15th January 2010 Archive

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GoToMyPC (finally) goes to your Mac

After nine years, Citrix blesses Apple fanbois

At long last, Citrix has squeezed out a version of its GoToMyPC remote access service that lets you both connect to a Mac from a distant PC and connect to a distant PC from a Mac. GoToMyPC debuted on PCs nearly nine years ago, but this is the first time the service has provided Apple fanbois with remote access in both …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 00:49
Apple lawyer smacks Gawker with Mac tablet hint

Wins 'fabulous' gift pack

Super-secretive Apple has provided some of the best evidence yet that its long-rumored tablet is on the way. No, not by leaking photos or specs, but instead by threatening a website about soliciting said photos or specs. On Wednesday, Gawker Media's Valleywag blog announced its Apple Tablet Scavenger Hunt, which offers hefty …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 02:13
Amazon cloud accused of network slowdown

Users cry latency spike

Amazon's sky-high EC2 service has experienced a significant increase in network latency in recent days, according to data from two separate companies running widely-used management tools in tandem with the service. Cloudkick - one of the many outfits that offer a service for overseeing the use of Amazon EC2 and other so-called …

Networks 15 Jan 2010, 05:04
Big Blue rides Schooner to MySQL boost

Mem appliance resell

As countless crafty upstarts have learned time and again in the IT racket, it's tough to get a server vendor who makes a living peddling boxes to get excited about server appliances that get rid of banks of servers. But IBM has inked a deal with upstart Schooner Information Technology to resell its web-caching and MySQL-boosting …

Servers 15 Jan 2010, 06:02
Cyber attack hits law firm that sued China

Coincidence?

A law firm that filed a lawsuit against the Chinese government says it was hit by a cyber attack that looks strikingly similar to one that targeted Google, Adobe Systems, and 32 other large companies. On Monday, Attorneys at Gipson Hoffman & Pancione began receiving trojan-laced emails made to appear as if they were sent by …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 06:02
Windows and Office veteran ejects from Microsoft

Instrument of Seinfeld

The Microsoft veteran who helped lead development, sales, and marketing on Office and Windows is leaving the company after more than 20 years. Bill Veghte has "indicated a desire to run a business in a more end-to-end fashion and continue to explore new areas in the broad technology, communication and services sector,s" chief …

Business 15 Jan 2010, 07:02
PsiXpda pocket computer

Review Psion of the times?

About 10 years ago, Psion's handheld computers were the ones to beat and the Psion Series 5 was at the top of the heap. The keyboard was tiny but so well designed that it was really possible to touchtype on it. Indeed, the Series 5 set the standard for others to emulate, and, quite simply, as far as usability is concerned no …

Laptops 15 Jan 2010, 08:02
Storage Fusion on plumping up drive ahead of sale

Comment No asset stripping going on here

Storage analytics service firm Storage Fusion is being fattened up for market. Storage Fusion is the personification in company terms of the storage analytics business inside Itheon, a UK firm acquired by Xploite in 2007. Itheon offered business service monitoring and various application. Xploite is a combination of venture …

Storage 15 Jan 2010, 08:02
Otellini sees slow return to IT normalcy

'2009 was a funny year'

Despite his company's recent strong financial results, Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini doesn't project a recovery for the corporate market anytime soon. Speaking about the corporate market with analysts and reporters after Intel released its solid fourth quarter 2009 financial results, Otellini said: "I don't know how it …

Financial News 15 Jan 2010, 08:02
Motorola ends mobile sell off

The price ain't right

Motorola is ending the search for a buyer for its set top box and networking business, because it cannot find anyone willing to pay enough for the unit. The company has spent the last two years trying to sell off its handset business, which has had a rotten few years, as well as its set-top box and networking division. But …

Mobile 15 Jan 2010, 09:28
China's doomed attempt to hold the world to ransom

Or why your job won't be following the rare earth trail

The Chinese government is trying to corner the rare earths market and that isn't good news for the tech business. Those with good memories of Chemistry O Level will know what the rare earths are: the funny little line of elements from Lanthanum to Lutetium at the bottom of the periodic table, along with Yttrium and Scandium, …

Science 15 Jan 2010, 10:02
Universities avoid Kindle over accessibility barriers

Suits from blind groups over lack of menu aids

Three US universities have agreed not to use Amazon's e-book reader the Kindle until it is easily usable by blind people. A fourth settled a complaint from blind people's advocacy groups by saying that it will strive to use accessible devices in future. Though the Kindle DX reader can read out text, making it potentially …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 10:17
US Army's robot kill-chopper chopped

