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22nd June 2011 Archive

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  • Japan quake to hit supply chain for rest of 2011

    Semiconductor sales slow following production delays

    The impact of the Japan earthquake and tsunami on the semiconductor industry will be felt for the remainder of the year, according to a warning from Gartner. The analyst has cut its worldwide revenue growth forecast to $299bn (£184bn), representing growth of 5.1 per cent compared to previous estimates of 6.2 per cent, due to …

    The Channel 22 Jun 2011, 00:04

  • EFF backs away from Bitcoin

    As the Mt Gox outage drags on

    The Electronic Frontiers Foundation in the US has decided it will no longer accept donations via Bitcoin. While not itself a member of Bitcoin, the organization had been accepting donations via the currency through an account set up by an anonymous third party. However, only coincidentally following the Bitcoin Mt Gox hack-and …

    Security 22 Jun 2011, 00:21

  • FBI fat-thumbs data centre raid

    Don’t know which rack? Take ‘em all

    A bungled FBI raid on a data centre has taken out an unknown number of Web sites. Apparently targeting a particular – but unnamed – customer of DigitalOne, the G-men seized three enclosures of equipment, according to the New York Times. Among the collateral damage is New York publisher the Curbed Network, and the Pinboard …

    Hosting 22 Jun 2011, 00:21

  • Nano-materials could recharge phones from keyboard taps

    Next, could tyre-kickers recharge ‘leccy cars?

    The pop-science vision of clothing that generates electrical culture has moved a step closer. Research at RMIT University and the Australian National University on thin-film piezo-electrics could help open the door to materials that recharge small devices like mobile phones from someone using the keyboard. The study, published …

    Science 22 Jun 2011, 01:20

  • Apple's cloud chief floats away

    'I've looked at clouds from both sides now'

    Apple's senior product manager for its soon-to-launch iCloud service, John Herbold, has bailed from the Cupertinian mothership for a VP position at HealthTeacher, a health-curriculum developer for K-12 teachers. "Applying his experience developing world-class interactive products," said HealthTeacher CEO Scott McQuigg in a …

    Cloud 22 Jun 2011, 04:00

  • The real reason most source is closed? Open is hard

    Open...and Shut We have the desire. But not the means

    As much as 95 percent of the world's software is written for internal, enterprise use, rather than by vendors for sale, a point famously made by Eric Raymond in The Cathedral and the Bazaar. Much of this software, in turn, has no proprietary value for the enterprises that develop it. So why isn't the world deluged with …

    Software 22 Jun 2011, 05:00

  • Nokia E6 smartphone

    Review Back in business?

    Touchscreen phones are where both manufacturers and punters are spending now, and all other categories are seeing rapid declines in market share. But if the most important applications you use involve phone calls and messaging, all of the new, whizzy devices fall short. None do voice particularly well, or messaging …

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 06:00

  • Firing back at LulzSec

    Hack or hoax?

    It appears that LulzSec is the latest target of hacking. If this story on Australia’s ABC technology Website is accurate, then the hacktivist group has made itself unpopular enough to become itself a target. TeamPoison says it posted a message on the Website of a Dutch LulzSec member; this cannot be confirmed, because the …

    Security 22 Jun 2011, 06:25

  • SMEs get hit harder in a market crisis, say biz profs

    Panicking money-men see big firms as safer

    SMEs, especially riskier R&D-led ones, get even harder than one would expect by market crises, according to a new analysis by biz professors. "We found that during big market crashes, investors adjust their holdings towards bigger corporate stocks that they perceive as being safer, even after controlling for economic exposures …

    Small Biz 22 Jun 2011, 08:51

  • Euro space truck consigned to flaming death

    Johannes Kepler burns up over Pacific

    The European Space Agency yesterday sent its space truck Johannes Kepler to a fiery death over the South Pacific in a perfectly-executed "destructive re-entry" at the end of the spacecraft's four-month mission to the International Space Station. ESA's second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-2) plunged into Earth's atmosphere …

