15th September 2009 Archive

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Amazon cops to stalled data center

'$135m' facility on hold

Amazon has acknowledged that it's behind the 116,700-square-foot data center no longer under construction on the banks of the Columbia River in Boardman, Oregon. After construction began on the $135m facility last year, a local paper pegged Amazon as the tenant. But only now, as weeds pop up around the unfinished facility, has …

HPC 15 Sep 2009, 00:23
Avaya grabs Nortel's telecoms biz for $900m

Staves off Siemens

Avaya has won an auction for Nortel's enterprise telecoms business, beating out rival bidder, Siemens Enterprise Communications. The company will pay $900m cash for the unit, nearly double the $475m it initially offered during so-called stalking horse bidding as part of Nortel's bankruptcy-court proceedings. Avaya will also …

Financial News 15 Sep 2009, 00:49
Netbook sales set to soar - or not

Reading the tiny tea leaves

Netbook sales will continue to be strong for the foreseeable future - the only question is how strong. Between 25 and 30 million of the little fellows will be sold this year, but according to a report Monday by the Taiwanese tech-news site DigiTimes, "some netbook players" are forecasting that 2010 will remain flat, with a …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 00:55
Complexity and confusion drive Microsoft's licensing

Sanity taken for a ride?

Microsoft's licensing is tying customers in knots, with organizations spending needless amounts to ensure they remain compliant. That's according to Directions on Microsoft. The analyst firm blames a growing number of MS products and the fact that individual product groups are picking what licenses to use and setting price in …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 03:28
HP busts out fall PC lineup

Economic meltdown be damned

The fall PC buying season kicks off for Hewlett-Packard today as the company launches a bunch of new consumer and corporate notebooks as well as two desktop PCs aimed at businesses, a refreshed netbook, an all-in-one PC, and a beefier media server for the home market. The notebooks and netbooks also sport new and classier- …

Hardware 15 Sep 2009, 04:02
Broadcom sues Emulex in patent spat

We couldn't buy you so we'll sue you

Broadcom says Emulex is using its patented technology unlawfully and is off to court to stop Emulex using unlicensed technology and to get cash damages. Terrific. If you can't buy a company then smack it with a law suit. Broadcom even has a VP for this area, David Rosmann, in charge of intellectual property litigation, who …

Storage 15 Sep 2009, 05:42
Sim-free Palm Pré pre-orders tip up in UK

Yours for at least £450

Palm’s must-have new smartphone, the Pré, has popped up for pre-order on the websites of two different UK-based retailers. Blighty's gadget-mad can pre-order a Pré through Handtec HandTec is now accepting advance orders for £517.49 ($856/€588), while mPhone will put a Pré aside on your behalf for a slightly more pocketable …

Phones 15 Sep 2009, 06:02
HP and Canon extend printer deal

Small biz specials ahead

HP and Canon are deepening their existing relationship which will see more marketing and distribution for Canon's product list as well as a wider range of kit from HP. The deal will help Canon get more products in front of resellers and consumers while HP will get a better collection of combined products - printer-photocopiers …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 07:02
Tandberg Data tells channel 'have some of DAT'

Jumps on HP's DATwagon

Contrary to any idea that manufacturing and selling removable RDX disk drives meant Tandberg Data was against SME tape products, the company is going to sell DAT drives and media products through its channel. Tandberg Data is working closely with HP on the release of DAT 320, the latest format, later this year. DAT (Digital …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 07:12
Blur Switzerland more, Google ordered

Street View privacy jam rolls on

Switzerland's head of federal data protection has told Google that his country is still not sufficiently blurry on the Great Satan of Mountain View's Street View service, despite the company agreeing to further obscure faces and number plates. Hans-Peter Thür ordered Street View offline ealier this month because "many faces …

Bootnotes 15 Sep 2009, 08:04
Government swiftly backpedals on vetting scheme

Balls up for a quick ~~review~~ check

The Vetting Database is in trouble: that’s official. Or rather, according to a spokeswoman for the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), it most definitely is not. That is why Ed Balls, Secretary of State at the DCSF, is absolutely NOT calling for "a review". Rather, in a letter to Barry Sheerman, Chair of the …

