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13th July 2010 Archive

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  • Apple app police anoint un-Flash code translation

    You're not Adobe? You're in!

    Though Steve Jobs has banned code translation on the iPhone and the iPad, the Apple App Store police continue to accept applications built with Unity and Appcelerator's Titanium, two dev kits that convert code from languages not explicitly approved by Jobs. If there was any doubt that the primary target of Jobs' code ban was …

    Developer 13 Jul 2010, 00:41

  • Microsoft drops Win7 deadline for XP and Vista holdouts

    Downgrade now, upgrade whenever

    Microsoft is giving users of Windows Vista and Windows XP Professional software extra time to put off their migration to Windows 7. Before today, Microsoft said that after the release of the first Windows 7 Service Pack – which hit beta today and is due in the first half of 2011 – customers buying Windows 7 would no longer be …

    Software 13 Jul 2010, 04:45

  • Vodafone 845

    Review Small size, low cost

    Vodafone’s 845 is right on trend as it is a small format Android handset. Sony Ericsson’s tiny Xperia X10 Mini - reviewed here - and X10 Mini Pro have both had a surprisingly good reception, and Vodafone clearly thinks there's something in this compact smartphone lark. Vodafone's 845: extremely small, extremely low cost …

    Mobile 13 Jul 2010, 07:02

  • Egenera bags another Fujitsu OEM deal

    More converge-happy resellers

    Just because Fujitsu has its own blade servers and systems management software doesn't mean it can't try to make some money selling someone else's stuff. And thus, Egenera, one of the pioneers in the blade server racket that has been trying to convert itself into a Switzerland for converged server and networking infrastructure, …

    Servers 13 Jul 2010, 07:02

  • Blighty's stealth robojet rolls out a year late

    But it preserved Brits' jobs at BAE! Well, some of them

    The UK's "Taranis" robot stealth jet has finally rolled out of assembly, the year after it was supposed to be in ground testing. Doesn't even save British jobs, let alone lives Taranis, a jet-fighter-sized unmanned aircraft of the same general sort as the USA's X-45, X-47 and Phantom Ray roboplanes, has been under …

    Government 13 Jul 2010, 07:38

  • Facebook for hackers shut down in Pakistan

    5 arrests as cybercrime forum cracked

    Five alleged hackers have been arrested by the Pakistani authorities in raids that led to the closure the Pakbugs hacking and carding forum. The operation, run by Pakistan's Cyber Crime department of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), followed complaints by "national and multinational organisations" over a series of website …

    Security 13 Jul 2010, 07:47

  • Profits rise at Computacenter

    Looking ticketyboo (except in Germany)

    Computacenter has beaten profit targets for the first six months of the year by ten per cent. The reseller is giving a trading update to City analysts today. In trading to 30 June 2010 sales grew five per cent, or seven per cent if you exclude the impact of selling off its distie business. Growth slowed slightly in the second …

    The Channel 13 Jul 2010, 08:28

  • Zeus baddies unleash nasty new bank Trojan

    New generation of infamous cybercrime toolkit targets UK, US and Germany

    Hackers have created a new version of the Zeus crimeware toolkit that's designed to swipe bank login details of Spanish, German, UK and US banks. The malware payload, described by CA as Zeus version 3, is far more selective in the banks it targets. Previous versions targeted financial institutions around the world while the …

    Security 13 Jul 2010, 09:40

  • Government plans 'NHS information revolution'

    Online tools for patients

    Patients will use the web to report their experiences, rate NHS organisations and access their records, according to health secretary's white paper. Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS says that a range of online tools will be created for patients, allowing them to access services "much more efficiently at a time and …

    Government 13 Jul 2010, 09:42

  • NASA, Microsoft offer new 3D Mars maps

    Red planet gigapixel HD probesat cam imagery distilled

    NASA and Microsoft have teamed up to present huge amounts of 3-D Mars mapping data, gleaned by space probes in orbit about the red planet, in a form usable by anyone with a net connection. What's not to like? "These incredibly detailed maps will enable the public to better experience and explore Mars," says NASA's Michael …

    Science 13 Jul 2010, 09:58

  • Beardyman beats up with Dolby

    Virtual surround sound for gadgets

    Sound specialist Dolby has teamed up with human beatbox maestro Beardyman in a new video to promote its virtual surround sound chip for laptops, tablets and phones. Created by Espionage, an agency specialising in yoof culture, the four-minute clip features both video and animation fused with the comedy genius of Beardyman - or …

    Hardware 13 Jul 2010, 10:01

  • EU boffins aim to reinvent the hard disk

    1Tbit/in2 nanosphere platters

    EU-backed university researchers are aiming to reinvent the hard disk with a 1Tbit/in2 areal density platter based on nanospheres. The project is called TERAMAGSTOR (TERabit MAGnetic STORage technologies) and is based on work by Professor Dr Manfred Albrecht of the Physics Department in Chemnitz University of Technology in …

    Storage 13 Jul 2010, 10:02

  • Analytics made easy

    Bigger, better, faster, stronger?

