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17th December 2009 Archive

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  • Adobe: critical Acrobat flaw fix 4 weeks away

    Batten down the hatches

    Users of Adobe's Acrobat and Reader programs have a full four weeks to fret over a critical flaw that's being exploited in the wild to install malware on vulnerable machines. Adobe said on Wednesday it would issue an update that plugs the hole on January 12, the same day Microsoft is slated to release its next installment of …

    Malware 17 Dec 07:02

  • Nvidia boss: Intel suit to 'transform computer industry'

    And GPUs rock

    Nvidia CEO Jen Hsun Huang believes the US Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against Intel could "completely transform the computer industry." On Wednesday, the FTC sued the world's largest chip maker over alleged anticompetitive practices. Among other things, the consumer watchdog accused Intel of illegally attempting to …

    PCs & Chips 17 Dec 08:02

  • Motorola Milestone Android smartphone

    Review A Googlephone for business?

    Earlier this year, Motorola was doing a very good impression of a company that, if not quite dead in the water, was certainly looking increasingly like shark bait. But then came its Android-powered Dext, with some advanced social networking capabilities and a clutch of high-end features, and the US company suddenly seemed to be …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 08:02

  • Dell internalises EqualLogic's automated data movement

    Comment Better than Compellent, it claims

    Dell contacted us when we reported on its 10GbitE product announcements to say that contrary to our first impression, that it did have "auto-data movement between tiers of EqualLogic storage." How does this work when EqualLogic arrays have to have homogeneous disk drives inside them? Compellent has had automated data movement …

    Storage 17 Dec 09:55

  • Government lets CCTV watchdog off the leash

    Will ask who, what, where...but not why

    The Government has appointed a regulator to oversee the use of CCTV technology amidst growing concerns about surveillance and the effectiveness of the cameras. A minister said he hoped the appointment would "address public concern" about CCTV use. Forensic Science Regulator Andrew Rennison will become the interim CCTV …

    Government 17 Dec 10:05

  • The double-edged sword of virtualisation security

    Lab Are you feeling security benefits?

    A quick search will provide ample warnings of the risks of adding virtualisation technology to the business IT mix without due care and consideration to security. Whether such risks are inherent in the use of virtualisation technology itself, or arise when standard security practices are not extended to include virtual …

    Virtualisation Lab 17 Dec 10:11

  • Conficker jams up developing interwebs

    Uber-botnet already used to sling scareware

    The infamous Conficker worm has disproportionally affected computer systems in the developing world, according to new research. Despite high profile infection at the UK's Ministry of Defence and a series of British hospitals, to cite just a few examples, Conficker has proportionally affected systems in Africa and south America …

    Malware 17 Dec 10:12

  • Leaner Symmetrix goes faster

    EMC adds 8gig Fibre Channel and deleted space reclaim

    EMC has made its high-end Symmetrix V-Max thinner and faster. It's added 8Gbit/s Fibre Channel and deleted space reclaim features to make it use its capacity more efficiently and get data in and out faster. The Fibre Channel upgrade doubles link speed from 4 to 8Gbit/s and EMC has also announced 8Gbit/s mainframe FICON links …

    Storage 17 Dec 10:28

  • Blu-ray boys finish 1080p 3D spec

    Compatible with old players, kind of

    The Blu-ray Disc Association has completed its specification for standardising the inclusion of stereoscopic 3D content on its optical discs. The material will be presented in resolutions up to and including 1080p. Crucially, the BDA said, it doesn't depend on any specific 3D technology - active-shutter or polarised lens - or …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 10:29

  • Wireless mics get reduced bureaucracy

    More spectrum, less consistency

    UK regulator Ofcom has written to holders of wireless microphone licences explaining how from January 4th new licences will give them the confidence to invest in new kit. Hitherto wireless microphones have been lurking between analogue TV signals, with one channel (69 - 855.25MHz) all of their own. But the brave new world of …

    Mobile 17 Dec 10:30

  • Secure USB drive relies on recognising faces

    Works as a bottle opener too

    Portable data security has stepped up a notch following one manufacturer’s decision to pair a USB Flash drive with facial recognition technology. The first time you plug the Lockface USB driveinto your PC, you will be asked to "register" your face, so that in future the device can authenticate your pearly white grin and baby …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 10:32