    Science 22 Jun 2011, 09:17

  • Alleged LulzSec hacker still inside

    Questioning continues

    The Metropolitan Police are still holding a 19-year-old man on suspicion of involvement with the LulzSec group of hackers. LulzSec itself, via Twitter, refuted claims that he is some sort of leader. The group also posted the identities of two US residents they accuse of talking to police. The group warned: "There is no mercy …

    Security 22 Jun 2011, 09:27

  • Ministry of Justice signs for info security service

    BAE Systems Detica on board

    The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has signed a contract with BAE Systems Detica for a managed service covering its information security. While the value of the two-year deal has not made available, the company said it will take on the delivery risk. Work will be carried out for a fixed price, with Detica bearing any unforeseen …

    Government 22 Jun 2011, 09:31

  • ITV player streams onto Android

    Emmerdale palm

    ITV player is now available on Android, giving gadget-bound tellyheads unlimited access to the past seven days of content from all four of the network's channels. Catch up on all your favourite tosh from Corrie to the ironically named Britain's Got Talent. In order to use the app, a phone must be running Android 2.2 or higher …

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 09:36

  • Cybercops close to domain conduct deal

    Useless guidelines for harmless registrars

    Law enforcement agencies and domain name registrars are nearing agreement on ways to start to clean up the domain name industry and mutually help prevent cybercrime. Here in Singapore, at ICANN's 41st international public meeting, registrars have held a series of meetings this week with police and governmental representatives …

    Hosting 22 Jun 2011, 09:37

  • Norwegian diplomats brush up on black metal

    Exporting local culture to the world

    Wannabe Norwegian diplomats are to be trained in the dark arts of black metal - the local flavour of heavy metal which might be described as KISS with added Satanism, murder, suicide, church burnings and National Socialism. The improbable move comes in response to increased international interest in black metal, with the …

    Bootnotes 22 Jun 2011, 09:49

  • OCZ Vertex bashes users with Blue Screen of Death

    Ain't no thing

    OCZ forum users are up in arms about their high-performance Vertex 3 flash drives causing Windows PCs to go into a blue-screen-of-death (BSOD) state, and further angered by OCZ's unconcerned response. Poster GymRatZ told us: "I spent about 3 days attempting to get it recognised by Windows (7) 64 for install. Eventually after …

    Storage 22 Jun 2011, 10:23

  • Comet in bad way after big losses

    Retail giant to close or sell stores, cuts HQ headcount

    Comet is consolidating warehouses, service centres, shedding jobs at HQ and setting plans in motion to close or flog a load of stores after reporting substantial losses today. The UK arm of parent Kesa Electricals saw sales drop nearly seven per cent in constant currency to €1.8bn (£1.53bn) and posted losses of €10.3m (£8.9m) …

    The Channel 22 Jun 2011, 10:26

  • Bluetooth goes 3D with Apple

    We hope you'll like our new direction

    Apple has joined the board of the Bluetooth SIG, signing up for a standard that's looking away from high speed networking to exploit 3D TV and the Wellness industry instead. Along with Apple comes Nordic Semiconductor, bringing ultra-low-power experience to the board of the Special Interest Group, but it's Apple's membership …

    Broadband 22 Jun 2011, 10:49

  • Netizens mobilise to recover precious stolen guitar

    Have you seen this vintage Gibson Les Paul?

    The internet has mobilised to help one rather upset Canadian recover his stolen pride and joy - a vintage 1953 Gibson Les Paul. Poor old Maurice recounts down at Craigslist how he was relieved of the venerable axe (see pic) and other sound kit on 5 June. As the owner of a prized Fender Telecaster, this hack was moved by his …

    Bootnotes 22 Jun 2011, 10:51

  • Name and shame fat cat bureaucrats, Number 10 told

    Show me the moggy

    The Information Commissioner's Office has told the Cabinet Office to release salary details on 24 people earning more than £150,000 a year who refused to have their details released. Salary details for high-earning civil servants were released in July 2010, but 24 public servants wanted their pay kept secret. Prime Minister …

