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22nd February 2011 Archive

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  • Microsoft gives Kinect SDK to 'academics, enthusiasts'

    Non-commercial 'starter kit'

    Microsoft has announced that it will release a Kinect for Windows SDK "starter kit" this spring "to make it simpler for the academic research and enthusiast communities to create rich natural user interfaces" using the motion-sensing device. "Microsoft's investments in natural user interfaces are vital to our long-term vision …

    Developer 22 Feb 01:07

  • Mobile net upgrades all the rage for Oz carriers

    Voda calls on Huawei to replace all base stations

    Vodafone, criticised since last year for poor network performance, is to replace virtually all of its network base stations with Huawei kit, announcing that it will either install new equipment or replace kit at 8,000 base station sites over the next 18 months. The project will start with the 5,800 sites now in service, with …

    Mobile 22 Feb 02:21

  • iTunes privacy hole shares library content with world+dog

    Beware of SpyTunes

    A technology researcher has unearthed a privacy hole in Apple's iTunes Store that makes it easy for unauthorized people to learn what music, videos and apps you've acquired from the online bazaar. The technique, which is described in a recent post by Andrew McAfee, exploits design weaknesses in a feature of the online store …

    Security 22 Feb 04:00

  • ZeuS trojan attacks bank's 2-factor authentication

    Malware for your mobile

    A variant of the ZeuS banking trojan is targeting mobile phone users who rely on their handsets to get enhanced, two-factor authentication from ING Bank Slaski in Poland, a security blogger said on Monday. The ZeuS man-in-the-mobile attacks appear to similar to those that hit Spain in September, researchers from antivirus …

    Security 22 Feb 06:02

  • Griffin PowerDock Dual

    Review For iExhibitionists only

    Griffin’s latest iPad and iPhone accessory is recognition that, far from being hidden out of view in home offices and studies, owners of Apple gadgets like to show them off. You see, the Griffin PowerDock Dual has two Dock connectors, designed to charge an iPad and an iPhone or iPod simultaneously and the two objects of iEnvy …

    reghardware 22 Feb 07:00

  • Thames Valley and Hampshire police merge IT services

    They already share an ICT director

    Two neighbouring police authorities have signed a legal agreement to create a single IT department Police staff working at both forces will work together in one department managed by Thames Valley police. The forces said that the collaboration builds on other successful shared services projects in the south east region, and …

    Policing 22 Feb 07:27

  • Tosh shows off snazzy external drive

    But is it art?

    Toshiba has introduced a snazzy-looking but oddly named line of external drives called STOR.E ART 4, with a 1.5TB model coming. There are four announced products, all using 2.5-inch drives, with 500, 640, and 750GB capacities and a 1TB range topper. They come in glossy black cases with capacity-coded colour accents: red for …

    Storage 22 Feb 09:40

  • Can service centric IT deliver better value?

    Live Now The business benefits of IT

    Today at 15:00 The Register’s Manek Dubash has a studio full of experts to talk about how taking a service centric approach to IT can help IT departments deliver better value to the business. Joining Manek will be Andrew Buss from Freeform Dynamics, Gordon McKenna from Inframon and Ellis Paul from Microsoft. The four of them …

    Data Centre 22 Feb 09:51

  • Egyptian bloke dubs sprog 'Facebook'

    Monicker marks routing of Mubarak

    A young Egyptian dad has dubbed his newborn daughter "Facebook" in honour of the role the social network played in deposing Hosni Mubarak. The unnamed man, in his 20s, condemned his poor sprog to a lifetime of ridicule "to express his joy at the achievements made by the January 25 youth", as local paper al-Ahram put it. …

    Bootnotes 22 Feb 10:03

  • The Woz speaks: Fusion-io plans IPO

    Server flash card vendor is going public

    Privately-owned server flash card vendor Fusion-io is planning to go public, according to its chief scientist, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Fusion-io's ioMemory technology adds flash chips to a PCIe card that becomes an intermediate tier of memory between a server's DRAM and its hard drives, accelerating server applications …

    Storage 22 Feb 10:07

  • French back Google monopoly complaint

    Let us advertise our search engines

    A French vertical search specialist has filed a fresh complaint against Google alleging the search and advertising behemoth is abusing its dominant position. 1plusV, the company behind ejustice.fr and other search sites, filed a complaint along with UK shopping comparison site Foundem and Ciao - a German shopping site backed …

    Music and Media 22 Feb 10:30

  • Site to highlight social networks' security soft spots

    Hey, Facebook, fly's undone

    Security researchers have set up a site designed to prod social networking websites into practising what they preach about web security. Socialnetworksecurity.org, which aims to publish details of security vulnerabilities on Web 2.0 sites such as Xing or Facebook, was set up last weekend by security researchers frustrated with …

