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17th September 2010 Archive

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  • Successful desktop virtualization

    Regcast Difficult, but not impossible

    Desktop virtualization: it's complex, it's controversial, it's hard to budget. It is, however, easy to make a mess of it. And if you do get it wrong, every single person in your company will want to know why. Mess this one up and you’ll be lucky if they let you project manage buying toner cartridges for the rest of your career …

    Virtualization 17 Sep 2010, 03:26

  • UK.gov outlines plans to comply with new EU telecoms rules

    Ofcom flexes pecs

    The Government has outlined the changes that will need to be made to laws and regulations so that the UK complies with the new EU telecoms rules passed last year. The Government has said that the UK already complies with many of the new or changed rules, but that it will give telecoms regulator Ofcom new powers to demand more …

    Broadband 17 Sep 2010, 06:00

  • DoH shows millions splurged on marketing

    You could build a hospital with that mate

    Airwave, McKesson and CSC are among the top 10 suppliers to the Department of Health, according to data released to Kable. The department has become the latest to disclose spending with suppliers in the 2009-10 financial year, following Defra and Communities and Local Government. The DoH, which published the data on its 100 …

    Government 17 Sep 2010, 06:15

  • Sony Playstation Move game gallery

    A selection Move-only titles for 2010

    With the Playstation Move now available, here's some of the Move-only games to look out for this year. Click the images for further game information. Tumble Stack blocks in tall towers to earn big scores Brunswick Pro Bowling Lace up your bowling shoes The Shoot Do you have what it takes to become the ultimate action …

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 07:00

  • Sony Playstation Move gallery

    The PS3 add-on in pictures

    Sony's Playstation Move has arrived. Here's what it looks like. Controls The Move motion controller, top (left) and bottom Communication through colour: the orb changes hue during the game The Move navigation controller, top (left), side (centre) and bottom The two controllers together - both talk to the PS3 …

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 07:02

  • Sony Playstation Move release schedule

    A list of games to keep you on the Move

    Sony and other publishers have a stack of Move-ready titles out, and more to come. Here's the current list of Move-specific and Move-compatible games heading to the shops. Out now Publisher High Velocity Bowling Sony Pain Sony Flower Sony EyePet Sony …

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 07:04

  • Google ops czar condemns multi-core extremists

    Sea of 'wimpy' cores will sink you

    Google is the modern data poster-child for parallel computing. It's famous for splintering enormous calculations into tiny pieces that can then be processed across an epic network of machines. But when it comes to spreading workloads across multi-core processors, the company has called for a certain amount of restraint. With a …

    Servers 17 Sep 2010, 07:04

  • FAQ: Sony PlayStation Move

    Your questions answered

    Move, the long-awaited motion controller system for PlayStation 3 hits the shelves today. Not sure what it's all about? Read on... What is it? PlayStation Move is a stick-like handheld game controller that's able to detect its orientation, location and movement in three dimensions. Sounds a bit like the Wii Remote... It …

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 07:06

  • Sony Playstation Move video gallery

    Video Gameplay in action

    Here's a few video clips of the Playstation Move being tested. Sports Champions Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com Start the Party Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 07:08

  • Sony PlayStation Move

    Review Wii too?

    “I like to Move it, Move it." Reel 2 Reel paraphrased in 1994 exactly how I feel about the PS3's new motion controlled system. The motion controller is the main Move add-on Are we still embarrassed by so-called 'active gaming'? I know I keep the curtains closed during my nightly Wii Fit session. That said, I think it's a …

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 07:10

  • NASA reveals Moon's 'turbulent youth'

    Quite a party, orbiter shows

    Data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) have revealed the Moon's "turbulent youth", during which it was pounded by "two distinct populations of asteroids or comets". The agency has put together a "detailed global topographic map" of our satellite, captured by the LRO's Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), showing …

    Science 17 Sep 2010, 07:50

  • Twitter airport bomb joker loses second job

    A week before appeal

    Paul Chambers, the Twitter joker victim, has been sacked from a second job a week before his appeal against a widely criticised conviction for sending a "threatening" message to to blow Doncaster airport "sky high". Chambers, 27, got into a world of hurt after posting an ill-conceived update on 6 January, after inclement …

    Security 17 Sep 2010, 08:36

  • Recession drives pies sky high

    Who ate all the pies? Skint people

    Market research outfit Mintel has revealed an interesting side-effect to the global economic recession: pie sales are up as cash-strapped Brits look to cheap, "hearty" fare to fill their grumbling bellies. Indeed, sales of pies rose five per cent last year, reaching an impressive £941m. Mintel senior analyst Vivianne Ihekweazu …

