:03

  • SanDisk upgrades Clip music player

    Well, just about...

    SanDisk has updated is Sansa Clip music player ahead of Apple's anticipated iPod revamp next week. Now dubbed the Clip+, the differences appear primarily cosmetic. Still small, the Clip+ sports a phone-style navpad control in place of the rotating wheel its predecessor used. Once again, it supports Ogg files as well as MP3, …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 11:24

  • Sony to ship Chrome Vaios

    Electronics giant adopts Google browser

    Sony has signed a deal with Google to include the search giant’s Chrome internet browser on its Vaio PCs. The deal's exact terms haven’t been disclosed, but a variety of Sony spokesfolks reveal Sony has been shipping some Vaios into the US with Chrome on board. Some, but not all. So far the two firms have been testing the …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 11:40

  • Samsung unveils DSLR-style compact camera

    One lens, but a 24x optical zoom

    Despite looking like a digital SLR, the WB5000 is actually Samsung’s latest attempt at a high-end compact camera embedded with DSLR-style features. Samsung's WB5000: lacks a lens swap ability The WB5000 features a 24mm wide-angle lens and 24x optical zoom. But it’s worth noting that since the camera isn’t a DSLR, you won’t …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 11:45

  • Samsung N110

    Review The best keyboard on a netbook yet?

    Samsung is knocking out new netbooks like there is no tomorrow. Yet, with the N120 and N310, we have seen the company try to define new netbook genres where there really aren't any. The former is marketed as a multimedia optimised machine, while the latter targets anyone swayed by styling and fancies a laptop that resembles a …

    Laptops 1 Sep 2009, 12:02

  • Caviar Black gets 2TB model

    WD expands range upwards

    WD has uprated its four-platter, 2TB disk technology to 7200rpm with Caviar Black and WD-RE4 models. This move was foreshadowed by leaks from European resellers earlier this month. The first 3.5in 2TB products from WD spun at 5,400rpm. Capacities range from 500GB, through 640GB, 750GB and 1TB, up to 2TB. In the 2TB product …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 12:02

  • Sony snubs Microsoft in Google Chrome browser deal

    Internet Explorer? Never heard of it, mate

    Google has inked an agreement with Japanese tech giant Sony to make Chrome the default browser in its PCs. Financial terms of Sony's Microsoft-snubbing deal with Mountain View were kept secret. Google said it will push for similar browser tie-ins with other hardware vendors over the coming months. This is the first such deal …

    Applications 1 Sep 2009, 12:02

  • Android app puts signs where they should be

    Drivers glued to mobiles - what could possibly go wrong?

    Augmented reality offers many exciting possibilities and applications, but encouraging drivers to gaze at a mobile-phone screen when behind the wheel surely isn't one of them. Wikitude Drive overlays directional arrows, lane guides and text onto reality, as captured on an Android handset's camera. This enables a driver to see …

    Applications 1 Sep 2009, 12:12

  • Dole bludger fined for BNP leak

    List leaker was party insider

    A man has been fined £200, for data protection offences relating to publishing the British National Party's membership list last year. Mathew Single, 37, of Church Lane, Brinsley, Nottinghamshire was fined by Nottingham magistrates after he admitted disclosing data without consent. Charges against his wife, 30-year old Sadi …

    Law 1 Sep 2009, 12:15

  • Seagate to whip out 1TB 2.5-incher

    Never mind the width, look at the depth

    It seems that you can buy a 1TB 2.5-inch FreeAgent Go drive from morecomputers.com for £150, including VAT. The only small problem is that Seagate hasn't announced it yet. According to morecomputers, the drive spins at 5,400rpm, has a USB 2.0 connection, and its model number is ST910004FAD2E1-RK. Don't bother searching for it …

    Storage 1 Sep 2009, 12:16

  • California child kidnapper stalked Street View van

    Phillip Garrido caught on camera?

    A sharp-eyed Boing Boing contributor has spotted what may be alleged kidnapper and rapist Phillip Garrido stalking a Street View van, after he spotted it capturing his house in Antioch, California. Garrido, 58, is accused of kidnapping 11-year-old Jaycee Lee Dugard in 1991 in the Lake Tahoe area of Nevada and holding her for …

    Law 1 Sep 2009, 12:18

  • The cloud virtualization black hole

    Reader Workshop Silence is deafening

    Last week was an interesting one for the virtualization workshop, as we turned our attention to cloud computing and the reaction has been, well, nothing. Well, that's not quite fair – the comment on Virtualization and the cloud was, "Good article. Please, I implore you to add case studies," and on Unravelling the cloud confusion …

    Software 1 Sep 2009, 12:24

  • Adobe makes mystery web buy

    Keeps mum on deal

    Adobe Systems quietly acquired web platform outfit Business Catalyst (BC) for an undisclosed sum on Monday. The software maker has remained silent about the deal, but BC said that Adobe had bought Business Catalyst and its sister firm, GoodBarry, according to an official statement on the company's site. Business Catalyst, …

