18th September 2009 Archive

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IBM tries to patent teleconference sound effects

Turn your business calls into wacky morning radio show

When hosting a business conference call, there are two easy options for keeping participants interested and alert: a) making sure the conversation is compelling and informative; or b) make farting noises at opportune moments. While tried and true, option b comes with certain drawbacks. For one, the effort could get a …

Telecoms 18 Sep 00:02
World's nastiest trojan fools AV software

Pounces on banking passwords

One of the world's nastiest password-stealing trojans evades detection by the majority PCs running anti-virus programs, according to a study that examined 10,000 machines. Zeus, a stealthy piece of malware that sits on a PC and waits for users to log in to bank websites, is detected just 23 per cent of time by AV programs, …

Malware 18 Sep 00:37
Students get deep Windows 7 price break

Upgraders wanted in US, UK

With its deepest Windows 7 discounts yet, Microsoft is targeting students who might otherwise chose Apple. The company has announced qualified college and university students can obtain Windows 7 for just $30 in the US and 30 pounds in the UK. Students in the US can pre-order their copies from September 17 and download with …

Channel Register 18 Sep 03:37
NEC upgrades HYDRAstor NAS archive

WORM, better dedupe and in-flight encryption head list

NEC in America has upgraded HYDRAstor, its grid-based NAS archive product, by adding more performance, improving software features, extending deduplication, and adding three entry-level models. NEC in the USA refers to itself as NEC Corporation of America: NECAM for short. Its HYDRAstor is a grid-based way of backing up and …

Channel Register 18 Sep 07:02
Paul Allen flogs radio licence

Surely he doesn't need the money?

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has sold off most of the 700MHz he owns through Vulcan Spectrum, putting more of the US digital dividend into AT&T's hands. No one is saying how much the deal was worth, but the money is probably much needed by Mr. Allen following the bankruptcy of Charter Communications, which he controlled, …

Wireless 18 Sep 07:30
Volvo reveals electric C30's specs

Leccy Tech Officially called the C30 Battery Electric Vehicle

With World+Dog whipping dust sheets off electric cars and concepts at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Volvo has stepped aside to shed more light on the technical features of its upcoming leccy C30. Volvo's C30 BEV uses a 24kWh battery and one leccy motor The e-car didn’t have an official name back in July, but Volvo’s since …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 08:02
HP grabs web pioneer

Netscape founder navigates way onto board

Marc Andreessen is joining the board of HP. The man behind the browser many of us old gits first used to get online will become HP's 11th director. HP's chief exec Mark Hurd described him as a software pioneer who helped shape the internet, and a welcome addition to the company's board. Andreessen now runs a $300m venture …

PCs & Chips 18 Sep 08:25
HP's full flash house

Samsung joins STEC, Fusion-io in servers

HP is providing a Samsung solid state drive (SSD) option for its ProLiant servers. All G6 and some G5 servers can now use 60 and 120GB Samsung flash drives. This comes after several months of testing. HP and Samsung talk of the I/O speed increases made possible by this, the low-power needs of SSD technology, and increased …

Channel Register 18 Sep 09:05
Xiotech gets $10m funding fillip

For 2010 product building on Emprise and ISE

Seagate spin-off Xiotech has raised $10m in a funding round along with a $10m credit line. It will use the cash for product development. Xiotech bought the Advanced Storage Architecture Group from Seagate, and got access to the Integrated Storage Element (ISE) sealed canisters of disk technology used in its Emprise systems, in …

Storage 18 Sep 09:27
Wireless charging coming to Latitude?

High-end Dell laptop rumoured

Dell may be on the cusp of launching a high-end laptop equipped with wireless charging technology, it has been reported. Dell's Latitude Z may launch with a wireless charging feature Credit: Notebook Review Images of the Latitude Z first broke cover back in June. However, business publication Forbes has since discovered …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 09:44
Medion turns to touchscreen

Unwraps all-in-one offering

Medion has launched an all-in-one touchscreen PC called, rather unimaginatively, The Touch. Greasy palm prints - the best way to advertise Medion's all-in-one touchscreen PC? Looking somewhat like a small display – it actually measures 24in – bolted onto a sound system, The Touch boasts a 1920 x 1080 resolution and Nvidia …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 09:47
Society bible lectures students on etiquette

Yes, yes, but how can I lose my virginity?

