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21st September 2010 Archive

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  • Oracle gooses Exadata clusters with chunky Intel chips

    Name Hurding

    Oracle's new co-president Mark Hurd took the stage at the OpenWorld extravaganza Monday to dutifully help with the product rollouts. He paced the stage, no doubt making the cameraman dizzy as he stomped about, talking about the new Exadata X2-8 data warehousing and online transaction processing clustered appliances as glowingly …

    Servers 21 Sep 2010, 00:17

  • Apple borgs Swedish face rec boffins

    Jobs picks Polar Rose

    Apple has acquired Swedish face-recognition outfit Polar Rose, according to multiple reports. Norwegian website Mac1.no (Google translation) reports that Steve Jobs and company have agreed to purchase all shares in the Malmö-based Polar Rose, which introduced a browser plug-in in 2007 for recognizing faces in photos posted …

    Business 21 Sep 2010, 00:23

  • Belarusian extradited to US for one-stop ID theft site

    Over 2,000 served

    US prosecutors have extradited a Belarusian national accused of running a website that helped thousands of criminals exploit stolen financial information. Dmitry M. Naskovets, 26, was transferred from the Czech Republic to federal prosecutors in Manhattan on Friday. In April, he was charged with creating and operating …

    Security 21 Sep 2010, 05:00

  • Oracle on Unix biz: We can rebuild it

    Solaris 11 – the Steve Austin of OSes

    While Oracle's homegrown Linux kernel, new Exalogic Web application clusters, updated Exadata OLTP/BI appliances, and Sparc T3 processors and servers hogged the stage at the OpenWorld event in San Francisco over the past two days, the software giant and new hardware player did find some time to give its upcoming Solaris 11 Unix …

    Operating Systems 21 Sep 2010, 06:00

  • Apple iPod Touch 4G

    Review iPhone lite

    The rumour mill was flying thick and fast last year with speculation that the new third-generation version of the iPod Touch would include a camera for the first time. However, the model unveiled featured a faster processor but no camera, leaving the Apple faithful feeling somewhat underwhelmed. Apple's iPod Touch: includes a …

    Hardware 21 Sep 2010, 07:00

  • Online hotel bookings to be probed for price-fixing

    OFT rummages cupboard for cans of whup-ass - any there?

    The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is investigating whether the sale of hotel room bookings on the internet breaches competition law, looking into whether an allegedly long-established pricing mechanism is anti-competitive. An online reseller of hotel rooms complained to the OFT about a practice it said was called 'rate parity …

    Small Biz 21 Sep 2010, 07:56

  • Check Point defends ZoneAlarm scareware-style warning

    'We didn't want to scare anybody'

    Check Point has defended controversial marketing tactics that confronted ZoneAlarm users with what critics describe as a scareware-style dialogue box to convince them to upgrade to paid-for personal firewall software. Users of the free version of the personal firewall were confronted by a warning that their PCs 'may be in …

    Security 21 Sep 2010, 09:02

  • Microsoft waves Zune Pass at UK

    Multi-screen music shop

    Yet another internet music subscription and sales service has tipped up in the UK, this time from Microsoft. It's called Zune - and on offer is a Spotify-like MP3 and music video download service called Zune Marketplace and a subscription service for £8.99 delivering "unlimited downloads" and streaming access to a big music …

    Hardware 21 Sep 2010, 09:26

  • Sony piques PS3 fans with PlayTV patch fee

    You want the firmware update? Cough up

    Sony is to charge PlayStation 3 users for a PlayTV firmware update that brings to the tuner and console the ability to view a seven-day programme guide and record entire series of shows at the push of a button - features DVR owners already take for granted. The Japanese giant announced the major PlayTV update back in April, …

    Games 21 Sep 2010, 09:37

  • German gov gives Google Street View privacy deadline

    That's one way of making them talk

    German officials have given Google until December 7 to set acceptable privacy standards for its Street View service. Other tech firms including Apple have also been asked to collaborate on a voluntary privacy charter for geographical services, under threat of legislation. Interior minister Thomas de Maiziere summoned industry …

    Government 21 Sep 2010, 09:43

  • T-Mobile UK pushes German Froyo to Desire users

    Small price to pay?

