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20th February 2012 Archive

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  • IBM, Actifio to help wannabe providers take on cloud giants

    Thin copying partnership

    There's thin provisioning and there's thin copying, which Actifio provides. IBM likes what it sees and is partnering Actifio with a get-you-into-the-cloud offer for wannabe service providers. The pitch is that you need far less disk storage and fewer storage-specific applications so that you can offer out cloud services while …

    The Channel 20 Feb 2012, 07:03

  • 70 London 999 calls lost due to clock-change IT glitch

    Emergency calls lost in British Summer Time balls-up last year

    The London Ambulance Service trust has confirmed that more than 70 emergency calls were not visible to staff due to a technical fault caused by a switch from British Summer Time last year. A control room IT glitch led to the loss of the calls in October last year, the service said. According to an article in the Health …

    Law 20 Feb 2012, 08:03

  • Don't reform copyright yet, begs publishers' body

    We want to see whether the Digital Rights Exchange works...

    The government should not change UK copyright laws until supposed problems with the current framework can be assessed in light of how a new 'digital copyright exchange' (DCE) works, the Publishers Association has said. Richard Mollet, chief executive of the association, said that the benefits the DCE could bring could …

    Bootnotes 20 Feb 2012, 09:04

  • Upstart startup STT punts big on universal memory

    Spin overcomes resistance

    VCs are funding resistive RAM startup Spin Transfer Technologies to the tune of 36 million greenbacks so it can start creating its universal memory – combining DRAM speed, flash non-volatility, and breaking NAND scaling limits. Spin Transfer Technologies (STT) was actually started in 2007 by New York University and Allied …

    Hardware 20 Feb 2012, 09:23

  • Gov CloudStore opens for business

    257 suppliers named – SMEs bag half the slots

    The Cabinet Office has anointed 257 IT and comms suppliers of all shapes and sizes to sell their wares to public sector punters via the CloudStore – an online catalogue of services. This is the first tranche of government's £60m G-Cloud framework, providing some 1,700 'pay as you go' ICT services through an e-marketplace which …

    The Channel 20 Feb 2012, 09:38

  • Lantronix xPrintServer

    Geek Treat of the Week AirPrint for grown-ups

    As far a tech goes, my encounter with the Lantronix xPrintServer was somewhat unusual. This fag packet of a device plumbs into your network and enables an iPhone, iPad or even an iPod Touch to access the local printers, assuming there’s a Wi-Fi access point on the same subnet. There’s no need to track down an AirPrint compatible …

    Hardware 20 Feb 2012, 10:00

  • Insight hands UK ops baby to Griffiths – temporarily

    Emma de Sousa is taking maternity leave

    Insight Direct is handing temporary control of the UK operation to company veteran Justin Griffiths as current incumbent Emma de Sousa goes on maternity leave. Griffiths, currently veep of partner management and marketing EMEA is set to pick up responsibilities as big cheese for northern Europe. President for EMEA and Asia …

    The Channel 20 Feb 2012, 10:19

  • Samsung spins off loss-making LCD biz

    Newly independent telly-maker may slurp OLED unit as well

    Samsung Electronics has decided to split off its LCD division into a separate company in the hopes of turning the loss-making business around. The Korean company proved the rumours circulating last week with regulatory filings announcing that its LCD unit would be spun off into a new firm – which will be a wholly owned …

    Financial News 20 Feb 2012, 10:36

  • HP's ProLiant Gen8 control freakery

    'So smart they virtually take care of themselves'

    Look out system administrators: Hewlett-Packard wants to give you more time to play video games or polish up your resumes – or both – with the forthcoming launch of its ProLiant Gen8 servers. . As part of its annual shindig with partners and resellers, which was hosted in Las Vegas a week ago, the biggest server shipper in the …

    Servers 20 Feb 2012, 10:58

  • Boy died after satnav fault delays ambulance

    Could they not have used a map, asks mum

    A child died after a faulty satnav caused an ambulance to arrive late, a coroner heard last week. Nine-year-old Corey Seymour suffered heart failure last September following an asthma attack at home. An ambulance took 24 minutes to arrive, despite an eight-minute target response time. West Midlands Ambulance Service has since …

    Science 20 Feb 2012, 11:05

  • Brit student locked up for Facebook source code hack

    Unfriended, unliked, unfree

    A British computer science student was jailed for eight months on Friday for hacking into the internal network at Facebook. Glenn Mangham, 26, previously pleaded guilty to hacking into the social networking site between April and May last year. The incident created a flap at Facebook amid fears that hackers were attempting to …

