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16th August 2012 Archive

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  • Visual Studio 2012 arrives in MSDN downloads

    Some versions of VS Express still no-shows

    Hot on the heels of the release of the Windows 8 RTM bits, Microsoft has made the final versions of Visual Studio 2012 and .NET 4.5 available for download for developers who can't wait to get started with the new OS. According to a blog post from S. Somasegar, corporate VP of Redmond's developer division, MSDN members can …

    Windows 8 16 Aug 00:07

  • Cray to plug Kepler GPUs into future Cascade supers

    That didn't take a Tesla to figure out

    Cray's next-generation "Cascade" supercomputer is based on a future Intel "Ivy Bridge" Xeon processors, and the company has just taken $140m from Chipzilla in exchange for the intellectual property and people associated with its "Gemini" and "Aries" supercomputer interconnects. So it was no surprise that Cray talked about using …

    HPC 16 Aug 00:30

  • There's money in smarts for dumb phones

    Eric Schmidt sends cash to apps-for-feature-phones pioneer

    Australian mobile app platform developer BiNU has captured the interest and US$2 million in funding from Eric Schmidt’s investment vehicle TomorrowVentures, former Seek founder and serial entrepreneur Paul Bassat and a number of US private investors. BiNu, created in Australia by tech entrepreneurs and former OzEmail …

    Business 16 Aug 03:12

  • Boffins say Vodka Red Bulls make you sensible

    Booze and caffeine cocktails reduce likelihood of risk-taking behaviour

    Knock back a Vodka Red Bull or three this Friday night and your may experience irritability, heart palpitations and find it hard to get to sleep. But you'll also be less likely to do something really dumb than if you stuck to booze alone, say researchers from the University of Tasmania. The findings were the result of an …

    Science 16 Aug 04:07

  • APAC CIOs told to take the gloves off

    IDC warns skills shortage may hold them back

    Asia Pacific CIOs had better brush up their combat skills because they’ll need to “hyper compete” in 2013 if they want to attract the best staff and innovate their way to success, according to analyst IDC. Speaking at the Asia Pacific Summit 2012, IDC group vice president Sandra Ng argued that the region is the most …

    CIO 16 Aug 04:37

  • US appeal dismissed in Dotcom case

    BREAKING New Zealand judge upholds disclosure order

    The USA has suffered another rebuff in its attempts to extradite Kim Dotcom, with Judge Winkelmann of the High Court of New Zealand upholding a previous disclosure order made by Judge David Harvey. The previous order had required the FBI to disclose an extensive amount of documentation to support its application for Dotcom’s …

    Policy 16 Aug 05:21

  • Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver Universal Remote Control review

    Knob end?

    There comes a time in every Doctor Who nerd's life when he or she realises that all the money spent on merchandise and tat was wasted. How many Dalek and Tardis toys do you need sitting on your shelves, demanding to be dusted? Are you really going to read through all the scripts from the 2005 season, complete with RTD's …

    reghardware 16 Aug 07:00

  • Surfing far too tedious or terrifying, say Northern Irish women

    Won't someone think of the children? We have.

    Women in Northern Ireland are the least likely of all UK adults to have surfed the net, according to new stats on web usage in Blighty. The Office of National Statistics surveyed bods aged 16 and over in a quarterly report, and unsurprisingly found that age, location and gender play a deciding role in people's adoption of the …

    Government 16 Aug 07:27

  • Bitcoinica sued for $460,000 by 'out-of-pocket' punters

    Virtual bank accused of holding onto dosh after heist

    The operators of a website that earlier this year reported that a hacker had stolen units of virtual currency worth hundreds of thousands of pounds are being sued by four users that claim to be owed more than $460,000. According to documents submitted to a US court, four users of the Bitcoinica website have sued those involved …

    Security 16 Aug 08:01

  • Sugar daddies bung Pure Storage $40m for Euro blitz

    Flash array firm getting aggressive stateside too

    Flash array startup Pure Storage has pocketed a $40m (£25.5m) cash injection to fund international expansion, build sales and marketing, and boost lead-generation activities. This takes Pure's total funding to $95 million. It has immediate plans to use the cash to kickstart operations in Europe with channel partners and boost …

