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21st December 2011 Archive

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  • Oracle hammered as hardware sales soften

    Software sales flaccid, as well

    Software behemoth and systems player Oracle missed its projections for both hardware revenues and new software license sales in its second quarter of fiscal 2012. While Oracle was facing a very tough compare, the miss is something that will make Wall Street and the rest of the IT community jittery for a spell – at least until …

    Servers 21 Dec 00:15

  • 3M CP45 pocket camcorder and projector combo

    Review Making light of your photography

    The 3M CP45 is a combination HD camcorder, 5Mp camera and LED-lit LCOS projector. Not much bigger than a couple of copulating iPhones, it can film and throw an image up to 65in onto a convenient wall. Shoot and show: 3M's CP45 camcorder projector 3M seems to be touting it at families who can’t be bothered to upload their …

    reghardware 21 Dec 07:00

  • Phone-hack scandal: News Int'l settles with 7 more claimants

    Reportedly dishes out 'hundreds of thousands of pounds'

    News International has paid hundreds of thousands of pounds in seven civil lawsuits to individuals who allegedly had their voicemails intercepted by individuals working at the now-defunct News of the World. It said in a statement to The Register: “News International can confirm that seven claims against News Group Newspapers ( …

    Business 21 Dec 08:02

  • ISP ordered to drop 'three strikes' rule against pirates

    Using IP addresses to ID them invades privacy

    The Irish data protection watchdog has ordered the country's largest internet service provider (ISP) to stop using its 'three strikes' system for identifying and warning alleged illegal file-sharers, according to media reports. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner in Ireland (ODPC) expressed concern that Eircom's …

    Software 21 Dec 09:02

  • Neighbours not Liking Facebook's new campus

    Rapidly expanding workforce could cause traffic and parking issues

    Facebook has only just moved into its new digs at Menlo Park, but already there are rumours of problems with the neighbours over traffic disruptions and parking spaces. The social network's new campus, part of which used to be a Sun Microsystems house, only has permission for 3,600 employees, but Facebook wants closer to 9,000 …

    Business 21 Dec 09:23

  • Ministry of Justice dreams of £1bn mega IT framework

    So much for centralised approach to tech buying

    The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has begun to sound out the market for an IT services framework that would be one of the biggest deals in government and effectively duplicate arrangements elsewhere in Whitehall. It has published a pre-tender notice in the Official Journal of the European Union asking for supplier feedback on the …

    Hardware 21 Dec 09:42

  • Lovefilm buys right to stream Sony Pictures content

    Arthur Christmas exclusive - stitch that, Netflix

    The tit-for-tat announcements from Lovefilm and Netflix continue as the arrival in the UK of the US streaming giant and the biggest threat to the Amazon-owned incumbent gets closer. Yesterday, Netflix said it would offer subscribers BBC shows. Today, Lovefilm said it has persuaded Sony Pictures Entertainment to let it stream …

    reghardware 21 Dec 09:44

  • Santa's Xmas Caper

    Antique Code Show Jingle bell-end?

    So let’s just get one thing straight: 99.99 per cent of Christmas-themed games suck. I might make an exception for Christmas Nights on Sega depending on my mood, but, hey, it’s that time of year again and between the overwhelming urge to take a machete to every brightly tinseled tree I see, there must be time to reminisce …

    reghardware 21 Dec 10:00

  • A simple HTML tag will crash 64-bit Windows 7

    0-day leaves kernel in the wrong iframe of mind

    An unpatched critical flaw in 64-bit Windows 7 leaves computers vulnerable to a full 'blue screen of death' system crash. The memory corruption bug in x64 Win 7 could also allow malicious kernel-level code to be injected into machines, security alert biz Secunia warns. Fortunately the 32-bit version of Windows 7 is immune to …

    Software 21 Dec 10:07

  • Sony PSN class-action lawsuit ban prompts... lawsuit

    And it's seeking class-action status too

    Sony is being sued over its insistence that it not be sued. The consumer electronics giant is the subject of a new lawsuit filed with the US District Court for Northern California, Gamespot reports. The complaint alleges Sony engaged in unfair business practices by seeking to prevent users from launching class-action lawsuits …

    reghardware 21 Dec 10:17

  • NASA finds first Earth-sized planets outside the solar system

    Unfortunately, they're hellishly hot ...

