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7th July 2011 Archive

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  • Google and Microsoft sued over interwebs street maps

    Patent attacks Street View. And Street View knockoff

    A tiny Louisiana-based company has accused Microsoft, Google, and AOL of infringing on its 3D imaging patents in their various street mapping efforts. According to TG Daily, Transcenic claims that Google's Street View, Microsoft's StreetSide, and AOL's Mapquest infringes on its patent describing a system for "spatial …

    Media 7 Jul 2011, 00:09

  • Kazaa founder Bermeister returns, with key cloud patents

    Eyes content, music business in fee-fest

    Brilliant Digital Entertainment subsidiary Kinetech has its eyes on the digital music industry, announcing that it has been granted three US patents covering content discovery and rights enforcement. Back in 2009, Kevin Bermeister of Kazaa fame switched focus to legal music alongside former pirate-buster Michael Speck, and BDE …

    Business 7 Jul 2011, 00:30

  • ESA unveils billion pixel camera that will map the Milky Way

    That’s not a camera: this is the camera

    The European Space Agency has announced the completion of the camera that’s to be used in its Gaia mission: a billion-pixel mosaic comprising 106 individual CCDs in a 0.5x1 meter array. Assembled in May and June at Astrium’s facility in Toulouse, the camera is designed to map around a billion stars when Gaia’s five-year …

    Science 7 Jul 2011, 01:30

  • Deep inside AMD's master plan to topple Intel

    Back to the top on a radical GPU

    AMD's new graphics architecture isn't merely about painting prettier pictures. It's about changing the way computers compute. As first revealed last month at AMD's Fusion Developer Summit, the chip designer has gone out of its way to ensure that its future APUs – accelerated processing units, which is what the company calls it …

    Hardware 7 Jul 2011, 05:00

  • Bug-Byte Manic Miner

    Antique Code Show Dig for victory

    For me, 1983 was all about Flashdance but getting Manic Miner for my ZX Spectrum on Christmas morning was almost as good as some burgundy legwarmers. Manic Miner: fiendishly frustrating and yet so easily addictive Created by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte Software, this diabolically difficult platformer is teeth …

    Games 7 Jul 2011, 06:00

  • WTO: China being naughty over rare-earth exports

    Trying to lure more factories from overseas

    China's a naughty boy then according to the World Trade Organisation: they have just lost a case about their restrictions on the exports of raw materials. This has implications for every tecchie's favourite metals, the rare earths. You'll recall that Japan has found billions of tonnes of them under the Pacific, tonnes that may …

    Law 7 Jul 2011, 08:00

  • ICO: Volunteer to be audited by us, we might not bust you

    'No, don't do that', says a lawyer

    The Information Commissioner's Office said more companies should offer themselves up for voluntary audits. According to the quango's annual report, a third of organisations offered the chance to be audited by the ICO accepted. Of the 603 breaches last year, 186 came from private companies. But only 19 per cent of these firms …

    Small Biz 7 Jul 2011, 08:30

  • Orange puts budget smartphones on the map

    Now in stock... holm

    While Samsung has been busy unveiling handsets in Sweden, Orange has revealed a budget Android smartphone named after its capital city, as well a couple of others also named after places in Europe. The Orange Stockholm runs Android 2.2 Froyo. It includes a 2.8in capacitive touchscreen and 3.2Mp camera, as well as an FM radio, …

    Mobile 7 Jul 2011, 08:57

  • Nice try, Amazon: 'One-click' payment too obvious to patent

    EU Patent Office rules on clickery-pokery lawyery try-on

    A payment system devised by online retail giant Amazon is too obvious to patent, the European Patent Office (EPO) has ruled. Amazon had hoped to patent the way its customers pay for products through the click of a single webpage button. The company was previously granted patent rights to the payment system in the US. An …

    Government 7 Jul 2011, 09:00

  • Phoenix IT Group bags industry veteran Courtley as CEO

    Fujitsu, EDS and Epeopleserve man set to join up

    Phoenix IT Group has appointed industry veteran and former Fujitsu Services UK boss Dave Courtley as CEO replacing current incumbent Nick Robinson who is set to retire later this month. Robinson hangs up his boots on 28 July after 18 years at the LSE listed IT services players, with Courtley, former UK boss at Fujitsu Services …

    The Channel 7 Jul 2011, 09:12

  • Culture Minister Vaizey on Google, freetards and website-blocking

    'There is no conspiracy'

    Culture Minister Ed Vaizey shed some light on the murkier corners of the Digital Economy Act in a speech yesterday. He swung out at "music industry armchair critics" and BT, shed some light on industry web-blocking discussions, and gave an indication on what's to come. Ed Vaizey opening a real ale and jazz festival last month …

