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9th August 2011 Archive

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  • Police Federation reiterates demand for 700 MHz spectrum

    Emergency services vs. carriers battle drags on

    The Police Federation of Australia has renewed calls for dedicated mobile broadband spectrum for Australia’s public safety agencies, dismissing the telecommunications industry’s suggestion that carrier services could meet their needs. Previously, carriers have suggested that the various emergency services could buy services …

    Broadband 9 Aug 2011, 00:01

  • Windows Phone dev GM splits with Microsoft

    'Remember, every time you use Google, a puppy dies'

    Charlie Kindel – the general manager of the Windows Phone Developer Ecosystem and a 21-year Microsoft veteran – is leaving the company for a mystery startup. But he still forbids his kids to use Google. "No, just because I don’t work at Microsoft anymore you may not use Google," he told his children. "Remember, every time you …

    Mobile 9 Aug 2011, 00:19

  • NBN Co offers start-up rebates for providers

    Responds to entry cost concerns

    NBN Co, the company building Australia’s National Broadband Network, has responded to concerns that its services price small ISPs out of the market, announcing tariff rebates for capacity charges during the start-up phase. The network has been criticized by some for setting prices on “Connectivity Virtual Circuits” (CVCs) that …

    Broadband 9 Aug 2011, 04:36

  • Sony distribution centre engulfed by fire

    London warehouse may have been set alight by rioters

    Sony Corp's compact discs and DVDs warehouse in Enfield, north London, was on fire throughout the night. The Japanese electronics giant may have been caught up in the riots that sporadically swept across London on a third consecutive night of trouble in the capital. However, the firm is yet to determine the cause of the blaze …

    Media 9 Aug 2011, 08:20

  • Should your business be app in the cloud?

    On Demand Reg reader joins us, speaks from experience

    On June 23rd Reg Broadcast Editor Tim Phillips was joined by Reg reader James Greenman, Group IT Director at Care UK, to talk about where, when and why cloud might make sense for your business apps. Our Freeform Dynamics friend Andrew Buss and Grant Tanner from Star, also joined the round table discussion and gave their …

    Management 9 Aug 2011, 09:07

  • ISP-operated servers alter search results, researchers claim

    Search engine redirects give stealthy love to advertisers

    Search engine requests are being altered to redirect users to specific websites in a "stealthy" system that benefits advertisers, US researchers have claimed. "Malicious servers" operated by internet service providers (ISPs) redirect users to websites relating to the information they have searched for using search engines …

    Servers 9 Aug 2011, 09:15

  • Blackberry QNX phone details leaked

    But underpowered if true ...

    Images and specifications for the first Blackberry running QNX have surfaced, but if these are accurate then the Blackberry Colt is underpowered, incompatible and doomed from the start. The details come from the Boy Genius Report blog, which claims inside information and a photoshopped image of the handset. That information …

    Phones 9 Aug 2011, 09:27

  • Videogames caused riots says plod

    GTA London reloaded

    Blimey, things were heating up in London last night. To hide away from riots indoors and play your favourite videogames won't help, though. In fact according to one policeman, it's part of the problem. Quoted in last night's Evening Standard, an unnamed constable said, "These are bad people who did this. Kids out of control. …

    Hardware 9 Aug 2011, 09:43

  • Fake Firefox update bundles Trojan add-on

    Spam emails try basic ruse in attempt to fool the clueless

    Scammers are attempting to trick Firefox users into downloading backdoored software via spam emails that supposedly advertise an "update" to the open-source browser. A run of spam emails circulating over the weekend all include links to a download that bundles together a Mozilla Firefox 5.0.1 installer and a password-stealing …

    Security 9 Aug 2011, 10:06

  • Groupon sees surge in subscribers, scrubs contentious fiscal metric

    Could rejig affect $25bn valuation?

    Daily deals website Groupon is reportedly set to jack in a controversial accounting metric that it previously considered to be a good way to measure how well the company was performing. According to All Things Digital, which cites sources close to the matter, Groupon will tweak its S-1 public offering filing to scrub out a …

    Small Biz 9 Aug 2011, 10:08

  • RunPee

    Android App of the Week Golden moments of cinema

    Not an app dedicated to the vicissitudes of India’s currency or an equivalent of Grindr for fans of watersports. No, RunPee is an app designed to tell when the best time is to dash out of a cinema auditorium and take a quick tinkle, without missing too much of the action.   Films by date, name or search with an adjustable …