    Developer 1 Sep 2009, 13:44

  • Microsoft names the day for iPhone come-back punch

    Handsets and apps store ready to go

    Handsets featuring Microsoft's first come-back to the touchy-feely iPhone are due to hit retail stores on October 6. The company is today expected to promise that phones running Windows Mobile 6.5 will hit retail stores around the world on that date. In a parallel move, meanwhile, the long-awaited Windows Marketplace for …

    Operating Systems 1 Sep 2009, 14:02

  • Samsung spins out DJ PMP

    Scratch, mix and spin

    Samsung has launched what it has claimed is the world’s slimmest and lightest multimedia player with integrated DivX support. The 8.9mm thick R1 can be kept in your wallet, according to Samsung, and has a decently proportioned 2.6in touchscreen that – when teamed up with the “Beat DJ” feature – allows you ‘scratch’ records in …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 14:12

  • NY residents sue for $100m over phone masts

    Short boxes killing property prices

    Residents are suing the Long Island town of Hempstead for allowing the installation of cell phone antennae, on the basis that it's lowering the value of their properties. The claim is not regarding the potential health risks, as has been the case before, but that the local authority has been negligent in preventing brown boxes …

    Mobile 1 Sep 2009, 14:25

  • Malware thrown on California bush fires

    Scareware burns incautious surfers

    California bush fires that have destroyed 50 homes and ten commercial buildings - and claimed the lives of two firefighters - have become the latest lure for malware scams. Surfers searching for information about fires in the Auburn area using terms such as "auburn fire map" are presented with a list that includes pointers to …

    Security 1 Sep 2009, 14:28

  • iRiver e-book reader spied online?

    Looks a lot like Kindle...

    Images of what is thought to be an iRiver e-book reader have appeared online. iRiver's Story e-book reader? Rumoured to be called Story, pictures of the gadget were posted on an online forum alongside a raft of rumoured technical specifications. Designed to support a range of file formats, including ePub, XLS and PDF, …

    Hardware 1 Sep 2009, 14:35

  • Dell rides after Cisco with Brocade, Scalent posse

    Deputizes partners for unified computing

    Like other server makers, Dell has a lot to lose if Cisco Systems succeeds in its efforts to convince IT shops to buy its "California" Unified Computing System, which sports blade and rack servers with converged storage and network switches. Dell can't afford to start a switching business of its own (or to buy one) to compete …

    Storage 1 Sep 2009, 15:54

  • Skype's the limit for eBay: Voip biz sold to private investors

    Hangs on to 35 per cent of biz, ditches IPO

    It’s official - eBay has offloaded a majority stake in Skype to a gaggle of investors in a deal that values the VoIP outfit at $2.75bn. eBay keeps a 35 per cent stake in Skype. The online auction giant will get $1.9bn in cash. eBay offered to buy Skype for $2.6bn in 2005. But when earnouts were included eBay actually paid …

    VoIP 1 Sep 2009, 15:55

  • Microsoft names Windows Mobile 6.5 release date

    New Windows phones in-bound

    The latest version of Windows Mobile will be available on mobile phones next month, Microsoft has confirmed. The software giant has hyped up Windows Mobile 6.5 for some time now, but today finally announced that the first handsets to support the redesigned OS will start appearing in retail stores on 6 October. Despite …

    Phones 1 Sep 2009, 16:19

  • 5 men named in racket that netted $4m in stolen card data

    All aboard the Western Express Cybercrime Group

    Prosecutors in Manhattan have named five additional men from Eastern Europe in an alleged scheme that pilfered $4m using more than 95,000 stolen credit cards. Using handles such as "the Viver," "Inexwor," and "DoZ," the men were part of an international conspiracy that reached half-way around the world to snatch the payment …

    Security 1 Sep 2009, 18:03

  • Microsoft sneak peeks embedded Windows 7

    Due second half of 2010 (maybe)

    Microsoft has conjured a technical preview of its Windows 7-based embedded operating system today. Developers, device makers, and just plain folk who like to play fast and dangerous with their cash machine software can snag a copy as a Community Technology Preview over at Microsoftland. A finished version of Windows Embedded …

    Operating Systems 1 Sep 2009, 18:25

  • Spyware ad-on targets Firefox fans

    Fake Flash bash

    Miscreants have created an item of spyware targeted at Firefox users. The malware poses as an Adobe Flash Player update but in reality its designed to log a user's browsing history, in particular their Google search queries within Firefox. This information is uploaded to a hacker-controlled server. EBOD-A also has the …

    Security 1 Sep 2009, 18:27

  • Parallels unfurls desktop virt for Windows, Linux

    A haven for XP Mode refugees

    Virtualization software maker Parallels has unveiled a desktop hypervisor for Windows and Linux machines. The Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux edition comes hot on the heels of a special bundle of its Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac hypervisor aimed at helping customers make the switch from Windows PCs to Macs. And it's …

    Virtualization 1 Sep 2009, 19:00

  • VMware plots world data centre domination

    Opinion Why use anything else?

