The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

5th March 2012 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • SingTel restructures to bypass Apple, Google

    Updated Voice and data giant spawns 'Digital L!fe' division

    Singaporean telco giant SingTel has restructured into three units: one for consumers, another for enterprise IT and a third that takes it into Yahoo! punctuation territory with the moniker “Digital L!fe”. The company, one of the largest mobile operators in the world, is currently on an aggressive expansion drive into ICT …

    Networks 5 Mar 2012, 00:19

  • Oz says 41 hits a day turn bloggers into publishers

    Proposed regulator could force bloggers to make corrections

    Bloggers whose online scrawling earns just 41 page impressions a day could be forced to apologise to those they wrong on their sites and issue corrections, under a proposed new model of media regulation for Australia. The 41 a day recommendation comes from the so called Finkelstein report, formally known as the Report of the …

    Policy 5 Mar 2012, 02:03

  • It never ends: TV exposé tags new Android privacy howler

    EC blasts Google personal data-sharing as ‘illegal’

    The UK’s Channel 4 News has dropped a fresh load of privacy grief in Larry’s lap, with an expose into the way advertisers hitch-hike on apps’ permissions. The Channel 4 piece has drawn a furious response from European Commission VP Viviane Reding, who has told the broadcaster: “this is against the law, because nobody has the …

    Security 5 Mar 2012, 04:52

  • Brits trapped in confusing council website labyrinths - survey

    ICT body says sites useful only to local gov wonks

    Too few council websites are sufficiently focused on the top tasks that are of most interest to their users, according to an annual report by Socitm. The IT trade body examined how easy it was to complete popular tasks, such as paying council tax or finding school term dates, on council websites, with only 5 per cent achieving …

    Government 5 Mar 2012, 08:01

  • Unlawful tweets could land Twitter in Blighty's dock

    Opinion Safe in the US, but not OK in UK - law expert

    Twitter could be liable in the UK for unlawful comments you make in tweets. If that seems unfair or far-fetched, a quick glance southwards at a case in Australia outlines how Twitter could end up on the hook for users' illegal actions. The crucial point for the firm and others like it in the UK is that there is no way to tell …

    Law 5 Mar 2012, 09:03

  • A sysadmin in telco hell

    1-800 oh my £&$%&

    At the best of times, telecommunications is a complicated field to navigate. Putting aside the technical difficulties of creating and maintaining a modern telecommunications system, customer support and regulatory compliance can be challenging burdens for organisations of any size to cope with. Even with the best and brightest …

    Servers 5 Mar 2012, 09:33

  • Desaia Beat Box Bluetooth speaker

    Geek Treat of the Week For the great outdoors

    This is your chance to get your own back on those annoying teenagers who huddle at the back of the bus and play music through the god-awful tinny speakers on their mobile phones. Desaia’s Beat Box is a 75mm cube with speaker grilles on either side and it connects to any device which can pump out audio over Bluetooth. It’s …

    Hardware 5 Mar 2012, 10:00

  • Intel runs three Ivy Bridge fabs ragged for April blast off

    Ultrabook makers scramble for supplies

    Intel is stepping up production of its much-anticipated Ivy Bridge processors for an official launch as early as next month - but is adjusting its numbers to meet increased demand from Ultrabook vendors. Sources in the notebook industry told Digitimes that, despite reported delays of up to two months, production is still by …

    Hardware 5 Mar 2012, 10:18

  • Sony to ship passive 3D, OLED TVs in 2013

    Giant's TV chief spills the beans

    Sony is to release a passive 3D TV, and will follow it with OLED televisions next year, Reg Hardware has learned. The Japanese giant, which currently sells passive 3D monitors to broadcasters, has already begun shipping consumer-friendly models into the Chinese market. Sony’s passive Bravia screens are expected to make their …

    Hardware 5 Mar 2012, 10:23

  • China aims its most powerful rocket ever AT THE MOON

    100 ton-slinging heavy thruster for manned missions

    China has taken a step closer to manned Moon and deep space expeditions with boffins completing vital research on a new heavy-thrust carrier rocket - which is designed to be more powerful than anything the country has previously blasted into the skies. Liang Xiaohong, vice-president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle …

    Science 5 Mar 2012, 10:39

  • GM puts the brake on Volt e-car output

    Car Week Production to be halted for five weeks

    General Motors has temporarily halted the production of its Volt e-car. Late last week, the car giant admitted it was closing down assembly of new Volts on 16 March for a five-week period. Its reason: dealers have all the vehicles they need. In other words, too few folk are buying the $33,500 (£21,177) plug-in hybrid e-car …

