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7th October 2009 Archive

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  • Microsoft-tested browser prosecution snares tech giants

    Fire up the Tim Berners-Lee

    Tiny Eolas Technologies is taking tech giants and major customers to court claiming they infringed its patents for working with online interactive content. Eolas has filed suit against Adobe Systems, Apple, Google, Sun Microsystems, YouTube, Blockbuster, JP Morgan Chase, JC Penny and Playboy Enterprises, among others. The …

    Applications 7 Oct 01:02

  • Intel: tweak Nehalem's nobs to hit high notes

    "Gross degradation" in a box

    Despite a tightened budget, Intel's information chief, Diane Bryant, claims the company saved $19 million by upgrading its older servers this year rather than deferring a hardware refresh until 2010. Chipzilla's pitch for its Nehalem-based chips during a year when most IT budgets are pancake flat is focused squarely on …

    Servers 7 Oct 01:23

  • Tories oppose charges and speed cameras

    Conservatives will kill roadside cash cows

    A Conservative government would end support for local congestion charging schemes and stop funding new fixed speed cameras Theresa Villiers, the party's transport shadow minister, said that councils would be given more ability to introduce innovative schemes: "When local authorities want to innovate and try out new ways to …

    Government 7 Oct 06:02

  • Have your say on service management

    Webcast Live Now!

    Service management: is it more than a made up phrase? Join The Register for some interactive chit chat as we tackle this daunting topic and answer questions from the Reg faithful live right now! In this webcast, the Reg panel discusses the development of service management in relation to IT and the business at large. Along the …

    Service Management 7 Oct 07:02

  • Kindle to come to Blighty on 19 October

    Amazon to export e-book reader

    Kindle will come to the UK on 19 October, Amazon has said. It's not a formal, British version. Rather, the online retailer's US wing will now take orders from overseas buyers and ship the e-book reader out for an all in price of $279 (£175/€190) plus shipping and import taxes. These extras takes the total to $344.98 (£217) for …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 07:40

  • Lexmark C736dn workgroup colour laser printer

    Review Paper mountain?

    If you’re running a large workgroup, you need a printer that is fast, cheap to run and has enough flexibility to handle a variety of media and to grow with the tasks it’s asked to perform. Endeavouring to address all these needs, while also offering colour, duplex and walk-up direct print, is Lexmark’s C736dn. Fully loaded: …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 08:02

  • AT&T lets 3G VoIP onto iPhone

    Skype freed from WiFi

    At long last, AT&T has opened up the American iPhone to VoIP calls over its 3G wireless network. Previously, the US wireless giant had only allowed iPhone VoIP via WiFi net connections. Big Phone announced the change on Tuesday, six weeks after telling the US Federal Communications Commission it would "take a fresh look" at …

    Mobile 7 Oct 08:58

  • Murderous Brazilian crime show host does a runner

    Ordered hits to boost ratings

    The host of a hit Brazilian TV crime show has disappeared after being stripped of the political immunity which prevented him being arrested on charges of arranging hits to boost his show's ratings. Former police officer Wallace Souza fronted Canal Livre, in which he "railed against rampant crime". So popular was the show that …

    Bootnotes 7 Oct 09:06

  • US military gets a camouflaged cloud

    It's like Google's, but greener tougher

    The Defense Information Service Agency - the US military's IT department - has made its cloud service available for real applications. Up until now it has only been used for testing applications. The DoD's Rapid Access Computing Environment (RACE) launched in October 2008, and is part of the Agency's effort to "posture the …

    Virtualization 7 Oct 09:20

  • Foxconn to send Apple 400,000 iTablets in Q1 2010, say moles

    iPad inbound

    Another day, another Apple tablet titbit for the eager masses. Today, it's been claimed that the product will be delivered by Apple's chosen manufacturer in Q1 2010 - just the timing you'd expect for a device announced at the Macworld show in early January. Moles cited by DigiTimes claimed said producer is Foxconn - aka Hon …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 09:45

  • HTC launches Touch HD 2

    WinMo 6.5 plus firm's own UI

    HTC has confirmed recent rumours of a successor to its HD smartphone, by officially unveiling the HD 2. HTC's HD 2: runs Windows Mobile 6.5, with an HTC-designed UI on top Although based on the newly launched Windows Mobile 6.5, the HD 2 is overlaid with HTC’s Sense UI. The UI already features on HTC’s Android-based …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 09:51

  • Application recovery: Whose job is it anyway?

