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17th April 2012 Archive

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  • Google-backed research fights review spam

    Seeing through the sockpuppet

    University of Illinois at Chicago researchers are taking aim at fake reviews, which they say can seriously damage online businesses. In particular, the Google-backed study is designed to seek out organized groups of comment fraudsters, and automate the process of identifying and shutting them down. Fake reviewers can have …

    Security 17 Apr 2012, 00:00

  • TV sports rights survive Optus’ TV Now win

    ‘Worthless’ equals $AU1.2 billion

    Back when Optus won its first-round court battle with a Federal Court finding that TV Now does not breach copyright, the warnings were dire: Australia’s broadcasters would not pay a cent for rights with Optus streaming games to mobiles. It stretched all the way to the top, with sports bosses from around the country forming a …

    Media 17 Apr 2012, 00:01

  • Telstra to launch MOG streaming music service

    Launch timed to beat Spotify?

    Telstra has announced it will soon launch the MOG streaming music service on antipodean shores. The service will be network-independent, unlike many other Telstra content deals that are tied to its BigPond and NextG networks. But it's not clear when the service will become available, with the carrier saying only that“When the …

    Networks 17 Apr 2012, 00:44

  • Microsoft to bake Windows 8 in three flavours

    '8' and '8 Pro' for PCs, 'RT' for tablets

    Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 will come in three versions. A post on the Windows Team Blog says “For PCs and tablets powered by x86 processors (both 32 and 64 bit), we will have two editions: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.” So far so mundane. But the post goes on to let us all know that there's a third version, …

    Software 17 Apr 2012, 01:31

  • Google finally secures gmail.de domain

    German trademark dispute ends after eight years

    After an eight year fight, Google has secured the domain gmail.de. German entrepreneur Daniel Giersch has used the domain for years. In 2006 the search giant offered Giersch € 250,000 for the domain, but he did not accept. The matter went to court and a decision by Deutsches Patent und Markenamnt decided the domain belonged …

    Policy 17 Apr 2012, 03:11

  • China warns domestic mobile phone makers of IP dangers

    Beware of the big bad patent bogeyman...

    China’s IT ministry has warned domestic handset makers to beware of getting sucked into the escalating number of intellectual property disputes currently disrupting the smartphone industry. A white paper (Chinese) issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s China Academy of Telecommunication Research argued …

    Policy 17 Apr 2012, 03:14

  • ATA CEO resigns

    Call centre body to look for replacement

    The ATA, the peak body for call centre industry, has lost its CEO Michael Meredith, who held the position for 12 years, has resigned to pursue other business activities. The ATA, formerly known as the Australian Teleservices Association, is a lobbying, education networking organisation. The call centre industry in Australia …

    Networks 17 Apr 2012, 05:00

  • China's bullet trains to get face-invading cameras

    Ticket to ride ... all the way to jail

    Chinese police will soon be able to use face recognition technology to catch crims, with cameras to be installed at several stations on the Beijing to Shanghai high speed railway. The technology, which was used widely at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will be installed at Shanghai Hongqiao station, Tianjin West and Jinan West, …

    Policy 17 Apr 2012, 05:05

  • Twitter gets all aggressive with Japan expansion

    Firm has one eye on China as it spreads its wings

    Japan beware – micro-blogging phenomenon Twitter has stated its intent to expand “aggressively” in the land of the rising sun. CEO Dick Costolo told reporters in Tokyo on Monday that the micro-blogging phenomenon would be hiring more sales staff and engineers as it looks to keep pace with strong user growth in the archipelago …

    Business 17 Apr 2012, 05:47

  • Toshiba Regza 46YL863 46in Smart TV

    Review A visible difference

    Powered by a multitasking image processor and dressed by Danish design house Jacob Jensen, Toshiba’s 46YL863 is not your run-of-the-mill 3D TV. Indeed, its maker’s herald it as one of the most sophisticated TVs ever. But can it really justify such hyperbole? Cell mate: Toshiba's Regza 46YL863 The Regza 46YL863 reviewed here …

    Hardware 17 Apr 2012, 06:00

  • Global chocolate crisis looms

    Expert warns of 'instability in cacao growing areas'

    The world's chocolate supply is at risk, according to Professor David Guest of the University of Sydney's Faculty of Agriculture and Environment. Professor Guest will tomorrow deliver a talk titled The Chocolate Crisis in which he will warn that "We're in a situation where chocolate manufacturers are anxious about meeting …

