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20th October 2010 Archive

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  • Juniper boasts billion buck quarter

    And now for the $4bn year...

    Like its rival Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks is dealing with a base of customers who want to spend money on new gear but are not – thanks to the Great Recession – sure that they should commit those funds quite yet. In the third quarter ended September 30, Juniper boosted sales by 23 per cent, to $1.01bn, but this was only up …

    Data Networking 20 Oct 02:50

  • Court strikes down Facebook probation

    Social network ban violates First Amendment

    A California appeals court has struck down as unconstitutional probation conditions that barred a 15-year-old convicted of possessing a stolen motorcycle from using a computer or the internet for any purpose other than school-related assignments. Last week's decision from California's Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate …

    Crime 20 Oct 05:00

  • £1bn in govt IT projects on slash list

    Maude says 300 projects were reviewed and govt was 'fair'

    Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude has said that more than 300 IT projects have been reviewed and projects worth £1bn will be stopped or "de-scoped". A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office told GC News that information about projects which will be axed or scaled back will be "available soon". "Since the creation of the …

    Channel Register 20 Oct 06:00

  • Mozilla preempts Google with 'open' web app store prototype

    Open to everything (except native code)

    Mozilla has released a prototype for what it calls an "open web app ecosystem," a browser-agnostic answer to Google's upcoming Chrome Web App Store. The open source outfit proposes a store that works with any "modern" desktop or mobile browser, offering both free and for-pay apps based on standard web technologies. "The open …

    Developer 20 Oct 06:03

  • 11.6in sub-notebooks

    Product Round-up Mini-laptops for the weight-averse

    If you're searching for a grab-and-go computer that's lighter and more portable than the average 13in machine, yet has has more welly and a higher-resolution display than a netbook with a 10in, 1024 x 600 screen can provide, you're essentially looking for an 11.6in notebook. Like netbooks, these guys generally lack optical …

    reghardware 20 Oct 07:00

  • Arkeia smashes through the blocks

    'Progressive' dedupe technology makes 'faster' mousetrap

    Arkeia is adding deduplication to its entire line of backup software, appliances and virtual appliances with Network Backup 9.0. The deduplication is in-line, as source de-dupe must be in order to gain the advantage of reduced network bandwidth when transmitting the deduplicated backup files to a central store. Arkeia's …

    Storage 20 Oct 07:00

  • The True Cost of Desktop Support

    Workshop Does anyone really know?

    Desktop support is something every organisation does using a variety of tools, people and processes, using both trained and qualified staff through to the unsanctioned, and often badly informed “I know someone who can help” approach. In many organisations, it is noticeable how many end users base their entire perception of IT …

    Desktop Management 20 Oct 09:22

  • So what now for Symbian?

    Foundation Chieftain steps down

    It's a little heartbreaking for anyone who knows Symbian - or anyone who appreciates good system design - to see its predicament today. It's a bit like gradually watching a divine beauty turn into a neglected and unloved hag in middle age. Through lack of care and attention, Nokia has let those good looks go to waste. Now Lee …

    Mobile 20 Oct 09:31

  • Boxee box to come to Blighty

    D-Link outs delivery date

    D-Link's Boxee-branded set-top box will go on sale in the UK on 12 November. The blocky box will be priced at around £200 and connects your TV directly to the Boxee IPTV service. Boxee's software is based on the open source media centre software XBMC. The box has HMDI for the TV connection, and 802.11n Wi-Fi - 2.4GHz only, …

    reghardware 20 Oct 09:34

  • Retailers expect Dell WinPho 7 smartphone early next month

    Venue Pro priced up

    Dell's Windows Phone 7 handset, the elongated Venue Pro, is set to arrive over here on 8 November. The PC giant's own local website has neither hide nor hair of the handset, but retailer Clove has begun listing the WinPho smartphone with said release date appended. It wants £441 for the Sim-free version of the smartphone. …

    reghardware 20 Oct 09:45

  • List-makers battle to keep football fixture lists protection

    Appeal will challenge copyright protection for the lists

    Everyone thought the question of what rights exist in football fixture lists was settled back in 2004 when the European Court of Justice concluded that the then-new database right did not protect football fixture lists. But a judge has just ruled that they are protected. What now? As many in the gambling industry will know, …

