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24th October 2011 Archive

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  • HTC Radar WinPho 7.5 smartphone

    Review You've been Mangoed...

    It’s been a year since Microsoft revamped its mobile offering with Windows Mobile 7, which was greeted with cautious enthusiasm by critics and punters alike. It’s taken a while, but we’re now seeing the first major update with version 7.5 (aka Mango) appearing on the solidly built HTC Radar, which also includes a 5Mp camera. …

    reghardware 24 Oct 06:00

  • McKinnon's mum up for human rights gong

    Shortlisted for 'Pentagon hacker' extradition fight

    Janis Sharp, the campaigning mum of alleged Pentagon hacker Gary McKinnon, has been shortlisted for a human rights award by Liberty. The human rights charity recognised her efforts in battling for her son and against the Extradition Act; critics argue the law is one-sided. "I’m incredibly honoured and hoping this will help …

    Bootnotes 24 Oct 07:32

  • Netflix announces UK debut

    Streaming only, apparently

    Netflix is coming to Blighty early in 2012, as anticipated after it was claimed the US video streaming service is coming to continental Europe next year. Netflix today said it will offer "unlimited TV shows and films streaming instantly over the internet to TVs and computers for one low monthly subscription price". Netflix …

    reghardware 24 Oct 07:50

  • Can the iPad save newspapers?

    Questions to which you already know the answer. Part 94.

    Some obituaries of the late Steve Jobs praised the Apple founder as saviour of the newspaper industry. That’s hard to justify. While one of Jobs’ achievement was undoubtedly exploding the idea that people won’t pay for digital stuff, a newspaper business “saved” by the iPad won’t look anything like the old newspaper business. It …

    Music and Media 24 Oct 08:02

  • EMC tosses platters out of VNX for flash

    10 times faster than all-disk cousin

    EMC is offering as standard an all-flash VNX array, saying it's 10 times faster than its all-disk equivalent. It is also offering a higher bandwidth option for a couple of its VNXs. The all-flash standard VNX5500-F configuration has been designed for five "9s" availability. It can house a maximum of 250 drives with the base …

    Channel Register 24 Oct 08:32

  • Griffin Technology Helo TC

    Geek Treat of the Week Remote control micro-copter, anyone?

    Parrot’s AR.Drone quad 'copter has been quite a hit with the radio control crowd, but its £300 price tag puts it out of most people’s price range. Griffin’s new Helo TC, on the other blade, is affordable enough to be a fun little treat for the more casual weekend flier. The Helo is a miniature helicopter, measuring about …

    reghardware 24 Oct 09:00

  • Saddam 'double' kidnapped by smut flick gang

    Bagged dad turns down huge cash wad

    Muammar Gaddafi lookalikes are well advised to stay cautious in public if the recent experiences of a doppelganger for Saddam Hussein are any guide. Mohamed Bishr was walking to a cafe in the Egyptian city of Alexandria when a group of three armed men forced him into the back of a van. He was beaten by the brigands, who sought …

    Crime 24 Oct 09:29

  • Data retention, compliance and the storage budget

    Experts Which one do you blow first?

    Compliance. Was there ever a word to strike such terror into the heart of the average techie? (OK, “Audit”. But don’t blame us, we didn’t want to say it…) Juggling the often conflicting requirements of your budget and compliance is enough to give anyone a headache. So help us out with a question, if you would be so good. …

    CIO 24 Oct 09:35

  • Google! mulling! Yahoo! slurp! claims! insider!

