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30th March 2010 Archive

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  • Apple uncloaks deep details of its 11 iPad apps

    Updated Holy tablet is not giant iPhone

    Apple's iPad won't be available in the company's brick-and-mortar stores until this Saturday, but on Monday Cupertino added a series of videos to its website that provide more detail on the device's "magical and revolutionary" capabilities - and The Reg sat through each self-congratulatory video to give you a deep-dive preview …

    Music and Media 30 Mar 03:52

  • Sony Ericsson Vivaz smartphone

    Review Symbian snapper with HD video

    Sony Ericsson's latest style phone certainly cuts a dash with its unique curvy shape. But its focus is on HD video capture, rather than just movie viewing, with its 8.1Mp stills camera also capable of recording moving images in 720p HD. With Wi-Fi, HSDPA 3G, A-GPS and social networking apps, the Vivaz adds up to much more than a …

    Reg Hardware 30 Mar 08:02

  • Royal Navy starts work on new, pointless frigates

    Comment First two: HMSs Wag The Dog and Self-Licking Icecream

    The Royal Navy has decided to spend £127m to answer the question: "What should the next generation of frigates be like?" This is disappointing, as the real question is "do we actually need any more frigates?" and the answer is very likely "No, or not in their present form, anyway." Officially the navy, commissioning BAE …

    Government 30 Mar 08:02

  • Million pound Usenet indexer found guilty

    Judge not impressed with 'we're only a search engine' claim

    Newzbin, a website which indexed Usenet files, but did not host them, has been found liable for copyright infringement by the High Court of Justice in London . Newzbin was a members-only website and had turnover of more than £1m in 2009. It provided members with a search engine for Usenet groups. Precise terms of the judgement …

    IT Director 30 Mar 08:31

  • Vodafone kicks off Legend pre-order process

    Out on Friday

    After an HTC Legend, the Android 2.1-based handset that's the manufacturer's follow up to the well-regarded Hero? You're going to have to get it from Vodafone, and if you want to one of the first to lay your mitts on it when it arrives on 2 April, you'll have to put your order in early. Which you can now do, Vodafone said …

    Reg Hardware 30 Mar 09:28

  • Outsource back office, Gershon tells Tories

    Pass that buck

    Former head of the Office of Government Commerce Sir Peter Gershon has advised the Conservatives to outsource all back office processing functions within 18 months of being elected. Gershon, who has joined the Conservatives' public sector productivity panel, said that "a new government should focus on better management, not …

    Government 30 Mar 09:31

  • Patch Management: Should it even exist?

    Workshop Necessary drudge or Elastoplast?

    From the outside in, it’s easy to question the need for software patching. “Surely,” some might ask, “If software was written properly we wouldn’t need the IT department to spend time patching it?” The even more cynical might suggest that the whole thing is a money-making ruse – without the need for patching, we wouldn't have …

    Desktop Management 30 Mar 09:38

  • Orange to dangle games as carrot to lure Apple fans

    Want games for your iPhone? We got 'em

    Orange is to try and tempt iPhone fans over to its network by offering them games. It's a promotional pitch: the games will be made available through the iPhone App Store so they can be downloaded by anyone in the UK with the Apple phone. Orange didn't say whether it will be charging for the titles, but they'll undoubtedly …

    Reg Hardware 30 Mar 09:52

  • Goodmans-Grundig intros identical Freeview HD set-tops

    As does Grundig-Goodmans...