    Government 22 Jun 2011, 11:07

  • NHS IT boss walks out and steps back

    Sick of it

    Christine Connelly, chief information officer for health, has resigned ahead of a shakeup of the department. In a statement she said: “The Department of Health faces a major reorganisation of its top structures that will result in fewer Director General posts. I have been reflecting on whether I would wish to go for one of …

    Government 22 Jun 2011, 11:10

  • Endeavour commander Mark Kelly quits NASA

    'Not an easy decision', admits veteran astronaut

    Mark Kelly, the veteran combat pilot and astronaut, has announced he's retiring from the US Navy and quitting NASA on 1 October. In an announcement on his Facebook page, Kelly admits it was "not an easy decision" to move on from a career which has encompassed Desert Storm combat missions and four space shuttle trips to the …

    Science 22 Jun 2011, 11:13

  • iPhone 5 gets iPad 2 chip and souped-up snapper

    Insiders blab to Bloomberg

    The iPhone 5 rumour mill was in full swing again this morning after further reports suggest the revamp of Apple's tech talker will arrive this September with a more powerful processor and an advanced camera. It isn't the first time an early-Q3 release has been mentioned. Following several similar whispers, a "previously …

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 11:27

  • MeeGo and the Great Betrayal Myths of tech history

    Twitter fanbois demand resurrection of burned-out platform

    Nokia's first MeeGo phone is amazing - why did they chuck MeeGo away? So say Linux fanbois distraught after Stephen Elop turned Nokia's future platform into a rolling skunkworks project. They've started a petition. It's got 287 signatories. "Reality denial" doesn't even begin to sum it up. The N9 does look quite slick, …

    Mobile 22 Jun 2011, 11:41

  • ESA to launch suborbital test spaceplane in 2013

    Lifting-body robo ship to come down 'as if from orbit'

    The European* Space Agency (ESA) has announced that it will launch an unmanned suborbital mission in 2013 designed to test various technologies which could be used in future on vehicles able to re-enter Earth's atmosphere from orbit and make a landing carrying cargo or personnel. Lifting bodies back after nearly 30 years. …

    Science 22 Jun 2011, 11:47

  • Sony Ericsson announces trio of talkers

    Two new Androids on the way

    Sony Ericsson has announced three new handsets in Singapore today, the Ray, Active and Txt. The Ray and the Active have the distinction of being additions to the Xperia range and run Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The Txt, as its name suggests, is a messaging phone featuring a Qwerty keypad. The Ray shines out from this trio with …

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 11:48

  • OCZ, SanDisk in flash scrap

    Anything you can do I can do better

    OCZ and SanDisk, two enterprise flash drive suppliers, have announced competing products, with SanDisk boasting an HP OEM deal and seemingly better IOPS performance. OCZ has refreshed its Deneva line of enterprise SSDs by updating the SandForce SF-1500 controller processor to the faster SF-2000. OCZ Deneva 2 The Denevas …

    Storage 22 Jun 2011, 11:56

  • Child of Eden

    Review Ommmmm

    "Save Eden. Save Lumi." The precluding order of an introduction which summarises Child of Eden’s essentially superfluous plot. I could tell you that the general gist is that we’re hundreds of years into the future, Lumi – the fist human born in space – is long dead, and the internet has evolved into something approaching The …

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 12:00

  • Your NFC tap-pay phone: Soon a movie or train ticket too

    Analysis What else is in wallets apart from cash? No, not condoms

    The three largest UK network operators have banded together to create a standard platform for NFC applications and a standard way for operators to make money out of the technology. Network operators have spent the last half decade struggling to see how they could make money from Near Field Communications, despite being asked …

    Broadband 22 Jun 2011, 12:29

  • UK taxpayer 'fleeced' in spectrum selloff windfall

    MP Watson gets stuck into the auction

    British taxpayers are bailing out Europe again. This time, it isn't aid to the basket-case Euro economies of Greece or Ireland, says MP Tom Watson, but a spectrum windfall that the taxpayer should pocket... only won't. Watson can't understand why profits from the sale of spectrum originally gifted to mobile operators in 1991 …

