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30th September 2010 Archive

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  • Everyone but Oracle demands Java independence

    Exclusive Roadblocks for Ellison's roadmap

    Last week, at its mega OpenWorld conference in San Francisco, Oracle laid out its roadmap for the future of Java. But there's a catch: Oracle's plan stands little chance of succeeding. Earlier this month, the Java Community Process (JCP) – the only body with the power to ratify and approve changes to Java – passed a resolution …

    Software 30 Sep 2010, 00:31

  • Wireless USB rides again

    Version 1.1 a close talker

    The Wireless USB 1.1 specification – just released by the USB Implementers Forum – promises near-field communication (NFC) and battery-life improvements. "Consumers want a fast, easy-to-use solution to wirelessly transfer content from PCs to devices," said USB-IF president and chairman Jeff Ravencraft. He's of the opinion that …

    Hardware 30 Sep 2010, 00:31

  • 2 out of 3 Android apps use private data 'suspiciously'

    Google protections 'insufficient'

    Google's Android operating system doesn't provide controls to adequately protect users' sensitive data, according to a study that found two-thirds of applications monitored used phone numbers, geolocation, and other information “suspiciously.” The study – by computer scientists at Pennsylvania State University, Duke University …

    Security 30 Sep 2010, 00:49

  • Amazon one-upped in RIM tablet ebook duel

    Canucks unite

    Although online bookstores Amazon and Kobo both announced support for the BlackBerry PlayBook when it was unveiled on Monday, Kobo one-upped its competitor on Wednesday when it said that its ereader app will come preloaded on RIM's challenger to the Kindle, iPad, Nook, Sony Reader, et al. "We are thrilled to be extending our …

    Tablets 30 Sep 2010, 01:04

  • Penguin in the picture: top video editors for Linux fans

    Best of Linux Windows and Apple get cut

    When it comes to video editing platforms, Windows and Mac own the field. They run the software from Adobe, Apple, and Avid that's preferred by professionals, and most –including all Windows machines – come with free, basic editing software for everybody else. In my third piece on how media and storage applications for Linux – …

    Media 30 Sep 2010, 04:00

  • Pay rises up thanks to recovery and inflation

    What are you worth?

    Pay rises in the private sector are on the increase again as firms start to feel the benefit of economic recovery. Media pay rises are running at around two per cent this year, with over half between two and three per cent. Most staff expect bigger rises next year. Those in the public sector are likely to be less happy - …

    Small Biz 30 Sep 2010, 04:00

  • Apple TV stripdown reveals mystery solder pads

    Photos Future iPad innards?

    Apple's new second-generation Apple TV is easy to take apart, easy to repair, and its guts may be poised for significant upgrades – or even double duty. Apple TV: small, black, plastic, and containing the soul of an iPad So discovered the repair-heads at the tools, parts, and tips website iFixit when they disassembled the …

    Media 30 Sep 2010, 05:00

  • Acer Aspire 5940G 15.6in notebook

    Review Media takeout

    If you’re after a well-crafted machine, adorned with a range of features from a media controlling touch panel to the old favourites eSATA and ExpressCard/54, then Acer’s Aspire 5940G could well fit the bill. There’s even a fingerprint reader, a 4-pin FireWire 400 port and a whopping sub-woofer. Home entertainer: Acer's Aspire …

    Laptops 30 Sep 2010, 07:00

  • Jaguar celebrates 75th year with e-supercar concept

    Tasty

    Jaguar has takan the wraps off a range-extended two-seater e-supercar capable of a top speed of 205mph and a 0-60mph sprint of 3.4s. Maximum torque is 1180lb ft (1600Nm). All this from a car that releases CO2 at a rate of just 28g/km. All of that comes from the two 94bhp (70kW) petrol-burning micro-turbines the Jaguar C-X75 …

