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11th June 2010 Archive

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  • Wireless signals to be jammed in Canada for G8 summit

    'Bubble of electronic silence' without warning

    Government officials in Canada may temporarily block wireless signals as part of an effort to secure world leaders during the G8 and G20 summit scheduled in Ontario later this month. Wireless companies told the CBC they've been warned their signals may be blocked and no advanced warning will be given. The jamming is expected …

    Wireless 11 Jun 00:29

  • Dell removes $100m from profits over SEC probe

    Potential settlement

    Dell has removed $100 million from its first-quarter profits, setting the cash aside for a potential settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which is investigating the PC giant's accounting and financial-reporting practices and its relationship with Intel. In a statement released Thursday, the company also …

    Financial News 11 Jun 00:32

  • iPhone 4 coming to T-Mobile UK

    T-Mobile USA to follow?

    The iPhone 4 is coming to T-Mobile UK. T-Mobile has not said when the Jobsian handset will arrive on its network, but the carrier is now advertising the thing on its website. UK carriers O2, Orange, and Vodafone have already said they will offer the phone on June 24, the same day it debuts in the US. Meanwhile, at least one …

    Mobile 11 Jun 06:02

  • Hardware spending drives IT growth in 2010

    But not enough to make up for 2009 hardware crash

    With so much bad news in the economy for so long, everyone is looking for a little good news. Well, the server business is perking up, and if you think server spending is a leading indicator of IT spending (as I do) and that IT spending is now a key component of all capital spending and therefore a pretty good indicator of how …

    Channel Register 11 Jun 07:02

  • Samsung NB30 touchscreen durable netbook

    Review Tough and touchy

    Samsung's range of first generation netbooks consisted of such a bewildering array of similar spec machines that a year on its difficult to remember what the difference was between the N110, N120 and N310. So I had a slight sinking feeling when the NB30 turned up because the basic specification is identical to the N220. …

    reghardware 11 Jun 07:02

  • Cisco slips out Atom-powered block and file box

    Matching and exceeding HP

    Cisco is closely matching HP in the small business market with an Atom-powered unified file and block storage device. Cisco's NSS 300 Smart Storage is a 2, 4 or 6-bay desktop storage product that can use either 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hot-swap SATA drives. It follows closely on the heels of HP's X300 DataVault. Why are both …

    Storage 11 Jun 07:06

  • Is this the world's biggest USB cable?

    The hyper-connected folk of Waubra, Victoria

    Google Earth comes up trumps again, this time unearthing the world's biggest USB cable.... Looks like some well connected Australians out there in Waubra Or maybe it's just a screenshot of Waubra, Victoria. Check it out yourself at: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Waubra+Victoria+3352,+Australia&sll=-37 …

    reghardware 11 Jun 07:55

  • Far East fanboi dresses iPad as Mac (Classic)

    'Ancient Future'

    A Japanese fanboi has come up with one of the most artful marriages of old and new kit that we've seen in quite some time. Every überstylish Apple offering spawns an ecosystem of überstylish accessories, and the iPad is no exception. Cases, for example. We admire Apple's convertible model, but the fine leather eyecatchers from …

    Bootnotes 11 Jun 08:02

  • Linux wins the SCO vs Novell case

    Six-year battle won by lawyers, and Novell

    The six-year-long Novell-SCO case is over - the judge ruled that Novell did indeed own Unix patents copyrights which SCO failed to license properly and therefore the case is closed. Of course this case has closed before, but this really does seem like the end of the line. Judge Ted Stewart said: "The jury could have rejected …

    Operating Systems 11 Jun 08:09

  • World Cup streaming to choke corporate networks, doomsayers predict

    'Networks will fail, or I’ll eat my replica shirt'

    Every World Cup and major sporting event since France 98, if not before, has come accompanied by dire predictions of networking doom. This time around Nigel Hawthorn, EMEA VP Marketing at security appliance firm Blue Coat, was the prime source of an article FIFA World Cup: the world’s biggest ever DoS?. Hawthorn predicted: " …

    Enterprise Security 11 Jun 08:10

  • Thomas and Maude stage open info Commons love-in

    The real reason behind Watson .gov phone obsession?

