14th January 2010 Archive

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Firefox 3.6: I am more than my Monkey

Web juice beyond JavaScript

The last time Mozilla released a new incarnation of its open-source Firefox browser, the main concern was the JavaScript engine. This time around, the open-sourcers have far more on the brain. Due as early as next week, Firefox 3.6 hardly ignores JavaScript performance. Mozilla claims a full 20 per cent boost on the SunSpider …

Developer 14 Jan 2010, 04:45
Gates' patent legacy turns heat on IBM

Microsoft's hits factory fired up

IBM has long placed a premium on patents - such a premium, its engineers are expected to routinely create and file patents to prove the company's technical leadership to the world. Such is the expectation and the size of IBM's brains trust that each year for nearly a decade, IBM has been awarded more patents in the US than any …

Software 14 Jan 2010, 06:02
VMware hypervisors on the Go

Server virt for cheapskates

With a number of freebie alternatives to its flagship ESX Server 4.0 hypervisor out there in the market - including some pretty stiff competition from Microsoft's Hyper-V, Citrix Systems' XenServer, and Red Hat's KVM - VMware has to do something to engage and hold small and medium businesses who are not gonna pay a lot for that …

Virtualization 14 Jan 2010, 07:02
Samsung SH-BO83L

Review Combo upgrade time?

For those using their PCs as home entertainment centres, the Samsung SH-BO83L internal drive turns your computer into a versatile Blu-ray player while also acting as a fast DVD and CD writer. In one step, it upgrades your disc burning ability and adds BD-Rom support at a thoroughly reasonable price. Samsung’s SH-BO83L: Sata …

Hardware 14 Jan 2010, 08:02
China throws rotten tomatoes at IMDb

Online movie bible blocked

China this week appears to have blocked access to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com), giving rise to speculation that it is stepping up its war on websites that allow user-generated content. IMDb is owned by Amazon and is available to its claimed 57 million visitors per month in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian …

Government 14 Jan 2010, 09:02
Dixons celebrates shiny Christmas

Sales up but margins down

DSGi - the group behind PC World and Currys - has updated the City on trading over the crucial Christmas period. For the 12 weeks ended 9 January group sales were up eight per cent with only UK computing sales showing a slight fall - down three per cent in like-for-like terms. The retailer said that Windows 7 provided a bit of …

The Channel 14 Jan 2010, 09:04
Virtualisation as a business enabler for wild animals

Webcast How do you do IT in a Zoo?

Join us as we continue our virtualisation workshop with this latest webcast in the series - but with a whole new twist. We’ll be examining the role that virtualisation is playing for Reg reader gurus from the UK’s Chester Zoo – who recently implemented a server virtualisation program. This is an interesting place for several …

Virtualisation Lab 14 Jan 2010, 09:45
Microsoft tells UK schools: buy our software, save money

Bett Hopes Tories (and Google) won't crash the party

Microsoft's UK education chief insisted yesterday that schools would continue to lap up its software despite tightening budgets and a likely change of government - and education policy - in the next few months. In an interview with The Register at the Bett (British Educational Training and Technology) event in London, the …

The Channel 14 Jan 2010, 09:52
E-commerce law update includes ISP hate speech exemption

Dispensation granted for 'mere conduits'

The Government has published Regulations that will absolve internet service providers (ISPs) and other digital service providers of responsibility for religion or sexuality-related hate speech transmitted over their networks. The E-Commerce Directive protects service providers from liability for material that they neither …

Broadband 14 Jan 2010, 09:56
Report calls for mandatory shared back office

That's not a euphemism

Legislation should be used to force local authorities to share back office facilities, according to a new report. Stop, Start, Save - Shared Service Delivery in Local Government, published by the Deloitte consultancy, says councils have been incapable of delivering the level of savings achieved in the private sector and that, …

Government 14 Jan 2010, 10:08
Russia assigns $16.7m for nuclear spaceships

Better propulsion is 'key problem' for Mars, Moonbases

The Russian government has assigned funds of 500 million roubles ($16.7m) for the development of a nuclear-powered spacecraft, according to reports. Draft designs are expected to be finalised by 2012. RIA Novosti reports that 430 million roubles of the space nuke-engine funding has been assigned to the Rosatom state nuclear …