Government 15 Sep 2009, 08:15
Intel takes biggest slice of market pie since 2005

Four year high

Intel grew its market share of PC processors on the back of a slight recovery in sales in the second quarter. The chip giant scored 80.6 per cent of world chip revenue in the second quarter of 2009, up from 79.1 per cent in the same period of 2008 and up 1.5 per cent from the previous quarter. Matthew Wilkins, analyst of …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 08:59
HP and Vivienne Tam join forces, again

Designer's second HP notebook out next year

HP and clothes designer Vivienne Tam have joined forces to create another handbag-style netbook. HP's second notebook etched with a design by Vivienne Tam Tam’s latest attempt to turn the mini-laptop into a fashion accessory has seen her spray one of HP’s notebooks an off-gold colour, stencil three butterflies onto the …

Hardware 15 Sep 2009, 09:18
Freecom MediaPlayer II 500GB

Review Media streamer, meet Nas box

Despite its name, the Freecom MediaPlayer II is more than just media streamer - it's a Nas box too. So, not only can you use it to play video files in your lounge, but it's easy to get content on to it as well. Just hook it up to your network, and drag and drop what you want to watch. Freecom's MediaPlayer II: Nas and media …

Hardware 15 Sep 2009, 09:19
Ofcom will delegate video-on-demand regulation

Bung it at Brussels

Media regulator Ofcom will delegate much of the oversight of video on demand services when a new European Union Directive comes into force in December. Ofcom has outlined which services will and which won't be covered by the new rules. The Television Without Frontiers Directive has been replaced in Brussels by the Audio Visual …

Media 15 Sep 2009, 09:20
Former Isilon CFO charged over secret customer deals

Inflated sales skulduggery

Isilon's former chief financial officer, Stuart Fuhlendorf, is being charged by the US SEC with cutting secret customer deals and reporting false and inflated sales results. According to a report the SEC has settled its dispute with Isilon over a resulting restatement of accounts for 2006 and 2007 which revealed $4.8m in …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 09:42
Overland results show improvement

Not over the hill yet

There's no need to call the grim reaper. Overland Storage's fourth quarter and full year 2009 results show it being nursed back to health. Overland Storage makes ULTAMUS and REO data protection disk array and NEO tape automation products, plus Snap Server network-attached storage (NAS) products for mid-range and small …

Storage 15 Sep 2009, 09:48
Volkswagen unveils Yorkshire-friendly e-car

Leccy Tech Eh-oop, it's the E-Up!

Volkswagen has whipped the dust sheet from a “close to production” concept car, described by the firm as its “Beetle for the 21st Century”. VW's E-Up! will be used as a design basis for its upcoming e-cars Called E-Up! – making it a popular car for Yorkshire residents — the three-door hatchback apparently has a ‘3 plus 1’ …

Science 15 Sep 2009, 09:57
Nokia lets operators ~~screw with~~ customise the N900

The customer is always right - the customer is not you

Nokia has been busy reassuring network operators that they will be able to muck about with the branding on the Maemo-based N900, despite rumours to the contrary. A posting on the company's blog makes it clear that while Nokia has worked hard to improve the customer experience on their latest high-end handset, they're not going …

Mobile 15 Sep 2009, 09:59
Toshiba, HDS, WD dish new disk drives

Developments galore

Three of the top four hard disk drive suppliers have each announced new products, covering the very small, the small and the not small at all form factors. Starting at the bottom of the heap, Toshiba has a new 1.8-inch drive range for MP3 players and the like. It offers 60 to 160GB on a single platter with a 467Gbit/sq in …

Storage 15 Sep 2009, 10:09
Aussie censors persist in making a bad fist of it

Screwing up with prohibitive iTunes movie policy

Male masturbation and extreme anal fisting are now PG, as far as the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) are concerned. However, mainstream films such as V for Vendetta and American Gangster are prohibited content – at least if they happen to be distributed through the iTunes Store (ITMS) "Gift this movie" …

