The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

2nd September 2011 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • Coders howl over Google's App Engine price hike (natch)

    Spotlight on 'lock-in'

    Google's decision to increase the price of its App Engine has sparked the inevitable. On Wednesday, as it announced that App Engine will officially lose its "preview" tag in the second half of September, Google also rolled out a tool that lets existing users calculate how much they'll pay under the service's new pricing setup …

    Cloud 2 Sep 2011, 01:05

  • LA Noire developer goes titsup

    Team Bondi hits dark times

    Australia’s international gaming success story, Team Bondi, the developer behind LA Noire, has been placed into administration. The development studio has been hit by some controversy in recent months, with rumours that it had sold its IP to rival development house, KMM Studios, last month and an unceremonious parting of ways …

    Games 2 Sep 2011, 01:58

  • Hulu aims hot streams at Japan

    Australia next?

    Hulu, the popular US online TV service, is launching in Japan - its first venture outside home territory. Japanese viewers can watch stuff across connected TVs, gaming and entertainment consoles, Blu-ray players, smartphones, tablets and PCs – without advertising – for JPY1,480 per month (about £11.90 / $19.26). The service is …

    Media 2 Sep 2011, 02:30

  • Two UK suspects cuffed in Anonymous manhunt

    Computer Misuse Act invoked

    British police have arrested two men as part of a continuing investigation with the FBI into computer attacks carried out under the flags of the Anonymous and Lulz Security hacking crews. The men, aged 20 and 24, were arrested on Thursday in Mexborough, near Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and Warminster, Wiltshire, under suspicion …

    Security 2 Sep 2011, 06:00

  • HTC outs 'Mango' WinPho 7 smartphones

    Updated 'Unibody' aluminium handsets, anyone?

    HTC has unwrapped its 'Mango' Windows Phone 7 handsets, now dubbed Titan and Radar. Mango, the next major release, 7.5, of the Microsoft mobile OS, wasn't mentioned of course, but it's expected to debut any moment now and, barring accidents, should be out by the time Titan and Radar go on sale, in October. HTC's webpage for …

    Phones 2 Sep 2011, 06:48

  • Intel love bombs US.gov for supercomputing tax dollars

    Federal Unit delivers HPC focus

    Intel is getting more focused on the challenges in the supercomputing market and has established a new business unit, called Intel Federal, to pursue the contracts with the US government that fund the majority of cutting-edge supercomputing research and development in the country. In the wake of its acquisition of networking …

    HPC 2 Sep 2011, 07:00

  • Deezer launches stunningly original music idea in the UK

    Is YASMS really FFU-compliant?

    French internet outfit Deezer is bringing its YASMS (or Yet Another Streaming Music Service) to the UK. It's FFU-compliant (Far From Unique). The UK has no shortage of music streaming services already: We7 was the first to get established, and Spotify launched in the UK over two years ago. In France, Deezer claims to have six …

    Media 2 Sep 2011, 08:01

  • No Ultrabook from Dell - yet

    IFA 2011 Thin 14-inchers at IFA instead

    Dell unwrapped a pair of "thin" laptops at IFA today, though it didn't go so far as to follow Acer, Lenovo and Toshiba into the Ultrabook market. When questioned, Dell executives suggested they believe customers want thinness, yes, but not at the cost of performance. But since Dell didn't launch an ultrabook today, they would …

    Laptops 2 Sep 2011, 08:15

  • IFA 2011 Complete Coverage

    IFA 2011 All the tech, all the stories

    Europe's largest consumer electronics show, held every year in Berlin, brought a bumper crop of cool kit this year. Read all about it. Tablets First look at Toshiba's Portégé Z830 Ultrabook Hands on with Acer's Aspire S3 Ultrabook Hands on with Toshiba's 'world's thinnest' Android 3.2 tablet Medion hides Android 3.2 tablet …

    Hardware

  • HP plays tune on the flash Violin

    Can NetApp spread syrup on its WAFL?

    HP is offering server-connected flash memory arrays OEMed from Violin Memory to break I/O app bottlenecks. The VMA3205 and VMA3210 are virtual memory arrays with five and ten terabytes of capacity respectively. They deliver 350,000 read IOPS, 250,000 write IOPS and a 1.4GB/sec bandwidth. The 3U rackmount boxes can be shared …

    Storage 2 Sep 2011, 08:32

  • 'New laws not needed' to block / censor Twitter et al

    UK can morph into police state at will

    Comment One of the unanswered questions arising from the August riots is whether the government needs new powers to block the use of Twitter, Facebook and other social media which were used to organise the disturbances. Prime Minister David Cameron suggested, in the immediate aftermath of the rioting, that blocking the use of …