    Storage 16 Aug 08:19

  • Deadly domino effect of extinction proved by boffins

    One predator snuffs it and others follow in its wake

    Boffins have proved a theory for the first time that the extinction of one animal has a domino effect on other species. The researchers from the University of Exeter found that when a carnivore dies out, other predatory species could soon follow. The bioboffins used parasitic wasps to prove the ripple-effect one extinction …

    Science 16 Aug 08:42

  • LG adds Dixons' Knowhow to net-connectable tellies

    VoD squad extended

    We're not sure it's a reason to buy an LG smart TV specifically, but if you're eyeing up such a set, the addition of Dixons' Knowhow Movies video-on-demand service to said tellies may sweeten the deal. Dixons' answer to Netflix, Lovefilm, Blinkbox, Acetrax et al offers the customary "extensive library" of new - ie. DVD-release …

    reghardware 16 Aug 09:08

  • Biz chucks millions at anti-malware, but ignores shoulder surfers

    Fred, could you eat your sandwich elsewhere? >Clickety, clackety< 'Transfer $100bn'

    Users who are otherwise careful to protect their information often fail to protect confidential information they display on computer screens from shoulder surfers. According to a recent survey, more than half of employees fail to protect their data despite admitting that they are able to read the confidential information of …

    Security 16 Aug 09:25

  • Windows 8: Microsoft's tablet-desktop still painful to swallow

    Review Hey, it could be worse - it's not Windows ME, OK?

    Microsoft's Windows 8 is now in the hands of developers and IT administrators subscribed to MSDN or TechNet. They are the first people other than close partners and fearless torrenters to try the final code. Anyone expecting major changes from June's Release Preview, or concessions for those missing the old Start menu, will be …

    Windows 8 16 Aug 09:26

  • Optical Express 'ruined my life' gripe site lives on

    Free speech rights trump cybersquatting charges

    A gripe site for people who claim high street opticians Optical Express “ruined” their eyesight with botched LASIK surgery has been allowed to remain online, after a cybersquatting panel ruled that the owner has the right to free speech. Nominet Dispute Resolution Service panelist Keith Gymer earlier this month ruled that the …

    Hosting 16 Aug 09:38

  • Why gov labs presenting HPC tech ≠ officials wolfing overpriced sushi

    HPC blog US gov travel caps: Agency bods may have to skip supercomputing shows

    Our buddy Rich Brueckner over at insideHPC broke some news this week when he published a story about new conference and travel spending restrictions that might radically scale back US government agency participation in HPC industry events like the upcoming SC12 conference in Salt Lake City this November. The new strictures are …

    HPC 16 Aug 10:02

  • Three extends data use with Sim-only tariff tweak

    Charges off with cheap choices

    Three has refreshed its Sim-only pay-monthly contracts, with voice, text and data bundles starting from £6.90 per month and all-you-can-eat plans priced from £12.90. The Three Sim-only deals - which stretch between a month and a year - hits chips in two flavours: 'Essential' and 'Unlimited'. The former starts out at £6.90 for …

    reghardware 16 Aug 10:14

  • Cabinet Office faces SME supplier backlash over Cloud Store

    But Maude's mouthpiece says it is breaking monopoly of integration giants

    The Cabinet Office reckons three-quarters of the contracts dished out on public sector IT services catalogue Cloud Store have gone to SMEs. The claim was made in response to feedback given to The Channel from some suppliers who suspect G-Cloud biz is dominated by the same integrators that monopolised wider public sector IT …

    The Channel 16 Aug 10:18

  • Judge begs Apple, Samsung to get a room, or trial will end in tears

    Leave patent ruling in a jury's hands? You're having a laugh

    Judge Lucy Koh has urged Apple and Samsung to kiss and make up, and end their bitter legal battles. Judge Koh, who is overseeing the two tech titans' iPhone patent trial in the US, asked the chief execs of Apple and Samsung to talk at least once more on the phone before the jury goes away next week to consider its verdict. …

    Law 16 Aug 10:38

  • Nokia hails hacks for New York Lumia WinPho gig

    Nokia Woyld

    Nokia and Microsoft have begun inviting hacks to a New York event scheduled for Wednesday, 5 September, the same day the Finnish phone giant's annual shindig, Nokia World, kicks of in Helsinki. The NYC gig explains why Nokia isn't this year bussing journos to the frozen north as it usually does. Instead, it wants us all to …

    reghardware 16 Aug 10:57

  • Undead galaxy cluster spews 700 zombie baby stars A YEAR

    IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!