Science 14 Jan 2010, 10:16
LG eyes 'second biggest phone firm' status

Warns Samsung with 2010 sales forecast

LG aims to sell 140m mobile phones globally this year, with a view to becoming the world’s second largest handset maker by 2012. The 2010 sales forecast would be a 20 per cent increase on LG’s 2009 handset sales. Samsung – currently the world’s number two in terms of handset sales – shifted just under 200m phones in 2008 and …

Phones 14 Jan 2010, 10:32
E-book readers attract unwanted VAT

Books are essential, but e-books are a luxury, apparently

Many of those finding e-book readers under their Christmas tree have been surprised to discover that electronic titles attract value added tax, despite the dead-tree versions being VAT-free. As the UK VAT rate returns to its pre-recession level of 17.5 per cent, owners of e-book readers are finding out that they have to pay it …

Hardware 14 Jan 2010, 10:36
Sun shines on PC sales as economic storm abates

The Win 7 effect? Not much

PC sales in the fourth quarter showed a surprising jump in sales - partly thanks to low prices and partly due to purchases put off in previous quarters. Gartner warned that although worldwide sales hit 90 million units, a 22.1 per cent increase on the fourth quarter 2008 - but that quarter was a particularly bad one. Figures …

Hardware 14 Jan 2010, 10:37
Dell positioning to acquire Exanet

Circles stricken NAS cluster vendor

It is reported and we hear from other sources that Dell is inching closer to buying failed clustered NAS vendor Exanet. Israeli headquartered Exanet went titsup before Christmas, and a liquidator was appointed to get the best results from selling the company or its assets. A Dell rescue deal had previously been on the cards …

Storage 14 Jan 2010, 11:16
West Country pagans tie horses in knots

The Hair Witch Project hits Devon manes

Police are investigating the possibility that pagans are behind a "bizarre outbreak of horse mane weaving" in Devon, Dorset and Somerset, the Western Morning News reports. Some 20 equines have been found with plaits in their manes, and while the initial suspicion was that they were being marked for theft by horse-rustling …

Bootnotes 14 Jan 2010, 11:18
Understanding service requirements: How true are the truisms?

Workshop How to please the hard to please

How easy it is to say that ‘IT service delivery should start with the business’? It’s one of those statements like ‘the customer is king’ or ‘always clean up as you go along’, that may indeed save time in the long run but which can be a lot harder in practice than some theorists would like. Like many a true word, just because …

Infrastructure Workshop 14 Jan 2010, 11:22
Nintendo confirms DSi XL's UK launch

Expanding into Europe in March

Nintendo has confirmed that its DSi XL handheld console will officially arrive in Blighty next March. Nintendo's DSi XL (right) is rather bigger than the Lite The machine - the fourth addition to Nintendo's DS range - sports two 4.2in screens and will be available across Europe on 5 March. A UK price has yet to be confirmed …

Games 14 Jan 2010, 11:26
Vodafone struggles to get iPhones out

Under the weather

Vodafone is having problems getting iPhones in the sweaty palms of its eager customers, though at least the cold weather should make their palms less sweaty. O2's exclusive on the iPhone disappeared last year as T-Mobile started (tentatively) selling handsets, followed by an official launch from Orange. Vodafone customers have …

Phones 14 Jan 2010, 11:29
T-Mobile UK earmarks two tariffs for scrappage

Not so flexible, not so friendly

T-Mobile UK is junking its Combi and Flext tariffs next month, the trade paper Mobile Today reveals. The cellco will also scrap 12-month contracts and will replace the Solo sim-only tariff, according to the paper. In a presentation seen by Mobile Today [which probably means it has its hands on a briefing document meant for …

Phones 14 Jan 2010, 11:34
New Labour bring old Nuremberg Laws to Britain

Police may act unlawfully when 'only obeying orders'

Police officers could find themselves on the wrong end of a citizen’s arrest if they follow advice issued by Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, after the European Court of Human Rights slapped the UK's stop and search laws. According to government lawyers, however, so long as officials are "only obeying orders", there is little the …

Law 14 Jan 2010, 11:34
Oracle will cut half of Sun workers, analyst predicts

But which half...

