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3rd July 2012 Archive

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  • Microsoft sets the price for a Windows 8 upgrade at $40

    Offer extends through January 2013

    For all those customers who can’t wait to enjoy Windows 8’s Metro UI, Microsoft has announced pricing and availability of an upgrade package for users of previous versions of Windows. Customers running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 will be able to purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 for $39.99 during a promotional …

    Operating Systems 3 Jul 00:30

  • Microsoft names Zeus ringleaders and notifies FBI

    The Feds can find them in a UK jail

    Microsoft has named two individuals who it says are the leaders behind the Zeus botnet and has passed on its dossier on them to the FBI. Redmond fingered Yevhen Kulibaba and Yuriy Konovalenko as the two key players behind the botnet in an amended criminal complaint and told the FBI that the two were key to both the botnet …

    Security 3 Jul 01:32

  • Telstra invests in IPscape

    Shiff keeps start-ups in business

    Telstra’s Applications & Ventures GMD Deena Shiff is rolling out the acquisitions, revealing that the carrier has taken a stake in Australian contact centre application start up IPscape. IPscape, which was founded in 2007, will power Telstra Global’s freshly launched Virtual Contact Centre (VCC) solution. It is the first …

    Business 3 Jul 04:38

  • China's internet wunderkind in the dock over alleged fraud

    Hacktivist group Anonymous says it exaggerated user numbers

    Chinese internet darling Qihoo 360 Technology has been accused by the research arm of hacktivist group Anonymous of deliberately overstating the volume of traffic to its site in order to attract advertisers, allegations which if true could see it kicked off the New York Stock Exchange. Qihoo has had a spectacular impact on its …

    Security 3 Jul 05:00

  • NEC Australia buys local ICT biz

    Gets some govt traction

    NEC Australia has significantly bolstered up its local ICT presence after completing the acquisition of local IT solutions provider CSG’s Technology Solutions business. The $AU227 million purchase includes all of ASX Listed CSG's Technology Solutions business, including managed services, enterprise services and strategic …

    Business 3 Jul 05:15

  • LG 55LM960V 55in Smart TV

    Review Olympic champion?

    The 55-inch LM960V is nothing if not formidable. LG has packed its new flagship LED with every digital doodah it can muster, and at £2,700, has priced it uncharacteristically high. This, the brand is clearly saying, is a telly to challenge the best there is – it’s worth paying through the nose for. In some ways, it’s right. …

    reghardware 3 Jul 06:00

  • 'Young people don't want to become like us', say IT pros

    But we're actually straight from the fridge, daddio

    A third of IT professionals say their jobs appear geeky and boring, according to a study into why tech careers are not particularly popular with da yoof. Employment site CWJobs polled 576 working IT pros on fresh talent entering the industry and quizzed them on why young people weren't applying for techie positions despite …

    Jobs 3 Jul 06:30

  • Doctors must be trained to avoid web blab blunders, says group

    Put down the smartphone, stethoscope boy

    A stray tweet could bring the whole medical profession into disrepute, a body that advises doctors on legal and ethical issues has warned. That means docs should be taught how to safely use Facebook, Twitter and even Google+ during their compulsory ethics training, according to the Medical Protection Society (MPS) in response …

    Networks 3 Jul 07:01

  • Ofcom: PhonepayPlus to regulate PayForIt but not operator billing

    Maybe later when it gets renamed OpCashRake

    Payments made using the mobile PayForIt platform will henceforth be regulated by PhonepayPlus, but only a little bit, the governing regulator has decided. Ofcom, who rules telecommunications regulation in the UK, has decided that mobile transactions don't need regulation, unless they're routed through third parties in which …

    Financial News 3 Jul 07:19

  • RBS customers still suffering tech issues at Virgin One Account

    Statement's all wrong, but the balance is right, honest

    Customers of the Virgin One Account's online bank service may be shocked to see that they have paid all their bills twice this month. But they shouldn't worry say RBS group - owners of the One Account brand - bank balances are still correct and the transactions are just showing up duplicate on online statements. A notice on …