    Bootnotes 17 Apr 2012, 06:10

  • Nordic region, Ireland adopt new 'connected telly' standard

    Follow in Europe's footsteps - leaving Blighty's YouViewers behind

    Nordig, the parent broadcasting organisation for the Nordic countries, plus Ireland, has issued a new specification for broadcasting. It has dropped MHP as its interactive primary broadcasting protocol and adopting Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV). The standard is already taking off in Germany, France, the Netherlands and …

    Media 17 Apr 2012, 07:01

  • Hold on, Booker prize judges - Stob's penned a steampunk hit

    Stob Everyone has a novel in them. Sadly this includes Reg columnist Verity

    Somewhere on the hard drive of every programmer-wannabe-writer’s laptop there is the first chapter of an unfinished steam punk novel. Here’s mine. Clockwork iPhones all round It was late and I was tired, so on the way home I nipped into a Mesco Tetro to pick up a ping meal for dinner. When it came to paying, the self-service …

    Verity Stob 17 Apr 2012, 07:33

  • HP loses MoD payroll and pensions deal to CSC

    US firm snaps up 7-year service bods and veterans contract

    HP has lost the contract to supply pay, HR and pensions administration to the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency (SPVA) for the UK armed forces. "HP will work to ensure a seamless transition of activities to the successful bidder, ensuring no loss of service to the thousands of people who depend on the service," HP said in …

    The Channel 17 Apr 2012, 08:02

  • Google G-drive app leak sparks 5GB file vault riddle

    Will Gmail giant enlarge docs package?

    Scads of rumours are belting through the internet regarding Google's supposed entry into online file storage and sharing next week - giving the likes of Dropbox a heart attack in the process. Techcrunch got its hands on a Google Drive OS X app, although it's useless at the moment. A Google systems blog suggested Google Drive …

    Cloud 17 Apr 2012, 08:39

  • Instagram

    Android App of the Week A picture tells 1000 words 140 characters

    At last, the much vaunted iPhone picture blogging app has arrived on Android and, judging by the one million downloads it saw on the day of release, it’s been eagerly awaited. For the uninitiated, Instagram is a Twitter-like affair but with a picture taking the place of the 140 characters. You take a snap, jazz it up with some …

    Phones 17 Apr 2012, 09:00

  • Oracle v Google could clear way for copyright on languages, APIs

    Analysis And here's why that would be a VERY BAD THING

    Computer languages and software interfaces may fall under copyright protection if Oracle succeeds in its Java lawsuit against Google. Amazingly, "copyfighters" appear to have paid little or no notice to this rare extension of copyright into new realms. But the consequences and costs for the software industry could be enormous …

    Law 17 Apr 2012, 09:12

  • SpaceX Dragon gets green-light for launch to Space Station

    Pic Treat-laden private rocket in May ISS hookup

    Elon Musk's SpaceX is getting ready to make history after its Dragon spacecraft was given the go-ahead for a 30 April launch for its resupply mission to the International Space Station. The cargoship test flight, assuming it goes off without a hitch, will mark the first time a commercially made spacecraft has ever blasted off …

    Science 17 Apr 2012, 09:39

  • Hitachi's flexible servers sport homegrown LPAR virtualization

    And maybe an OEM agreement with IBM, too

    Sometimes Hitachi and IBM are bitter enemies, as they were in the peak days of the mainframe market, and sometimes they are partners, as they have been with Hitachi making some entry mainframes for Big Blue in recent years while also reselling IBM's Power-based AIX servers in Japan. It looks like the two are working together on …

    Virtualization 17 Apr 2012, 10:02

  • Paddy Power website fell at Grand National first fence

    Wagering whale fails for 20 mins on race day

    Irish betting behemoth Paddy Power is giving out a free bet to customers after its website crashed for 20 minutes just before the Grand National horse race on Saturday. Sheer traffic on the day sent the site falling at the first fence and only getting its legs again 15 minutes before the race. Some punters told The Reg they …

    Management 17 Apr 2012, 10:18

  • Cameron 'to change his mind' on the one thing he got right in Defence

    Comment US carrier kit would be really expensive ... says BAE

    The Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2010 was, overall, a total cockup: but there was one major decision in it which made good sense for British servicemen and taxpayers. It now seems more and more likely that Prime Minister David Cameron, prompted by arms mammoth BAE Systems and by the RAF, intends to reverse that move …

