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10th December 2009 Archive

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  • ParAccel flashes data warehouses

    Thinking in columns

    ParAccel - one of the many upstarts that is chasing the data warehousing and analytics dollars these days - has tweaked its ParAccel Analytic Database 2.0 software and its underlying homegrown Linux operating system so that the x64 nodes on which it runs can be equipped with flash-based drives. And that, the company says, will …

    Servers 10 Dec 06:02

  • Attackers hone Twitterific exploit-site concealer

    Conquer hacktile dysfunction

    Malware writers have revamped code that uses a popular Twitter command to generate hard-to-predict domain names, a technique that brings stealth to their drive-by exploits. Four weeks ago, when The Register reported Twitter application programming interfaces were being used to generate pseudorandom domain names, none of the …

    Malware 10 Dec 06:02

  • Cisco to counter HP with Chinese expansion

    Claims little trouble in big China

    Cisco has vowed to step up its presence in China as a counter measure in its newfound rivalry with HP. Once close partners, the two companies became mortal foes this year by striking each other where it hurts most: their core markets. Cisco whacked HP first by launching its own line of blade servers. HP answered the slight …

    Data Networking 10 Dec 07:02

  • Facebook urges public exposure in 'privacy' revision

    Share everything, please

    Facebook is urging its 350 million users to open their kimonos to the entire internet as part of its revamped security settings. Unveiled on Wednesday, the social network's new privacy controls are designed are to expose a user's personal data - including status updates, posted content, and details about friends and family - …

    Music and Media 10 Dec 07:02

  • HTC rises to challenge after Android struggles in Europe

    Old World is holding out for a Hero

    HTC's handset roadmap for 2010 has been leaked, as usual. Predictably, it is heavy on Android, where the Taiwanese vendor has blazed the trail, but it now needs to defend its early lead from the launches by Samsung, Motorola and others. However, even as excitement about the Android race mounts in north America, the Google OS …

    Mobile 10 Dec 08:02

  • Sony Vaio CW 14in notebook

    Review Affordable Vaio shocker

    Sony’s Vaio laptops aren’t perhaps best-known for their good value, but with an Intel Core 2 Duo P7450, Nvidia GeForce 230M graphics and a £699 price tag, this latest model seems to buck the trend. Sony’s VPCCW1S1E: terrible name, terrific looks Part of the CW series, the VPCCW1S1E might not have the most attractive of …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 08:02

  • Royal Mail promises 2nd class service on postcode data

    Keeps PAF in its sack

    The Royal Mail looks set to disappoint members of the public hoping to see the contentious Postcode Address File database opened up for free access on the internet. On Monday the UK government reiterated plans to get the Ordnance Survey to open up some postcode data from April 2010. In November, Prime Minister Gordon Brown …

    Government 10 Dec 09:02

  • MSI multi-touch desktop welcomes Intel

    AE2010 becomes AE2020

    MSI has switched sides in the AMD versus Intel war, releasing a redesigned all-in-one AE2010 desktop PC with Intel processor and Nvidia graphics. MSI's AE2020 has Intel and Nvidia Ion inside The AE2010 - released in August - featured a dual-core, 1.5GHz AMD Athlon X2 3250e processor andintegrated AMD Radeon HD 3200 graphics …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 09:02

  • Darling upsets almost everyone

    Too much or not enough, or both?

    The Chancellor's pre-Budget report got a distinctly mixed reaction from business and technology groups. Although tax cuts for companies focussed on research was welcomed, no-one welcomed the hike in National Insurance. The Federation of Small Businesses welcomed the delay in the 1p increase in corporation tax for smaller firms …

    Financial News 10 Dec 09:20

  • Dell intros 'smallest' desktop PC made with desktop parts

    Integrated power brick too

    Dell has introduced what it claims is the "world's first fully functional" mini PC. The Optiplex 780 USFF - for "ultra-small form-factor" - measures just 24 x 24 x 6.5cm, which is actually bigger than Apple's Mac Mini, for instance. However, unlike the Mini and other mini-PCs, the 870 USFF has is power brick inside the chassis …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 10:00