    VMware is making a play to wrest data centre control away from every other vendor and become the single door through which users and admin staff see data centre server, networking, and storage resources. A data centre administrator will increasingly monitor, manage, and diagnose data centre resource problems through VMware …

    Virtualization 1 Sep 2009, 19:09

  • Will Intel's Braidwood threaten SSD uptake?

    Motherboard module squares up

    Intel is adding solid state drive (SSD) storage to PC and server motherboards with Braidwood, its second generation Robson technology. This caches data stored in hard disk drives inside a NAND flash module installed on a PC's motherboard. The idea is to shorten boot times, launch applications faster, and generally get a PC …

    Storage 1 Sep 2009, 20:00

  • South Africa official calls for 'outright ban' on pornography

    I wanna be like China

    A South African government official is calling for the country to pursue a complete ban on pornography as a way to combat online child porn. On Tuesday, South Africa's Department of Home Affairs said it's developing an inter-departmental protocol to shield kids against child porn in time for the country hosting the 2010 World …

    Government 1 Sep 2009, 20:06

  • Dot Hill punts array of disk arrays

    Snapshot backup connects the dots

    Dot Hill is adding iSCSI RAID storage offerings to its small-form factor 2.5-inch disk array product line, as well as three new products to its mainstream 2000 series disk arrays. The 2322 iSCSI SAN array uses 2.5-inch disk drives, while the 2532 DAS host-SAS array, 2332 iSCSI, and 2732 4Gbit/s Fibre Channel SAN arrays use 3.5 …

    Storage 1 Sep 2009, 20:20

  • Amazon API crackdown neuters book apps

    New keys to the etail kingdom

    Following a change in the Amazon.com API, downloadable applications that rely on the etail giant for product data are experiencing a kind of Amazonian impotence. Nathaniel Elam, a Linux user from New London, Connecticut, recently encountered the problem with his copy of Tellico, a tool that keeps a digital catalog of his CDs, …

    Media 1 Sep 2009, 20:34

  • Gmail in massive web outage

    Updated San Francisco, New York, London, and, yes, Google

    Gmail was widely unavailable today to users on both the west and the east coast of the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, and elsewhere. The outage affected "a majority" of Gmail users, and even Google was unable to access its own web-based email service. But the service was still able to route mail via …

    Media 1 Sep 2009, 20:46

  • Buggy home routers expose O2 customers to hijacking

    Updated O2 looking in to it

    If you get your internet service from O2, there's a good chance Paul Mutton can remotely log in to your router and make configuration changes that surreptitiously allow him to access computers on your network. That's because the UK-based ISP offers its customers free customized routers that are vulnerable to CSRF, or cross- …

    Security 1 Sep 2009, 21:47

  • VMware in quest to marry internal, external clouds

    VMworld Dreams of virtual data center

    VMware plans to erase the boundaries between internal and external clouds, and it's working with over 1000 external-cloud service providers - including AT&T, SAVVIS, Terremark and Verizon Business - to pull it off. According to VMware president and CEO Paul Maritz, speaking during the opening keynote address Tuesday morning at …

    Virtualization 1 Sep 2009, 21:57

  • Russian prez launches YouTube channel

    Turn on, Kremlin, tune out

    Joining the Pope, Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, and five billion teenagers lip-syncing to terrible pop music, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has launched his own channel on YouTube to reach a more youthful audience. YouTube's 'all Kremlin, all the time' channel rollout comes at the same time as Russia's nationwide "Knowledge …

    Media 1 Sep 2009, 22:12

  • Twitter tracker goes twotspotting

    But don't call it that

    Geome uses the location information already attached to many tweets to provide a geocentric view of twitter, enabling you to find out who's twittering locally, and avoid them. It's just the kind of service that's supposed to be enabled by Twitter's new location API. But given that many mobile clients - and the web service - …

    Media 1 Sep 2009, 22:24

  • Cisco predicts swift California ramp

    Faster than a LAN switch

    Without any server product announcements to speak of this week while VMworld is raging in San Francisco, networking giant and server wannabe Cisco Systems trotted out its first customer for its "California" Unified Computing System. It also had one of its big implementation partners to talk about how the sales ramp was going. …

    Servers 1 Sep 2009, 22:46

  • UK Parliament website hack exposes shoddy passwords

    Updated Lights on, no one home

    A vulnerability in the website of the UK Parliament appears to be exposing confidential information, including unencrypted login credentials, a Romanian hacker wrote on his blog. The SQL injection vulnerability is on this page, the hacker, who goes by the moniker Unu, told The Register. By tacking database commands onto the …

    Security 1 Sep 2009, 23:43