20th January 2010 Archive

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Big Blue boosts profits despite sales slump

x64 turnaround

If the global economy is improving, IBM's top line numbers aren't showing it yet. To be sure, the company was able to eke out 1 per cent revenue growth in the fourth quarter of 2009, with sales of $27.2bn, and net income rose 8.7 per cent, to $4.8bn. But given how awful the fourth quarter of 2008 was - and that IBM's sales were …

Financial News 20 Jan 2010, 00:11
Microsoft confirms May date for next SQL Server

Unisys slip pans out

Microsoft has confirmed that the next version of SQL Server, which moves further into big-iron territory, will be available in May. The company announced the May arrival of SQL Server 2008 R2 with a Tuesday blog post. Sometime during the month, the new version will be appear on the Microsoft's price list and become available …

Applications 20 Jan 2010, 00:23
Apple (finally) boot camps Windows 7

19 days late

Apple has released an update for its Boot Camp utility that lets you install Windows 7 on your Intel-based Mac. But install at your own risk. As we reported earlier this month, Apple missed its self-imposed deadline of the end of 2009 to release the software update required to dual-boot Mac OS X 10.6 (aka Snow Leopard) and …

Operating Systems 20 Jan 2010, 01:16
Bill Gates hits Twitter, re-opens Facebook

Celebs join the crush

Bill Gates, the man who foresaw the PC revolution but underestimated the impact of the web on Microsoft, has happened upon another facet of the internet: Twitter. The cofounder and former chief software architect of Microsoft fired off his inaugural Tweets on the afternoon of January 19. The Tweets came as Gates also …

Odds and Sods 20 Jan 2010, 01:35
Big ~~Brother~~ Blue seeks biometric anti-terror patents

Tracks eyes, breath, aftershave

IBM has filed applications for a dozen patents that seek a whole new level of airport security. Forget full-body scans, which are currently being touted as the Next Big Thing™ in security in the wake of the Christmas Day Nigerian crotchbomber. We can't even be sure they would have stopped him. The IBM patent applications, …

Security 20 Jan 2010, 06:02
EMI, Universal ink pacts with free tunes startup

FreeAllMusic (except for the video ads)

Two major music labels have signed partnerships with a new ad-supported music startup called FreeAllMusic.com, which lets US users download free (and legal) songs in exchange for watching video commercials. One week after Universal Music Group inked a deal to license its music, FreeAllMusic announced that EMI is on board with …

Music and Media 20 Jan 2010, 06:02
Think tank urges more centralised IT

Gov IT failure seemingly down to insufficient meddling

A new report says there should be more central coordination of the use of IT in government. Shaping Up: A Whitehall for the Future, published by the centrist think tank the Institute of Government, suggests a central department – most likely through the Cabinet Office – could play a crucial facilitating and coordinating role …

Government 20 Jan 2010, 07:02
Ex-JBoss chief attacks Monty's 'dangerous' MySQL crusade

Open-source integration at risk

Former JBoss chief Marc Fleury has weighed in on MySQL co-founder Monty Widenius' campaign to stop Oracle's ownership of the open-source database. Fleury has reprimanded Widenius publicly in his blog, calling the MySQL "situation" a "disgrace" that's hurting Sun and could damage the future of open source software. Fleury …

Applications 20 Jan 2010, 07:02
China picks MIPS for super-duper super

Dawning of a new petafloppy day - perhaps

The Chinese government burst onto the supercomputing scene in a big way last November when the Tianhe-1 massively parallel cluster at the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin came in at number five on the global HPC ranking with a hybrid Intel Xeon-AMD Radeon GPU box. But it looks like the future of petaflops computing in …

HPC 20 Jan 2010, 07:02
Speedo Aquabeat

Review The life aquatic

If you fancy some music while you work out at the gym or go jogging then the options are endless. Apple, Sanza, Samsung or Sony will all sell you something small and robust so you can fight the flab to Lady Gaga or Rage Against The Machine. Jump into the pool for a dozen lengths with any of them though and you will soon be …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 08:02
Big Blue stalking STEC?