Droid tank survives, though

The US Army's plans for powerful robotic combat formations have been downgraded, according to reports. A pilotless helicopter gunship and droid ground vehicles intended to carry supplies and clear mines have been axed: however a robot tank project and other automated weaponry will proceed. Aggrieved by the demise of its …

Science 15 Jan 2010, 10:19
NAO tells HMRC: Pick up, dammit

Hello? Your telephone service sucks

The National Audit Office has told HM Revenue and Customs it has to make more improvements to its telephone services. Its new report on the department's performance points to the need to encourage people to call outside of peak hours and to make more use of the department's website. HM Revenue and Customs: Handling telephone …

Small Biz 15 Jan 2010, 10:21
MPs slam IBM pension moves

Changes are redundancy by stealth

A Westminster Hall debate has led to serious criticism of the way IBM ended its final salary pension scheme. Sandra Gidley, Lib Dem MP for Romsey, said she had heard from many IBMers, especially those in their 50s who were hit hardest. She explained that in 2003 IBM staff were asked to increase pension contributions by 50 per …

Financial News 15 Jan 2010, 10:39
No Windows Mobile 7 launch at MWC, claims mole

You'll have to make do with 6.6

Don't expect Windows Mobile 7 to launch next month at Mobile World Congress, despite what you may have heard in the press and on the rumour mill. So claim industry sources cited by DigiTimes, and we can't say we're entirely surprised. Instead, Microsoft will released WinMo 6.6, codenamed 'Maldives', they say, to improve the …

Phones 15 Jan 2010, 10:47
McKinnon: The longest ever game of pass the parcel

Comment After eight years, the music may finally be stopping

Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon has won breathing space in his long-running fight against extradition, with news on Wednesday that judges have granted a further judicial review. This time it is to consider whether the Home Secretary was right to disregard medical evidence that he might harm himself or even commit suicide if …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 11:02
World braces for Lindsay Lohan sex tape

47 seconds of 'adult activity' set for net premiere

Lindsay Lohan is said to be "devastated" that a 47-second video of her indulging in "adult activity" with a member of the opposite sex is about to get a worldwide internet release. The perpetrator of the kiss-and-tell outrage is reportedly "a waiter with a well-known chain restaurant" who has punted the clip to Hustler for £ …

Bootnotes 15 Jan 2010, 11:04
Is dynamic IT management necessary for mid-sized firms?

Workshop Or are 'good enough' approaches sufficient?

It’s a fair assumption that the operational management of IT follows some kind of maturity model. Many organizations are, in theory, chaotic; a logical next step is to implement a layer of control, and from there one might say one could start building a managed environment. After that – hurrah! – it is reputedly an easy hop, …

Infrastructure Workshop 15 Jan 2010, 11:15
HP confirms Hyper-V LeftHand appliance

Put your virtualised hands together

HP is planning to develop a Hyper-V version of its VMware-based LeftHand Networks virtual storage appliance (VSA). VSA is LeftHand SAN/iq software packaged to run as a virtual machine under VMware. Like SAN/iq itself it turns direct-attached storage (DAS) on its server, or PC, host, into storage area network (SAN) storage. …

Storage 15 Jan 2010, 11:20
Chinese Avatards go mad for Pandora

We're just like the Na'vi, exclaim oppressed masses

The Chinese have apparently gone mad for Avatar, with eager cinemagoers queuing for hours in freezing temperatures to visit the wonderful world of Pandora. On its opening day, the movie took a record 56 million yuan (£5m), and IMAX cinemas are booked to bursting for weeks to come, the Times reports. But it's not just the 3-D …

Bootnotes 15 Jan 2010, 11:24
Scottish doc swerves charges for snooping

Illegally accessing medical records

A Scottish doctor accused of illegally accessing celebrities' and politicians' medical records will not now be charged with any offences. Dr Andrew Jamieson, who worked at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, was charged under Data Protection legislation. He was accused of accessing emergency care summary records for prime …

Law 15 Jan 2010, 11:36
Who actually needs virtualisation and collaboration tools

Lab Put your hands in the air

Email is now routinely referenced as a mission critical system. The importance of tools that help and encourage greater collaboration amongst staff, partners and even customers is also on the rise as organisations seek to raise productivity and performance. Is it possible for collaboration tools and e-mail systems to be utilised …