    Law 20 Oct 09:51

  • Google Android 3.0 on track for New Year tablet launches

    iPad Xmas

    Google has told hardware and software developers to expect Android 3.0 in December. So say moles from within Taiwan's hardware manufacturing community, according to a report from local newssite DigiTimes. It was always believed that Android 3.0 would ship to developers in December, paving the way for sample hardware in the …

    reghardware 20 Oct 09:57

  • Firefox update plugs 9 security flaws

    Patch roll-up

    Mozilla has released a new version of Firefox that fixes nine flaws, five of which earn the dread rating of critical. Firefox 3.6.11 fixes a quintet of vulnerabilities that create a possible means for hackers to inject hostile code onto vulnerable systems, including two memory corruption flaws and one library load-related …

    Malware 20 Oct 09:58

  • Asus dual-core netbooks out this week

    Eee PCs equipped with dual-core Atoms arrive

    Asus will have a pair of netbooks based on Intel's new dual-core Atom chip, the N550, out later this week. Both netbooks - the Eee PC 1015PEM and the 1018P - have 10.1in, 1024 x 600 screens and all the other specs you'd expect from a netbook these days: VGA, Ethernet, 2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi, three USB ports and a memory card …

    reghardware 20 Oct 10:21

  • Local Spanish press embrace PARIS

    Big hug for mad English bloke and his space plane

    Rather agreeably, El Reg's audacious Paper Aircraft Released Into Space project has been honoured with a page in provincial paper El Diario de Avila. The publication got word that we were planning to launch from the Peña Negra, close to Piedrahíta, and swiftly cleared page 32 to give us a bit of coverage. Here's the piece in …

    PARIS 20 Oct 10:27

  • OpenSFS to fund Lustre HPC file system development

    If anyone forks the code, it will be Oracle

    Over half of the top HPC centres in the world are using the Lustre file system, so the latest move to fund its development should make a lot of people happy. And there will be a lot of brainpower and resources backing up the move: namely, supercomputer maker Cray, HPC storage vendor Data Direct Networks, and two nuke labs …

    HPC 20 Oct 10:30

  • BT quietly recalls shocky adapters

    Comtrend even quieter

    BT is quietly sending out replacements for Comtrend adapters, warning users of dodgy models not to touch them if they can't be disconnected first. The telecommunications company is recalling the ethernet-over-mains networking boxes on the grounds that the casing can disintegrate, and tells users to switch off the mains …

    Telecoms 20 Oct 10:34

  • Dixons risks future of humanity with Star Wars-themed ads

    C-3PO and R2D2 campaign will be beamed to hungry aliens

    Dixons has put the future of humanity at risk by beaming a series of ads featuring Star Wars refugees C-3PO and R2-D2 into deep space. The campaign touts its Currys and PCWorld chains. The electronics chain's latest ads will feature the droid pair - including original C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels - breaking into one of the …

    Bootnotes 20 Oct 10:52

  • Apple leaks 'Back to Mac' goodies

    New iLife, MacBook Air pop up in firm's forums

    Top marks to Apple's web team - and Polish website Spidersweb for spotting it - who have put up Apple support site discussion pages for the products due to be announced at this evening's "Back to the Mac" event. So we have references to iLife 11, which will comprise - at least - iMovie 11, iPhoto 11 and GarageBand 11. There …

    reghardware 20 Oct 10:53

  • Virtual products rake in more cash than ads

    In-app gear now worth more than advertising for social media

    Social gaming and networking applications are now making more money selling virtual merchandise than displaying adverts, which is good news for closed shops that make such things simple. This may also have implications for developers, who may find themselves following the breadcrumbs to iOS platforms. The figures come from …

    Mobile 20 Oct 11:18

  • Google pumps existing drag-and-drop tech into Docs

    What's in a 365 number, anyway?

    Google couldn’t resist touting a new, minor feature in its Docs product yesterday, which just so happened to be the same day Microsoft announced its Office 365 product. Mountain View probably isn’t overly worried about Redmond’s decision to bundle together some software, re-brand it and shove it all into the cloud, à la Google …

    Applications 20 Oct 11:19

  • Hackers subvert Firefox security warnings to sling scareware

    Double bluff updates stuff scammers pockets

    Hackers have subverted warnings generated by Firefox about dangerous sites to punt fake anti-virus portals. Surfers straying onto a web page offering the "Security Tool" rogue anti-virus are offered a warning page that convincingly mimics the genuine Firefox block page. The site offers supposed updates for Mozilla's technology …

    Malware 20 Oct 11:21

  • TomTom adds Star Wars voices to iPhone app

    'Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating the M25 contraflow system is approximately 3,720 to 1'