    The Westminster love-in reached critical proportions this week, threatening to engulf Labour tech specialist Tom Watson. Watson apparently has been doing his damndest to embarrass the new administration by asking questions such as how many plasma and LCD TVs ministers have in their offices. The answer, it would seem, is a fair …

    Government 11 Jun 08:47

  • VMware inks OEM deal with Novell for SUSE Linux

    Taps SLES for virtual appliances

    Novell needs all the help it can get in its seven-year battle to get its SUSE Linux business growing and profitable. The landmark deal with Microsoft that has brought the company $340m in dough for SUSE Linux coupons that Big Bill distributes at Windows shops (475 so far, according to this Microsoft blog) has clearly run out of …

    Virtualization 11 Jun 09:00

  • iPhone still not at home to NFC - yet

    Using a fondle slab to control a TV?

    Despite the rumours and patent filings Apple's new iPhone doesn't feature Near Field Communications capability, though next year's model probably will. NFC would fit well with iTunes - designed to facilitate payments by tap, it can also be used to pair devices; and Apple has been hoovering up intellectual property in the area …

    Mobile 11 Jun 09:34

  • Three intros second-gen MiFi

    Have Wi-Fi hotspot, will travel

    Three will release its second-generation MiFi modem-meets-hotspot gadget next month. Like the original MiFi, the new model is a rebadged device - this time the E585 - from Chinese telecoms giant Huawei. The new version sports a better, OLED display and one-touch operation, Three said. The new screen displays information like …

    reghardware 11 Jun 09:45

  • Commons slapped for FoI fastidiousness

    You can't be picky about PICT

    The House of Commons cannot pick and choose how it agrees to comply with Freedom of Information requests – particularly when that pickiness has the effect of restricting access to the very information it is required to release. That was made clear this week in a landmark ruling by the Information Commissioner, which is likely …

    Government 11 Jun 09:46

  • World Cup stars by the numbers

    Stats Who's a secret secret weapon?

    Do you think it's obvious which payers and teams will have an impact in the World Cup kicking off today? Perception can really cloud the truth about a situation, particularly in sport. Two seasons ago Chelsea fans would have said French international Florent Malouda got off to a slow start at the club, that he was a weak link …

    Bootnotes 11 Jun 09:56

  • World Cup stats fever - have you got the balls to win?

    How to model your way to a result

    No host nation has ever lost the opening game of the World Cup. Now combine that nugget with knowing that South Africa is the lowest-ranked football team, by some distance, to have ever hosted the competition – the squad is 83rd in FIFA's rankings. What do you think is going to happen when they face up to Mexico (ranked 17th) …

    Applications 11 Jun 09:57

  • Sony TVs, Blu-ray boxes get Eurosport

    Sporting clips streamed

    Sony has added EuroSport content to its Bravia Internet Video IPTV system. A full range of online sporting video clips are available on demand directly from Eurosport's online video catalogue, including footage from the worlds of football, tennis, cycling, motorsport, winter sport, snooker, golf, athletics and more, Sony said …

    reghardware 11 Jun 09:59

  • Suspended-animation cold sleep achieved in lab

    Starship freezer podules (well, medical apps) foreseen

    Top boffins in the States believe that they may be on the track of a way to place living human beings into suspended animation, allowing them to survive long periods effectively frozen before being "reanimated" with no ill effects. Dr Mark Roth, based at a Seattle cancer laboratory, got interested in suspended animation after …

    Biology 11 Jun 10:14

  • Palin boob-probe Reg hack dubbed an Ass Clown

    FoTW Augmented Alaskan not a right or left issue!

    Sometimes we all need a dose of reality. And this week it was an unnamed Reg hack who got the wrong end of the stick when investigating the Palin boob job rumour. Reg reader Mike points out that contrary to the headline, the has she/hasn't she debate is not in fact the main issue on either left or right, or anywhere inside the …

    Bootnotes 11 Jun 10:15

  • Brits turn to web for World Cup action

    BBC iPlayer 1, Freeview HD 0?

    This year's World Cup could be the first footie tournament followed closely on the internet. According to UK retailer DSG, which runs the PC World chain, a third of football fans will watch the contest's matches on the web. The claim is based on the results of a survey of 3000-odd visitors to its outlets, so we'll leave it to …

    reghardware 11 Jun 10:24

  • Orange to 'dump unlimited data tariffs'

    The way the wind blows

    Orange UK is to scrap unlimited data plans for new and upgrading customers in the summer, according to reports. You'd better look after your phone then, if you are a heavy data user. Orange is saying nothing in public yet, but the trade paper Mobile "understands" that the cello is to follow the example of 02, which canned …

    reghardware 11 Jun 10:36

  • Lights out management - still waiting for the bulb to glow

    Blog Go vertical or go home

    I am on a quest to lower my computer power usage. If you have read my previous article, you know that this is not by choice - it’s a necessity driven largely by cooling requirements in the spaces where my systems live. The project at hand is Lights out Management (LOM), the ability to configure and control my systems even when …

    Desktop Mgmt Blog 11 Jun 10:38

  • Halley's comet is actually ALIEN VISITOR

    Most of Oort Cloud 'of extra-solar origin', say boffins

    Halley's comet and other famous objects in our solar system may in fact have formed in orbit around alien suns far off across the vast gulfs of interstellar space, according to new research. Comets, Halley's in particular, are old friends of the human race and their regular appearances in the inner solar system are thought to …

    Space 11 Jun 10:42

  • Mobilising your business

    Workshop Poll What's the problem?

