The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

29th October 2012 Archive

Browse by publication date, or search the site.

  • NBN set to tap into Asian growth

    White paper sees NBN as white knight for Asian stimulation

    Australia’s National Broadband Network is being positioned as a key trump card in accelerating economic and technology traction in the Asian markets following the release of government white paper ‘Australia in the Asian Century’. The NBN is at the core of one the national objectives of the white paper to make Australia’s …

    Broadband 29 Oct 03:09

  • EC tells Euro rebels: Hike up your ebook tax to 15%, or else

    Lower VAT in Luxembourg, France distorts competition, says Commission

    Luxembourg and France must stop applying a reduced VAT rate to electronic books because doing so distorts competition across the rest of the EU and is in breach of EU tax laws, the European Commission has said. The Commission said it had issued both member states with "reasoned opinions" formally requesting that countries …

    Media 29 Oct 07:00

  • Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid car review

    A huge leap forward for the world's most popular hybrid

    Extended electric-only driving range has been a long time coming to hybrid cars but with the arrival of the Vauxhall Ampera and now Toyota’s Prius Plug-in the breed may finally shake off the reputation of vehicles that only exist because Americans don’t like diesels. The mains attraction: Toyota's Prius Plug-in Hybrid In a …

    Science 29 Oct 08:00

  • Operators turn UK bonking consortium into Google-killer

    Project Oscar tries to make mobile advertising pay

    The UK's central clearing house for mobile advertising now has a name, and a logo. But you won't find any mention of NFC, despite that being the original intention of the consortium before its rebrand as Weve, a business-to-business service "primarily aimed at advertisers looking to engage in mobile commerce". Project Oscar – …

    Media 29 Oct 08:29

  • Bond's Walther PPK goes digital: A civilized gun updated

    Bond on Film 'A ladies' gun ... and not for very nice ladies, at that'

    It's the details that embellish James Bond's character: the martini, the Aston Martin, the Walther PPK. A bit of a handbag gun really ... but there's no point telling people We’re talking about an individual from a certain social background, somebody who possesses a deliberate and definite sense of choice and taste. But …

    Bond, James Bond 29 Oct 09:00

  • Premature balloon burst thwarts US paper spaceplane attempt

    Our Vulture 1 retains Guinness World Record

    The University of Southern Indiana has failed to wrest the highest launch of a paper plane crown from our Vulture 1 spaceplane, after suffering premature balloon burst. The Geronimo aircraft (pictured below) was carried aloft under a mighty meteorological globe from Marion High School in Marion, Illinois, on Saturday morning, …

    SPB 29 Oct 09:32

  • Philips eyes trendy homemakers for app-controlled e-lights

    1970s mood lighting revived for internet era

    Apple fans eager “to start experiencing light in a completely new way” - yes, that’s exactly what it says here - will soon be able to to do so courtesy of Philips. Heralding what the Dutch electronics firm is calling “a new era in home lighting”, Apple Stores in the UK will this week begin selling the networkable LED …

    Hardware 29 Oct 09:54

  • Granny upstages Microsoft, storms stage at Surface launch

    Vid Fondletop shindig chaos in Beijing

    The big launch of Microsoft’s Surface slab got off to an inauspicious start in Beijing after an elderly couple invaded the stage in an attempt to halt proceedings. Redmond launched the Windows RT tablet-cum-laptop device at a series of events starting at midnight across the country in partnership with retail giant Suning. …

    Windows 8 29 Oct 09:57

  • Petition for Alan Turing on £10 note breaks 20,000 signatures

    Crypto-boffin fighting Branson and David Beckham

    A petition to get British wartime crypto-boffin Alan Turing on the next ten-pound note has broken 20,000 signatures on the government's e-petition site. At least 23,157 people have signed the pledge that praises his contribution to computer science, the nation and the world, and calls for Turing to replace Charles Darwin when …

    Bootnotes 29 Oct 11:47

  • Alienware assimilates Dell FROM THE INSIDE!

    Resistance is futile...

