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18th February 2010 Archive

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  • Microsoft banks Windows Phone 7 on Silverlight

    Downsizing a big opportunity?

    Microsoft's Flash-challenging Silverlight media player could be the hidden secret driving Windows Phone 7, the Redmond mobile OS unveiled this week. Silverlight will be named the platform for building native applications in Windows Phone 7 and future generations of Windows Phones at next month's Mix conference, unnamed sources …

    Developer 18 Feb 06:02

  • Almost 2,500 firms breached in ongoing hack attack

    Zeus and Waledac unite in global botnet

    Criminal hackers have penetrated the networks of almost 2,500 companies and government agencies in a coordinated campaign that began 18 months ago and continues to steal email passwords, login credentials, and other sensitive data to this day, a computer security company said. The infections by a variant of the Zeus botnet …

    Malware 18 Feb 07:01

  • Oracle should cannibalize JavaFX Frankenstein

    Comment Time to get Swinging

    One of the survivors of Oracle's mammoth takeover of Sun Microsystems is JavaFX, the Flex wannabe and illegitimate son of Swing. The biggest coup for JavaFX three years after its unveiling at JavaOne is its integration into Vancouver2010.com, in a spinning-wheel app that shows countries' medal counts dating back to 1924. It's …

    Developer 18 Feb 07:02

  • Toshiba Regza 26in combi TV

    Review DVD player plus

    The Toshiba 26DV615DB is rather big and chunky for a 26in telly, but that's because it has a DVD player built into the casing. The result is that it measures 100mm in depth, so it's by no means thin. In addition, the bezel is a substantial 50mm all round, so this relatively small HDTV measures 681mm wide by 514mm tall. …

    Reg Hardware 18 Feb 08:02

  • How to Virtualise 5000 desktops

    Live right now! Reg readers share their experiences

    If you’ve got ‘Virtualise Desktops’ on your to-do list for 2010, then make yourself a coffee and settle in. At 11am GMT today we’ve got some guys who are knee deep in a desktop virtualization project of some magnitude and they’re in our studio waiting to share their experiences. They come from Lancashire Constabulary and to …

    Virtualisation Lab 18 Feb 09:00

  • Founding investor still believes InPhase can fly

    Comment It's not a turkey, it's a phoenix in the making

    A founding investor in defunct holographic storage developer InPhase is still hopeful of restarting the firm, even as 'For lease' signs go up on its building in Longmont, Colorado. Bart Stuck is the managing director of Signal Lake Ventures which led the initial $27.9m A-round of funding for InPhase in January 2001. This …

    Storage 18 Feb 09:02

  • FriendsReunited sale cleared

    Dennis the Menace not a competition concern

    The Competition Commission has cleared ITV's sale of FriendsReunited to Brightsolid - a subsidiary of DC Thomson the publisher of the Beano. The competition concerns were not about comics but genealogy - Brightsolid owns find my past.com and the 1911 census site while FriendsReunited runs Genes reunited. Combining the two …

    Financial News 18 Feb 09:04

  • Sony swims up with slimmest, smallest sub-aqua cam

    First waterproof Cyber-shot launched

    Sony has introduced its first swim-friendly Cyber-shot - a gadget, it claimed, is "the world’s thinnest and smallest waterproof digital still camera". Diving belle: Sony's Cyber-shot TX55 is ready to snap marine life The 10.2Mp DSC-TX5 is waterproof to a depth of 3m. The slimline case - it's 94 x 57 x 18mm - packs in a 3in …

    Reg Hardware 18 Feb 09:55

  • Google back in court for book deal

    26 critics line up for legal counterblaste

    Google is in court later today New York to face critics of its agreement with US publishers to digitise the world's books. Judge Denny Chin will hear evidence from 26 critics of the deal. These include Amazon and Microsoft, along with several publishers. France and Germany will also give evidence, the Beeb reports. The case …

    Music and Media 18 Feb 10:13

  • Sony intros 10x optical zoom compact

    DSC-H55 unveiled

    Here's Sony's new Cyber-shot DSC-H55, a chunkier snapper than the slimline TX5 also announced today. The H55's key statistics: a 14.1Mp sensor - it's a 7.76mm Super HAD CCD, Sony says - mounted behind one of the company's own "premium" G lenses and a 10x optical zoom mechanism. Sony's Cyber-shot DSC-H55: 10x optical zoom …

    Reg Hardware 18 Feb 10:17

  • Recession exacerbated Jobcentre computer woes

    IT not prepared for sudden influx of unemployed

    Research has revealed that IT problems hindered Jobcentre Plus in dealing with an influx of people at the beginning of the recession. Glitches and crashes in the services's computerised job vacancies database, the Labour Market System (LMS), exacerbated delays experienced by unemployed people. The research, commissioned and …

    Government 18 Feb 10:41

  • Windows Phone Classic to coexist with Windows Phone 7

    'Cos 'Coke Classic' and 'New Coke' went so well...