Comment: Rumours drive up SSD maker's share price

The share price of EMC's favoured SSD supplier, STEC has grown almost 60 per cent since the beginning of the year, yet law suits are amassing and its competitive position has weakened. The rumour is that IBM interest in buying STEC is pushing its share price up. In September last year STEC's share price peaked at $41.84. It …

Storage 20 Jan 2010, 08:02
Hyundai's i10 goes green

Leccy Tech Electric version for late 2010/early 2011

Korean car firm Hyundai plans to launch a leccy version of its petrol-powered i10 small hatchback later this year or during early 2011. Hyundai hopes to launch the i10 EV later this year The i10 electric vehicle (EV) will be powered by a 65bhp (49kW) electric motor that will draw power from a 16kWh li-ion battery pack …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 09:02
IBM's Power7 servers imminent

Here by March

IBM is planning to launch its Power7-based Power Systems servers sometime before the end of March. The new arrived Tuesday afternoon from chief financial officer, Mark Loughridge, during a conference call discussing Big Blue's fourth quarter and full year 2009 financial results. Previously, IBM had said that Power7 systems …

Servers 20 Jan 2010, 09:02
Opera and Firefox downloads soar after IE alerts

The Teutonic Leap

After Microsoft confirmed that a hole in its Internet Explorer browser was used in the December cyber attacks on Google and at least 33 other outfits, a trio of security-conscious nations - Germany, France, and Australia - went so far as to warn their citizens against the use of IE. And that led to a very good week for the likes …

Applications 20 Jan 2010, 09:02
FBI nicks 22 in classic bribery sting

Hoover would be proud

The FBI has arrested 22 people, including three Brits, in a classic bribery sting. Investigators used a supposed African defence minister to lend credence to their claim to be looking for someone to sell them arms for a Presidential guard unit. As part of the deal, the accused allegedly agreed to a 20 per cent bung to be paid …

Policing 20 Jan 2010, 09:26
Vomit cannon to protect vessels from pirates, paparazzi

Mercenaries ward off jacuzzi nipslip threat with puke ray

Seagoing Scottish mercenaries/security operatives say they have deployed a radical laser puke-ray weapon aboard shipping transiting the pirate-plagued Gulf of Aden. The device may also be used on paparazzi by reclusive superyacht owners. The Scotsman reports that ProForm Marine, a company run by ex-Royal Marine commandos and …

Science 20 Jan 2010, 10:02
Rambus thanks Samsung for the memory

$900 million? That'll do nicely...

It was a good day at the office yesterday for Rambus; it made $900m when Samsung caved in on the eve of a court case, which the Korean firm had planned to fight alongside Hynix and Micron. Rambus, which develops and licenses memory technology, has been in dispute for many years with a variety of leading semi-conductor firms …

PCs & Chips 20 Jan 2010, 10:16
Post-Copenhagen, does green IT matter?

Workshop IT is the means, not the end

It's difficult to talk about “green IT” without coming across as a techno-apologist. However much suppliers lay claim to having the most tree-huggingly planet friendly technologies available, the indisputable, unavoidable, insurmountable truth is that IT is largely about wiring up and plugging in sometimes large pieces of …

Infrastructure Workshop 20 Jan 2010, 10:31
ASA bans tyrannical German boss ad

Don't mention the war, watchdog orders Reed Online

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Reed Online radio ad featuring a shouty German boss because it "reinforced a negative and outdated cultural stereotype of German people as overpowering and tyrannical". The offending advert "featured a man speaking to his boss, who responded angrily and loudly in German". The …

Bootnotes 20 Jan 2010, 10:33
BOFH-making bug plugged in D-link update

I'm the king of the... oh

D-Link has plugged a security vulnerability involving protocol handling by some of its wireless routers that creates a potential means for normal users to grab super-user privileges. The network manufacturer issued a firmware update that addresses a recently discovered bug in how its networking devices handle the Home Network …

Enterprise Security 20 Jan 2010, 10:37
Euro astro biz: It's time for solar panels in Spaaace

