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2nd February 2011 Archive

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  • Researchers pry open Waledac, find 500,000 email passwords

    Son of Storm is back

    Researchers have taken a peek inside the recently refurbished Waledac botnet, and what they've found isn't pretty. Waledac, a successor to the once-formidable Storm botnet, has passwords for almost 500,000 Pop3 email accounts, allowing spam to be sent through SMTP servers, according to findings published on Tuesday by security …

    Security 2 Feb 00:13

  • Unisys: balance sheet stronger, but sales lower

    Profits under pressure in Q4

    Unisys continues to feel the squeeze from its larger competitors in systems and services. In Q4 2010, the company reported revenues of $1.04bn, down 9.8 per cent compared to the Q4 2009. It brought $99.2m to the bottom line, a decline of 13.4 per cent. In the quarter, Unisys booked $859.7m in services revenues, off 11 per cent …

    Servers 2 Feb 00:42

  • Google and Microsoft relive Joan Collins catfight

    Hair pulled, eyes scratched over 'stolen search results'

    We haven't seen a catfight like this since Linda Evans and Joan Collins. Or maybe even Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Google flaming Microsoft for copying its search results was already great fun. But the two have now descended into the sort of endless slagging match typically reserved for insecure adolescents – or Register …

    Software 2 Feb 01:28

  • WildPackets adds inTechnology to keep an eye on things

    Distie for performance management software

    Network and application performance management system vendor WildPackets has announced inTechnology Distribution as distributor for the Australian market. The appointment adds the WatchPoint and OmniPeek software to inTechnology’s software offerings. The 11-year-old distributor describes itself as specialising in security, …

    Software 2 Feb 01:43

  • US lawmakers eye internet 'kill switch'

    Nothing like Egypt, surely

    US lawmakers plan to try once more to equip the president with an internet “kill switch,” a controversial measure that's become even more incendiary following last week's move by Egypt to pull the plug on the global network. In April, when similar bills circulated on Capitol Hill, industry groups warned they gave the president …

    Government 2 Feb 04:00

  • Gates: Killing the internet is easy

    Gun power trumps tweet power

    When the revolution comes, someone's always ready to tell you how Facebook and Twitter are powering history. The problem is that while they're still standing, governments can snuff out Facebook and Twitter whenever they like. All they need do is flip the "off" switch on the servers, routers, and wireless equipment used by …

    Networks 2 Feb 05:48

  • Citigroup clutches EMI to bosom

    And you thought that we were faking, that we were all just money-making

    Ownership of EMI, home of The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Sir Simon Rattle, has passed into the hands of US mega money corp Citigroup. EMI said in a statement today that Citigroup had acquired 100 per cent of its share capital, and completed a recapitalisation of the debt-laden music group. Through this, the group's debt has been …

    Business 2 Feb 06:00

  • Julian Assange wins peace prize

    A rare gold medal not awarded by the US State Department

    The Sydney Peace Foundation has awarded its gold medal for peace with justice to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. In the fourteen-year history of the Foundation, only three others have received the prize: the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and Buddhist leader Daisaku Ikeda. As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, Assange …

    Music and Media 2 Feb 06:25

  • Motorola Defy Android smartphone

    Review Hardy handset for the rough and tumble

    As the first rugged - well, semi-rugged - Android handset, the Defy's ability to survive mistreatment by careless party-goers is the central pitch of Motorola's advertising campaign but there is rather more to it than that. Rough diamond? Motorola's Defy Let's start with the cost. The Defy is available from T-Mobile on …

    reghardware 2 Feb 07:00

  • EC consults on procurement law overhaul

    More transparency, more smaller companies

    The European Commission plans to change the way that public procurement in the EU works, aiming to reform rules so that the process becomes easier and more transparent. It aims to encourage more smaller companies to participate, it said. EU rules govern the way that all public contracts above a certain amount are conducted in …

    Channel Register 2 Feb 08:00

  • Yahoo! blasts Microsoft over WinPho 7 bug blame

    Mail app's mail retrieval method non-standard, apparently...

