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19th May 2011 Archive

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  • NBN Co lights up on mainland

    Fibre for farmers and marginal electorates

    Australia’s controversial national broadband network took one small step towards actual deployment with the click of a specially-constructed media-stunt red button officially activating the first mainland site in Armidale, NSW yesterday. Two years into the project, NBN Co still have some significant hurdles to clear before …

    Telecoms 19 May 00:00

  • Iran accused of hacking nuke inspectors' phones, PCs

    'Unusual events' suggest tampering

    United Nations nuclear officials are investigating reports that Iranian spies may have hacked agency phones and laptops that were left unattended during a recent inspection of that country's uranium enrichment facilities, the Associated Press reported. The news agency cited three unnamed diplomats who said the inspectors from …

    Government 19 May 00:41

  • Sleazy Aussie 'hot babes' network goes MIA

    Shock: Facebook acts on privacy

    Full blooded, empty-headed, time-rich, girlfriend-poor Aussie blokes, including a trio of North Melbourne footballers, are suffering a savage attack from media and the public over their membership to an exclusive mens-only Facebook group called "the Brocial Network". (El Reg: for those not familiar with Australian-New Zealand …

    Odds and Sods 19 May 01:00

  • ‘We’ll get to the bottom of this’ – HP boss

    The leaks or the market?

    Hewlett-Packard CEO Leo Apotheker has promised to ferret out those who leaked the memos telling the world the company is in tough times. The memos had warned employees to “watch every penny” and raised concerns of likely layoffs. In a somewhat contradictory mood, Apotheker told CNBC television that the memos show that the …

    Financial News 19 May 01:00

  • Microsoft calls Intel's Windows 8 comments 'inaccurate'

    But won't say how

    Microsoft has said that recent comments from Intel software chief Renée James on the next version of Windows were "factually inaccurate and unfortunately misleading." At Intel's Investor Meeting 2011 at the company's Santa Clara, California, headquarters on Tuesday, James told her keynote audience that the upcoming versions of …

    Operating Systems 19 May 02:49

  • Sony Vaio VPCF21Z1E 16in laptop

    Review Plastic paving slab offers 3D fun

    Imagine my joy when asked to try out a 3D entertainment centre built into a Sony Vaio notebook. Imagine my disappointment, then, when I discover that the notebook in question is actually too big to fit in my notebook bag. Sony's Vaio VPCF21Z1E: don’t think of it as an overgrown notebook but as a very portable gaming PC. …

    reghardware 19 May 06:00

  • HDS fixin' to bring out common storage platform

    One VSP ring to rule them all

    El Reg understands that Hitachi Data Systems wants to move to having a single storage platform that can cover both high-end and mid-range storage needs. Discussions with HDS executives and Bob Plumridge, its chief technology officer in EMEA, covered the AMS mid-range storage area and what lies ahead. The point was made that …

    Storage 19 May 07:51

  • PARIS team to tackle the ultimate post-pint snack

    The Middlesbrough 'parmo'? We can handle that...

    The Register's Paper Aircraft Released Into Space team has been at a bit of loose end since last October, when our Vulture 1 aircraft went down in history as the greatest ever paper plane launch in the history of the known world. Understandably, the bright minds behind the audacious high-altitiude intitiative have been a tad …

    PARIS 19 May 07:56

  • Wolfram Alpha

    iOS App of the Week (Re)search engine

    I’ve been reading a lot about Wolfram Alpha recently, and although you can access this self-styled "computational knowledge engine" directly from the Wolfram website it works well as a self-contained app. Just don’t call it a search engine – they don’t like that.    Wolfram Alpha's info can be well presented on an iPhone …

    reghardware 19 May 08:00

  • Amazon US offers gift cards, free shipment for your e-junk

    Got crap?

    Amazon has launched an online junk shop which allows people to trade electronic goods in exchange for gift cards. The Electronic Trade-In Store will accept old phones, MP3 players, cameras and DVDs and computer games. Textbooks are also acceptable for trading. But the site warns that your item must exactly match descriptions …

    Business 19 May 08:53

  • Google's Egypt hero: Tech biz, keep out of Arab politics

    'Companies who take sides will learn the hard way'

    The Google marketing manager who became a hero during the Egyptian revolution warned Western governments and companies to butt out of the region's politics at a privacy conference in London yesterday. Wael Ghonim also put the role of Facebook and other online tools into perspective, at Google's Big Tent privacy shindig. …

    CIO 19 May 09:19

  • Which kind of cloud database is right for you?