    Grundig and Goodmans. Goodmans and Grundig. Whichever way round you prefer the names, they have both introduced the same Freeview HD receivers. No great surprise, that - they're the same company. The Goodmans-branded box is the GDB300HD; the Grundig one is the GUD300HD. Both pick up Freeview and Freeview HD programming and …

    Reg Hardware 30 Mar 10:14

  • British Gas signs Voda so meters can snitch direct

    Smart meters call home

    British Gas is to upgrade two million meters to call home with automated readings - but this isn't just about making the gas man obsolete. Automatic meter reading is a great thing - estimated bills are a constant headache for those of us too lazy to read our own meters - but the infrastructure proposed by British Gas goes way …

    Telecoms 30 Mar 10:19

  • Bank security guru: Sue your bank for refund

    Play hardball fast, advises Anderson

    Noted banking security expert Ross Anderson was forced to threaten action in the small claims court before his bank agreed to refund a disputed transaction. Anderson, professor in security engineering at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, who has often appeared as an expert witness for plaintiffs in so-called " …

    Enterprise Security 30 Mar 10:22

  • Probe spots Pac-Man on Saturnian Death Star

    That really is no moon, suggests Cassini

    The Cassini spacecraft has sent back some unexpected surface temperature data from Saturnian moon Mimas - a satellite previous dubbed the "Death Star" for its prominent Herschel Crater, but now demonstrating its allegiance may lie more with Pac-Man than Star Wars: Cassini grabbed the images with its composite infrared …

    Space 30 Mar 10:28

  • Freeview HD launches, gets Channel 4

    Jon Sneur to read the news in hi def

    Freeview has formally launched the HD service it's been highlighting on its website for months and which has been broadcasting for even longer. Central to the launch is the arrival of Channel 4 on the free-to-air terrestrial service. Channel 4 HD will today join BBC HD and ITV 1 HD on Freeview HD. Channel 4's Welsh-language …

    Reg Hardware 30 Mar 10:31

  • Virgin's Music Unlimited gets limited

    The sound of silence

    Virgin Media's big new music service, announced last summer, has hit a snag. Independent music alliance Merlin has told its members that it can't reach a fair price, but still hopes to. Merlin represents hundreds of small independent labels, and has the nod to negotiate on their behalf. The idea is that collectively they'll be …

    Music and Media 30 Mar 11:01

  • Best Buy buys in modest iPad supply

    Cue the queues

    US Apple stores and Best Buy branches will have a few iPads in stock on Saturday to ensure the media-friendly queues. However, some in the expected line-up may be waiting for the next-generation iPhone. Steve Wozniak told Newsweek he'll be amongst those queuing for an Wi-Fi iPad come Saturday, as Apple has confirmed that both …

    Mobile 30 Mar 11:04

  • US lawmakers urge trade commission to scrutinise Google Buzz

    As much privacy as a goldfish in a bowl

    US lawmakers are calling on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to probe privacy complaints about Google's Buzz, following a tirade of grumbles that greeted the creepy injection of the real-time Twitterbookish tech into Gmail in February this year. On 25 March, 11 American lawmakers from the House of Energy and Commerce …

    Applications 30 Mar 11:31

  • Trustpilot prunes florid iFlorist tributes

    Weeds out suspect reviews

    Following our look yesterday at some highly-suspect online reviews for iFlorist, Trustpilot has pruned a bunch of the offending tributes and is investigating the matter. To recap, iFlorist was rated by many reviewers as pretty much the greatest website ever to grace the internet, which led us to question the authenticity of …

    Bootnotes 30 Mar 11:41

  • LHC particle-punisher in record 7 TeV hypercollisions

    Earth apparently still here: Tinfoilers omelette-visaged

    It's official: as this is written, the most powerful particle collisions ever achieved by the human race are taking place inside the great subterranean detector caverns of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). An initial hiccup this morning saw an overly-jumpy automatic protection system quench a magnet and dump one of the beams, …

    Physics 30 Mar 11:45

  • Biting the bullet on ERP implementation realities?

    Mini Poll What really makes the difference?

