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28th May 2010 Archive

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  • 3 men charged in $100m scareware scam

    More than 60 countries served

    Federal prosecutors have accused three men of running an operation that used fraudulent ads to dupe internet users around the world into buying more than $100m worth of bogus anti-virus software. The defendants operated companies including Innovative Marketing and Byte Hosting Internet Services, which perpetuated an elaborate …

    Crime 28 May 04:50

  • Nokia and Intel birth mobile Linux baby

    Fast march on Android

    Intel and Nokia have released the first code from their joint mobile Linux project, MeeGo, an effort to challenge Google's Android. Three months after the project was announced, the two companies have delivered MeeGo 1.0. Intel said it provides a stable core foundation for application development and a "rich user experience" …

    Mobile 28 May 05:18

  • Novell revenues drop as board seeks sale

    Customers get antsy

    Whatever drama is going on at Novell in the boardroom — where the company is apparently soliciting takeover offers from up to 20 different prospective buyers — it has spilled over into the company's financial results. In an IT market that is rebounding, and where its main Linux rival, Red Hat, continues to grow both revenues …

    Operating Systems 28 May 05:26

  • Mozilla and Opera call for Google open codec in HTML5 spec

    As Google dubs Open Source Initiative 'closed'

    One week after Google open sourced its $124.6m VP8 video codec, Mozilla and Opera have called for its inclusion in the still-gestating HTML5 specification. As it stands, the HTML5 spec does not specify a video codec. Browser makers are free to use any codec they like, and the big names are split between the patent-backed H.264 …

    Developer 28 May 05:47

  • Apple iPad

    Heads or Fails Magical - or mediocre? You decide

    Apple's iPad is out. The pre-orders are inbound - if they haven't arrived already - and it's in the shops. Apple reckons we'll flock to its "magical" device to use it as a browsing tool, as a media player, as an e-book reader, as a handheld games console, as a social media centric communicator and perhaps as all of the above …

    reghardware 28 May 06:02

  • Nikon Coolpix P100 bridge camera

    Review Superzoom with 1080p video – nice

    It's a Nikon; that name is certainly not tarnished with a reputation for cheap and nasty cameras. Even your friend who doesn't own a camera knows Nikons are a pure photographic mainstay. So for Nikon to make a £300 camera with all the features that an active hobbyist would need – well, it's a tall order. Nikon's Coolpix P100 …

    reghardware 28 May 07:02

  • UK jobs site suffers hack attack

    3.5 million CVs exposed

    Several job sites run by Trinity Mirror Group have suffered hack attacks, although the newspaper group does not believe any CVs were copied or accessed. JobSearch.co.uk and jobs.mirror.co.uk both suffered hack attacks on 19 May. Blog posts described a "concerted and sophisticated attempt to hack into user accounts". As a …

    Crime 28 May 07:02

  • Malware scanners fail

    Blog Train users to minimize the risk

    A recent spate of virus-ridden computers has left me feeling philosophical about the state of desktop management. Fortunately for me, these computers were not part of my corporate network, instead they were personal computers or servers maintained by other systems administrators. The cases come from all over. Family, friends, …

    Desktop Mgmt Blog 28 May 07:43

  • Regent Street blocked by iPad fanboi swarm

    Nice day for queueing

    Fair play to Apple - they might be turtleneck-wearing control-freaks but they run a lovely queue. Several hundred fanbois and at least one fangirl were queuing up this morning to get their hands on an iPad. The line stretched from the Apple shopfront on Regent Street all the way round the corner onto Hanover Street. And …

    PCs & Chips 28 May 08:09

  • ISS snapped transiting Sun

    Weather's lovely, wish you were here

    A chap from the German space agency DLR has captured a fetching snap of the International Space Station transiting the Sun, appropriately last Sunday afternoon: Snapper Thilo Kranz explains: "I took this image of the ISS as it passed across the solar disk in just 0.51 seconds. I captured the image with the help of my …

    Space 28 May 08:54

  • Want nips like church coat pegs? Click here

    Enhancement for women who want to make a point

    Here's something practical for those women who want to make a point or two, but aren't up-front enough to do it naturally - the eye-catching Body Perks Nipple Enhancers: Apparently, "the natural look is back" and "nipples are in", according to the blurb down at Selfridge's e-commerce tentacle. In fact, nipples appear to be …