    Financial News 3 Jul 07:39

  • Brummie popstrels crowdsource their visual appearance

    You've heard of designed by committee? Next level

    A pop group that doesn't know what it should look like has asked the Hive Mind™ for help. Bella Diem describe themselves as a "Dreamy Pop Rock 5-piece from Birmingham", and have 339 Twitter followers. YouGov specialises in opinion polls and focus groups, and has got tipsy drinking the New Age internet Kool Aid about the " …

    Media 3 Jul 08:14

  • Indian navy computers stormed by malware-ridden USBs

    China suspected of cyber skulduggery

    The Indian navy has been left licking its wounds after suspected Chinese hackers managed to lift classified data from maximum security, non-internet connected PCs via malware hidden on USB drives. The Indian Eastern Naval Command – which is currently overseeing trials of the country’s first nuclear missile submarine, INS …

    Security 3 Jul 08:24

  • ISP CAN cut off pirates with 'three strike' rule, says Irish beak

    Arrgh! Me pipe's been slashed off, ye scurvy law-dogs

    Four music record companies have won a court order in Ireland overturning a ban placed on an anti-piracy policy operated by the country's largest internet service provider (ISP). In December last year Ireland's data protection watchdog had issued an enforcement notice banning Eircom from operating its 'three strikes' system. …

    Law 3 Jul 08:29

  • NHS trust spunks £67m on e-patient records, Twitter, Facebook

    Dear @Patient3312 don't forget your enema is today lol

    West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS trust is planning to invest £67m in an information management and technology (IM&T) strategy over the next five years. A spokeswoman for the trust told Guardian Government Computing that the board in approving the plan noted "that where capital funding is required to progress the workstreams, …

    Government 3 Jul 08:44

  • Forget internet fridges and Big Data. Where's my internet fish tank?

    Sysadmin blog Trevor means an actual tank with fish, here

    The Cloud is a great new way to store and access data, and Big Data is all about leafing through this stuff so you can figure out how to "target your audience" more accurately, almost always with advertising. These are the buzzwords of the now. Lost in all the hype is why we advertise stuff in the first place: we have something …

    Servers 3 Jul 09:00

  • Google Chrome serves up only emptiness, for many users

    Attempt to show people the true value of the web?

    The latest version of Google’s Chrome web browser is firing duds by serving up blank search results pages. Frustrated users on the Google Chrome forum and on Twitter have lined up to complain that half of their queries using Chrome are landing them with empty pages. The problem mostly seems to affect Windows 7 users, but Mac …

    Applications 3 Jul 09:13

  • Puny US particle punisher finds strong evidence for God particle

    Attempt to mow LHC's grass ahead of Thursday's Big Reveal

    The US particle collider Tevatron has jumped in just ahead of the Large Hadron Collider's results announcement this week to say that their machine has found the "strongest indication to date" of the God particle. The LHC's baby American cousin stopped bashing particles off each other back in March 2001 but the scientists have …

    Physics 3 Jul 09:30

  • Samsung fails to get Galaxy Tab ban in US lifted pending appeal

    Fruitsters favourite in fondleslab fisticuffs

    Samsung has been denied a stay on the preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the US. The Korean firm was trying to hold up the ban on the fondleslabs until it had a chance to appeal the ruling, but US Judge Lucy Koh said that the injunction would go ahead. Judge Koh originally denied Apple the chance to stop …

    Business 3 Jul 09:44

  • ICANN's overlordship of the internet confirmed again by US gov

    The king is, erm, still alive. Long live the king!