    Deep Dive This way for relationship counselling

    In the second of two articles about cloud-based data storage, the focus is on the options available and how to decide on one approach rather than the other. (Part 1 is here). Find the keys Not-so-relational databases do not store data in tables – at least, not the sort of tables we associate with relational databases. …

    Cloud Developer 19 May 10:00

  • Powerline network radio interference debated in Commons

    Analysis Only bearded fanatics could possibly object

    Interference from PLT was debated in the UK Commons last night. At least an attempt was made to do so: the BIS minister preferred instead to ignore the questions and focus on the bearded minority. The matter was raised by Mark Lancaster, MP for Milton Keynes North, as an adjournment debate comprising a statement and response …

    Telecoms 19 May 10:00

  • PS3s overheat after firmware update

    Rockstar plays it cool

    Rockstar has turned the heat up on Sony's PlayStation 3 again last night, after a forum post by one of its reps claimed the latest PS3 firmware update, version 3.61, is to blame for reports of older PS3 models overheating and uncontrollably shutting down. “We have received some reports of PS3s overheating while playing L.A. …

    reghardware 19 May 10:12

  • Mumsnet founder: Our members are 'very keen' on PORN ...

    ... But regulators, ISPs should help police content

    Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts piled back into the net-nannying debate yesterday, calling on ISPs to do more to guard their youngest customers while confirming that many of her readers are themselves avid smut fans. Roberts, who was slated earlier this year for supporting Tory plans for ISPs to impose wider blocks on content …

    Policing 19 May 10:17

  • Why are Microsoft and Intel slapping and pulling hair?

    Analysis Playroom politics as MS lets ARM play with its dolly

    For all the cloudy proclamations Microsoft's boss Steve Ballmer has been making of late, the company's bread 'n' butter products remain on the desktop. And that's a fact that Intel, whose lengthy and prosperous partnership with Redmond recently took a major knock, knows only too well. Which perhaps goes some way to explaining …

    CIO 19 May 10:41

  • Apple App Store apps are often old, vulnerable versions

    Walled garden not so safe after all

    Apple is publishing outdated software packages, subject to critical security vulnerabilities in some cases, through its App Store. The problem was discovered by security researcher Joshua Long, who discovered that users who download a copy of Opera via the App Store get a copy of the software released in March. Opera fixed a …

    Security 19 May 10:49

  • Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer set to sniff out strangelets

    Mighty, antimatter-hunting machine attached to ISS

    The crews of space shuttle Endeavour and the International Space Station have completed the installation of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS, or AMS-02) – the $2bn piece of kit designed to "advance knowledge of the universe and lead to the understanding of the universe's origin by searching for antimatter, dark matter and …

    Physics 19 May 10:59

  • Your PC, our problem

    What can users buy?

    You can tell the difference between business laptops and consumer laptops pretty easily. Not by the specifications, or the price - as USB 3 and hard drive protection become common, often the only visible difference is whether it comes with a fingerprint scanner. What really sets them apart is the design; consumer laptops come …

    Desktop Strategy 19 May 11:00

  • Identity and Passport Service loses its website

    Tentacle reabsorbed by Home Office

    The Identity and Passport Service disappeared this morning – it has been absorbed into the Home Office's main site. We're guessing that without the dribbling stream of applications for ID cards from friends and relatives of Home Office staffers, there's less need for a standalone site. History fans can rest easy; the site has …

    Government 19 May 11:11

  • How to choose the right screen size

    Is your telly too small - or too big - for HD?

    How big is big enough? It’s a question many of us have asked, as we cruise the aisles of Currys or John Lewis, looking for a new TV. It’s all too easy to be seduced by a special offer, or by extra features like net connectivity, and end up with a TV that’s larger than you anticipated. And while you might make space for a jumbo …

    reghardware 19 May 11:23

  • Three prices up HTC Flyer fondleslab for Brits

    Bundles 15GB of 3G data

    Three has priced up HTC's 7in Android tablet, Flyer. The 3G-enabled fondleslab will set you back £169 plus a commitment to paying a further £31 a month for two years. The broadband package buys you 15GB of data transfers each month - a "generous" allowance, Three said. The Flyer sports a 600 x 1024 display, 1.3Mp webcam, 5Mp …

    reghardware 19 May 11:40

  • Cabinet Office outlines gov-portal 'ID assurance' plans

    One set of keys to unlock all your .gov access

    Government departments will begin testing a first prototype of the Coalition's new identity assurance model for its entire online public services space in October this year. Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude confirmed the plans in Parliament yesterday. As The Register reported last week, the government is already in early …

    Government 19 May 11:43

  • Desktop virt: Licence to bamboozle?