    Science 5 Mar 2012, 10:46

  • SeaMicro acquisition: A game-changer for AMD

    Blog Skating with trends, pucking up Intel plans

    AMD’s sudden purchase of SeaMicro came out of the blue on Wednesday afternoon (West Coast US time) and was followed by a conference call with CEO Rory Read, SeaMicro co-founder Andrew Feldman and Lisa Su, AMD’s newly dubbed head of Global Business Units. This is a purchase that has the potential to put AMD back into the …

    Servers 5 Mar 2012, 11:01

  • Lithuania rules beer brewing 'vitally essential' to life

    Carlsberg probably as important as drinking water

    A Lithuanian court has ruled that the brewing of Carlsberg lager is a "vitally essential" activity, thereby depriving the Danish beer monolith's workers the right to strike. The decision came after the brewer moved to prevent staff in its Baltic tentacle walking out in a dispute over pay and conditions, the Telegraph explains …

    Bootnotes 5 Mar 2012, 11:22

  • Jelly Bean confirmed as Android names get sweeter

    Google to put Pie out next

    Asus has confirmed that the next major version of Google's smartphone OS will indeed be called "Jelly Bean". During Mobile World Congress (MWC) last week, the manufacturer talked up its relationship with the big G and revealed "once they have Android 5.0, I think there will be a high possibility that we will be the first wave …

    Software 5 Mar 2012, 11:27

  • Chinese Facebook clone bags Windows 8 social app first

    Proof that a Microsoft Metro fan exists

    Facebook copycat Renren has announced it will make the first social networking app for Microsoft's Windows 8 app store. The Chinese site said that high-def app Renren HD will feature full integration with the new tablet-friendly platform, allowing citizens to share web pages, pictures, videos and other stuff via the social …

    Applications 5 Mar 2012, 11:41

  • Future car tech

    Car Week What's coming under the bonnet and in the cabin

    You are probably expecting me to start this feature with a hymn of praise to the electric car, but I’m not. The Nissan Leaf has been on sale for the best part of 12 months and all the e-cars on the horizon, from the Renault Zoe to the Tesla Model S, are simply variations on the theme. The electric car is here. It's today’s …

    Science 5 Mar 2012, 12:00

  • SHOCK: RIM PlayBook outsells Apple iPad

    In Canada... in one chain... but it's a start!

    Canadian gadget emporium Future Shop sold more BlackBerry PlayBooks than iPads last week, indicating the end of Apple's dominance or at least lending some succour to RIM's investors. The retail chain, which has 145 branches across Canada, isn't saying how many of either tablet it has sold, but tweeted its congratulations to …

    Tablets 5 Mar 2012, 12:19

  • Star Wars visionary becomes one with the Force

    Artist dies at 82

    Star Wars conceptual artist Ralph McQuarrie, whose paintings were the force behind much of the film series' design, has popped his clogs at the age of 82. McQuarrie's art was instrumental in persuading 20th Century Fox to back the production of Star Wars. This was followed by further film success, as McQuarrie provided pre- …

    Hardware 5 Mar 2012, 12:20

  • Atari Pong at 40: Alcorn talks plastics, pirates and square balls

    Interview Pong pioneer to Bushnell: 'Screw you, I'm not making it round!'

    The phrase "Once you're lucky, twice you're good" should be applied to Allan "Al" Alcorn, the engineer behind Pong, the world's first successful computer arcade game which celebrates its 40th birthday this year. It is Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, the buccaneering entrepreneur with a flashy grin, who attracts headlines for …

    Developer 5 Mar 2012, 12:37

  • Audi shows off OLED-illuminated concept R8

    Car Week Lightstorm bodywork

    It's all very KITT, of course, with a bit of Batmobile tossed in for good measure, but here is Audi's plan for taking OLED car lighting - inside and outside of the vehicle - to the max. Based on an R8, the Q7 concept shows how design teams can have lots of fun building tech into vehicles that may never see light of day. …

    Science 5 Mar 2012, 12:41

  • Compaq UK founder Joe McNally has died

    PC pioneer loses battle with cancer

    Compaq UK and Ireland founder Joe McNally has passed away after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 69. Joe McNally Picture by: Eddie Boldizsar McNally set up the UK beachhead for the Houston PC titan in 1984 with just £2,000 and a load of stock that he famously personally delivered by black cab, growing it to a £1bn …