    We all know that mobility is pretty important to most businesses today, and requirements have moved way beyond simple voice connectivity. As the needs have changed, the IT and business aspects of mobility are much more closely intertwined. The challenges faced by the business have also multiplied, both internally - getting …

    Mobile Workshop 11 Jun 10:50

  • Ofcom refuses to bend over smut TV link-links

    Super-censory perception

    If you thought that Australia rules when it comes to over-zealous censorship, you may need to think again, as the UK’s very own Ofcom looks set to challenge the nanny-crats down under for first prize. Australian censorship, as exemplified by ACMA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, came to our attention last …

    Law 11 Jun 10:51

  • Microsoft rejects porn, iPad protesters fake it

    Who's got the cleanest screen?

    Applications for Windows Phone 7 won't contain porn or decapitation - but while the rules may be limiting they are public, unlike Apple's. Microsoft has published complete details of the application submission process for apps developed for Windows Mobile 7 (pdf), and porn is definitely out along with big nasty violence. But …

    Mobile 11 Jun 10:59

  • BT staff to down tools tomorrow

    Practice strike during England match

    BT has issued a network-wide ban on engineering work tomorrow evening to coincide with England's opening World Cup group game against the USA. The rarely-applied "change embargo" measure will run throughout the encounter, plus for an hour before kickoff and an hour after the final whistle. BT customers will get a brief taste …

    Telecoms 11 Jun 11:02

  • iRex Technologies heading titsup

    iPad collects first scalp

    iRex, e-reader pioneer and manufacturer of the nearest thing to an iPad, has run out of cash and filed for bankruptcy protection in the Netherlands, where the company is based. The company was spun off from Phillips and produced some of the first e-readers, including the Iliad and the DR1000, which is physically similar to …

    Mobile 11 Jun 11:18

  • Want football? Get in the Xbox

    World Cup comes to Live

    If you thought you could escape World Cup fever by hiding away with your games console, think again - it's all kicking off on Xbox Live this month. Microsoft has teamed up with Adidas and Konami to bring Xbox Live users "Summer of Football" - despite the name, a month of games and entertainment to celebrate the World Cup. …

    reghardware 11 Jun 11:19

  • Doctors call for NHS Direct review

    Time to bin consultants too

    The chair of the GP's council Dr Laurence Buckman has called for a proper review of the cost-effectiveness of parts of NHS Direct - we're guessing call centres - and changes to the Summary Care Record scheme. Earlier this week it emerged that NHS Direct is moving to hire call centre managers with no medical experience. …

    IT Director 11 Jun 11:24

  • Aussies face 10 year browsing lock-up

    Super store of emails, sites visited

    Anything Europe does, Australia would like to think it can do better – and when it comes to snooping on individual internet usage, Australia is determined to lead the way. A report in ZDNet Australia this week reveals that the attorney-general's department has been holding discussions with industry on setting up an Australian …

    Law 11 Jun 11:53

  • Cybercrime police's budget slashed by 30%

    Exclusive 'Not a lot of money' becomes even less

    The national police unit responsible for fighting cybercrime faces a deep cut to its already stretched budget, counter to pre-election talk of an increased focus on the UK's digital security. According to senior Westminster sources, the coalition government has quietly and drastically trimmed the £3.5m that the Police Central …