    A stitch in time saves the crying

    When it comes to supporting business activities, the primary role of IT is to ensure that the applications on which the organisation depends are available and operating at an acceptable level of service. Beyond this there is the unsung, but absolutely essential, matter of protecting both the application and the data it collects …

    Storage 7 Oct 09:55

  • Welsh yobs clobbered by cross-dressing cage fighters

    Unwise yahoos mistake stag do revellers for transvestites

    Two Swansea yobs who decided, after a night on the sauce, that they'd give a couple of transvestites some stick, came off the worse for the encounter since their targets were in fact cage fighters on a stag night. The humiliation of Jason Fender, 22, and Dean Gardener, 19, was captured on CCTV as they "singled out the two men …

    Bootnotes 7 Oct 09:59

  • Why the Advocate General got Google AdWords wrong

    Opinion Brand spanking anew

    We have been waiting for the formal opinion of an advisor to the European Court of Justice, in cases brought by three French companies against Google. Now that it has been published, we think the analysis is wrong. The opinion is important because the analysis concerns the Google AdWords policy and the broader acknowledgement …

    Law 7 Oct 10:08

  • Online banking scams overshadow plastic fraud slide

    CNP fraud shrinks for first time

    UK online banking fraud losses rose 55 per cent to hit £39m for the first half of 2009, according to banking industry figures published on Tuesday. The rise in banking fraud was largely blamed on more sophisticated malware-orientated tactics by cybercrooks, according to Financial Fraud Action UK (formerly the anti-fraud unit …

    Crime 7 Oct 10:13

  • Parallels bares all with server hypervisor

    A peek at naked x64 metal

    After nearly a year in beta testing and seven months after its bare metal hypervisor project went public in March, desktop and server virtualization software maker Parallels today launches its first bare metal hypervisor for servers. With Parallels Server 4 Bare Metal, Parallels joins the ranks of VMware, Citrix Systems, …

    Virtualization 7 Oct 10:18

  • The state of desktop support

    Mini-Poll Tell us your views

    This week we've been looking at desktop management from the point of view of supporting users. It can be a jungle out there, as one reader illustrated: Somehow, people still sneak through with all kinds of configurations and it's killing us - so many deskside visits it's unbelievable. But is that the norm, or are some of you …

    PC Management 7 Oct 10:18

  • Google tests clipboard in the sky

    Cloudboard, of course

    Google is privately testing a new copy-and-paste service for shuttling data between Gmail, Google Docs, and other Googly online services. At least, that's the word from the not-affiliated-with-Google Google Operating System Blog. Blogger Alex Chitu recently noticed chatter about the service - dubbed CloudBoard - on an internal …

    Applications 7 Oct 10:28

  • US to export riot-roasting raygun

    'Oops,' giggles Raytheon after commercially apt leak

    The United States is to export its crowd-grilling "less lethal" microwave cannon, the Silent Guardian - which has never been deployed by US forces due to worries over bad publicity - to an unnamed foreign ally. Aviation Week reports today that executives from American arms megacorp Raytheon, makers of the famous yet …

    Science 7 Oct 10:29

  • Microsoft's browser ballot bodge gets the nod

    Commission agrees to test ballot screen

    Microsoft is a step nearer to settling a large part of its ongoing disagreements with the European Commission - the regulators have agreed to market-test Microsoft's suggested solution to browser bundling. The software giant offered to include a ballot screen which would show users a choice of possible browsers when a machine …

    Applications 7 Oct 11:10

  • BT picks NetApp storage for its cloudy data centres

    Comms giant sticks to kit it knows and likes

    BT is offering a pay-for-use virtual data centre in the cloud, using NetApp storage, but not its clustering versions of ONTAP. The storage consists of high-end FAS6080c clusters and it is integrated with servers and networking, so that a Windows app-based server-storage-network virtue data centre (VDC) infrastructure can be …

    Virtualization 7 Oct 11:13

  • Star-watchers: Famous moon left half-smeared by dirty ring

    'Irregular grindings' responsible, apparently

    A well-known moon has been smeared half-dark by dirt coming from an enormous ring, according to reports. The dirt boundary of Iapetus. Science magazine has the story, quoting "ring specialist" Joseph Burns as saying: "It's nice to finally see a smoking gun that tells us exactly what happened." Burns and his colleagues have …

    Space 7 Oct 11:15

  • T-Mobile to retune HTC Magic as guitar-themed phone

    Instrumental update

    In a bold attempt to strike the right chord with modern mobile music fans, T-Mobile has confirmed plans to go on tour with a guitar themed handset. Will T-Mobile's Fender edition of the myTouch 3G (above) hit the right note? Later this year, T-Mobile will retune the myTouch 3G – aka HTC’s Magic – with a “guitar-inspired …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 11:40