    Enterprise Security 22 Feb 10:31

  • Northamber returns to profit for back end of 2010

    Cautious, strict, tight, reasonable

    Veteran distie Northamber issued a steady-as-she-goes trading statement today as it reported a turnaround profit for the six months to December 31. The firm pulled in revenues of £67.7m, a six per cent rise, to deliver pre-tax profits of £151,000 compared to last year's £41,000 loss. However, the competitive market meant …

    Channel Register 22 Feb 10:58

  • Windows Phone update wallops Omnia 7

    Samsung handset hurt

    Microsoft's latest mobile OS update has locked up some Samsung Omnia 7 handsets and reportedly bricked others. The problem seems to be with specific firmware versions of the Omnia 7, but there's speculation that developer builds or the 64-bit version of the Zune software is to blame. So some users are installing the upgrade …

    Mobile 22 Feb 11:01

  • Discovery on countdown for Thursday launch

    'In good shape' for 39th and final flight

    Space shuttle Discovery is on countdown for lift-off on Thursday to the International Space Station, with NASA's weather forecast predicting "80 per cent chance of acceptable conditions at launch time". NASA test director Jeff Spaulding yesterday described the venerable vehicle as "in good shape" to blast off on its 39th and …

    Space 22 Feb 11:07

  • Polyglot 419 scammers target German and Welsh speakers

    Grammar remains poor ...

    419 advance fee fraudsters have broadened their range of targets by sending out scam emails in German and Welsh over recent days. Instead of emails in English purporting to come from Mrs Miriam Abachi, a long staple of such scams, one batch intercepted by Symantec last week posed as messages from the lawyer of recently deposed …

    Crime 22 Feb 11:09

  • Virgin Media to issue firmware update after Superhub slows to crawl

    Exclusive Fancy new kit FAIL

    Virgin Media cable customers who recently upgraded to the company's Superhub router/modem combo boxes to access its 30Mbit/s and above service are complaining about stability issues and slow connections with the new kit. Reg reader Adam told us that Virgin Media is offering only Netgear hardware, which provides what he …

    Telecoms 22 Feb 11:17

  • Blind man excels at videogames

    Out of this world and out of sight

    A blind man has stunned the gaming community by flawlessly churning through levels relying solely on sound effects. 23-year-old Colorado student Terry Garrett has beaten 2D platformer Abe's Exoddus several times despite his visual impairment. In an interview with Oddworld, Garrett said he followed sounds and memorised the …

    reghardware 22 Feb 11:24

  • Applied desktop virtualisation: Reg readers speak

    Survey results Aging desktops and the old car syndrome

    In November 2010, we polled Register readers to find out where you lot are at with desktop virtualisation. Some 192 IT pros, mostly from the UK and the US, completed a big survey, which was framed by The Register's research partner Freeform Dynamics and sponsored by Microsoft. The findings are in and fully crunched and so we …

    Desktop Virtualisation 22 Feb 12:00

  • Poynt for BlackBerry

    Review Getting straight to the Poynt

    Poynt is an app that offers local info quickly and easily on your smartphone. It’s available in Android and iPhone flavours, but looks and works best on a BlackBerry running OS6. Originally, the high-end Torch 9800 was the only BlackBerry to incorporate OS6, but has been joined by a clutch of cheaper sisters in recent months …

    reghardware 22 Feb 12:01

  • UK inks space research deal with Russia

    I haven't seen anything like that except, uh, molecular acid

    The UK government signed a space science research agreement with Russia in Moscow today. Various experiments will be undertaken in what the two countries have tagged 'UK-Russia Year of Space 2011'. Catchy. “The UK plays an important role in space science and research throughout the world," said Minister for Universities and …

    Space 22 Feb 12:20

  • Fox promises all change at MoD

    Leopard changes spots, cats sleep with dogs, pigs cleared for take-off

    Defence Secretary Liam Fox has promised that the Ministry of Defence will end its free-spending ways, following a highly critical report from the Public Accounts Committee. The MoD has written off £5bn this year by cancelling the Nimrod and Sentinel projects. The committee of MPs noted that defence spending exceeds forecast …

    Government 22 Feb 12:25

  • NFC is top, says GSMA, and put us in charge ... please?