    In this week's ERP workshop poll, we get right into the specifics of what makes or breaks an implementation project in the real world. If you have experience or opinions on this, we'd appreciate your input. READER POLL: BITING THE BULLET ON IMPLEMENTATION REALITIES? 1. What is your experience of ERP implementations? …

    ERP 30 Mar 12:05

  • Legal high fire sale starts now

    Before it's banned

    Websites selling mephedrone are already offering the substance for half its previous price, thanks to an imminent ban announced by Home Secretary Alan Johnson yesterday. Sites are offering a gram for £4.50 rather than the usual £10. Prices per kilo have also fallen from £4,000 to nearer £2,000. Johnson said: “I am determined …

    Bootnotes 30 Mar 12:16

  • Nominet chairman quits

    Nominomore

    Bob Gilbert has resigned as chairman of Nominet, the non-profit company in charge of the .uk domain registry, it was announced today. The retired commercial solicitor is stepping down after almost five years in the job, which attracted an £80,000 salary in 2008. He was brought in as an internet industry outsider as Nominet …

    Telecoms 30 Mar 12:26

  • Weak passwords stored in browsers make hackers happy

    Insecurity complex still rife shock

    Nearly a quarter of people (23 per cent) polled in a survey by Symantec use their browser to keep tabs on their passwords. A survey of 400 surfers by Symantec also found that 60 per cent fail to change their passwords regularly. Further violating the 'passwords should be treated like toothbrushes' maxim (changed frequently and …

    Crime 30 Mar 12:30

  • Turk unwraps doner kebab robot

    Automated death wrapped in pitta bread

    A Turkish Cypriot has unveiled what represents the cutting edge of death wrapped in pitta bread tech: the automated doner kebab meat slicing robot, capable of delivering vast quantities of perfectly-hewn nourishment. The FFDR-V1004 is the brainchild of 34-year-old Ahmet Kalyoncu, whose Döner Robotu operation is set to …

    Bootnotes 30 Mar 12:37

  • Google gets happy-clappy with file transfer in talk widgets

    Chat fat clients

    Google has finally slotted peer-to-peer file transfers into its iGoogle and Orkut talk widgets. Mountain View said it planned to - eventually - bring the long-awaited feature to Gmail too. The file transfer addition means that users chatting in iGoogle and Orkut will no longer have to switch to email to send the file as an …

    Applications 30 Mar 12:43

  • Brits blasé about 3D TV 'fad'

    Survey suggest very few early adopters

    Brits may have been wowed by Avatar but James Cameron's 3D epic hasn't persuaded them to buy a 3D TV no matter what, research has revealed. Around 3000 punters were polled this month by shopping website Vouchers.co.uk but only 1.4 per cent of them - 42 people - said they were willing to stump up the £2000 the first 3D TVs are …

    Reg Hardware 30 Mar 13:30

  • BT fibre upgrades hit full speed

    303 more exchanges

    BT's fibre optic upgrade programme is picking up pace, with a further 300 exchanges earmarked to offer faster broadband today. Covering about four million lines, the latest tranche of exchanges will be upgraded between Autumn this year and Summer 2011. It represents a significant portion of the overall programme, which is …

    Telecoms 30 Mar 13:43

  • TomTom upgrades beginners' satnav

    Lane guidance at last

    TomTom has revamped its Start satnav for beginners. The new model, called the Start 2, takes the basic approach of the original - reviewed here - and adds lane guidance, spoken street names and support for RDS-TMC traffic information. TomTom's Start 2: keeping it simple The latter, we should point out, only works if you …

    Reg Hardware 30 Mar 13:44

  • Woman finds Romanian living in shed

    Mail readers fire up the Tw*t-O-Tron

    Readers of the Daily Mail have fired up the Twat-O-Tron at the shock news that a Bromley woman found a Romanian living in her garden shed. Now, we're not sure if Romanian shed-dwellers represent a greater threat to Middle England than their Lithuanian counterparts, but shaken 22-year-old Tilly Newman is determined that that …

    Bootnotes 30 Mar 13:51

  • Your internet policy sucks, US tells Aussies

    America tuts as Oz tightens screws

    Critics of the Australia’s proposed internet filtering scheme just keep on coming. This week, it's the turn of one of Australia’s biggest and most formidable allies, the United States, to put the boot into a scheme that would turn Australia into the free world’s strictest regulator of internet content. This follows objections …

    Government 30 Mar 14:11

  • Cops' quango to come under freedom of information laws

    Quick, fire up the shredders!