    Phones 9 Aug 2011, 10:30

  • Bankers plot telco bypass for payments

    Tight margins not to be shared with operators

    The Payments Council has been explaining its plans for a mobile payment platform: one that doesn't leave a cut for the network operators but keeps the revenue for the bankers. The council's head of innovation has been talking to NFC World about how the platform will work, and being quite explicit that telcos won't be invited …

    Financial News 9 Aug 2011, 10:47

  • LOHAN team buried under ballockets

    Click here for a shedload of Reg reader spaceplane launch concepts

    We sort of knew we'd rue the day we asked you lot for your suggestions as to how exactly to launch our Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) spaceplane, and so it turned out to be, as were were buried under a veritable bucketload of ballockets. What we're looking for here is a practical way of getting the rocket-powered …

    SPB 9 Aug 2011, 11:07

  • Anobit doubles flash stash

    Has shipped 20 million controllers

    Israeli flash controller startup Anobit has doubled the capacity of its MSP controller and shipped 20 million of the little devils so far. The existing MSP2020 controller supports from 4GB to 128GB of multi-level cell NAND, either 2-bit – which is shipping – or 3-bit, which we understand is not. MSP stands for memory signal …

    Storage 9 Aug 2011, 11:33

  • Dell's first global conference: Where are the EMEA partners?

    Is there a channel outside of the US anyway?

    Dell is staging its first worldwide conference but is inviting only a handful of resellers from EMEA and is not banking on many of them turning up anyway. The DellWorld gig held at the eponymously named tech titan's home town in Austin, Texas, will run from 12 to 14 October with guest speakers including the big cheeses at …

    The Channel 9 Aug 2011, 11:36

  • Prime Minister recalls holidaying MPs after London riots

    16,000 police patrol streets tonight as retailers count cost of looting, fires

    Prime Minister David Cameron has recalled Parliament after three nights of rioting, looting and arson on London's streets. The Palace of Westminster is currently in recess until 5 September, but MPs have been told to return to the House of Commons for one day on Thursday. Meanwhile, retailers across the capital are still …

    Law 9 Aug 2011, 11:51

  • Microsoft UK and axed exec in legal smackdown

    Ex-board member....

    Microsoft's former UK enterprise partner director and board member Simon Negus is suing the software giant for wrongful dismissal months after it slapped a writ on him to repay part of a bonus and holiday money. He left the firm last September amid allegations of inappropriate behaviour and was the subject of a lawsuit filed …

    Operating Systems 9 Aug 2011, 12:17

  • Italian boffins to robo-grapple space junk

    Cunning satellite plan to de-orbit rocket debris

    Italian scientists have devised what they reckon is a viable plan to deal with the menace of large chucks of space debris: a robotic satellite which will grapple the junk, attach a propellant kit and dispatch it to a fiery death in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Marco Castronuovo and colleagues from the Agenzia Spaziale …

    Science 9 Aug 2011, 12:22

  • Sky wins TV riot battle

    Going Live...

    For years Private Eye has been making fun of 24-hour rolling news, and its pointless obsession with Going Live! It documented how this crept into scheduled bulletins – reporters standing pointlessly in front of empty buildings or roundabouts, where nothing at all was happening. The internet seemed to make rolling 24-hour news …

    Media 9 Aug 2011, 12:26

  • Magellan Explorist 710 hiking GPS

    Review Head for the hills

    The Explorist 710 is top of the line in Magellan’s new x10 series of multi-purpose GPS devices and offers preloaded topographical maps, turn-by-turn navigation, geocaching, tracking and a host of other features in one handy robust unit. Take a hike: Magellan's Explorist 710 The first thing you will notice about the 710 is …

    Hardware 9 Aug 2011, 12:33

  • Motorola Xoom gets Android 3.1

    UK update awakens SD slot

    Motorola has released a UK Android 3.1 update for the Motorola Xoom, activating long-awaited features for early adopters. The patch brings users up to speed with Honeycomb's improved multi-tasking, resizable home screen widgets and keyboard and mouse compatibility, as well as a host of support for other USB or Bluetooth …

    Tablets 9 Aug 2011, 13:04

  • Sony confirms investigation into warehouse blaze is underway

    Facility unsafe as fire continues to 'smoulder'

    Sony has confirmed that the huge blaze at its Digital Audio Disc Corporation (DADC) distribution centre in Enfield, north London, last night is being investigated by police. It said the company first learned of a fire at the warehouse at 23:30 on Monday (8 August) night. "There have been no injuries to employees," Sony said …

