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11th February 2010 Archive

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  • News Corp boots MySpace CEO

    Van Natta outta there

    After less than a year at the helm of MySpace, Owen Van Natta is stepping down as the social network's CEO, effective immediately. News Corp - MySpace's parent company - announced the change late Wednesday. Van Natta will be replaced by co-presidents Mike Jones and Jason Hirschorn, who will report to News Corp Digital Media …

    Business 11 Feb 04:38

  • Intel finds cure for CPU old age

    ISSCC The self-healing chip

    Intel has developed a research microprocessor that it claims can improve throughput of degraded chips or chip environments by over 40 per cent. Such degradation might involve variations in supply voltage, temperature changes, or simply aging transistors. As described by Intel staff research scientist Keith Bowman on Tuesday at …

    PCs & Chips 11 Feb 06:02

  • Can Sun's GlassFish turn on master Oracle?

    More like IBM than you know

    In Hand of Orlac, a plastic surgeon replaces the crushed hands of a pianist with those of an executed murder. What at first is a godsend for the ruined musician may in truth be an agent of its former owner's insidious will, compelling its inheritor to murder his own father. We wonder if that works for corporations. Will the …

    Applications 11 Feb 07:02

  • Red Hat projects to seed cloudy IT

    Raining support money (someday)

    Let's get one thing straight. We don't like the term cloud computing any more than you do Of course, Richard Stallman doesn't like when we call it Linux rather than GNU/Linux. He's gotta live with Linux. And, well, we've gotta live with cloud computing. It's not going away. Commercial Linux and middleware distributor Red Hat …

    Developer 11 Feb 07:02

  • Chip makers set for 'fab-lite' future?

    ISSCC The fate of the mega chip corp.

    By 2025, vertically integrated megacorps such as Intel will be endangered species. Or not. On Tuesday evening, at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in San Francisco, the fate of such integrated device manufactures (IDMs) was debated by a group of industry heavyweights during a wide-ranging panel …

    PCs & Chips 11 Feb 08:02

  • Unisys parts with server chief

    No explanation

    Unisys has parted ways with senior vice president Rich Marcello, the man who ran its Technology, Consulting, and Integration Solutions business unit. Yesterday, in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said that Marcello was no longer in his position after signing a termination agreement. A …

    Servers 11 Feb 08:02

  • BT revenues down

    But sorts out £9bn pension black-hole

    BT revenues for the three months ended 31 December 2009 were down four per cent on the same period last year. Revenue was £5,198m but better performance from BT Global Services and continued group-wide cost cutting meant operating profit was up to £690m, compared to £578m last year. Ian Livingstone, BT's chief executive, said …

    Telecoms 11 Feb 09:14

  • HP, 3Com deal gets approval

    No competition concerns here

    HP's takeover of 3Com is likely to get the nod from European regulators this week. The ink giant paid $2.7bn for the network kit maker in November. The European Competition Commission is not commenting officially but anonymous sources told Reuters: "It should go through smoothly. There are no grounds for offering conditions. …

    Data Networking 11 Feb 09:40

  • MEPs slam Nokia Siemens for aiding Iranian censors

    Updated Mullahs throttle Gmail ahead of opposition protests

    MEPs singled out Nokia Siemens for criticism over selling censorship and surveillance systems to Iran on Wednesday, charges the networking firm said are unfounded. A European Union Parliament resolution "strongly criticizes international companies, and notably Nokia/Siemens, for providing the Iranian authorities with the …

    Telecoms 11 Feb 09:47

  • Drayson locks Forces chiefs out of Defence budget carve-up

    Arms biz gets unfettered access to MoD coffers

    Lord Drayson, the British arms industry's man inside the Ministry of Defence, has moved to lock the heads of the armed services out of the room in which the Forces' future is to be settled. This is being billed as an attempt to prevent interservice bickering, but it will leave the rapacious UK arms business facing almost no …