    Yahoo! has hit back at Microsoft, claiming it is the software giant's Windows Phone Mail app that is the root of the WinPho 7 phantom data bug – and not its email servers. The glitch, which has led some WinPho 7 phone users complain that their handsets transfer far more data – potentially with tariff-twisting consequences – …

    reghardware 2 Feb 09:58

  • Rev slammed for PAYE failure

    Software problems, dirty data and overpaid senior staff

    Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs failed in its duty to provide a proper computer system to work out how much Pay As You Earn taxpayers should be paying. In reality HMRC was unable to process PAYE in anything like real time and has now run out of time to collect tax owed from before April 2007. The Public Accounts Committee …

    Government 2 Feb 10:02

  • Three to offer Sony Ericsson Arc

    Updated Curvy phone Blighty-bound

    UK network operator Three is to get its mitts on Sony Ericsson's next major smartphone release, the Xperia Arc. The skinny, curvy Arc packs in a 1GHz processor, a 4.2in touchscreen, an 8Mp camera and runs Android 2.3 - aka Gingerbread. It'll come with an 8GB MicroSD card for storage. Three didn't say how much it'll charge …

    reghardware 2 Feb 10:14

  • No new copters for Afghanistan troops

    Needless road-bombing bloodbath set to continue

    The Coalition government, having already cut an order for vital helicopters needed by British troops fighting in Afghanistan, may now cancel it altogether, according to reports. In its last months in office, the previous Labour government announced plans to order 22 new Chinook helicopters (in addition to two which would …

    Government 2 Feb 10:16

  • Google grabs Oracle veep to lift EMEA cloud biz

    They have two settings: stun and kill... It'd be best not to confuse them

    Google has hired a former senior Oracle veep to head up the company's Enterprise division in EMEA. Sebastien Marotte will lead Google's sales team in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said the world's largest ad broker. Marotte had worked as Oracle's senior vice president of technology in the database giant's Asia Pacific …

    Channel Register 2 Feb 10:24

  • Photo loss blogger to Flickr: You're f*cking kidding

    Insufficient apology for loss of 4,000 snaps

    Yahoo!-owned photo-sharing site Flickr has mistakenly deleted 4,000 photos belonging to a photoblogger, who opined that Yahoo! surely must be "fucking kidding". Mirco Wilhelm, an IT Architect at T-Systems Schweiz, has used Flickr to store and share his photos for five years. He reported a user account to Flickr that contained …

    Music and Media 2 Feb 10:28

  • Egypt back online

    But protests continue

    Egypt is returning to the internet even though protests are continuing in Cairo and other cities. President Hosni Mubarak said yesterday he would not seek re-election but would step down in September. Whether this represents the compromise protestors were looking for or a sign of weakness which will encourage them remains to …

    Government 2 Feb 10:36

  • Botnets fuel internet DDoS insurgency

    Updated Attacks top 100Gbps for the first time

    Distributed denial of service attacks topped 100Gbps for the first time last year, during which attempts to flood websites with junk traffic went mainstream. Major incidents in 2010 included DDoS attacks associated with pro- and anti-WikiLeaks hackers and militias as well as hacking attacks linked to political turmoil in Burma …

    Crime 2 Feb 10:49

  • Amazon fiddling with film streaming service, says report

    Someone needs to control the online projector

    Online retail giant Amazon is reportedly working on a film streaming service. According to the Financial Times (behind paywall), which cites a source familiar with the company's plans, the bookseller is prepping such a streaming service to be tied up with its Amazon Prime scheme. Just last month Amazon confirmed it was buying …

    Music and Media 2 Feb 10:53

  • LG Android 3.0 tablet out next month

    G-Slate slated for Spring release

    LG will release its Android 3.0 Honeycomb-based 9in tablet next month. Inelegantly called the G-Slate with Google, the tablet has an 8.9in display that's not only multi-touch screen but also capable of showing 3D content, LG said, though it admitted later that you'll need 3D glasses. You can shoot your own 3D footage - there …

    reghardware 2 Feb 10:54

  • NASA's NEOWISE wraps asteroid belt survey

    Lots of new heavenly bodies for our viewing pleasure

    NASA's Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, aka NEOWISE, has wrapped up its survey of our solar system's "small bodies, asteroids and comets". Over the past four months, it has clocked up a plethora of previously undiscovered objects, including "20 comets (see pic, details here), more than 33,000 asteroids in …

