18th November 2010 Archive

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Amazon man: 'Clouds will juice hardware spend'

Salesforce boss: 'Larry Ellison is annoying'

Amazon Web Services boss Andy Jassy believes that so-called cloud computing will ultimately help the hardware market – not hurt it. "I think that [cloud computing] is going to lead to more hardware," Jassy said on Wednesday afternoon at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, California. "Look at the amount of startups that are …

Music and Media 18 Nov 00:32
Twitter man: Tweet ad demand exceeds supply

'Twad math looks good'

Twitter founder Evan Williams says that demand is far outstripping supply on the company's fledgling ad platforms. "Our biggest challenge right now is that there's way too much demand for the supply," he said – predictably – on Wednesday evening at the Web 2.0 Summit in downtown San Francisco. "We've been ramping up our sales …

Music and Media 18 Nov 02:07
Whitehat cracks notorious rootkit wide open

ZeroAccess no more

A malware analyst has deconstructed a highly advanced piece of crimeware believed to be the work of the notorious Russian Business Network The step-by-step instructions for reverse engineering the stealthy ZeroAccess rootkit is a blow to its developers, who took great care to make sure it couldn't be forensically analyzed. The …

Security 18 Nov 04:00
Palm Pixi Plus budget smartphone

Review Phone gnome

Following on from its Pre revamp which saw the Palm brand reinvented for the 21st Century, two recent releases have seen the brand expand with the Palm Pre Plus slider and the slimline Palm Pixi Plus. The less expensive Pixi Plus is the slimmed down in body and spec version though it still manages to cram in a Qwerty keyboard, …

reghardware 18 Nov 07:00
Cloud service levels with a cast iron guarantee?

Webcast Getting your networks up to speed

The nature of all “cloud” and “consolidation” projects makes the effective delivery of data over network connections, potentially WAN pipes of limited capacity, a major challenge. But your users won’t care about that. They just wants a service that works as if it’s local. The question is how do you guarantee such service levels …

Tech Panel 18 Nov 07:52
Ofcom sets out mega-auction timetable

No 4G until 2014

Ofcom's chief executive has laid out the timetable for auctioning off the digital dividend spectrum, and it will be 2014 before it fills up with 4G radio. The details were laid out during a speech at the FT World Telecoms Conference. Ofcom plans a consultation for February lasting until May, the auction details will then be …

Mobile 18 Nov 08:00
Virgin demands ISPs end broadband speed 'con'

We say, put your own house in order first, Virgin

ISP Virgin Media said today that it wants other ISPs to bring an "end to misleading broadband advertising" by stressing typical or average speeds rather than the infamous "up to" broadband bandwidths they claim to offer. A good call, but it's case would be strengthened enormously, we'd say, if it had the bottle to do downplay …

reghardware 18 Nov 09:57
Capita says gov cuts hit hard

Osborne's bell tolls for reseller

Capita shares are down nearly five per cent this morning after it warned that government cuts were hitting revenues harder than expected. In an update to the stock market, the government's favourite outsourcer said the message was mixed. It has had constructive discussions with the government on cutbacks and it believes …

Channel Register 18 Nov 10:14
Facebook message security risks 'open door to Web 2.0 botnet'

Nowhere is safe! Nowhere!

Security watchers have already begun fretting about the security implications of Facebook's new messaging system, warning that compromised accounts might be used to create potent Web 2.0 botnets. The system brings together Facebook messages, instant messaging chat and SMS messages in one location, a development that increases …

ID 18 Nov 10:28
Geeks Guide 2 BlackBerry Development

GG₂ Save up to 40 per cent

In this edition of GG2 we are offering up to 40 per cent off BlackBerry Programming books. It seems the release of the new and somewhat impressive BlackBerry Torch and the launch of App World V2 in August has made some geeks want to enter the lab and conquer the world of BlackBerry application development. Beginning BlackBerry …

reghardware 18 Nov 11:00
India claims RIM data deal, again

Canadians remain silent

Indian government sources are again claiming that RIM will provide lawful intercept of all BlackBerry communications, despite the technical impossibility of doing so. A "senior home ministry official" is quoted, by Indian daily Mint, claiming that RIM has "in principle agreed to provide us recorded data from their servers". …

Mobile 18 Nov 11:10
Violin uses Gear6 tech to make super-fast arrays

'Ang on Avere, we're back in a flash

Violin Memory is using acquired Gear6 NFS caching technology to turn its flash arrays into super-fast access NAS heads. Violin makes flash arrays, such as the 3200 product, which hold 500GB to 10TB of data in solid state flash memory. A rack full of these 3U boxes scales can hold more than 140TB and does two million IOPS. This …