    TomTom has updated its iPhone satnav app, introducing support for the iPhone 4's high-resolution screen but more importantly allowing you to have Darth Vader read out your directions. "He will join the M1 at junction five or die, my master." If you fear the Dark Lord of the Sith's threatening tones will distract you from your …

    reghardware 20 Oct 11:30

  • It should be VICE and not VCE

    Eggs or bacon

    Presenting at IP EXpo today Acadia CEO Michael Capellas positioned Intel as an equal partner to VMware, Cisco and EMC in the VCE coalition. He showed a slide with all four companies contributing key technologies to the vBlock converged compute, network and storage packages. Intel has made an undisclosed investment in The VCE …

    Blocks and Files 20 Oct 11:41

  • Nokia slips secret chip into C7

    Finnish engineers won't say what the NFC chip is for

    Nokia's C7 handset has an NFC chip in it, but Nokia is refusing to say why it's there or even what it is exactly. The C7 is very much like Nokia's flagship, the N8, only with less multimedia and (arguably) a prettier case, but it now seems that the C7 is packing some Near Field Communications capability, which could make it …

    Mobile 20 Oct 11:45

  • Hand over illegal porn at the border, please

    Aussie officials want illicit smut importers to turn themselves in

    Relief is at hand for confused travellers who are not too sure what sort of smut they're allowed to import into Australia. Previously, visitors to God’s Own Country were asked to fill out a card including a declaration as to whether or not they were carrying any pornography. Objectors said that not only did this fail to serve …

    Government 20 Oct 12:05

  • Cameron cocks up UK's defences - and betrays Afghan troops

    Comment Cuts vital helicopters, fails to grip MoD. Abysmal

    Prime Minister David Cameron has taken personal charge of sorting out the UK's defences. Not only has he cocked it up more than somewhat, he has also slashed vital helicopters for our troops fighting in Afghanistan - and then lied about it. If you want detail on that last bit, skip to the last page. Otherwise, we'll take it …

    Government 20 Oct 12:23

  • Google releases stable version of Chrome 7

    But users still grumble about lack of print preview function

    Google pushed version seven of its Chrome browser into the company’s stable channel of releases yesterday, which means features tested in beta and developer builds are now available to the masses. A number of nasty security bugs have been fixed in Chrome 7.0.517.41 for Windows, Mac and Linux machines, including a horrible …

    Applications 20 Oct 12:25

  • Osborne details painful cuts for UK

    Gideon publishes his Bible

    After months of phoney war, George Osborne has detailed the coalition's battle plan to beat Britain's £109bn deficit, confirming hundreds of thousands of casualties across the public sector. The Chancellor also announced sweeping reforms to the welfare system, saying "fairness" is the government's guiding principle. Osborne …

    Government 20 Oct 12:41

  • Scientists dodge Osborne's axe

    Diamond Light Source not cut

    Scientists are today expressing relief that the government's deep cuts have left them relatively unscathed. The Chancellor George Osborne said the £4.6bn science budget, administered by the the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, will be maintained over the next four years. He accepted that research will be key to …

    Science 20 Oct 13:35

  • Is there a Blue Cheetah in your future?

    Webcast Parallel universe of code

    Is there a (Blue) Cheetah in your future? Massively Parallel Technologies (MPT) thinks it has the right stuff to change almost everything you’ve come to know and love (or, more likely, hate) about application development. It's putting together an entire suite of offerings – really an entire ecosystem – that will supposedly …

    HPC 20 Oct 13:58

  • SMEs, tech vendors scrabble for morsels of comfort in CSR

    Marketeers distribute hope in a can

    George Osborne left small business lobbyists spluttering today over the lack of an explicit commitment to helping SMEs in the Comprehensive Spending Review. Meanwhile, tech vendors reacted with a flurry of pre-canned statements, mainly claiming that their products and services are just the thing to help hard-pressed public …

    Small Biz 20 Oct 14:54

  • International Telecom Union drags self out of past

    ITU Kicking, screaming, and mistaking IPs for spam

    There's plenty wrong with the International Telecommunication Union, but formal proposals here at its quadrennial Plenipotentiary congress in Guadalajara, Mexico, prove that many attendees want to fix the creaky United Nations' agency. Those proposals show that the ITU is aware of its problems: its closed nature, its budgeting …

    Telecoms 20 Oct 15:00

  • BBC licence fee on ice for 6 years

    Trebles all round at the Trust - it could have been worse

    The BBC Trust has accepted the decision to freeze the licence fee at £145.50 for a colour licence for the next six years. But it could have been much, much worse for the corporation. Talks on the future of the fee beyond 2012 were due to take place next year, with the BBC pre-emptively offering to freeze the fee for two years …

    Music and Media 20 Oct 15:01

  • Sex.com sells for $13m

    You don't get many of them to the pound, eh

    The storied domain name sex.com is set to be sold for $13m, The Register has learned. Bankrupt Escom LLC sex.com's current owner, has sealed a deal to hand over the domain to a company called Clover Holdings Ltd, according to documents filed this week in a California court. Escom purchased the domain from its previous owner …