An analyst has predicted that half of Sun's 27,000 staff will be for the chop when Oracle finally gets its hands on the faltering Sparc vendor. The depressing prediction was made by Brent Thill, an analyst with UBS, in a report yesterday, according to Bloomberg news. He said Oracle was likely to make the drastic workforce cuts …

Financial News 14 Jan 2010, 11:43
Orange squeezes out 300 jobs

Bristol call centre closing

Orange has confirmed that 300 jobs in Bristol will go or be moved with the closure of its Keypoint call centre. Of the 800 people employed at Keypoint, 500 will get jobs in other buildings on the Bristol campus. 300 people will be offered relocation packages and jobs at call centres in Plymouth, North Tyneside and Darlington …

Mobile 14 Jan 2010, 12:13
Modern Warfare 2 outsold Avatar, claims developer

Initially, yes; longer term, no

First-person shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has grossed more than $1bn (£625m) in worldwide retail sales since its November launch, raking in more cash during its first five days on sale than blockbuster movie Avatar managed to do, the game's developer has claimed. Over half of the game’s global sales revenues – some $ …

Games 14 Jan 2010, 12:14
Dodgy Haiti earthquake-themed domains point to scams

Some people really are all heart

With sad inevitability, fraudsters have rushed to register the Haiti earthquake-themed scam URLs in the wake of Tuesday's natural disaster in the impoverished Caribbean country. Not all the newly registered domains may turn out to be fraudulent, but ever since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 the registration of fraudulent domains …

Security 14 Jan 2010, 12:15
Lightning catches up with Thunderbird

So, what day is it?

Mozilla has made a beta of Lighting 1.0 available for download, giving users of its Thunderbird email package a more integrated way of working out what day it is. The Lightning extension adds calendaring to Thunderbird, making the email package more of an alternative for those used to the likes of full fat Outlook. But while …

Applications 14 Jan 2010, 12:19
Samsung soups up flash capacity

Wants bigger share of big market

Samsung has souped up its flash capacity with a 64GB MoviNAND product and a 32GB microSD (Secure Digital) product. MoviNAND is an embedded NAND flash product with an MMC interface, flash memory and controller in a BGA package. The 64GB moviNAND measures 1.4mm in height and is built from 16 32nm, 32Gbit, 2-bit multi-level cell …

Hardware 14 Jan 2010, 12:45
Men more different from chimps than women, say boffins

if you have any poo, fling it now - ladies

In genetic terms, as everyone but religious extremists acknowledges, human beings are in general very similar indeed to chimpanzees. However, scientists have now discovered that the Y chromosomes - found only in the males - of the two species are extremely dissimilar. The new study is reported this week in hefty boffinry mag …

Science 14 Jan 2010, 12:47
UK.gov moves to block Hamas kids site

Incites hatred, says MP

The Home Office is considering blocking a childrens' website run by the Palestinian group Hamas following suggestions it incites hatred of Jews. Liverpool MP Louise Ellman, chair of the Labour Jewish Movement, has called on ministers to block access to al-Fateh.net, a webzine launched by Hamas in 2002. Alongside baking recipes …

Government 14 Jan 2010, 12:57
Sony Ericsson Aino

Review The must-have PS3 accessory?

Sony Ericsson's latest marketing wheeze is to release a slew of new handsets with seemingly meaningless names. Satio, Yari, Naite and the handset currently under scrutiny, Aino, are models the company has lined up to compete with Apple and Android. The Aino is meant to be a media fan’s handset first and foremost. It also has a …

Phones 14 Jan 2010, 13:02
ZTE accelerates Android handset release plan

Joins Google Gang to speed release

ZTE, a Chinese handset manufacturer with global ambitions, has brought forward the release of its first Android smartphone. ZTE told Register Hardware in June 2009 that it was working on an Android-based smartphone with a solar-panel power source. The device’s launch was originally planned for Q2 2010, but Lin Qiang, the head …

Phones 14 Jan 2010, 13:10
Audi confirms e-tron production plans

Leccy Tech Latest design given 2012 launch date

Audi has unveiled yet another version of its e-tron leccy über coupé at the Detroit Motor Show. But, unlike previous designs, has slapped a production date onto its bonnet. Audi's latest e-tron design will go into production in 2012 Set to hit production lines in 2012, the new e-tron functions much like designs previously …

Science 14 Jan 2010, 13:29
Knuckle rap for riot shield sledging coppers

YouTube snow fun vid provokes reprimand

A group of Oxfordshire coppers caught on camera using a riot shield as an improvised sledge have had their knuckles rapped by their unimpressed superintendent: The original vid was posted on YouTube by Rick Latham, who was on Boars Hill, Oxford, on Tuesday when a group of officers approached him. He told BBC news: "I …

Law 14 Jan 2010, 13:33
Atoms in supercomputing?