Storage 18 Nov 11:18
Swedish prosecutors seek Assange arrest

Updated Rape questions for Wikileaks man

The Swedish prosecutor leading an investigation of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is today seeking a court order for his arrest, so she can interrogate him on allegations of rape and molestation. Marianne Ny indicated that efforts to question Assange on a voluntary basis have been unsuccessful. "The reason for my request is …

Law 18 Nov 11:20
Qualcomm outs dual-core ARM-based, LTE-capable pad chip

28nm die-shrink for 4x graphics boost, 5x speed jump

Faster tablets in 2011? You betcha: Qualcomm has said it will release 28nm dual-core Snapdragon ARM CPUs next year. The mobile comms hardware maker last night claimed the chip, formally dubbed the MSM8960, will "deliver approximately five times the performance of the original Snapdragon chip at 75 per cent less power". So, …

reghardware 18 Nov 11:21
Google Docs finally goes mobile

But only for Froyo and iOS devices

On-line editing with Google Docs is now possible on Android and iOS devices, with real-time synchronisation so everyone can see you're your mistakes as you make them. Since the first Android devices were launched, users have been asking why they can't edit Google Docs documents on their phones, as mobile users were limited to …

Mobile 18 Nov 11:23
Hasbro unleashes 'Spastic' Transformer

Cunning stunticons toy won't be sold in UK, unsurprisingly

Kiddies toy outfit Hasbro has pulled off a bit of a branding blinder with the release of its "Spastic with Stunticons" Transformer, which apparently forms part of its Power Core Combiners 2011 Wave 2 range. Transformer fan site Seibertron.com contacted Hasbro when it discovered that the word spastic "has different meanings …

Bootnotes 18 Nov 11:29
Easynet blames network collapse on dodgy router update

Overnight fix

Early investigations of a nationwide collapse of the Easynet network have pointed the finger at a software update to a Cisco router. The outage began at 8.32am on Wednesday, and for some customers lasted most of the working day. "An Easynet edge router crashed due to a software bug condition triggered by an invalid update …

Telecoms 18 Nov 12:07
Windows malware dominates Mac malware detection chart

Sophos clean-up tool IDs carriers and rare Mac Trojans

Malicious files that use the the scripting capability of Microsoft Media Player to infect Windows machines have emerged as the main threat detected on the machines of Apple users who have taken advantage of Sophos' recent offer of a freebie anti-malware scanner application. The Windows-specific threat - identified by Sophos as …

Malware 18 Nov 12:11
Has CERN made the VATICAN ANTIMATTER BOMB for real?*

Physicists in veiled threat to gov funding bodies

So - Dan Brown's turgid blockbuster Angels and Demons, in which a nefarious papal official nicks a vial of antimatter from CERN as part of a complicated scheme to become Pope by menacing the Vatican with explosive destruction. Twaddle? Or actually a perfectly feasible plan ripped from today's headlines, style of thing? Just a …

Physics 18 Nov 12:23
Microsoft pings first Office 2010 service pack beta at testers

Updated Private viewings only for now

Microsoft has released a private test build of the first service pack for its Office 2010 product to a select bunch through its MS Connect web portal. Testers received an email from Redmond in which they were invited to download beta build 14.0.6011.1000 from Microsoft’s site. WinRumours was first to report the arrival of the …

Applications 18 Nov 12:24
Google signs French book deal

Les livres sont libérés!

Google and French publishing house Hachette have signed a deal to allow the search and ad giant to scan its books. The deal allows Hachette to decide which of its out-of-print books Google can scan and sell, and gives it an undisclosed percentage of any revenue made. Hachette also gets a copy of the scanned file which it can …

Music and Media 18 Nov 12:27
A young and pretty Linux server OS that takes a bit of work

Review Zentyal 2: like Ubuntu, with bits on

Zentyal 2 is something a little bit different, although it too has changed its name recently: version 1 was called e-Box. A decade younger than its rivals, it is based on Ubuntu, but its developers skip the normal semi-annual releases, and only use the Long Term Support ones that Canonical releases every other year. E-Box …