    Gaming notebooks are a secret hobby of mine. I don't actually game that much – even my wife logs more hours than I do – but gaming notebooks are the only way to get the best of the best in a luggable form factor. Alienware is the name to beat in this space, but I've always wondered how they managed to survive the Dell …

    Hardware 29 Oct 11:49

  • Microsoft aims to herd 70% of enterprise onto Windows 7 by mid-2013

    Exclusive 'Um, yeah, good luck with that' – partners

    Microsoft has set an aggressive target of 70 per cent of enterprise PCs running Windows 7 by the summer of 2013. The Reg has learned from sources close to Microsoft that the goal set by Redmond HQ is for an additional 20 per cent of enterprise PCs to move to Windows 7 by the end of its current fiscal year – on 30 June 2013. …

    Windows 8 29 Oct 11:50

  • China tosses New York Times into shredder in family fortunes row

    Great Firewall stoked ahead of power handover

    China’s censors have blocked the New York Times website after the paper ran a story alleging relatives of outgoing prime minister Wen Jiabao amassed a $2.7bn fortune. The article, which became unavailable in the country just hours after publication, claimed members of Wen's family benefited from regulatory and government …

    Media 29 Oct 12:02

  • Xbox SmartGlass hits Android ahead of schedule

    MS expels exclusivity

    Microsoft published the Xbox SmartGlass app for Android this weekend, giving those on Google's OS access before Windows Phone 8 even hits the market. The application - launched on Windows RT devices on Friday - was expected to hit Google Play in 2013 after a lengthy period of MS exclusivity. However, with the release of …

    Apps 29 Oct 12:05

  • Rockstar unloads Vice City for smartphones

    Vercetti let loose on the mob

    Rockstar Games is celebrating the tenth anniversary of PS2 classic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City by releasing it on mobile platforms. The game - which hit shelves on 29 October 2002 - will be available for a wide range of iOS and Android devices, feature high-resolution graphics and include several enhancements for the mobile …

    Games 29 Oct 12:06

  • SpaceX Dragon podule back from ISS, successful Pacific splashdown

    First contracted cargo task done, despite rocket hiccup

    The SpaceX Dragon splashed down in the Pacific yesterday, marking the end of a mostly successful first contracted trip to the International Space Station. The reusable cargoship dropped into the ocean yesterday evening around 250 miles off the coast of Mexico after resupplying the ISS and its crew. The Dragon was ferried to …

    Science 29 Oct 12:15

  • Hurricane Sandy blows away Google Nexus launch in New York

    Chocolate Factory offers rolling crisis map instead

    Incoming storm Hurricane Sandy has forced Google to cancel its latest event in New York and closed the country's stock exchanges. Google has launched its own crisis map of the region, compiled from NHC and US Naval Research Lab data as well as alerts and evacuation notices from weather.gov and earthquake.usgs.gov. One of the …

    Hardware 29 Oct 12:37

  • Jimmy Savile ringtones still selling like hot cakes on iTunes

    How's about that then?

    The theme tune to Jimmy Savile's Jim'll Fix It is one of the top selling iPhone ringtones. Now then, now then: the iTunes comedy chart Despite public outcry over revelations of Savile's child abusing past, the £0.99 jingle is outselling the "laughing chipmunk", a Jack Bauer 24 themed piece, and the explicit ditty "It's Your …

    Media 29 Oct 12:44

  • iPhone owners sue Apple for locking Jesus mobe to AT&T

    Operator bypassed in new class action

    A new attack from disgruntled iPhone users is putting Apple in the dock for locking iPhones to AT&T's network, claiming that such a lock is illegally anti-competitive. The suit, filed in Northern California and picked up by CNet, argues that Apple's 2007 deal to lock iPhones to AT&T was in breach of the Sherman Act – a US …

    Hardware 29 Oct 12:57

  • Valve taps testers for Linux Steam

    Boost for Ubuntu gaming

    Valve is seeking participants for its Steam for Linux beta test and has asked experienced users of the open source platform to apply. The company confirmed it would launch Steam for Ubuntu back in July, but failed to hint at any release dates. It did, however, promise a port of Left 4 Dead 2, and a month later claimed that …

    Games 29 Oct 13:16

  • Hackers deface 'sinful' French Euromillions site

    You have to be in it to pwn it

    Hackers sprayed digital graffiti on the French Euromillions website over the weekend as part of a protest against the "sin" of gambling. A group identifying itself as the “Moroccanghosts” hacking crew posted messages decrying the lottery as the work of the devil in both French and Arabic after breaking into the euromillions.fr …