    Government 11 Feb 10:02

  • Social networking sites slack on secreting kids' details

    European Commission not giving out lollipops today

    More than half of social networking sites assessed by the European Commission fail to hide the personal details of under-18s by default, the EU body has warned. It said that 50 per cent of teenagers display personal information on the internet. The Commission analysed the policies of 22 social networking sites in a study aimed …

    Law 11 Feb 10:13

  • Licensing in virtual systems still making us ill

    Lab Confusion reigns in the world of the blind

    We know from extensive research carried out with readers of The Register that in the server arena, virtualisation is moving into the mainstream. We are also beginning to see interest in utilising some form of virtualisation for the delivery of desktop services, although the level of activity is currently far lower than that …

    Virtualisation Lab 11 Feb 10:52

  • Isilon flashes up NAS clusters

    Metadata in SSD

    Isilon, which makes scale-out NAS clusters up to 10PB in size, is turbo-charging them by adding NAND flash to speed metadata operations. The company's S-Series and X-Series product lines will have STEC flash drives added to hold file metadata, with user data files stored on hard disk drives as before. This will enable Isilon …

    Storage 11 Feb 11:05

  • Prisoners chucked off Facebook

    No more networking for victim-taunting inmates

    The Home Secretary reports he's successfully asked Facebook to pull 30 pages owned by prison inmates, but promises that better cavity searches will address the problem in future. The comments came during a meeting with campaigners arguing for better victims' rights, as reported by the BBC, during which Jack Straw described the …

    Mobile 11 Feb 11:08

  • Mozilla admits Firefox add-on malware false alarm

    Updated One item of AMO badness just a blank

    Mozilla has admitted it erred in labelling one of the two Firefox add-ons offered for download from its official add-on site as malign last week. Warnings that version 4.0 of Sothink Video Downloader add-on was contaminated by a Trojan were wrong and down to a false positive triggered by an anti-virus scanner used by Mozilla …

    Enterprise Security 11 Feb 11:09

  • 'Electronic fags' are useless - US prof's startling claim

    eButts don't work as advertised

    An American professor has called for urgent regulation of so-called "electronic cigarettes", devices which are supposed to give a nicotine addict a hit of their drug without falling foul of smoking bans. But Professor Thomas Eissenberg of the Virginia Commonwealth Uni isn't objecting to the battery-powered eCigs on the grounds …

    Biology 11 Feb 11:11

  • Apple, Microsoft fingered for patent infringement by Emblaze

    Streaming tech under spotlight

    Microsoft and Apple were hit with an infringement claim yesterday from Emblaze, after the Israeli tech outfit accused the companies of violating its streaming media US patent. At the same time Emblaze, which owns Magic Software and Matrix IT, offered Microsoft and Apple the opportunity to licence the technology, reports …

    Applications 11 Feb 11:12

  • Aging telco calls DWP, gets £237m payout

    DWP extends BT network deal

    The Department for Work and Pensions has added another three years to its contract with BT for networked IT services Under the new deal, worth a minimum of £237m, BT will continue to provide converged IP networks and telephony, plus a range of conferencing services. It will apply to a number of organisations under the DWP …

    Channel Register 11 Feb 11:18

  • Researchers rip iPad apart to reveal Apple's profits

    While Bill Gates just rips it apart

    Apple stands to make a profit of up to $483 per unit on its iPad according to a very literal breakdown by industry analysts iSuppli. The research firm said the total cost of materials and manufacture for Apple's big iPhone ranged from $229.35 for the 3G-less, 16GB version, which sells for $499 to $346.5 for the top of the …

    PCs & Chips 11 Feb 11:50

  • EU commissioner warms up for body scanner probe

    Another voice joins chorus of disapproval

    The European Commissioner for Transport, vice-presendent Siim Kallas, is preparing a report on body scanners for the European Parliament. The perv-scanners are currently in use in Holland and the UK, but Kallas favours European-wide regulation of the devices. The EC was going to include the scanners in its approved list of …

    Government 11 Feb 11:55

  • Netgear ReadyNas NVX Pioneer Edition

    Review Nifty Nas box

    Reviewing the RNDX400E was difficult from start to finish, not least because we were sent the RNDX4210 instead first. It’s an easy mistake to make though, since both the RNDX400 and RNDX4000 (notice the extra zero) series share pretty much identical hardware. Netgear's driveless ReadyNas NVX Pioneer Edition RNDX400E The …