  • 2009's Top Nas boxes

    Kit of the Year Get your files off your computers and onto the network

    More and more Register Hardware readers started storing files in network-attached drives this year, and we began our coverage of this hot topic in earnest. We haven't looked at every model from every manufacturer, but here are the Nas boxes that most found favour in 2009. Qnap TS-219P Turbo Cool and quiet on the outside and …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 10:02

  • Durham police demonstrate DNA will stuff you

    Possession of non-illegal substance will still arse up your prospects

    Durham police last week put the final nail in the coffin of the Home Office mantra "nothing to hide, nothing to fear", with a clear announcement that DNA and fingerprinting could harm an individual’s career prospects – even if they are otherwise totally innocent. The warning came in a press release relating to mephedrone, …

    Policing 10 Dec 10:02

  • Crap data not my problem

    Go ask somebody else

    Getting IT professionals to tell you about how poorly the information needs of users are catered for in their organisation is easy. Time and time again, we have run surveys and workshops on The Register that confirm the issues around fragmentation, duplication, inconsistency and how application vendors don't make it easy to get …

    Evolving Apps 10 Dec 10:44

  • Big Blue flashing its x servers

    Fusion-io notches up another OEM win

    IBM is OEM'ing Fusion-io's PCIe-connected flash for its x servers to accelerate data-heavy applications. The big blue one is adding 160GB and 320GB ioDrive options to its Intel-based x server line, calling them High IOPS SSD PCEe Adapters (HISPA). They form a tier of memory between the server's DRAM and disk with IBM saying …

    Storage 10 Dec 10:53

  • Tax dodgers aided by old IT

    £11.2bn could be lost

    A decision to delay investment in a new IT system means the taxman has a poor grasp of the billions he is owed, according to an influential group of MPs. The Public Accounts Committee today said some £11.2bn was at risk of being lost to the Exchequer because HMRC deferred buying a new debt management system in favour of "other …

    Government 10 Dec 11:12

  • German electropulse energy drill bitchslaps lasers

    Could revolutionise carmaking, shark armaments

    Remorseless German boffins, seeking a more efficient way to make holes through hardened steel, have spurned such antique technologies as the cutting laser. They are now employing our old friend the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) as a high-tech energy drill which leaves no burrs and doesn't get blunt. The boffins in question, of …

    Physics 10 Dec 11:20

  • Thomas the Tank Engine drives 'conservative political ideology'

    Parents beware next train to status quo

    Research by the University of Alberta has chillingly revealed that kids' TV show Thomas and Friends may be engendering a "conservative political ideology" in future generations - a repressive mindset which "punishes individual initiative, opposes critique and change, and relegates females to supportive roles". Shauna Wilton …

    Entertainment 10 Dec 11:22

  • A Deadlock Holiday

    Stob What to do now there's no Moore's Law?

    Moore's Law, I need hardly remind a top-notch industry professional like you, states that as the density of silicon circuitry doubles, the probability of you not being able to find some sensibly-priced extra memory to fit your old lappy approaches 1.0. In recent times it has become generally admitted that, if this well-known …

    Verity Stob 10 Dec 11:26

  • Epson models wearable PlayStation 3

    Play games wherever, whenever

    Stick "extreme" in front of another word and you have a surefire YouTube hit. Epson hopes to power past such greats as extreme ironing and extreme crocheting with... extreme gaming. The term has no official definition - yet - but to Epson it means donning a suit fitted with cables, power pack, PlayStation 3 - the slim one, of …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 11:29

  • How to optimise your business comms

    On Demand It's not about the bills, baby

    No doubt you've got comms bills for your business that, one way or another, you want to simplify, control and reduce - while balancing them with the increasing demands of your organisation. It's not just that everyone has mobiles which is a challenge - they've become the norm so you're probably coping anyway. But what about …