    Astroboffins have spotted a galaxy cluster that's breaking all the cosmic rules, including coming back to life to spawn stars at an enormous rate. The Phoenix cluster is spewing out the celestial bodies at the highest rate ever observed for the middle of a galaxy cluster; it's the most powerful producer of X-rays of any known …

    Science 16 Aug 11:19

  • RIM ramps up resolutions for BB10 range

    Hi-def times

    Research in Motion announced display resolutions for its upcoming BlackBerry 10 models this week, allowing developers to crack on immediately with app development. While Rim's first release will feature a display with a res of 1280 x 768, the company has encouraged developers to 'letterbox' their content to 16:9 proportions ( …

    reghardware 16 Aug 11:38

  • Apple seeks cable connection for set-top box

    Building an audience for its own-brand telly?

    Apple is in talks with US cable TV companies about licensing the technology it would need to feed their services in through the back of its Apple TV set-top box. The claim that the Mac maker is eyeing the US cable market comes from the Wall Street Journal. The paper suggests an Apple TV with a suitable cable connector and on- …

    reghardware 16 Aug 11:53

  • Tech hacks should admit taking corporate coin, but don't start a witch hunt

    Sysadmin blog One man's shill is another man's fellow fanboi

    Judge Alsup has required Google and Oracle to divulge a list of their paid shills - the bloggers and journos they've paid to comment on their copyright court showdown. This sets a major precedent, the consequences of which could echo throughout tech journalism. While there is a lot of blitting in the back buffers over this, I …

    Servers 16 Aug 12:02

  • Oracle plans to join Java hardware speed party

    GPU acceleration in OpenJDK works

    Following in the footsteps of Microsoft, Mozilla, Google and Apple, Oracle is now turning to hardware acceleration to speed up Java by harnessing the emerging potential of the GPU. The OpenJDK project’s Hotspot group has said it will explore ways of speeding Java with a native Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that taps hardware …

    Developer 16 Aug 12:29

  • CEO: NetApp revenues falling, but 'we aren't in a clampdown'

    Just arranging our operating expenses a little

    The brakes went on NetApp sales in its latest quarter with no growth and profits more than halved, but it is not seeing a downturn which could lead to potential restructuring. The company recorded revenues of $1.445bn for its first fiscal 2013 quarter, 1 per cent down annually but a 15 per cent drop from the previous quarter. …

    The Channel 16 Aug 13:01

  • Yang, bam, thank you ma'am: Lenovo supremo wallops rival biz

    Who's shipping shed loads of gear? We are

    Chinese PC juggernaut Lenovo showed no signs of the wheels coming off its sales: its fiscal Q1 turnover jumped more than a third and profit growth wasn't far behind. Turnover during the three months ended 30 June was up 35 per cent year-on-year to $8bn, and net income leapt 30 per cent to $141m. Operating profit climbed to $ …

    The Channel 16 Aug 13:28

  • Did Mitt Romney really get 117,000 REAL Twitter followers in ONE DAY?

    Researchers unpick booming black market for fake Twitter profiles

    A network of developers and merchants has grown to service the market for fake Twitter followers. Selling bundles of 1,000 fake followers for the typical price of around $18 a day can bring in revenues of $800 per day, according to a study by security researchers at Barracuda Networks. Dealers also have the option of selling …

    Media 16 Aug 14:04

  • Sony opens cover on latest e-Reader

    Tell the world what you're reading

    Sony has updated its Reader e-book gadget, a revised version of last year's model with added 'advertise for publishers for free' social networking functionality to encourage Facebook chums to buy books. The PRS-T2, follow-up to last year's PRS-T1, continues to sport a 6in, 700 x 800 E Ink display with a touchscreen overlay …

    reghardware 16 Aug 14:27

  • RamSan flash cram: IBM snaps up Texas Memory Systems

    Big Blue loads up shopping trolley in Lone Star state as storage gets even flashier