    Bootnotes 17 Sep 2010, 08:55

  • The iPad is killing laptop sales

    US retailer cites 50 per cent fall

    iPad sales are slashing laptop sales by as much as 50 per cent, according to the boss of US retailer Best Buy. Announcing sales of $11.3bn and profits of $254m for the second quarter Best Buy's chief executive Brian Dunn said internal research showed half of potential laptop buyers had chosen an iPad instead of a traditional …

    Hardware 17 Sep 2010, 08:57

  • Facebook Places checks in to UK

    'I'm in your back garden'

    Facebook Places, a service designed to encourage users to publish their location, is available in the UK from today. It follows the US launch last month. The service is exactly the same in the UK as in the US. Users are invited to "check in" via their smart phone when they arrive at a new location. Facebook has bought lists …

    Applications 17 Sep 2010, 09:12

  • Spandau Ballet get the Tourette's karaoke treatment

    NSFW 'You are gold, F*CK F*CK F*CK'

    Tourette's syndrome is no laughing matter, but it's hats off to Guy Daniel Francis, aka TheMainMeal, who was "diagnosed with Asperger's and Tourette's at 31", but is battling on like a good 'un. Down at his YouTube channel, dad-of-three Guy explains: "Once again one finds oneself ticcing like a 'mofo', so the only solution is …

    Bootnotes 17 Sep 2010, 09:22

  • Intel confirms HDCP copy-protection crack

    That's torn it

    Intel has confirmed Blu-ray HDCP encryption is cracked after admitting a leaked master key is the real deal. High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) copy protection technology is designed to protect high-definition video content as it travels across digital interfaces. The technology was developed by Digital Content …

    Security 17 Sep 2010, 09:24

  • Warner Bros flogs Nikita on iTunes

    One way to beat the Torrents?

    Warner Brothers is making three TV shows available in the UK, putting them up on iTunes one day after each show airs in the USS. Nikita, The Vampire Diaries: Season Two hits iTunes UK every Friday and Gossip Girl: Season 4 lands on Tuesdays. The shows cost £2.49 a pop and you can buy season passes for Vampire and Gossip for £ …

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 09:36

  • RIM reports middling results

    4.5 million new friends? Meh

    BlackBerry maker RIM has reported decent second quarter results, albeit with disappointment on some fronts. Reporting on its second 2010 quarter (pdf), RIM said net income was up and it had shipped more than 12 million handsets, though a proportion of those will be languishing on shop shelves. More importantly it had …

    Mobile 17 Sep 2010, 09:52

  • MI5 chief: Cyber spying 'relatively straightforward' to beat

    Common sense call

    Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, has claimed the internet has made the threat of espionage by foreign countries higher than ever before, but insisted it is "relatively straightforward" to block attempts to steal data. "The overall likelihood of any particular entity being the subject of state espionage has probably never been …

    Security 17 Sep 2010, 09:52

  • APB: All Points Bulletin goes titsup

    Massively Multi-non-player

    APB: All Points Bulletin, the new massively multiplayer game, is shutting down and is holding a Wake. In a statement on the site today, the company said: "The servers are still up, so join the party and say goodbye! APB's demise is not a surprise: its developer Dundee-based Real Time Worlds went bust last month and 250 jobs …

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 09:55

  • Webmin for users: Usermin

    Sysadmin blog It's an anagram of Me Ruins, but don't let that put you off

    It stands to reason that there would be call for a similar utility to Webmin available to users. Webmin’s extension Usermin answers the call. Webmin is an excellent way of providing systems administrators a way to manage their servers while abstracting away the underlying operating system. Usermin is an interface that offers …

    Servers 17 Sep 2010, 10:18

  • Moving beyond user rights

    Workshop Protecting data first

    It goes without saying that IT systems should, in principle, be secured so that only properly authorised users can access data, applications or services. Most companies are pretty good at giving authorised users access to the systems and data they need to do their jobs. The trouble is that this is only half the job. It is just …

    Server Management 17 Sep 2010, 11:01

  • BOFH: Die, Robot

    Episode 10 A serious pain in the Asimov

    “A Security Robot?!” the PFY gasps. “Really?” “Really,” the Boss nods. “And we have no say in the matter?” “It’s a security thing.” “But our technical budget pays for it.” “Our Capital budget, yes, but the operational expenses will come out of security’s budget.” “So what sort of robot will it be – something like …

    BOFH 17 Sep 2010, 11:04

  • BT feathers ruffled over pigeon-based file transfer caper

    SURFIN' BIRD!