    Tech Panel 10 Dec 11:35

  • Pompidou turns to NFC, Facebook to attract teens

    Consequences of kids Googling 'teen gallery' not considered

    France's Pompidou Centre is opening a "Teen Gallery" next year, with NFC tags on every exhibit and the inevitable Facebook connection to draw in Paris youth. The idea is to put tags beside every exhibit, so punters can wave their phone nearby to get more information on the artist and work. But even the French won't have NFC …

    Mobile 10 Dec 11:48

  • Dell does a Chrimbo deal with John Lewis

    Winking at Middle England

    Dell has inked a deal with high street retailer John Lewis to exclusively punt its range of ultra-thin Adamo XPS laptops. Financial details of the agreement were kept secret. Dell made a big song-and-dance about how John Lewis would be selling the Adamo XPS laptop to customers in time to slot it into their loved ones' …

    Channel Register 10 Dec 11:57

  • Tesco iPhone priced, dated

    Clubcard points a-plenty

    The iPhone will hit Tesco stores nationwide on Monday, 14 December, the supermarket giant has revealed. Tesco has three core iPhone plans to choose from You can bag yourself a free 8GB iPhone 3G or 16GB iPhone 3GS when you sign a two-year unlimited calls and text contract with Tesco. But be warned: the contract costs a …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 12:00

  • Music industry website debut turns into a mosh pit

    Q. Are we crocked, then? A. We are Vevo!

    The debut of major record label-owned music site Vevo went awry this week after the site struggled to cope with demand. In a statement, Vevo blamed unexpectedly high-demand for accessibility problems. The traffic Vevo.com is experiencing right now has exceeded even our largest expectations and is multiple orders of magnitude …

    Music and Media 10 Dec 12:09

  • Blue whale males now singing bass, say scientists

    Seagoing Barry Whites finding it easier to get ladies

    The songs of blue whales around the world have become significantly less high-pitched over the last 40 years, according to scientists. Boffins analysing the trend believe it may be to do with an increase in whale populations following the international ban on commercial whaling. The shift from piping treble to rumbling bass is …

    Biology 10 Dec 12:12

  • Immigration spy centre hit by staff delays

    Match analysts sans frontières

    The opening of the operations centre at the heart of a new £1.2bn computer system - planned to monitor every person who enters or leaves of the UK - has been delayed by staff training. The National Border Targeting Centre (NBTC), the Manchester clearing house for the e-Borders programme, was scheduled to open this month. …

    Government 10 Dec 12:14

  • Microsoft is developing its own cloud storage O/S

    Comment Azure storage software looks home-grown

    Microsoft's Azure storage offering suggests it is developing its own cloud storage operating system. Azure was developed in a Windows Azure Group which was separate from the Windows and Servers Group. The two organisations have now been combined into a new Servers and Cloud Division (SCD) unit, headed up by a senior VP, …

    Storage 10 Dec 12:30

  • Windows 7 tool gets GPL v2 makeover

    Open source violation was just a bad dream

    Microsoft reposted its Windows 7 download tool online yesterday, after yanking it off the internet last month when it coughed to violating a series of GNU General Public Licence (GPL) terms. In November Microsoft called the violation a mistake, and while the code had been supplied by a third party, it took responsibility for …

    Operating Systems 10 Dec 12:58

  • DS crowned UK's favourite console

    Sales surpass 10m units

    Over 10m Nintendo DS handhelds have been sold in the UK, making the gadget Blighty’s favourite console of all time. Newly released figures from market watcher GfK Chart-Track have revealed that 10.05m DSs have crossed the counter since the console first went on sale in the UK almost five years ago. Sony’s PlayStation 2 was, …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 13:08

  • Buffalo Linkstation Duo Nas box

    Review The paperless office stationery cupboard?

    Buffalo Technology’s latest Nas box, the Linkstation Duo has been targeted to meet the ever-increasing multimedia and storage needs of home and small office users. Offered in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities, it sports two Sata II hard drives that can be easily swapped out for user upgrades. Sturdy storage: Buffalo's Linkstation …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 13:40

  • Vigilantes R US: Private enterprise takes over

    Rat Book UK offers chance to "fry" ne'erdowells

    British netizens worried about the proximity of their nearest rapist, murderer or paedophile can sleep easier in their beds this week, safe in the knowledge that recently upgraded website the Rat Book, will tell all. On the other hand, those concerned about an imminent rise in local vigilantism may be a little uneasy that …

    Policing 10 Dec 13:49

  • Business application suppliers: What do we want?