    Law 2 Sep 2011, 09:01

  • Bury council defends iPads for binmen

    Says £9k spunked on fondleslabs could save £170k

    Bury council has defended its decision to spend £9,000 on iPads for its fleet of refuse trucks, saying the devices will allow it to provide a real time bin collection service. The council has come under severe criticism for purchasing 22 of the touchscreen devices, which retail at around £400 each, just months after unveiling …

    Government 2 Sep 2011, 09:27

  • Solwise Net-3G-A10 HSPA Wi-Fi router

    Accessory of the Week Dangle more devices off your dongle

    So the Solwise-sold, made by HameTech A10 isn't a sexy looking as Three's MiFi, but it's the same proposition: a 3G modem with a built-in Wi-Fi router. It's an easy way to bring internet connectivity to devices that lack USB ports or have no cellular links of their own. Or, like me, you travel overseas and are keen to use a …

    Hardware 2 Sep 2011, 10:00

  • Debt-management biz may be barred from Facebook etc.

    OFT threatens crackdown on dodgy Twitter marketing

    Debt management companies could be prevented from contacting consumers through social media after a regulator review revealed "widespread problems with misleading advertising". In a draft update to its debt management guidance, now out for consultation, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) warned that using social media such as …

    Business 2 Sep 2011, 10:18

  • Acer claims first Core-i7 Ultrabook

    IFA 2011 MacBook Air clone out this month

    At IFA in Berlin today, Acer took the wraps off its first Ultrabook, the Aspire S3. At 1.3kg and 13mm thick it falls well within Intel’s 18mm max to claim this slimline performance computing marque. Also requisite is an Intel Core-i Sandy Bridge ULV CPU, with Acer making claims to be the first to market a Core-i7 model later …

    Laptops 2 Sep 2011, 10:27

  • Ohio man cuffed for shagging inflatable pool raft

    Pink, bouncy victim abducted in back-alley tryst

    The grandmother of an Ohio man with a serious penchant for plastic has suggested her grandson needs urgent help after he was cuffed earlier this week for engaging in "sexual activity" with a pink inflatable swimming pool raft. Edwin Charles Tobergta, 32, had already been arrested five times on public indecency charges when …

    Bootnotes 2 Sep 2011, 10:31

  • Apple's iCloud runs on Microsoft and Amazon services

    Who says Azure isn't cool and trendy now?

    Apple has selected Microsoft's Azure and Amazon's AWS to jointly host its iCloud service, The Reg has learned. We understand that Apple has barred Microsoft and Amazon from discussing what would otherwise be a high-profile deal, especially for Microsoft's fledgling Azure cloud service. But Reg sources close to Microsoft this …

    Cloud 2 Sep 2011, 10:46

  • El Reg's NAOMI rocket throws launch-pad strop

    SPB fails to get it up at International Rocket Week

    We at the El Reg Special Projects Bureau have just about recovered from our trip last weekend to International Rocket Week (IRW), in the somewhat rain-lashed and chilly outskirts of Glasgow. As followers of our Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) project will be aware, we headed off to a campsite outside Paisley on a …

    SPB 2 Sep 2011, 11:01

  • LG shows two-picture TV for gamers

    IFA 2011 No more split-screen gaming

    Remember Sony's PlayStation TV? It's a set capable of displaying two entirely separate images effectively simultaneously using the alternating left-eye, right-eye technique that makes 3D displays work. Well, LG is doing one too. Its Dual Play display works the same way, and is likewise aimed at two gamers who want to play …

    Games 2 Sep 2011, 11:17

  • Space junk at 'tipping point', now getting worse on its own

    More collisions generate more debris, so more collisions

    Satellites and spacecraft face the growing risk of damage and failure thanks to the expanding volume of small pieces of junk hurtling around the Earth's orbit. Scientists have warned the amount of orbital junk has reached a tipping point in volume and size. The National Research Council has said in a report (here) that …

    Science 2 Sep 2011, 11:18

  • London Philharmonic to give videogame music concert

    Classics get classical: Mario Bros, Zelda, Tetris etc

    Angry Birds, Super Mario Bros and Tetris are about to go classical in a new concert and recording by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO). Composer Andrew Skeet, who's worked on movies like Ridley Scott's Robin Hood and Garth Jennings' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is the conductor for the medley of video game …

    Media 2 Sep 2011, 11:30

  • TechCrunch Arrington to helm $20m VC fund for startups

    Vows he won't pimp his flippy flop-shops on blog

    Nontreprenuers, rejoice! Memorably described by Nick Carr as the "Madame of the Web 2.0 Brothel", TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington is launching a $20m VC fund to invest in the kind of frivolous built-to-flip web startups pimped by the blog. The fund is backed by AOL – which is also owner of TechCrunch. However Arrington …