    Windows Mobile 6.x is to be known as "Windows Phone Classic" once its replacement launches, and apparently isn't to be taken out and shot as might have been expected. When Steve Ballmer announced Windows Phone 7 Series, he did emphasise that Redmond wouldn't be pulling the plug on Windows Mobile just yet. Instead, Microsoft …

    Mobile 18 Feb 10:47

  • Smoke free Nokia looks for a spark

    MWC Pleasing people who never pay for anything. Will this work?

    Trade shows tend to expire pretty quickly once the biggest exhibitors pull out. The small fish are there to do deals with slightly bigger fish, and if they're absent, or only present half-heartedly, there's a chain reaction down the industry. While Nokia is in Barcelona this week, it isn't at Mobile World Congress. Nokia had a …

    Mobile 18 Feb 10:57

  • T-Mobile announces pay monthly package revamp

    Formally intros Boosters

    T-Mobile has formally torn up its old monthly contracts and replaced them with new ones it claims "give customers greater choice and flexibility". Sample tariffs quoted by the telco run from £20 to £35 per month, delivering between 300 and 500 bundled text messages and 300-900 minutes' call time. Depending on which phone you …

    Reg Hardware 18 Feb 11:04

  • Northamber pares loss as revenue slips

    It's harsh out there

    Veteran disty Northamber highlighted a "harsh" and unsettled market today as it unveiled a fall in revenues and a reduced loss for the first six months of its financial year. Revenues came in at £63.8m, down 6 per cent on the year. The firm made an operating loss of £83,000, which represented a major improvement on last year's …

    Channel Register 18 Feb 11:16

  • 'Fat birds get laid sooner, have more one-night stands'

    German profs stick tracker bugs to subjects' bottoms

    German boffins have carried out a groundbreaking study into the habits of fat birds as compared to thin ones. They say that the plumper subjects in their sample had more one-night stands than the slim ones, and that the chubbies in general achieved sexual congress sooner than their lightweight counterparts. According to a …

    Biology 18 Feb 11:20

  • Google buys app, removes from app store

    That's one way to make the iPhone less attractive

    Google has bought the publisher of iPhone mail search app reMail, and promptly pulled the application from the iTunes store until further notice. reMail is an indexing application that downloads copies of all your e-mail for local searching on an iPhone. Or at least it used to be, before Google bought the company. Now reMail …

    Mobile 18 Feb 11:40

  • Swiss prostitutes armed with defibrillators

    Add resuscitation to their list of services

    Prostitutes in the picturesque Swiss lakeside town of Lugano are adding defibrillation to their list of services following the death of several elderly punters whose hearts just couldn't take the pace. According to the Corriere della Sera, there are currently 38 brothels and sex clubs in the Lugano area, and more are planned …

    Bootnotes 18 Feb 11:45

  • CIA-linked startup touts all-seeing eye for net spooks

    Botnet bugging

    A security startup with close links to the CIA is touting a system to the UK government that monitors every IP address on the internet for malware, as part of its declared aim of improving cyber war capabilities. Endgame Systems helps US intelligence identify and hack into vulnerable networks, and is targeting a similar role in …

    Government 18 Feb 12:02

  • SWaP Signature watchphone

    Review Timepiece telephony

    The Smart Watch and Phone (SWaP) Signature looks enticing. It fits on your wrist, yet packs in a touchscreen, music and video playback, a camera good for video and stills, Bluetooth with stereo audio, a Micro SD card slot, and a suite apps including an e-book reader. Telephony runs to tri-band GSM with GPRS, but not to 3G. But …

    Reg Hardware 18 Feb 12:02

  • Industry groups leap to Chip and PIN's defence

    Analysis Despite research showing signs of terminal weakness

    Banking industry suppliers have lined up to defend Chip and PIN, following the release of research last week from Cambridge University demonstrating how cybercrooks might be able to bypass security controls on credit and debit card transactions in shops. A four man team from Cambridge University demonstrated how it might be …

    Crime 18 Feb 12:02

  • Femtocells in spotlight as new route to LTE

    MWC Rascal picoChip in hot pursuit

    As expected, femtocells are one of the big themes of this year's Mobile World Congress. Operators like Vodafone UK, its joint venture SFR in France, Softbank in Japan and AT&T in the US are getting serious about their HSPA femto deployments in the home, and the industry is looking ahead to 'greater femtocells' - the ones that …

    Telecoms 18 Feb 12:05

  • Salesforce offers collaboration beta to elite group

    Facebook for business?