    Reg Hardware 11 Feb 12:02

  • US judges leave definition of obscenity to Amish, Kansas

    No 'national' standard in Max Hardcore case

    United States judges are squaring up for an almighty battle over the proper standards to apply to internet published material. The final verdict will determine whether the US eventually falls back into a new era of prohibition – this time for porn – or whether those living in more openly liberal states will be able to access …

    Law 11 Feb 12:13

  • Apple tablet profits could hit £309 per iPad

    Kerching

    Apple's iPad could cost the company as little as $229 (£147) to make. Not a bad margin, that, for a machine that will retail for $499 (£320). That, at least, is what market watcher iSuppli estimates. It hasn't had its hands on one, of course, but iSuppli takes apart most if not all of the key mobile gadgets that go on sale, so …

    Reg Hardware 11 Feb 12:24

  • Newborn Firefox gets first glimpse of life

    Alpha 1 carries temporary 3.7 stamp

    Mozilla may have officially dropped the Firefox 3.7 name in December, but that hasn’t stopped the open source web troupe pushing out a first alpha of the browser for brave testers to tinker with. Firefox 3.7 Alpha 1 isn’t for public consumption; instead it’s Mozilla’s first build of the next incarnation of its browser - even …

    Applications 11 Feb 12:35

  • Intel says warranties evaporate when kit resold

    It's in the small print - but where?

    If you're thinking of buying second-hand computer equipment off eBay, you'd better make sure it doesn't have "Intel inside" because – and this is official – Intel regards re-selling its equipment as voiding any warranty. The example we have is an 80GB solid state disk drive, brand new in July last year. A customer bought it …

    Channel Register 11 Feb 12:35

  • Surplus astronaut right-sizing imminent at NASA?

    Obama Constellation cancellation means jobless spacemen

    There is concern at NASA regarding how to find work for all its astronauts following the demise of the space shuttle fleet and President Obama's bid to axe the shuttles' planned manned spaceflight successor, the Constellation programme. If the Obama administration's plans are accepted by Congress, two of NASA's main humans-in- …

    Space 11 Feb 12:53

  • Home Office to secure mobile phones

    Despite eradicating phone theft in 2007

    The UK's Design Council has been working with the Home Office to create technologies designed to prevent mobile phone theft - which is rampant, or not, depending on when you ask. Development of the three technologies has been funded by the Technology Strategy Board, as part of the Mobile Phone Security Challenge, and will be …

    Mobile 11 Feb 12:59

  • Promise ventures into Jasper Forest

    Thumbs up to storage Nehalem

    Promise Technology is going to use Intel's Jasper Forest processors in forthcoming storage array products. The Jasper Forest enhanced Nehalem is now called the C5500 or C3500 processor. There are one, two and four core options, with 23 to 85 watt power needs, available in uni-processor and dual-processor configurations (single …

    Storage 11 Feb 13:03

  • Navigon adds Twitter, Facebook to satnav iPhone app

    'I'm being arrested - running late'

    A Twittering satnav - what could possibly go wrong? The next version of Navigon's MobileNavigator iPhone app, 1.5.0, will feature both Twitter and Facebook integration, allowing you to alert you friends, family and millions of fans with your whereabouts, destination and estimated time of arrival. This might be helpful for the …

    Mobile 11 Feb 13:13

  • IBM plants Power 7 on Smarter Planet pitch

    Solution selling on steroids

    The chip story coming out of Monday’s Power7 unveiling from IBM is bigger than usual. Naturally it is doing plenty of the requisite feeds-and-speeds chest-beating, but there is a broader message directed at a wider audience. IBM is closely tying the Power7 chip and systems launches to its Smarter Planet initiative, which is …

    HPC Blog 11 Feb 13:24

  • John Mayer tweets remorse over Playboy interview

    ‘I’m sorry I used the N word’