    I’m increasingly convinced that we’re entering into a new phase of computing: one where competitive advantage is going to be gained or lost based on the quality of your data and your ability to analyze it. This trend will accelerate the adoption of HPC-like infrastructures and workloads into the general business market. This …

    HPC 13 Jul 2010, 10:09

  • Five HD turns on Virgin

    Cable broadcaster adds channel to HD roster

    Five HD has gone live on Virgin Media - months after the up-for-sale channel lost its space on Freeview HD. Five HD is a simulcast of Five and will - VM said - include "a wide array of programmes made in the High Definition format". That's code for 'some programmes will be upscaled from standard definition'. Loss-making Five …

    Media 13 Jul 2010, 10:27

  • I own Facebook, claims New York fuel salesman

    Next: The Moon

    Facebook has branded claims by a New York man that Mark Zuckerberg owes him 84 per cent of the firm "frivolous". Paul Ceglia, of Wellsville, has filed a complaint at Allegany County Supreme Court alleging he and Zuckerberg entered into a website design contract in 2003. According to the suit, the resulting website launched in …

    Financial News 13 Jul 2010, 10:34

  • Yorks cops charge Segway rider under 1835 road law

    He didn't even have a man carrying a red flag

    South Yorkshire Police have charged a Segway rider with breaking the 1835 Highways Act by riding the gyro-hog on the pavement. Phillip Coates, 51, was collared by coppers in his native town of Barnsley while whooshing down to the shops on the self-balancing two wheeler, The Star reports. A local copper stopped him because he …

    Bootnotes 13 Jul 2010, 10:50

  • Android will sink Symbian

    It's the UI, stupid, analyst warns

    Symbian needs to cut to the chase and sort out its user interface, the organisation has been warned. The call comes from Gartner "distinguished" analyst Nick Jones who points out that while Symbian's still colossal market share is vanishing at an ever greater rate, the organisation behind the operating system still doesn't …

    Phones 13 Jul 2010, 11:01

  • EU Commission plans 'umbrella' data protection deal with US

    'Piecemeal approach' doesn't sit right with Reding

    The European Commission has opened negotiations with the US on the creation of a data protection agreement that would govern all data transfers between the EU and the US. Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding told The Atlantic Council in Washington that the negotiation of separate deals on …

    Government 13 Jul 2010, 11:02

  • MS springs service pack preview of Windows 7

    Thumbs nose at 'tech enthusiasts'

    Microsoft released its first Service Pack 1 public betas for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 yesterday at its annual partner shindig. “We managed to get this puppy out the door a few weeks early, so take advantage and download the code to evaluate the new features and benefits that SP1 can provide for server and desktop …

    Operating Systems 13 Jul 2010, 11:18

  • Ambulance radios don't like the rain

    Airwave better in a heatwave

    A Health and Safety report into the London Ambulance Service has raised concerns about its radio comms network and vehicle panic buttons. But a spokesman for LAS said all the problems had been fixed since the report came out. The investigation in March found ambulance crews often working without radios - especially in heavy …

    Mobile 13 Jul 2010, 11:27

  • Apple MacBook mid-2010

    Review White mischief?

    There’s no persuading a committed PC nerd of the unnerdy appeal of Apple’s consumer products, so I won’t bother. Whatever I write about Apple’s latest MacBook, they’ll hate it. They can buy computers for far less money that achieve better benchmark results, and serious computers are supposed to look hideous, so case closed. …

    Laptops 13 Jul 2010, 12:02

  • PegasHosting gets its wings clipped

    Plug partly pulled on 'scam-friendly' ISP

    Cybercrime-friendly Ukrainian ISP PegasHosting has been partially taken offline. The main range of IP addresses used by the ISP - which has been associated with hosting phishing mule scam sites and all manner of badness - has been null-routed, following action by one of its upstream providers. "Hosted web sites include fake …