    Mobile 22 Jun 2011, 12:34

  • Apple's new Final Cut Pro X 'not actually for pros'

    'Rebuilt from ground up' application has fans too

    Apple released a completely overhauled version of its Final Cut Pro software yesterday, much to the chagrin of some of its users. The early response to Final Cut Pro X is at best mixed, with some complaining that the film editing application lacks XML support, and worse still, is bereft of backward compatibility with previous …

    Applications 22 Jun 2011, 12:38

  • 'Four million Amazon Tablets' ready for autumn - report

    Kindle fondle slab blab

    The Amazon Tablet rumours will not die - the latest from Taiwan is that the books'n'everything-seller is aiming to have 4 million units ready for autumn. Getting ready for peak sales in the run-up to Thanksgiving and Christmas is crucial for any new hardware launch. Today's rumour comes courtesy of component manufacturers …

    Business 22 Jun 2011, 12:48

  • Eclipse splashes Indigo release for Java devs

    The e4 future, however, is still on hold

    The Eclipse Foundation has released Eclipse Indigo, a beefy brace of projects that executive director Mike Milinkovich tells The Reg is the biggest release for Java developers "in quite a few years." Spun out a decade ago by IBM as a open-source framework for connecting Java and C++ tools, Eclipse has grown beyond server-side …

    Developer 22 Jun 2011, 13:00

  • Post Office going tap-cash in 2012

    Jingle of tills gradually falls silent across the land

    The UK's network of 12,000 Post Offices will start accepting contactless payment cards and thus NFC phones by October next year, making it the largest retailer to yet do so. More than 30,000 contactless terminals will be installed to accept pay-by-tap transactions of up to the industry limit of £15. Those account for 60 per …

    Business 22 Jun 2011, 13:07

  • BBC iPlayer graces BT's Vision

    Content subscribers?

    BT Vision has expanded its range of on-demand content by bringing BBC iPlayer to the platform. Customers already had access to many BBC programmes through the TV Replay service, although full iPlayer integration means this is no longer necessary for BT Vision subscribers. The BT Vision TV Replay utility still offers content …

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 13:28

  • Tape lives! Quantum books library deal with HP

    HP to OEM midsize, 8 petabyte data fridge

    Tape lives - Quantum has won HP as an OEM for its high-end Scalar i6000 tape library. The i6000 isn't as high-end as IBM's TS3500, Oracle's StreamLine 8500 or Spectra's T-Finity, only having 5,332 tape cartridge slots. If you think that's a lot, contrast it with the 8500's 10,088 in a single system and the T-Finity's 30,000 …

    Storage 22 Jun 2011, 13:32

  • Flying Keymouse II takes to the air

    Pointing not waving

    Tech gadgets company Brando is making moves with the Wireless Flying Keymouse II that it announced today. This handheld device, which looks much like a designer TV remote control, features 65 keys and an integrated laser pointer. In use as a mouse, movements in the air position the cursor which are conveyed to its 2.4GHz …

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 13:34

  • US plan to hold EU passenger data for 15 yrs 'unlawful'

    Database likely to be used against non-serious crimes

    A reported plan to allow the US to retain the personal details of inbound EU air passengers for 15 years would be unlawful, lawyers for the European Commission have said, according to a newspaper report. The Guardian, which reported last month that the US wanted to keep the information for 15 years, has reported that …

    Government 22 Jun 2011, 14:20

  • Booze for wrinklies: Good or bad?