    Workshop Looking ahead to the next decade

    As we near the end of another decade it is an appropriate time to look at the way in which IT supplier relationships are changing and what current and potential customers are likely to be pushing for over the coming 10 years. The fundamental impact application packages such as ERP and CRM have on a business makes this question …

    Evolving Apps 10 Dec 13:50

  • Scareware slingers flaunt fake MS endorsement

    Black-hat scripting malfeasance

    Scareware wronguns have developed a neat but evil piece of coding trickery designed to dupe prospective marks into believing that Microsoft is endorsing their worthless scamware. A rogue anti-malware product called DefenceLab redirects infected PCs to Microsoft's Support portal, but modifies the HTML content as it returns so …

    Malware 10 Dec 13:52

  • Wireless Gigabit spec set for Q1 release

    Wi-Fi to enter 60GHz band for 7Gb/s speed boost

    Chip makers and hardware manufacturers will be able to get their hands on the first version of the WiGig - Wireless Gigabit Ethernet - specification in Q1 2010, the organisation behind the would-be standard said today. The WiGig Alliance - which now comprises more than 30 members, with Nvidia, AMD and SK Telecom among the most …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 14:02

  • Parcelforce fails to deliver for Windows 7 lovers

    Not up to requirements, apparently

    The Royal Mail's Parcelforce website is upsetting some Windows 7 fans, because the service doesn't support Microsoft's latest operating system. One customer told us that the site refuses to let him proceed with a payment on Parcelforce.com because Windows 7 "failed to meet the necessary requirements for completing a …

    Operating Systems 10 Dec 15:24

  • LINX failure slows UK net traffic

    Nooooo waaaaaaaay

    The London Internet Exchange (LINX) suffered a major failure yesterday afternoon, leading to a significant slowdown of UK traffic. The initial failure has been isolated to a network switch which then "cascaded", causing more problems, said spokesman Richard Yule. Investigations are ongoing as to whether the glitch was in …

    IT Director 10 Dec 15:51

  • New York and Chicago lose Nokia stores

    Flagship stores flagging

    New York and Chicago are to follow London in losing their Nokia stores. Nokia has confirmed that it's closing both stores, though apparently the US shops are closing because their mission is complete now that Americans know and love the Nokia brand. The shops were clearly an attempt to ape Apple's stores, but Nokia handsets …

    Mobile 10 Dec 15:52

  • IBM builds Pacific ring of cloud

    Typhoon computing?

    IBM started out as a company that only rented computing and tabulating equipment until it was compelled by an antitrust settlement to actually sell its gear. It may someday end up as one that mostly sells cloud computing capacity. Big Blue is as enthusiastic as it is worried about cloud computing. That means a flurry of press …

    Servers 10 Dec 16:00

  • OpenDNS taunts Google with real-time directory

    Quick fix for missing Swedish dot

    In mid-October, Sweden's net authorities managed to boot the entire country from the interwebs when a routine maintenance script accidentally removed a rather important dot from its top level domain. The period was reinstated in less than an hour, but address problems persisted for who knows how long, thanks to cached DNS …

    Networks 10 Dec 16:02

  • Budget to make e-cars better for business?

    Leccy Tech Company EV tax rules changed

    Chancellor Alistair Darling’s pre-Budget report has revealed that electric vehicles will be exempt from company car tax fees for five years starting in 2010. The news has gone down well with e-car manufacturers, a spokesman for Vauxhall - doubtless with an eye on all those plug-in Amperas it now hopes to flog to travelling …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 16:36

  • Top security firm: Default Windows 7 less secure than Vista

    Reviled UAC nagware finds a defender

    Windows 7 is less secure out-of-the box than Vista, despite Redmond's protestations to the contrary, a top security firm has claimed. Trend Micro said that the default configurations of Windows 7 are less secure than Vista. Raimund Genes, CTO of Trend Micro, said that Windows 7 had sacrificed security for useability - at least …