    Top marks to T-Mobile UK... er... Orange... er... Everything Everywhere, which has just pushed out an update that will take owners of its HTC Desire smartphone to Android 2.2. And even more marks for ensuring it's the German update. Yes, punters were this weekend treated to a the latest version of Google's smartphone …

    Mobile 21 Sep 2010, 09:50

  • Thieves jam key-fob lock signals in mystery car thefts

    Tech-savvy blaggers lift swag leaving windows intact

    Surrey police are exploring the theory that a gang of car thieves are jamming central locking systems to make it easier to steal goods from cars. The theory arose after one a witness reported that a man used an electronic device to prevent doors from locking when he parked his Lexus at a local Sainsbury's. Apparently the …

    Security 21 Sep 2010, 10:05

  • Orange outs budget Android 2.1 handset

    San Francisco first of a series

    Orange has launched what it says will be the "first in a series" of low-cost Android smartphones. Dubbed San Francisco, the £99 pay-as-you-go handset runs Android 2.1 and packs in a 3Mp camera, GPS, Wi-Fi, an FM radio and HSDPA 3G connectivity. You don't get much on-board storage for your money - just 150MB - but you do get …

    Mobile 21 Sep 2010, 10:12

  • Vodafone pulls 360 trick on Froyo hungry users

    While T-Mobile tells them to learn German

    Android updates are causing problems again, with Vodafone trying to foist 360 apps on users while T-Mobile does much the same thing, only in German. Most of those with with an Android handset are waiting to get a Froyo (2.2) update, which promises higher speeds and greater stability, as well as the long-awaited support for …

    Mobile 21 Sep 2010, 10:15

  • Harrow flicks pirate thrown in slammer

    Multi-tasking iPhone, popcorn botherer gets six months in jail

    A man from North-West London has been jailed for six months, after admitting to fraudulently filming Hollywood movies at a Vue cinema and then distributing the wares illegally online. Emmanuel Nimley, 22, of Lincoln Road in Harrow, used his iPhone to take fuzzy recordings of The Crazies, Alice In Wonderland and The Green Zone …

    Law 21 Sep 2010, 10:22

  • iPhone mules are taking our handsets, damnit!

    Johnny Foreigner fuels UK iPhone shortage

    Thirty years ago, I met a Frenchman who lived in Kent and was on the dole. He had to sign on every two weeks. He was also registered as unemployed in France, where he signed on once a month. So each month he would cross the ferry in his van, laden with... upright pianos. As you already know, pianos were much popular in …

    Phones 21 Sep 2010, 10:29

  • Nokia knocks back N8

    Delayed to tweak user experience

    It's official: Nokia has delayed the release of its N8 smartphone by a month. Originally set to ship direct from Nokia at the end of September, with operators getting the handset early in October, Nokia's UK N8 pre-order page now says the device will arrive at the "end of October". Tweets from operator insiders and analysts, …

    Phones 21 Sep 2010, 10:33

  • GPU Technology Conference video deep dive

    HPC Blog Bigger, faster, stronger

    The 2010 GPU Technology Conference got underway on schedule in San Jose today. We got an exclusive show preview (exclusive because we were the only ones who were there with a camera) from Sanford Russell, general manager of NVIDIA's GPU business. I was a bit surprised by the number of people who turned out for the opening day …

    HPC 21 Sep 2010, 10:41

  • Sony 3D photo update for PS3 imminent

    For the few with 3D TVs, cameras

    Sony has released the panoramic 3D photo update it promised a wee while back for the PlayStation 3. The download, available any moment now from the PlayStation Store and dubbed PlayMemories, allows the console to present 3D stills taken using suitably spec'd cameras and encoded in the .MPO (Multi Picture Object) format. …

    Hardware 21 Sep 2010, 10:47

  • Indiana judges dismiss girl's nipple exposure appeal

    No constitutional protection for Hoosier's hooters

    A court has ruled that women's nipples do not enjoy freedom of expression under the US Constitution. The case was brought by a 16 year old girl, who was one of three women accused of exposing their breasts to passing traffic on an Indianapolis street last year. She would have faced a misdemeanour charge of public nudity if …

    Bootnotes 21 Sep 2010, 10:49

  • Betfair set fair for float

    Shares could be a good bet, or not.

    Betfair is set to offer its shares for sale on the London Stock Exchange for the first time. Its main business is punter-to-punter betting - punters make bets with each other. It now claims three million registered customers and over the last year dealt with five million transactions a day - more than all European stock …

    Financial News 21 Sep 2010, 11:15

  • Firefox wraps its gums around the iPhone

    Spreading the experience, if not the tech

    Mozilla has skinned the iPhone's safari browser with a Firefox-compatible wrapper that synchronises bookmarks and history, and integrates search. Once Firefox Home has been installed, searches can be typed directly into the address bar, with previous URLs and searches being offered as options just like on the desktop version …

    Mobile 21 Sep 2010, 11:17

  • Intel slips anti-theft tech into hardware to deter thieves

    Vulcan pinch

    Intel is building anti-theft technology into hardware in a bid to make life harder for laptop thieves. The chip giant is incorporating anti-theft technology into laptops and network chip sets, and partnering with developers and hardware OEMs to deliver enhanced anti-theft technology. By placing crypto keys in hardware the …

    Hardware 21 Sep 2010, 11:21

  • Crash grounds RAF Eurofighters - for Battle of Britain Day!