    Security 29 Oct 13:27

  • Stone shatters kid Rock: Gamers not as flush as they used to be

    PC builder parent says users will still get support

    Stone Group has killed off the Rock Group operation, which built hefty gaming laptops and notebooks, claiming it saw "no potential" in its future. Staffordshire-based PC builder Stone bought the assets of Rock Group in late May 2008 after the firm was placed into administration by Nick Boardman, who founded the business some …

    The Channel 29 Oct 13:57

  • Pre-ordered a Microsoft Surface? So SORRY it's late, have a voucher

    Redmond positively désolé at your frustration

    Microsoft is dishing out vouchers to disgruntled Surface customers burned by delays and confusion over shipments of their pre-ordered fondletops. The company has been handing over vouchers worth £50 to those whose Windows-RT tablets have not arrived despite pre-ordering before Thursday’s launch. Surfaces went on sale on 25 …

    Windows 8 29 Oct 14:28

  • Oak Ridge lab: Behold, I Am TITAN, hear my 20 petaflop ROAR

    One giant leap for a GPU, one small step for exascale

    Oak Ridge National Laboratories is really eager to talk about the "Titan" supercomputer, which weighs in at more than 20 petaflops of performance and which has just been activated this month. In fact it's too eager to wait until the SC12 supercomputing trade show in November to give out all the feeds and speeds. Cray and Nvidia …

    HPC 29 Oct 15:03

  • Google Nexus 4 flips finger at Sandy, appears on YouTube

    Swedish operator's video spied

    Google was to have launched the LG-made Nexus 4 smartphone today, but with Hurricane Sandy shutting down the advertising giant’s planned New York announcement, it has been left to Sweden’s Three network - it has been claimed - to reveal the handset in all its glory. Of course, the specs are already out, thanks to the UK’s very …

    Apps 29 Oct 15:23

  • Hurricane Sandy starts to hit IT providers

    First indications of trouble reach the Reg

    Hurricane Sandy's knock-on effects have begun as IT support staff on the Eastern seaboard of the US are evacuated. Hosting provider 1&1 has had to close down its Dedicated Server support team in Pennsylvania as storm warnings have evacuated areas of the Eastern seaboard and shuttered New York stock exchanges. A Reg reader in …

    Data Center 29 Oct 15:27

  • Publishing giants borg into Random Penguin ... But can it see off Amazon?

    Pearson snubs £1bn bid from Murdoch's HarperCollins

    Venerable publishing house Penguin will merge with Random House to create the world's largest book publisher. Penguin owner Pearson signed off on the deal with Random House owner Bertelsmann today declaring that the merger was the best way for the two dead-tree publishers to take advantage of new digital publishing models, …

    Media 29 Oct 16:02

  • Hackers crack Texan bank, Experian credit records come flooding out

    Names, numbers, finances, EVERYTHING... and they weren't even customers

    Hackers managed to get login credentials for Experian's credit scoring reports after they broke into the systems of Abilene Telco Federal Credit Union last year, it has emerged. Crooks gained access to the west Texan bank's systems after hacking into an employee's computer. The September 2011 breach allowed the hackers to get …

    Security 29 Oct 16:40

  • Who were the SECRET 28 who ended all climate debate at the BBC?

    'Campaigners, NGOs, communications types - and scientists'

    Far from the Jimmy Savile scandal, the director of BBC News Helen Boaden took the witness stand in London today. A squad of Beeb legal staff, including two barristers, crammed into a small court room to support the £354,000-a-year news chief against her opponent, a North Wales pensioner who was accompanied only by his wife. The …

    Science 29 Oct 16:44

  • Google goes ahead, unveils Nexus 4 and 10

    Nexus 7 updated too

    Google didn’t wait: it has just outed the Nexus 7 with 32GB of storage and the Samsung-made Nexus 10. The Nexus 7 line now runs from 16GB to 32GB - the old 8GB model is out, replaced by a cheaper 16GB tablet, for $199/£159, and the new 32GB unit, which will cost $249/£199. Nexus 10: Samsung made with a 2560 x 1600 screen …

    Tablets 29 Oct 17:07

  • Huawei gets US gov nod to supply Clearwire network

    Things not so rosy for Cisco in China though...

    There was some good news for Huawei in its ongoing tussle with US lawmakers after wireless broadband provider Clearwire said it had received government approval to upgrade its network using kit from the Chinese tech giant. The firm is an existing customer of Huawei and said it would be continuing the relationship to upgrade …

    Data Networking 29 Oct 17:55

  • BridgeSTOR: They called us mad, but we've put deduped data on TAPE!