    Malware 10 Dec 16:53

  • Cool-er e-book reader to gain 3G, Wi-FI models

    Mid-2010 launch

    The Cool-er e-book viewer is about to get even cooler, with manufacturer Interead planning to release 3G and Wi-Fi models. A “next generation of connected Cool-er e-readers” will be available from mid-2010, the firm said, with the device’s 3G connection resulting from Interead’s golden handshake with US network carrier AT&T. …

    Reg Hardware 10 Dec 18:02

  • Felony fugitive found working for DHS for 2 years

    Who knew?

    Red-faced bosses from the Department of Homeland Security are trying to explain how they failed to know that one of their employees had been a wanted fugitive for more than two years. According to numerous news reports, Tahaya Buchanan was hired by the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1995 and eventually came to work …

    Security 10 Dec 18:08

  • McKinnon lawyers file last gasp extradition appeal

    Gimme shelter

    Lawyers for Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon have filed a judicial review contesting the Home Secretary's recent decision to allow US extradition proceedings to proceed against the Asperger's sufferer. The widely anticipated move is perhaps McKinnon's last best hope of avoiding US trial and likely imprisonment on hacking charges …

    Security 10 Dec 18:09

  • Europeans spend more on servers in Q3

    Server sellers pin hopes on 2010 recovery

    On a global basis, the server market started to show signs of stabilizing in the third quarter of this year, according to reports from both IDC (here) and Gartner (there). And IT shops in Europe started coming out of their shells to spend a little more on iron than they did earlier this year. According to statistics ginned up …

    Servers 10 Dec 18:30

  • Rocket glitch delays NASA's sky-mapper launch

    WISE men say, only fools rush in

    NASA has delayed the launch of its new sky-mapping spacecraft because of a last-minute technical issue with a rocket booster engine. The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, will stay perched atop its Delta II rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for at least an extra 24 hours. Liftoff was set for Friday …

    Space 10 Dec 19:24

  • Yahoo! apes! Google! with! more! Web2.0rhea!

    Tweets upon Tweets

    Yahoo! has answered Google's brand new "real-time" search interface, adding, yes, Tweets to the primary results that turn up when you run a query on its lame duck search engine. "Starting today, you will see recent tweets directly integrated on the Web search result page when you search for buzzy topics," Yahooligans Ivan …

    Music and Media 10 Dec 19:48

  • Potent malware link infects almost 300,000 webpages

    Johnny Come Lately

    A security researcher has identified a new attack that has infected almost 300,000 webpages with links that direct visitors to a potent cocktail of malicious exploits. The SQL injection attacks started in late November and appear to be the work of a relatively new malware gang, said Mary Landesman, a researcher with ScanSafe, a …

    Malware 10 Dec 20:51

  • Dell bitchslaps Cisco over UCS server play

    'Unbelievably Costly System'

    Dell just bitchslapped Cisco over its Unified Computing System, insisting that the networking giant's foray into the server biz suits Cisco's bottom line more than the needs of its customers. Cisco's UCS is designed to unify networking, computing, storage, and virtualization tools in a single product. Cisco paints it as a …

    Servers 10 Dec 22:53

  • Watchdog spanks FCC over US wireless

    Customer complaint confusion

    The US "congressional watchdog" agency has taken the Federal Communications Commission to task for mishandling its duty to provide oversight of wireless phone service. In a 71-page report (PDF) entitled, rather directly, "FCC Needs to Improve Oversight of Wireless Phone Service," the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) …

    Wireless 10 Dec 23:01

  • Microsoft PR outlaws iPhone talk

    We do not mention that bitch's name in polite company!

    A Microsoft manager created a bit of a fuss by advising a journalist not to mention the iPhone at a Microsoft event in Germany, betraying frayed nerves in the MS camp. The journalist was apparently guilty of expressing his opinion that no mobile phone was easier to use than an iPhone. We might disagree with that opinion*, but …

    Mobile 10 Dec 23:06