    Science 30 Sep 2010, 07:32

  • Stereo 3D best on mobiles, says chipmaker

    Movidius anticipates 3D handhelds, handsets early next year

    Expect a raft of handheld devices with glasses-free 3D screens to debut in the new year alongside the Nintendo 3DS, Irish chip maker Movidius has forecast. The company today launched its Myriad MA1133 3D chip, and while Movidius wouldn't tell us which gadget manufacturers have signed up to include it in their mobile devices - …

    Hardware 30 Sep 2010, 08:01

  • Nokia: N8 shipping

    Units mailed out to pre-order customers

    That Nokia feels the need to tell World+Dog that it has begun shipping its N8 smartphone speaks volumes. The N8, announced back in April, is Nokia's new flagship, and it's keen to ensure the roll out goes smoothly. Its reputation is riding on it, a successful launch showing it can hold its own in an iOS and Android dominated …

    Phones 30 Sep 2010, 08:07

  • FalconStor loses its head

    CEO accused of improper payments

    Storage software company FalconStor has lost ReiJane Huai, its co-founder, chairman, CEO and president, due to alleged improper payments. It looks as if he has been ousted. The improper payments relate to a single FalconStor customer. A company statement said that it had "fully cooperated with law enforcement authorities with …

    The Channel 30 Sep 2010, 08:13

  • OCZ plays bottleneck card with new SSD interface

    Enough with SATA and SAS already

    Flash storage maker OCZ wants us to use its proprietary High Speed Data Link (HSDL) instead of standard SATA and SAS interfaces for solid state drives (SSDs). HSDL was developed, OCZ says, to eliminate I/O bottlenecks and so enable SSDS to operate at their full potential. It can run at up to 20Gbit/s per channel, much faster …

    Storage 30 Sep 2010, 09:00

  • Whitman accused of hypocrisy over servants

    eBay boss smacked with own gavel

    The most expensive election in history hit another snag this week with news that would-be California governor, and ex-eBay boss, Meg Whitman employed a Mexican woman without permission to work in the US as her maid for nine years. This wouldn't be so bad, except Whitman has run on a strong anti-immigration ticket calling for …

    Government 30 Sep 2010, 09:02

  • Kia POPs out see-through OLED dash readout

    Not quite a HUD but getting there

    Kia's POP may be an all-electric, but it's yet another blobby concept car of the kind that will never appear on the nation's roads, and as such we considered ignoring its Paris Motor Show appearance. But it has one point of interest: the dash assembly includes a transparent OLED panel that rises up behind the oblong steering …

    Science 30 Sep 2010, 09:04

  • Police charge 11 over Zeus cybercrime scam

    Essex round-up

    UK police investigating a suspected Zeus Trojan e-banking fraud ring have charged 11 people with a variety of fraud and money laundering offences. The accused, all east European nationals resident in Essex, allegedly participated in a series of frauds targeting customers of UK banks over the last three months that resulted in …

    Security 30 Sep 2010, 09:10

  • Samsung backs Windows Phone 7 for the duration

    All over by Christmas?

    Samsung may only recently dismissed Windows Phone 7 as a minority interest smartphone OS, but that hasn't stopped it today announcing its "long-term commitment" to the platform. The South Korean giant said is plans to launch "several" Windows Phone 7 devices this year globally. Microsoft was, of course, on hand to cheer …

    Phones 30 Sep 2010, 09:17

  • HP says P9500 is bullet-proof

    Comment More than slap

    Simon Brassington, strategist at HP StorageWorks UK & Ireland, took issue with our reporting of HP's new P9500 array. This is based on Hitachi's VSP, technology, and using solid state drives and 2.5-inch but not 3.5-inch disk drives. He said: "Your impression of the HDS system is a 'solid and effective refresh of HDS' top-end …

    Storage 30 Sep 2010, 10:16

  • Downloads are not performances, rules US court

    So hard disks aren't audiences?

