The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

11th April 2011 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • How is SSL hopelessly broken? Let us count the ways

    Analysis Blunders expose huge cracks in net's trust foundation

    Every year or so, a crisis or three exposes deep fractures in the system that's supposed to serve as the internet's foundation of trust. In 2008, it was the devastating weakness in SSL, or secure sockets layer, certificates issued by a subsidiary of VeriSign. The following year, it was the minting of a PayPal credential that …

    Security 11 Apr 2011, 03:00

  • Adobe speeds Creative Suite releases to catch tablets

    Aims at iOS, Tablet OS, Android

    Adobe Software is accelerating the delivery of new versions of its popular Creative Suite, hoping to keep up with the ever-changing mobile computing market. The company will introduce a mid-cycle update to the Creative Suite family that will ship every 12 months. Mid-cycle releases will let Adobe bring new features to its …

    Software 11 Apr 2011, 04:00

  • Bruised Iron Mountain gives up on storage cloud

    Gartner gives game away

    It's weird: Gartner is now Iron Mountain's news outlet and tells us that bruised Iron Mountain is giving up on its public cloud storage and closing the business down. The beleaguered company has also set up a poison pill defence against any takeover attempts. The background here is that Iron Mountain screwed up and had to …

    Cloud 11 Apr 2011, 08:30

  • Leicester unloses key data

    Lost USB found in a lunch box

    Leicester City Council has found the USB stick containing key codes for several thousand vulnerable residents' front doors. The stick went missing in mid-March and contained key codes to open boxes outside the homes of users of the council's care service which contained front door keys. The council changed several thousand …

    Management 11 Apr 2011, 08:31

  • Icelandic todger museum acquires human hampton

    Local chap makes generous donation

    The Icelandic Phallological Museum last Friday became "probably the only museum in the world to contain a collection of phallic specimens belonging to all the various types of mammal found in a single country", when it took possession of a human penis. The example of Homo sapien Islandicus's wedding tackle was kindly …

    Bootnotes 11 Apr 2011, 08:33

  • 'Thickest burglar' leaves passport at scene of raid

    Police crack case in 'seconds'

    The Sun has hailed 48-year-old Kenneth Morgan as Britain's "thickest burglar", after he abandoned his passport at the scene of a break-in. The career criminal was forced to beat a retreat from a property in Acton, West London, when the owner returned home and caught him in the act. He made good his escape through the kitchen …

    Bootnotes 11 Apr 2011, 08:48

  • Phones 4U gets first dibs on white LG 3D phone

    Android-based autostereoscopic Optimus

    Phones 4U just called to say it has the exclusive on LG's autostereoscopic 3D smartphone, the Optimus 3D - in white, at least. The handset will be widely available in black, which Phones 4U will also offer. The Android-running Optimus 3D's touchscreen display is 4.3in in size, 480 x 800 in resolution, and incorporates a 1GHz …

    Mobile 11 Apr 2011, 08:52

  • Brits won't get PSP price cut, says Sony

    Exchange rate machinations

    UK gamers aren't going to enjoy the benefits of the €50 (£44) price cut Sony has just applied to the PlayStation Portable. According to the consumer electronics giant, its Euro-Yen exchange rate wobbles that have allowed it to knock the PSP from €180 to €130 (£159 to £115), but with the Sterling-Yen rate being where it is, it …

    Games 11 Apr 2011, 09:26

  • Duke Nukem Girls give it some on video

    NSFW Pre-release tease

    Headline says it all. Video shows it all... Duke Nukem Forever will be released on 10 June, 2011. Honest. ®

    Games 11 Apr 2011, 09:34

  • UK mobile punters get swift network switcheroo ability

    Still a major faff, though

    Mobile customers can now change networks in 24 hours – if they can be bothered to negotiate the sped-up but still complicated process. The accelerated process was mandated by Ofcom last year, but the operators have had 10 months to get their systems up to speed. Operators and should now be able to provide a Porting …