As another crop of 18-year-olds heads to college for the first time, University towns across the land are bracing themselves for the bacchanalian orgy known as freshers' week. Thankfully, any parents worried that their nearest and dearest are going to fall prey to the Rugby Club's front row or end up flogging copies of …

Bootnotes 18 Sep 10:23
Carder forum drops offline after hack attack

White hat cavalry shoot up black hat site

A Pakistan-based carder site has dropped off the net, after white hat hackers broke into the forum and posted details of the hack on a full disclosure mailing list. Pakbugs.com provided a forum for ne'er do wells to discuss hacking tactics and trade malware, bank logins details and stolen credit card credentials. However this …

Crime 18 Sep 10:24
Bakbone slips disk into product range

Complements and augments tape target

Responding to the inevitable, backup software supplier BakBone is extending its NetVault data backup products to disk as well as tape, building on capabilities it has already introduced, such as NetVault: FastRecover. The company has said it will introduce an Open Data Protection platform later this year, "extending the …

Storage 18 Sep 10:26
Nokia launches Braille Reader app

Helping the blind read texts on touchscreen mobiles

Nokia has launched a mobile phone application that lets blind people read text messages. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com The application requires the user’s phone to have a vibration mode, Nokia said, because it essentially turns the characters of a text message into Braille. Nokia Braille Reader …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 10:28
Ex-BT tech chief quits Phorm

Didn't really work out

Stratis Scleparis, the former BT Retail chief technology officer who joined Phorm after overseeing secret trials of its web monitoring and profiling system, has quit the firm. Phorm is expected to reveal further heavy losses when it announces its half year financial results on Monday. A spokesman for Phorm said Scleparis had …

Telecoms 18 Sep 11:20
Home Office minister owned by own rules

Pardon me, ma'am, is this your petard?

Home Office minister and Attorney General Baroness Scotland - the government's chief law officer and the woman who put in place rules making businesses take the blame for employing illegal immigrants - has been caught apparently employing, er, an illegal immigrant. The Baroness has now terminated the employment of her …

Government 18 Sep 11:22
Lancet: Hordes of patio-heater babies will doom planet

Forget windmills, only free johnnies can save us now

Famed politico-medical journal The Lancet has grabbed big ink by taking the view that providing contraceptives for women in developing nations prevents five times as much CO2 emission as the same money spent on conventional green measures such as windmill subsidies. Famous for starting the MMR vaccine scare and for publishing …

Environment 18 Sep 11:30
Sony and BBC clash over PS3 problems

The ~~Red~~ Yellow Light of Death

Sony has sent the BBC a stinging rebuttal after the broadcaster's Watchdog programme investigated an alleged PlayStation 3 problem dubbed The Yellow Light of Death. Watchdog launched the investigation because, according to the BBC, over 150 PS3 owners had contacted the show after their Sony consoles broke down without warning …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 11:32
Thieves help selves to PCs from Office for Digital Inclusion

Bloody hell, tweets digital Tsar Lane Fox

The UK.gov's digi-quango, the Office for Digital Inclusion, has lived up to its name by distributing a whole office of PCs to underprivileged people without even trying. The ODI's job is to close the digital divide and force people onto the web, even if they don't want to. Staff at the fledgling quango apparently turned up to …

Government 18 Sep 11:32
States wade into Google book deal row

Never judge a search giant by its cover

Hostility to Google’s proposed settlement with authors and publishers continues to build across the pond, where five state attorneys general have bemoaned the Books Rights Registry deal. US state legal advisors from Missouri, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Washington filed briefs this week, according to Market …

Music and Media 18 Sep 11:39
A journey through VoIP

Regcast Audio direction for the masses

Last week James Hone of Thus joined Freeform Dynamics’ Josie Sephton in the Reg studio to discuss how you get from your current set-up to a VoIP solution in a few easy steps - from concepts through to requirements definition and implementation. For those of you considering VoIP as a solution for your business, this should be …

VoIP 18 Sep 11:40
Samsung GT-B2100 Solid Extreme rugged phone

Review More muscle than multimedia mobile

Following on from the original Solid SGH-M110 and the recent B2700 Bound, the GT-B2100 Solid Extreme is the latest in a line of Samsung handsets that show themselves as well ’ard. While designed for harsh outdoor conditions, the Solid Extreme nevertheless touts features we typically expect to find on phones these days, namely a …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 12:02
AT&T juices PC rescue service with Intel's Fast Call for Help

vPro versus humans

Intel and AT&T are cuddling up to provide remote help-desk support for small and midsized businesses. That is, if those companies' laptops and desktops support Intel's vPro hardware-assisted remote management and security technology - here's Intel's list of those that currently do. The service, announced yesterday and …