Virtualisation Lab 15 Jan 2010, 11:41
NuLabour 'Bribo' laptop pops up on eBay

'Primary Drive: To be re-elected'

One enterprising eBayer is offering buyers the chance to get their hands on a "spanking new, gleaming Bribo laptop, complete with instruction sheet showing you where to place your X when the time comes". The listing explains: The government has declared that it will soon issue 270,000 of these Bribos to their core voters …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 11:59
'Domestic extremism' police called in on climate hack

Animal rights nut squad lends a hand

Norfolk police investigating the "Climategate" hack have called in colleagues from the National Domestic Extremism Team (NDET), it has emerged. The unit was originally set up to investigate animal rights extremists. Recently it has been embroiled in controversy over police gathering intelligence about protestors, including …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 12:01
Escaped con who taunted cops on Facebook finally collared

Burglar turned blogger gets banged up

UK police have caught up with an escaped con who ran a "fan group" on Facebook during his time on the run. Craig “Lazie” Lynch, 28, was arrested in Kent on Wednesday almost four months after doing a runner from a Hollesley Bay open prison, in Suffolk. He passed the intervening time with a trip to London to watch the New Year’s …

Bootnotes 15 Jan 2010, 12:07
SD movies fine for Wii, hints Nintendo

Console's Netflix streaming won't be in HD

Nintendo has claimed consumers won’t mind being unable able to watch HD movies on the Wii’s upcoming movie service. Reggie Fils-Aime, President of Nintendo America, told CNBC this week that since “the vast majority of content that’s available for streaming through Netflix is not HD content... there really is no loss for the …

Games 15 Jan 2010, 12:21
The Digital Economy Bill: Where are we now?

Oh Mandy, well you came to stop me from downloading

Pelted from all sides by amendments, the Digital Economy Bill continues to plough its way through Parliament. This week, the Lords lined up to have their say, but since there are so many (300) Amendments, they’ll be at it again on Monday. Of course, out of the ten subject areas, the one labelled ‘online copyright infringement’ …

Media 15 Jan 2010, 12:34
Pentax K-7

Review Weatherproof sharp shooter with HD video

Last February we looked at the Pentax K-m, a rather tasty entry-level DSLR. Yet the K-7 is a different kettle of fish from the K-m, it’s a more advanced model aimed at the enthusiast/semi-pro market. Environment friendly? Pentax's K-7 Measuring up at 96.5 x 130.5 x 72.5mm and weighing 750g with battery and card, the K-7 can …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 13:02
Iraqi weapons inspector accused in online sex sting

Facing seven years

A former head of UN weapons inspections in Iraq has been charged with child sex offences after being caught in an online sting. Scott Ritter was a lone voice insisting Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction in the run-up to the war, and remained highly critical of US policy subsequently. He is accused of using the …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 13:09
Peppa Pig told to belt up

Kids' TV porker in 'seatbelt safety row'

Parents whose kids have ever refused to belt up will be relieved to learn that kids TV character Peppa Pig will not in future been seen without a seatbelt, thereby ensuring that pre-school nippers are educated early in the need to travel in safety. Astley Baker Davies, the company behind the Five and Nick Jr show, decided …

Bootnotes 15 Jan 2010, 13:17
Tories: We will set up a permanent 'War Cabinet'

Analysis Cyber, security, defence ~~rebranding~~ policy unveiled

Today the Conservative Party - the bookies' favourite to be the next government of old Blighty - sets out as much of its plans on national-security matters as it is willing to share before this year's election. PM-in-waiting David Cameron, in a speech delivered today at Chatham House, promised "one of the most radical …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 13:22
False Moscow CCTV feed scam leads to fraud charges

You've not been framed

The discovery that some CCTV cameras around Moscow streamed prerecorded images, instead of live pictures, has resulted in criminal charges against StroyMontageService, the firm that maintained the network. Dmitry Kudryavtsev, a director of StroyMontageService, has been arrested and charged with fraud over the alleged scam, …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 13:32
Nokia posts proposal for next year's smartphone UI

Nods to iPhone, Android WebOS

Details are beginning to emerge regarding what Nokia wants to see in the next-gen Symbian user interface. Developed for Symbian 4 - sorry, 'Symbian^4' - Nokia's proposal for the UI calls for a redesigned display in which a standard titlebar at the top of the screen with the remainder managed by the application in the …