    Space 2 Feb 11:00

  • Freesat to get Channel 4 in HD

    33 per cent more HD content from satellite TV network

    Freesat viewers, you're going to get Channel 4 in all is HD glory two months from now. The free-to-air satellite broadcasting brand said C4HD will join BBC One HD, BBC HD and ITV 1 HD in April, finally allowing it to reach the level of HD content already available on rival, terrestrially broadcast network Freeview. Freesat …

    reghardware 2 Feb 11:26

  • Facebook plugs gnarly authentication flaw

    Bing impersonation bug boshed

    Security researchers have discovered a flaw that creates a means for a malicious website to grab hold of a Facebook user's private data without their consent as well as to post messages impersonating the user on the social networking website. The authentication-related bug was discovered by researchers Rui Wang and Zhou Li, …

    Enterprise Security 2 Feb 11:28

  • Geeks Guide2... Microsoft Training 365 in 2011

    Reader offer Save over £300!

    To celebrate the launch of the new Microsoft Training 365 Dynamics Subscription, Register Books is offering you the chance to save £300 on a Microsoft Training 365 Dynamics, IT Professional or Developer subscription. Remind me… What is 365 again? In case you don’t know, Microsoft Training 365 is an official training …

    Site News 2 Feb 11:30

  • MozyHome stiffs unlimited users

    Delivers unasked-for innovation – and a price rise

    MozyHome, EMC's cloud backup service for consumers, is changing its free unlimited backup plan to a paid-for service. Now you get 2GB for free, after which you pay for data. Users are angry and competitors like LiveDrive salivating. Mozy said it had been forced to institute charging because users were backing up significantly …

    Cloud 2 Feb 11:30

  • Mexico demands apology for Top Gear outrage

    Local sports car resembles local - 'lazy, feckless and flatulent'

    Mexico's ambassador to Britain has fired off a letter to the BBC demanding an apology for the antics of its Top Gear presenters, Reuters reports. In a studio discussion of the comparative merits of sports cars from Germany, Italy and Mexico, Richard Hammond suggested they reflect the national characteristics of their makers. …

    Bootnotes 2 Feb 11:34

  • Sulky fans biggest threat to gaming, says Black Ops developer

    But please still buy our CoD expansion pack

    Activision has expanded its content for Call of Duty: Black Ops, with a handful of downloadable multiplayer maps, even as an executive from the game's developer, Treyarch, slammed certain fans for stifling industry creativity. Treyarch's First Strike gives players five fresh maps set around the globe: Berlin Wall gives …

    reghardware 2 Feb 11:43

  • Google's Chrome browser market share hits 10% mark

    Makes gains as Internet Explorer slides

    Google's Chrome browser broke the 10 per cent market share barrier last month, according to Net Applications. That is significant given that Microsoft's Internet Explorer surfing tool continued to slide, notching up its worst performance ever last month, by reeling in a still impressive 56 per cent of the browser market. …

    Applications 2 Feb 11:49

  • Who say Management and SaaS don't mix?

    The integration conundrum

    Management in IT is a challenge for many organisations. Integrated management is a tough nut to crack and many companies struggle with fragmented management environments just to keep their systems operational. Without integrated tools and processes, organisations face considerable security challenges, specifically difficulties …

    Hosted Apps 2 Feb 11:57

  • Ryanair disses booking system security fears

    Updated Secure this

    Budget airline Ryanair has reacted with indignation to suggestions that its booking system ought to be more secure. While most airlines only allow modifications to bookings once a passenger has verified themselves using a password and booking reference, Ryanair adopts a lower standard. German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel found …

    Enterprise Security 2 Feb 12:12

  • Sales show WinPho 7 off to a flying start

    HP Palm should worry

    Smartphone market watchers have generally focused on the battle between the big boys - Nokia, Apple, Research in Motion (Rim) and the Android crowd - in their analysis of the last quarter's sales. But the quarter's biggest launch was Microsoft's attempt to get back in the game, with Windows Phone 7, the smartphone platform …

    reghardware 2 Feb 12:32

  • UK probes ebook pricing

    Why so much?