    A music download is not a performance of a work and therefore does not demand an additional licence and fee, a US court has ruled. A stream of a file is a performance, though, the court said. The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled on a case in which music rights body ASCAP was suing Yahoo! and Real Networks over …

    Law 30 Sep 2010, 10:21

  • Microsoft fits SQL Server 2008 with roomy second service pack

    Loosens belt for middle-age spread

    Microsoft released a second service pack for its ageing SQL Server 2008 product yesterday. The company said the update brings its database server software more into line with Microsoft’s current SQL Server 2008 R2 technology, which was released in April this year. “Service Pack 2 for SQL Server 2008 includes new compatibility …

    Applications 30 Sep 2010, 10:23

  • PayPal plugs mobile site phishing risk

    XSS bug purged

    PayPal has fixed a cross-site scripting problem on its mobile payments site that, left unaddressed, had the potential for misuse in phishing attacks. The vulnerability, discovered by hacking and security site Security-Shell, also created a possible mechanism for hackers to redirect surfers from mobile.paypal.com onto untrusted …

    Security 30 Sep 2010, 10:28

  • Trek fans served Enterprise-grade pastry slicer

    Boldly cuts where no pizza cutter has cut before

    Captains log. Stardate 100929.5. Gadget specialist ThinkGeek has announced the Star Trek Pizza Cutter. Officially license, this all-metal device mimics the original USS Enterprise, but cuts through margheritas, chicken supremes, meat feasts et al as easily as the original warped through space. Set the crusters to warp cheese …

    Hardware 30 Sep 2010, 10:42

  • Virgin Media introduces P2P throttling

    Major policy change on traffic management

    Virgin Media will for the first time target peer-to-peer traffic for throttling on its cable network, joining most DSL broadband providers. In a phased introduction due to be completed by next summer it will cut the bandwidth available to peer-to-peer protocols and Usenet at peak times, for all customers. Until now the firm …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2010, 10:54

  • Standivarius Arte notebook stand

    Txt Take Product reviews in 140 characters or less

    Standivarius Arte Pictures Want our Txt Take on your gadget or accessory? Just send it in to Reg Hardware. Details here. ®

    Laptops 30 Sep 2010, 11:00

  • Amazon plots Android store

    Platform fragmentation or healthy competition?

    Leaked documents purport to detail the terms and conditions for Amazon's rumoured Android app store, and it seems the former bookseller is taking mobile applications very seriously indeed. The terms and conditions were leaked to the Slashgear blog, and bear out earlier rumours that Amazon would be charging developers a one- …

    Mobile 30 Sep 2010, 11:06

  • UK.gov refines pub sector software code, database re-use licence

    It's got the word 'open' in it

    UK public sector workers have been handed a new Open Government licence this morning from The National Archives office that allows easier re-use of some gov data. It is interoperable with the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) licence, but it also comes loaded with a number of restrictions. Public sector employees …

    Government 30 Sep 2010, 11:08

  • T-Platforms: Russian Big Iron

    GTC Video Blog Bear enters HPC fray

    One of the most interesting hardware designs at the 2010 GPU Tech Conference came out of Russia – Moscow, to be specific. T-Platforms has engineered the traditional blade and associated heat dissipation hardware in a way that allows far more gear to be placed in a standard rack. A 7U rack can hold up to 16 blades – each of …

    HPC 30 Sep 2010, 11:16

  • HABITABLE ALIEN WORLD discovered 20 light-years away!

    War inevitable if advanced life present, thanks to Bebo

    Stargazing boffins say they have discovered evidence of a potentially habitable world orbiting a star just 20 light-years from Earth. They add that the circumstances of the discovery suggest that the galaxy may be "teeming with potentially habitable planets". What's this barbaric rubbish on the interstellar band? It's coming …

    Science 30 Sep 2010, 11:26

  • HP eager to replace brittle IT

    Analysis Data center profits from mobile and population explosions

    The top brass at Hewlett-Packard – which became the largest IT company in the world two years ago and will likely stay there because IBM no longer cares for the title – want a bigger piece of the ever-changing IT pie. And they think they have a plan to not only do that, but also to grow the pie over the next several years. As …