    Mobile 11 Apr 2011, 09:50

  • Corrupt bank worker jailed over Trojan-powered tax scam

    Funneled £3.2m through bogus bank accounts

    A former local business manager at a bank who participated in a £3.2m self assessment tax fraud was jailed for three years and three months on Friday. Nikola Novakovic, 34, conspired with Oleg Rozputnii, 28, to register over 1,050 fictitious taxpayers on the Income Tax Self Assessment system. The pair claimed fraudulent tax …

    Security 11 Apr 2011, 09:57

  • Binary dinosaur drive found alive and breathing fire

    Comment 28-year-old Seagate spinner, but you'll need safety specs

    A binary dinosaur, with another 28-year-old Seagate drive inside, is still working - in an original IBM 5150 PC's expansion unit. The 5150 PC accelerated the PC revolution kickstarted by the Commodore Pet, Apple II, TRS-80 (Trash 80), and other wonderful early boxes. The 5150 was a proper system, coming with a keyboard, built- …

    Storage 11 Apr 2011, 10:00

  • Nude Florida man in gunfight with police SWAT robot

    Vid Tin cop riddled by balls-out gunman's AK47 fusillade

    A naked Florida man sent a police SWAT robot fleeing from his home after opening fire on the tin cop with an AK-47 assault rifle. The heavily armed indoor nudist had become the subject of police attention as he was known to possess "several guns" and to have stated that he was suicidal, as well as offering threats. "He said …

    Bootnotes 11 Apr 2011, 10:00

  • Capita makes grab for health reseller

    £16m for tasty NHS budgets

    Capita is making an offer of £15.8m for Tribal Group's health and government divisions. The takeover includes a £2.5m "deferred consideration" and would help Capita bid for health contracts including coding, health informatics and supporting commissioning consortia. The coalition government plans wide reforms of NHS …

    The Channel 11 Apr 2011, 10:16

  • Russians honour 65-metre fluorescent phallus

    Art award for St Petersburg bridge erection

    A Russian performance art collective has trousered a state-funded cash prize for painting a 65 metre fluorescent phallus on a St Petersburg bridge. Last July, nine Война ("War") activists took just 23 seconds to slap a todger on the bridge's road surface, which then rose majestically during the nightly bridge raising along the …

    Bootnotes 11 Apr 2011, 10:17

  • Seagate gets new global sales head

    The amazing case of the disappearing Dave

    Seagate has announced a new EVP for global sales and marketing, Albert 'Rocky' Pimentel, while some doubt remains about the fate of previous incumbent Dave Mosley. Pimentel replaces interim EVP Karl Richarz, who we are told was put in place "as Seagate’s management team planned its realignment strategy". He will "continue to …

    The Channel 11 Apr 2011, 10:30

  • Computacenter bags Apple dealer

    Subject to clearance

    Computacenter's German tentacle is snapping up an Apple dealer, assuming regulators do not object. Computacenter GmbH is offering €4.9m for Apple integrator HSD Consult GmbH from the Gravis Group. There is an extra €0.5m available in earn-outs by the end of 2011 which depends on "the level of acquired skills". Britain's …

    The Channel 11 Apr 2011, 10:31

  • No stranger to the moleskin trouser

    Stob Not around the water cooler

    A website called MySpace is 'in a death spiral' according to Mr Robert Scoble, who attributes this unhappy state to its being implemented using Microsoft .NET technology, and because it is headquartered in Los Angeles, where apparently there aren't enough good programmers. Slightly cross-eyed with concentration at his three- …

    Verity Stob 11 Apr 2011, 10:42

  • Apple AirPlay unlocked

    AirPort Express hardware sims are go

    The cryptography Apple uses to secure AirPlay wireless media streams - and to prevent anyone easily supporting the protocol for playback - has been cracked. Frustrated by the lack of a third-party AirPort Express simulator - APEx is Apple's mini access point-cum-media streaming terminal - coder James Laird opened one up and …

    Hardware 11 Apr 2011, 10:43

  • Google calls halt on German Street View

    Noseying now verboten

    Google has confirmed it will not be collecting any more pictures for its Street View service in Germany. The decision, taken in light of objections from German privacy regulators, means you can still see images for 20 German cities already covered, but there will be no expansion, or updating of images. A Google spokesman told …