  • Gorilla Glass added to super-tough tablets

    Well 'ard screen cover, apparently

    Motion Computing claims to have enhanced the durability of its ruggedised tablet PC screens by becoming the first firm to launch handheld PCs featuring the curiously named Gorilla Glass. Motion Computing's F5 (left) and C5 tablets now feature tougher displays The firm’s C5 and F5 tablets – both of which have 10.4in screens …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 11:43

  • Verizon strokes Google's Android

    The New Wireless Order

    Google has teamed up with Verizon Wireless to jointly develop a long line of Android-based mobile devices for use on America's largest cellular network. Two Android phones will arrive on Verizon's network before the end of the year, and the two companies indicated their Android line will eventually include non-phones as well, …

    Mobile 7 Oct 11:45

  • Hotmail phish exposes most common passwords

    Live ID hacking made as easy as 123...

    Data from the Hotmail phishing attack proves that consumer password security remains pants. The most common single password in the sample of 10,000 purloined Live ID login credentials posted as a text file to developer site PasteBin.com was "123456", something only marginally more secure than the traditional favourite " …

    Crime 7 Oct 11:56

  • WD Caviar Black 2TB

    Review Two terabytes of performance HDD

    The 2TB Caviar Black is the second hard drive we have seen with a capacity of two terabytes. Glance back to our 2008 round-up of 1TB drives, which used three or four platters, and you can see that this is pretty much a doubling of areal density. Western Digital's Caviar Black 2TB: covered up... The first 2TB drive we saw …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 12:02

  • Amazon tosses gelded Kindle at UK readers

    Got GSM, but no browsing or blogs for Brits

    Amazon has finally provided details for the International version of its Kindle ebook reader, but even the most diehard fan may be nonplussed to find one in their stocking this Christmas. In the USA the Kindle uses Sprint's CDMA network to host its Whispernet, but in the UK it's not clear which operator will be doing the heavy …

    Mobile 7 Oct 12:14

  • Europe clears Windows 7 for takeoff

    Windows 7 Browser agreement passes EC scrutiny

    The agreement between Microsoft and the European Commission on the bundling of Internet Explorer means Windows 7 is cleared to ship with IE included later this month. Microsoft's general counsel Brad Smith explained in a conference call: "Windows 7 will ship as planned - users will get Windows 7 then some time later they will …

    Operating Systems 7 Oct 12:15

  • Who does the helpdesk really help?

    Workshop IT or the Business?

    Who does the helpdesk help - IT or the business? Many people (users) think the helpdesk is ‘what IT is for” where as in fact it may be the very thing stopping IT from being a more valuable partner to the business. Is this status quo simply the way things are destined to stay or is there more we can do with this frontline service …

    Service Management 7 Oct 12:45

  • Pirate Bay buyer admits doubts over deal

    Also, sky is blue

    GGF, the troubled Swedish firm aiming to buy BitTorrent tracker the Pirate Bay, has admitted the deal may be crocked. "At present, GGF cannot discern whether the acquisition will be completed regardless of the outcome of the trial," it said in a statement, referring to its ongoing travails in the bankruptcy courts. In …

    Music and Media 7 Oct 12:46

  • EC forces interop promise out of Microsoft

    Redmond issues 'how to sue us' template

    The second part of the agreement between Microsoft and the European Commission, although it will garner fewer headlines, is by far the most important part of the agreement. This part of the deal breaks new legal and technical ground in attempting to remove the European Commission from future disagreements between companies in …

    Channel Register 7 Oct 12:51

  • 'Stop NASA bombing the Moon!'

    Surreal Green werewolves launch anti-LCROSS petition

    Treehugging, possibly lycanthropic web-2.0 campaigners have launched a petition intended to "stop NASA from bombing the Moon!". The organisers of the petition claim that the space agency is turning unspoiled lunar wilderness into a "firing range" for space weapons, and that US "imperialists" intend to colonise the moon "without …

    Space 7 Oct 13:28

  • Nintendo chief downplays further Wii price cuts

    Won't happen, claims exec

    A Nintendo executive has hinted that another Wii price cut isn’t on the cards because the console already represents good value for money. When asked if Nintendo will have to cut prices in order to draw more people to the console, Reggie Fils-Aime, head of Nintendo US, said: “Absolutely not.” His comment came during an …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 13:40

  • Are our Freetard motivational gurus going bonkers?