    Bootnotes 28 May 09:36

  • Symantec finds fat cache of swiped gaming logins

    Crooks deploy cloud-based password verification factory

    Security researchers Symantec have unearthed a monster cache of 44 million stolen gaming account and website login credentials. The haul, thought to have been harvested using Trojans with information stealing capabilities, took in data associated with a variety of online games and websites. Hackers had set up a system so that …

    Enterprise Security 28 May 09:39

  • Found phone leads to paedophile ring

    Mobile left on bus leads to 70 people

    A phone found on a Newcastle bus has led to the conviction of five paedophiles, and ongoing investigations into a total of 70 people. The investigation, code named Cammell, was launched after a phone belonging to one Michael Fraser was found on a bus last February. The driver discovered child sex abuse images on the phone …

    Crime 28 May 09:49

  • ALK readies stylish iPad satnav app

    At last, maps big enough to read

    ALK appears to be first out of the door with a UK-friendly satnav app for Apple's iPad. Well, kind of - CoPilot Live HD has been submitted to Apple for approval but hasn't yet had the magical firm's blessing. When it does, the app will provide turn-by-turn navigation to the 3G-enabled iPad, which has a built-in GPS pick-up, …

    reghardware 28 May 09:59

  • Approaching space object 'artificial, not asteroid' says NASA

    Too small for a proper mothership at ~10m, though

    NASA boffins report that an unknown object approaching the Earth from deep space is almost certainly artificial in origin rather than being an asteroid. Not actually an asteroid, according to NASA, but artificial. Object 2010 KQ was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona earlier this month, and subsequently tracked …

    Space 28 May 10:47

  • Whispers of Western Digital 3TB drive

    Coldstore coming out. What?

    A Western Digital partner has implied a 3TB drive is coming . Veracity makes the Coldstore video surveillance array, using a "linear array of idle disks technology and sequential filing system in order to offer reliability and file access". It has announced a partnership with Western Digital following "the realization by the …

    Storage 28 May 10:48

  • Spare Backup CEO switch coming

    Make money or else

    Cloud backup provider Spare Backup is trying to get a new CEO, Stephen Meyer, who is currently helping the company with capital formation. Cue bells ringing and the alert button going bananas. What is going on? The quarter's revenues were $546,242 but there was a net loss of $2.54m. The annual results are more painful to look …

    Storage 28 May 11:00

  • Buffalo unveils SSD upgrade for laptops

    HDD cloned, removed, replaced

    Storage specialist Buffalo has introduced a solid-state drive upgrade kit for notebooks. The 2.5in, 3Gb/s Sata-connected drive comes in 32, 64, 128 and 256GB capacities, all offering up to 240MB/s read speeds and between 80MB/s (32GB drive) and 190MB/s (the others). The drives come with a USB adaptor and software - Windows …

    reghardware 28 May 11:01

  • Blunkett threatens to sue for £30 ID card refund

    Can we sue him for our £257m?

    David Blunkett this morning claimed he may sue the government for a refund on his £30 ID card, which new laws will render worthless by the end of summer. The former Home Secretary and political originator of the ID cards scheme went on Today this morning to explain why he was right to introduce the scheme and the ConDem …

    Government 28 May 11:02

  • Eurovision website goes titsup, upsets handful of fans

    You gotta turn it on, and then you gotta put it out

    The Eurovision Song Contest kicks off tomorrow night, but viewers wishing to do some homework on the contestants ahead of the live final will be disappointed as the official website has been titsup for more than 10 hours. Helpfully Auntie has its very own dedicated Eurovision webpage, which should assist Eurovision junkies who …

    Applications 28 May 11:08

  • BBC One HD to launch this autumn

    Auntie's second hi-def channel

    The BBC has just announced that a new BBC One HD channel will launch in the autumn, offering a simulcast of BBC One. The existing BBC HD channel will remain, and continue to showcase HD material from the Corporation’s other channels. It schedule will extend to 12 hours a day. Programmes including The One Show, Weakest Link, …

    reghardware 28 May 11:16

  • Is it possible to measure IT Security?