    Government 11 Apr 2011, 11:17

  • A fifth of Europeans can't work out how much a TV costs

    And a quarter never read a contract before they sign it

    A full 20 per cent of European consumers are too befuddled to work out which is the cheaper flat screen TV when given a choice of two*, European Commission research has found. The figures, released today, show that fewer than two-thirds of consumers could read an ingredients label, while 18 per cent of shoppers are flummoxed …

    Government 11 Apr 2011, 11:32

  • Facebook 'signs' independent social network deal with Baidu

    Put the needle on the record

    Facebook has reportedly inked a deal with Baidu to build a social network for the People's Republic. According to the report, anonymous sources at China's biggest search engine outfit claimed an agreement had been reached following a number of meetings between Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg and Baidu CEO Robin Li. Bloomberg …

    Applications 11 Apr 2011, 11:33

  • HTC Android tablet priced up for Blighty's shoppers

    HTC = Humungous Tablet Cost

    Smartphone maker HTC's entry into the media tablet arena, the Flyer, will arrive in the UK imminently, according to Carphone Warehouse. The retailer has beguin taking advance orders for the fondleslab - though its website also says the Flyer has flown in and is in stock. No surprise this - HTC UK is launching the tablet …

    Tablets 11 Apr 2011, 11:43

  • Google folds Hotpot into Places

    They'll be no yelping from here

    Google is adding Hotpot functionality into Google Places, dropping the standalone service to create a single source for company information and peer reviews. Google Hotpot competes with the popular Yelp service – both invite patrons to post reviews of businesses – while Google Places invites businesses to say something about …

    Mobile 11 Apr 2011, 11:46

  • Nokia E7 Qwerty slider smartphone

    Review Symbian's last call?

    The Nokia E7 is the company’s latest for phone for business and, in keeping with the styling makeover first seen on the N8, it features a sleek aluminium casing with tapered ends and a big 4in screen. Indeed, it could easily be mistaken for an N8 at first glance. For business and pleasure: Nokia's E7 It’s only when you look …

    Phones 11 Apr 2011, 12:00

  • Google hits 'prove we killed no Afghans' – Assange™

    WikiLeaks is more accountable than democracy

    Julian Assange™, globally famous Wikileaks supremo, has claimed that his organisation is "more accountable" than democratic governments and has also claimed credit for the rise of anti-corruption sentiment in India. He also suggested that the number of Google hits generated by typing an organisation's name followed by "blood on …

    Law 11 Apr 2011, 12:05

  • Punter bags 500GB SSD, finds 128MB Flash inside

    Solid Scam Drive

    Pity the poor guy who bought a very cheap external hard drive in China, only to find that there was nothing inside but a seemingly cleverly configured 128MB USB Flash key. The sad Russian's story, relayed by Hardmac, is a salutary tale about paying the right price for things. But there's an interesting tech story here too. It …

    Hardware 11 Apr 2011, 12:06

  • Gov denies special celeb NHS record treatment

    Don't put your data on the stage, Mrs Worthington

    The Department of Health has said that politicians and celebrities will not get an automatic exemption from inclusion on the NHS personal demographics service (PDS), despite reports suggesting this will be the case. Exclusion from the PDS, which contains name, contact details, place and date of birth and NHS number, stops …

    Government 11 Apr 2011, 12:15

  • Child protection website insecurity fixed

    Abuse report page was unencrypted

    A member of the public was shocked to find that links to a web page used to report incidents of suspected child abuse to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre were insecure. Concerned parties visiting a confidential report abuse webpage on CEOP's webpage from either Facebook or Google were directed to an …

    Law 11 Apr 2011, 12:42

  • Official iSteve biography gets 2012 release

    How do you like them apples?