    The Channel 30 Sep 2010, 11:26

  • Facebook security team zeroes in on Koobface hackers

    We know where you live

    A Facebook security boss says police are closing in on the authors of the infamous Koobface worm. Nick Bilogorskiy, who leads the anti-malware team at the social network, told delegates at the Virus Bulletin conference in Vancouver on Wednesday that the hackers behind Koobface made an estimated $35,000 per week through their …

    Security 30 Sep 2010, 11:40

  • EU sues UK.gov over Phorm trials

    We didn't do nothing

    The European Commission is suing the UK government over authorities' failure to take any action in response to BT's secret trials of Phorm's behavioural advertising technology. The Commission alleges the UK is failing to meet its obligations under the Data Protection Directive and the ePrivacy Directive. The action follows 18 …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2010, 11:52

  • Video vigilante site emerges from legal battles

    Internet Eyes spies on Costcutter

    Internet Eyes, a controversial service that invites web users to provide low-cost monitoring of CCTV cameras in exchange for prizes, will finally launch next week. Following claims last year that its plans were illegal, the start-up firm now says it has satisfied privacy regulators that it will comply with the Data Protection …

    Law 30 Sep 2010, 12:00

  • Seagate stuffs 3TB drives in NAS box

    12TB for under two grand - for 30 days

    Seagate has added its 3TB drive to the 2- and 4-slot BlackArmor NAS boxes, taking capacity up to 12TB. Both systems will come pre-populated with 3TB drives in each bay. The BlackArmor NAS 440 is configured with RAID 5 and ships with 10 backup software licenses out-of-the-box, while the NAS 220 ships with RAID 1 configuration …

    Storage 30 Sep 2010, 12:05

  • Samsung E60 e-book reader

    Review iPad envy? Newton envy more like...

    I once took possession of an Apple Newton MessagePad. I still have it, and occasionally waste a pack of four AAs for old times' sake to remind myself what handheld computing was like back in the mid-1990s. I get the same sense of nostalgia using Samsung's e-book reader, the E60. Samsung's E60: cream'n'chrome, anyone? Part …

    Tablets 30 Sep 2010, 12:08

  • Texas Chain Saw Massacre declared top horror flick

    Gorefest luminaries pick their fave chillers

    Tobe Hooper's 1974 gorefest The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has been voted the top horror film ever by a veritable bloodbath of luminaries of the genre including John Carpenter, George Romero and Robert Englund. Total Film asked 63 leading lights to pick their personal faves, then compiled a top ten based on the results. Here's …

    Media 30 Sep 2010, 12:13

  • BT promises biggest ever rural broadband project

    £132m for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

    BT, with a large slice of help from the European Union, is promising the largest ever superfast broadband programme for Cornwall. The money is coming from European convergence funds (£53.5m) and from BT (£78.5m). It is the largest single EU investment in the UK Sally Davis, chief executive for BT Wholesale, said: "This will …

    Broadband 30 Sep 2010, 12:19

  • Next fashions budget 10in Android tablet

    Cheap for a reason

    UK clothing retailer Next has quietly begun offering a 10in Android 2.1 tablet. The £180 gadget packs in 8GB of Flash storage, a 1GHz ARM processor, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi connectivity, one or two USB ports depending on which spec list you read, a Micro SD card slot, and a headphone socket. The LED-backlit screen is said to be " …

    Tablets 30 Sep 2010, 12:21

  • Skype and Facebook sitting in a tree?

    Zuckerberg (possibly) puckers up for VoIP

    All Things Digital reports that Facebook and Skype are on the verge of announcing an integration of their services, allowing Facebook users to talk to each other. The news comes with a mocked-up screenshot provided by the omniscient "sources close to the situation". It also dishes that Facebook users will able to send SMS …

    VoIP 30 Sep 2010, 12:50

  • High-flying! Yahoo! trio! look! for! purple! door! marked! exit!