    Government 7 Jul 2011, 09:19

  • Gov coughs extra £81m for firefighter command & control

    'Need is as great as it was before the huge cockup'

    The government has said it is to invest £81m in fire and rescue authorities in England to "improve the resilience, efficiency and technology in their control services" following a damning report into FiReControl by the National Audit office. In a written ministerial statement published on 5 July, fire minister Robert Neill …

    Government 7 Jul 2011, 09:30

  • Zuck brushes aside dull 750m Facebook sign-ups metric

    It's all about sharing ... bitch

    Facebook's stalkerbase grew by one-third in the past year, boss Mark Zuckerberg confirmed yesterday as he announced a video chat deal with Skype. The dominant social network now has 750 million people signing into Facebook across the globe. However, Zuckerberg isn't bothered about that number, and said his firm wasn't fussed …

    Business 7 Jul 2011, 09:35

  • Internet fraud laundryman gets two years in cooler

    Handed over suitcase with £470,000 to man in car park

    An internet fraudster was sentenced to two years prison yesterday for his part in a gang which pocketed hundreds of thousands of pounds from various web-based scams. Michael Ugboaja, 48, of Beckton, was sentenced for his part in laundering £470,000. The gang targeted a Canadian doctor on a dating site and persuaded her to …

    Law 7 Jul 2011, 09:49

  • iPad 2 to gain double-res display - but not until 2012

    Analysts forecast tweaked, not new, fondleslab

    Another day, another iPad 3 rumour, this time that while the gadget will indeed sport a display with a higher resolution than the iPad 2 has, other specs will not change. According to analyst Craig Berger of US investment house FBR Capital Markets, what World+Dog is calling the 'iPad 3' will in fact be the 'iPad 2 Plus'. That …

    Tablets 7 Jul 2011, 09:50

  • Splashtop Remote Desktop

    iOS App of the Week Control your computer from your Fondleslab or phone

    I’ve tried a number of ‘remote desktop’ apps that allow you to control a Mac or a PC from an iPhone or iPad, but their performance over a wireless network has always been too sluggish for them to be of much practical use. Set-up is effectively automatic on the iDevice Not surprisingly, then, I was quite sceptical when the …

    Phones 7 Jul 2011, 10:00

  • ANONYMOUS: Behind the mask, inside the Hivemind

    Where and who are the Anons? Everywhere and everyone

    On a frigidly cold morning in early 2008, two dozen complete strangers arranged to meet for the first time. They had travelled from all over the metro area, some taking over two hours to reach their destination. Coffee and doughnuts were sacrificed to the ritual of placing online handles to faces. The first meeting of the …

    Security 7 Jul 2011, 10:00

  • Rustock zombies halved as clean-up efforts continue

    Leaderless undead remotely brain-shot from Redmond

    The zombie machines which formerly powered the infamous Rustock botnet are down to half their original number, according to Microsoft. Redmond ran a successful takedown operation back in March that effectively knocked out Rustock's command and control nodes. That meant that infected PCs were no longer being sent spam templates …

    Security 7 Jul 2011, 10:18

  • HP TouchPad costs more to make than Apple iPad 2

    Just about

    HP's TouchPad tablet may sport a very similar spec to the Apple iPad 2 - parimarily the 9.7in, 768 x 1024 IPS LCD panel they both share - but Apple got the best deal on parts. Market watcher iHS iSuppli took the tablets apart and found that the bits inside the HP offering totalled $296 (£185). That's for the 16GB model - the …

    Tablets 7 Jul 2011, 10:29

  • New Tosh R&D centres to look into advanced disk tech

    HAMRing more data into the platter

    Toshiba is setting up development centres in Ome, Tokyo, to research advanced disk drive technology and hopefully increase disk drive capacities. One is an HDD Advanced Technology Centre looking at speeding up the development of higher areal density technology. The other is an HDD Manufacturing Technology Centre, and it will …

    Storage 7 Jul 2011, 10:32

  • Only jailbroken iPhones, iPads can be safe from latest vuln

    iUsers with unmeddled tech must wait for Apple patch

    The latest jailbreak for iPhones, published on Wednesday, exploits a zero-day bug in iOS that only users of jailbroken devices will be able to fix, security experts warn. Version 3 of jailbreakme.com, which also works on iPad fondleslabs, takes advantage of a PDF-related vulnerability in iOS. Users of jailbroken devices can …

