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24th June 2011 Archive

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  • Australia intros new IP regime

    Carrot and stick

    Relatively unnoticed amid the National Broadband Network hubbub, Australia has moved to update its patent system. The Intellectual Property Laws Amendment (Raising the Bar) Bill 2011 provides some key upsides for researchers – but at the same time, increases penalties for trademark infringement and product counterfeiting. …

    Law 24 Jun 00:01

  • Samsung Series 470 250GB 2.5in SSD

    Review Solid-state stunner

    Reg Hardware first reviewed a Samsung SSD - the South Korean giant's first, and a device aimed at computer makers rather than upgrade-hungry punters - way back in March 2009. Rather keen we were on it too. But that was two years ago - how has Samsung managed to improve matters in the meantime? Samsung's Series 470: cornering …

    reghardware 24 Jun 06:00

  • Rockstar shoots LA Noire onto PC

    Cop thriller jumps platforms

    Rockstar Games is bringing the highly-rated detective title LA Noire to PCs this autumn. The PC version will feature 3D support and enhanced visuals, which should make the MotionScan facial graphics look even more realistic. On the ball with Windows If you haven't played the game yet, it is definitely one to add to the …

    reghardware 24 Jun 06:00

  • Oracle aims to drop storage bomb

    Unleashing the Hurdster

    Oracle's anti-HP weapon, the Hurdster, is set to unleash Oracle's latest storage barrage on June 30th. Oracle president Mark Hurd is headlining an Oracle Storage Strategy Update along with John Fowler, EVP for systems, and the two will "redefine storage." The event is at 10am - PT we suppose - and will take place at Oracle's …

    Blocks and Files 24 Jun 06:34

  • Pentax Q takes mini system camera crown

    The world's smallest, honest

    Not long after Sony announced the NEX-C3, Panasonic revealed its Lumix DMC-GF3, as the two tech giants slugged it out to take the title for world’s smallest interchangeable lens camera. And just when you thought the dust had settled on that particular crown, along comes the Pentax Q which those with long memories may see as a …

    reghardware 24 Jun 07:00

  • Seagate gets a disk into Archos HD vid tablet

    250 gigs: Might not be a Flash in the pan

    The Archos tablet has gone for a spin, being the world's first tablet computer to use a disk drive instead of flash memory. Seagate's single platter Momentus Thin is the lucky spinner. Archos OMAP 4 processor with an ARM Cortex dual-core A9 running at 1.5 GHz, using Android 3.1 "Honeycomb", and a 250GB version of Seagate's 2.5 …

    Storage 24 Jun 08:02

  • Travelodge admits hack

    Mealy meet mouth

    Travelodge has told customers who've received spam email that the company has not lost their credit card details, which is nice. The letter said: Our main priority is to ensure the security of our customers' data, which is why I wanted to make you aware that a small number of you may have received a spam email via the email …

    Enterprise Security 24 Jun 08:42

  • Samsung names date for UK 10in Android tablet release

    Worth hanging on a little longer?

    Brits will get their hands on Samsung's 10in tablet, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, in early August, the South Korean giant said today. Get one and you'll have a 10.1in, 1280 x 800 glossy touchscreen tablet that's just 8.6mm thick in your hands. It'll run Android 3.1 Honeycomb. Other specs include 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11m Wi-Fi, …

    reghardware 24 Jun 08:56

  • Brocade in bigwig bow-out brouhaha

    Bye bye head finance guy

    Is something up at Brocade? The cloud and storage networking supplier has suddenly lost CFO Richard Deranleau, who has resigned to "pursue other interests". He follows another senior exec out of the door, VP for corporate development TJ Grewal. There is no turmoil going on at Brocade, no public tensions over finance or …

    Storage 24 Jun 09:02

  • So, how many rhinos does a tram weigh?