    ICANN has had its powers over internet domain names, IP addresses and protocol numbers renewed by the US Department of Commerce. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced late last night that it has continued ICANN's contract to run the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) for the next …

    Hosting 3 Jul 10:02

  • Apple's UK smartphone lead shrinks

    Samsung marketing cash, iPhone 5 rumours take their toll

    While Apple's iPhone 4S is still the UK's most popular smartphone, accounting for one in five of all those sold last month - sales are slipping. Back in March, the 4S accounted for 25 per cent of UK smartphone sales, the Financial Times reports, citing from market watcher GfK. Deflecting the 4S' sales trajectory downward is …

    reghardware 3 Jul 10:07

  • Microsoft takes a $6.2bn bath with aQuantive web ads write-down

    Theres no baby in this horribly expensive water

    Microsoft has taken a $6.2bn hit by writing down the value of aQuantive - the mega acquisition Steve Ballmer boasted would transform his company into an online advertising biz. The Windows software giant suffered the financial blow in its fourth fiscal quarter, which closed at the end of June and the results of which are due …

    Financial News 3 Jul 10:21

  • US federal boffins insist that mermaids DON'T exist

    Aha! They must have something to hide!

    The US's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been obliged to issue a statement clarifying that "no evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found", in the face of a tidal wave of citizens calling to demand the truth about mermaids. The Roswell-style conspiracy theory kicked off after Animal Planet …

    Biology 3 Jul 10:32

  • CANNIBAL! Apple's 7.85in iPad will EAT 9.7in iPad sales

    But not enough to prevent Cupertino beanfeast, says analyst

    Apple's much-rumoured 'iPad Mini' will eat into sales of the larger model, but it's still going to lead to a massive increase in sales of the platform - if Apple releases such a gadget at all. So says Andy Hargreaves of Pacific Crest, a US stockbroker. Hargreaves this week said he reckons that for every buyer who opts for a 7. …

    reghardware 3 Jul 10:39

  • ITC denies Apple an emergency ban on ALL HTC PHONES

    Just one letter separates ITC and HTC. Coincidence?

    US regulator the International Trade Commission has denied Apple's attempt to get an emergency ban on all HTC mobes. The fruity firm is accusing HTC of violating an existing exclusion order that's been in effect since December. The ITC issued the ban after finding that HTC was infringing on a patent that allows folks to …

    Financial News 3 Jul 10:44

  • What is the Nokia Secret Plan if Windows 8 isn't Windows gr8?

    So secret, even Elop doesn't know about it

    Nokia’s new chairman says the company has an alternative strategy prepared, in case Microsoft’s new version of Windows Phone doesn’t live up to expectations. Except he won’t say what it is. Risto Siilasmaa made the comments last week to Finnish broadcaster YLE. Analysts have been getting nervous for some time, and Microsoft …

    Operating Systems 3 Jul 10:58

  • Brit anti-terror hotline hacker teen pleads guilty

    TeaMp0isoN lad also snaffled Blair contact list off GMail

    A teenage computer crook faces prison after admitting hacking offences, including breaking into former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's electronic address and phone book. Junaid Hussain, 18, of Birmingham, swiped the sensitive information after unlawfully accessing a GMail account used by Katie Kay, a Blair aide. The hacker …

    Security 3 Jul 11:27

  • Analyst fears iPhone 5 power pack to prompt launch postponement

    Battery production troubles alleged

    Apple's handset battery supplier is struggling to produce the high volume of units required for an iPhone 5 launch, moles claim. The issue could see the smartphone's debut delayed. The whispers, which come by way of Chinese web portal Sina.com, were relayed by stockbroker Topeka Capital Markets' Brian White, who has already …

    reghardware 3 Jul 11:46

  • So, that vast IT disaster you may have caused? Come in, sit down

    You won't be forced to dig your own grave

    The RBS computer fiasco gives me an excuse to write about a sideline I have in interrogating IT professionals who are suspected of doing bad things. Sometimes it is quite hard to objectively tell the difference between incompetence and malice. In fact it is rare that either are the root cause of the worst screw-ups. The most …