Orbital ~~laser cannons~~ power stations proposed (again)

European space company EADS Astrium has revived an old idea, that of space-based solar power generation. The company says it could have a 10-20kW demonstration spacecraft in orbit "in the next five years". The BBC reports on speculation by company executives yesterday, but it is acknowledged that without funding, probably from …

Space 20 Jan 2010, 10:40
2010 will be 'boom time for Apple'

Xmas sales rather higher than expected

The final three months were a bumper period for Apple, a long-time company watcher has claimed. In a note sent to investor clients yesterday, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said US Mac retail sales were 26 per cent higher in Q4 2009 than they were in Q4 2008. The retail numbers come from market watcher NPD. That's better …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 10:47
Opera swallows mobile ad manager

They've got to make money somehow

Opera Software has bought up mobile ad broker AdMarvel, joining Apple and Google in the rush to push advertising onto our mobile phones. Financial details of the deal haven't been revealed, but Opera will take complete control of California-based AdMarvel with a view to carving itself a space in mobile-advertising, before …

Mobile 20 Jan 2010, 10:55
Sony sets back PS3 motion controller launch

Extra time for game development

The PlayStation 3’s wand-like motion-sensing controller will hit the UK this autumn, slightly later than originally planned, Sony has confirmed. Sony said it has delayed the motion controller’s launch to ensure that an “extensive” line-up of compatible games are available when the device finally hits the shops. Sony still …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 10:57
FBI faked terror alerts to get phone records

Subpoena scamola spilled

The FBI fabricated terrorism emergencies to obtain thousands of phone records between 2002 and 2006, it's been revealed. The Bureau created "exigent letters" to get around rules that had already been significantly loosened by the Patriot Act. The letters were used to obtain some 2,000 phone records, The Washington Post reports …

Government 20 Jan 2010, 11:23
Swedish necrophiliacs in fake Facebook fundraiser

Haiti hoax relief effort a dead 'good laugh'

Swedes who flocked to a Facebook group which claimed to be in support of Haitian earthquake relief got a nasty surprise when it turned out to be run by "necrophiliacs", The Local reports. The group, named "2 kronor per member to earthquake victims in Haiti", promised to stump said couple of crowns (£0.17) per head when the …

Bootnotes 20 Jan 2010, 11:43
Strike cripples Apple screenmaker in China

More money, less paralysis and death wanted

Workers at the factory making screens for Apple - not to mention Nokia and just about everyone else - are striking for promised bonuses and fewer toxic chemicals. The strike, which the China Daily reports involves around 2,000 of the 10,000 workers at the factory, is in protest at the suspension of promised bonuses. It is also …

Mobile 20 Jan 2010, 12:08
Google grabs Indian cricket coverage

Premier League picks YouTube

Google has done a deal with the Indian Premier League, which runs the country's Twenty20 cricket matches, to allow live streaming of the games on YouTube. All 60 games from the IPL season will be streamed live on YouTube, which previously only showed highlights from matches. Google and the IPL believe this will be the first …

Music and Media 20 Jan 2010, 12:17
Small biz loves VoiP, not air miles

Tech beats planes

Small businesses increasingly see new technology as a better way to communicate with international partners than traditional business trips - especially with budgets under strain thanks to the downturn. One in four UK SMEs talk to international colleagues every working day and over half believe they, or a colleague, have gone …

VoIP 20 Jan 2010, 12:19
Bob the Builder slapped with CGI rendering

Stop motion goes the way of dry stone walling

Fans of traditional stop-motion animation and whose kids have been raised on Bob the Builder may wish to lament the forthcoming Heavy Duty Diggers outing for Bob, delivered in "full-power CGI". According to Home Media Magazine, the DVD features "five episodes of the new, computer-generated Bob and friends... following them …

Entertainment 20 Jan 2010, 12:20
Google: Keep user data safe by letting us hoard it forever