    The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the publicly-funded private company that wields heavy influence over policing policy, will be included in the Freedom of Information Act from October next year. The Ministry of Justice's announcement today follows criticism of ACPO's lack of accountability despite its powerful …

    Government 30 Mar 14:50

  • Greenpeace labels Dell 'a bloody marketing machine'

    Protests against computer maker in India, Netherlands

    Greenpeace has lambasted Dell's decision to "backtrack" on its commitments to remove hazardous chemicals from all of its products. The eco-hardliner pressure group protested outside Dell offices in Bangalore and Amsterdam yesterday, calling on the vendor to stop "backtracking" over its promises to remove polyvinyl chloride ( …

    PCs & Chips 30 Mar 14:51

  • NASA coughs $57m for another year's HPC support at Ames

    World number 6 cluster juiced

    NASA has announced that it will extend its contract with Computer Sciences Corporation to provide "supercomputing support services" at the Ames Research Centre in California. The Ames Centre is home to NASA's Advanced Supercomputing Division, which ranks high in the HPC league tables. The Division's "Pleiades" cluster, …

    HPC 30 Mar 15:50

  • Chip makers slammed in 2009

    Samsung, Hynix squeak out some growth

    The prognosticators and measurers at Gartner have focused their counting on semiconductor sales for 2009, and thanks to a rebound as the year came to a close and a truly awful ending in 2008 (making for easier compares), the worldwide semiconductor industry fell by only 10.5 per cent, to $228.4bn. The final numbers for chip …

    PCs & Chips 30 Mar 16:13

  • Google backtracks on cause of China search block

    Updated Again Access returns after mystery snuff

    Update: This story has been updated to show that Google first said a change to its search url caused Tuesday's blockage in China but that it has now backtracked to say this was not the case. On Tuesday, China appeared to cut off mainland access to the Hong Kong-based servers where Google is now offering uncensored Chinese …

    Music and Media 30 Mar 17:30

  • Microsoft teams with Google in name of privacy

    Strange bedfellows back US law overhaul

    Search rivals Microsoft and Google have joined a coalition to simplify and clarify US law to protect the online privacy of netizens from government snooping. The companies have teamed with more than 20 other technology providers and lobby groups from the right and left of US politics to update a US privacy law that's being …

    ID 30 Mar 19:10

  • Google mocks Steve Jobs with Chrome-Flash merger

    Mountain View comes out of the plug-in closet

    When Steve Jobs met Google boss Eric Schmidt for coffee late last week, they may or may not have reached some common ground on certain hot-button subjects. But odds are, they didn't see eye-on-eye on Adobe Flash. As Jobs prepares to ship his much ballyhooed Apple iPad without even the possibility of running Flash - which he …

    Applications 30 Mar 21:15

  • Intel (finally) uncages Nehalem-EX beast

    Like Itanium. But you might actually use it

    Intel's switch to the Nehalem architecture was finally completed Tuesday with the launch of the Nehalem-EX Xeon 6500 and 7500 processors, the last of the Core, Xeon, and Itanium chips to get the Quick Path Interconnect and a slew of features that make Intel chips compete head-to-head with alternatives from Advanced Micro Devices …

    Servers 30 Mar 21:52

  • Novell (not SCO) owns UNIX, says jury

    Yes, SCO vows to fight on

    A federal jury has decided that UNIX is owned by Novell - not SCO. But no, this does not mark the end of SCO's epic legal battle against the Linux industry. On Tuesday, the AP reports, after a trial in Salt Lake City, Utah, a jury ruled that Novell still controls the copyrights to UNIX despite a 15-year-old deal that …

    Operating Systems 30 Mar 23:02

  • MS delivers emergency IE fix

    Roll up

    Microsoft released an emergency IE patch on Tuesday after deciding that an upswing in hacking attacks targeting a zero-day vulnerability in IE 6 and 7 couldn't wait for the next scheduled edition of Patch Tuesday, due on 13 April. The cumulative IE update (MS10-018) also fixes nine other security bugs in Microsoft's browser …

    Security 30 Mar 23:11