    Any revenue stream in a storm

    The world's mobile operators are committed to mobile payments using Near Field Communications, according to the trade body that is pitching to put itself at the centre of the ecosystem. The GSMA would like to remind everyone that it should be at the centre of any standardising process, and that by building their own …

    Mobile 22 Feb 12:28

  • HTC 7 Pro WinPho 7 smartphone

    Review Qwerty contender ready for business

    Any Windows Phone 7 device will give you a virtual Qwerty keyboard on its touch screen, but the HTC 7 Pro is one of the very few to offer a proper, slide-out hard key version, and the Dell Venue Pro’s vertical slider pales in comparison to this one. Touch or type: HTC's 7 Pro It’s not an outsize handset like HTC’s HD 7, but …

    reghardware 22 Feb 12:30

  • Telegraph mulls cash alternative to suicide

    Don't call it a paywall

    "Calling it a paywall sounds like it's a tall impenetrable barrier that only Hercules can break down," pondered the FT's digital chief recently. "Why don't we call it paying for content, just like paying for milk or bread?" Come September, the Telegraph too will be milking its nodes for cash, according to reports in the …

    Music and Media 22 Feb 12:30

  • Jacqui Smith 'shocked' to discover we're drowning in sea of porn

    Visit to Erotica exhibition made her feel 'innocent'

    Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has professed herself "shocked" at the availability of porn on the internet after investigating the issue for a radio documentary. Which raises the question of what exactly she thought she was cracking down on during her time in charge of law and order. Smith famously left her job as Gordon …

    Government 22 Feb 12:33

  • First details on EC data protection action against UK revealed

    Commission at last explains why it gave UK a Data Protection Directive fail ...

    Details of the European Commission's objections to the Data Protection Act (DPA) have been revealed for the first time. A document has been published outlining why the Commission thinks the DPA fails to implement the EU's Data Protection Directive. The information is contained in a Commission response to a four-year-old …

    Law 22 Feb 13:17

  • iPad 2 launch could be delayed by two months, analyst says

    Mmmm, the unicorns have come later this year

    A research analyst's note has sent shudders of horror through the Applesphere by suggesting the as-yet-unannounced iPad 2 could arrive two months later than expected. Vincent Chen, Yuanta Securities' head of downstream tech equities, said yesterday that a redesign just before the Chinese New Year was causing production …

    Mobile 22 Feb 13:48

  • Sony refreshes Vaio series with glowing body and dual batteries

    Bright ideas?

    Sony has refreshed its notebook range, with a colourful collection of glowing models and lightweight dual-battery options. The new Vaio C series features a translucent lid that gathers natural light and reflects it throughout the body, creating a fluorescent glow effect. The notebooks include a 14in LED-backlit display, a 3D …

    reghardware 22 Feb 14:04

  • Google switches on Christchurch earthquake service

    'Personfinder' worked in Haiti

    Google is offering its "personfinder" database to help people in Christchurch, New Zealand find friends and family in the wake of last night's earthquake. The googlepersonfinder home page has two buttons - one for those looking for someone and another button for surfers who have information about a Christchurch resident. The …

    Applications 22 Feb 14:48

  • Slot machine serves drinks instead of money

    Spin out completely

    Say hello to the BarBot, which combines alcohol and gambling to form what could be a seriously addictive bit of kit. Instead of winning money, users are rewarded with a cocktail. Things could get messy. The BarBot won a hacking competition called "Take on the Machine", sponsored by Vimby and Scion. It started life as a …

    reghardware 22 Feb 15:00

  • Oddjob Trojan keeps banking sessions open after victims log out

    Positively shocking

    Miscreants have created a banking trojan that keeps victims' accounts open to plundering even after their marks log out of their accounts. The memorably named OddJob Trojan hijacks customers’ online banking sessions in real time using their session ID tokens. By keeping accounts open even after victims think they have quit, the …

    Enterprise Security 22 Feb 15:12

  • BMW says 'i' aye to EV and hybrid car

    2013 launches

    BMW showed off the much-anticipated "i" sub-brand of battery-powered cars to the world yesterday. The two models, made from carbon fibre and aluminium, are set for a 2013 release. The company says more BMW i cars will follow. The BMW i3 - previously known as the Megacity Vehicle - is to be the group's first series produced …

    reghardware 22 Feb 15:59

  • German Foreign Office kills desktop Linux, hugs Windows XP

    Cites 'efficiency gains' and 'interoperability problems'

    Openistas beware! Politicos at the German Foreign Office are reportedly ditching Linux in favour of returning their desktop PCs to Windows XP-based systems. According to a report on netzpolitik.org, which was diligently spotted by The H, the German Foreign Office recently decided to dump their Linux-based machines. That move …

    Operating Systems 22 Feb 16:17

  • Windows 7 service pack 1 set to lift off today

    Microsoft preps download centre for update bonanza

    Microsoft is imminently expected to release the first service pack for its Windows 7 operating system. The company confirmed earlier this month that its Windows 7 SP1 and sibling server product Windows 2008 R2 SP1 would both arrive today (22 February). However, Redmond hasn't hit the button on the code yet. It's expected to …