    The Office of Fair Trading has confirmed it has opened an investigation into ebook pricing following complaints. The competition regulator said it is investigating "arrangements between certain publishers and retailers for the sale of ebooks". The OFT said it had received a significant number of complaints, but the fact that …

    Mobile 2 Feb 12:45

  • X-ISS builds turnkey HPC for the masses

    Bricks in the wall

    X-ISS is an interesting company. Based out of Houston, it's been around for almost 20 years, offering a full slate of HPC systems and services. The company has enhanced its turnkey HPC service with VizHPC, a visualization offering. This combo deal of hardware and services will cover the wall(s) of your choice with monitors …

    HPC Blog 2 Feb 12:49

  • Official: PhD in 'Essential Oils' or 'Natural Toiletries' = 'a Scientist'

    Also herbal medicine, homeopathy - amazing ruling

    The Advertising Standards Authority - in these benighted short-attention-span days, perhaps one of the most important guardians of the English language - has described the fields of "Natural Preservatives in toiletries" and "Essential Oils" as being "traditional scientific disciplines" and ruled that people qualified in these …

    Science 2 Feb 12:59

  • Flash versus HTML 5

    The mobile perspective

    “The mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short,” says Apple CEO Steve Jobs in his notorious Thoughts on Flash. “New open standards created in the mobile era, such as HTML5, will win on mobile devices (and PCs too).” Adding to the confusion, every non- …

    reghardware 2 Feb 13:00

  • Denon Ceol with Apple AirPlay

    Review Mini combo hi-fi gets iTunes streaming tech

    Denon has been holding back on the release of its new Ceol music system until it received an Apple AirPlay upgrade, which happened this week. Now, as well as playing CDs, docking your iPod/iPhone, playing FM/AM and internet radio and streaming music from a wireless network, it can also link up with iTunes on your computer or …

    reghardware 2 Feb 13:00

  • UK.gov doesn't know its IT spend – but insists it will spend less

    Whatever it is, it's going to be smaller

    The government has put the kybosh on IT projects worth £1bn, but has no idea how much it will still be spending, as it doesn't keep an overall tab on its tech spend. Cabinet office minister Francis Maude was asked yesterday – by Charlie Elphicke MP – "how much government departments budgeted for expenditure on IT in 2010-11, …

    Government 2 Feb 13:21

  • Nokia receives two credit-rating warnings

    You're not as worthy as we thought ...

    Two credit agencies have warned Nokia of a possible downgrade in its credit-worthiness. Standard & Poors has warned the company that a downgrade is "likely" once a three-month review into the company's prospects has been completed. Moody's made a similar warning last week after Nokia's earnings call, the FT notes. Both cite …

    Mobile 2 Feb 13:41

  • Murdoch, The Daily, and life without the web

    News Corp boss trumpets big, beefy brands

    News Corp doesn't get a whole lot of love on the web, nor does it seek it. Just over a year ago company chairman Rupert Murdoch described news aggregation as "almost wholesale misappropriation of our stories… it's theft", and shortly afterwards the paywalls went up at the Times and Sunday Times. Web readership plummeted, …

    Music and Media 2 Feb 14:00

  • Republican reps push for mandatory gun ownership

    South Dakotan riposte to mandatory health insurance

    Republican politicians in South Dakota have filed a bill that would require every citizen in the land-locked virtually empty state to buy a gun as of next year. The bill, put forward by Sioux Fall representative Hal Wick, would require every citizen over 21 to buy a firearm "suitable to their temperament, physical capacity, …

    Law 2 Feb 14:42

  • Jabra EasyGo budget Bluetooth headset

    Txt Take Wireless talk on the cheap

    Product reviews in 140 characters... Jabra EasyGo Pictures Want our Txt Take on your gadget or accessory? Just send it in to Reg Hardware. Details here. ®

    reghardware 2 Feb 14:43

  • ICO drops BT, ACS Law probe

    Dangerous precedent "worse than usual incompetence"