  • Stargazers spy super-Earth waterworld

    Bit too hot for Kevin Costner, though

    Astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) say they've spotted a super-Earth waterworld orbiting a red type M star some 40 lightyears from Earth. The body - dubbed GJ1214b - is circling dim host star GJ1214 every 38 hours at a distance of just 1.3 million miles. The star's modest surface …

    Space 17 Dec 10:35

  • Research suggests Wii Fit is no flab fighter

    Not for adults, at least

    Adults should think twice before considering Wii Fit as a way of shifting those post-Christmas pounds, a University of Minnesota study has hinted. After measuring the impact of in-home Wii Fit use by eight North American families over a six-month period, researchers concluded that the game failed to produce any “significant …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 10:54

  • How to improve business productivity

    On Demand Rip it up and start again?

    Just 10 days ago we packed the glamorous Reg studios with 3 experts to talk live to our readers about business productivity. To some, the word 'productivity' just means squeezing more out of an already-overstretched workforce. To others, it’s about providing the tools necessary to cope with the seemingly uncontrollable …

    Tech Panel 17 Dec 10:59

  • £500m telecoms deal up for grabs

    Buying Solutions gets busy

    Buying Solutions has started the procurement process for a new Managed Telecommunications Service. The procurement agency of the Office of Government Commerce has published a tender inviting applications for places on a framework agreement that could be worth up to £500m over four years. It marks a significant change from the …

    Telecoms 17 Dec 11:18

  • Optimising business comms: Putting the U in UC

    Tech Panel Cracking new Reg Reader research report a click away

    The idea of ‘unifying’ corporate communications has been around for ages but it’s hard to get under the skin of something which has often been talked about as a single lump or dismissed as just ‘IP telephony’ or ‘IM’. Fortunately, a combination of Reg Reader tenacity and downright nosiness from the Freeeform Dynamics gang has …

    Tech Panel 17 Dec 11:18

  • Belkin intros iPhone-to-hi-fi Bluetooth link

    Golden Age of Wireless

    Belkin has introduced a handy gadget for owners of iPhones or iPod Touches - and probably any other device that supports Bluetooth's A2DP spec - to stream music to a nearby hi-fi. Belkin's Bluetooth Music Receiver: does just that Prosaically dubbed the Bluetooth Music Receiver, the small black doohickey hooks up to the 3. …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 11:19

  • Packard Bell preps Moto GP champ backed PCs

    Valentino Rossi sponsorship

    Motorcycle racing fans will soon be able to relive the smell of burning rubber and singed knee pads on their desktop – well, sort of – because Acer offshoot Packard Bell plans to launch a Valentino Rossi PC range. The nine times Moto GP world champion has signed up to promote the PC firm’s notebooks and netbooks for “on-the-go …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 11:21

  • 'CRU cherrypicked Russian climate data', says Russian

    Newly released info probed as Climategate, um, snowballs

    A prominent Russian climate sceptic and free-market economist says that the British HadCRUT global temperature database - much of which has now been released to the public following the "climategate" email scandal - has been manipulated to show greater warming in Russia than is actually the case. Andrei Illarionov, a former …

    Environment 17 Dec 11:29

  • Senior IT workers caught in bank bonus tax crossfire

    Confusion reigns in the city - so it's business as usual

    Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs has warned senior IT staff in British banks to expect to be hit by the government’s bonus tax. The Times reports today that HMRC officials briefed bankers earlier this week about who would be affected by the government’s contentious - at least for those in the City - one-off 50 per cent levy on …

    IT Director 17 Dec 11:32

  • BMW uncloaks ActiveE

    Leccy Tech The e-car with the mobile phone control system

    BMW has revealed the next step in its leccy car development cycle - the ActiveE. BMW's ActiveE electric car Based on BMW’s 1-Series Coupé, the ActiveE has a lithium-ion battery pack in the space previously occupied by the engine, fuel tank and drive train. This helps preserve the car's internal space and weight distribution …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 11:42