    US muso John Mayer has taken to Twitter to express regret over an interview in the March issue of Playboy in which he ill-advisedly used the N-word, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Mayer’s other eyebrow-raising comments included a description of former squeeze Jessica Simpson as “sexual napalm”, and ex-girlfriend Jennifer …

    Bootnotes 11 Feb 13:27

  • Google Buzz leaves privacy concerns ringing in ears

    Comment Gmail sprouts Web 2.0 legs

    What’s that really annoying humming sound bothering your lugholes? Oh yes, Google Buzz. Bah. And so it has come to pass - Mountain View’s sinister personal data grab has finally crept into the most sacred of all online communication tools. Gmail now has the ability to do social networking. Google wants to out-Facebook …

    Applications 11 Feb 14:03

  • Aussie anti-censor attacks strafe gov websites

    Operation Titstorm DDoS more of a bee sting

    The Anonymous denial of service campaign against Australian government websites on Wednesday in protest against mandatory net filtering plans was a relatively modest affair, but still managed to disrupt the access to targeted websites. Arbor Networks, which markets security technology that helps service providers to mitigate …

    Enterprise Security 11 Feb 14:07

  • Toshiba's second Blu-ray player nears Blighty

    Entry-level box due in May

    Toshiba's second Blu-ray Disc player will hit the UK in May, the company has confirmed. The £130 BDX2100KB is pitched at punters look for a low-cost entry into Blu-ray. It offers the standard BD Profile 2.0 spec, so that's BD Live support you can tick. There's 256MB of on-board storage for downloaded content. Toshiba's …

    Reg Hardware 11 Feb 14:08

  • Toshiba to tap out touchscreen laptop line

    First model out now

    Toshiba's Satellite U500-1EX has become the latest notebook to hop onto the touchscreen bandwagon. The laptop's 13.3in display is multi-touch capable. Toshiba's Satellite U500-1EX: multi-touch sensitive Control comes courtesy of Windows 7's Touch Pack add-on. The 1280 x 800 resolution screen is driven by the graphics core …

    Reg Hardware 11 Feb 14:08

  • MEPs to US: Hands off our bank accounts

    So long SWIFT

    The European Parliament has rejected a proposed interim agreement on SWIFT - under which the US gets access to European bank transactions. The wholesale export of all our bank statements began after 2001 in the name of the war on terror. The Parliament rejected the agreement by 378 votes to 196 with 31 abstentions. A proposal …

    Government 11 Feb 14:14

  • New airlock mini-sub for US Navy SEAL 'operations'

    May not be compatible with nuclear Stingray motherships

    The US Navy SEALs, America's secretive frogman-commando elite, are to get a new and enlarged pocket submarine which will allow them to travel most of the way to an objective inside in the dry and then exit through an airlock before swimming on for their final approach. Ordinary "wet" SDV mini-sub in action. The SEALs and …

    Science 11 Feb 14:20

  • Opera beta burns Chrome for top spot

    Gets Porn Mode, too

    Opera unleashed a beta version of its browser this morning, and 10.5 claims the lead over Google Chrome and Apple's Safari in the Javascript stakes. The speed improvement is down to a new Carakan ECMAScript engine. The Rolls Royce of browsers has long been the innovation lab for the rest of the industry, with rivals touting …

    Applications 11 Feb 14:56

  • Sun-gazing sat heads for the heavens

    Solar Dynamics Observatory lifts off

    NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) blasted off today at 15:23 GMT from Cape Canaveral following an aborted launch yesterday due to unfavourable wind conditions. SDO was carried aloft by an Atlas V rocket (see pic) en route to its final inclined geosynchronous orbit at around 36,000 km from Earth. Once there, it will set …

    Space 11 Feb 15:28

  • Big Blue eye glares at UK workforce

    Lay-off consultation starts here

    IBM has confirmed it is considering making more UK staff redundant, although no final decision has been made. A conference call this morning informed all UK staff at IBM's Global Services Delivery unit that there would likely be redundancies, depending on the results of the consultation. We were sent the following statement …