    The Channel 5 Mar 2012, 12:46

  • Vauxhall: US Volt halt will not affect UK launch

    Car Week Ampera charge still on

    Vauxhall has denied that parent company General Motors' move to shut down Volt production for five weeks will adversely affect the e-car's UK release. The production suspension, which will begin on 16 March, will have "absolutely no effect" on the UK launch, a Vauxhall spokeswoman told Reg Hardware. Vauxhall will launch the …

    Science 5 Mar 2012, 12:51

  • Space FIREBALL over Blighty sparks hunt for rich meteorite

    Boffins wowed by rock worth weight in gold

    Astronomers are searching for a highly expensive fist-sized meteorite that lit up the skies over Blighty on Saturday night. The fireball plunged to the ground somewhere in Devon, Normandy or in the Bay of Biscay - sparking fears of a downed aeroplane or missile attack. The lump of space metals would be worth its weight in gold …

    Science 5 Mar 2012, 13:01

  • Keeping score in the public sector

    Reg research The performance management and information access reality

    A recent Reg Reader survey looked at how public sector organisations are managing to address the complex challenges of information management in an age when everyone expects to have instant access to information while simultaneously insisting on stringent security being enforced. The results are unlikely to be much of a …

    Tech Panel 5 Mar 2012, 13:20

  • Senator demands FTC iPhone, Android photo privacy probe

    Smartphone sniffer apps snoop

    The Federal Trade Commission has been urged by a US senator to probe allegations that apps installed on Apple and Google Android mobile handsets slurp users' private photos and contacts without first gaining the consent of the customer. Reuters reported yesterday that Democrat Charles Schumer had been in touch with the FTC …

    Government 5 Mar 2012, 13:24

  • Two Brits in court over Michael Jackson back catalogue hack

    Pair deny lifting unreleased tracks from Sony

    Two British men have denied hacking into Sony's systems and downloading 50,000 files covering Michael Jackson's entire back catalogue - including unreleased songs. James Marks, 26, from Daventry in Northamptonshire, and James McCormick, 25, from Blackpool, appeared at Leicester Crown Court charged with computer hacking and …

    Security 5 Mar 2012, 13:38

  • Hello? You'll never guess where I am ... I'm under a ferry

    Channel Tunnel mobile coverage touted

    Channel Tunnel passengers will be able to continue chatting unabated while being whisked along 45 metres below the seabed, just in time for the 2012 Olympics. That’s according to The Telegraph. Eurotunnel wonks aren't confirming anything until the official announcement which, we understand, will come tomorrow from the French …

    Mobile 5 Mar 2012, 14:03

  • Sony offers gamers a part in the Uncharted saga

    Make a Drake compo

    Sony has launched a competition in which you can try to win a trip to the Naughty Dog studios in Los Angles where you'll create your own own multiplayer character for Uncharted. The 'Uncharted Audition' Facebook competition asks entrants to try their hand at three challenges, including coming up with a Nathan Drake-like name, …

    Games 5 Mar 2012, 14:09

  • Is Google liable for unlawful web graffiti on its walls?

    High Court says no, Spanish beaks unsure

    Europe's highest court has been asked to make clear whether or not it is Google's responsibility to remove data from its search engine index and news aggregator if it hadn't produced that material itself. The request from Spanish court, the Audiencia Nacional (in Spanish), to the European Court of Justice came as a top judge …

    Law 5 Mar 2012, 14:22

  • No 10 develops Terminator iPad app 'to fire ministers'

    'Rohan – I asked for sharks with frickin' lasers'

    No 10 is developing a custom-made iPad app for the Prime Minister that will help him fire ministers, according to a Tory insider. The app will provide David Cameron with a "management dashboard" of real-time data, but according to court journalist Matthew d'Ancona, the goal is to terminate under-performing ministers " …

    Government 5 Mar 2012, 14:41

  • Stinky alligator drama is App Store's 25 billionth download

    Bathroom predicament freebie earns fan $10k

    More than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from Apple's App Store since 2008, the company announced today. A Chinese fan called Chunli Fu, of Qingdao, made the milestone download and earned a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card as a result. Fu picked up the free version of Where's My Water?, a game in which players have to help an …