    Pilot's death sees UK defended once again by Spitfire

    The RAF was left eggfaced in recent weeks as its entire force of fighters - nowadays made up of new and horrifyingly expensive Eurofighter "Typhoons" - was grounded following discovery of faults in their ejector seats. The grounding was particularly embarrassing as it came into force on Battle of Britain Day, the 70th …

    Science 21 Sep 2010, 11:52

  • Check Point kills scareware-style pop-up campaign

    Waves white flag

    Check Point has backed down in a row over a controversial scareware-style pop-up message warning to users of its ZoneAlarm personal firewall product, admitting that it got it wrong, and withdrawing the marketing campaign. The row began after ZoneAlarm users were hit by a warning that their PCs 'may be in danger' from a newly …

    Security 21 Sep 2010, 12:21

  • Police issue lettuce e-fit

    Software blamed for lettuce-haired suspect

    Hampshire Police have blamed dodgy software for an e-fit image of a burglary suspect with suspiciously salady hair. The man is accused of nabbing £60 from an elderly victim in Stockbridge. He was described as between 40 and 45 years old, with a round, clean-shaven face and hair fashioned entirely from lettuce leaves large …

    Law 21 Sep 2010, 12:24

  • Death of laptops greatly exaggerated, Best Buy boss insists

    Not dead after all

    Best Buy's boss has downplayed reports that iPads are eating half of all laptop sales. Brian Dunn was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying that internal estimates revealed iPad sales "had cannibalized sales from laptop PCs by as much as 50%". In a statement last week Dunn referred to Mark Twain's comment on hearing that …

    Laptops 21 Sep 2010, 12:27

  • Google tuts at gov caginess with Transparency Report

    No doubt the precogs have already seen this

    Google is spotlighting governments that don’t play nice with the all-seeing search giant, by releasing a so-called “Transparency Report”. Google quickly fell into line with China recently by halting a redirect of Google.cn visitors to the ad broker’s Hong Kong servers, after Beijing officials threatened to pull the plug on …

    Government 21 Sep 2010, 12:29

  • Oracle bigs up 7000 ZFS storage line

    Mystery top-end product

    Oracle has supercharged its 7000 unified storage line, effectively replacing two of the products and expanding the line's performance and capacity dramatically upwards. Users will get more scalability and more performance from the new line. The new products have been rebranded too, and are known as the ZFS Storage Appliance …

    Storage 21 Sep 2010, 12:56

  • Samoan clerics finger homosexuals over global warming

    Shock at conference on climate change and creativity

    Clerics in the South Pacific have fingered the key cause of climate change - homosexuals. The revelation came at a conference at the University of the South Pacific considering the implications of Climate Change and Creativity. Academics were apparently thrown off their consideration of "Arts in the Age of Global Warming" and …

    Bootnotes 21 Sep 2010, 13:42

  • Half of Chinese are downloading mobile apps

    And with hardly a smartphone in sight

    Research firm Canalys reckons that over half of Chinese people surveyed have downloaded applications onto their phones - more than twice the level of downloads seen in Europe. Not only that, but while their European contemporaries are downloading fart generators and time-filling games onto smartphones the Chinese are reading …

    Mobile 21 Sep 2010, 13:45

  • Steve Jobs in iPhone bitchslap to creationists, Tea Party

    'Humans are related to monkeys: But porn is still sinful'

    Steve Jobs' App Store for Apple's famous iOS devices - the iPhone, iPad et al - is no stranger to controversy lately. The company has been happy to take a firm and positive stance on various issues, weeding from its lucrative walled garden any dissenting program. Now, Apple has taken a stance which will upset a lot of …

    Mobile 21 Sep 2010, 13:48

  • Twitter flaw creates micro-blogging mayhem

    Onmouseover-turned

    A cross-site scripting flaw on Twitter's website creates a means for posting code into updates, causing chaos across the network today. The vulnerability allow messages to pop-up and third-party websites to open providing surfers move their cursor over a link, earning the flaw the nickname of onMouseOver. Thousands of Twitter …

    Security 21 Sep 2010, 13:58

  • Nokia' new UI god declares war on clutter

    Cleanliness starts at home

    Nokia has seen some high profile departures recently - the CEO, the phones chief, and Psion employee #1 Charles Davies, but one new arrival has begun by hitting the right note. Peter Skillman was formerly head of UI design for Palm's webOS, the only UI to match or surpass the iPhone for functionality and ease of use. It's well …

    Mobile 21 Sep 2010, 14:10

  • Twitter plugs black-box website vuln

    Mouse hole

    Twitter's security team said it has fixed a serious vulnerability on the site that created micro-blogging mayhem on Tuesday. The cross-site scripting flaw on the Twitter.com site creates a means for posting code into updates that activated when users rolled their mouse over a link. Moving a mouse over redacted (blacked out) …