    Workshop Or is that somebody else’s problem?

    It is a commonly held principle in many areas of business that if you can’t measure something “quantitatively”, it will be difficult to raise the quality objectively. The applicability of this statement to the world of IT security is clear. Without having some form of metrics in place, it is tough, if not impossible, to judge …

    Security that Fits 28 May 11:18

  • Microsoft Tag emerges from beta

    Like a bar code, only much creepier

    Microsoft Tag is out of beta, with Redmond claiming companies are dying to start making use of the format. Microsoft Tags are prettier than QR (Quick Response) Codes, being in colour, but embody much the same functionality being linked to a phone number, URL or plain text - though a Microsoft Tag can also contain a vCard. Tags …

    Developer 28 May 11:53

  • Ten Essential... iPad Apps

    Product Round-up Have tablet, will download

    It’s early days for iPad apps, as developers are still learning how to make best use of the larger screen and greater processing power provided by the iPhone’s new big brother. The early emphasis is very much on practical tasks such as file transfer and viewing, as well as the inevitable tweeting and social networking apps. …

    reghardware 28 May 12:02

  • BP pwned by Twitter pranksters

    Another unfortunate leak

    Oil giant BP suffered further embarrassment on Thursday after its official Twitter account was hacked. Pranksters purloined the @BP_America Twitter account to write "Terry is now in charge of operation Top Kill, work will recommence after we find a XXL wetsuit. #bpcares #oilspill" The message, which was deleted around 30 …

    Enterprise Security 28 May 12:18

  • Mozilla straps on Jetpack 0.4

    No restart required here

    Mozilla has released a fourth version of Jetpack, less than a month since it spun out its last developer kit to web developers. Jetpack 0.4 includes four new high-level APIs for coders to play with. The open source organisation said it had held back some APIs that it had planned for this release of the add-on software …

    Developer 28 May 12:20

  • Coming soon: Live Vulture 1 GPS tracking test

    Join us as PARIS takes to the air

    Next week sees the Paper Aircraft Released Into Space (PARIS) programme take to the air for the first time, as we test the Vulture 1 GPS unit. The lightweight air-to-ground comms package (more details here) has been designed by radio man Steve Daniels (callsign G6UIM) to fit snugly inside our paper plane. It transmits a signal …

    PARIS 28 May 12:22

  • iPad queues worldwide

    Everywhere's busy except PC World...

    St Vincent Street, Glagow. Thanks to Martin Duggan. Brummies lovin' it too Rather less ecstatic in PC World, Warren Street where staff outnumber punters Meanwhile in Milan, Italy. Sent to us by this Italian blog. The iPad will change your life

    PCs & Chips 28 May 12:24

  • O2 gets legal on Ofcom

    Relax our licence now

    O2 has appealed to the Competition Appeals Tribunal to force Ofcom into varying its 900MHz licence to allow 3G deployment, though the competition won't be impressed. O2, like Vodafone, was given some 900MHz spectrum in which to run a 2G telephony service, back in the days when spectrum was allocated, not sold. Since then the …

    Mobile 28 May 13:25

  • US boffins claim record for fast integrated circuit

    Ultra-wideband comms, super hi-res spy beams foretold

    Boffins working for US aerospace'n'death-tech mammoth Northrop Grumman claim to have produced the fastest known integrated circuit in the world. According to company spokesmen, top brains toiling at the company's Simon Ramo Microelectronics Center in California have produced a "Terahertz Monolithic Integrated Circuit (TMIC)" …

    Wireless 28 May 13:27

  • World Cup magic captured in Microsoft Paint

    Just like being there. But better

    With the World Cup almost here, we're being bombarded with nostalgia - expensively packaged in the latest Blu-Ray and HD formats. But there's no need to invest in any of this, once you've seen what simple fan talent can do, when allied to the graphical might of Microsoft Paint. This comes courtesy of Sunderland fans, who have …