OK, Atom chips

If you build a supercomputer out of Atom chips, will someone buy it? That remains to be seen, but it’s a compelling enough idea to score $9.3m from the US Department of Energy. You can click here to read about SeaMicro, a small company that picked up the dough to develop an Atom-based supercomputer. The story describes a …

HPC 14 Jan 2010, 14:02
World standards body maps out 3D TV generations

From stereoscopy to holography

Standards setter the International Telecommuncations Union (ITU) has established a far-reaching roadmap for 3D TV technology, though it admits it will take at least 20 years for its more advanced notions to be realised. The ITU's roadmap, announced today, defines the next three generations of 3D TV, kicking off with today's …

Hardware 14 Jan 2010, 14:06
China silent on Google, welcomes compliant internet firms

Washington worries about other stuff for now

China went on a wide-ranging charm offensive today to show the world it is open to the internet and is in fact the biggest victim of hacking attacks. The heartfelt pleas for understanding began the day after Google threatened to up sticks from the world's most populous country after complaining it had been targeted by …

Government 14 Jan 2010, 14:17
Security experts dissect Google China attack

Analysis Howdunnit mystery

The hacking attacks against Google that prompted the search engine giant to consider pulling out of the country are far more frequent than is commonly thought. Security experts are surprised at Google's response, rather than the attacks themselves, which analysts reckon relied on exploit-ridden PDF attachments in emails. These …

Security 14 Jan 2010, 14:54
Swedish Weight Watchers bring down the house

Floor surrenders to Växjö heavyweights

A group of around 20 Swedish Weight Watchers participants who'd gathered in the programme's Växjö clinic to "see how much weight they had lost" found out the answer was not enough to prevent the floor from collapsing under their combined bulk. One shaken heavyweight explained to the Smålandsposten newspaper: “We suddenly heard …

Bootnotes 14 Jan 2010, 14:54
Avatar expands 3D TV interest

Making punters keener to buy too?

Hit movie Avatar appears to be persuading punters - in the US, at least - that it might soon be possible to view 3D films on TV at home. Whether it will convince them to buy into the notion is another matter. Electronics price-comparison site Retrevo said yesterday that while a mere 39 per cent of consumers were aware of 3D TV …

Media 14 Jan 2010, 15:02
Cisco, NetApp and VMware announce three-way love-in

Although John Chambers isn't that sort of CEO

Hot on the heels of HP and Microsoft, Cisco, NetApp and VMware are planning a big announcement on January 26th, attended by the CEOs of NetApp and VMware, but not Cisco. What gives? The event registration web page talks of helping you "imagine and achieve virtually anything with one elegant solution." NetApp boss Tom Georgens …

Storage 14 Jan 2010, 15:32
Kodak strikes at Apple in iPhone, Mac patent dispute

RIM targeted too

Eastman Kodak has issued lawsuits against both Apple and Blackberry maker Research in Motion, claiming neither of them has licensed its patents despite using the technology described therein and having been warned about it by Kodak. The photography pioneer said the alleged infringement centred on intellectual property …

Law 14 Jan 2010, 15:51
Keep space station past 2015, pleads ESA chief

It'll only just be finished

The head of the European Space Agency (ESA) has called for the International Space Station (ISS) to be kept in service until at least 2020. At present the station - the only manned space effort currently underway - is not planned to keep operating past 2015. "I am convinced that stopping the station in 2015 would be a mistake …

Science 14 Jan 2010, 15:53
Wearable speaker plays to mums' brainy baby plans

Mozart Effect in action

Wacky gadget manufacturer Nuvo has created a ‘wearable stereo’ for expectant mums designed to help boost babies' brains. Nuvo's Ritmo sends soothing sounds to unborn kids The Ritmo belt fixes around the mother’s pregnant belly and sends sounds to the foetus from four integrated speakers. While the idea may sound daft - …

Hardware 14 Jan 2010, 16:05
Nvidia gets biological with life sciences nerds

Better shampoos through GPUs

Nvidia has a substantial lead over rivals Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, and IBM when it comes to peddling graphics co-processors, and it wants to keep that lead and extend it, if possible. That means doing boring old stuff that server and operating system makers have to do, such as lining up application software vendors so they …