Government 15 Sep 2009, 10:11
Malware lingers months on infected PCs

Resident evil

Malware stays around on infected PCs far longer than previously thought, according to the latest research from Trend Micro. Previous estimates suggested that a compromised machine remains infected for approximately six weeks. Based on an analysis of around 100 million compromised IPs, Trend Micro concludes that many infected …

Security 15 Sep 2009, 10:16
Cyclists give TV chef a Wikikicking

James Martin roasted by irate pedal bashers

It's been all go for the last couple of days down at the Wikipedia page celebrating TV food-molestor James Martin, who's earned himself a bit of a Wikikicking from irate cyclists following an entertaining review of the Tesla Roadster for the Mail. Martin (pictured) wrote: "God, I hate those cyclists. Every last herbal tea- …

Bootnotes 15 Sep 2009, 10:24
Sony Ericsson's Pureness set for pre-Christmas launch

Transparent touchscreen talker in your stocking, anyone?

Sony Ericsson’s transparent mobile phone will be launched before for Christmas, it has emerged. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com The Pureness sports a transparent, touch-sensitive display, and will appear in a string of designer retail stores – such as Selfridges – from November. The handset will …

Phones 15 Sep 2009, 10:34
Ford says new Taurus 'is fitted with stealth fighter radar'

Not true: The one in the car is actually quite useful

US motor mammoth Ford have made a bizarre claim to have incorporated radar technology from the renowned F-22 Raptor - the most secret, most expensive fighter plane in the world - into a new mid-range family car. Amazingly the claim has been accepted without question by the BBC. Apparently driving a Ford Taurus is just like …

Science 15 Sep 2009, 11:03
Google and Microsoft bombard Brussels over ad tracking

Intense lobbying

Google, Microsoft and other special interests are subjecting the European Commission to the most intense lobbying campaign it has ever faced, over regulation of how data is used to target advertising online, according to officials in Brussels. Commissioner Meglena Kuneva announced in March that her department would investigate …

Government 15 Sep 2009, 11:07
Swayze death exploited to serve up fake anti-virus

I've had the crime of my life

Miscreants have moved swiftly to establish malicious websites designed to rip off users searching for more information on the death of actor Patrick Swayze on Monday. Black-hat search engine manipulation means that many sites that appear prominently in search engine results point to sites slinging fake anti-virus scanners. …

Security 15 Sep 2009, 11:18
Swedish ISP to appeal Pirate Bay cut-off verdict

What's behind the door?

The Swedish ISP that was ordered by a court in August to block The Pirate Bay has reportedly decided to appeal the verdict. Last month TPB was taken offline after Stockholm’s district court ordered its bandwidth supplier - Black Internet - to stop serving the BitTorrent website’s traffic or face a penalty of 500,000 kronor (£ …

Broadband 15 Sep 2009, 11:22
Machine rebellion begins: Killer robot destroyed by US jet

Rogue droid 'was attempting to cross border'

An American "Reaper" flying hunter-killer robot assassin rebelled against its human controllers above Afghanistan on Sunday, and a manned US fighter jet was forced to shoot the rogue machine down before it unilaterally invaded a neighbouring country. The Reaper, aka MQ-9 or Predator-B, is a large five-ton turboprop powered …

Science 15 Sep 2009, 11:42
Telstra rejects Aussie gov calls for split

Stephen Conroy finds some more people to annoy

The incumbent Australian telco Telstra is unimpressed with broadband minister Stephen Conroy's calls for reform and the possible division of the company up into retail and wholesale businesses. Legislation aims to strengthen consumer protection by reinforcing the Universal Service Obligation and Customer Service Guarantee. …

Broadband 15 Sep 2009, 11:50
LIVE NOW: The Register Agile Data Center Summit

Analysts, experts, you

Experts from Dell, Intel, VMware and Freeform Dynamics answer you questions and debate the strategies and solutions to help IT departments deliver market leading services from 12.30pm EST, 5.30pm BST today at the The Register Agile Data Center Summit. Tune into the action here. The Register Agile Data Summit aims to give …