    Crime 11 Jun 12:02

  • Mario madness at midnight

    No jumping in the queue though

    Hundreds of Nintendo enthusiasts gathered at Game on Oxford Street last night, queuing for the midnight release of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Inside was Charles Martinet, the voice behind Mario, signing new copies of the game and posing for photographs. Too many mushrooms? Click the pic for a video clip Eager fans, many of whom …

    reghardware 11 Jun 12:37

  • Virgin to slash Sky premium channel pricing

    Sports, Movies for less

    Virgin Media will next month make standard-definition Sky Sports and Sky Movies available to its subscribers for less. The new price list, which comes into force on 1 July, will see up to £9 a month knocked off the cost of Sky's channels delivered over VM's cable TV network. Essentially, all subscribers will pay the same for …

    reghardware 11 Jun 12:38

  • Fujifilm Finepix HS10 bridge camera

    Review Impressive performer

    Fujifilm’s Finepix HS10 is among the new breed of superzoom cameras utilising, the somewhat cheekily named, backside illuminated CMOS sensor technology. At 10.3Mp there is a drop in image size compared to CCD models, but the light gathering capabilities make up for this, apparently. There’s even one in the iPhone 4, so if it’s …

    reghardware 11 Jun 12:44

  • Google takes it to 11 on Chrome security fix

    WebKit tune-up

    Google has patched 11 security holes in Chrome as Apple released Safari 5, the latest version of its WebKit rival. The patch for Chrome 5.0.375.70 on Linux, Mac and Windows is the first fix for Google's browser since the stable versions of the Mac and Linux editions were announced. Google has fixed nine high-level …

    Applications 11 Jun 12:45

  • Feds move in on elite iPad email leak

    Fanboi Bureau of Investigation

    The FBI has moved in to investigate the leaking of email details for the most important tech users in the world - iPad 3G owners. AT&T admitted on Wednesday that a data breach meant hackers had been able to access the email addresses and ICC-IDs of its iPad 3G owning customers - all 114,000 of them. ValleyWag helpfully …

    Mobile 11 Jun 12:59

  • NHS Trust boards spew out oceans of paper

    LaserJets over laser surgery

    Haven't they heard of email? The NHS may be undertaking the largest civilian IT project ever, but the managers sure seem fond of paper. Boards of NHS Trusts created at least 22 million paper documents in the past two years, generated for communications to senior managers, and to each other. The number is probably higher, since …

    IT Director 11 Jun 13:41

  • DoJ hits LCD vendor with price fixing charge

    HP, Apple, Dell all victimised

    The Department of Justice announced yesterday that a Federal Grand Jury had returned a "superseding indictment" against AU Optronics Corp, its Houston subsidiary, and six of its executives. The agency charges "that AU Optronics Corporation participated in a conspiracy to fix the prices of TFT-LCD panels sold worldwide from …

    Channel Register 11 Jun 13:45

  • Sony puts the USB power in your pocket

    Juice for the journey

    Sony's USB Portable Power Supply launched today, acts as a power source for any USB chargeable devices such as mobile phones, iPods and portable games consoles. The adapter has dual modules - an input for charging and a detachable power supply with an embedded Li-Ion rechargeable battery. Plug into the USB socket using …

    reghardware 11 Jun 13:50

  • Google geek slammed over XP exploit

    Impatient engineer called, but you were out, you f**ker

    Google engineer Tavis Ormandy is under fierce fire on security lists this afternoon for releasing code to exploit an unpatched hole in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The flaw is in XP's Windows Help Centre. In simple terms, Help uses a white list of approved web pages to go to in order to get help information. But a …

    Enterprise Security 11 Jun 14:19

  • Giddens, Lawson argue quite sensibly on climate change

    Where was the hysteria?

    It's rare for a climate debate not to descend into acrimony, but I attended one last week that didn't. This one pitted against each other the sociologist and New Labour philosopher king Anthony 'Third Way' Giddens, former director of the London School of Economics, and former Chancellor Lord Nigel Lawson. Giddens was speaking …

    Environment 11 Jun 14:23

  • Pub revolt dents music royalties

    PPL sees hope, though

    Music licensing body the PPL saw income rise by two per cent last year to £129m. The rights society gathers royalties from the public performance of sound recordings on radio, TV and in public places and distributes it 50:50 to the recordings owners' labels and the musicians who perform on the recordings. The PPL revealed the …

    Music and Media 11 Jun 14:47

  • Government promises health record review

    Bows to doctor and patient pressure

    The UK government is to review the controversial Summary Care Record scheme which aimed to put a basic health record for every citizen onto a central spine. The project assumed consent and patients who did not want their records added were required to write to their GP. Health minister Simon Burns wrote to the Local Medical …

    Government 11 Jun 15:06

  • New prototype US spy satellite rushed into active use

    'Hyperspectral cube' eye can spot buried bombs, tunnels

    An experimental "hyperspectral" spy sat which is able to detect buried roadside bombs and concealed cave or tunnel entrances has been handed over to the US forces for operational use in the Wars on Stuff. Hyperspectral cube gobbler from outer space. The TacSat-3 was launched aboard a Minotaur-1 rocket along with several …

    Space 11 Jun 15:22

  • JG Ballard: Warrior for Gaia?