    Desktop Virtualisation Technology sorted? Now for the hard part

    Desktop virtualisation presents many technical choices but they could turn out to be the easy bit. Licensing the software is where it all gets difficult, especially when the software is Microsoft Windows. The problem is that Windows licensing is based on the assumption that you install software on hardware, but virtualisation …

    Enterprise Tech 19 May 12:00

  • Logitech outs tablet add-ons

    Accessories your Android

    Logitech has outed a couple of tablet-centric accessories: one a rebadged Zagg iPad case - the metal one with the built-in keyboard - and a separate keyboard-stand combo, the Logitech Tablet Keyboard. Logitech Tablet Keyboard The latter - due in the UK in July for £50 - is a large Bluetooth connected deck with a case that …

    reghardware 19 May 12:10

  • Microsoft blames old update for Xbox 360 issue

    Future firmware is fine

    Microsoft has responded to yesterday's reports that the forthcoming firmware update could cause games to stop working, claiming the issue is related to a previous update instead. The company had acknowledged reported problems, stating a "recent update" had prevented a small number of gamers from playing retail discs. Many …

    reghardware 19 May 12:13

  • O2 money-phone set to go live this year

    Now losing your mobe will be an even bigger nightmare

    O2 will be working with Wave Crest, FIS, Intelligent Environments and Visa Europe to get its O2 Money product into a mobile phone before the end of 2011. The new best friends will provide the infrastructure, point of sale terminals and customer support for the phone-embedded service, which is due to launch later this year. O2 …

    Mobile 19 May 12:15

  • Stuxnet-style SCADA attack kept quiet after US gov tests

    'Industrial grade malware without nation state backing'

    Security researchers decided to cancel a planned demonstration of security holes in industrial control systems from Siemens following requests from the German manufacturer and a security response team. Dillon Beresford, a security analyst at NSS Labs, and independent security researcher Brian Meixell were due to make a …

    Malware 19 May 12:26

  • Coder claims logs show WebOS netbook in pipe

    Never say never, eh, HP?

    One WebOS developer has claimed to have found proof that HP is working on a WebOS-based tablet. Coder Thomas Perraudin says he found the following in his developer logs: {"ModelName" "(Device)", "modelNameAscii": "Device" "platformVersion": "Nova Dartfish," platformVersionMajor ": -1," platformVersionMinor ": -1," …

    reghardware 19 May 12:41

  • Microsoft fails to turn punters on to WinPho 7

    Only 1.6m smartphones based on MS' new OS sold in Q1

    Microsoft and its hardware partners shifted a mere 1.6m Windows Phone 7 handsets during the first three months of 2011. So says market watcher Gartner, which also noted that a total of just under 101m smartphones shipped worldwide in the same period. And compare WinPho 7 shipments to 16.9m iPhones, 13m BlackBerrys and 36.3m …

    reghardware 19 May 13:06

  • Interstellar space 'full of Jupiter-size orphan planets'

    Lone gas giants wander the empty reaches of the galaxy

    A team of astronomers has identified a novel new kind of galactic wanderer - lone, Jupiter-sized planets expelled from forming solar systems and drifting in the empty void between the stars. The researchers, led by Takahiro Sumi of Japan's Osaka University, spotted 10 such free-floating "orphan planets" in data from a 2006-7 …

    Space 19 May 13:27

  • Is Quantum shopping itself around?

    Comment Saucy firm undoes top button, eyes NetApp provocatively?

    Quantum's full year and fourth quarter results came in pretty much as expected, but they do position the storage company for interesting possibilities and Motley Fool picked up on one of those; a NetApp acquisition of Quantum. The fourth quarter fiscal 2011 Quantum results showed revenues of $165m, up marginally on the year- …

    Business 19 May 13:38

  • Eight New Yorkers sue Baidu for $16m

    Chinese gov search glovepuppet 'permeates US borders'

    Baidu is being sued by eight New York residents, who filed a lawsuit yesterday against the company accusing the search engine of censoring internet information in collusion with the People's Republic. According to Reuters, the complaint claims violation of the US Constitution. It names Baidu and, unusually, the Chinese …

    Law 19 May 13:51

  • Amazon heralds unstoppable rise of the e-book

    Outselling print in the States, hardbacks in Blighty

    E-books are now outselling hardbacks and paperbacks combined, Amazon.com claimed today. It's UK offshoot, Amazon.co.uk, separately said it is now selling more e-books than hardbacks. Since 1 April, Amazon.com has sold 105 e-books for every 100 print books. Free e-books have been excluded from the total, it claimed. In the UK …

    reghardware 19 May 13:59

  • Schmidt explains the Google way to self-erasure

    Don't be evil build a creepy facial-recognition database

    Google bent over backwards yesterday to show that it has learned its lessons and is really finally taking individuals' concerns over privacy seriously. Honestly. And while there were some tangible commitments, they were unlikely to satisfy the regiment of privacy activists, academics and bloggers the ads colossus had arranged …