    Aussies answer ungulate poser

    In case you were ever wondering, like you do, just what is the weight of a tram in rhinos, our friends Down Under have the answer: What's not clear, however, is what speed the 30 rhinos are travelling at as a percentage of the maximum velocity of a sheep in a vacuum. This information is vital if we are to calculate just …

    Bootnotes 24 Jun 09:30

  • Galileo 'can deploy 24 satellites with existing funding'

    Euro sat nav can go worldwide if nothing goes wrong

    The European Commission has announced a raft of contracts for the Galileo sat nav programme, and says that cost problems have been reined in to such a degree that the system will come close to planned operational performance without needing to request extra funding from European politicians. It had been expected that the …

    Space 24 Jun 09:44

  • 'Uncle of the internet' named ICANN chair

    Steve Crocker, man who wrote first ever RFC document

    The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has named internet veteran Steve Crocker as the new chairman of its board of directors. Crocker is noted for his work on the ARPANET, the internet's predecessor, in the 1960s and 70s, as well as his involvement with the Internet Engineering Task Force since its inception …

    Networks 24 Jun 09:54

  • Future of the cloud is hybrid

    Cloud Mix and match data centres

    Unless hosting is your business, it is unlikely that the premises your organisation occupies was chosen with its use as a data centre in mind. Far more likely, space was carved out of the premises, bringing issues of power, cooling and square footage to the forefront when adding new equipment. For small to medium enterprises ( …

    Enterprise Tech 24 Jun 10:00

  • iPhone app remotely spies on Windows computers

    Will Apple Store's anti-spyware rules apply in this case?

    Need help using your iPhone to spy on your spouse or children? Now there's an app which will show you just what they're typing, as long as they're on Windows. Spykey is basically a Windows keylogger which will transmit every key pressed to an iPhone application (£2.99 from the iTunes store). The app justifies itself with the …

    Mobile 24 Jun 10:05

  • LaCie drive jumps on Cloud bandwagon

    Networked file store gets an airing

    LaCie has announced the CloudBox, its first "hybrid" storage device that keeps an on-line copy of files stored on the hard disk to maximise data security. All data stored in the Cloud is encrypted and back-ups of content on the CloudBox hard drive can take place without the need to be tethered to your computer. It's this …

    reghardware 24 Jun 10:21

  • Winklevoss twins are back in Facebook's face

    It's not over until the burly 20-fingered gondolier sings

    Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss haven't backed away entirely from their epic row with Facebook, despite ending a Supreme Court appeal against an earlier ruling. The Los Angeles Times reports that the strapping, slightly creepy Olympic rowing twins, alongside biz partner Divya Narendra, are trying to convince a judge to probe …

    Law 24 Jun 10:32

  • Number-crunching in the Cloud

    Wave BY:BY to old-school data analytics

    Back in the mid-nineties every PC in your organisation potentially contained software that could destroy your company overnight. Not a virus, nor a Trojan: it was called the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet was – and still is – broken by design. The vital raw data it crunches may be exposed to view, concealed behind the cells or …

    SaaS 24 Jun 11:03

  • Voltaic solar charger takes tablets

    Sunny disposition

    Voltaic has opened the blinds on its latest eco-charger, extending its built-in solar panel love to the realm of tablet cases. After one hour of sunlight, the Spark will provide an iPad with enough juice for an hour of video playback. Ten hours of sunbathing will charge one fully. The Spark features a 39W hour battery for …

    reghardware 24 Jun 11:21

  • NASA's nuclear Mars tank arrives at launch site

    'Curiosity' united with aeroshell, rocket lander

    NASA's new and improved, nuclear-powered, laser-toting Mars rover has arrived at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to prepare for its launch towards the red planet this autumn. The roughly SUV-sized vehicle, formerly known as the Mars Science Laboratory but now officially dubbed "Curiosity", arrived aboard a massive US air force …

    Space 24 Jun 11:27

  • Dungeon Siege III

    Review Crawl through the clichés

    Recently, I battled through Dragon Age 2, Two Worlds II and spent some serious time immersed in Witcher 2. Now here comes Dragon Siege III. All these sequels - summer must have come early, I thought. Learn the mechanics As back-stories go this is run-of-the-mill stuff with more than a few of the customary unpronounceable …

    reghardware 24 Jun 11:30

  • Kiwi gals swig shots of horse semen

    Worry over 'kids with long faces', reports publican

    The hard cases among you who subscribe to the "I'll drink anything, me" school are directed to the Green Man Pub in Wellington, which is serving up shots of apple-infused horse semen. The tempting equine oyster concoction - dubbed Hoihoi tatea - forms part of the NZ boozer's entry into the 14th annual Monteith's Beer & Wild …