Fleischer demands EU trust Google

Google has sought to turn its China crisis to its advantage by arguing it demonstrates why it should be allowed to hang onto search logs indefinitely. Privacy supremo Peter Fleischer told ComputerWorld in an interview that, "The unprecedented hacking... and the threat of similar such attacks in the future emphasized the …

ID 20 Jan 2010, 12:22
Bocada looks at data protection market through Prism

Just pop off the lens cap

Bocada reckons it has built a next-generation backup reporting product by embedding Enterprise v5.4 product technology in an ITIL-like service process management framework. Crudely speaking, a service delivery management layer has been bolted on and integrated into a Bocada Enterprise 5.4 base, and has dubbed the result Prism …

Storage 20 Jan 2010, 12:44
Odd-design Moto smartphone will go global

8Mp Android smartphone inbound

An odd-looking Android 2.0 smartphone with an 8Mp camera just launched by Motorola in Korea will be launched globally, the company has confirmed. The Motoroi “will be launched in other markets around the world”, Rick Wolochatiuk, Representative Director of Motorola Korea, told The Korea Herald. Motorola's latest Android …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 12:48
Apple trawling networks for tablet subsidies?

Can it get Microsoft to pay for the iSlate?

Reports abound that Apple is seeking subsidies to keep the cost of the iSlate down, in stark contrast to the way the iPhone was launched. Apple will be giving Bing top billing on the iSlate*, according to "people familiar with the matter". This would presumably be in return for some Redmond dollars, which can be added to …

Mobile 20 Jan 2010, 12:49
World of Warcraft film makers thicken plot

Fans hoping for 2011 release

A movie adaption of what is quite possibly the world’s most popular videogame, World of Warcraft, is well underway, Executive Producer Robert Tapert has hinted. “It’s in development," Tapert told IF magazine. “We're in the outline/story/script phase.” Tapert didn't give anything away about the movie’s storyline, claiming he …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 12:53
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1

Review Clever compact with painless panoramas

Sony is renowned for its stylish compacts, and the DSC-WX1 is no exception. It not only looks smart, but contains some interesting technology too. At around £300, the DSC-WX1 is aimed at the top-end of the compact market, but do its features and performance justify the price? Broaden your horizons with Sony's Cyber-shot DSC- …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 13:02
Report finds texting a 'valid educational tool'

Dayly txts hlp kids read n rite

Kids who frequently use mobile phone text abbreviations are unlikely to be bad at spelling or lack reading skills, a new British study has claimed. Dr Clare Wood, Reader in Developmental Psychology at Coventry University, studied the use of “textisms” – abbreviations such as ‘plz’ and ‘hmwrk’ — by a group of kids aged between …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 13:02
New avast freebie security scanner aims to keel-haul MS

Updated Free 5.0 tweaked to work faster on multiple cores

A new version of avast aims to offer users of free anti-malware technology faster running protection against the latest hacking attacks, while offering alternatives to AVG and Microsoft Security Essentials. avast Free 5.0 comes with the same engine under its bonnet as its premium sibling, avast Pro Antivirus 5.0. Both versions …

Malware 20 Jan 2010, 13:03
Why Bono is wrong about filesharing

Guest Opinion P2P is fun: just let us pay for it

Music entrepreneur Paul Sanders thinks Bono is wrong, and the music business should start being a music business again. We invited him to elaborate. At a conference a few years ago IFPI Chairman John Kennedy said he had 'no problem' with China's approach to managing its citizens' use of the internet. It stuck in my mind for …

Music and Media 20 Jan 2010, 13:03
Car-stopping electropulse cannon to demo 'next month'

Cig-lighter EMP blaster down to suitcase size, apparently

An old friend familiar to every tech buff and sci-fi fan - namely, the circuitry-addling electropulse blaster - has moved a large step closer to reality, according to reports. A vehicle mounted pulse weapon capable of stopping a (modern) car at 200m is to be demonstrated "next month", apparently. Flight International has the …

Science 20 Jan 2010, 13:15
Modest Apple update slices third-party bugs

Dirty dozen vulns pureed

Apple has pushed out a major security update designed to crush a dozen security bugs, some of which present a critical security risk on unpatched systems. Many of the fixes involve flaws in third-party applications bundled with Mac OS X, rather the flaws in the OS itself. Patches released by Apple on Tuesday address a malware …