    Pseudo-boffins wrangle over old-timers' drinking

    UK trick-cyclists and American "exercise psychologists" took up diametrically opposed views today on the issue of whether old people should be allowed to drink booze. Leading the British media was a new report (pdf here) from the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Older People’s Substance Misuse Working Group, which asserts that …

    Science 22 Jun 2011, 14:36

  • Dealers' outrage at Microsoft Office 365 cloud-sales plans

    'We lose control of the client'

    Microsoft is days away from lifting the covers from Office 365, but top channel brass have yet to assuage reseller anxiety over the client engagement model that they fear paves the way to a massive hike in direct sales. The launch of the cloud-based biz suite, which cobbles Office Web Apps with hosted Exchange, SharePoint and …

    The Channel 22 Jun 2011, 14:45

  • Xen virt-wizards jump ship from Citrix to start 'Bromium'

    Agnostic hypervisors to finally deliver IT security?

    The co-founders of the open source Xen server hypervisor project at Cambridge University who commercialized it as XenSource and sold it for $500m to Citrix Systems in September 2007 have left Citrix to do their fourth startup, called Bromium. The startup, which is still operating in stealth mode, announced its existence and …

    Virtualization 22 Jun 2011, 14:57

  • Magicbox Torque touchpad DECT phone

    Txt Take Designer cordless

    Daily product reviews in 140 characters... Want our Txt Take on your gadget? Just send it in to Reg Hardware - details here.

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 15:00

  • Top500 founders talk big

    K Computer Tops Competition by 3x

    As many of you know by now, there’s a new computer at the tippy top of the just-published Top500 list. I found out a bit earlier than most, via a webcast I was recording at 3:00 a.m. my local time on Sunday. It was a bit of a struggle to record it; their net connection kept breaking, and the sound quality on my side was like a …

    HPC 22 Jun 2011, 15:00

  • Server admin kit spans heaven and data center

    Bladelogic man goes to Scalextremes

    Scalextreme – the Silicon Valley startup cofounded by the principle architect of Bladelogic – has announced that its browser-based server admin service can now launch virtual machines directly into the heavens. Still in "preview mode", the company's eponymous service lets you manage machines across both your private data …

    Cloud 22 Jun 2011, 15:00

  • ITIL struggles to catch up with private cloud

    Framework needs to keep fit

    Data centres run on the back of good operational processes that are repeatable and trusted. IT management best practices have sometimes been criticised as being monolithic and failing to keep up with change. ITIL (the Information Technology Infrastructure Library), for example, was defined in the 1990s as a best-practice …

    Cloud 22 Jun 2011, 15:57

  • Blade servers 101

    The pluses and minuses

    How are blade servers different from their rack-mounted counterparts? The blade server trend started about ten years ago when RLX launched its system of servers built into a chassis that slotted into standard 19-inch racks. The idea is that you can install a blade server or any other type of device that would fit into a …

    Data Center 22 Jun 2011, 16:17

  • VMware moves vSphere 5.0 to launch pad

    'Next step forward in cloud infrastructure'

    The virtual cat is out of the physical bag. Server virtualization juggernaut VMware has sent out invitations to a big shindig it is hosting in San Francisco on July 12, which is almost certainly going to be the launch of its ESXi 5.0 hypervisor and related vSphere 5.0 virtualization management stack and vCloud extensions. All …

    Virtualization 22 Jun 2011, 16:26

  • Judge lets Apple keep secrets from Samsung

    You show me yours...

    The I sue you, you sue me spat between Apple and Samsung took a turn in the iPhone maker’s favour this week. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh ruled against the Korean company’s request last month for access to unreleased iPhone and iPad models, which it had claimed would be "highly relevant" to its defence case, according to …

    reghardware 22 Jun 2011, 16:41

  • Malicious software downloads invade WordPress

    Mandatory password reset enforced

    WordPress is requiring all account holders on the WordPress.org website to change their passwords following the discovery that hackers contaminated it with malicious software. The password reset comes after three popular plugins were found to contain “cleverly disguised backdoors” that had been uploaded by unauthorized people, …