    A biography about Apple boss Steve Jobs will be published in 2012 and it has the all-important official seal of approval from the man himself. Simon & Schuster, the publisher behind Walter Isaacson's iSteve: The Book of Jobs, confirmed that the author had been working on the biog since 2009. In that time, Isaacson has …

    Hardware 11 Apr 2011, 12:43

  • ZTE and Ericsson go to war over patents

    I'll action you in a minute

    Ericsson and ZTE are hurling suits at each other in a full-on war over patents. Last week Ericsson launched actions across Europe against ZTE, claiming breach of Ericsson patents. ZTE has responded in kind, with patent claims of its own in China. Ericsson filed in the UK, Italy and Germany, claiming that handsets manufactured …

    Mobile 11 Apr 2011, 13:12

  • Level 3 pays $3bn for Global Crossing

    Tier 1 rival was worth $39bn back in the day

    Level 3 is acquiring fellow tier 1 network provider Global Crossing, bringing together two of the most notorious fibre-networking firms from the heyday of the dotcom boom. Level 3 will take over Global Crossing in an all-share deal, handing over 16 of its shares for every one of Global Crossing's. Working from Level 3's stock …

    Broadband 11 Apr 2011, 13:13

  • Windows 7 gets the Star Wars treatment

    Vids The Death Star was my idea

    The Star Wars fans among you who remember Microsoft's TV punts for Windows 7... ...might enjoy this explanation of just whose idea the Death Star was: Well, recruiting Darth Vader for a Windows 7 promotion probably would have panned out better than a short dalliance with Family Guy: MS dropped plans for a TV …

    Hardware 11 Apr 2011, 13:24

  • US Navy laser cannon used to set boat aflame

    Vid Has it caught fire yet? Choh. Put some tea on

    US Navy boffins last week carried out their first test of a raygun mounted on a warship, using the beam to blast a small rigid-inflatable boat and set its engines on fire. The boat-blaster trial comes as part of the Maritime Laser Demonstrator (MLD) programme run by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR). It took place near …

    Science 11 Apr 2011, 13:30

  • GCHQ commits schoolboy security blunder

    Now pay attention, Bond, this is the bcc button

    Exciting news from UK spooks at GCHQ - it's the new and improved "Guidance document on use of Smartphones in Government". The only problem with this riveting press release from GCHQ is that someone forgot to use the bcc function - instead, the message reveals the email address of every journalist on the list. The list comes …

    Security 11 Apr 2011, 14:07

  • Apple to dominate tablet biz through 2015

    Tough time ahead for WebOS, BlackBerry

    Apple's iOS may be forecast to lose smartphone market share even to Microsoft's Windows Phone, but it will remain the leader in the media tablet arena through to 2016. So suggests research house Gartner, which puts iOS' share of the 2015 294.1m-unit market at 47.1 per cent. That's an inevitable significant reduction on Apple' …

    Tablets 11 Apr 2011, 14:14

  • Teradata adds flash, denser packaging for BI appliances

    More data chewing per square foot

    Teradata wants to keep its dominant position in data warehousing and analytics, so it is picking up the technology pace to take on Oracle with its Exadata appliances and IBM with its Netezza and Smart Analytic System appliances. The company is rolling out an improved Enterprise Data Warehouse product line and a separate product …

    Virtualization 11 Apr 2011, 14:58

  • Intel does fondleslabs with Atom 'Oak Trail'

    But don't call them fondleslabs

    Intel has announced that it is now shipping its latest low-power platform, formerly codenamed Oak Trail, aimed squarely at Chipzilla's latest market-defining neologism: "Companion Computing". That would be what the rest of the known world calls "tablets". Intel says that the platform, centered around its new Atom Z670 …

    Media 11 Apr 2011, 15:00

  • SpyEye suspects charged over alleged banking scam

    Two in court, one on bail

    UK police have arrested three men over an alleged scam involving stealing money from online bank accounts that had been compromised using the infamous SpyEye Trojan. Two of the three men – Pavel Cyganoc, 26, a Lithuanian resident of Birmingham, and Aldis Krummins, 45, a Latvian resident of Goole, Humberside – appeared at …

    Security 11 Apr 2011, 15:03

  • Isilon scale-out filers get processor boost

    Big data? Bring it on

    EMC's Isilon unit has revved up its product range by adding two systems that use Intel Westmere and Nehalem processors, with more than twice as much file throughput for its top-end S200 system. Big data here we come... Isilon sells scale-out clustered filers, with an S-Series, which is optimised for sheer high-end grunt, a mid …