Servers 15 Sep 2009, 12:02
Apple iPod Nano 5G

Review YouTuber's delight

Apple rarely - if ever - praises the products of rival companies, but the recent launch of the new iPod range included an unexpected tribute to the merits of the compact and easy-to-use Flip camcorder. “That’s a market we want to get into,” said Apple CEO Steve Jobs before confirming that Apple has added a video camera to the …

Hardware 15 Sep 2009, 12:02
Datz all, folks

Updated Unlimited music download service goes titsup

Datz Music Lounge, the all you can eat music service where you paid £99 upfront for a year's unlimited music, has closed. The service launched last year, offering DRM-free downloads with extensive back catalogues from EMI and Warner Music. Since September 1 the site has displayed the messaged "Datz Music Lounge is currently …

Media 15 Sep 2009, 12:04
Street View prowls Outer Hebrides

Pack of spymobiles also menaces Vienna

Those among you who might have wondered just how far you have to travel to escape the attention of Google all-seeing Street View should be advised that the answer is Rockall, or any other place accessible only by sea - at least until the Great Satan of Mountain View bolts a spycam to a submarine snorkel and scours the world's …

Bootnotes 15 Sep 2009, 12:11
Violin Memory grabs Fusion-io's former chief

Basile orchestrates memory appliance launch

Dr Don Basile, the former head of Fusion-io, has been secretly working as the CEO for Violin Memory since April this year, it has emerged. Various ex-Fusion-io people have followed him there. Both Fusion-io and Violin Memory make flash memory products for servers. The Violin 1010 Memory Appliance product is a PCIe or network- …

Storage 15 Sep 2009, 13:00
Why should the US stimulus rules change for the big carriers?

Smaller fish are more agile and just as voracious

Now that the US broadband stimulus funding applications are in, there is rising debate over whether the rules should be changed for subsequent rounds of financing. Many of the applicants are putting forward highly innovative plans that go far beyond simple best effort access to underserved communities and look forward to a …

Broadband 15 Sep 2009, 13:02
Microsoft harries XP-loving biz customers on to Windows 7

Nobody puts Redmond in a corner

Microsoft wants business customers - whose offices are chugging along nicely with the company's eight-year-old workhorse OS, Windows XP - to upgrade to Windows 7 now. The firm pushed out a flurry of case studies and related happy-clappy stuff about Windows 7 yesterday, in a move to convince punters who previously turned their …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 13:09
New Guinea sex cult eyes bumper banana crop

Public nookie boosts harvest, guru claims

Papua New Guinea police have dispatched officers to a remote village where the leader of a sex cult rather brilliantly promised locals "a bumper banana harvest" if they made the beast with two backs in public. Apparently, the deal was that every time villagers from Yamina in Morobe province got their rocks off, the banana …

Bootnotes 15 Sep 2009, 13:18
BT extends trials of boondocks broadband

Claims stable 1Mbit up to 12km from exchange

BT has announced plans to extend trials of technology to allow more homes and businesses in remote locations to receive stable broadband. Openreach's "Broadband Enabling Technology" (BET) - which amplifies signals - will be deployed in eight more rural exchanges from September 30, BT said today. During successful trials in …

Broadband 15 Sep 2009, 13:51
Son of Hadopi: The Revenge

Three strikes, take two...

The French government is soldiering on with its three strikes legislation, Hadopi. After rejection by the French Supreme Court on constitutional grounds in June, Hadopi fils returns to the Senate this afternoon. This time persistent file sharers who have been warned, then disconnected, will have the right to appeal the …

Media 15 Sep 2009, 13:53
Warning: Showers can seriously damage your health

Geeks proved right after all

US scientists have rather disturbingly provided ammunition for shower-dodging geeks to defend their malodorous ways: showers can actually be bad for your health. According to researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder, pathogens which occur naturally at low levels in water supplies can accumulate in high …

Science 15 Sep 2009, 13:56
NetApp brushes up entry-level

Slashes budget model price, clears way for new FAS2040

NetApp has announced a new mainstream FAS2000 array and dropped the price of its entry-level FAS2020 product. There are three main NetApp storage array product families: the high-end FAS6000, mid-range FAS3000 and low-end FAS2000. There were two FAS2000 products: the entry-level FAS2020 and the larger FAS2050 with 20 internal …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 14:16
Orange biz picks up web security