    Operating Systems 22 Feb 16:30

  • Facebook pulls naked smutty filth from NY Academy of Art page

    Social network's curators take down Andy Warhol school paintings

    Facebook is in the doghouse again – and this time it is none other than the New York Academy of Art taking them to task for their online censoriousness. The dispute has rumbled onward in the Academy's official blog since the end of January, when Facebook notified the administrator of the Academy's official Facebook page that …

    Music and Media 22 Feb 16:39

  • Three-day gaming session kills Chinese man

    Another victim of online marathons

    A Beijing man has died at the end of a three-day online gaming marathon during which "he did not sleep and barely ate". According to the Beijing Times, reported via the BBC, the unnamed 30-year-old collapsed in a net cafe on the outskirts of the city, and attempts to revive him failed. He'd apparently worked his way through …

    Bootnotes 22 Feb 17:03

  • Make your own guitar with a 3D printer

    No fret

    Check out this dude - jammin' on a guitar he designed using 3D modelling software. This is the Zoybar Tor, created by a musician called Bård S D, using the open-source 3D modelling software Blender. Bård then had the body parts printed by Shapeways on a 3D printer for $175. The body parts are designed by Zoybar, which …

    reghardware 22 Feb 17:58

  • Welcome to the Petabyte Club

    It's not big, it's BI+g data

    Hype alert; hype alert; Big Data is coming our way. A new volcano has blasted its way above the surface of the marketing sea, spewing out "big data" messages in enormous flows of thought leader bullshit. What the heck is this big data thing? EMC says it's to do with handling data at the petabyte scale, where things like …

    Blocks and Files 22 Feb 18:00

  • Memo to iPad mimics: No one wants a $799 knockoff

    Open...and Shut You can't beat Apple at being Apple

    There's a growing list of would-be iPad killers born each month, but none yet to grok the central message that made Android beat the iPhone: cheapness. Motorola and others may have all sorts of reasons for why their tablets are superior to Apple's iPad, but until the price tag is significantly lower, their devices are going to …

    Music and Media 22 Feb 18:00

  • Steve Jobs clarifies 'Subscription Gate' confusion with more confusion

    Minimalist App-Store memo debated

    The increasingly convoluted morass of Apple's latest App Store Guidelines – notably whether software-as-a-service (SaaS) apps are now verboten in the sacred store – has prompted what may be a response from Steve Jobs himself. "We created subscriptions for publishing apps, not SaaS apps. Sent from my iPhone," is how Jobs …

    Applications 22 Feb 20:29

  • Judge guts suit against Sony for killing Linux in PS3

    Tells console owners to try again

    A federal judge has dismissed all but one of the claims leveled against Sony for dropping Linux support from its PlayStation 3 game console, but gave the plaintiffs permission to refile an amended complaint that fixes the deficiencies. A complaint seeking class-action status on behalf of all PS3 owners was filed in April and …

    Law 22 Feb 20:35

  • Brisbane's sewer fibre plan goes down the pan

    i3 flushed out of the pipes

    A broadband-via-sewer rollout in Australia's third biggest city has ended almost as soon as it began, with Brisbane Council announcing the network will not continue. In October last year, the British company i3 Group proclaimed its deal with Brisbane Council would cover 500,000 households at just A$600 per connection – much …

    Telecoms 22 Feb 20:41

  • Acer launches server biz in the US

    An indirect assault on HP, Dell, and IBM

    Does the server racket in the United States need another competitor? Acer and its channel partners think so. The Taiwanese PC maker, which ate rival PC makers Packard Bell and Gateway a little more than three years ago to take the number four position in the market, came out swinging last March in the European server racket …

    Servers 22 Feb 21:29

  • Kogan turns consumers into working capital

    Is there such thing as an economic free lunch?

    When everyone is selling the same things, made in the same Chinese factories, how can a retailer manage to gain an edge? That's the problem that Kogan Technologies had: and its solution is, to be fair, pretty cute. Kogan is already Australia's largest online retailer of consumer electronics, so it was obviously doing something …

    Channel Register 22 Feb 22:30

  • Facebook users subjected to more clickjacking

    Your consent without your approval

    Facebook users have been subjected to another round of clickjacking attacks that force them to authorize actions they had no intention of approving. The latest episode in this continuing saga, according to Sophos researchers, is a set of campaigns aimed at Italian-speaking users of the social network. The come-ons promise …

    Malware 22 Feb 22:56

  • Microsoft's IE slipping into Chrome release cycle?

    More frequent, smaller releases

    Microsoft is holding firm to its Internet-Explorer release schedule rather than follow Mozilla or Google by stepping up the pace of deliveries - officially, at least. Senior director of IE business and marketing Ryan Gavin speaking to The Reg at the launch of the Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate (RC) this month dismissed …

    Applications 22 Feb 23:03