    ID 19 May 14:16

  • Tablet PCs bashed but not beaten by media tablets

    iPad 2, tablet PC nil

    Fans of old-style tilt'n'swivel screen tablets will undoubtedly be disheartened to hear from market watcher iSuppli that their favoured form of fondleslab will be massively outshipped by iPad-style stuff in the years to come. Everyone else will have figured this out already. So few 'convertible notebook' type tablets shipped …

    reghardware 19 May 14:37

  • Snort team aim to scent malformed email attachments

    Interview Razorback, the truffle-hog with a forensic back end

    The developers behind Snort, the open source intrusion detection system, are pushing ahead with a project to develop a system for detecting malformed documents in a bid to provide early warnings about targeted attacks. Razorback is designed to complement traditional anti-virus products by providing a warning about maliciously …

    Malware 19 May 14:46

  • RHEL 6.1 lays foundation for future servers

    Beta no more

    Commercial Linux distributor Red Hat has moved the 6.1 release of its Enterprise Linux from beta to prime time. RHEL 6.1 is an update to the flagship Linux operating system from Red Hat, which came out in its 6.0 version back in November 2010. The 6.0 version was a major upgrade to the company's Linux OS, with nearly twice as …

    Operating Systems 19 May 17:46

  • Simply viewing Apple kit provokes religious euphoria

    Fanboi brain scan backs Church of Jobs

    A team of British neuroscientists has confirmed what IT atheists have known for years - that the brains of Jobsian cult members respond to the sight of Apple products in much the same way that religious believers respond to religious imagery. In a recent BBC documentary, Secrets of the Superbrands (BBC iPlayer), the …

    Music and Media 19 May 18:22

  • Mickos: Amazon and Eucalyptus still rule the cloud

    Ex-MySQL man takes fight to OpenStack

    Nobody said running a cloud startup was going to be easy. But surely, it was never supposed to be this hard. Last year, former MySQL man Marten Mickos was named chief executive officier of Eucalyptus Systems, a new company busy building and supporting Amazon-compatible clouds behind the firewall. But just as he arrived, things …

    Cloud 19 May 19:22

  • Eureka! Google breakthrough makes SSL less painful

    Client-side change cuts latency by 30%

    Google researchers say they've devised a way to significantly reduce the time it takes websites to establish encrypted connections with end-user browsers, a breakthrough that could make it less painful for many services to offer the security feature. What's more, the technique known as False Start requires that only simple …

    Security 19 May 20:24

  • US admiral reveals safety plan for Zombie Apocalypse

    Pack your bags. Don't forget towel

    The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a report on how to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. In a blog post, Rear Admiral Ali S Khan, assistant surgeon general and director of the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, provides a brief history of the zombie and explains the dos and don'ts …

    Odds and Sods 19 May 20:31

  • Schmidt: 'Elites' not 'common men' fret over net privacy

    Why Google needs a nanny

    In the end, Eric Schmidt can't help but undermine his own defense of Google's data collection and retention policies. Speaking with The London Evening Standard this week, Google's executive chairman and former CEO said that "elites" are more concerned with what data Google retains than "the common man". The implication was …

    ID 19 May 22:28

  • Kaspersky wants Interpol for the web

    Eugene taking the axe to online crime

    The world needs an Internet Interpol, as well as enforceable online identities and an “Internet passport”, Eugene Kaspersky has told the AusCERT 2011 conference this week. The founder of Kaspersky Labs said his “Interpol” needed to be a global, borderless cybercrime unit that would exist with the support cooperation of …

    Security 19 May 22:30

  • FTC, Canada bust internet scammers

    Bitter medicine for pill racket

    Working with Canadian law enforcement, the Federal Trade Commission is trying to shut down a Canadian-based online scam it says is worth US$450 million. The scam has snared consumers in at least five countries – the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – by promising “free” or “risk-free” trials either of snake-oil …

    Crime 19 May 23:00

  • OSI set to expand open source mission

    Defender of the faith on new crusade

    The Open Source Initiative (OSI), defender of the open-source faith, will soon expand its reach, embracing representatives from other open-source groups and the world of business. The OSI is planning an affiliate scheme, and this will include the Linux Foundation, among others. The affiliate scheme will be finalized and start …

    Software 19 May 23:37