    Media 2 Sep 2011, 11:40

  • Pogoplug maker intros nano Nas for smartphones

    IFA 2011 Your own personal Dropbox

    Cloud Engines, the build-your-own-cloud-storage company, has unveiled a junior member of its Pogoplug device family: the Pogoplug Mobile. The compact unit sports a single USB 2.0 port to which you can hook up external storage to share online. You don't even need a drive - the Mobile also has an SD slot ready for you to run a …

    Hardware 2 Sep 2011, 11:42

  • Dell Alienware M18x 18.4in gaming notebook

    Review Playing away from home

    Last year, Dell added to its Alienware laptop family and simultaneously expanded the definition of ultra-portables with the tiny-beefcake M11x. This year's new addition, the flagship M18x, now expands the other end of the spectrum. Big player: Dell's Alienware M18x Labelling this colossus a desktop replacement tells only …

    Laptops 2 Sep 2011, 12:00

  • Baidu produces cloned Android, web apps etc

    Anything Google does, we do better - behind the Firewall

    Baidu has forked Android, launching a mobile OS at its annual shindig which also saw the Chinese search outfit slotting web apps into its home page to go with its Chrome-alike browser. Baidu has taken a leaf out of Google's book before, and "Baidu Yi" (as the new mobile OS is called) is at least based on Android code, unlike …

    Operating Systems 2 Sep 2011, 12:19

  • Plods to get dot-uk takedown powers - without court order

    Why? 'Cos we're the bleedin' law, you slaag

    Police in the UK could get new powers to suspend internet domain names without a court order if they're being used for illegal activity, under rules proposed to .uk registry manager Nominet. A Nominet volunteer policy team has recommended the creation of an "expedited" process for shutting down addresses when the police say " …

    Hosting 2 Sep 2011, 12:38

  • Diebold demos cloud-based ATM

    It's true, there is money in the cloud!

    Diebold has taken the wraps off a prototype for a bank ATM that uses virtualisation technology. Relying on remote servers instead of in-built computing resources reduces complexity while offering greater reliability and security. Diebold described the prototype as a "game changer" and part of its roadmap to make greater use of …

    Cloud 2 Sep 2011, 13:01

  • Ubuntu deploys cloud-ready Ocelot beta

    Penguin 'Orchestra' and 'Ensemble' tune up

    A year that started with radical and controversial changes to prepare Ubuntu for touch-based consumer computing is finishing up with a big push into the cloud on servers. The Ubuntu community has released the first beta of Ubuntu 11.10, codenamed Oneiric Ocelot and expected as finished code for download in October. The beta …

    Cloud 2 Sep 2011, 13:27

  • Sony Tablet S in pictures

    IFA 2011 Thousand words, etc, etc.

    Sony used IFA 2011 to show off its new Tablet S, due out later this month in a Wi-Fi only Android 3.1 version. It had a host of them spread around its hall at the show, and I had a number of plays with it. Face on, the 9.4in, 1280 x 800 screen is crisp and clear, though the Sony stand's harsh lighting did it few favours …

    Tablets 2 Sep 2011, 14:00

  • EMC morphs storage arrays into servers

    Quacks like a duck, runs apps like a duck

    Comment EMC is extending its storage arrays into application engines. Oracle and others, such as start-up Nutanix, have had the idea of bringing stored data closer to the server to reduce network latency and get faster access to data. An additional way of getting much faster data access is to put a load of flash memory into …

    Storage 2 Sep 2011, 14:02

  • Sony Tablet P in pictures

    IFA 2011 A unique clamshell tablet, exposed

    Sony's Android 3.2-based Tablet P won't be going on sale until November, but it was still much in evidence at IFA. The desktop and other images are spread across both displays. Scrolling across both screens is very smooth The base and lid were formed from silver-sprayed plastic. Let's hope the final version has better …

    Tablets 2 Sep 2011, 14:20

  • Amazon refuses Touchpad refunds after price slash frenzy

    HP will cough, but you have to open the box ...