Small Biz 18 Sep 12:02
NASA probe scents crusty bonanza in dark moon bottoms

Shadow icebergs of the lunar antarctic

NASA says that its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) probe in orbit around the Moon has detected neutron signatures indicating possible frozen water deposits hidden in craters at the lunar south pole. Tough country for ice mining. One of the LRO's main missions is to find water on the Moon, which would make it far less …

Space 18 Sep 12:10
North Wales Police institute new happiness law

Content a copper - or else, boyo!

Police in North Wales are road-testing a new offence: it's called "failing to make a police officer happy". That, at least, is the conclusion that some viewers might draw from a recording posted earlier this week by biker mag, Motorcycle News (MCN). Penalties for not satisfying the copper contentment quota include possible …

Policing 18 Sep 12:24
'Do You Want To See My C*ck?' asks budding author

Look out Dave Gorman

The world of books is buzzing about a new publishing sensation to rival Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol, industry sources have revealed to The Register. A groundbreaking proposal from new North West author Duncan Webster arrived at the office of publishing giant Random House last week, but quickly leaked to rivals and has sparked …

Bootnotes 18 Sep 12:36
NYT scareware scam linked to click fraud botnet

Ukrainian fan club cheer on all sorts of mischief

A botnet, initially run through compromised servers in the Bahamas, has been blamed for the recent upsurge in scareware scams. Researchers from security firm Click Forensics have tied the Bahama botnet to a recent attack that resulted in pop-up ads punting rogue anti-virus software appearing via the New York Times website. The …

Crime 18 Sep 12:37
Palm waves farewell to Windows Mobile

Device roadmap only lists WebOS handsets, says CEO

Palm's four-year flirtation with Windows Mobile is over, now it finally has an operating system to call its own again. Company Chairman and CEO Jon Rubinstein last night said that the Palm would now "dedicate all future development resources to the evolution of webOS" with the result that "going forward our roadmap will …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 12:55
So you wanna build an Application Security Programme

Webcast People, process, technology and more

Whether you're already knee-deep in security challenges or about to embark on such a strategy, we have a webcast that you should find useful. Just two weeks ago we ran an Application Security Webcast with Jon Collins from research house Freeform Dynamics and a couple of hardcore experts from HP - including security guru, and …

Security 18 Sep 13:12
Toshiba's Cell TV to debut in Japan in Q4

To be branded 'Cell Regza'

Toshiba's first HDTV to incorporate a Cell processor - essentially the same CPU found in the PlayStation 3 could be out by the end of the year. The Japanese giant began promising such a telly in 2007, and demo'd such a beast at the January 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Toshiba used Cell to deliver what it …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 13:37
Psion founder retires

PDA carriage clock awaits

The founder of mobile computer firm Psion has stepped down from his role as chairman of the company. Psion announced Dr David Potter's retirement on 26 June this year, when it appointed John Hawkins as his successor. He formally takes over as chairman at the firm today after serving on Psion's board of directors since 2002. …

Mobile 18 Sep 13:55
Facebook hack service smells fishy

Supposed hackers may be scamming the terminally nosey

Eastern European hackers are offering to crack into any Facebook account for a fee of $100, payable online through Western Union, though circumstantial evidence suggests that the scheme might just as easily be geared towards ripping-off potential clients while delivering nothing. The Facebook hacking service, offered by …

ID 18 Sep 14:23
Pirate Bay's would-be saviour hit by 'bankruptcy order'

Rough seas ahead

Global Gaming Factory X - the supposed saviour of Pirate Bay - has apparently been hit by a bankruptcy order in a Swedish court. It was kicked off the Swedish stock exchange just over a week ago for failing to provide proper financial information. Its shares were suspended in late August. The attempted takeover of the Pirate …

Music and Media 18 Sep 14:30
DARPA seeks orbital wheely-bin plan

Must cope with rubbish up to 'derelict spaceship' size

The noted US military bonkers-boffinry bureau, DARPA, announced yesterday that it would like to hear from anyone with ideas for cleaning up the large amounts of space debris orbiting the Earth. Aerospace globocorp Boeing has already indicated that it is interested. According to DARPA: Since the advent of the space age over …