    Law 20 Feb 2012, 11:14

  • FTC urged to probe Google's Safari-tracking gaffe

    Choc Factory blames Apple's browser 'functionality' for ad slurp

    Google is once again under fire after a Stanford researcher discovered that the search giant and other advertising outfits have circumnavigated the privacy settings of millions of Apple Safari users. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google, Vibrant Media Inc, WPP PLC's Media Innovation Group LLC and Gannett Co.'s …

    Security 20 Feb 2012, 11:31

  • Climate models need revising: Droughts, heat waves not such a big deal

    'Not something we expected', say US gov boffins

    So, the world's climate is changing - that's one thing most scientists are indeed agreed on. But what does that actually mean for the future? Could hotter summer temperatures kill off growing plants, leading to runaway atmospheric carbon increases and turning the Earth into a lifeless baking hell? Not so much, according to US …

    Science 20 Feb 2012, 11:43

  • Chinese smut site boss gets 10 years in the slammer

    World's strictest web censorship laws try to put Jiarong, er, right

    A man in China has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for running a US-hosted porn site as the Communist Party continues its crackdown on illegal content. The Orwellian-sounding National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications announced to the state-run Xinhua news agency that Sheng Jiarong, of Qingdao city in …

    Law 20 Feb 2012, 11:58

  • Nokia Asha 201 Qwerty phone

    Review Cost-conscious caller

    When Nokia announced its three new Asha budget phones in October they didn’t attract much attention alongside the WinPho 7 handsets that were punted by the company at the same time. Keeping it simple: Nokia's Asha 201 That’s a shame, because the Ashas look like being very good mobile phones, perfect for people who just want …

    Phones 20 Feb 2012, 12:05

  • iPad 3 chip leak squeaks dual-core tweaks

    A5X logic board spied

    Apple's next tablet offering will feature a dual-core A5X system-on-a-chip, if snaps of a supposed iPad 3 logic board that surfaced on-line are anything to go by. The Cupertino giant is predicted to announce an upgraded processor for its forthcoming fondleslab, with an A6 chip the logical step. This was cast into doubt …

    Tablets 20 Feb 2012, 12:11

  • Foursquare ousted? Google sneaks out Latitude leader boards

    No mayoral frippery, green stars will be your only reward

    Over the weekend Google has tweaked its location-sharing Latitude product to enable checking in, following the trend which has failed to make money for Foursquare or Facebook. The feature was rolled out with uncharacteristic humility from the Chocolate Factory, and slipped into an over-the-weekend update. It offers nothing in …

    Mobile 20 Feb 2012, 12:14

  • Huawei pumps $6bn sweetener into US biz trio

    Qualcomm, Avago and Broadcom land contracts

    Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei has taken its turn at cementing US-Sino relations by announcing contracts worth $6bn with California OEMs Qualcomm, Broadcom and Avago - and reckons this will create tens of thousands of job “opportunities” in the States. The three-year deals will provide a much needed cash injection …

    Financial News 20 Feb 2012, 12:29

  • Brazilians unveil Microsoft SkyDrive's secret – revealing pics

    Cloudy storage app pictured... on the desktop

    Brazilian website Gemind has revealed screenshots claimed to show a desktop version for MAC OS and Windows of Microsoft's SkyDrive. Currently Windows and Mac users can access Skydrive – Microsoft's cloud storage for files, photos, music, etc – through a browser and it's clunky compared to, say, the simple Dropbox icon for …

    Applications 20 Feb 2012, 12:46

  • Eric Schmidt to cash in $1.45bn Google shares

    A little something for the rainy day fund

    Google chairman Eric Schmidt plans to sell off $1.45bn (£914m) shares in the company - a move that represents his biggest annual disposal in the company. According to a regulatory filing submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on 17 February, the one-time chief of the Chocolate Factory will cut his share …

    Financial News 20 Feb 2012, 13:03

  • UK mobile networks start to phase out Sony Ericsson handsets

    Vodafone, Orange don't even stock flagship Xperia Arc S

    British mobile networks have been quietly dropping Sony Ericsson handsets, a sign that the brand is en route to a swift exit from the market. The buyout and forthcoming rebrand as Sony could rekindle demand for the phones, but in the meantime, the Sony phones made during its marriage with Swedish company Ericsson are off the …

    Mobile 20 Feb 2012, 13:22

  • LOHAN flashes fantastical flying truss

    Experimental Vulture 2 launch platform

    It's taken us a while, and a not inconsiderable amount of head-scratching, but we've finally come up with a design for the Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) launch platform. Those of you who've been following LOHAN will recall the invitation to our beloved readers to present their best ballocket launch concepts, …