    Abacuses out, antitrust lawyers on standby

    Google has joined the gaggle of companies lusting over the ailing search'n'content giant Yahoo, according to rumours in the Wall Street Journal. Google has been in talks with private equity firms, says the WSJ, counting the beans they'd need to bag the company, though nothing formal is on the table. Despite Yahoo! lagging far …

    Business 24 Oct 10:02

  • El Reg in SHOCK email address BLUNDER

    Turning ourselves in to the ICO right now

    Between 8:58 and 10:20 BST this morning we sent an email to 3,521 of you that contained the names and email addresses of 46,524 of our readers. Obviously, this was an error. The two-stage send process that is the norm for all of our mailers was over-looked because someone was in a hurry. We would like to offer our genuine and …

    Site News 24 Oct 10:07

  • Microsoft trousers yet more royalties from Android gear

    Patent deal inked over Compal's Google OS gadgets

    Microsoft has inked a deal with Compal Electronics, which pumps out gadgets that run Android and Chrome OS, for an undisclosed sum. Redmond said the agreement covered Compal's tablets, mobile phones, e-readers and other devices that run the Linux-based operating systems designed by Google. Under the deal, Microsoft will …

    Operating Systems 24 Oct 10:19

  • Boffins insert 3D objects into any old photo... realistically

    Students renovate rendering process

    Researchers have lit up the world of 3D design with a new method for inserting computer-generated objects into a photograph in a way that makes the CGI renders seem part of the original snap. Source: Kevin Karsch and co. Kevin Karsch, Varsha Hedau, David Forsyth and Derek Hoiem, all students from the University of Illinois …

    reghardware 24 Oct 10:34

  • Linehan turns IT Crowd off but NOT on again

    There won't be a fifth series

    Fans of Channel 4 sitcom IT Crowd will be crying into their customised motherboards this morning after the show's mastermind confirmed it won't be returning for a fifth series after all. Graham Linehan had said in May 2010 that he was working on another run of the programme, which brought the ridiculed-but-actually-extremely- …

    Entertainment 24 Oct 10:39

  • Seagate profits slip after price fight retreat

    Still set to outperform WD

    Seagate shipped more drives in its latest quarter but earned less profit as it took rare earth cost increases on board and walked away from price competition. Amazingly it could overtake Western Digital next quarter though. It reported fiscal 2012 Q1 revenues of $2.8bn (£1.75bn), more than the year-ago quarter's $2.7bn (£1. …

    Channel Register 24 Oct 11:02

  • Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy Blu-ray disc set

    Review Relics on display

    Fears that Blu-ray is facing early extinction seem woefully misplaced after experiencing the Jurassic Park trilogy on the format recently. Feature rich and re-engineered in 1080p hi-def with 7.1 lossless audio, this high resolution three disc set delivers T-Rific quality and hours of extras to tempt collectors and film fans to …

    reghardware 24 Oct 11:10

  • Too much information

    Part 1 What to do about it

    Sometimes it's not that you don't know enough. You know too much, and then someone's just sent you an email. And another one. and another. Whether you're in IT, running the business or one of those pesky users, it's hard to get on top of your work when work gets on top of you. So find out how Ronald, Emily and Graham, the …

    Cloud 24 Oct 11:16

  • China punts free condoms at iPhone owners

    Fondle something other than a mobe

    The Chinese are testing an iPhone app for ordering government-funded contraception, but with limited success as the state won't stump up for the quality brands. The service currently covers Beijing, and will provide three packs of ten every two months, with free delivery if you're central enough. While you're browsing you'll …

    Government 24 Oct 11:33

  • Disk drive crisis: Economists are terrible weathermen

    How globalisation becomes a washout

    Hang on a minute. This globalisation thing, isn't it supposed to have stopped nonsense like this? You know, it rains a bit and so we all run out of something? When we all lived on what could be grown or made within 5 miles a bit of flooding understandably led to shortages, but now we've the whole world to supply us why does …

    Channel Register 24 Oct 11:43

  • Oz solar car race caught on camera

    WSC A short video scrapbook for your viewing pleasure

    The dust has settled on the World Solar Challenge here in Oz, with Japan's Team Tokai securing their second consecutive title. El Reg's Special Projects Bureau followed the race all the way from Darwin to Brisbane - a challenging 2,998 kilometres from start line to chequered flag. Along the way, we grabbed some video of the …