    The Information Commissioner's Office has ended an investigation against BT for handing over customer information to file-sharing-chaser law firm ACS:Law, which then leaked online. ACS:Law's speciality is sending letters to suspected file-sharers threatening them with expensive legal action unless they send the law firm money …

    Law 2 Feb 14:53

  • Moons, rings PROBED by interplanetary space robot

    NASA reveals explicit Saturnalian pole-squirt imagery

    Space probe Cassini, in orbit about the mighty ringed gas-giant Saturn, has sent back a new selection of nifty pictures. It's not the pale moon that excites me. Well, maybe a bit The Cassini-Huygens mission launched back in 1997, and made a seven-year voyage to the outer solar system before releasing the Huygens lander into …

    Space 2 Feb 14:54

  • Coders tool up for 10 petaflop Blue Waters super

    supercomputer

    The National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois has published an interview with professor Laxmikant Kale, who is helping scientists tune their applications for the 10 Petaflop Blue Waters supercomputer that will come online sometime in 2011. That's no small problem since the hardware …

    HPC 2 Feb 14:55

  • Nokia's pedal-powered charger rolls into stores

    Ring a bell?

    Nokia has finally pedalled out its mobile phone charger for bicycles. The gadget is now available to buy in the UK. Connect one up, get riding, and the dynamo uses the movement of the wheels to charge your Nokia handset. The charger kit may ring a bell from its announcement last summer, but the eco-friendly device is finally …

    reghardware 2 Feb 15:11

  • Verizon iPhone 4 orders taken tomorrow

    Quick! Join the rush!

    Verizon customers will be able to order an iPhone 4 tomorrow. They can order one now, of course, but it would have to operate on AT&T's network, and that's clearly not an plan worth considering by any self-respecting Verizon fan. Apple said today that customers will be supplied on a first come, first served basis, and limits …

    reghardware 2 Feb 15:35

  • Wrinkle-faced smartphoners demand 'BlackBerry Botox'

    The facial perils of excessive squinting

    Those of you who feel in need of a further bit of evidence that western society is going to frikkin' hell in a handcart are directed to the shock revelation that "young women are developing premature wrinkles from staring at their smartphones all day". That's according to Botoxmonger to the rich and famous, Dr Jean-Louis …

    Bootnotes 2 Feb 15:42

  • BBC's uber-project is a loss-bleeder

    Audit Office slams pan-BBC waste

    The BBC's ten-year long Digital Media Initiative has already fallen tens of million of pounds short of achieving cost saving, a study by the National Audit Office for the BBC Trust has found. Described as a "technology transformation project" the DMI is intended to achieve efficiencies and "prepare us for an on-demand digital …

    IT Director 2 Feb 15:44

  • Marry Microsoft, analyst tells Nokia

    Adopt brace position, we reckon ...

    In what looks suspiciously like part of a carefully-planned PR campaign, an investment analyst who follows Nokia has written to Microsoft and Nokia urging them to form a partnership. The memo, from Berenberg Bank's Adnaan Ahmad, recommends Nokia sign an exclusive partnership with Microsoft for Windows Phone 7, and was obtained …

    Mobile 2 Feb 15:55

  • Time Warner Cable bags NaviSite for $230m

    Wile E Clouding

    Time Warner Cable is buying cloudy hosting company NaviSite for $230m cash. A spinout of the AOL-Time Warner mega-conglomerate that runs the Road Runner Internet service in 27 states in the US, TWC has cloudy aspirations just like other service providers. Rather than build its own cloudy infrastructure service to fluff up its …

    Cloud 2 Feb 16:51

  • AOL fails to suck up ad revs in Q4 results

    Knees up, mother Tim

    AOL continued to struggle to sell online ads in the company's fiscal fourth quarter. The ailing internet firm reported today that its total ads revenue tumbled to $331.6m for the period ended 31 December 2010. That's down 29 per cent on the same period a year earlier, when AOL pulled in $468.6m. AOL's total Q4 sales were …

    Financial News 2 Feb 16:57

  • Canada? The computer vendor says no

    Trevor Pott reveals why he is not taking the tablets

    I am not a front-row blogger invited to wine and dine at all the latest product releases. I don't write reviews for the hardware side of El Reg. When it comes to technology of any kind, I am in the same boat as you, dear readers. I have to buy the shiny with my own bent coppers. When I am in the market for a brand new something- …

    Sysadmin blog 2 Feb 17:00

  • Norwegian MP nominates Wikileaks for Nobel Peace Prize

    Doesn't mention Julian. Probably safer that way....