    SPB 20 Feb 2012, 13:38

  • Google plots Chrome web password maker

    How the secrets are stored and recovered is another matter

    Google is developing a password-generating tool that will bolt into its Chrome browser. The technology is designed to painlessly create hard-to-guess passwords when users sign up to websites. Whenever a site presents surfers with a field requiring a password, Chrome will display a key icon, giving users the option of allowing …

    Security 20 Feb 2012, 14:01

  • Brit sat biz Inmarsat owed $56m by ailing LightSquared

    Hard-up mobile broadband dreamers can't use sold spectrum

    Failed cellular disrupter LightSquared owes $56.25m (£35.46m) to UK operation Inmarsat for 10MHz of radio spectrum that the FCC won't let LS use. LightSquared's box-o-frogs plan was to use its satellite spectrum for a ground-based mobile broadband network, but when it started knocking out local GPS gear it was forced to …

    Broadband 20 Feb 2012, 14:18

  • Apple goes to European Commission with complaint about Motorola

    Tell Moto it can't use standards-essential patents that way, dad ...

    Apple has lodged a complaint with the European Commission over Motorola Mobility's use of standards-essential patents in lawsuits with the fruity firm. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission late on Friday, Motorola said that it had received a letter from the EC informing it of the complaint from Apple earlier …

    Law 20 Feb 2012, 14:37

  • Microsoft holds peace talks after Hyper-V booted from OpenStack

    Keen to get 'dead wood' hypervisor back on Linux clouds

    Microsoft is in talks for its Windows hypervisor to be readmitted to the Linux-for-the-cloud project OpenStack. Rackspace, one of the prime movers behind OpenStack, said the cloud team is working with Redmond after Hyper-V was removed from the project's code because nobody was maintaining or updating it. Microsoft's software, …

    Virtualization 20 Feb 2012, 14:58

  • Toner slurping biz Lasertech runs out of ink

    Creditors meeting called for next month

    Toner recycling firm Lasertech UK has called a creditors meeting after shutting up shop. The gathering, set up by licensed insolvency practitioners Parkin S Booth, is due to convene at the Queen Hotel in Chester on 8 March. A vote will be held to determine if PSB will be nominated as liquidator, a spokeswoman at the firm …

    The Channel 20 Feb 2012, 15:01

  • Pirate Bay AND its users violate labels' copyright - judge

    High Court ruling paves way for web block

    A High Court judge has ruled that notorious file-sharing website The Pirate Bay and its users violated the copyrights of nine record labels based in the UK. None of the founders of the website were represented at the trial in London. "The matters I have considered in relation to authorisation lead to the conclusion that the …

    Media 20 Feb 2012, 15:26

  • Unions: MoD 'mad to fire staff while increasing consultant spending'

    Analysis Calculator says no – but watch the colonels

    UK public-sector unions say that revelations of what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) spends on specialist consultants show that current plans to fire tens of thousands of staff will lead to increased expenditure. Could they be right? In a word, no. The Guardian reports, in an exclusive of the sort perhaps not hard to obtain when …

    Government 20 Feb 2012, 15:39

  • Valve responds to Half-Life 3 grumbles

    Gordon Freeman gets baked

    Valve has responded to demand for Half-Life 3 information, claiming to have its games more "baked" before any announcements are made. Head honcho Gabe Newell admitted Valve is aware of how much it annoys fans with the turnaround time of some games, Penny-Arcade reports. "It's pretty frustrating to us when we put them into …

    Games 20 Feb 2012, 15:45

  • Security biz scoffs at Apple's anti-Trojan Gatekeeper

    Apple dev ghetto fears - plus it only probes executables

    Security watchers are expressing reservations about whitelisting security that Apple plans to integrate with OS X Mountain Lion this summer. The security feature, dubbed Gatekeeper, restricts the installation of downloaded applications based on their source. Users can choose to accept apps from anywhere (as now) but by default …

    Security 20 Feb 2012, 15:58

  • Fujitsu tempts Europe to splash cash on waterproof mobes

    MWC 2012 Hopes quirky phones and slabs will swim rather than sink

    Japanese firm Fujitsu is gearing up to launch its smartphones and tablets in Europe, taking on incumbents Apple and Samsung. The company will be showcasing two mobiles and a slab at next week's Mobile World Congress (MWC) conference in Barcelona, and said it will lob its products at the market within the year. Fujitsu is not …

    Mobile 20 Feb 2012, 16:28

  • Panasonic outs dual-core Euro-centric Android phone

    Eluga caviar?