    Library finds a moral message

    The British Library yesterday announced it had acquired the archives of the late JG Ballard, the great English novelist who died last year. Ballard hated establishment approval, turning down a CBE from Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2003, and would have found his incorporation into the Heritage Industry quite ironic. He told an …

    Music and Media 11 Jun 15:59

  • 1,000+ webpages poisoned in latest mass malware hack

    Security firm Idera.com included

    Yet another mass compromise is hitting poorly configured websites, and at least one of the afflicted is a security site that plays up its prowess in warding off the very type of attack it has been smitten by. At least 17 pages on idera.com were hit by a quick-moving SQL injection attack on Friday, including one titled “ …

    Security 11 Jun 17:29

  • Adobe euthanizes Flash 10.1 for 64-bit Linux

    'Expects' 64bitness later

    Adobe has murdered Flash for 64-bit Linux. At least for the moment. On Thursday, the company took the beta tag off the 32-bit Flash Player 10.1 for Windows, Linux, and Mac, and it released a slew of security updates for versions 10.0.45.2 and earlier. But at the same time, it posted a statement to the Adobe Labs page …

    Developer 11 Jun 17:30

  • Microsoft legal foes withdraw EU complaint

    We're going home to watch the World Cup

    IT trade lobby group ECIS is withdrawing a complaint against Microsoft it originally filed with European regulators in 2006. The complaint raised interoperability issues with server and office software, including networking protocols and file formats. In 2007, Redmond pledged to provide competitors with technical information, …

    Music and Media 11 Jun 17:32

  • iPhone 4 to slum it at Wal-Mart

    June 24 at the Destroyer of Small-Town America™

    Mega-retailer Wal-Mart will join the iPhone 4's coming-out party on June 24. Wal-Mart has carried iPhones in the past, but the launch of the "biggest leap since the original iPhone" will be the first time that the Destroyer of Small-Town America™ has participated in the now-traditional get-in-line-with-your-fellow-fanbois …

    Mobile 11 Jun 18:18

  • Microsoft sneaks Firefox add-on into Patch Tuesday update

    Bing there it is (again)

    Microsoft has silently slipped a Firefox extension onto user machines via an automatic software update. Again. This week, as part of its regular Patch Tuesday, Redmond released an update for its various browser toolbars, and as Ars Technica noticed, this update also installed an entire add-on for Internet Explorer and an …

    Applications 11 Jun 19:04

  • Turkish prez tw*ts YouTube ban

    Executive Tweet frowns on Google snuff

    The Turkish president has come out against his country's banning of YouTube — and he let his opposition be known on Twitter. In a recent tweet, president Abdullah Gül told his 27,893 followers: "About Turkey’s YouTube prohibition: I don't approve of the state's blocking of Google categories. Legal channels can be found."1 …

    Music and Media 11 Jun 20:12

  • Sea turtle steals camera, swims 1770km and takes pictures en route

    Restored to rightful owner

    Dick de Bruin dropped his waterproof video camera when diving off the Caribbean island of Aruba. He thought he would never see it again. But the Dutchman has been reunited with his property after a sea turtle picked up the camera and swam 1770km before abandoning it off the coast of Florida. In its efforts to disentangle …

    reghardware 11 Jun 20:18

  • FCC: iPad breach and Google Wi-Fi debacle 'worrisome'

    'Staying Safe from Cyber Snoops'

    AT&T's failure to safeguard information for more than 100,000 iPad users and Google's collection of user data over Wi-Fi networks are “each worrisome in its own way,” a Federal Communications Commission official said Friday in the agency's first comment on the privacy breaches. “Our Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is …

    Security 11 Jun 20:33

  • Apple lifts iPhone code ban (for chosen few)

    'Steve Jobs,' says Google man. 'You fail at open'

    Steve Jobs has lifted his outright ban on iPhone interpreted code, allowing some developers to interpret, but not others. In the recently updated terms of service for the iPhone SDK, Apple says it will allow interpreted code — but only with its written permission. The move is yet another indication that Jobs is restricting …

    Developer 11 Jun 23:53

  • New Nominet chair: I’ll start by listening

    Baroness Rennie Fritchie opens up

    Nominet’s new chair will start her new job by listening. “I don’t come in with answers. I would like to listen to staff, but I also recognise how important it is to listen to members, to see how strongly they feel,” Baroness Rennie Fritchie explained to The Reg in her first interview since accepting her new position. She is …

    Networks 11 Jun 23:54