    Security 7 Jul 2011, 10:43

  • Sony pains pre-owned game punters with PSN Pass

    Net profits

    Sony has officially announced the PSN Pass, a network tollbooth for "premium" online services. The belt will tighten in September with the launch of exclusive PS3 title Resistance 3. The game will come with a code that will allow the purchaser to play online through PSN. Anyone purchasing secondhand copies of the game from …

    Games 7 Jul 2011, 10:43

  • El Reg to unleash rocket-powered spaceplane

    Gutsy 'rockoon' launch for Vulture 2, daughter of PARIS

    The El Reg Special Projects Bureau (SPB) is pleased to announce we've finally come up with what we reckon is a worthy successor to our Paper Aircraft Released Into Space (PARIS) project. After a good deal of mulling as to how we could use our PARIS experience to launch an even more improbable and audacious plan to keep the UK …

    SPB 7 Jul 2011, 11:00

  • LG dooms then un-dooms portable games consoles

    Optimistic Optimus

    The head of LG's mobile phone division no longer thinks there's no future for handheld games consoles, it seems. Earlier today, said executive, Dr Jon-seok Park, triumphantly declared in a company statement that "the era of dedicated handheld gaming platform is over". Two hours later, the LG press release was re-issued, this …

    Games 7 Jul 2011, 11:14

  • Feds cuff programmer in alleged trading-ware theft

    Say Chinese-born Chicago coder had flight booked

    Chunlai Yang, a 49-year old Chinese-born American, has been charged with stealing proprietary software code. Yang worked for CME Group – which makes trading platforms for commodity derivative markets – as a programmer. CME has been monitoring his computer use since May. He has worked for the company since 2000. He appeared …

    Security 7 Jul 2011, 11:16

  • HuffPo goes UK: But shills and pols writing for free isn't new

    'I once got 800 words in the Sport as a 50ish Spanish lady'

    So HuffPo UK has launched and, my word, it is the future of journalism, isn't it? New, fresh faces telling us about the world in new and interesting ways... Online, centre left, news and views galore: sounds like the Guardian's Comment is Free really, doesn't it? Which is something the Guardian themselves might agree with, you …

    Media 7 Jul 2011, 11:38

  • 'Transparent' PM dishes up more public datasets

    And sprinkles more cash on London's Silicon Roundabout

    The Cabinet Office's digital-by-default mantra got a boost today, with the government promising to publish various datasets on the National Health Service, schools, criminal courts and transport online. The move forms part of Prime Minister David Cameron's "transparency" agenda to make public bodies more accountable to …

    Government 7 Jul 2011, 11:45

  • Home Office to review future of Sprint ii framework

    Gov will reassess deal after launch of police ICT firm

    The Home Office will review the controversial Sprint ii procurement framework once the newly created police ICT company is up and running next spring, giving hope to many suppliers that blue light business will be back in their future. The government mandated police purchasing heads in England and Wales to buy low-end IT kit …

    The Channel 7 Jul 2011, 11:57

  • Virgin and Spotify: A step forward for digital music

    Analysis But most of the work has yet to be done

    Two years ago I wondered if the ISP and music industries were even worth saving – given that they'd contributed so much to consumer unhappiness, a lack of innovation and anything resembling entrepreneurship. Now that Virgin has done a deal with Spotify, it's time to revisit this. The company won praise from Culture Minister Ed …

    Media 7 Jul 2011, 12:20

  • Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420s 14in Core i5 laptop

    Review Suits more than suits

    I have always been a fan of ThinkPads, ever since my father brought home a beaten 560e featuring a 150MHz Pentium which was rejected from the corporate pool due to travel abuse. Even though half of its 1GB disk was bad sectors I ran it well into this century and with all the cheap tat that is flooding the market these days, I've …

    Laptops 7 Jul 2011, 12:45

  • OCZ sets up its flash stall in the enterprise bazaar

    Soon to plonk down brace of new offerings

    OCZ is taking on Fusion-io in the enterprise flash array market and adding a flash-disk drive hybrid to its range for workstation use. This SSD company is powering up into the enterprise from its consumer flash beginnings. There are two products due to be announced shortly, we understand, based on demonstrated prototypes seen …

    Storage 7 Jul 2011, 13:08

  • Going Critical

    Regcast The how and why of virtualising core business applications

    The first wave of virtualisation projects are done and dusted, with many applications consolidated and running (reasonably) well. But in a lot of cases the business is still looking for more - faster response times, better availability, quickfire provisioning and on-demand capacity. Creating a dynamic infrastructure is …

    Site News 7 Jul 2011, 13:22

  • Universal Music passwords exposed by Anonymous hack

    AntiSec strikes again

    Universal Music websites suffered a breach that exposed the usernames and passwords of fans of bands who had signed up for updates on their favourite musicians. Infamous hacktivist group Anonymous claimed responsibility for the hack as part of its AntiSec campaign, which aims to expose the weak spots in the internet security …