    SPB 24 Oct 12:00

  • Alipay to tempt West's credit cards into China

    Take that, PayPal: cross-border payments

    Alipay, China's answer to PayPal, already has 600 million account holders, but is looking to head west and enable cross-border payments for anyone with a credit card. Chinese media is reporting that technical barriers have been overcome, and that international access to Chinese markets by ordinary credit card holders is only a …

    Business 24 Oct 12:16

  • Anonymous shuts down hidden child abuse hub

    Tor paedos torpedoed, names outed

    Members of hacktivist collective Anonymous are claiming credit for shutting down a deep underground child abuse site and outing its membership list. Account details of 1,589 members of Lolita City were posted as part of Anonymous’ Operation Darknet, a wider effort aimed against abuse of the Tor network by paedophiles. Lolita …

    Hosting 24 Oct 12:27

  • Three brings on-demand ITV content to smartphones

    Corrie on call

    Three has appeased telly addicts with a deal that'll see ITV catch-up content appear on users' handsets. On Demand Group is set to distribute the content on behalf of ITV, so that Three customers can watch ITV shows, such as Coronation Street, I'm a Celebrity, Downton Abbey and - yep - The X Factor, streamed directly on their …

    reghardware 24 Oct 12:29

  • Microsoft's YouTube channel pwned

    Clips of animated antics replaced by cartoon executions

    Microsoft's YouTube channel got hacked over the weekend by pranksters who replaced corporate videos with cartoons. One of the uploaded videos, titled Bingo, showed a character from the LA Noire video game shooting another animated figure in the head. Other videos called on 'Tubers to "post video responses, create new …

    Security 24 Oct 12:47

  • Apple updates MacBook Pro laptop line

    CPU, storage boost for no extra money

    Apple has upped the specs of its three MacBook Pro models while maintaining the previous models' prices. Essentially, the upgrade involves bigger hard drives all round, plus faster CPUs, up either 100MHz or 200MHz, depending on model. The 13in MBP has a choice of Core i5 or Core i7, while the 15in and 17in models are Core i7 …

    reghardware 24 Oct 12:49

  • How Jobs bent reality with LSD, Apple hype

    Biography reveals scruffy hippy past

    Out today on iTunes and Amazon, the highly anticipated Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson has had a level of hype normal for a new Apple product. OK, there was no keynote speech and we already knew the specifications - £25*, hardback, 656 pages - but the media, amateur and mainstream, has been going bonkers over Steve …

    Bootnotes 24 Oct 13:03

  • Intel, MS destined to remain tablet underdogs

    Single-digit marketshares through 2017

    Can Intel ever make a major in-road into the tablet market? Not likely, forecasts from market watcher DisplaySearch suggest. Mind you, even DisplaySearch appears unconvinced by its own charts, headlining its announcement today: "x86 processors and Windows 8 expected to take significant share after 2013." However, a glance at …

    reghardware 24 Oct 13:23

  • UK shamed in high-speed broadband study

    Brits rank 15th, The Netherlands tops Euro list

    The Netherlands have the fastest internet connections in Europe according to a State of the Internet report by Akamai, with more than 68 per cent of Dutch broadband lines clocking in at 5Mbit/s or more. That compares to only 30 per cent of UK connections at least hitting this high-speed broadband mark, leaving the UK in 15th …

    Networks 24 Oct 13:33

  • Tosh Thai hard drive plant swamped

    Floods spark further disk drought woe

    Toshiba is facing a long-term shutdown of its Thai disk drive plant due to more than a metre of water in the factory. The waterlogged fab is in the Navanakorn Industrial Estate Zone, next door to a flooded Western Digital plant. Toshiba said the depth of water has damaged machinery in the assembly line. It is working to …