    Law 9 Aug 2011, 13:10

  • Peaches Geldof explains Kubrick's 2001

    It's about 'the esoteric great architect Other', tweet reveals

    Peaches Geldof is taking a bit of a shoeing down at Twitter for cracking one of the great conundrums of our time in 140 characters or less – just WTF Stanley Kubrick's 2001 is all about. Ms Geldof allegedly tweeted: "I reckon 2001 is about the evolution of man, and the idea of god being imbued in both man, machine and the …

    Law 9 Aug 2011, 13:13

  • Skytap adds orchestration to dev/test cloud

    Hubbing and spoking

    Skytap, the lab automation cloud maker funded in part by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is adding features to its eponymous tool to make it more useful for companies wrestling with deploying applications on public and private clouds. Skytap is like other lab manager products that VMware and Citrix Systems acquired to take control …

    Cloud 9 Aug 2011, 13:32

  • French mobile femtocells vulnerable to rogue base station hack

    Rogue 3G booster rooster

    Security researchers have detailed further flaws in the femtocell base station technology supplied by mobile carriers to consumers and small businesses as a means to improve 3G mobile connectivity in buildings by taking advantage of existing broadband connections. Security shortcomings in Vodafone's femtocell signal booster …

    Small Biz 9 Aug 2011, 14:08

  • Hitachi GST flash stash speed dash

    SSD flash price slash

    What a turn up for the books: Hitachi GST has just introduced a multi-level cell SSD that's faster – not slower – than its single level cell product. It's also cheaper, but that's expected. MLC flash is supposed to be slower than SLC flash. The SLC Ultrastar SSD400S does 41,000 and 21,000 random read and write IOPS …

    Storage 9 Aug 2011, 14:17

  • Tottenham MP calls for BlackBerry Messenging suspension

    Twitter campaign to shut down rival

    Tottenham MP David Lammy has called on RIM to shut down its BlackBerry Messenger service overnight, to prevent rioters using the closed network to coordinate gatherings. Speaking on 5Live, Lammy claimed that the messaging service was "one of reasons why unsophisticated criminals are outfoxing an otherwise sophisticated police …

    Law 9 Aug 2011, 14:23

  • BlackBerry Messenger archives open for inspection

    RIPA, DPA, ICO – none of them will prevent police fishing

    Messages passing through the BlackBerry Messenger system are almost certainly already under examination by the police, who need neither warrants nor ministerial permission to search them for evidence. While the Regulatory Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) is necessary for interception of live communications. once the messages …

    Law 9 Aug 2011, 14:36

  • Foreign Office trials emergency text service

    No warnings for London riots though

    Without a trace of irony, the UK foreign office has today launched a text-alert service for overseas travellers, warning them of potential unrest so they can hurry home to the safety of the UK. The service is being trialled with Vodafone, and will automatically send out a text message to Vodafone customers in any foreign …

    Government 9 Aug 2011, 14:57

  • Hackers claim to have cracked Norway mass-murderer's email

    Breivik's rantings handed to journo, cops, says 'Noria' crew

    A hacking group claims to have broken into two email accounts maintained by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, the far-right extremist who killed more than 70 people in attacks that shocked the world last month. The hacking crew, who call themselves Noria, reportedly hacked into Breivik's email accounts after …

    Security 9 Aug 2011, 15:07

  • Reusable e-paper rolled out

    Held without charge

    Green-tastic boffs have created rewritable e-paper with a 300dpi resolution that needs no power to be viewed. A team of Taiwanese scientists have developed "i2R e-paper", which apparently needs no backlighting and thus uses no electricity. According to Frank Hsiu, a senior official at the Industrial Technology Research …

    Hardware 9 Aug 2011, 15:20

  • Dunkin' Donuts waitress offers additional dunkin'

    'Extra sugar' on the menu at New Jersey eatery

    A 29-year-old Dunkin' Donuts night shift waitress has been cuffed for offering clients a bit of additional dunkin', according to New Jersey's Daily Record. Melissa Redmond allegedly converted the fast food outlet on Route 46 outside NYC into a veritable knocking shop during her 9pm to 5am night shift, nipping to customers' …

    Bootnotes 9 Aug 2011, 15:35

  • PS3 controller makes move on Android games

    Dualshock axis action

    Android gamers can now benefit from using a PlayStation 3 control pad on many of their favourite mobile games and apps. Dancing Pixel Studios' Sixaxis Controller app runs the Sixaxis or Dualshock 3 controller on Android phones and tablets. Sixaxis enables the PS3 Dualshock to take control Be warned, though, compatibility …

    Games 9 Aug 2011, 15:40

  • BlackBerry blog hacked with riot-related threats

    We know where you live, says hacking crew

    RIM's corporate blog has been defaced with threats as part of a protest against the BlackBerry maker's plans to hand over information on London rioters to the police. The blog section of the BlackBerry website was defaced by hacking crew TeaMp0isoN, which proceeded to boast about the attack on Twitter. "No Blackberry you will …

    Security 9 Aug 2011, 15:41

  • Xpress yourself: Quark sold to M&A outfit

    Desktop publishing: It's the future! Insert fondleslab here...