    Security 7 Jul 2011, 13:40

  • Apple App Store passes 15bn download mark

    75 for every fondleslab, Jesus mobe or iPod Touch

    Apple says that it has passed the 15 billion download mark at its App Store for iOS devices. Cupertino veep Philip Schiller said the news meant that Steve Jobs' walled garden had become the "most exciting and successful software marketplace the world has ever seen", in tinned quotes accompanying the announcement. Apple says …

    Applications 7 Jul 2011, 14:29

  • Google: Go public on Profiles or we'll delete you

    Comment Want to use our stuff? Have to let us use yours

    Google's efforts to get more Web2.0-social online have had an interesting but not altogether surprising side-effect: Profiles will no longer be hidden from view as of the end of this month. The company, which is busily crafting a social network dubbed Google+, has put the policy on how it handles its user profiles on notice. …

    Networks 7 Jul 2011, 14:47

  • Apple fails to get US 'App Store' trademark injunction

    Judge backs Amazon against fruitbite cargo cult

    Apple's claim that it owns the trademark "app store" has been dismissed by a US court. The computer giant was seeking a preliminary injunction to stop Amazon calling its "app store" the "Appstore". Apple claimed that "App Store" was a distinctive mark, even though the words app and store are well-known and well-understood. …

    Law 7 Jul 2011, 14:51

  • Windows security begins at the desktop

    Beware malware and careless users

    The risks of desktop computing are now well known. They stem from the growth in financially motivated malware, which aims to steal from the user or from the user's employer. Malware does this through viruses, worms and Trojans carried by emails, infected websites and so on. However, the tools to combat such attacks are now …

    Desktop Strategy 7 Jul 2011, 15:00

  • Virgin gives early adopters benefit of recent price cut

    First TiVo owners get £50 refund

    In a rare moment of magnanimity - for the consumer electronics boz - Virgin Media is apparently compensating early adopters for a subsequent price cut. When it began offering its 1TB hard drive-equipped, TiVo-based set-top box, Virgin charged punters £150 for the unit. Now, both existing Virgin customers and new ones pay £100 …

    Hardware 7 Jul 2011, 15:21

  • News of the World TO CLOSE

    So long and thanks for all the tits

    This Sunday's News of the World will be the last ever. The massive-circulation newspaper is deeply embroiled in phone hacking and police bribery allegations. It has been printed for over 150 years. Despite its recent reputation for shag-n-tell stories about footballers it has a past history of decent investigative journalism …

    Media 7 Jul 2011, 15:57

  • Avnet TS senior veep Coburn exits amid divisional tweak

    'Amicable' departure for pastures new

    Avnet Technology Solutions' senior veep EMEA Gary Coburn has left the distributor following a divisional tweak designed to reduce management costs. As part of the move, Avnet has handed Miriam Murphy - SVP of the IBM Product Business Group - control of the Business Product Group that had previously been managed by Coburn. …

    The Channel 7 Jul 2011, 16:24

  • SAP locks down co-CEOs

    Two prongs until 2017

    Germany application software giant SAP has locked in its current co-CEOs to run the company for the next six years, making a commitment to the long-term strategy and tag-team management of the company. Back in February 2010, Leo Apotheker, now president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, was shown the door by SAP by not having his …

    Business 7 Jul 2011, 17:10

  • Oracle coughs up Java 7 release candidate

    A non-revolution five years in the making

    Oracle has published the first release candidate for JDK 7, the long-awaited next version of Java set to officially debut on July 28. On Thursday, during a webcast from the Oracle bunker in Redwood City, California, Java chief architect Mark Reinhold said that the most significant thing about the new release is that "we're …

    Developer 7 Jul 2011, 17:12

  • ARM daddy simulates human brain with million-chip super

    RISC chip choice is a no-brainer

    While everyone in the IT racket is trying to figure out how many Intel Xeon and Atom chips can be replaced by ARM processors, Steve Furber, the main designer of the 32-bit ARM RISC processor at Acorn in the 1980s and now the ICL professor of engineering at the University of Manchester, is asking a different question, and that is …

    HPC 7 Jul 2011, 20:25

  • Microsoft muzzles IE chief's 'native HTML' nonsense

    Balderdash bug report closed

    Microsoft has abandoned its nonsensical effort to recast HTML as a native Windows technology. We can once again applaud the company's long overdue embrace of the latest web standards. In April, with a speech at the company's annual MIX conference and an accompanying blog post, head IE man Dean Hachamovitch announced that the …

    Software 7 Jul 2011, 21:11