    Developer 5 Mar 2012, 15:03

  • NASA lost 'full control' to hackers, pwned 13 times last year

    Houston still has a problem with security

    Cybercrooks broke into NASA's computer systems 13 times last year gaining "full functional control" of important systems in the worse cases, according to the testimony before the US Congress by the space agency's inspector general. Paul Martin told a Congressional panel on information security at the space agency that NASA …

    Security 5 Mar 2012, 15:17

  • Western Digital gets China's nod to gobble Hitachi GST

    But devouring delayed by two years

    Western Digital has gained China's approval for its Hitachi GST acquisition, but the integration of the two cannot take place for two years. Western Digital and Hitachi GST have agreed the acquisition but both EU and Chinese anti-competition regulators have had concerns, delaying their approval of the deal. WD and Toshiba have …

    Financial News 5 Mar 2012, 15:36

  • China Mobile hooks 15 million iPhones to 2G

    Steve Jobs was right?

    China Mobile now has 15 million iPhone users on its network, despite its customers being limited to 2G connections and the handset only having been on sale since August last year. Not that the Chinese waited for the official release: more than seven million of them had already imported iPhones despite the lack of official …

    Mobile 5 Mar 2012, 16:01

  • IT channel swamped with cash from bargain-hunting small biz

    Double-digit distie sales rise in January

    The IT channel tweaked the nose of the recession during January with UK disties transacting £525m worth of tech sales, according to stats from bean counter Context. This represents a year-on-year sales-out rise of nearly 16 per cent - not bad given all the talk of economic meltdown. Tablets and telecoms gear were the hottest …

    The Channel 5 Mar 2012, 16:12

  • Cash-strapped graduates sell their own faces

    Enterprising human billboard fundraiser

    A couple of cash-strapped graduates are well on their way to paying off £50k in university fees after offering their faces as advertising space. Ross Harper and Ed Moyse (pictured below) kicked off their 366-day debt-busting face-painting drive back in October, and have so far raised a cool £31,632 from a mixed bag of clients …

    Bootnotes 5 Mar 2012, 16:34

  • IDC Storage Tracker: NetApp is losing market share

    Third quarter in a row

    IDC's quarterly Storage Tracker shows NetApp losing market share in disk storage sales for the third straight quarter while EMC rises like a rocket. IDC's quarterly storage tracker measures external disk sales – networked arrays, in other words – and also total disk storage sales, which also covers server-attached disks. It …

    Financial News 5 Mar 2012, 17:02

  • Microsoft finally rolls out small biz badge for resellers

    Better 20 months late than never

    Microsoft's small biz competency will be rolled out in June – almost two years after the revamped Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) hit the channel. The scheme will replace the Small Business Specialist Competency (SBSC) in a bid to underpin sales of software delivered via both on- and off-premise models. Julie Bennani, general …

    The Channel 5 Mar 2012, 17:18

  • German court tosses out Samsung AND Apple patent sueballs

    Chaebol dodges slide-to-unlock claim while Cupertino dodges 3G patent suit

    Friday saw two new rulings in the ongoing Apple v Samsung patent squabble in Germany. Judge Andreas Voss handed down one ruling in Samsung's favour (kicking out a claim by Apple over the slide-to-unlock patent) and one in Apple's favour (quashing a claim by Samsung that the iPhone had infringed one of its 3G network patents …

    Mobile 5 Mar 2012, 17:32

  • GitHub reinstates Russian who hacked site to expose flaw

    Developer was just trying to help...

    GitHub has reinstated the account of a Russian software developer who discovered a series of security flaws involving the code repository that he eventually shamed the site into fixing over the weekend. Egor Homakov discovered a cryptographically-related security bug on GitHub that allowed attackers to gain administrator …

    Security 5 Mar 2012, 17:55

  • Dev spits out new spin of 'Protesters' Twitter'

    Revolutionary tool occupies new interface

    The new owner of the anonymous, proximity-based messaging app used by punters at the Occupy protest last summer has dropped an updated version of the iOS app. BetaWorks, which picked up the social media app in December last year, is planning an unveil next week at hipster tech carnival SXSW. The Twitter-like app – currently …

    Applications 5 Mar 2012, 18:02

  • AOL joins advertiser exodus from Rush Limbaugh

    Portly pundit sheds sponsors over 'slutgate'

    AOL has joined the growing band of companies who are dumping their advertising with US radio shock-jock Rush Limbaugh over his comments in the "slutgate" saga. "At AOL one of our core values is that we act with integrity. We have monitored the unfolding events and have determined that Mr. Limbaugh's comments are not in line …