    Channel Register 24 Oct 14:02

  • Ceglia's latest lawyer bungled child porn lawsuit

    Facebook botherer scrapes bottom of legal barrel

    Paul Ceglia - the alleged half-owner of Facebook - has enlisted yet another lawyer in his increasingly desperate case brought against Mark Zuckerberg. The latest attorney to represent Ceglia has reportedly been ordered, in a separate suit, to cough up $300,000 after he "morphed" stock images of minors and used them to defend …

    Networks 24 Oct 14:33

  • Leaked Nokia WinMobes ready for midrange scrum

    Operators will love an Android, iOS rival

    The worst kept secret in mobiles is out. Nokia will launch its first three Windows Phones this week, and since everyone in the industry has already seen them, except the media, it was inevitable details would trickle out before the announcement on Wednesday. When you lose control of your platform, you lose control of your leaks …

    Hardware 24 Oct 15:04

  • Oracle gobbles RightNow's tech support cloud

    Suddenly finds $1.5bn for cloudy buy-out

    Oracle co-founder and CEO Larry Ellison might have poured cold water on the idea of clouds a few years back – actually, it was more of a stream of warm lager-like liquid – but he is now firmly behind owning and operating public clouds that run applications. Earlier this month, Oracle announced its own public cloud and this …

    Cloud 24 Oct 15:29

  • So many risks, so little time

    The tolerance test

    How much risk can your IT department tolerate? There’s always going to be a certain amount of it. The trick is working out where to put it so that it causes the least damage. And to do that, you need to understand how risk fits into the broader world outside the IT department. There are various types of risk facing a company, …

    Compliance 24 Oct 16:03

  • Cisco, HP bury hatchet for server, switch hookup

    Nexus kit cosy up to blades

    Server giant and networking player Hewlett-Packard and networking giant and server player Cisco seem to have buried the hatchet. Admittedly, it is a pretty small hatchet and they are still brandishing pikes pointed at each other's guts. But they are not fighting. That's because there are plenty of customers that have HP for …

    Servers 24 Oct 16:21

  • Bluetooth smartens up in low-energy makeover

    Low-go logo for Smart kit

    The Bluetooth SIG has announced two new logos, aimed at pushing Bluetooth Low Energy without the clunky moniker. Bluetooth devices able to communicate with the latest sensors and low-power devices will be branded "Bluetooth Smart Ready", while the sensors themselves carry the "Bluetooth Smart" logo - ironically indicting they …

    Wireless 24 Oct 16:38

  • Yahoo! privacy! wonk! heads! to! Google+!

    She just couldn't keep the news private

    Google has poached Yahoo!'s long-serving policy chief to take charge somewhere within the company's nascent social network. Anne Toth, natch, confirmed she was moving on from the Sunnyvale Purple Palace to the Mountain View Chocolate Factory in a Google+ post on Friday. She starts work with Google today. "Come Monday I'll …

    Networks 24 Oct 17:29

  • WikiLeaks on verge of financial collapse, founder says

    Whistleblower to cease whistleblowing (for now)

    WikiLeaks will temporarily stop publishing so members can address a cash shortage that could cause the whistleblower site to financially collapse by the end of the year, founder Julian Assange said on Monday. The dire financial picture comes 10 months after PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, and other payment services significantly …

    Music and Media 24 Oct 18:03

  • Juniper on the prowl for acquisitions

    Mellanox, QLogic, or some Asian kitties?