    Carol Bartz loses more heads: Report

    Yahoo!’s US operations boss Hilary Schneider has reportedly quit the Carol Bartz-run internet firm. The company’s audience wonk David Ko and media veep Jimmy Pitaro have also hung up their Yahoo! boots, according to an All Things Digital report that cites people familiar with the matter. It’s understood that Yahoo! is set to …

    Media 30 Sep 2010, 13:12

  • US demands right to snoop the world

    EU discovers backbone: Politely asks for clarification

    No sooner does the world agree to one request from US law enforcers for the right to snoop on its citizens than they are back with yet more demands. This week, however, the US may finally have pushed too far: the EU is not happy – and it is pushing back. First up is the news that, little over a month since signing up to the …

    Government 30 Sep 2010, 13:43

  • Tablets in, netbooks out, forecasts analyst

    Most of them iPads

    Apple will have shipped 4.2m iPads during Q3, rising to 5m in Q4, market watcher DisplaySearch has forecast. In all, the Mac maker will sell around 13.2m of the tablets in 2010, DisplaySearch's numbers show, before almost doubling that total to 24.8m in 2011. That's not to say, that Apple's rivals, like Samsung, LG, Motorola …

    Tablets 30 Sep 2010, 14:06

  • QNX to power BlackBerry handsets too

    Not just a tablet OS

    RIM has plans for QNX to replace its existing handset operating system, though there will be one more version before the company adopts a single-OS strategy. RIM bought QNX last April and is using the OS on its PlayBook tablet, but has now confirmed that it will be using the diminutive OS in its phones too, with one new …

    Phones 30 Sep 2010, 14:36

  • BIS will name'n'shame Scrooge bosses

    Pay the minimum wage or drown in bad publicity

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is to name and shame businesses which fail to pay the minimum wage. Employers have three months to get their houses in order. From 1 January 2011 the Department will make public the names of firms which fail to meet minimum requirements. HMRC and BIS today published their …

    Small Biz 30 Sep 2010, 14:43

  • TomTom pledges to tackle traffic

    Satnavs for all! Er... no...

    TomTom wants to ease UK traffic congestion, but it didn't go so far as to hand out free satnavs to make it happen. Instead, it will offer its traffic database to local authority planners to help them based road layout and traffic routing schemes on real-world road usage patterns. That's the same data TomTom's satnavs use to …

    Science 30 Sep 2010, 14:46

  • Microsoft assembles unlikely band of brothers against patent trolls

    i4i get tooth-for-tooth response from tech world

    Google, Apple, Yahoo!, Dell, Intel, Facebook and Hewlett-Packard have all come out in support of Microsoft’s efforts to upend a patent infringement verdict that ordered the software giant to pay $290m in damages. Microsoft is hoping to convince the US Supreme Court to rethink how the country’s judicial system decides the …

    Applications 30 Sep 2010, 15:09

  • US military Cyber Command won't go operational as planned

    Not even quite sure what 'operational' means yet

    The US military's central Cyber Command will not become operational as had been planned tomorrow, according to Pentagon spokesmen. Issues responsible for the delay include difficulties finding suitably qualified staff among America's uniformed legions, and also the fact that it isn't even clear what "operational" means for a …

    Security 30 Sep 2010, 15:12

  • The Navitaire cock-up, filleted

    Datacentre details behind Virgin Blue outages

    The Register has found out more about the Navitaire data centre responsible for the 21-hour Virgin Blue outage on Sunday and the second outage on Tuesday. It makes the prolonged first outage even more puzzling. Accenture's Eric Ulmer says (Google Docs) that the Navitaire system has a high transaction volume, and the total …

    Servers 30 Sep 2010, 15:34

  • Smartphone buyers want Apple, Android

    BlackBerry, Windows and Palm do not impress

    The iPhone's appeal may be settling down - at least in the US - and it's almost entirely due to the rise of Android, according to a survey conducted by market watcher ChangeWave. In September, it asked 4000 consumers about their smartphone purchase plans. Of those who intend to buy such a gadget in the next three months, 38 …