    Security 21 Sep 2010, 14:34

  • Seagate rolls out 1.5TB external whopper

    GoFlex gets half as much capacity again

    Seagate has crammed 1.5TB in the 2.5-inch external drive format with its latest FreeAgent GoFlex model, meaning you can watch 60 high-definition movies one after the other. Seagate hasn't said if the drive is a 3-platter job, meaning an outstanding but unlikely 500GB/platter, or a 4-platter one, meaning a more reasonable 375GB …

    Storage 21 Sep 2010, 14:46

  • The GPU tails wag the CPU dogs at Nvidia show

    Updated Where are the Tesla roadmaps?

    The Nvidia-sponsored 2010 GPU Technical Conference kicks off today in San Jose, California, and all of the key HPC players as well as some upstarts will be on hand to try to surf on the cresting wave of CPU-GPU hybrid computing models that will no doubt start taking over the HPC centers of the world and start moving out to our …

    HPC 21 Sep 2010, 16:00

  • Stallman storms in on Oz software patent conflab

    Sharp implements advised

    GNU founder and free software mouthpiece Richard Stallman reportedly gatecrashed a European Patent Office meeting in Brisbane, Australia today. Stallman, who is in Oz to talk at the World Computer Congress, turned up with a placard that read: "Don't get caught in software patent thickets," reported iTnews. European patent …

    Developer 21 Sep 2010, 16:07

  • Google data center links shot down by 'bored' riflemen

    Pot shots in the back-end

    Google may have fashioned a new-age contraption that automatically relocates data stores when one of its top-secret data centers is beset by traffic or hardware snafus. But it's still struggling to protect its data centers against hunters taking pot shots at aerial fiber connections. According to Australia's IT News, Google …

    Data Networking 21 Sep 2010, 17:26

  • Critical Internet Resources not so critical

    Internet Governance Forum Silence the Lambs

    If you were to list Internet conferences in terms of boredom, the IGF would come mid- to top-table. It doesn’t have the razzmatazz or micro-celebrities of Web2.0 conferences but then it also doesn’t suffer the long, drawn-out pondering of intergovernmental talk-fests. That’s why it’s so important that the Critical Internet …

    Networks 21 Sep 2010, 17:50

  • Microsoft warns of in-the-wild attacks on web app flaw

    Time to gag your ASP.Net oracle

    Attackers have begun exploiting a recently disclosed vulnerability in Microsoft web-development applications that opens password files and other sensitive data to interception and tampering. The vulnerability in the way ASP.Net apps encrypt data was disclosed last week at the Ekoparty Conference in Argentina. Microsoft on …

    Security 21 Sep 2010, 18:38

  • Nvidia CEO outs GPU roadmap

    GTC 'Perf per watt equals perf'

    Nvidia president and CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has outed the company's GPU roadmap. "For the very first time in the history of our company," Huang during his Tuesday keynote at the company's GPU Technical Conference in San Jose, California, "we are going to tell you the code names and the progression of our next several generations …

    HPC 21 Sep 2010, 21:03

  • Bill would let feds block pirate websites worldwide

    Copyright enforcement as censorship

    US lawmakers have introduced legislation that would allow the federal government to quickly block websites anywhere in the world if they are dedicated to sharing copyrighted music or other protected content. The “Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act” would empower the US Department of Justice to shut down, or …

    Law 21 Sep 2010, 21:22

  • Oracle to webify mobile Java against Android

    OpenWorld JavaOne Hot for WebKit and DirectX

    Oracle is throwing hardware-accelerated graphics and web integration into mobile Java to catch and contain Google's rogue Android The database giant has laid out plans for Java ME - Oracle's preferred flavor of Java on mobile - that will let the stack render HTML, CSS, and Javascript by default. Java ME is going to include …

    Developer 21 Sep 2010, 22:12

  • Facebook open sources live MySQL makeover

    Schema reschemed on fly

    Facebook has open sourced a new MySQL utility that lets the social networking colossus update its database indexes and juice query times without staging the changes on test servers. With the tool – known as Online Schema Change for MySQL, or OSC – it can update indexes on live servers. In the past, according Facebook MySQL …

    Developer 21 Sep 2010, 22:14

  • Server makers leap on GPU bandwagon

    GTC HPC visions dance in their heads

    Server makers are swarming the GPU Technical Conference put on by graphics card and GPU co-processor maker Nvidia in San Jose this week. They smell money – HPC money in its many flop-happy variants, including traditional HPC simulation as well as electronic design automation, data analytics, financial modeling, machine vision, …

    HPC 21 Sep 2010, 22:32