    BT is peeved at an experiment appearing to demonstrate that a carrier pigeon is faster and more efficient than its broadband service. The experiment, supervised by BBC Lincolnshire and carried out by weary internet user Michelle Brumfield, proved embarrassing to the telcom in much the same way as last year's South African …

    Broadband 17 Sep 2010, 11:13

  • Lord Prescott calls for phone hack review

    Just a ranter, says cop

    Lord Prescott of Kingston-upon-Hull is demanding a judicial review of the Metropolitan Police's decision to end its investigation into allegations of phone "hacking" by the News of the World. But the big man's contribution has been dismissed by the policeman who ran the original investigation, Andy Hayman, as "another episode …

    Broadband 17 Sep 2010, 11:15

  • Laptop potato scammers turn to onions

    Brings a tear to the eye

    Two men have been arrested in Reading for recycling the classic laptop switch scam, but with a twist. The laptop potato scam has been a mainstay of British conmen for years. Punters are shown a laptop at a knockdown price. But when they hand over the money the bag or box is switched for one traditionally filled with spuds to …

    Channel Register 17 Sep 2010, 11:18

  • iPad app throws TV games at your head

    Makes telly better and more fun, somehow

    A new iPad app listens to the television and presents interactive content to the understimulated viewer who can't be fully entertained by the programmes alone. The free application is linked to an American TV show from ABC, called My Generation, and uses the iPad microphone to lock onto the television audio and present "polls …

    Mobile 17 Sep 2010, 11:40

  • Avaya chases Cisco with videoconferencing tablet

    Anything you can do, I can do better

    Where Cisco goes, Avaya often follows, and the smaller firm has introduced a video collaboration tablet, the Flare, similar to Cisco's recently announced Cius. While market buzz has focused on general-purpose consumer tablets like the iPad, many vendors believe their opportunity will lie in optimizing the form factor for …

    Broadband 17 Sep 2010, 11:52

  • DARPA inks 5-year-mission solar strato-wingship deal

    Vulture 'pseudo satellite' to be built for $89m

    US aerospace mammoth Boeing has beaten its competitors and landed an $89m contract to build the "Vulture", a huge unmanned solar-powered plane intended to cruise the stratosphere for five years without landing. One need hardly add that the agency handing out government cash for the initial demonstrator aircraft is DARPA, …

    Science 17 Sep 2010, 11:54

  • Lambeth email sting councillor rejoins local Labour group

    Naughty step time served

    A Lambeth councillor has been allowed back into the Labour Party following a controversial email sting operation that left him excluded from the party for the last four months. Kingsley Abrams, a veteran Labour councillor in the South London borough, was first accused of leaking confidential papers to a south London newspaper …

    Government 17 Sep 2010, 12:38

  • O2 shocks customers by slashing iPad data allowance

    What promotional period?

    Network provider O2 told customers this week that some iPad data allowances will be cut by up to two thirds from next month. The news that a brace of current deals were for a promotional time period only caught many customers unawares, and some are switching telcos as a result. Customers currently paying £15 a month for 3GB of …

    reghardware 17 Sep 2010, 12:39

  • RedHat gets cloud-evangelical

    VMworld Video Blog What Haff we here?

    We caught up with Gordon Haff, Red Hat’s Cloud Evangelist, on the floor of VMworld last week and grabbed a short interview with him. In the discussion, we touch upon what the cloud really is, and where it makes the most sense in terms of enterprise use. We also talk a bit about cloud futures when Gordon brings up ‘ …

    Virtualization 17 Sep 2010, 12:57

  • UK passes buck on Europe's cookie law with copy-paste proposal

    Opinion You sort it out

    The government has let businesses down by refusing to clarify a law on cookies that has privacy regulators and advertisers at loggerheads, leaving publishers languishing in the middle, unsure whether their advertising is lawful or not. This week the government had the chance, when transposing EU law into UK law, to find a way …

    Small Biz 17 Sep 2010, 13:28

  • Airship race round the world planned for 2011

    Jean-Michel Jarre on board as 'artistic director'

    A Texan businessman bidding to organise a year-long round the world race for airships says he is on track to start the inaugural event next year. Among those lending their names to the project is aerospace bigwig Norm Augustine, who headed President Obama's panel examining the US manned space programme last year. The …