    NASA's Kepler mission, tasked with the illustrious mission of finding an Earth 2.0 for humankind, has located the first Earth-sized planets orbiting a star outside our solar system. Artist's concept of Kepler 20e. Credit: NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech The two worlds, Kepler 20e and Kepler 20f, are too close to their parent star ( …

    Space 21 Dec 10:41

  • Mozilla, Google extend 'sweethearts' browser deal for 3 years

    A marriage made in search heaven

    Mozilla has extended its revenue deal with Google for another three years, following some will-they-won't-they speculation about the future of that "sweethearts" partnership. Interestingly, the contract renewal comes just weeks after Google's Chrome browser gently brushed past Mozilla's Firefox to become the world's second- …

    Software 21 Dec 11:22

  • Whisper open-sources Android text-encryption app

    It has moxie... and Twitter for a daddy

    Whisper Systems has open-sourced TextSecure, its secure text messaging client for Android smartphones. The move follows the acquisition of Whisper by Twitter last month and comes 18 months after TextSecure was first released. "We hope that as an open-source project, TextSecure will be able to reach even more people, with an …

    Applications 21 Dec 11:42

  • Amazon, MS and Nokia sniff around RIM

    Many potential suitors as flagging firm attempts rebound

    Buyers including Amazon, Microsoft and Nokia have expressed some interest in hoovering up the remains of Research in Motion, as it reeled from one disaster to another this year. But the Canadian firm is determined to sort itself out, people with knowledge of the situation told Reuters. Etail giant Amazon hired an investment …

    Software 21 Dec 12:01

  • HP posts Pre 3 WebOS update

    Last patch before open sourcerers set to work?

    HP has pushed out an WebOS update for its Pre 3 smartphone. The patch, which takes the (now) open source operating system to 2.2.4, is being pushed out to European and US Pre 3s. Pre 2s got the upate last week. HP hasn't said much about 2.2.4 on the Pre 3, but the Pre 2 release saw the addition of Skype - already available …

    reghardware 21 Dec 12:18

  • Google Wallet hacked onto Verizon phones

    Telco exiled tap-to-pay Android app from Galaxy Nexus mobes

    Verizon's controversial decision to ask Google for Wallet-less builds of the Galaxy Nexus might be moot, as hackers have discovered that the functionality is there none the less. Hackers have managed to gain access to the Google Wallet functionality lurking within the Verizon spin of the Galaxy Nexus, allowing the telco's …

    Mobile 21 Dec 12:22

  • Sony Tablet P split-screen Android fondleslab

    Review Hinge benefits?

    Now here’s an odd one. Sony has created what looks like a monster Nintendo 3DS but is actually an Android Honeycomb tablet computer. So you get a sort of flattened tube that folds out to reveal two screens. Will it work? Should it work? Read on… Android fondlecrab: Sony's Tablet S This is actually one of two new tablets …

    reghardware 21 Dec 12:22

  • Facebook shoves your face into creepy 'sponsored stories' in 2012

    A personalised ad party ... if you Like it, bitch

    Facebook will begin adding photos of its users to third-party adverts appearing in users' news feeds come early next year, so if you're the sort who's a bit free with your thumbs-up button, there's no way out of being featured alongside a tin of baked beans or a pair of knickers on the social network. The Mark Zuckerberg-run …

    Music and Media 21 Dec 12:43

  • Happy Birthday Intel 4004, and thanks for all the chips

    Regards delivered by Kindle

    It's 40 years since Intel baked the first microprocessor, so celebrate by buying The Register's latest ebook, Happy Birthday Intel 4004. In this ebook, El Reg's RIk Myslewski traces Intel's path from the 4004, Intel's 2,300 transistor, 10 micron wunderkind of 1971, through to the 22nm, multi-billion transistor, multi-core …

    Site News 21 Dec 13:04

  • Channel 5 snubs Freeview HD again

    Home of the Eddie Stobart docu sticks to SD

    Channel 5 is giving up on filling a Freeview HD channel, so fans of Celebrity Wedding Planner will just have to live with standard definition. Or go to Virgin or Sky for its Channel 5 HD offering. The intention had been for an HD version of Channel 5 to fit into Freeview from April 2012, but the broadcaster has now notified …

    Music and Media 21 Dec 13:22

  • Ofcom maps out what 'psychics' are allowed to do on TV

    Chicken bones are not, in principle, problematic

    The UK regulator, Ofcom, has issued a clarification for purveyors of TV programmes based around psychic powers, basically reminding them that they are all frauds. Most advertising is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority, but participation television – where viewers are encouraged to call in, and pay, still falls to …

    Music and Media 21 Dec 13:42

  • Ofcom grills pirates, loses report under fridge for two years

    Analysis 'Music, vids pirated because they're too expensive' shocker!

    On Monday Ofcom published two studies it commissioned into digital piracy: one attempting to quantify the level of piracy, the other a smaller study collecting pirates' opinions. Oddly, the 'new' quantitative research is old - almost as old as the Norman Domesday Book. The field work was conducted by Kantar Media in March 2010 …

    Music and Media 21 Dec 14:04

  • Texas Memory Systems longs to seduce 'larger player'

    Who will flash the cash for this flash cache stash?