Space 18 Sep 14:49
Mission sets e-bike land speed record

Leccy Tech Crosses Utah Flats at 150mph

Mission Motorcycles has set a land speed record for an electric motorbike. The Mission One bike hit a 150.059mph average over two one-mile runs With test rider Jeremy Cleland in the saddle, the Mission One bike achieved an American Motorcyclist Association certified 150.059mph average over two one-mile runs across the …

Reg Hardware 18 Sep 15:26
Malvertisers slapped by Microsoft lawsuits

Virus and scareware writer hunt

Microsoft has filed what are believed to be the first lawsuits designed to stop the growing practice of malvertising The company has filed five suits against unnamed individuals who it has accused of posting malicious and deceptive code through ads on its MSN advertising network. The suits allege that individuals using the …

Security 18 Sep 17:31
US software firm sentenced for 'trading with the enemy'

Cuban heels

A US software company has been sentenced by a federal judge for "trading with the enemy." Platte River Associates, a geologic modeling firm in Colorado, was fined $14,500 for selling software used to make a model for potential exploration and development of oil and gas within the territorial waters of Cuba, the US Department …

Crime 18 Sep 18:04
California man jailed for E*Trade skim scam

Salami-slice fraudster heads for the can

A man who scammed online brokerages including E*Trade and Charles Schwab by stealing a huge number of tiny test deposits from multiple accounts was jailed for 15 months on Thursday. Michael Largent, 22, of Plumas Lake, California, was also ordered to pay $200,073 in compensation to his victims after pleading guilty to two …

Crime 18 Sep 18:16
Dell XPS support takes a catnap

Bangalore, are you receiving me?

Dell's XPS Premium Support service database servers were down for four hours on Thursday and two on Friday, according to a Register source, making the company's "24x7" support promise moot. A Reg reader who called the service to report a dead motherboard on his Dell XPS 720 - which was under warranty - was told that his …

Channel Register 18 Sep 18:40
AMD to reverse pay cuts

Actually were temporary

The employees at chip designer and seller AMD got some good news in their email this week: they are getting a raise. Sort of. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the local paper in AMD's Texas hometown, new chief executive officer Dirk Meyer is getting ready to rescind the pay cuts that AMD instituted in January, when …

Channel Register 18 Sep 19:26
'Evil' Windows 7 campaign goes global

Same sins. New audience

The Free Software Foundation's Windows 7 sins campaign goes global next week, with letters to 500 of the world's charities and non-governmental organizations. Letters will encourage organizations to use the introduction of Windows 7 by Microsoft in October as an opportunity to review their use of Windows and evaluate open- …

Operating Systems 18 Sep 21:58
Google says Apple silenced its Voice

Rejects non-rejection tale

Google has told the US Federal Communication Commission that Apple rejected the Google Voice and Google Lattitude apps it submitted to the iTunes App Store - though Apple says otherwise. In fact, Google's response to the FCC's letter (PDFs) requesting clarification of Apple's rejection of the apps states that the rejection was …

Mobile 18 Sep 22:30
Undead COBOL celebrates (another) 50th birthday

The name. Not the language

COBOL is celebrating its 50th birthday. Or at least the name is. In May 1959, during a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., the US Department of Defense organized a committee charged with developing a "short range" approach to a common business computing language. And on September 18th of that year, the new Short Range …

Developer 18 Sep 22:35
FOSSers host global Saturday celebration

Ubuntu in the bag

Join the shopping masses in Kingston-Upon-Thames this Saturday and you might come away with more than you bargained for: an Ubuntu CD, plus schwag, along with that Zara top. And if you're headed to Boston's China Town, don't be surprised if you run into the bearded free-software evangelism of GNU founder Richard Stallman or …

Software 18 Sep 22:38
Brute-force attacks target two-year hole in Yahoo! Mail

Your password is 123456

Scammers are exploiting a two-year-old security hole in Yahoo's network that gives them unlimited opportunities to guess login credentials for Yahoo Mail accounts, a researcher said. The vulnerability resides in a web application that automates the process of logging in to the widely used webmail service. Because it fails to …

Security 18 Sep 23:44
Cisco, IBM plant feet further into smart grid sector

American partnership land grab

Cisco and IBM intend to champion America's "smart grid" gold rush, a market flush with billions of dollars in grants conjured by the US government to modernize and secure the country's dated energy infrastructure. Both their plans involve wooing as many partners as possible until their respective kit and services are adopted …

Data Networking 18 Sep 23:53