    Julian Assange could find just himself in the company of Barack Obama, the Dali Llama and Aung San Suu Kyi, after a Norwegian politician nominated Wikileaks for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, the hacker turned world's favourite leaker-in-chief will no doubt be rather conscious of what happened to the likes of Martin Luther …

    Music and Media 2 Feb 17:17

  • Bradley Manning 'is British' – campaigners urge UK.gov to act

    Welsh mum unlikely to mean SAS rescue mission, though

    Campaigners in the UK are urging the British government to act on behalf of Bradley Manning, the American soldier now in US military custody charged with leaking classified files, on the grounds that his mother is from Wales. It's alleged that most of the significant material revealed in recent months by Julian Assange's famous …

    Government 2 Feb 17:21

  • Reg readers offered discount tickets to internet future

    .nxt con tells it like it is

    A revolutionary change is coming to the Internet this year – and you probably know nothing about it. El Reg regular Kieren McCarthy has set up a conference next week in San Francisco aimed at shaking people out of their stupor. “The biggest landrush in history is just months away but instead of people sitting on their horses …

    Networks 2 Feb 18:00

  • Microsoft reinfects Chrome with closed video codec

    Handbags reloaded

    Microsoft has reinfected Google's Chrome browser with the patent-encumbered H.264 video codec, banned by the search giant last month. On Wednesday, the world's largest software company released a plug-in for Chrome that allows Windows 7 PCs to play video using the proprietary format that's part-owned by Microsoft and Apple – …

    Developer 2 Feb 18:34

  • Google in Android 'Honeycomb' fondleslab demo fest

    Android app market opens on the interwebs

    Google has given the world an extensive demonstration of Android 3.0, codenamed Honeycomb, a new incarnation of the mobile OS designed specifically for tablets. At a press event at Google's Mountain View headquarters, Google man Hugo Barra showed off Honeycomb's so-called "holographic" UI as well as several new Google …

    Operating Systems 2 Feb 19:18

  • Dell (finally) peddling Canonical UEC clouds

    Linux-Eucalyptus on bespoke hyperscale servers

    After nearly a year of futzing around, Dell and Canonical are tag-teaming to sell and support a mix of Dell servers and Canonical's Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud hypervisors and management tools to customers who want to build private or public clouds that are clones of Amazon's EC2 service. Back in March 2010, when Dell took a bunch …

    Cloud 2 Feb 19:25

  • Feds seize 10 domains accused of illegal sports streaming

    Just in time for Super Bowl XLV

    Federal officials have seized the domain names of 10 websites accused of illegally streaming live pay-per-view sporting events. The move stems from the Operation in our Sites initiative, under which Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials disrupt websites accused of selling or distributing counterfeit goods and …

    Law 2 Feb 19:29

  • World shrugs as IPv4 addresses finally exhausted

    Arpageddon postponed, the day after X-day

    The central pool of IPv4 addresses officially ran dry on Tuesday after the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) allocated the last remaining blocks of address space. APNIC, which provides internet addressing services to the Asia Pacific region, received two /8s (33 million addresses) on Tuesday in a move that triggered …

    Networks 2 Feb 19:44

  • Aussie advertisers call for more bloat in web ads

    They're coming for your bandwidth

    If you’re watching a free-to-air television program, your direct financial input to the communications channel between you and the TV station is effectively zero. Whatever it costs the broadcaster to use its spectrum is paid by the broadcaster. When an advertiser yells out the latest TV, computer and carpet specials, it’s …

    Music and Media 2 Feb 20:32

  • Big Brother chooses Telstra for network

    Endemol in managed networks services buy

    Acquisition-hungry TV production powerhouse Endemol UK has selected the international arm of Australian carrier Telstra to provide a suite of managed network services. Endemol UK recently expanded its growing empire acquiring production companies Tiger Aspect, Darlow Smithson and Tigress. With more than a quarter of Endemol’s …

    Financial News 2 Feb 20:33

  • Oz service provider consolidation speeds up

    Honey I shrunk the ISPs

    iiNet, Australia’s third biggest ISP, claims it is in pole position to take advantage of the market consolidation that will occur in the lead up to the launch of the National Broadband Network. According to iiNet’s internal market analysis, consolidation in the sector has accelerated with the four largest providers now …

    Financial News 2 Feb 20:34

  • Want grant money for programming?