    Bootnotes 24 Jun 11:42

  • Microsoft delays big changes to Gold partner programme

    Postponement of revenue metric gives underachievers a break

    Microsoft has confirmed it is postponing planned changes to its Gold partner programme by 16 months, meaning that under-performing dealers will not get binned for some time yet. The plan was to deploy internal systems from October so that resellers could log on and show the vendor that sales were tracking to the minimum …

    Channel Register 24 Jun 11:51

  • Apple anticipates Air sales surge

    Suppliers foresee Autumn fan fest

    Sources in the component supply industry are talking of double the quantity of new MacBook Airs being delivered to Apple in Q3 compared to Q2. Digitimes has been working the numbers and reports that July will see the supply chain “run in full gear” at this time. Although MacBook Air figures doubling seems rather inflated, …

    reghardware 24 Jun 12:02

  • Clustering SSD arrays for the Cloud

    SolidFire's cloudy take on memory arrays

    SolidFire has announced clustered solid state drive memory arrays for the cloud, which minimise cost/GB with thin provisioning, compression and deduplication. It's a straightforward enough clustering of storage arrays, but what is not straightforward is the use of expensive NAND SSDs instead of disk drives, and then optimising …

    Storage 24 Jun 12:09

  • Solar panel selling scam shown up by sting

    No shade, Sherlock

    Solar panel sales cowboys are - surprise! - exaggerating the benefits of the energy technology, a sting operation by consumer magazine Which? has found. Which? invited 12 solar companies to survey a house and produce cost and benefit estimates for a solar PV system. Seven out of the 12 recommended putting the panels in the …

    Environment 24 Jun 12:13

  • Alpha.gov.uk preps for beta, prays for funding

    'ID assurance' scheme could need primary legislation

    The single government domain prototype being developed by a small team of coders is yet to secure any further funding and the clock is ticking on the deadline for feedback from British citizens. Despite that, Alpha.gov.uk is preparing to morph into a beta. Meanwhile, the Cabinet Office's plans to introduce a new "ID assurance …

    Government 24 Jun 12:18

  • Woman dies of heart attack at own funeral

    Shock of resurrection proves fatal

    A Russian woman died of a heart attack at her own funeral, after waking up to find praying mourners filing past her coffin. According to the Daily Mail, Fagilyu Mukhametzyanov, 49, had been declared dead after suffering chest pains and collapsing at home in Kazan, capital of Tatarstan. Doctors had failed to spot she was …

    Bootnotes 24 Jun 12:30

  • dabs.com says sorry for delivery debacle

    Online dealer's system upgrade requires system upgrade

    dabs.com has apologised to customers for months of delivery delays following the replacement of its back-end purchasing systems. The BT-owned online reseller dragged itself into the 21st century by replacing its DEC Alpha monster - running software reputedly designed by founder and previous owner Dave Atherton - with one …

    Channel Register 24 Jun 12:40

  • Software as a service: Separating the bells from the whistles

    Stack it high, sell it cheap

    The most obvious attraction of software as a service (SaaS) is that it gives small firms access to software they could not otherwise afford. In exchange for handing their data over to the care of someone with a huge data centre, they also benefit from economies of scale. But since there is no such thing as a free lunch, these …

    SaaS 24 Jun 13:00

  • Brits stereotyped by app popularity chart

    Fair weather trends

    Google Maps and Yahoo Weather are Britain's most popular apps, industry data reveals. According to research from comScore on behalf of GSMA, Google Maps - which comes pre-loaded on most Android devices - was accessed by 6.4m unique users in April 2011, while Yahoo Weather hit second with 3.57m. Considering we spend most of …

    reghardware 24 Jun 13:23

  • LG delays Optimus 2X Gingerbread update for Brits

    Autumn arrival?