Enterprise Security 20 Jan 2010, 13:27
Luvvies spill tears on precious glacier

While NASA pulls Himalayan claim

As celebrities met at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro last week to weep for Gaia's disappearing ice, NASA has quietly scrubbed the claim that the world's second largest ice mass in the Himalayas will have disappeared in 25 years. The Google cache still shows the bogus NASA claim: NASA before But on the revised page, it's beat …

Environment 20 Jan 2010, 14:01
Oz man coughs to DD-jub job advert outrage

Perp laments 'heavily intoxicated' hack

The man responsible for the Border Express IT developer job advert outrage handed himself in to police last week, Oz's The Border Mail reports. The ad was posted on Seek on 8 January, and quickly altered to demand some interesting qualifications: With a little help from El Reg, the hack quickly went global and, following …

Bootnotes 20 Jan 2010, 14:27
UN issues call for international privacy agreement

Countering counter-terror powers

A UN watchdog has called for a new international agreement on privacy following a review of the expanding global array of surveillance measures and databases advanced by governments in the cause of counter-terrorism. The special rapporteur on human rights, Martin Scheinin, said the UN should create a "a global declaration on …

Government 20 Jan 2010, 14:33
DVLA makes £44m flogging drivers' details

The great government data giveaway, if you've got the cash...

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has sold more than 18 million names and addresses of drivers since it started the trade five years ago. Most of the names go to clamping companies and other private parking firms, although the DVLA was keen to stress to us today that it does not make a profit from the trade. It also said …

Government 20 Jan 2010, 14:35
Air France offers two-seat deal for fatties

Suggests they pay extra 'for their own comfort'

Air France KLM has decided to suggest to overweight self-loading cargo that they pay for two seats to accommodate their bulk if it is "deemed too large to fit into just one seat of a 43-44cm width", as the Daily Mail puts it. The Mail says that obese passengers will be charged 75 per cent of the cost of the second seat, but …

Bootnotes 20 Jan 2010, 14:55
Baidu sues registrar over DNS records hack

Legal salvo lands in New York

Baidu has filed suit against its US-based domain registrar after a recent DNS records hack that redirected surfers towards a defaced page, instead of the Chinese search engine. The traffic hijack attack resulted from "gross negligence" on the part of domain registrars Register.com (no relation), a lawsuit filed by Baidu in New …

Enterprise Security 20 Jan 2010, 15:35
Microsoft gets in hosted services' face, causes headache

Cloud providers left clutching at thin air

Microsoft may still be struggling to get its online volume licensing house in order, but that hasn’t stopped the company hyping what it sees as the benefits of small and medium-sized businesses placing their trust in hosted services. Like many other software vendors, MS is looking at different biz models that will help the …

Small Biz 20 Jan 2010, 15:42
New York Times builds paywall - very slowly

Gray Lady to cover up next year

The New York Times has confirmed widespread reports that it is to start charging for access to its website. As we reported Monday, readers will get free access to a certain number of stories before being hassled into paying up. But don't panic just yet - despite considering the move for over a year the paywall will not …

Music and Media 20 Jan 2010, 15:49
PM: UK airports to get perv scanners next week

Who? What? Where?

Gordon Brown today said body scanners will be introduced in UK airports next week. The PM didn't say which airports or who will be scanned. The Home Secretary has suggested travellers will be selected for scanning by profiling techniques, prompting concerns from the human rights watchdog. A spokeswoman for the largest …

Policing 20 Jan 2010, 15:50
IBM buys spook-riddled DC services expert

Financial terms not made public. You don't say

Spending on defence and security is probably the one sure growth market in the United States. It therefore comes as no surprise that IBM has acquired an obscure, but well-connected, IT services company called National Interest Security Company. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Working for the government …

Government 20 Jan 2010, 16:43
Amazon offers publishers pre-iSlate Kindle bribes

More for authors, too

Amazon has announced it will give a 70 per cent cut of retail price to publishers who make their books Kindle friendly. The figure is around double what a publisher currently gets, but the deal requires books to be priced at least 20 per cent below the dead-tree edition. Between three and ten dollars, the book must also be …

Mobile 20 Jan 2010, 17:03
ARM wrestling: Apple iPad chip to overpower rivals?