    Financial News 11 Feb 15:36

  • Red Dwarf's Kryten exposes iPhone number

    'I am such a dope', twitters Robert Llewellyn

    Red Dwarf thesp Robert Llewellyn has been left a tad red-faced after exposing his mobile phone number to the interwebs. Llewellyn was evidently so fired up about the acquisition of a new iPhone 3G that he slapped this snap of the boxed Jesus Phone up on Twitpic, unaware he was laying bare his most intimate digits: An hour …

    Bootnotes 11 Feb 15:39

  • MS update gives some XP boxes the Blue Screen

    13-update Patch Tuesday proves unlucky for some

    Applying the latest patches from Microsoft can cause Windows XP machines to crash with the infamous blue screen of death. Updating systems with the MS10-015 bulletin, which addresses "important" vulnerabilities in Windows Kernel, can cause machines to lock up when restarted before falling into a never-ending reboot loop. The …

    Enterprise Security 11 Feb 16:48

  • SGI spins up Cyclone HPC cloud

    Altix UV super first look

    Try it, then rent it or buy it. That's the new mantra from supercomputer maker Silicon Graphics this morning as it launches its own supercomputing on demand offering, dubbed Cyclone. If cloud computing means virtualized server instances, then technically speaking - as if SGI could speak any other way - the Cyclone service is …

    HPC 11 Feb 17:37

  • Street View catches Finn with his pants down

    Authorities investigate privacy cock-up

    The Finnish authorities have launched an enquiry into what they consider a serious breach of privacy on Street View, after a snooping spymobile captured a chap wearing less clothes than is advisable when Google comes a-calling. The trail begins at this house, at Maakaarentie 14, in Raahe. Behind that wooden fence is someone …

    Bootnotes 11 Feb 17:40

  • Google extends Chrome for Fanbois

    Add-ons, bookmark sync for Mac beta

    Google has released a new beta of its Mac-ified Chrome browser that accepts extensions and provides bookmarking syncing across disparate devices. The Mountain View Chocolate Factory first released a beta Mac version of Chrome in December, but unlike the Linux and Windows incarnations, it didn't offer support for extensions or …

    Applications 11 Feb 18:36

  • Juniper pays $169m to settle backdating suit

    Births Junos developer ops

    Juniper Networks has agreed to pay a massive $169 million fee to settle a class-action lawsuit with New York Clity pension funds and other investors over a backdated stock options scandal. The settlement will be major blow to Juniper's bottom line. In a regulatory filing Wednesday, the company said it expects the charge will …

    Data Networking 11 Feb 19:37

  • Opera plays chicken with Apple iPhone police

    Interpret this, cultkeepers

    Opera's Jesus Phone play is more clever than you think. Yesterday, the Norwegian browser makers let it be known that at next week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, they will publicly unveil an iPhone incarnation of their Opera Mini mobile browser. The general assumption is that Steve Jobs and cult won't actually let the …

    Mobile 11 Feb 20:54

  • OpenOffice 3.2 is on tap

    Community celebrates tin anniversary

    OpenOffice 3.2 is available for download. Improvements in the latest release of the open source office suite include faster start-ups, improved compatibility with other office programs, and several new features (with special attention to the Calc spreadsheet program.) At the same time, the OpenOffice.org team is celebrating …

    Applications 11 Feb 21:55

  • Google's 'Musicblogocide' - blame the DMCA

    Er, they're obeying the (crap) law

    The world is calling it "Musicblogocide 2010." We call it yet another demonstration that the DMCA takedown is a ridiculously blunt instrument. As reported by The Guardian, Google recently destroyed six popular music blogs hosted on its Blogger service after receiving repeated notices alleging that the sites were housing …

    Music and Media 11 Feb 22:57

  • Dell acquires SMB systems babysitter Kace

    Fills Perot gaps

    Dell says it will purchase Kace Networks, a maker of systems management appliances, which the vendor hopes will reel in more midsize business sales. The acquisition - for an undisclosed amount - is expected to close during Dell's first fiscal quarter. Kace's flagship product is the Kbox line of appliances, which target IT …

    Channel Register 11 Feb 23:35