    LG has confirmed that British owners of of its Optimus 2X smartphone will have to wait until September for its promised Android 2.3 Gingerbread update. The update was expected in the "mid June or July" timeframe, according to LG UK's Facebook page. However, in response to a question about the Gingerbread release, the company …

    reghardware 24 Jun 13:42

  • ITU Gen Sec: Why not speaking English can be a virtue

    Interview Talks linguistics and cross-border security with El Reg

    If you want to make money on the internet without paying America, your best bet is to refuse to speak English, according to the General Secretary of the International Telecommunication Union. We sat down with Dr Hamadoun Touré in London, following publication of the ITU's report on the importance of broadband. Touré: Forget …

    Networks 24 Jun 13:50

  • Virgin mobile users get tariff tweak treats

    Loyalty bonus

    Virgin Media has expanded its choice of tariffs today, with a new range of pay monthly and SIM-only deals. As usual, it benefits to be an existing customer. For £7.50 each month, Virgin Media patrons are offered a BlackBerry Pearl 3G with unlimited BlackBerry messaging and e-mail as well as 1GB of web data, 250 texts, 50 …

    reghardware 24 Jun 13:52

  • All change in the Channel

    Resellers, distributors and vendors ring in the changes

    A slew of management changes have swept across the channel as the silly season starts in earnest. Distie veteran Alice Smitheman, marketing director at Azlan is set to join Avnet Technology Solutions as EMEA veep of operational excellence, a role that includes fine-tuning the firm's logistics engine. Graeme Watt, EMEA …

    Channel Register 24 Jun 14:18

  • NATO site hacked

    Bookshop opened

    NATO is warning subscribers to its e-Bookshop service that hackers have likely stolen its customer database. The site is run as a separate service for distributing NATO information and does not contain any classified or secret information. The bookshop has been closed and all members been warned by email to change their …

    Enterprise Security 24 Jun 14:37

  • Sony to slim PlayStation 3 price

    Consoles competitivity concerns

    Sony is expected to drop the price of the PlayStation 3 this August, keeping the console within affordable reach of its rivals. Industry experts and publishers have come forth with predictions that the price drop will bring the PS3 down to £200 and will probably be announced at Gamescom in August, MCV reports. Analysts have …

    reghardware 24 Jun 15:07

  • Mac OS X 10.6.8 hails from Paleolithic era

    Update teething troubles unearthed

    Ask any seasoned Mac user and they’ll tell you to avoid using Software Update incremental download delivery approach for systems instals, but to use the standalone combo option every time. Yet even seasoned Mac users get lazy and Apple wants us to adopt this click-and-hold-your-breath delivery system. Indeed, this is how its …

    reghardware 24 Jun 16:31

  • LulzSec dumps hundreds of Arizona Police documents

    Border cops' private laundry aired

    Lulz Security's string of embarrassing hacks continued as the group released hundreds of internal documents belonging to various Arizona law enforcement agencies, including the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Many of the documents released over BitTorrent are stamped “law enforcement sensitive” and “for official use only …

    Crime 24 Jun 17:45

  • US patent reform jumps through second hoop

    It's only taken 59 years – so far

    The US House of Representatives has passed a patent-reform bill that supporters say will boost the development of American politicians' favorite four-letter word: jobs. "The Patent Reform Act is a key part of any jobs agenda," argues the bill's Senate sponsor, Patrick Leahy (Dem-VT). "We can help unleash innovation and promote …

    Government 24 Jun 18:29

  • Google battles MicroSkype with 'open' VoIP protocol

    The Jingle in Ballmer's ear

    Google has moved its Google Talk VoIP infrastructure to Jingle, the voice and media signaling protocol that seeks to provide an open-standard alternative to the proprietary protocols used by the Microsoft-owned Skype and other VoIP technologies. With an email on the XMPP Standards Foundation mailing list, Google's Peter …

    VoIP 24 Jun 18:33

  • Google Chrome extension busts Murdoch paywall

    Paid interwebs for free

    An extension has surfaced in the Chrome Web Store that lets you breach the defenses of one of the web's earliest paywall pioneers. Read WSJ Extension lets you read full articles from the online version of Rupert Murdoch's The Wall Street Journal, giving you free access to some of media's most coveted paid-for content. Murdoch …

    Music and Media 24 Jun 19:38

  • Microsoft pounces as Mozilla shuns enterprise

    Firefox: It's not open for business

    After one of Mozilla's core employees said that the open source outfit is not concerned with enterprise customers – and likely never will be – Microsoft's Internet Explorer team has jumped into the breach to proclaim its undying love for the enterprise. With a blog post, Microsoft re-committed itself to providing support for …

    Applications 24 Jun 23:48