    IBM is buying Texas Memory Systems, the supplier of RamSan solid state memory arrays and PCIe cards, for an undisclosed sum. The deal could set off a feeding frenzy as system-makers buy up flash companies. TMS is privately owned, has no VC debt, and is run by founder and CEO Holly Frost. He signalled earlier this year that TMS …

    Storage 16 Aug 14:29

  • Sony claims PSN attack is a hoax not a hack

    Anonymous bosh

    Sony has denied claims allegedly made by Anonymous that the hactivist group breached the PlayStation Network and stole over 10m account details, despite nearly 3000 credentials being posted online as apparent proof. One alleged member of Anonymous claims to have stolen a 50GB database containing millions of users' details, …

    reghardware 16 Aug 14:34

  • Virgin Media SuperHub 'upgrade' hangs up on IP phone punters

    Call Not Received

    Users of Virgin Media's top-of-the-range SuperHub kit have been peeved to find that the router-modem is blocking incoming calls to their internet phones. And looks like some firmware is to blame. Customers using their SuperHub to support an IP phone say they've missed important calls, in some cases preventing them from doing …

    Broadband 16 Aug 15:02

  • Experts argue over whether shallow DNS gene pool hurts web infrastructure

    Similar code base puts kissing cousins in a BIND

    Experts are split over whether a lack of 'genetic diversity' in the (Domain Name System) DNS infrastructure is leaving the internet at greater risk of attacks. Four in five (80 per cent) of the world's internet-facing DNS servers are essentially genetically identical, according to Domain Name System vendor Secure64. In the …

    Security 16 Aug 15:33

  • Facebook shares hit all-time low

    Jitters as first batch of extra stock leaves lock-out

    Facebook shares hit an all-time low in early trading today as the lock-out period ended for inside investors, freeing them to offload 270 million shares. The lock-out period, when inside investors are forbidden from trading their shares to give a recently public company a headstart, finished today, increasing the available …

    Financial News 16 Aug 15:48

  • Ofcom: 4G won't knock out granny's personal alarm

    LTE's lack of power and spectral capacity will save her

    Ofcom has been looking at how 4G networks will interfere with the short-range devices next door, and concludes that LTE handsets haven't the power or capacity to generate significant interference. According to the study carried out by the regulator (PDF, surprisingly readable) LTE devices are too conscientious in their power …

    Broadband 16 Aug 16:04

  • Assange granted asylum by Ecuador after US refused to rule out charges

    UK govt rolls its eyes

    Wikileaker Julian Assange has been granted political asylum by Ecuador. The Australian geeklord, who is sheltering in the South American country’s London embassy, was granted asylum out of concern he’d face persecution in the West, Ecuador’s foreign minister Ricardo Patino said this afternoon. Assange™ faces extradition to …

    Law 16 Aug 16:24

  • Tokyo U gets second FX10 Sparc supercomputer

    A workstation of sorts for K developers

    The University of Tokyo has gone back to Fujitsu for a second helping of K supercomputer. The Institute for Solid State Physics is looking forward to next spring, when Fujitsu will fire up a PrimeHPC FX10 supercomputer that will be used to conduct materials research in high-performance solid state devices. The supercomputer …

    HPC 16 Aug 17:03

  • Tegile adds dash of disk to flash, hopes to taste cash

    Cooks up hybrid arrays to undercut all-flash market

    Tegile has tossed out two more flash-boosted storage arrays into the market, chasing the hybrid dream that flash and disk is better than flash alone because you get cheap capacity and solid state speed. Its first hybrid array product, the Zebi HA2100 was announced in June, with DRAM and flash used as a 2-tier cache atop a …

    Storage 16 Aug 17:33

  • Saudi oil giant seals off network after mystery malware attack

    Firm: 'Don't worry, world, the oil is oooo-kay'

    Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Saudi Aramco) shut down its computer network on Wednesday in response to a serious computer virus infection. The state-owned firm said the computer security incident is having no effect on oil production. "On Wednesday, August 15, 2012, an official at Saudi Aramco confirmed that the company has isolated …