    Bootnotes 28 May 13:28

  • Final Fantasy XIII

    Review 360 vs PS3

    Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most anticipated releases of the past two or three years. As it dropped through the post box I steeled myself for at least a week lost in a world of futuristic Noh theatre. This feeling was enhanced by the circulating rumours about the epic length of game play, made bearable only by a stunning …

    reghardware 28 May 13:40

  • ISPs told to keep filesharer naughty list

    Ofcom confirms Hull as freetard capital

    The details of internet users who are accused of unlawful filesharing three times will be recorded on a blacklist so record and film companies can target legal action, rules published today reveal. Ofcom has opened consultation on a draft of the code of practice for enforcing the Digital Economy Act's (DEA) copyright …

    Government 28 May 14:22

  • Snails on crystal meth: The facts

    Profs spend days poking hopped-up molluscs with sticks

    In a development whose importance it would be difficult to exaggerate, scientists have produced research answering one of the great questions facing humanity in the 21st century: what happens if you get snails hopped up on crystal meth and poke them with sticks? The drug-pushing scientists in question are Barbara Sorg of …

    Biology 28 May 14:27

  • Ireland debuts Fone-a-Freetard lottery

    But what's the point, again?

    A pilot scheme cracking down on copyright pirates is now underway in Ireland. But what's it supposed to achieve, exactly? After reading the details you may be as puzzled as we are. The experiment is the result of an out of court settlement between the major labels and ISP Eircom last year, in which the latter agreed to …

    Law 28 May 14:58

  • Microsoft projects aim to rival Chrome OS

    Gazelle and Menlo first steps towards a modern browser/OS

    The reorganization of Microsoft's mobile unit disappointed many with its conservatism, putting a division that needs radical thinking more directly under the control of CEO Steve Ballmer, who remains firmly grounded in the traditional Windows business norms. There was scarcely any mention of the projects that could drag …

    Developer 28 May 15:00

  • Reg Hardware's Gaming Survey

    Reader Feedback Tell us what you play

    Reg Hardware is beefing up its games coverage, and we'd like to know what you think. We're already running regular games reviews and gaming hardware round-ups, but what else would you like to see? We're keen to make sure we write about the games that you like to play, on the platforms you prefer - console or computer, mobile or …

    reghardware 28 May 15:51

  • Fanboi's lament – falling out of love with the iPad

    Comment Newtonian affair grows cold

    As the iPad goes on sale in the UK (and eight other countries), I've had my own "magical and revolutionary" Apple tablet for exactly 56 days. And I'm using it less and less each day. My fading relationship with my iPad reminds me of a long-ago college fling with a young lovely. High anticipation, fervent consummation, growing …

    Music and Media 28 May 16:38

  • Alt rock diva's nude snap 'leaked' to tweetosphere

    NSFW Topless on Twitter

    The Tweetosphere is abuzz with speculation about the release of a picture that bares the breasts of alternative rock diva Hayley Williams. The official explanation is that the singer and keyboard player was "hacked" and the boobalicious pic was posted to twitpic.com by the intruder. A more cynical person might be tempted to …

    Odds and Sods 28 May 17:37

  • Facebook European privacy head named peer

    He's a Lord...bitch

    Facebook's European head of privacy is now a Lord. Richard Allan, director of European policy for the social networking outfit, is among the new Liberal Democrat peers, the BBC reports. The former MP joined Facebook in June 2009, after serving as European government affairs director for Cisco, and his name has become …

    Government 28 May 18:42

  • Top-killing, crisp spam and cooling the Tube

    Andrew's Mailbag A random selection

    Dave asks: I was kind of surprised to see nothing about the BP oil spill, or least nothing I could find. That's a good idea. Anyone working in the field want to step forward? To whet your appetite, Steve McIntyre unearthed with some interesting remarks from David Eyton BP's former Vice President, Deepwater Developments Gulf …

    Odds and Sods 28 May 20:54

  • Apple TV said to enter the heavens at $99

    More than a Jobsian 'hobby'

    Steve Jobs' "hobby" — the Apple TV — is slated for a radical revamp, an extreme price slice, and a future in the cloud, according to "a source very close to Apple." Engadget reports that the next version of the Apple TV will run iPhone OS 4.0, have only enough on-board RAM to function as a conduit to the cloud, and will cost a …

    Music and Media 28 May 23:02