    Government 17 Apr 2012, 10:42

  • Oracle biz-pusher Paul Young leaves Avnet TS

    Distie veteran heads to Hamilton Rentals

    Avnet has commenced the search for a successor to Oracle business unit director Paul Young, who is moving to Hamilton Rentals as UK sales director. Young joined US enterprise distie Avnet in 2008 when it acquired independent Horizon Technology, formerly Clarity Technology, for €101.3m. John Toal veep and and country manager …

    The Channel 17 Apr 2012, 10:52

  • Cellco execs lay into Nokia's Lumia

    WinPho efforts inadequate, apparently

    Major European mobile phone network operators reckon Nokia's Lumia smartphones simply aren't good enough to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung. Four unnamed operators spoke out against the Finnish phone firm's Windows range, describing it as overpriced, plagued by battery issues and inadequately marketed, Reuters …

    Phones 17 Apr 2012, 10:52

  • Panasonic PT-AT5000E LCD projector

    Review Fully loaded home Hollywood

    Panasonic has notched up some memorable firsts when it comes to home cinema projection. Not only was it the first brand to introduce a native 16:9 widescreen model, it led the way with Full HD too. Putting on a display: Panasonic's PT-AT5000E Its latest cineaste offering, the PT-AT5000E (known as the PT-AE7000E Stateside) …

    Hardware 17 Apr 2012, 11:00

  • BT wants to poke fingers in EVERY broadband cash pie

    Minister grilled as telco bids for all eight cabling gigs

    Broadband minister Ed Vaizey confirmed to MPs yesterday that BT was bidding for all eight cabling projects currently in procurement. Labour politico Chi Onwurah asked Vaizey if the national telco would bag all the contracts with local authorities and devolved administrations. She asked: "What assessment has [Vaizey] made of …

    Management 17 Apr 2012, 11:21

  • Ikea to integrate TV, Blu-ray, sound system into sideboard

    Flat-pack AV kit, anyone?

    Ikea, the Swedish flat-pack furniture giant, is to offer its design-conscious punters consumer electronics equipment, it said today. Heck, if Apple can build a global business on the back of stylish gadgets, why not Ikea, the acme of Scandinavian minimalist chic? Ikea won't simply offer TVs, Blu-ray players, wireless audio …

    Hardware 17 Apr 2012, 11:32

  • What’s life like for VARs, Resellers, Distributors and SIs?

    Is business picking up or looking down?

    The New Year is now well past the first flush of youth and spring budgets should be in the air. But how are things shaping up in the businesses that get IT solutions into the hands, or at least computer rooms and racks, of most companies? If you are working in a VAR, a reseller, a distributor, systems integrator or consultancy …

    The Channel 17 Apr 2012, 11:44

  • Apple screws UK disties, punts just 13,000 iPads to channel

    Foxconn-rebrander shifts 3m latest slabs on its own

    Apple neglected the channel when divvying up stocks of the latest iPad, but disties that laid hands on the device found the margins were slightly more generous than on previous generations. The channel bully boy confirmed it had shipped three million of the latest-version fondleslab to 12 countries in four days after the 16 …

    The Channel 17 Apr 2012, 12:00

  • RIM mulls pimping BlackBerry OS to Samsung – report

    Troubled biz brings in the bankers

    RIM is seeking a financial consultant to help it with its recent money woes and is considering licensing out its mobile operating system, according to a report in Bloomberg. The Canadian company is still dealing with the consequences of last quarter's $125m loss and the exodus of the BlackBerry old guard, and is turning to the …

    Phones 17 Apr 2012, 12:16

  • Telefonica recruits EA to lure punters with games, deals

    O2 might be a bit-pipe, but Telefonica won't be

    Telefonica Digital, the service branch of O2's owner, has signed a content deal with Electronic Arts in the hope of cementing customer relationships with bundled deals. The contract allows Telefonica Digital to create promotions based around EA games including The Sims, FIFA and Monopoly, with the stated intention of turning …

    Management 17 Apr 2012, 12:39

  • ICANN battled dot-word TLD registration leak bug for WEEKS

    Reopening of wonky application site stalled

    Red-faced ICANN has delayed its new generic top-level domains programme again as it struggles to deal with the fallout of a security bug that exposed confidential data about applicants. The internet overseer also confirmed it was first warned of a data leak vulnerability in mid-March, weeks before it eventually pulled the plug …

    Security 17 Apr 2012, 13:02

  • Mystery hologram disc upstart gobbles InPhase blueprints

    Storage biz flickers into life, beams up rival's assets

    3D holographic storage upstart hVault has bought assets of crashed rival InPhase and announced it will ship systems in the spring. hVault, which has a booth at this year's broadcast technology show NAB in Las Vegas, boasted that it is "the leader in holographic archival storage systems". Well, er, yes, because there is pretty …