    Storage 11 Apr 2011, 15:25

  • DARPA wants secure Droids, iPads, iPhones

    Pentagon boffins can bear BlackBerry shame no longer

    Sometimes it's tough being an elite high-risk Pentagon boffin. Much though the life might seem like a dream to many of us – perks of the job could include such things as hover-jeep flying cars, self-assembling floating fortresses, Matrix style cyberwar firing ranges populated by replicant sim-people etc etc – there are downsides …

    Mobile 11 Apr 2011, 15:59

  • Hack attack spills web security firm's confidential data

    Barracuda Networks injected with ultimate irony

    Try this for irony: The website of web application security provider Barracuda Networks has sustained an attack that appears to have exposed sensitive data concerning the company's partners and employee login credentials, according to an anonymous post. Barracuda representatives didn't respond to emails seeking confirmation of …

    Security 11 Apr 2011, 18:06

  • Brain boffins in cortex mapping breakthrough

    Mice sacrificed for Machine Brain

    Brain boffins at University College London have made a major breakthrough in the ongoing effort to bridge the gap between man and machine. The UCL research team has developed a technique for mapping both the connections and functions of nerve cells in the brain, as revealed by UCL News. "We are beginning to untangle the …

    Science 11 Apr 2011, 19:06

  • Microsoft accuses Google of misleading feds over app security

    Google denies claims of untruth

    Microsoft has accused Google of making "misleading security claims" to the US government, as the two companies continue to spar over the use of their respective online application suites among government agencies. With a recent lawsuit, various public statements, and posts to its website, Google has said that its Google Apps …

    The Channel 11 Apr 2011, 19:31

  • GNOME 3: Shocking changes for Linux lovers

    Review Cleaner, simpler, button-free

    At five years in the making, and with code contributions from more than 3,500 developers, the just released GNOME 3 is not a small upgrade: it's a radical departure with an entirely new approach. GNOME 3 will no doubt prove polarizing for the GNOME community, at least initially. But, the reality is, love it or hate it, GNOME 3 …

    Software 11 Apr 2011, 19:37

  • Optus launches '3G at home' femtocell

    Australia yawns

    Optus has launched Australia’s first consumer femtocell service to a chorus of shrugs and yawns. Australians with a fixed broadband connection can now use that service to connect 3G devices with the device, marketed as Optus 3G Home Zone, ensuring that they can "get five bars" of 3G coverage in their homes. With the device …

    Networks 11 Apr 2011, 22:02

  • Overbuild threat drove NBN decision: Conroy

    ABC's Four Corners summarises the history of a venomous debate

    Australia could have had privately-built high-speed FTTN broadband, but for the roadblocks put in place by its incumbent carrier, according to an in-depth investigation into the history of the National Broadband Network by ABC programme Four Corners. Prior to the global financial crisis, successive Australian governments had …

    Networks 11 Apr 2011, 22:54

  • Assange™ says Guardian claims 'completely fabricated'

    Also fabricates a court case

    WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has told the Australian national broadcaster that Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding invented a quote attributed to him in the book WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy, and that he is suing The Guardian. On the ABC's 7.30 programme, presenter Leigh Sales asked …

    Media 11 Apr 2011, 23:05

  • KIT buys ioko for $79.4m

    Sixth acquisition this year

    Video technology company KIT Digital has capped off a tech acquisition frenzy with the purchase of cloud based video provider ioko365 for US$79.4 million. Marking KIT’s sixth acquisition this year after buying KickApps, Kewego, Kyte, Polymedia and WWB, the company states it will be moving from its shopping spree phase to one …

    Financial News 11 Apr 2011, 23:15

  • Sony buries hatchet with GeoHot in PS3 modding case

    Jailbreaker promises no more console hacks

    Sony has agreed to drop a lawsuit against a hacker who published the secret key used to jailbreak the PlayStation 3, in exchange for promises he will drop all future attempts to unlock the game console. The agreement ending Sony's controversial legal attack on George Hotz, aka GeoHot, was laid out in a permanent injunction …

    Security 11 Apr 2011, 23:16