    Jobs 3 Jul 12:00

  • Capita publicity to show only UK staff - some of whom are being let go

    Indian office won't feature in marketing brochure

    Capita IT Services is forging ahead with immortalising redundancy-threatened UK staff in a series of publicity photos. But there is one department the company isn't sending a lensman along to: its service desk in India. The outsourcing biz held a conference call with staff at the Ruddington office in Nottinghamshire yesterday …

    Channel Register 3 Jul 12:57

  • Google+ takes on a location element as it pushes deeper into iPhone

    Choc Factory keen to keep a tentacle touching the fanboi

    Google has pushed its social network Google Plus deeper into the iPhone and given it a location element, launching the Google + Local app yesterday. Google is wriggling itself into more crevices on the iPhone before the axe falls on Google Maps in September, when Apple will introduce their own maps app in iOS 6. The friendly …

    Mobile 3 Jul 14:02

  • Avnet fears possible $73m bill as US Customs probe deeper

    Shoves $10m in goodwill tip jar, hopes for the best

    Avnet has warned it may be liable to cough $73m for duties, interest or fines arising from a US Customs and Border Protection probe into unpaid import tax owed by the previously acquired Bell Microproducts operation. In an SEC filing, enterprise distie Avnet said this was a worst case scenario and it has actually set aside $ …

    Channel Register 3 Jul 14:12

  • Chinese toothpaste biz wants £50k from Apple over 'Snow Leopard'

    We will xue your bao off

    Apple may have finally settled its long-running IPAD beef with Proview, but the shiny toy maker is heading for yet another trademark showdown with a Chinese firm, this time over the Snow Leopard name. Jiangsu Snow Leopard Household Chemical, apparently a company with fingers in many pies, is claiming to have registered 42 …

    Law 3 Jul 14:48

  • Tablets to outship laptops in 2016 SHOCK

    Ultrabooks encouraging sales - but not enough to beat the 'pads

    More tablet market bullishness, this time from research company NPD DisplaySearch. World+Dog will buy more tablets than notebooks from 2016 onwards. Still, DisplaySearch isn't as bullish as Microsoft, which last week said it expects the market to definitively favour tablets over notebooks in 2013. Then, some 715m mobile …

    reghardware 3 Jul 14:49

  • VMware snatches cloud-furtling biz from the very jaws of Dell

    When you need to flip down that non-standard hypervisor

    It looks like Dell was too distracted with its acquisition of Quest Software in the past several months to notice VMware sniffing around one of its key software partners. The server virtualization juggernaut and cloud plumbing wannabe has snapped up DynamicOps, a maker of management software for clouds and virtual desktop …

    Cloud Business 3 Jul 15:45

  • Dying Kodak doesn't have to leave its jewels to Apple, says court

    Attempt to clear out grandma's sideboard stymied

    Failed camera biz Eastman Kodak says it has been given permission by the bankruptcy court to sell patents that Apple claims it owns. Kodak won approval on Monday to go ahead with a planned auction of 1,100 patents, known as the Digital Capture and Imaging Systems and Services portfolios, the firm said. "We are gratified that …

    Financial News 3 Jul 16:03

  • Systemax CEO: We want to be Number One in five years

    Contest for affections of Angelina Jolie brewing

    Systemax EMEA CEO Pim Dale is plotting an expansion strategy to become the largest reseller in the region within five years. Industry vet Dale, former EMEA veep and GM at one-time direct selling purist Dell crossed into the channel for the first time in January when he pitched up at Systemax. He reckons its the "age of the …

    Channel Register 3 Jul 16:10

  • Twitter exposes Gov't requests for user data

    USA dominates league table

    The US government demands more data from Twitter than any other nation, the micro-blogging website has revealed. The company said it was "inspired" to reveal the stats, after its "peers" at Google started publishing so-called transparency reports in 2010 on what and how much data is demanded from countries across the globe. …