    Small Biz 17 Apr 2012, 13:31

  • POWERFUL solar flare belched at Mars rover Curiosity

    Vid NASA robot hit by giant blast en route to Red Planet

    NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite has spotted a giant eruption off the surface of the Sun that will hit rover Curiosity on its way to Mars. The coronal mass ejection sent out an M1 class, or medium, solar flare from the north-east of the Sun that will hit NASA's Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO B) …

    Science 17 Apr 2012, 14:03

  • Samsung boss vows siblings won't see a penny of inheritance

    Lee Kun-hee claims they already got their share

    Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Kun-hee has vowed that his siblings won't see a penny more of his father's inheritance than they already have – and said that he'd sue them right back. “If they file suits against me, I will take the same actions and I am even thinking of going to the Constitutional Court, taking it a step …

    Business 17 Apr 2012, 14:32

  • Windows 8 diet exposes Microsoft's weak ARM

    Three boxes, two tablets, no clear choice

    Microsoft has put Windows marketing on a diet, cutting the number of packaged editions from six under Windows 7 to just three main versions for its latest OS, which is due later this year. In the past, when Microsoft announced SKUs for new versions of its PC client it was forced to justify so many editions for a simple piece …

    Management 17 Apr 2012, 15:01

  • Adapt swallows eLINIA for £13m, plans £100m sales op

    Managed services firm has buy-and-build strategy

    Adapt, the venture-backed UK managed service provider, is touting ambitions to build a £100m operation inside four years and has taken a small step toward that goal by stumping up £13m for infrastructure outsourcing firm eLINIA. Lyceum Capital, pumped £30m on London-based Adapt in September last year and the company has …

    The Channel 17 Apr 2012, 15:29

  • Google faces WHOPPING FTC fine for Safari privacy gaffe

    Millions of juiced Apple surfers could add up to huge blow

    Google is reportedly going to be slapped with a bigger regulatory fine than the meagre one handed down to it from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) late last week. According to Mercury News, which cites anonymous sources familiar with the confabs between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Google, the search …

    Security 17 Apr 2012, 15:31

  • Dad sues Apple for pushing cash-draining 'free' games at kids

    Rugrats ran up bill with in-app purchases

    An iPhone-owner whose daughter downloaded $200 (£125) worth of "Zombie Toxin" and "Gems" through in-app purchases on his iPhone has been allowed to pursue a class action suit against Apple for compensation of up to $5m (£3.1m). Garen Meguerian of Pennsylvania launched the class-action case against Apple in October 2011 after …

    Phones 17 Apr 2012, 16:02

  • Microsoft details Halo 4 release

    Master Chief is back

    Microsoft has said that the keenly awaited Halo 4 will be launched worldwide on 6 November 2012. The Master Chief's next outing will see MS' in-house developer 343 Industries' raise the standard of "blockbuster interactive entertainment", the software giant said. Of course it will. Set four years after the events that take …

    Games 17 Apr 2012, 16:18

  • Speaking in Tech: Forget G-Drive hype, try Dropbox-for-Big-Biz

    Podcast Plus: iOS versus Android in enterprise security

    Enterprise tech guru Greg Knieriemen, and master of all that is cloud and storage Ed Saipetch, are back with another episode of enterprise and consumer tech-cast Speaking in Tech. This week, web2.0 and social media analyst Sarah Vela mysteriously goes AWOL ... after just three episodes. We find out why as the guys discuss all …

    Security 17 Apr 2012, 16:33

  • Toshiba gobbles IBM's POS biz for $850m

    Big Blue sheds another hardware biz

    As was rumored, IBM is indeed selling off its Retail Store Systems (RSS) division to competitor Toshiba. And it will be getting $850m (£530m) for it. The RSS unit is a cross-divisional piece of IBM that sold around $715m worth of hardware in 2011 according to Big Blue's financial results - up nearly 12 per cent and growing …

    Business 17 Apr 2012, 17:01

  • Austrian village considers a F**king name change

    Residents to spare blushes with double G-string

    An Austrian village with an amusingly obscene name has decided to throw in the towel and vote on whether to change it. The 100 odd residents of Fucking, in Upper Austria, are to vote this week on whether to change their hamlet's name to something less attractive to English-speaking visitors, the Daily Telegraph reports. The …