    Science 17 Sep 2010, 13:43

  • Open source: a savvy bet, even in tough times

    Open...and Shut Plain dealing, not arm wrestling

    Even as the economy slouches its way toward another bout of recession, the software industry has been in comparatively rude health. Earnings across the board have been impressive and, as a recent SIIA and OPEXEngine study (warning: PDF) shows, software companies are returning to robust profitability after years of red ink. In …

    Software 17 Sep 2010, 14:00

  • Samsung's Developer Challenge shortlist put to public vote

    Bada Waves all round

    Samsung's Global Developer Challenge has reached the shortlisting phase, though short isn't quite accurate for the 300 applications the public is being asked to vote on. While Vodafone might be happy asking people to pick from four options, Samsung wants to emphasise just how popular Bada is. Therefore it is presenting 300 …

    Mobile 17 Sep 2010, 14:24

  • Pope makes central London no-go zone for BT engineers

    Net access looking flaky? Start praying

    Based in Central London? Broadband looking a little flaky this afternoon? You better look to heaven for help, as Openreach won't be doing any callouts in the centre of Capital for the foreseeable future due to Pope-related congestion. That apparently is the gospel according to telecoms provider 2Circles, which told customers …

    Broadband 17 Sep 2010, 14:29

  • Orange customers squeezed out of Facebook

    Well that's not very bloody friendly

    Orange customers are reporting that connections to Facebook are being rejected, apparently due to some technical incompatibility between the two. We had our first reports around lunchtime, and raised the issue with Orange who have admitted that mobile customers aren't being as social as they should be, and that the problem is …

    Mobile 17 Sep 2010, 14:31

  • Undiplomatic tweet from French diplomats

    Channelling Sarko

    The French Foreign Ministry's official Twitter account was "hacked" earlier today and a rather rude message posted. It said: "FUCK YOU ROMANIAN PEOPLE! I HATE YOU ALL AND I WANT TO DESTROY EU!" The tweet has gone now and been replaced with a message which said the @francediplo account had been hacked, the message had been …

    Government 17 Sep 2010, 14:41

  • Man gets 6 years for laundering $2.5m from phony credit cards

    End of the line for uBuyWeRush

    A California man was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in laundering $2.5m in proceeds from stolen credit card schemes. Cesar Carranza, 38, of Long Beach, California, received the sentence on Thursday after pleading guilty in December to one count of conspiring to launder unlawful proceeds, prosecutors said. …

    Security 17 Sep 2010, 18:49

  • Jailbreaker alert: Apple TV runs iOS

    Future living room flatulence?

    The word is out: Steve Jobs' hobby, the Apple TV, runs iOS — which is an interesting revelation for both jailbreakers and productization prognosticators. This news comes from The Unofficial Apple Weblog, TUAW, which reports that an unnamed tipster has discovered a configuration descriptor in the recently released iOS 4.1 beta …

    Media 17 Sep 2010, 19:12

  • Microsoft takes Oracle side in Google Java-phone attack

    Dabbles with hidden-Linux cost Voodoo

    Microsoft has jumped on Oracle's prosecution of Google to attack Android and promote Windows Phone 7, while revealing a limited US rollout for its mobile phone platform. Even before Android's day in court, the chief financial officer of Microsoft's mobile phone group is reported to have taken Android's patent infringements as …

    Software 17 Sep 2010, 19:18

  • HP reported close to naming Hurd successor

    An insider, or three, almost certainly

    Somebody has to stop Hewlett-Packard before it acquires another company for billions of dollars again, and the word on the street is that the IT giant is getting set to do that soon. Possibly as early as next week. Bloomberg reported Friday that HP's board of directors could announce a successor to Mark Hurd, now co-president …

    Business 17 Sep 2010, 21:07

  • Dell nestles baby Opterons into PowerEdge racks

    A shotgun wedding in Texas?

    Server and PC maker Dell had to be dragged kicking and screaming into employing AMD's Opteron processors. But ironically, it looks like Dell could just turn out to be the most enthusiastic supporter of Opteron processors in servers today. Oracle has killed off its Sun Fire Opteron product line (at least for the moment), IBM …

    Servers 17 Sep 2010, 21:56

  • Surprise Automotive X Prize winners announced

    Internal combustion shocker

    The X Prize Foundation has announced the winners of the $10m Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize challenge, and the $5m winner of the Mainstream Class was neither a hybrid nor an all-electric vehicle. "When we began this process," said the leader of the winning Edison2 team, Oliver Kuttner, "we followed the general …

    Science 17 Sep 2010, 23:54