  • Facebook sues social network spammers

    Alleged anti-social behaviour provokes lawsuit

    Facebook has launched lawsuits against a trio of alleged high profile hijackers and spammers. A lawsuit filed in an unspecified federal court charges Jeremi Fisher, Philip Porembski, and Ryan Shimeall of "phishing Facebook users and sending spam from their accounts", the social networking website said in a statement. Also …

    Spam 17 Dec 11:59

  • EDS mainframe goes titsup, crashes RBS cheque system

    Anyone know how to fix this? Oh, we fired them

    HP managers are reaping the harvest of their deep cost-cutting at EDS, in the form of a massive mainframe failure that crippled some very large clients, including the taxpayer-owned bank RBS. An IBM Z10 at EDS's Stockley Park site, west of London, fell over this week after vital microcode fixes* had not been applied, because …

    Servers 17 Dec 12:04

  • Soaraway PC market growth for 2010, says IDC

    Ballistic gizmo shipments hoist biz out of recession

    The world PC market has surged out of its recent doldrums and returned to sustained growth, according to research group IDC, which predicts double-digit gains through 2013. "Beyond stabilizing their business, PC vendors are trying to position themselves for gains as the market recovers," said IDC's Jay Chou in a statement …

    PCs & Chips 17 Dec 12:16

  • RockYou admits security snafu exposed email login details

    Suitably contrite over 32m credential breach

    Social media application developer RockYou has vowed to improve its security and apply encryption following a breach that exposed 32 million user login credentials to hackers. Sensitive login credentials - stored in plain text - were left open to attack as a result of an SQL injection vulnerability in RockYou's website. In a …

    ID 17 Dec 12:23

  • Google Fast Flip pulls in more news outlets

    It's goodnight from me and goodnight from him

    The Google news mole burrowed deeper into the dried ink of over 50 media publications yesterday, after it launched Fast Flip three months ago. The service, which is still part of Google Labs, has now signed up the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post and UK national newspapers including the Telegraph, Independent …

    Applications 17 Dec 12:29

  • China cages game Trojan hackers

    Go directly to jail, do not collect any gold

    Chinese authorities have sentenced 11 members of a malware gang to long stretches behind bars, after the group was convicted of creating and distributing Trojans designed to steal the login credentials of online gamers. The malware slingers were sentenced to up to three years behind bars and fined a total of $120,000. More …

    Crime 17 Dec 12:40

  • Surveying anonymity and the public good

    Comment Our survey shows researchers and the public disagree

    Members of the public are wary of having their data used – even anonymously – for research purposes, whilst researchers are altogether more laid back about the proposition. That is one key conclusion of a Department of Health consultation on Additional Uses of Patient Data (pdf), published on 1 December, which found that " …

    Government 17 Dec 13:02

  • Official: British telly really is almost all repeats

    Traditional viewer grumble made real by digital era

    One thing you can say about the rise of digital telly: there are now more repeats shown on British television than at any time since 2003. In decades gone by, Brits would regularly moan about the number of repeats on the box - "another Christmas, another showing of The Great Escape" - but it's hard to imagine that repeats …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 13:14

  • A New Year's call to Apple: publish and be damned

    Mac Secrets Microsoft envy

    Please don't imagine that writing for El Reg is a piece of cake, much less a sizable rum-soaked hunk of Stollen with most of the marzipan in it. Like war, writing can be hell. The ink was barely dry on my first Mac Secrets column in March 2008, when I got a rather hostile email from a Mac fanboi, telling me that I would go to …

    Developer 17 Dec 14:02

  • Why buy CDs? It's instant music, stupid

    Andrew's Mailbag Consumption habits of the SuBo Tribe

    I recently mused on how the CD was taking an awful long time to die. Susan Boyle has just become the fastest selling CD on Amazon. Now it could be that SuBo is our revenge on any relative who ever bought us a dodgy sweater for Christmas. It's a weapon of mass retaliation. But a lot of people are ensuring the CD endures. Why so, …

    Music and Media 17 Dec 14:02

  • Ten years of .NET - Did Microsoft deliver?