    Security 16 Aug 18:02

  • Best Buy, Target, Walmart, others to take on Google Wallet

    Big box retailers cozy up for mobile payment scheme

    In a move that opens a new front in the ongoing bricks-and-mortar versus e-commerce struggle, a group of fifteen major retailers have joined forces to develop a new mobile payment system to challenge Google Wallet. The consortium, which includes such American heavy-hitters as 7-Eleven, Best Buy, CVS, Lowe's, Shell, Target, and …

    Business 16 Aug 19:31

  • Google splashes out the cash for cunning cracks

    Boosts bug bounties and offers $2m Pwnium purse

    Google's increasing the financial incentives for reporting vulnerabilities with an upgraded bug bounty scheme and a $2m purse for its latest Pwnium Chrome hacking contest, to be held in October. The Chocolate Factory's Chromium Vulnerability Rewards Program has paid out more than ONE MILLION DOLLARS to researchers who bring in …

    Security 16 Aug 20:08

  • Apple lawyer: 'I promise I am not smoking crack'

    Judge Koh not so sure

    Judge Lucy Koh has grown increasingly irritated with lawyers on both sides of the ongoing lawsuit between Apple and Samsung, but she hit a new boiling point on Thursday when Apple presented her a 75-page list of potential rebuttal witnesses for the four hours it has remaining in the trial. "This is ridiculous," the San Jose …

    Law 16 Aug 20:09

  • Oracle pays off SEC to settle Indian channel bribery claims

    Offers $2m for two years of dodgy dealings

    The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has agreed to settle an outstanding action over inducements paid by Oracle India to secure government contracts. The SEC filing notes that between 2005 and 2007 Oracle India siphoned off around $2.2m from eight different contracts with the Indian government that were worth $6.7m in …

    Business 16 Aug 20:23

  • In the burbs, elections remain an offline affair

    NSW council poll gets no web mentions, emails and Facebook ignored

    As the US Presidential elections get closer the business end of proceedings, technology-watchers know they will soon see all sorts of stories about how technology is pressed into service to win votes. We expect apps galore, tweets by the cloud-load and more abuses of the term “Big Data” than anyone should be forced to endure. …

    Policy 16 Aug 22:15

  • Tridium patches control systems bug after a year

    All your buildings were belong to anyone

    More than 300,000 automation systems – covering lighting control, building automation and security, heating and air conditioning and more – need patching after a slew of vulnerabilities in the Tridium Niagara AX went public thanks to an ISC-CERT advisory. The announcement of the vulnerabilities comes nearly synchronously with …

    Security 16 Aug 22:33

  • Chinese man blows off hands, builds new pair

    Iron-Man style DIY effort has man grasping again

    Plucky Chinese gent Sun Jifa showed the world exactly what persistence, and a rudimentary knowledge of welding and prosthetics, can do when it emerged this week that he built his own bionic hands after accidentally blowing the originals off. The 51-year-old from Guanmashan, in the northern province of Jilin blew off his hands …

    Bootnotes 16 Aug 23:00

  • iiNet’s happy dance

    What’s a quarter-million BoB worth?

    The high points are easy: iiNet’s profit is up by 11 percent, the company is claiming 15 percent of the broadband market in Australia, and its revenue is well over the $AU800 million mark. Its acquisitions seem to be paying off, with TransACT and Internode giving the company a lever to use on the difficult small business …

    Business 16 Aug 23:04

  • British boffin builds cool maser after argument with wife

    Vid Her indoors inspires him upstairs

    An obscure Japanese research paper, some second-hand equipment on eBay, and a British scientist's argument with his wife have become the catalysts for creating the world's first room-temperature microwave laser. It's also around 100 million times more powerful than current models. Masers (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated …

    Science 16 Aug 23:09

  • Boundary punts freebie app monitoring from the clouds

    Pockets $15m in VC cash, hooks into Engine Yard

    Application monitoring tool provider Boundary, which only peddles its wares as a service running on a cloud, is offering potential customers a freebie version of the service to scare up some business. The company is also rolling out a 2.0 release of the eponymous app monitoring service while at the same time partnering with …

    Cloud 16 Aug 23:43