    Financial News 20 Oct 15:09

  • Green light for spooks' net snoop plan

    Imagine our surprise

    The coalition government has approved a multibillion-pound plan by the intelligence agencies to store details of every online conversation. The reemerging Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP) means internet providers will be forced to install interception equipment in their networks to capture details of who contacts …

    Government 20 Oct 15:16

  • Windows Phone 7 arrives in UK shops tomorrow

    Beat the... er... rush

    UK mobile phone network operators will start selling Windows Phone 7 handsets tomorrow. Orange will be offering the HTC 7 Mozart and the Samsung Omnia 7 - the latter shared with T-Mobile and Three. Vodafone has the HTC 7 Trophy, and O2 the HTC 7 HD. O2's HTC 7 HD Orange is trying to tempt buyers at its 155 Oxford Street …

    reghardware 20 Oct 15:54

  • O2 to offer Samsung Galaxy Tab

    But keeping mum on pricing for now

    Samsung's Galaxy Tab is set to ship on 1 November, just over a week from now, but while various UK mobile phone network operators have said they will offer the 7in Android tablet, they are still keeping mum about how much they will charge for it. O2 today joined Vodafone and Three, but like those two networks it woundn't say …

    reghardware 20 Oct 16:09

  • Gov depts to cut back office, IT spending

    £6bn saving aim

    Several government departments will cut back office services and IT spending under chancellor George Osborne's comprehensive spending review. The departments for education, justice, international development, the Home Office and the Cabinet Office are to reduce their back office budgets as part of the government's plans to …

    Government 20 Oct 16:15

  • Google ends all Street View Wi-Fi data collection

    'Who needs the cars? We'll use handsets'

    Google has "no plans" to resume the collection of WiFi network data via its world-roving Street View cars, according to a report by Canada's privacy commissioner reprimanding the web giant for collecting WiFi payload data as well as network info. "Google still intends to offer location-based services, but does not intend to …

    Music and Media 20 Oct 18:45

  • Apple rolls out two new MacBook Air models

    13.3-incher joined by 11.6-inch 'younger brother'

    "What would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up?", Steve Jobs asked his "Back to the Mac" audience today, and answered his own question with the release of two new versions of the MacBook Air, available today starting at $999. The new duo includes a 13.3-inch, 2.9-pound version, the same display size as the MacBook Air …

    PCs & Chips 20 Oct 18:58

  • Facebook games maker sued in privacy flap

    Zynga allegedly sent IDs for 218 million users

    A developer of some of Facebook's most popular games has been hit by a federal lawsuit alleging it shared millions of Facebook user IDs with advertisers and data brokers. The lawsuit alleges that Zynga, maker of six of the top 10 Facebook games, collected and shared the IDs of 218 million users, in violation of federal law and …

    ID 20 Oct 20:02

  • Jobs' Lion to marry Mac OS X and iOS

    Updated Reach out and multi-touch your Mac

    Steve Jobs announced today what he suggested was a marriage of iOS with Mac OSX. Called Mac OS X Lion, the next version of the Mac's operating system will bring iOS features to the Mac, including bringing the App Store — and, possibly, its limitations — to the Mac. Jobs told his "Back to the Mac" audience at the company's …

    Mobile 20 Oct 20:05

  • IBM kills off Irish server works

    190 more jobs go to Asia

    The Irish Times reports that Big Blue is killing off the remaining server manufacturing jobs in its Emerald Isle factory, and shifting the server-making to its factories in Shenzhen, China. IBM's labor pool in Ireland is now estimated to be somewhere around 4,000 workers. That figure includes the 190 jobs subtracted this week …

    Servers 20 Oct 21:50

  • eBay's non-Skype profits climb 16%

    Our pal, PayPal

    eBay's third-quarter revenues climbed 10 per cent over the same quarter last year, if you exclude revenues from the failed VoIP experiment with Skype, while non-Skype, non-GAAP profits rose 16 per cent. With net earnings per share topping out at 40 cents, eBay beat the expectations of the Wall Street guessmen, and it gave much …

    Financial News 20 Oct 22:13

  • Red Hat exec proposes end to IT suckage

    Interop 'We don't need Ray Ozzie'

    Why isn't IT getting cheaper instead of more expensive? That was the question posed by Jim Whitehurst, president and CEO of open source software juggernaut and cloud wannabe Red Hat, during his keynote at the Interop networking — and now cloud computing — trade show in New York. After all, processor and storage capacity keep …

    Software 20 Oct 23:43