    Security 13 Jul 2010, 12:12

  • Apple iPhone forums gripped by deleted thread paranoia

    Don't mention the war Consumer Reports

    The iPhone 4 antenna debacle has upped the paranoia levels in Apple's support forums as moderators reportedly nix any mention of Consumer Reports' volte face on the talking light slab. Consumer Reports had previously given its blessing to the iPhone 4, but did a U-turn yesterday. The news started to spread like wildfire …

    Phones 13 Jul 2010, 12:19

  • Fring-Skype iPhone slanging match: Telcos v freetards

    Analysis Skype grows up, gets haircut, goes to work for The Man

    P2P VoIP network Skype and client developer Fring have engaged in an epic slanging match after Fring's implementation of mobile-data video calling on the iPhone appeared to result in its ousting from Skype. At present Apple's own software only allows video calling on the iPhone 4 - the first iPhone to feature a user-facing cam …

    Mobile 13 Jul 2010, 12:28

  • GFI wraps its hands around Sunbelt

    Tech acquisition marks security biz consolidation

    Maltese security firm GFI Software has acquired Sunbelt Software and its Vipre line of anti-malware technology. Terms of the deal - announced Tuesday - were not disclosed. The technology-focused acquisition will allow GFI to enhance its range of email and web security products, which focus on meeting the web security needs of …

    Security 13 Jul 2010, 12:39

  • Oracle patch batch to fix 59 flaws

    TimesTen, Secure Backup and Solaris

    Oracle plans to release 59 vulnerability fixes, including 21 for Solaris products, as part of its quarterly patch update later on Tuesday. The highest severity flaws involve bugs in TimesTen In-Memory Database and Oracle Secure Backup. However a big chunk of Oracle's enterprise software product line will need patching for one …

    Applications 13 Jul 2010, 13:18

  • Microsoft 'gets serious' with Windows Phone 7 tools

    'KIN 'ell, we're back!

    Microsoft has released final beta tools for building Windows Phone 7 applications and said it's time to get serious ahead of this October's launch. The company has said the phone's APIs are now close to completion. Among the changes, Microsoft's Expression Blend has been integrated with the tools - Blend is Microsoft's …

    Mobile 13 Jul 2010, 13:56

  • Hugh Hefner makes private offer to Playboy shareholders

    Ancient grumble mag publisher fights the internet

    Hugh Hefner, 84-year old founder of Playboy wants to buy back the company and take it private, with a bit of help from the bank. Actually Hefner said he's got backing from Rizvi Traverse to buy back the group for £120m. The investment group is "highly confident ample financial resources will be available to complete the …

    Media 13 Jul 2010, 14:13

  • World Cup Stats Prof: I was right all along

    Holland had 88% probability of not winning World Cup

    Spain's extra time goal against Holland in the World Cup final denied our resident stats expert victory in predicting the tournament winner. Or did it? Before a ball had been kicked Dr Ian McHale, senior lecturer in statistics at Salford University, had modelled the teams' performances in the run-up and had Holland as …

    Science 13 Jul 2010, 14:17

  • Coalition spends £3.75m on ContactPoint

    Good money after worse

    A minister has revealed that the government spent £3.75m over two months on the soon to be scrapped children's database. Conservative education minister Tim Loughton said that because ContactPoint "remains in limited operation", the Department for Education paid £3.75m to cover the costs of operating the database from April to …

    Government 13 Jul 2010, 14:22

  • SNIA's SSD performance test draft

    Steady state testing

    The SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association) has had a working party devise a draft Solid State Storage Test Specification to enable customers to compare the performance of different solid state storage (SSS) products. Although referring to SSS products using any solid state technology, such as DRAM and NAND, its main …

    Storage 13 Jul 2010, 14:44

  • Phorm man tipped to head Project Cartel

    Is this Web-wise?

    The Guardian reckons former Ofcom chief policy officer Kip Meek is due to be announced as chief executive of the BBC-led Project Cartel Canvas. But should he get the job, the former McKinsey man has a bit of baggage he may want to sling overboard. In December 2008, beleaguered Phorm appointed Meek to its Board, along with …

    Media 13 Jul 2010, 15:07

  • Microsoft's Outlook gorges on Web2.0 junk food

    Pulls on elasticated Facebook pants. Mmm, roomy

    Web 2.0 sufferers can now plug their Facebook and Windows Live accounts directly into Microsoft’s Outlook Social Connector tentacle, which the software giant first announced in November last year. “You can view your social network as you look through your e-mail to stay connected with your friends, family and colleagues,” said …