ScanSafe proves a-peel-ing

Orange Business Services is to start selling ScanSafe web security products. The distribution agreement has already chalked up one win for a contract with a multi-national chemical company, covering 45,000 staff in 80 countries. Gerard Garnier, VP of IT servies at Orange Business Services, said ScanSafe was chosen because it …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 14:16
British TV firm dumps Silverlight

Gone in a Flash

In a blow to Microsoft, ITV has switched the technology powering its web streaming service from Silverlight to Adobe's more widely installed Flash. It's understood the move, quietly carried out on Friday, was motivated by a simple need for the commercial broadcaster to reach the greatest possible number of web viewers. The …

Developer 15 Sep 2009, 14:49
Seagate jazzes up HDD-to-TV box

HDMI, Ethernet and more added

Seagate has tweaked its connect-your-hard-drive-to-your-telly offering, FreeAgent Theatre, marking up the device's moniker with a plus sign to indicate its superior status. The new model adds support for 1080p output over HDMI - the previous version peaked at 1080i over component-video - and incorporates not only an extra pair …

Hardware 15 Sep 2009, 14:53
Brown says the 'C' word

Not that word you dirty buggers

Prime minister Gordon Brown has said what everyone else in the country has known for months - that the government, whether Labour, Tory or LibDem, will have to cut spending in order to sort out the country's massive debt pile. The Westminster village has alive with speculation over what programmes Brown's team would put to the …

Government 15 Sep 2009, 15:15
Australia mulls botnet takedown scheme

Excuse me mate, but you're spewing spam

Australia is considering the adopting of a code that would oblige ISPs to contact, and in extreme cases perhaps even disconnect, customers with malware-infested computers. The voluntary eSecurity Code is designed to put a squeeze on the estimated 100,000 zombies in Australia, each of which might be capable of kicking out 10, …

Security 15 Sep 2009, 15:16
Sweep Panorama coming to Sony's robotic photographer?

Firm working on 'next generation' models

Sony has hinted that its upcoming Party-shot robotic photographer may soon be upgraded to support its Cyber-shot cameras' funky Sweep Panorama shooting mode. Sweep Panorama would help the IPT-DS1 snap wide landscape pictures, automatically Party-shot – also known as the IPT-DS1 – currently only enables single still images …

Hardware 15 Sep 2009, 15:16
Peugeot to offer in-car Wi-Fi in 2010

Turning wardriving on its head?

Peugeot is to turn its cars into mobile Wi-Fi hotspots. Early next year, the French carmaker will offer an optional in-car wireless router that uses a HSDPA 3G modem as a backhaul. Dubbed WiFi On Board, the box will allow the user to connect using whichever carrier he or she prefers. At this stage, it's not clear to what …

Science 15 Sep 2009, 15:38
Intel legal chief swaps chips for bite of Apple

Bruce Sewell jumps ship to join Jobsian outfit

Intel's general counsel Bruce Sewell has beaten a hasty retreat from Chipzilla in favour of a new job over at Apple. Sewell hung up his Intel boots yesterday on the same day that the company’s long-serving senior digital veep Pat Gelsinger was poached by storage giant EMC. Apple spun out a statement today confirming Sewell’s …

Hardware 15 Sep 2009, 15:58
Human brain 'works like US presidential elections'

If only you could kill those with beer, too

American brain specialists, in an announcement which may explain many puzzling aspects of human behaviour, say that the human bonce's decision-making process functions in a very similar way to US presidential elections. William Kath and Nelson Spruston, of Northwestern Uni in Illinois, discovered the so-called “two-layer …

Science 15 Sep 2009, 16:11
Zune HD unzipped

IFixit disassembles Microsoft's finest

If you’re disappointed that the Zune HD is just a North American gadget “for the time being”, yet still want to know what makes it tick, then read on. Because US repair-and-parts shop iFixit has taken its screwdrivers to Microsoft’s latest media player model. A peek inside the Zune HD Source: iFixit Upon immediate …

Hardware 15 Sep 2009, 16:47
Microsoft mobile marketplace ads worm into iPhone

No holds barred

Microsoft is clear about the applications it will ban from its upcoming download marketplace for Windows mobile phones. Verboten apps include alternative marketplaces and promotion of, or links to, rivals for the sale or download of software, games and other content already available through Windows Marketplace for Mobile. …

Phones 15 Sep 2009, 18:47
AT&T to service Apple's fabled tablet?