    Platform shift repeats

    Microsoft closes The Noughties by trying to keep up with competitors and to remain a top destination for developers by embracing cloud computing and open source. It opened the decade with another massive platform shift, though: the introduction of .NET. .NET was announced at the first TechEd of decade in Amsterdam in the year …

    Developer 17 Dec 15:02

  • Sony plots death of Amazon Kindle

    I will kill you with my Google

    Sony - a company that has struggled to establish itself as a dominant player in the world of ebook readers - is anxious to remind you that the ebook market is still in its infancy and that the Amazon Kindle is far from winning the battle. In fact, Steve Haber, president of Sony’s digital reading business division, thinks Jeff …

    Music and Media 17 Dec 16:02

  • Brando outs retro Bluetooth headset

    Banana also available...

    Skinny Bluetooth headsets that conduct sound through your jawbone are sad, admit it. For some proper office credibility get yourself a retro Bluetooth headset. Brando's retro Bluetooth headset - cool? Available in two styles – ye olde telephone receiver of yesteryear or... er... a banana – online retailer Brando’s retro …

    Reg Hardware 17 Dec 16:40

  • Fasthosts martyrs relive email FAIL (again and again)

    'We apologise unreservedly'

    Fasthosts email customers endured (yet another) outage this morning, thanks to a glitch in the company's BlueArc storage system. The UK webhost - which has made a habit of such outages in recent months - says its network was plagued by a "performance issue" between 8:15am and 10:10am GMT. One customer tells The Reg his email …

    Networks 17 Dec 16:55

  • VMware: virtualized SMBs do it better

    Disaster recovery on the cheap

    A new VMware survey says that small biz IT departments that embrace virtualization are more competent than those who don't. Not that you'd expect anything different from VMware. The server virtualization juggernaut needs to know what small and medium businesses are thinking - and not just the ones that buy its ESX Server …

    Virtualization 17 Dec 17:25

  • Adaptec CEO resigns

    Storage co. for sale

    Adaptec's CEO is resigning, and the company is up for sale. This confirms what many people have thought would happen once Steel Partners' gained control of the board after a proxy battle. Sundi Sundresh, who became Adaptec's CEO in November 2005, then already its president, is leaving on January 4th and will be replaced by …

    Storage 17 Dec 17:42

  • Iraqi insurgents hack US drones with $26 software

    Updated Video feed intercept

    Iraqi militants are intercepting sensitive video feeds from US predator drones using $26 off-the-shelf software, and the same technique leaves feeds from most military aircraft vulnerable to snooping, according to published reports. Insurgents backed by Iran have regularly accessed the unencrypted video feeds of the unmanned …

    Security 17 Dec 17:54

  • Shuttleworth steps down as Canonical CEO

    Remains Ubuntu 'benevolent dictator'

    Mark Shuttleworth - the billionaire founder of the Ubuntu Linux project that was started in 2004 and the chief executive officer of Canonical, the company that provides support and services for Ubuntu - is apparently sick of paperwork. Starting on March 1 next year, Jane Silber - one of the earliest employees Shuttleworth …

    Operating Systems 17 Dec 18:47

  • Google 'in talks' over Googlenetbook

    Chrome OS hardware subsidy?

    Google has been in talks with at least one hardware manufacturer about a Google-branded Chrome OS netbook, according to internet rumor. And it only stands to reason. We now have the Googlephone. Why not the Googlenetbook? Citing multiple unnamed sources, TechCrunch says that the Mountain View Chocolate Factory has sent an RFP …

    Hardware 17 Dec 21:21

  • Watchdog files complaint over Facebook 'privacy' settings

    EPIC violation of user expectation

    The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a formal complaint with the US Federal Trade Commission over Facebook's recent changes to user privacy settings, claiming the changes are in violation of consumer-protection law. In the complaint, the influential consumer watchdog urges the FTC to open an investigation …

    ID 17 Dec 22:52

  • Intel details fresh desktop, mobile 'Cores'

    New Year's coming-out party

    Surprising no one, Intel announced on Thursday that it would be rounding out its Core i3/5/7 mobile and desktop processor lines on January 7 at the upcoming Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Not that there's anything wrong with being unsurprising - after bumps such as the recent Larrabee GPU/CPU shutdown, a little …

    PCs & Chips 17 Dec 23:12