    Applications 13 Jul 2010, 15:21

  • Boeing's 'Phantom Eye' Ford Fusion powered stratocraft

    Twin car engines let robocraft make 4-day flights

    US aerospace mammoth Boeing yesterday rolled out its "Phantom Eye" unmanned strato-plane, able to cruise high above the airlanes for up to four days - powered by two ordinary Ford car engines running on hydrogen. Just bolt on a couple of Ford Fusion engines and you're done. "The program is moving quickly, and it’s exciting …

    Science 13 Jul 2010, 15:31

  • VMware scales up vSphere virt, rejigs prices

    Maneuvering around Microsoft for SMBs and money

    Given the radical change in features, pricing, and packaging that VMware did when it kicked out the vSphere 4.0 server virtualization toolset - which is basically the ESX Server 4.0 hypervisor and its related vCenter management console - it is not reasonable to expect a huge amount of change fifteen months later as VMware revs …

    Virtualization 13 Jul 2010, 15:43

  • Cockeyed 'Knob Face' confusion masks real malware threat

    Obama viral vid hoax makes mischief

    Wrong-headed warnings about a worm spreading across Facebook are causing confusion about a real threat. If you believe messages doing the rounds on the social networking site then a "Trojan worm" called "Knob Face", which poses as supposed footage of an outrageously unlikely affair between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, …

    Security 13 Jul 2010, 15:52

  • IBM employee sparks massive bank outage

    Big Blue liveware triggers seven-hour FAIL

    Last Monday, one of Singapore's largest banks suffered a seven-hour IT outage that took down everything from back-office services to ATMs. This Tuesday, the flawed component was identified: an IBM employee. "We take full responsibility for this incident," wrote DBS Group Holdings CEO Piyush Gupta in a statement. A laudably …

    Management 13 Jul 2010, 17:42

  • Fanbois end Judas Phone 'Death Grip' with, um, SIM tape

    Or a shave

    Some iPhone 4 buyers have solved the handset's infamous "Death Grip" reception problems by taping, cutting, shaving, or re-seating its SIM card. Considering third-party examinations of the reception issues by the likes of Anandtech and Consumer Reports, such fixes don't quite stand up to logic, and many users claim the fixes …

    Phones 13 Jul 2010, 17:47

  • Spotify ports its music streamer to Linux

    Penguin rock

    Spotify is previewing a Linux version of its popular music-streaming service. According to a blog post from Andres Sehr, Spotify's global community manager, the company's developers built this Linux incarnation for selfish reasons — at least in part — piecing it together during hack days and late-night coding sessions. "A lot …

    Media 13 Jul 2010, 19:53

  • BlackBerry tablet to trump iPad with Flash, videoconferencing

    Year end arrival?

    More details are emerging about Research in Motion's long-rumored BlackBerry tablet: it will have a seven-inch display, both back- and front-facing cameras, and will support hardware-accelerated Adobe Flash. These speculations were reported by Cnet last Friday based on a research note by Ashok Kumar of Rodman & Renshaw, and …

    Media 13 Jul 2010, 20:49

  • US domain registrar does IPv6, DNSSEC

    What's in a Name.com?

    Domain registrar Name.com has added IPv6 support to both its registrar and DNS services, with its registrar platform offering support for the DNS security extensions known as DNSSEC from next week. Sean Leach, Name.com's chief technology officer, tells The Reg that registrar customers can now submit both IPv4 and IPv6 …

    Media 13 Jul 2010, 21:10

  • Intel claims 'best quarter ever'

    Wall-Street guesstimators beaten

    Intel announced its second-quarter earnings today, with numbers that add up to what chief Paul Otellini called "the best quarter in the company's 42-year history." The mega-chipmaker's revenue for the quarter was $10.8bn and 51 cents per share. According to the Wall Street Journal, the consensus of top moneymen was that …

    Business 13 Jul 2010, 21:15

  • Amazon rejigs EC2 to run parallel HPC apps

    A veritable cluster

    Online retailer and IT disrupter Amazon is getting its high performance computing act together on its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service by allowing customers to spin up tightly coupled virtual server nodes to run real-world, parallel supercomputing applications. On Tuesday, Amazon Web Services launched a new service called …

    HPC 13 Jul 2010, 21:39

  • No Bing bang for Microsoft's Yahoo! marriage

    Google's Android gets shot of MS

    Bing's marriage with Yahoo! will be a phased affair not a big bang, Microsoft has revealed. Satya Nadella, senior vice president of Microsoft's online services division, said Tuesday that Yahoo!'s switch to using Bing's search algorithms and its ad serving platform will happen in two steps in September and October. The search …

    Media 13 Jul 2010, 22:32