    Seemingly alone among UK retailers, Amazon is refusing to refund people who bought an HP Touchpad just before the price dropped, instead referring them directly to HP. Not that Amazon did that very quickly, making buyers wait as much as two weeks while it considered the matter and competitors including Play.com, Tesco, Argos …

    Tablets 2 Sep 2011, 14:25

  • T-Mobile shows off Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

    IFA 2011 LTE-enabled 9in fondleslab spied

    Samsung didn't show off its Galaxy Tab 8.9 9in Android tablet at IFA, but T-Mobile did - and in an LTE-enabled form. According to the network operator, the 8.9 will sport 32GB of storage - add more using Micro SD cards - and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. It will have the inevitable front- and rear-facing cameras. Think of it …

    Tablets 2 Sep 2011, 14:40

  • Webcam sextortion perve gets 6 years

    Hacked girls' PCs and blackmailed them to pose

    A Peeping Tom webcam sextortionist has been jailed for six years after targeting several young women. Luis Mijangos, 32, a resident of Santa Ana, California, was imprisoned on Thursday after he was convicted of hacking into more than 100 computers, using stolen personal information, to blackmail his young female victims into …

    Security 2 Sep 2011, 15:01

  • Medion hides Android 3.2 tablet behind closed doors

    IFA 2011 Out by Christmas

    Medion joined the throng of vendors touting an Android 3.2-based tablet at IFA, though it kept its offering, the LifeTab P9514 behind closed doors. We got to see it, though Medion was adamant that no snaps be taken, so here's the official publicity shot. As it stands, the fondleslab won't actually arrive until "the Christmas …

    Tablets 2 Sep 2011, 15:16

  • Google abandons tradition to bring you this Important Voucher

    Coupon coup draws Offers scoffers

    Google's reputation for sound judgement took a serious knock last year when it emerged it was mulling a $6bn bid for Groupon. The web voucher sensation is running on exhaust, and racing towards an IPO before faith and cash reserves expire. Legal issues lurk beneath the surface, and Groupon needs merchant partners to keep buying …

    Business 2 Sep 2011, 15:26

  • WikiLeaks releases full searchable US secret cable files

    On purpose this time, following Twitter poll

    WikiLeaks published its full cache of unredacted US diplomatic cables on Friday. The decision to release the 251,287 US embassy cables in searchable format follows in the wake of revelations that a book by a Guardian journalist published in February disclosed the secret key to the raw archive file which became available on …

    Security 2 Sep 2011, 15:26

  • Official: Samsung spurns WebOS

    What's in it for us?

    Samsung will "never" bid for HP's orphaned smartphone OS, WebOS, according to the company's CEO. HP canned its WebOS development a fortnight ago, and said it was considering licensing options for the erstwhile iPhone-killer it acquired with Palm last year. Speculation has been rife that Samsung – which has never seen a phone …

    Operating Systems 2 Sep 2011, 15:29

  • Domino's to serve pizzas on the Moon, apparently

    'Perhaps you think we're foolish. Maybe we are'

    Despite the fact that man has stopped going to the Moon, Domino's Japan reckons this is a good time to plan an outlet there. An artist’s impression shows the restaurant with a two-storey dome and a basement level made of steel plating where the pizzas will be prepared. Staff are expected to sleep in the building... Dodgy- …

    Bootnotes 2 Sep 2011, 15:57

  • US tech-sector job stats flattened by Verizon strike

    High Stateside unemployment stubbornly unchanged

    A strike by 45,000 workers at telecom giant Verizon helped flatten job creation in the US economy in August – literally. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has issued its monthly jobs report, and says that not only did the US economy fail to add any net-new workers last month, it also revised the number of jobs created in June and …

    Business 2 Sep 2011, 16:26

  • Google might shun Dutch gov certificates from DigiNotar

    Updated Chrome update prepared to kill 2 certs

    In the wake of hundreds of fraudulent secure sockets layer certificates issued by DigiNotar, Google developers are preparing a version of the Chrome browser that rejects some web credentials sanctioned by the Dutch government's official certificate authority. Source code posted Thursday afternoon California time on Google's own …

    Security 2 Sep 2011, 16:57

  • Microsoft: Our clouds are cheaper than VMware clouds

    Every cloud has a metal chair lining

    Who is the Microsoft of corporate private clouds? Microsoft, right? Wrong. It's VMware, with its vSphere virtualization stack and vCloud extensions. But at the premium prices that VMware is charging for its infrastructure cloud software, the company might want to review the history of the Unix server market and not make the …

    Cloud 2 Sep 2011, 17:55

  • Boffin melds quantum processor with quantum RAM

    Qubits meet John von Neumann

    A California physicist has created a quantum-computing chip based on the CPU/RAM combo known as the von Neumann architecture, opening the door, he argues, to commercial quantum-computing development. "I think it's very exciting as a researcher because we're really at the borderline between the two worlds of physics and …

    Hardware 2 Sep 2011, 17:57

  • Apple's ex-cop and the case of the lost iPhone 5

    Update Prototypegate II continues...

    Update: This story has been updated to reflect that the SFPD has apparently changed its story about the iPhone 5 search. The San Francisco Police Department has told a local paper that plainclothes police accompanied two Apple security officials to the home of a local man in search of a lost iPhone 5 prototype. According to …

    Phones 2 Sep 2011, 22:51