HPC 14 Jan 2010, 17:04
Swiss Army updates nerd-friendly knives

USB key security, Bluetooth and more added

Swiss Army knives are famous for opening envelopes and wine bottles when you don’t have the proper tools to hand. Now manufacturer Victorinox has updated the pocket toolkit with a range of hi-tech features. First up is the Victorinox Remote, a traditional Swiss Army knife that's combined with “dual-channel transmitter” capable …

Hardware 14 Jan 2010, 17:20
Panasonic flees Microsoft Exchange for IBM cloud

'The world's largest cloud computing contract'

IBM will be moving Panasonic's workforce to LotusLive hosted email and collaboration software, in what it's touting as the largest enterprise cloud computing contract to date. One day after Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard said they would spend $250m on a combined effort to push businesses toward cloud computing, IBM has swooped …

The Channel 14 Jan 2010, 17:50
Ex-AMD exec called own company 'pathetic'

And Intel would like you to know it

Intel has dropped a stink bomb into its ongoing dust-up with the US Federal Trade Commission over allegations of anticompetitive practices, revealing a 2004 communication in which AMD's then-top salesman referred to his own company as "pathetic" and said he "would never buy AMD for a personal system if I wasn't workin here." …

Hardware 14 Jan 2010, 19:04
Pizza delivery man cops to life in DarkMarket

Ran 'eBay for criminals' from net cafe

A former London pizza delivery man faces a 10-year prison sentence after admitting he helped found the notorious DarkMarket forum for computer crime, several news sites reported. Renukanth Subramaniam, a 33-year-old Sri Lanka-born man from North London, pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court in London to conspiracy to …

Security 14 Jan 2010, 19:56
Cisco stuffs four SAN services into one card

Boxes data migrationware into appliance

Cisco has unveiled a new four-services-in-one network line card designed to move more data storage functions out of end devices and into the fabric. Cisco's Storage Services Node 16 (SSN-16) consolidates Cisco's existing fabric-based SAN services into one card for a MDS 9000 director chassis. The 16-port line card contains …

Storage 14 Jan 2010, 20:06
Microsoft names new date for Visual Studio 2010

Delays, done

Microsoft has named the date for the (delayed) next installment of Visual Studio and its .NET Framework. Developer division marketing and communications manager Rob Caron blogged Thursday that the new date for Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 is April 12 - three weeks later than the company originally planned. Curran …

Developer 14 Jan 2010, 20:27
Survey outs Britain as nation of tech twits

Steve Jobs? Y'mean the footballer?

One in 20 Britons think Steve Jobs is a Division II footballer, six per cent think a virtual hard disk (VHD) is a sexually transmitted disease, and 10 per cent believe a wireless dongle to be a sex toy. Perhaps that last bit is true in a pinch, but it's hard to fathom how Apple's CEO could be mistaken for the redoubtable Steve …

Bootnotes 14 Jan 2010, 20:32
AMD's GlobalFoundries consumes Chartered Semi rival

Twice as many fabs as the Beatles

Hot on the heels of its announcement last week that it had inked a wafer-baking deal with Qualcomm, GlobalFoundries - formerly the chip-making arm of Advanced Micro Devices - says that it has completed its acquisition and integration of rival chip manufacturer, Chartered Semiconductor of Singapore. GlobalFoundries, still …

Business 14 Jan 2010, 20:32
IE zero-day used in Chinese cyber assault on 34 firms

Updated Operation Aurora unveiled

Hackers who breached the defenses of Google, Adobe Systems and at least 32 other companies used a potent vulnerability in all versions of Internet Explorer to carry out at least some of the attacks, researchers from McAfee said Thursday. The previously unknown flaw in the IE browser was probably just one of the vectors used in …

Security 14 Jan 2010, 21:37
Intel profits surge towards heavens

An 875 per cent leap (with caveats)

Intel has reported fourth-quarter revenue of $10.6bn, a 28 per cent rise from the same quarter last year. Operating income for the quarter was $2.5 billion and net income $2.3bn, topping Wall Street estimates. That net income increase was a brawny 875 per cent improvement year-on-year, a $2bn rise. But as impressive as these …

Financial News 14 Jan 2010, 22:10