    Salesforce.com is offering 100 companies the chance to beta test its collaboration software Chatter - a kind of Facebook for businesses. Chatter includes elements of social networking with worker profiles, status updates as well as connecting with other networks like Twitter and Facebook. It can also link to other Salesforce …

    Applications 18 Feb 12:24

  • Kodak prompts ITC to consider iPhone ban

    Say cheese

    The US International Trade Commission has launched another investigation into Apple, and RIM, this time prompted by Kodak's accusations of patent infringements. The new investigation into Apple follows one prompted by Nokia, which was launched in December last year. This time Research In Motion is in the frame too, with both …

    Mobile 18 Feb 12:38

  • NASA's WISE opens 'candy store of images'

    Galaxies and comet pose in the infrared

    NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has dispatched to Earth its first full-fat photos following a calibration shot released in early January. WISE principal investigator, Edward Wright of UCLA, enthused: "We've got a candy store of images coming down from space. Everyone has their favorite flavors, and we've got …

    Space 18 Feb 12:46

  • Twitter 'airport bomb hoax twit' charged

    Snow joke

    A man who allegedly made a joke threat to bomb a UK airport on Twitter has been charged with sending a menacing message. Paul Chambers, 26, of Balby, is scheduled to appear at Doncaster Magistrates' Court on Friday for a preliminary hearing after he was charged by South Yorkshire police on Thursday, The Independent reports. …

    Crime 18 Feb 12:59

  • Airport scanners face double exposure

    Not just unlawful - but criminal too

    A warning shot from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) suggests that yet again, the UK government may be erring on the wrong side of the law – this time over the vexed question of airport scanners. Legal opinion is on their side: a barrister has told El Reg that the current scanning regime may not only be …

    Government 18 Feb 13:12

  • Apple opens the iPhone to lotteries

    iLostItAll

    Apple has modified the iPhone SDK terms to allow lottery-style applications, so now you can lose your shirt from anywhere. Until now lottery addicts have been limited to applications that listed the winning numbers, or been forced to run up the browser to buy themselves a piece of the dream, but now lotteries and sweepstakes …

    Mobile 18 Feb 13:16

  • Castleford locals storm Tickle Cock bridge

    Object to council's 'nanny state' rebranding

    Irate locals in Castleford, West Yorkshire, have forced the council to reinstate the suggestive name of Tickle Cock bridge - a railway underpass traditionally used by courting couples to do their... courting. The powers that be apparently decided to change the name as part of a regeneration exercise, and one official reckoned …

    Bootnotes 18 Feb 13:24

  • Why you subsidize Google's Soviet-style Net

    Inefficiency creates hidden costs for punters and taxpayers

    Google certainly likes to throw a party. Its annual, roving Zeitgeist conference sees politicians and policy-makers beating a path to the door for inspiration. As a result, Google and policy makers have got very, very cosy together. But how much are ordinary net users and taxpayers subsidising Google? The answer is a lot, and …

    Telecoms 18 Feb 14:17

  • Another NHS hospital stricken with Conficker virus

    Analysis Social healthcare disease

    The infamous Conficker worm has infected yet another NHS facility. Computer systems at the West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust were infected by the worm last Friday, leaving hospital staff unable to book appointments via computer. The outbreak has been contained but some hospital IT systems remain unavailable, …

    Malware 18 Feb 15:05

  • Windows Phone 7 will not translate to Win Mobile after all

    Differences more than skin deep

    Confusion over a Dutch translation has prompted Microsoft to confirm that its new mobile platform is not backwards compatible, though new documents point towards a .NET and Silverlight future. The original comments appeared on with Dutch-language site Tweakers.net, and while the translation was accurate it was interpreted to …

    Mobile 18 Feb 15:11

  • 'Optionally manned' spy plane to fly this summer

    Brit version lacks robo option: Being used above UK?