    Fancy spending splashing some cash to buy some flash? Then go to the Lone Star state, where Texas Memory Systems has put itself up for sale. Privately owned TMS has been operating for 33 years. It makes RamSan shared block-access flash memory arrays and has a PCIe flash card line under the RamSan brand as well. It recently …

    Storage 21 Dec 14:29

  • Facebook's 'Darwinian' nature keeps users safe - Irish gov

    Billions of web2.0 monkeys one day to evolve into humans?

    Facebook's handling of its user data in Ireland is legitimate, the Irish data protection commissioner's office said today. The DPA released a 149-page audit report detailing the outcome of a privacy inspection carried out by the information commission in Ireland. “The audit has found a positive approach and commitment on the …

    Applications 21 Dec 14:59

  • O2 denies Nokia WinPho handset cull

    Lumia 800 just 'out of stock' despite absence from website

    O2 today insisted it has not dropped Nokia's Lumia 800. The Windows Phone 7 handset is simply "out of stock", according to the network operator. Temporary unavailability is usually accompanied by a note to that fact, but O2's website does not list the phone at all. A search for the handset yields an appropriate entry at shop. …

    reghardware 21 Dec 15:11

  • Christmas cosmonauts set out safely for ISS

    Along with ESA and NASA astronauts

    Soyuz TMA-03M blasted off from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 13.16pm GMT today without a hitch, carrying the next three crew members for the ISS. Soyuz TMA-03M lift off. Credit: ESA The European Space Agency's Andre Kuipers, NASA's Don Pettit and Roscosmos' Oleg Kononenko launched to fill out the full complement of …

    Space 21 Dec 15:32

  • Humans, insects set to OBLITERATE frankincense supply

    Boots counter next Christmas?

    Scientists are warning that frankincense supplies are failing fast, and that 90 per cent of the world’s supply could be gone in the next 50 years, thanks to some spectacularly unwise men. Teams from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and Ethiopia have published results from the first large scale study of frankincense …

    Odds and Sods 21 Dec 16:02

  • Nekkid Tech: Vendors don't respond to how we use tech

    Podcast 'Every time somebody installs VMware View on a Kindle ...'

    Last week, Nekkid Tech host Greg Knieriemen chatted with Greg Schulz of StorageIO and Dell storage evangelist Gina Minks on various topics including the Infosmack mashup mess, how to pitch an ebook and what to do about those pesky IT admins... This week, Greg talks to guests Ed Saipetch, senior technical director for the …

    Developer 21 Dec 16:31

  • Iran spy drone GPS hijack boasts: Rubbish, say experts

    Cockup far more likely than conspiracy, as usual

    Doubts that Iran managed to bring down an advanced US drone over the country last month using an advanced GPS spoofing attack have been raised by experts, who say that attacks of this type would be extremely tough to pull off. Iran announced on 4 December that it had captured an advanced American remotely piloted spy drone, …

    Security 21 Dec 17:03

  • Are Oracle's Exadata racks fluffing Apple's iCloud?

    Larry rains on Big Blue's Power parade

    Oracle did not have a good fiscal Q2, as El Reg reported on Tuesday after the market closed. Server sales plummeted and new software license sales did not grow anywhere near what Ellison & Co expected. But the Exadata and Exalogic lines of machinery were a bright spot, and may well be fluffing up Apple's iCloud. Well, at …

    Servers 21 Dec 19:02

  • Vodafone told to shape up or face mega fines

    Regulator short of patience

    Vodafone Australia is facing $AU250,000 fines from the ACMA if it does not continue to lift its game on network performance, customer care and privacy issues. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued directions to Vodafone and its Vodafone Networks subsidiary requiring them to comply with the …

    Business 21 Dec 21:30

  • NEC ramps up regional broadband wholesale

    Celebrates completion of regional backhaul

    With the last link of Australia’s Regional Backhaul Blackspots Program (RBBP) network – from Darwin in the Northern Territory to Toowoomba in Queensland – going live, NEC has announced an expansion of its regional wholesale broadband footprint. Backhaul has long been a bottleneck in broadband outside metropolitan Australia, …

    Telecoms 21 Dec 22:00

  • Telstra Int in anti-DDoS crusade

    Launches protection in the cloud

    Telstra has unveiled a global DDoS protection service for its international clients. The new service is being rolled out by Telstra International to provide added cloud based protection to multinational customers’ internet-facing infrastructure against a wide range of DDoS attacks. “DDoS attacks have increased tenfold since …

    Business 21 Dec 22:30

  • Tas Uni helps align ice observations

    Seeking ground truth for the CryoSat-2 mission

    How’s this for a summer activity: dragging a GPS hundreds of kilometers across Antarctic ice to grab a GPS measurement? That’s been the programme for researchers from the University of Tasmania, along with collaborators from Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute, in a project designed to validate measurements from the European …

    Environment 21 Dec 23:00