    Bootnotes 17 Apr 2012, 17:39

  • Microsoft goes global with System Center 2012 at MMC

    Windows Server gets 2012 moniker too

    Microsoft announced the global release of System Center 2012 at its 10th annual Microsoft Management Summit in Las Vegas this morning, and has confirmed that the server version of Windows 8 will be released as Windows Server 2012. As with the beta, the new System Center 2012 is now available globally in standard and data …

    Cloud 17 Apr 2012, 17:53

  • WD lets loose ferocious 1TB VelociRaptor

    Doubled-capacity drive-maker tears into weak flash hybrids

    WD has boosted the capacity of its 10K VelociRaptor disk drive, jumping to a 1TB capacity from the current 600GB. Otherwise it's the mixture as before: 10,000rpm and a 6Gbit/s SATA interface, but with a cache doubled to 64MB. There is the same IcePack 3.5-inch mounting frame/heat sink. The capacity points are 250GB, 500GB and …

    Storage 17 Apr 2012, 18:04

  • Appcelerator ties on cloudy back-end for Titanium devs

    Waves $5,000 at Titanium 2.0 launch

    Appcelerator has updated its Titanium mobile developer platform to add scalable cloud service integration to the back-end of applications following its acquisition of Cocoafish in February. Titanium 2.0 uses Appcelerator Cloud Services to access 15 basic functions, ranging from user management and push notification, to popular …

    Cloud 17 Apr 2012, 20:04

  • Intel beats Q1 expectations, jacks up revenue forecast

    Says Thai flood effect now all washed up

    Intel crept in over expectations with its Q1 results today, though its silicon business dipped 2 per cent on the previous year's slightly longer quarter. The chip giant characterized its Q1 performance as a "solid start" to the year, and was bullish enough to jack up its expectations for the second quarter. Revenues were $12. …

    Financial News 17 Apr 2012, 20:50

  • SoftLayer tailors HPC clouds with GPU lining

    Have Tesla, will crunch

    Hosting and cloud computing service provider SoftLayer is getting into the modern hybrid supercomputer racket with the launch of GPU-enhanced server instances. SoftLayer, which is based in Dallas, was founded in 2005 and merged with hosting rival The Planet before being bought up by GI Partners, in 2010. GI Partners is a …

    Cloud 17 Apr 2012, 21:05

  • Intel boss turns earnings call into iPhone flirt fest

    Apple leaves better 'taste in mouth' than Qualcomm

    Intel boss Paul Otellini used its Q1 earnings call today to continue the chip giant's flirty pitch to build chips for Apple's iOS devices. The vendor flagged up the launch of the first Intel-based smartphone, which is expected as early as next week. However, Otellini also used its briefing with analysts to make a public pitch …

    Mobile 17 Apr 2012, 22:44

  • Seagate profits from Thai flooding

    Luczo's luck

    Seagate made huge profits of $1.1 billion on revenue of $4.4 billion in its third fiscal 2012 quarter, following a very successful second quarter. The company shipped a record 61 million hard disk drives in the quarter; a 29 per cent increase over the second quarter and 25 per cent higher than a year ago. It is still …

    Financial News 17 Apr 2012, 22:48

  • Greenpeace calls out cloud names on green claims

    Calls on Apple, Amazon, Microsoft to clean up

    In spite of claims that cloud computing is getting “greener”, Greenpeace has launched a campaign calling on Apple, Amazon and Microsoft to improve their performance. In its How green is your cloud? report, Greenpeace has also criticized the industry as a whole, saying that cloud providers and data centre operators need to be …

    Cloud 17 Apr 2012, 22:58

  • IBM turns in profits bump despite server slump

    New server bump due in H2

    IT bellwhether IBM missed Wall Street's revenue projections for Q1 by a smidgen but beat expectations for bottom line growth. Revenues were up a mere three-tenths of a point, to $24.67bn, and net income up 7.1 per cent, to just a tad over $3bn. The quarter is a carbon copy, more or less, of the final quarter of 2011, with all …

    Financial News 17 Apr 2012, 22:59

  • Chorus awarded bigger chunk of kiwi rural rollout

    Over NZ$12m in new contracts

    Chorus, the former utility arm of Telecom New Zealand, has secured additional contracts in the deployment of New Zealand’s rural national broadband network. As part of the second phase of the Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI), Chorus and Network Tasman will deploy fibre to provincial schools, rural hospitals, Health Centres and …

    Business 17 Apr 2012, 23:15