    There’s an app for that ...

    Australia’s New South Wales Government is ramping up efforts to make the state of NSW the digital capital of Australia. Calling for submissions under the Collaborative Solutions program, part of the NSW Government's $36 million Digital Economy Strategy, the government will stump up AUS$6 million to stimulate the development of …

    Developer 2 Feb 20:36

  • Google man: 'Honeycomb' only for fondleslabs (so far)

    Mountain View mulls Android tablet v phone dilemma

    Google's "Honeycomb" incarnation of Android will run only on tablets, and not on smartphones. Or so it seems. Wednesday morning, at a press event inside Google headquarters, when asked if Honeycomb would run on phones as well as tablets, Google director of products for mobile Hugo Barra said: "As we continue to think about the …

    Mobile 2 Feb 20:45

  • Hacker admits stealing $12m worth of chips from Zynga

    Do not pass go, do not collect stolen booty

    A UK-based IT expert has admitted hacking into the servers of game developer Zynga and stealing $12m worth of gaming chips, according to news reports. Ashley Mitchell, 29, of Paignton, Devon, pleaded guilty to five charges on Wednesday in Exeter Crown Court. Judge Philip Wassall told him: “It is inevitable you are going to …

    Crime 2 Feb 20:48

  • Content owners lock arms in front of Aus content review

    Belligerence may backfire

    After a start delayed by rain, NSW’s bushfire season got underway this week, and unlike previous years, there were no copyright objections raised against Google putting bushfire incidents on a map. I mention this because over at the DBCDE's Convergence Review, copyright is all the rage. The Department of Broadband, …

    Law 2 Feb 21:00

  • Murdoch & Co unveil iPad news rag The Daily

    Editor: 'We are patriotic. We love America'

    News Corp's long-anticipated newsy iPad app, The Daily, has launched in the US. Today it's only on the iPad, but Murdoch & Co plan to expand its reach to other tablets. "New times demand new journalism," News Corporation's chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch announced during The Daily's roll-out event on Wednesday in New York City …

    Music and Media 2 Feb 21:12

  • Jumbo quits on Manaccom

    Another victim of Australia’s online shopping spree?

    On 30 January, listed online lottery operator Jumbo Interactive announced to the Australian Stock Exchange that it had appointed Delloite as administrator of its software distribution subsidiary Manaccom Pty Ltd. The company that created the OzLotteries Website pulled the plug on the disto after mounting trading losses, which …

    Financial News 2 Feb 21:22

  • Amazon lobs Oracle onto heavenly servers

    Ellisonware joins MySQL on Relational Database cloud

    Amazon will soon offer Oracle Database 11g Release 2 as well as MySQL from its sky-high relational database service. The company plans to lob the Oracle database onto its so-called cloud sometime in the second quarter, as it announced with a blog post. In October 2009, the etailer cum virtual infrastructure maven launched its …

    Cloud 2 Feb 22:51

  • Google offers $20,000 prize in annual hack-off

    Pwn2Own lets Chrome in, after all

    The annual Pwn2Own hacking contest has been so merciless at thrashing the security of popular computing products that most vendors groan when they learn their wares will be entered. Not Google. When the search company recently learned that its Chrome browser wasn't going to be included in this year's competition, which is …

    Security 2 Feb 22:52

  • Schooner ditches IBM, sets MySQL, caching accelerators free

    No longer lashed to IBM iron

    Schooner Information Technology, a startup that has been pushing its Web caching and MySQL acceleration appliances since it came out of stealth mode in April 2009, has ditched the hardware. The IBM System x hardware, to be specific. The Membrain appliance, as it is now called, is based on a modified version of the open source …

    Servers 2 Feb 22:57