    Security 22 Jun 2011, 17:37

  • Apple's next iPhone planned for September, says report

    Faster processor and better camera

    Apple's next iPhone is coming in September and will blur the lines with the run-away iPad but beat it in other areas. Bloomberg has reported Steve Jobs's company will introduce a new iPhone in September, advancing different reports of an update in the smart-phone line of August. The iPhone will include the dual-core A5 …

    Mobile 22 Jun 2011, 17:56

  • RIM cuts PlayBook sales forecast, report says

    Summer sales boost on improved models

    BlackBerry maker RIM is reported to have slashed its sales forecast for the PlayBook by well over one million units a week after it launched in the UK. The tablet, RIM's pitch against the dominance of Apple's shiny slate, arrived in the US consumer channels during Q1 with around 500,000 shipped, below expectations, and reports …

    Mobile 22 Jun 2011, 18:09

  • Amazon marries MapReduce with VM auctions

    Structure Bid for Big Data crunches

    Amazon has announced that you can now use its data-crunching Elastic MapReduce service in tandem with EC2 Spot Instances, unused EC2 virtual machines that company puts up for open auction. Spot instance prices fluctuate according to supply and demand, but these VMs can typically be used for less than the standard instance price …

    Cloud 22 Jun 2011, 18:27

  • UK man charged with attack that shut down SOCA site

    Investigation of Ryan Cleary continues

    UK officials have formally accused a 19-year-old man of involvement in Monday's attack on the website of the British Serious Organised Crime Agency and two previous web-based assaults directed at the music industry. Ryan Cleary was charged with five offenses in all, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the …

    Security 22 Jun 2011, 19:23

  • Cloud no cure for IT department haters

    Go ahead, install Salesforce. Please

    It's a seeming truism that everyone hates IT. Indeed, while IT departments have long looked to open source as a way to skirt the formal purchasing and legal processes that slow down software acquisition, marketing and other departments now look to the cloud/SaaS as a way to evade IT for much the same reason. But if IT is such …

    Cloud 22 Jun 2011, 19:50

  • Want to keep Android apps from spying on you?

    WhisperCore to the rescue (some restrictions apply)

    A security researcher has released an Android app that allows users to control precisely what information they share with other programs installed on their smartphones. The latest version of WhisperCore remedies a shortcoming of the Google mobile operating system that has vexed users since its release: a design that often …

    Security 22 Jun 2011, 20:44

  • Microsoft: 'You can get your data onto Azure for free!'

    Structure Getting it off? Not free

    Microsoft has announced that beginning on July 1, all data transfers onto its Microsoft Azure cloud will be free. This will apply to both "peak" and "off-peak" times, the company said with a Wednesday morning blog post. The change is designed to encourage developers to move large quantities of their own data onto Microsoft's …

    Cloud Developer 22 Jun 2011, 20:47

  • Infosmack gets down and dirty with blades and racks

    Deep dive into server technologies

    This is the first Infosmack Deep Dive podcast, hosted by Nigel Poulton, the infrastructure inquisitor, with co-host Rick Vanover and guests Kevin Houston and Bob Plankers. The idea of the Deep Dive came from Nigel who wanted to hear more in-depth material about specific technologies. We told him, "OK, Go!" and here we are... …

    Infosmack 22 Jun 2011, 21:11

  • Telstra announces copper retirement agreement

    Updated: Also Optus Point of no return for National Broadband Network?

    After a week of speculation and months of waiting, Telstra has announced an agreement with the company building Australia’s National Broadband Network, NBN Co, under which it will move its customers to the new fibre-based wholesale access network, and progressively retire its copper. Within an NBN rollout region, Telstra has …

    Broadband 22 Jun 2011, 23:19

  • Alca-Lu dumped by Singapore NBN

    Replaced by rival ZTE

    Chinese vendor ZTE has gazumped Alcatel-Lucent in the pivotal OSS and BSS contract for Singapore's next-generation nationwide broadband network (NBN). Alcatel-Lucent was dumped from the Singapore NBN project after months of speculation over missed deadlines and alleged failure to deliver on contractual obligations. The move …

    Business 22 Jun 2011, 23:21