Phones 15 Jan 2010, 13:56
Multi-touch gaming notebook launched

World's first, apparently

PC gaming looks set to get more interactive following the launch of a machine heralded as the world’s first multi-touch gaming notebook. US-based manufacturer iBuypower said the 15in, 1366 x 768 display on the Battalion Touch CZ-10 notebook represents “the future of mobile gaming”, with its multi-touch screen supposedly …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 13:57
Business host DataGate vanishes

All gone

Business hosting outfit DataGate has fallen off the internet today, with customers unable to raise the firm on the phone too. The London-based firm's own website is currently unavailable, as are those of its customers. Reg correspondents say DataGate disappeared at at about 8am. Web developer Robin Tong this afternoon …

Management 15 Jan 2010, 14:16
ICO: Whitehall has improved data security

Gov congratulated for starting what it should be doing already

The information commissioner says that government has improved both its data protection and its disclosure of such work. Christopher Graham was commenting on a Cabinet Office report which sets out work since the Data Handling Review of June 2008, which set out measures for departments to improve data security. He was positive …

Government 15 Jan 2010, 14:17
UK.gov dismisses Tory claims UK cyberspace is defenceless

Say what, Dave?

The government has dismissed Tory claims that the UK is not equipped to battle digital attacks on its national security. David Cameron backed the claim as he launched his party's national security green paper today. It criticises GCHQ's Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC), which is due to begin work in March. "Even when …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 15:08
NASA Titan moon-balloons to run on cloud fuel

Hot-"air" droid gasbag probes for patio-gas iceworld

Boffins are working on a cunning new plan to power future hot-air-balloon probe craft sent to survey Titan, ice moon of Saturn. The balloons' burners will be fuelled by the evaporated patio gas which occurs naturally in the Titanian atmosphere. Flying over a mountain made of ice in a cloud-burning balloon. The faraway moon …

Science 15 Jan 2010, 15:24
'Anti-cyberbullying' rapper sorry for SMS smack talk

Balls berk and Radio 1 texter in very British beef

A rapper who acted as a spokesman for Ed Balls' anti-cyberbullying campaign last November has been caught sending abusive texts to a listener who called into a radio show, the BBC reports. Chloe Moody texted The Chris Moyles Show on Radio 1 to express the opinion that band N-Dubz were "losers" and that frontman Dappy (whose …

Mobile 15 Jan 2010, 15:26
Fender phone gets launch date

North American tour kicks off on 20 January

T-Mobile has pulled — or should that be plucked? — a few strings and signed up Eric Clapton to promote its upcoming Fender-themed phone. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com The limited-edition My Touch Fender 3G — actually an HTC Magic, reviewed here — has been lacquered with a “guitar-inspired wood …

Phones 15 Jan 2010, 15:29
UK BitTorrent admin acquitted on fraud charge

Updated Happy as a pig in sh*t

Alan Ellis, the former admin of music BitTorrent tracker OiNK, was acquitted of conspiracy to defraud by a Middlesbrough court today. In a landmark trial, the 26-year-old stood accused of making $300,000 in user donations from the invite-only service, which members used to share high quality and pre-release music. Ellis' …

Media 15 Jan 2010, 15:33
Secretive Brit millionaire buys Segway Inc

Project Ginger goes to Leeds

A British millionaire inventor has bought Segway Inc - the maker of electric pogo sticks that promised to change the world when it launched back in 2001. The deal apparently went through on Christmas Eve, but news only emerged today thanks to a blog post on Segway.com. The post said the firm had been bought by Jimi Heselden, …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 15:45
Pogoplug to hop into Britain next month

Internet drive-sharing gadget crosses pond

Pogoplug, Cloud Engines' media sharing gadget, is finally coming to the UK. The unit, which links up to four USB hard drives to the internet, is due to go on sale here on 15 February. Pretty in pink: Pogoplug The unit, now in its second generation design, aims to make digital content available to you when you're travelling …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 16:03
US Global Hawks capture Haiti destruction

Aerial snaps support military relief effort

The US military's Southern Command has released* some aerial photographs of post-earthquake Haiti, which it says are "providing US military planners valuable situation awareness as they coordinate US military support to the Haiti relief". The pictures from the unmanned Global Hawk include an image of survivors congregating on …