    Desktop publishing software maker Quark has been acquired by Platinum Equity for an undisclosed sum. The Denver, Colorado-based vendor, whose most popular product was QuarkXpress back in the mid-'90s, was bought by the Ebrahimi family in 2000 from the company's founder Tim Gill, according to MacWorld. In contrast to recent …

    Applications 9 Aug 2011, 15:48

  • Samsung Smart Hub adds Freeview+ HD DVR

    Content to share

    Samsung has unveiled the BD-DT7800 Freeview HD recorder as the latest addition to its Smart Hub AV range, with this model able to function as a digital media server. The BD-DT7800 comes with a 500GB HDD, Wi-Fi connection and 3D abilities such as 3D recording and 2D to 3D conversion. It packs twin HD tuners as well as DLNA …

    Hardware 9 Aug 2011, 16:57

  • Citigroup hit with another data leak

    Personal info for 92,000 customers exposed

    Citigroup's Japanese credit card unit said personal information for more than 92,000 of its customers was illegally sold to a third party. The information exposed included the names, account numbers addresses, phone numbers birthdates, and sex of 92,408 credit card holders, Citi Cards Japan warned in an advisory (PDF) issued …

    Security 9 Aug 2011, 17:26

  • Apple blocks sale of Samsung's Android fondleslab across EU

    Dutch dodge Jobsian crackdown

    Apple has won a preliminary injunction blocking the sale of Samsung's Android-based Galaxy Tab fondleslab across almost all of the European Union. The Samsung tablet went on sale in Britain just last week. According to a Google Translation of a report from German news agency dpa, the Regional Court of Dusseldorf has granted …

    Mobile 9 Aug 2011, 18:58

  • SuperVisor: One hypervisor to virtualize them all

    HotLink assumes control

    And now it's time for the supervisor. A group of entrepreneurs with expertise in application and server virtualization that sold their last company to EMC have started a new outfit called HotLink, and it's flagship product is a kind of uber-hypervisor. HotLink's SuperVisor is a clever transformation layer that will sit between …

    Cloud 9 Aug 2011, 19:13

  • IE, Windows server bugs likely to be exploited soon

    Yes, it's Microsoft Patch Tuesday again

    Microsoft has released 13 updates that patch security holes in a wide range of its software offerings, including vulnerabilities rated critical in its Internet Explorer browser and Windows server operating systems. The bugs in IE make it possible for attackers to remotely execute malicious code when an end user does nothing …

    Security 9 Aug 2011, 20:17

  • Neurogaming set to be launched by Disney

    'Plug and play' gets very touchy-feely

    Cyberpunk futurist gaming fantasies are getting closer to commercial reality courtesy of Walt Disney’s research labs. Disney Research, Pittsburgh (DRP), has created a new sensory based technology called Surround Haptics, which allows gamers and film audiences to feel a range of sensations wherever they wear the technology. …

    Science 9 Aug 2011, 22:21

  • Old Republic parallel imports okay, says BioWare

    Sorry, can’t help with the ping times

    Gamers in Australia have been reassured that they’ll be able to log into Star Wars: The Old Republic server ahead of the game’s official Australian ship date. The company is pursuing a strategy of staggered launches, either as a hype-raising marketing ploy or to give it time to roll out local servers, a decision that had been …

    Business 9 Aug 2011, 22:22

  • SQL survives murder attempt by mutant stepchild

    Open...and Shut World says 'No' to NoSQL

    Silicon Valley likes nothing more than to fetish the Next Big Technology Trend, be it cloud or NoSQL or scripting languages. The problem is that the real world moves much more slowly, and has very different considerations fueling its technology decisions. Perhaps nowhere is this clearer than in the technology media's infatuation …

    Software 9 Aug 2011, 23:23

  • MacTel data centre build slips

    $AU60 million facility to open in 2012

    Macquarie Telecom has pushed back the original opening date of its new AU$60 million data centre. The new data centre, called Intellicentre 2, was scheduled to be completed in late 2011 but is now slated for an early 2012 opening. The development of the North Ryde-based data center has been supported by the New South Wales …

    Business 9 Aug 2011, 23:30