    Security 3 Jul 16:18

  • iPhone spontaneously combusts on CCTV

    Apple takes the heat

    We all know iPhones are hot property - as their owners generally tell you. However, when one blows up in your pocket, you know its probably time to stop bragging. That's what happened to 17-year-old Henri Helminen, whose three-month-old iPhone started smoking profusely of its own accord, causing the Finn to quickly reach for …

    reghardware 3 Jul 16:36

  • 'That new Google button was our idea', claims lawsuit

    Most people looking at our site were in Mountain View

    Google has reportedly been slapped with a lawsuit from a New York-based startup that claimed a video sharing feature added to YouTube and Google+ was similar to the one it pitched to the company in 2011. Be In, which maintains a website called CamUp, made the allegations in a suit filed [PDF] in San Jose, California on 28 June …

    Cloud Business 3 Jul 17:04

  • EU rejects Oracle secondhand software licence grab

    Oracle internet argument rebuffed

    An attempt by Oracle to stop the sale of secondhand licences on software downloaded over the internet was rejected today by the community's highest court. The court's ruling hinges on the EU directive on the legal protection OF of computer programs. Image by Dimitar Nikolov In its judgment today, the Court of Justice of …

    Applications 3 Jul 19:05

  • Intel comes out swinging against $1.3bn European fine

    Derides evidence as 'profoundly inadequate'

    Intel is petitioning the EU's General Court to overthrow the massive fine imposed upon it by the European Commission back in 2009, saying that the case against it was fatally flawed from the get-go. "The quality of evidence relied on by the Commission is profoundly inadequate," Reuters reports Intel lawyer Nicholas Green …

    Hardware 3 Jul 19:43

  • Bad generator and bugs take out Amazon cloud

    From failover to fallover

    Amazon Web Services battened down the hatches and called in extra troops ahead of the vicious thunderstorms that ripped through the Ohio valley and across Virginia and Maryland on Friday night. But despite all the precautions – and there were many – the US East-1 region of Amazon's cloud was brought down after an electrical …

    Infrastructure 3 Jul 19:52

  • Activists unite, declare 'Internet Freedom'

    Cue the endless debate

    Anticipating the American Independence Day on July 4, a group of organizations and individuals have banded together in support of a manifesto they're calling the Declaration of Internet Freedom. In the US Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson famously wrote that all people are endowed with "certain unalienable rights …

    Media 3 Jul 20:09

  • RIM boss denies cratering Canucks are in 'a death spiral'

    If only Apple and Google would get their boots off his throat

    RIM CEO Thorsten Heins has insisted that the troubled phone maker is not in "a death spiral" and will emerge successfully from its current travails. In a radio interview with the Canadian broadcaster CBC, Heins expressed disappointment with the recent delay to the launch of BlackBerry 10 operating system. But he claimed the …

    Mobile 3 Jul 20:42

  • Take a look at atom’s shadow

    Griffith University boffins ‘see’ ytterbium

    This image is special, according to Griffith University: it’s the first time anyone’s captured the shadow of a single ytterbium atom, at optical wavelengths (images of single atoms are much easier to capture using scanning electron microscopes). The image takes the world to the “extreme limit” of optical microscopy, the …

    Physics 3 Jul 21:34

  • Google ditches the bits in the bottom of the box

    Spring cleaning time again at the Googleplex

    The sun is setting on another bunch of unloved, forgotten, or obsolete Google services in the Chocolate Factory’s rolling sweep of stuff that doesn’t warrant even minimal support. The most noticeable service to get the chop is probably iGoogle, which Google’s blog post says is being wound down over the next 16 months. The …

    Business 3 Jul 22:21

  • IBM snuggles up BigInsights Hadoop with Cloudera

    Who says Blue elephants can't dance?

    Like all of the other Hadoop disties, Big Blue is upgrading its big data muncher to the most recent Apache modules and integrating it with its own add-ons. And with its InfoSphere BigInsights Enterprise Edition V1.4, IBM is also doing something else interesting: It is letting customers slide in the Cloudera CDH distribution and …

    Infrastructure 3 Jul 22:30