Science 15 Jan 2010, 16:07
LG publishes bendy 19in e-newspaper

Rollable e-book reader

LG has developed an e-journal reader that not only measures a whopping 19in but is also flexible. LG's 19in bendy e-reader: a world's first The company said its device is the world’s largest e-book reader to date and that it has been designed to make users feel as though they are holding a real newspaper – tabloid, …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 16:18
No World Cup anthem for England football heroes

Sound of silence marks bid for glory

The England football team will jet off to South Africa this year without the benefit of the traditional rousing official anthem, the FA has announced. The shock decision, which means our plucky lads will have to rely entirely on their highly-paid skills to secure World Cup glory, marks the first time since 1966 that fans have …

Bootnotes 15 Jan 2010, 16:31
Intel rides Nehalem to heavenly profits

And now for the 32nm ramp

In announcing financial results for the fourth quarter and all of 2009 yesterday, Intel rejiggered its financial statements in such a way that we now have a better idea of how its PC and server businesses are doing in terms of revenues and profits. And, my oh my, did operating margins for both PC and server chips recover in the …

Servers 15 Jan 2010, 17:22
US will complain to China about Google hacking

Whatever good that will do

The United States will issue a formal diplomatic note to China expressing concern about cyber attacks that hit Google and dozens of other companies, and that researchers say originated in that country. "We will be issuing a formal demarche to the Chinese government in Beijing on this issue in the coming days, probably early …

Government 15 Jan 2010, 17:52
NASA finds cocaine in Space Shuttle hangar

Extra work on the nose cone

NASA is trying to sniff out which employee brought a baggy of cocaine into the hangar that houses Space Shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week. The space agency is preparing the shuttle for a launch to the International Space Station in March. Spaceport officials said an employee found the bag Thursday …

Science 15 Jan 2010, 18:50
IBM and Microsoft renew Lotus tussle in the cloud

Lotusphere 2010 preview Google and Cisco stick boot in

Microsoft bashing has always been a key function at IBM's annual Lotusphere conference which lands in Orlando, Florida, again next week. Funny how collaboration software will do that. In years past, executives have swing out massive statistics of how many “seats" Lotus Notes and Domino has gained or held against Exchange and …

Applications 15 Jan 2010, 19:28
Microsoft plucks Azure SLAs from cloud of secrecy

Bad choice of words?

Microsoft will revise the wording on its Azure cloud service level agreements (SLAs) following a trip into a Kafkaesque world of secrecy. The company promised The Reg that it will update the wording on the site for its Windows Azure Compute, Azure Storage Service, SQL Azure, and AppFabric Service Bus and Access Control …

Developer 15 Jan 2010, 20:33
Texas Instruments to patch smart meter crypto blunder

Trivial key cracking

Texas Instruments plans to patch a cryptography flaw in a widely used chip that could allow attackers to remotely tamper with electronic power meters and other devices that connect to smart electricity grids. The weakness resides in TI's Z-Stack software that runs on microcontrollers such as the CC2430. Encryption keys used to …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 20:58
Google banned 30,000 advertisers post Economic Resurrection

Ad police suddenly affordable

In the fall of 2008, when the worldwide economy began to melt, Google responded by shamelessly expanding ad coverage on its web-dominating search engine, letting more ads onto more pages. But now that the economy has recovered, the web giant has suddenly become more much vigilant in its efforts to weed out what it considers low- …

Media 15 Jan 2010, 21:40
Amazon takes Kindle self publishing global

Wanna sell some Orwell?

Amazon is expanding its Kindle self-publishing platform to allow authors and (supposed) rights holders to upload and sell e-books worldwide in English, German, and French. The online vendor's global rollout of its Digital Text Platform arrives on the coattails of Amazon extending the reach of the Kinde DX e-reader beyond North …

Hardware 15 Jan 2010, 22:04
US gov Photoshops bin Laden wanted pic

Wanted Dead or Alive. With or without beard

Osama bin Laden has received a makeover from the Photoshoppers at the US State Department, punishing him with the only sure justice he can't escape: age. The elusive mastermind of the September 11, 2001 highjackings and subsequent airliner attacks in the US and the August 7, 1998 bombings of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya …

Bootnotes 15 Jan 2010, 22:21
Exploit code for potent IE zero-day bug goes wild

Updated 'Fairly reliable'

Exploit code targeting the Internet Explorer vulnerability used against Google and other companies has gone public, increasing the chances that broader attacks will soon follow. Both the open-source Metasploit framework and the commercial Immunity Canvas software for penetration testers have working exploits that fully …

Security 15 Jan 2010, 22:58