    Tape Summit Are we crazy or what?!

    BridgeSTOR has announced it will store deduplicated data on tape, a medium considered totally unsuitable for deduplication by everybody else. John Matze said his company's Data Deduplication File System (DDFS) works with the open Linear Tape File System (LTFS) so that deduped data on tape can be rehydrated and restored. Matze …

    Storage 29 Oct 19:03

  • Microsoft Surface popped open, poked, prodded

    Teardown Easier to repair than Apple's fondleslabs – though not by much

    The teardown-happy folks at iFixit have taken their Torx wrenches and spudgers to Microsoft's new Surface notebook tablet, but found few surprises inside. They did discover, however, that the Surface is more easily repairable than either the iPad 2 or its follow-on iPad 3 – aka "the new iPad". iFixit gave the Surface a …

    Hardware 29 Oct 20:23

  • Ballmer bets 'all in' on Phone 8 and Windows

    Claims other smartphone UIs are old or stolen

    Steve Ballmer is promising Microsoft is "all in" on the Windows 8 system and took to the stage, along with a mystery celebrity, to push the latest version of Microsoft's smartphone operating system at a launch event in San Francisco. "Today we're bringing phones into the Windows Family with Windows Phone 8," he said. "If you' …

    Mobile 29 Oct 21:07

  • Vodafone Oz slims down as customers flee

    Meanwhile, NZ acquisition cleared by regulator

    Vodafone Australia is to shed an estimated 500 staff as it continues to leak customers and struggle with network quality issues. Following a detailed business review and the loss of 178,000 customers in the six months to July, Vodafone CEO Bill Morrow said that the company was “prepared to think and act differently in …

    Financial News 29 Oct 21:30

  • NSW drops NBN access bombshell

    NBNCo told to climb a tree

    The NSW state government , currently under fire over spiralling electricity costs, has broken off negotiations with NBN Co over access to power poles amid claim and counter-claim over price. The state’s treasurer, Andrew Stoner, went public on Monday, October 29, with the claim that NBN Co’s offer was $AU400 million less than …

    Policy 29 Oct 22:30

  • IT price inquiry chair threatens to throw book at Aus vendors

    ‘Obstruction, avoidance and evasion’

    Major IT vendors are trying the patience of both sides of politics, with both the chair and deputy chair of the parliamentary IT price inquiry complaining that vendors are hiding behind their union lobbying organisation rather than dealing directly with the inquiry. The chair (Labor’s Nick Champion) and deputy (Paul Neville of …

    Government 29 Oct 23:00

  • Apple exec behind Maps and Siri to exit One Infinite Loop

    Forstall and retail head Browett to depart, Jonny Ive becomes UI king

    "Siri, is the iOS Map app bad enough to cost me my job?" That's the question Apple's Scott Forstall might just be asking today, after Apple reshuffled its executives and it was announced he would leave the company next year, "and will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim” after a reorganization of the company …

    Business 29 Oct 23:10

  • Steve Jobs' Apple-powered yacht makes belated first trip

    T'was on the good ship Venus

    A custom yacht designed by Steve Jobs, dubbed Venus, has set sail just a year after the Apple founder's death. The good ship Venus, minus the intended captain Jobs, French designer Phillipe Starck, and Apple's Jon Ive all collaborated on the ship, which is based on a minimalist design that most fans will recognize. At 70-80 …

    Hardware 29 Oct 23:35

  • Win hot vForum tickets

    El Reg has free premium tix for vForum and the VMDownUnderground party

    VMware's annual virtualisation shindig – vForum – is about to hit Sydney on November 14 and 15, and The Register, has eight, count them, eight, prizes to give away ahead of the event. vForum is an all-signing, all-dancing, celebration of virtualisation at which you can wallow in all things virtual at hands-on labs, or soak up …

    Site News 29 Oct 23:53

  • Light ties itself in knots - spontaneously

    Beautiful physics

    It’s not only possible to get light to tie itself in knots: given the right conditions, it will do so spontaneously, according to a paper published last week in Nature. El Reg has no possible hope of fully understanding this paper (published in full, an emerging trend we welcome), but one really interesting idea is right there …

    Science 29 Oct 23:59