So imply Chinese moles

Apple is prepping a 9.6-inch touch-screen tablet that will include snappy wireless hardware - although it appears that AT&T's struggling infrastructure may be chosen to service the li'l fellow. That is, if the latest round of rumors out of Taiwan are true. The Taiwan Economic News today reported that the tablet will run …

Broadband 15 Sep 2009, 19:07
US Bank dumps Sharepoint (to spend more time with Lotus)

Redmond expunged from 5,000 sites

One of the largest banks in the United States will stop writing checks for Microsoft Sharepoint and standardize on the IBM Lotus platform instead. US Bank will begin rolling out IBM's collaboration software, Lotus Quickr, and social computing software, Lotus Connections, for all 58,000 employees. More than 5,000 sites running …

Applications 15 Sep 2009, 19:20
Tervela bags $18m for go faster messaging appliances

HPC on Wall Street My latency is lower than yours

Appliances that accelerate Java applications, encryption and decryption, network message transfer, Web serving, and database processing have found their niches. Now a company called Tervela aims to sell the idea of a messaging appliance to the financial services industry. New York-based Tervela yesterday completed a fourth …

HPC 15 Sep 2009, 20:15
US gov opens Cloud shop to combat runaway IT costs

Get free stuff from Apps.gov

Federal CIO Vivek Kundra has unveiled a new portal where government agencies can shop for their very own clouds, a part of the Obama administration's effort to deliver the US government from the IT dark ages. Today, at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, Kundra took the wraps off Apps.gov, a storefront …

Government 15 Sep 2009, 20:28
France passes three-strikes bill

Opponents vow to block Hadopi II

France's lower house has approved an amended version of the controversial three-strikes legislation intended to crack down on illegal downloads. The French National Assembly passed the anti-piracy bill today by a 285 votes to 225, with the ruling majority UMP in favor and the Socialist Party leading opposition votes. Before …

Media 15 Sep 2009, 21:29
Intel to EU watchdogs: 'It's AMD's fault'

'Manifestly disproportionate' fine

Surprising no one, Intel contends that European Union market watchdogs erred when they fined the chip-baking giant €1.06bn for anti-competive practices. According to a report today by the Associated Press, Intel has filed a plea with the European commission to either reverse its decision entirely or - at minimum - reduce what …

The Channel 15 Sep 2009, 21:38
Adobe spends $1.8bn on Omniture web brains

Out consult Microsoft's Silverlight

Adobe Systems is snapping up the self-described "web analytics and online business optimization software and services" company Omniture for $1.8bn. Considering that Omniture's market capitalization as of last Friday was $1.29bn, there may dancing in the streets this evening in Orem, Utah, home of Omniture's corporate …

Financial News 15 Sep 2009, 23:23
Windows plays virtualization catch up with Linux

Benefit issues

Linux server users are reaping the benefits of virtualization more than those running Windows. Microsoft's restrictive and confusing licenses are a big reason for holding back Windows customerson virtualization. The company's foot-dragging on VMware and Xen support, plus Hyper-V's relative lateness and immaturity, are also …

Virtualization 15 Sep 2009, 23:41
Oracle, Sun speed-launch Exadata V2

So much for HP iron, Sparcs MIA

If Oracle is trying to convince Sun customers that it is committed to the Sparc platform, perhaps it is not trying hard enough. As it turns out, "the world's first OLTP database machine with FlashFire technology" that El Reg told you last weekend was coming and that Oracle and Sun trotted out today is based on Sun's "Galaxy" …

HPC 15 Sep 2009, 23:57