    Media 5 Mar 2012, 18:02

  • Clouds push Linux server sales in Q4

    Windows boxes dip, Unix swoons, mainframes plummet

    For hyperscale data center operators, the server is the business and there is no such thing as deferring purchases of new gear so long as there is growing customer demand for information. And not surprisingly, in the fourth quarter of this year, sales of density-optimized servers, as the box counters at IDC are now calling the …

    Servers 5 Mar 2012, 19:06

  • FCC denies DISH a fast-track waiver for grounded network

    Not in an election year, bud

    DISH Network has been refused an immediate waiver to let it build a ground network using its satellite frequencies, as the FCC wants to consult until after Obama is re-elected. DISH was hoping to follow LightSquared's lead in building a terrestrial network operating in the frequencies formerly reserved for satellite …

    Broadband 5 Mar 2012, 20:04

  • AMD uncloaks (more) next-generation graphics cards

    Next graphics cards with 'Graphics Core Next'

    AMD has released a pair of new graphics cards based on its 28-nanometer "Graphics Core Next" (GCN) architecture, humbly dubbing them as being "engineered for supremacy." "The AMD Radeon HD 7800 series offers more than the just world's most advanced graphics," AMD's GPU Division headman said in a statement, "it offers the …

    Hardware 5 Mar 2012, 20:12

  • NBN Co awards Geomatic Tech with three-year deal

    Spatial technology keeps NBN moving

    Spatial technology specialists Geomatic Technologie has secured a multi-million dollar, three year contract with NBN Co. Under the agreement Geomatic Technologies will deliver a defect and maintenance management solution (DMS) to support NBN Co's construction auditing, maintenance and operations processes. The solution …

    Business 5 Mar 2012, 21:14

  • Yet another iPhone patent lawsuit

    Nokia proxy puts Cupertino in the crosshairs, Redmond on the spot

    A Luxembourg company called Core Wireless has launched a patent lawsuit against Apple, claiming that its patents, which cover communication protocols, are breached by any device that uses 2G, 3G or 4G standards. The suit, which was filed in the Eastern Texas District on February 29 before Justice Leonard Davis, is based on a …

    Law 5 Mar 2012, 22:00

  • Microsoft: Cloud will fluff 14 million jobs by 2015

    New revenues, as well: $1.1 trillion annually

    A study commissioned by Microsoft reckons that global cloud services will generate nearly 14 million jobs between 2011 and 2015, and that "IT innovation created by cloud computing" could produce $1.1 trillion in new annual revenues by 2015. "The cloud is going to have a huge impact on job creation," said Microsoft cloud …

    Cloud 5 Mar 2012, 22:43

  • Start-ups get tech boost from serial entrepreneur

    Locomote seeks new digital upstarts

    Australian software entrepreneur Philip Weinman has ploughed his expertise and some cash into Deasil Management, a company that invests in start-ups, existing private companies and under-performing, under-valued ASX-listed public companies. The founder of solutions outfit HiSoft - later acquired by Australian insurance company …

    Business 5 Mar 2012, 23:00

  • Robot NIGHTMARE sets new leggy-bot speed record

    Video It's those DARPA thrill-seekers again

    The ever-inventive mad scientists at the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has released a video of its Cheetah quadrupedal robot, showing how it's now the fastest mechanical beast on four legs. If you happen to have a wee child watching over your shoulder at this very moment, The Reg strongly suggests that …

    Science 5 Mar 2012, 23:21

  • Stolen iPad leads to 780lb crystal meth seizure

    Hoods with $35m in drugs can't afford fondleslab?

    Silicon Valley police tracking down a stolen iPad have made a massive drug bust resulting from rank stupidity by the thieves. The Palo Alto policemen were tracking down a stolen iPad, using its GPS-based "Find My iPad" feature to determine its location. After tracing the filched fondleslab to an apartment building, they …

    Security 5 Mar 2012, 23:23

  • Bloomin’ big: algae seen from space

    More sat happy snaps

    An algal bloom has emerged near Antarctica, so large that it’s not just visible but prominent in satellite images. The bloom, roughly 200 x 100 kilometers, has shown up in images taken by NASA’s Modis instrument on the Terra satellite. It has emerged off the coast of Mac Robertson Land and was identified by scientists from the …

    Science 5 Mar 2012, 23:30