    Panasonic today showed off its upcoming smartphone - it's first for Europe - the Android-based Eluga. The skinny - it's 7.8mm thick and weighs 103g - handset sports a 4.3in, 540 x 960 (qHD) display and packs in near-field communications (NFC) contactless payment and file transfer tech. The smartphone runs Android 2.3.5 …

    Phones 20 Feb 2012, 16:53

  • French National Front woos internet pirates

    Extreme right backs music tax alternative to Hadopi

    The leader of the French National Front party, Marine Le Pen, wants Hadopi scrapped and replaced with a blanket licence to compensate creative industries. The extreme right party's freetard-friendly gambit has caused the Socialists, who also oppose Hadopi, to rethink their policies. According to The New York Times, Parti …

    Law 20 Feb 2012, 16:58

  • Panasonic to include trackpad remotes with top-end TVs

    App alternative for smartphone owners

    Panasonic was keen to tout its updated smartphone remote control for its new Viera TVs at its annual European Convention today but it was its touchpad-equipped remote units that caught our eye. The app - for Android and iDevices - offers the usual telly manipulation features, but there's one trick not seen on similar apps from …

    Hardware 20 Feb 2012, 17:26

  • SmarTone lets users cancel all-you-can-eat contracts

    Operator tries to put unlimited tariff fiasco to bed

    Hong Kong network giant SmarTone has decided to allow customers who signed up to new mobile contracts before 13 February to have them rescinded, as the fallout of its handling of new regulations governing unlimited contracts continues. In what could be seen as a cautionary tale for mobile providers across the globe, SmarTone …

    Mobile 20 Feb 2012, 17:29

  • Panasonic to take on LG with passive 3D TV

    iPad-like LCD tech in play too

    Panasonic is to launch a passive 3D TV in a bid to compete with LG's punter pulling models. The Viera ET 5 eschews the full HD 3D that active 3D tech makes possible in order to use the same kind of cheap, polarised specs that you use to watch 3D movies at the cinema. The downside: lower, 720p resolution 3D content. The upshot …

    Hardware 20 Feb 2012, 18:07

  • Exascale by 2018: Crazy ...or possible?

    HPC blog It may take a few years longer, but not too many

    I recently saw some estimates that show we should hit exascale supercomputer performance by around 2018. That seems a bit ambitious – if not stunningly optimistic – and the search to get some perspective led me on an hours-long meander through supercomputing history, plus what I like to call “Fun With Spreadsheets.” Right now …

    HPC 20 Feb 2012, 19:06

  • Pakistani military building PAC-PAD fondleslab

    Android tablet comes with military stamp

    The Pakistani military has been using spare manufacturing capacity to build an Android fondleslab to go up against Apple’s dominant tablet. The tablets are built by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC), one of the largest manufacturing facilities in the world, which primarily builds and tests aircraft for the Pakistani …

    Mobile 20 Feb 2012, 20:21

  • Australians like the NBN: poll

    Gaining ground again after slump

    The campaign against Australia’s National Broadband Network appears to be losing ground, with a poll by Essential Research showing growing support for the government’s infrastructure project. Although supporters of the network have always outweighed opponents in Essential’s poll, its latest research shows that for a while, the …

    Networks 20 Feb 2012, 21:30

  • Squirrelled away: seeds survive 30,000-year winter

    Russian permafrost yields up a secret

    About 30,000 years ago, a squirrel saved some fruits in a burrow that was frozen over, and stayed that way ever since. Now, Russian scientists have not only recovered the seeds – they’ve grown viable plants from them. According to Discovery, the fruits survived at a depth of 38 meters (125 feet), at -7°C until they were …

    Science 20 Feb 2012, 22:00

  • Microsoft claims Google bypassed its browser privacy too

    Updated P3P policy flaw gave automatic access

    Microsoft has released data showing that Google has been bypassing the user-defined privacy settings in Internet Explorer by using incorrect P3P identification terms. “When the IE team heard that Google had bypassed user privacy settings on Safari, we asked ourselves a simple question: is Google circumventing the privacy …

    Security 20 Feb 2012, 22:26

  • Digital Realty gets real in Victoria

    More data centres for us

    Digital Realty has unveiled plans to invest in two new data centres in Melbourne's west, ramping up its existing presence in Australia. The Victorian government estimates that the move will bring an economic benefit of around $AU365 million to the area and create 450 indirect jobs. Digital Realty is devoting $AU150 million to …

    Business 20 Feb 2012, 23:33

  • Optus snaps up Vivid for 4G build

    Huawei in box seat

    Optus has swooped on the assets of 4G wireless operator Vividwireless for $AU230 million and use the spectrum as a cornerstone of its own 4G network build out. Vivid's lofty ambition of rolling out an independent high speed wireless broadband network, instigated by Unwired Australia in 2000, has ended with the spectrum assets …

    Networks 20 Feb 2012, 23:45