    Upstart networking-equipment maker Juniper Networks is on the prowl. Speaking at a conference in Hong Kong on Monday, Kevin Johnson, Juniper's CEO, said that the company was interested in making targeted acquisitions, specifically in the areas of mobile communications and cloud computing. According to a report in The Wall …

    Hardware 24 Oct 18:24

  • Google dumps + from Boolean search tool

    Updated Users question if more keystrokes = more efficiency

    Google has quietly dropped the use of the + symbol to link search items, in a move it says will simplify the process of Boolean searching. The + search operator, widely used in searches to confine results to a specific search term, has now been replaced with quotation marks. So, for example, the search Register +BOFH is now …

    Music and Media 24 Oct 18:40

  • Last mystery of first recorded supernova laid to rest

    Turns out it's huge because it sucked

    NASA says it has put to rest any lingering doubts about the identity of the first recorded supernova, described in the Chinese historical work Book of the Later Han as having taken place in 185 A.D. As strongly suspected by observations made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton …

    Space 24 Oct 19:47

  • Optus rolls out IPTV with Fetch

    Prices aggressively, tweaks CDN, takes it mobile

    Optus has unveiled its IPTV content offering, branded as Optus MeTV and powered by the wholesale Fetch TV platform. Optus’ MeTV is a hybrid service combining digital free-to-air TV with on-demand and linear subscription channels, a PVR service, and web video with packages starting at $AU9.95 over 24 months and subscription …

    Business 24 Oct 21:36

  • Aussies love their lappies

    Bureau of Stats uncovers desktop decline

    At some point, it seems, we’ll know exactly how many hard-core gamers there are in Australia. That’s because they’ll be the only people still running desktop computers at home. In research released yesterday, the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found that homes with laptops now outnumber homes with desktops. In just three …

    Business 24 Oct 21:37

  • Apple flat-screen TV rumor rises yet again

    Steve Jobs speaks, persistent analyst listens

    A perennial Apple rumor is making the rounds yet again: that Cupertino is preparing to launch its own flat-screen TV. If you've been reading The Reg for any amount of time, you have heard that prediction before – and the source has often been Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster. Well, Munster is back with another Apple-branded …

    PCs & Chips 24 Oct 22:11

  • Equinix hooks up global data clients

    Trading places and data spaces

    Equinix customers will soon be able to trade bandwidth and storage within the heavyweight's 99 worldwide data centres. The company says its 4,000 partners, customers and suppliers will be able to trade capacity using what it calls the Equinix Marketplace. “For many companies and industries, data centers are not just …

    Cloud Business 24 Oct 22:30

  • Stanford boffins create skinnier ‘skin’

    No wrinkles, no Botox

    A group of scientists from Stanford University has created an artificial “skin” that acts as a stretchable, super-thin pressure sensor. The Bao Research Group led by Zhenan Bao has demonstrated the film, which is made from single-wall carbon nanotubes bent to act as springs. The real breakthrough, however, isn’t just creating …

    Science 24 Oct 23:00

  • Opscode makes Chef do Windows

    Give the enterprise sysadmins what they want

    Opscode, the commercial entity behind the open source Chef systems integration and management framework, is now doing Windows. And VMware supplied the Windex. Chef is popular among the open source crowd and is the brainchild of Christopher Brown, the chief technology officer at Opscode. Brown knows a thing or two about …

    Cloud 24 Oct 23:15

  • Father of Lisp and AI John McCarthy has died

    Early computing pioneer undergoes final upload

    Stanford University has confirmed that John McCarthy, the inventor of the LISP programming language and one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence (AI), has died at the age of 84. Among developers, McCarthy may be best known as the inventor of Lisp, which he devised in 1958 while at MIT and published in the seminal work " …

    Developer 24 Oct 23:23

  • Tool lets low-end PC crash much more powerful webserver

    Denial-of-service attack targets SSL

    Hackers have released software that they say allows a single computer to knock servers offline by targeting a well-documented flaw in secure sockets layer implementations. A German group known as The Hacker's Choice released the tool on Monday, in part to bring attention to what they said were a series of long-running …

    Enterprise Security 24 Oct 23:27

  • NSW govt to open silicon centric digs in The Valley

    Do you know the way to San Jose?

    The NSW Government is ramping up its digital-heavy reputation-building with plans in motion to open an international business office in Silicon Valley within months. NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner said that San Francisco was the ideal US location for the NSW office because of emerging …

    Business 24 Oct 23:30