    Putting the Meds into Social Media

    As the recession deepens, the strain appears to be getting to some of our best-paid business gurus and motivational speakers. It can't be easy to keep the fantasy economics of Web 2.0 going against all the evidence, and cracks seem to be starting to appear. I have two worrying exhibits for you. Exhibit No.1 Exhibit No.1 comes …

    Music and Media 7 Oct 14:30

  • Microsoft: we make partners' lives too complicated

    MPN Confesses to 'horrific websites', lack of clarity

    Microsoft has admitted that making life simpler for its partners is a "perennial challenge" that is tough to overcome. "We as a business are not doing a good enough job of showing partners what to specifically sell to customers," the firm's SMB boss Scott Dodds said at a Microsoft Partner Network event in Wembley, London today …

    Channel Register 7 Oct 15:39

  • First speech-to-text app for phones launched

    You talk, it types

    Android and iPhone users will soon be able to talk text messages directly to their phones, according to the firm behind the first voice-powered text prediction application for mobile phones. A beta version of TravellingWave’s VoicePredict app has been launched, which enables Windows Mobile users to enter text messages by …

    Reg Hardware 7 Oct 15:43

  • Visa gives merchants crypto card security guidelines

    Retailers scramble for safety

    Visa has published best practices for data field encryption (AKA end-to-end encryption) that call on merchants to always encrypt cardholder data. Data field encryption covers techniques for ensuring swiped credit data is always stored and transmitted in an encrypted format right from the point where a customer plastic is …

    Channel Register 7 Oct 15:47

  • Debian to harness FreeBSD with kernel port

    Squeezing into your appliances

    The Debian Project is planning a FreeBSD kernel of its disto that'll help fine tune its Linux for web sites and critical network-based deployments. Project members said Wednesday the next version of Debian, called Squeeze, will see a port to the FreeBSD kernel - the first time Debian has been put on FreeBSD. The port, called …

    Operating Systems 7 Oct 18:53

  • Sun adds Oracle Linux to ops tools

    Management tool roadmaps still MIA

    Sun Microsystems’ xVM server virtualization hypervisor has not yet seen the light of day as a commercial product, but the company is continuing to enhance the management tool. Now, the latest version of Ops Center has arrived featuring enhancements for running Solaris-based virtualization. Perhaps more significantly, given the …

    Operating Systems 7 Oct 19:26

  • Microsoft and Red Hat consummate virtualization vows

    Opensourcers reassured no dirty business

    Microsoft and Red Hat have now consummated vows to love and cherish each other's operating systems on their corresponding hypervisors. The interoperability pact was inked in February of this year, leading the companies to "synchronize testing" in counterpart validation programs over the months. Starting today, businesses can …

    Virtualization 7 Oct 19:44

  • MySpace confession sinks car-death conviction appeal

    You are what you post

    A California appeals court has upheld a California woman's conviction for vehicular manslaughter by citing her MySpace page, in which she confessed to a penchant for drag racing. Lorin Maureen Franco was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence after prosecutors accused her of reaching speeds of 100 MPH as …

    Music and Media 7 Oct 19:57

  • Top prices, old shows - the Beeb's iPlayer goes global

    Filesharing, yes we've heard of that

    The BBC's ramping up efforts to launch an iPlayer-like internet video service outside the UK, but has rejected using ad-funded model to squeeze as much money as possible from its programming. BBC Worldwide managing director Luke Bradley-Jones told Paid Content the service would not offer the latest domestic UK shows to …

    Music and Media 7 Oct 22:00

  • Judge sets November deadline for Googlebooks pact

    Inconsistent timeline?

    Google has until November 9 to revise its $125m book-scanning settlement with American authors and publishers. According to the Associated Press, federal judge Denny Chin set the deadline after the parties involved in the settlement said they were working, uh, around the clock to complete a revision by early November. A …

    Music and Media 7 Oct 23:26

  • Spammers jump on Gmail, Hotmail mass-hack gravy train

    Like manna from heaven

    This week's airing of some 30,000 compromised Windows Live and Google Mail accounts has coincided with a spike in spam from those two services that promote sketchy electronics dealers, a researcher said. Over the past few days, spam promoting fraudulent electronics stores has increased by as much as 40 per cent, according to …

    Spam 7 Oct 23:43

  • Ballmer mixed on Windows 7's success

    Super-sales patter sputters

    Steve Ballmer's been giving out mixed messages on the likely impact of Windows 7 on Microsoft and PC sales. With just over two weeks to go before Windows 7 is officially released, Microsoft's chief executive has reportedly played down the operating system's expected fillip on PC sales. "There will be a surge of PCs but it …

    Operating Systems 7 Oct 23:46