    Phones 30 Sep 2010, 15:39

  • Buy your own Batmobile

    $150k for a caped cruise-aider

    The original 1960s Batmobile was the dream car for a generation of superhero fans. Now for $150,000, American company Fiberglass Freaks will build you one. Officially licensed, the Batcar take six months to build and features a red flashing beacon, a radar screen, a retractable gold coloured Batbeam and a dashboard DVD player …

    Science 30 Sep 2010, 15:57

  • Google revives dead Nexus One store as Android 'gallery'

    Bing-free one stop shop

    Google has reanimated its dead Nexus One webstore as a place where you can comparison-shop for partner Android phones. Late Wednesday, with a blog post, Mountain View unveiled the Google Phone Gallery — "a showcase of Android-powered devices that deliver the best Google experience" — and it occupies the same URL as the …

    Mobile 30 Sep 2010, 17:38

  • Open-source Sugar rips open partner pack

    Hello, ISVs and service providers

    SugarCRM is taking on Salesforce.com with a version of its service and software package that can be customized by partners. The company has released the Sugar Platform Edition, letting OEMs, service providers, and independent software vendors tailor the Professional or Enterprise versions of its PHP suite and re-package them …

    Applications 30 Sep 2010, 18:13

  • Feds accuse 37 of being Zeus 'money mules'

    More than $3m scammed

    Federal prosecutors in New York City have charged 37 low-level crime-gang members with participating in a scheme that defrauded banks out of more than $3m using the Zeus Trojan. Many of the charges were filed against Russian nationals accused of opening hundreds of bank accounts to launder money transferred from people who had …

    Security 30 Sep 2010, 18:39

  • Verizon courts Star Wars set with Droid R2-D2

    Force or farce?

    Beginning Thursday, stateside Star Wars fanbois with $249 to spare can arm themselves with "the highly anticipated limited edition Droid R2-D2 by Motorola," with service from wireless carrier Verizon. "With a graphic design to look like the iconic Astromech Droid from the Star Wars Saga, the Droid R2-D2 by Motorola will be …

    Phones 30 Sep 2010, 18:42

  • Google menaces penguins with Street View Antarctica

    Flightless bird face blur tech goes missing

    Google has trained its all-seeing Street View eye on the penguins of Antarctica. The web giant has been known to kill penguins. And now it's invading their privacy. In announcing Street View Antartica, Google boasted that its photograph-the-world-and-put-it-on-the-web contraption now covers all seven continents. Today, in …

    Media 30 Sep 2010, 19:55

  • HP names SAP vet as chief exec

    Apotheker the right prescription?

    HP's board has elected ex-SAP CEO Léo Apotheker as their company's new CEO and president, and provided him with a seat on the board. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers managing partner Ray Lane was also named as non-executive chairman with a seat on the board. "Léo is a strategic thinker with a passion for technology, wide- …

    Business 30 Sep 2010, 21:18

  • Google open sources JPEG assassin

    GPEG claims 40% more smallness

    Google has open sourced a new "lossy" image format known as WebP — pronounced "weppy" — claiming it can cut the size of current web images by almost 40 per cent. CNet revealed the format with a story late this morning, and Google soon followed with a blog post describing the technology, which has been released as a developer …

    Media 30 Sep 2010, 22:08

  • Final Ubuntu 10.10 and first Drizzle beta in release duet

    MySQL fork jumps with Meerkat

    Open sourcers, contain yourselves. Not only has the MySQL fork Drizzle finally hit beta, but the "sexiest Ubuntu yet" has been delivered as a release candidate - on the same day. The Drizzle project has released build 1802, which they've called the Drizzle7 beta release. The beta includes drizzledump for those MySQL customers …

    Software 30 Sep 2010, 22:47