Operating Systems 18 Nov 12:30
iPhone 4 gets slide-out keyboard

Clip-on Apple-to-HTC conversion

Saddened that your iPhone 4 lacks a slide-out Qwerty keyboard? Soon you'll be able to add one. That's thanks to US accessories company BoxWave, which is now taking orders for Keyboard Buddy, an iPhone 4 case with a drop-down landscape-orientation Qwerty deck. The keyboard connects to smartphone using Bluetooth, so it has its …

reghardware 18 Nov 12:35
ViewSonic tempts tablet triers with cash-for-kit deal

Old netbooks exchanged for £££s

ViewSonic is offering up to £125 off the price of its ViewPad tablets to anyone who'll swap their netbook for a fondle slab. The deal isn't quite as straightforward as that, alas. You'll have to buy your ViewPad first - either the 7in or 10in model - and then apply for the rebate online. You have 30 days to claim, and you must …

reghardware 18 Nov 12:52
Bill Gates oils up Microsoft's Lync product

Beam me up, Steve

Microsoft released its rejigged office communications server yesterday, which was anointed by none other than William Henry "Bill" Gates III. It has been renamed Lync and according to the company blurb, the software brings together instant messaging, presence, audio, video, web conferencing and voice under one roof. …

Applications 18 Nov 13:11
GSMA opens the way for Apple SIM

Operators roll over for Jobsian tummy-tickle

The GSMA is to create a new standard for manufacturers who don't want their products sullied by an operator's SIM, taking Apple a step closer to world domination. Not that Apple is a member of the new Task Force which will be defining the standard for software SIMs, but the hand of Steve Jobs is clearly visible among the …

Mobile 18 Nov 13:28
'Plastic surgeon' cuffed for in bar boob checks

Not a doctor, not South African. Seems to be a woman

Police in Idaho have put a call out to women who may have submitted to breast examinations in bars and clubs, after it emerged that a booze house female plastic surgeon from South Africa was allegedly no such thing. Kristina Brittany Ross, from Boise, was nabbed after cops in the potato state received reports that a South …

Bootnotes 18 Nov 13:41
Samsung SF310 13.3in notebook

Review Fashion victim?

Aimed at the fashion conscious, the Samsung SF310 adopts curves and chrome to attract trendies to this 13.3in notebook. Literally, built along similar lines to the NF210 netbook reviewed recently, if the look and feel isn’t quite enough to have you shopping around and spending about £750 on this Core i5 machine, Samsung is …

reghardware 18 Nov 13:47
Internet Explorer 9 preview thinks inside box, outside browser

Getting into the guts of the PC, one web page at a time

Microsoft released a seventh preview build of Internet Explorer 9 yesterday. It comes just three weeks after the last iteration of the test versions of Redmond's upcoming browser. The software giant normally releases an update every two months. "Over the last few weeks, we’ve been tuning the JavaScript engine for more of the …

Developer 18 Nov 14:22
Dirty PCs: How much filth can you take?

Ventblockers II The horror, the horror

It's been a tad over a year since our shock insight into the darkest and most fearsome interiors of computing hardware, and by our reckoning that's just about enough time to recover from the trauma. Accordingly, we're inviting contributions for "Ventblockers II", so let's see if you lot can match this further collection of …

Bootnotes 18 Nov 14:26
BlueArc boosting itself

On a roll

Privately-owned super-NAS vendor BlueArc is letting it be known that it is on a roll. Of course it's only putting out the good news but, still, that's impressive: record third quarter revenues with the mid-range Mercury product selling well, 100 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth and a 20 per cent headcount increase. The …

Blocks and Files 18 Nov 14:49
DARPA: Hypersonic strato-ship crackup was no biggie

Preps second Shuttle-envelope-buster for 2011

Radical Pentagon boffins say they now understand why their hypersonic aeroplane/missile prototype, the Falcon HTV-2, cracked up in flight above the Pacific in April - and say they are on course for another trial flight next year. Talk about a hot ship Regular followers of the Register's hypersonics coverage will no doubt …

Science 18 Nov 14:54
LIDL punts circular saw blades to innocent kiddies

'Great for snuggling or playing with'

The parents among you who reckon kids today get far too much mollycoddling are advised to proceed directly to LIDL, which evidently believes nippers need to be exposed to a little more risk. Start here, and click the "Soft Toy" button... ...and pretty soon your child can be cuddling one of these: Superb, and an extra tip …

Bootnotes 18 Nov 15:20
Sweden to issue international arrest warrant for Assange

Interpol called in

Swedish prosecuters plan to issue an international arrest warrant for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, after a court today approved their request to detain him over rape and molestation allegations. Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny said she will seek his arrest via Interpol, AP reports. Assange again denied the …