    A make of spy plane known to be in use by the British forces is now confirmed to have an "optionally manned" version, allowing it to be crewed - for legal reasons, or to save bandwidth - or to fly itself, as desired. Ideal for the misanthropic parachuting enthusiast. The aircraft in question is the DA42 Twin Star, at least …

    Science 18 Feb 15:27

  • Newspapers slam BBC iPhone app plans

    Stick to your knitting, auntie

    Newspaper publishers are calling on the BBC Trust to rein in the broadcaster's plans to start making applications for smartphones. The BBC said it will release a news iPhone app in April, and the move has not been sent to the BBC Trust for approval. David Newell, boss of the Newspaper Publishers Association, said the BBC …

    Mobile 18 Feb 16:08

  • Firefox update takes down three critical flaws

    Hotchpotch patch pitch

    Mozilla pushed out a new version of Firefox on Wednesday that fixes five browser bugs, three of which present a critical risk of hacker attack. Firefox 3.5.8 tackles a memory corruption flaw, a heap corruption vulnerability and a flaw in the open-source browser's HTML parser technology. All three of these security bugs create …

    Applications 18 Feb 16:23

  • Large Hadron Collider to fire up again next Thursday

    Exclusive LHC-fearing tinfoilers braced for dimensional invasion

    The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), most powerful particle-smasher ever assembled by the human race and possible portal to other dimensions, is to fire up its beams following the Xmas break in a week's time. Official spokesmen for international particle-punishing science alliance CERN have thus far remained cagey about the exact …

    Physics 18 Feb 16:53

  • Regulators approve Microhoo! search deal

    Go! Ahead! Guys!

    Microsoft and Yahoo! today announced their web search deal has cleared both EU and US competition hurdles, despite complaints from Google. The pair said they will now get to work implementing the 10-year deal, which was announced last July and will see Redmond's Bing power searches across the Yahoo! web empire. Today's …

    Applications 18 Feb 17:03

  • Amazon spreads Kindleware to BlackBerries

    But it can't leave the country

    Amazon has released Kindleware for BlackBerry handhelds - though it's only available to US users. At least for the moment. The etailer of etailers is already offering iPhone and Windows apps that replicate the software built-in to its Kindle ereader handheld, but now you can tap your Kindle account from certain BlackBerry …

    Music and Media 18 Feb 18:18

  • Silicon Valley plane crash kills 3 Tesla employees

    Massive power outage hits Facebook, HP

    A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in Silicon Valley on Wednesday, killing the pilot and two passengers — all employees of Tesla Motors — and triggering a widespread electricity outage that cut power to thousands of homes as well as companies like Hewlett-Packard and Facebook. Amidst a shroud of early- …

    Business 18 Feb 18:36

  • Google typosquat cash pegged at $497m per year

    Harvard boffins probe 'mispelled' domains

    Google may earn as much as $497m a year from typosquatters, according to a study from Harvard professor and noted Mountain View critic Ben Edelman. In a study first presented late last month at the Financial Security and Data Cryptography conference in Tenerife, Spain, Edelman and fellow Harvard researcher Tyler Moore estimate …

    Music and Media 18 Feb 20:00

  • OpenSolaris devs 'ignored' by Oracle

    Red flags flap

    Alarm bells have started ringing inside the former Sun Microsystems' OpenSolaris community over the project's potential future with database giant Oracle. OpenSolaris developers have complained they've been "completely ignored" by Oracle despite reaching out, with their questions over the project's future going unanswered. …

    Developer 18 Feb 20:26

  • Attack code for Firefox zero-day goes wild, says researcher

    Black hats, take note

    A Russian security researcher on Thursday said he has released attack code that exploits a critical vulnerability in the latest version of Mozilla's Firefox browser. The exploit - which allows attackers to remotely execute malicious code on end user PCs - triggers a heap corruption vulnerability in the popular open-source …

    Security 18 Feb 21:16

  • PayPal to feed Facebook ads, virtual goods

    How to buy bits in 24 currencies

    Facebook and PayPal have announced a partnership that will see the mega-social-networking site process both advertising and virtual goods payments through eBay's ever-expanding currency swap platform. According to the two companies, PayPal will "soon" be an option for purchasing Facebook ads via PayPal on the social site's …

    Music and Media 18 Feb 22:06

  • Researcher spies new Adobe code execution bug

    Download Manager + web flaw = threat

    A researcher has unearthed a bug in software used to install Adobe's ubiquitous Reader and Flash applications that can be exploited to remotely install malicious files on end user PCs. The Adobe Download Manager is an ActiveX script that is invoked when people install or update Reader or Flash using Internet Explorer. …

    Security 18 Feb 23:15