In-house chippery to make or break tablet, say analysts

The big question is perhaps not whether Apple will announce the eagerly anticipated iPad next week, but what chip will power the media tablet. Since the device is expected to run a version of the iPhone operating system, and given that battery life is likely to be a key factor in the iPad's success, it's hard to imagine Apple …

reghardware 20 Jan 2010, 17:10
Windows 8 and beyond: Microsoft's next decade

Radio Reg Three big bets

January marks not just a new decade but also the 10-year anniversary of Steve Ballmer's appointment as Microsoft's chief executive officer. The last 10 years offered a mixed report card for Ballmer and Microsoft: Windows XP versus Vista, success of the Xbox but treading water on mobile, corporate revenue grew 163 per cent …

Microbite 20 Jan 2010, 17:31
Adobe fixes critical Shockwave bugs with neanderthal patch

Manual uninstall required

The critical patches for Adobe Systems software keep coming. This time, they fix serious security bugs in the company's Shockwave Player. Adobe on Wednesday pushed out updates for Shockwave 11.5.2.602 and earlier on Windows and Mac operating systems. The patches fix multiple integer overflow and buffer overflow flaws that can …

Security 20 Jan 2010, 18:34
Apple and Microsoft plot iPhone Google slap

Bing to Jesus meeting

Onetime mortal enemies Apple and Microsoft are in talks over the possibility of Redmond's Bing replacing Google as the default search engine on the iPhone, according to a report citing two people familiar with the matter. Anonymous sources speaking with Business Week say the two tech giants - so long at odds in the operating …

Mobile 20 Jan 2010, 19:32
Microsoft will issue emergency IE patch on Thursday

Updated Copycat hackers, take notice

A rare emergency update from Microsoft to patch a critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer will be released on Thursday. The update will mark only the 10th 12th time Microsoft has issued a security update outside of its normal schedule since 2003, when it began issuing patches on the second Tuesday of each month. It will …

Security 20 Jan 2010, 19:33
Rattled Red Hat battles support impostors

Death of a thousand cuts?

Red Hat is rattled. Sure, it remains the world's biggest Linux company by revenue market share. But it's beginning to feel that it's under pressure - and that it must respond. That pressure is coming not from Microsoft, but from fellow Linux vendors. Individually, they aren't causing too much trouble, but collectively, they …

Channel Register 20 Jan 2010, 21:04
Cisco trials 'internet in space'

In-orbit IP router

Cisco's dream of selling radiation-proof space routers is now a step closer after a successful in-orbit test on a commercial satellite. Piggybacking aboard Intelsat's IS-14 satellite launched in November, the US Department of Defense's Internet Routing in Space (IRIS) project aims to route IP voice, video, and data traffic …

Data Networking 20 Jan 2010, 21:15
eBay marketplace reverses revenue shrinkage

Well, then. The economy must be fine

eBay's bread-and-butter marketplace business is growing again. In the fourth quarter, the company recorded $1.5bn in marketplace revenues, a 15 per cent leap from the previous year. This - along with another beefy quarter from PayPal - helped boost total Q4 revenue to $2.4bn, a 16 per cent increase from the fall of 2008, when …

Financial News 20 Jan 2010, 22:34
Apple's iPad - the tablet with the data center soul

Comment We want your eyeballs. And your money

The soul of Apple's soon-to-be-unveiled iPad won't reside in Cupertino. You'll find it in Catawba County, North Carolina. That's the whereabouts of the WestStar Mission Critical Data Park, where Apple is busily building its $1bn data center, scheduled to open later this year. Yes, we're fully aware that the iPad is still a …

Hardware 20 Jan 2010, 22:56