Law 18 Nov 15:25
Brits say 'no, no, no' to 3D TV

Rest of Europe cries 'non', 'nein', 'nee', etc too

Brits are steering clear of 3D TV, with only one per cent of the population owning such a set already and a further one per cent hoping to acquire one this coming Christmas. And consumers in the rest of Europe aren't much keener on the technology, either. So reveals a survey of European punters conducted online by price …

reghardware 18 Nov 15:33
Oracle whacked by DoJ complaint

'Shabby treatment' of Sun customers must stop

An industry group of 130 hardware maintenance providers has complained to the Department of Justice that they've been unfairly squeezed since Larry Ellison bought Sun Microsystems. The Service Industry Association has been complaining about Oracle's tactics for some time, but has now written to the DoJ. The SIA said Oracle's …

Channel Register 18 Nov 16:07
German 'hacker' uses rented computing to crack hashing algorithm

Updated Brute force PAYG hack attack cracks SHA1 hashes – for $2

A German security enthusiast has used rented computing resources to crack a secure hashing algorithm (SHA-1) password. Thomas Roth used a GPU-based rentable computer resource to run a brute force attack to crack SHA1 hashes. Encryption experts warned for at least five years SHA-1 could no longer be considered secure so what's …

Cloud 18 Nov 16:15
Unlucky for some: Sex.com sold for $13m

California bankruptcy court orders sale

Sex.com has been officially bought for $13m, after its skint owner Escom sold the domain through a deal brokered by Sedo, following an order issued by the US Bankruptcy Court in California. Escom purchased Sex.com in 2006 for $12m plus $2m in equity, and the company had been hoping the sale of the domain via online auction …

Financial News 18 Nov 17:03
Google Apps offer 'full spectrum' of Google services

You get it all. Except extra phone support

Google is now allowing businesses, government agencies, schools, and other organizations to use more than 60 existing Google services from their Google Apps accounts. In May, Google announced that such a move was on the way. "We’re thrilled to swing the floodgates of new functionality wide open," the company said in a Thursday …

Channel Register 18 Nov 18:50
Verizon revives Microsoft's unhappy hipster phone

Smart no more

Microsoft's KIN phones are back from hipster hell, with Verizon pushing the unwanted phones in the run-up to Christmas. America's largest wireless carrier is again selling the KIN ONE and KIN TWO, now disguised as the KIN ONEm and the KIN TWOm, and without a data plan. Cnet reports that before the KIN ONE and KIN TWO were …

Mobile 18 Nov 18:53
Mozilla millions still 86% Google cash

Mountain View sugar daddy tax audit rolls on

Google still provides 86 per cent of Mozilla's revenue, according to the open source outfit's latest financial statement. On Thursday, Mozilla released its audited financial statement for 2009, and as in previous years, an unnamed search company is listed under "concentrations of risk." In 2008, Google accounted for 91 per …

Financial News 18 Nov 20:53
iAds to flood UK iPhones, iPads

Apple 'a pain to deal with'

Apple's iOS-based iAd service will jump the pond next month and land in the UK and France, debuting with ads for L'Oréal, Renault, Louis Vuitton, Absolute Radio, and eight other deep-pocket brands. These brands will join what Cupertino's announcement claims are "over half of the top 25 leading US national advertisers" in the …

Mobile 18 Nov 21:07
Valley open-source star swallowed by Black Duck

Pulling power ain't what it used to be

SpikeSource –a Silicon-Valley startup once blessed by big names and championed as the future of making money on open-source – has shut-up shop after seven years. The assets of SpikeSource have been bought by Black Duck Software. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Welcoming the deal was Ray Lane, managing partner …

Financial News 18 Nov 21:21
Dell profits rise 144%

Consumer sales the only laggard

In another sign that the tech industry is maybe, just maybe, climbing slowly and haltingly out of the toilet, Dell announced Thursday that its third-quarter financial results were healthier than Wall Street thought they would be. "Dell is growing in the right areas, and I’m very excited about our momentum," said chairman and …

Financial News 18 Nov 23:15
Google charges feds $25 a head for user surveillance

Microsoft charges zilch

Microsoft does not charge for government surveillance of its users, whereas Google charges $25 per user, according to a US Drug Enforcement Admission document turned up by security and privacy guru Christopher Soghoian. With a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, Soghoian has exposed four years of DEA spending on …

ID 18 Nov 23:22