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16th April 2013 Archive

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  • Silent Circle adds private email to hush-hush communications

    Demand for secure comms brings government invitation

    Silent Circle, the private communications venture set up by the founders of PGP and two former US Navy SEALs, has added encrypted emails to its protected text and voice services. Keeping comms quiet As expected, the new email application uses custom code developed by Phil Zimmermann, Jon Callas, and other members of the PGP …

    Security 16 Apr 00:16

  • Interview: Dave Berstein on the NBN, construction and VDSL

    xDSL, fibre, construction and gigabits

    Dave Berstein of DSL Prime and Fastnet News visited Australia during April for the CommsDay Summit. The Register interviewed him to get his take on the ongoing NBN debate. The Register: Let's look at what you've seen of the two-headed broadband debate in Australia – how well do you think the shift from an FTTP to an FTTN model …

    Policy 16 Apr 01:03

  • Internet Explorer makes modest gains against Google Chrome

    According to the stat counters at StatCounter, that is

    The browser world war, which appeared to have already been handily won by Google Chrome, is heating up again – well, "warming up" might be more accurate – with Microsoft's Internet Explorer having reversed some of its long, relatively steady decline. A mere two years ago, Internet Explorer was the undisputed king of the …

    Applications 16 Apr 01:16

  • CSIRO backing broadband app comp

    Hungry and brilliant? Get coding

    Entries are now open for a $AU50,000 CSIRO and industry-sponsored competition to foster broadband application development. The prize is designed to spark the development of applications that take advantage of the kind of connectedness envisaged under the NBN, the agency says. Through its Australian Centre for Broadband …

    Policy 16 Apr 01:30

  • SWARMS of ZOMBIES unleashed on innocent bloggers

    Major hack attack focused on WordPress users named, er, 'admin'

    Hosting providers are reporting a major upsurge in attempts to hack into blogs and content management systems late last week, with WordPress installations bearing the brunt of the hackers' offensive. WordPress installations across the world were hit by a brute force botnet attack, featuring attempts to hack into installations …

    Security 16 Apr 05:03

  • Alibaba comes again with Android-unfriendly mobile OS

    Chinese e-commerce giant in major domestic mobile push

    Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has unveiled a new plan to reinvigorate its home-grown mobile operating system (AMOS) after a high profile fall-out with Google last year effectively prevented the world’s major handset makers from partnering on the OS. The cloud-based AMOS, formerly known as Aliyun OS, hit the ropes last …

    Mobile 16 Apr 05:46

  • Dell axes IT channel middlemen, installs Windows in the factory

    Wanna buy a Dell till? No need to pay that integrator

    Microsoft has granted Dell the power to install Windows on specialised computers before they leave the factory - neatly bypassing the distribution channel. Typically, customers buy these machines via an integrator, which provides the software with the kit. But now Dell's hardware-building biz OEM Solutions can manufacture and …

    Cloud Infrastructure 16 Apr 06:03

  • Apple alert as half China's fanbois consider switch to Galaxy S4

    Big trouble in little China for Cook & Co?

    It could be sweaty palm time at Cupertino after new research revealed that more than half of China’s loyal fanbois are thinking of switching their iPhones to a Samsung Galaxy S4, according to new data from market watcher TrendForce. The Taiwanese firm’s research arm Avanti interviewed a representative sample of 3,000 …

    Phones 16 Apr 06:15

  • Will Google's rivals swallow the 'labelling remedy' pill?

    Analysis Web giant's in Europe now, where complainants count

    Google will have a green light to offer "manipulated" search results and "to discriminate against competitors" if its preferred competition remedy is accepted by the EU, at least according to 39 national consumer bodies in Europe. We don't yet know the specifics of the terms Google offered (and that the European Commission …

    Government 16 Apr 06:29

  • HP: You know what healthy OpenStack bods need? Fibre Channel

    Open-source biz types get FC, iSCSI access

    Hewlett-Packard says it is enabling OpenStack users to connect to two of its Fibre Channel and iSCSI-access storage arrays. OpenStack is the NASA and Rackspace-initiated open-source platform for building an infrastructure cloud. The build-yer-own platform has both compute and storage controller components and aims to lower …

    Cloud Infrastructure 16 Apr 07:02

  • Smart metering will disrupt weather forecasts, warns Met Office

    You'll get a Sky box in charge of your house anyway

    The Met Office has warned that Ofcom's planned deregulation of radio spectrum for Home Area Networking kit risks disrupting radar-based weather forecasts. The airwave regulator's recent public consultation into opening up new spectrum garnered overwhelming industry support for releasing the proposed bandwidths into the public …

    Science 16 Apr 07:25

  • Microsoft brings back Windows watch after Apple seeks 'flexible' bod

    Wrap THIS round your appendage, Cupertino

    Microsoft is working on a touch-enabled watch despite calling time last year on its earlier efforts. The revelation comes hot on the heels of rumours that rival Apple is working on an iWatch - which were further fuelled by Cupertino's posting of a job ad for a flexible display expert. The Wall St Journal reports that Microsoft …

    Hardware 16 Apr 08:05

  • Sophos picks up axe again, 'plans to DECIMATE staff'

    Insider says 1 in 10 face the chop - though Sophos says overall headcount to rise

    Sophos plans to shed 150 jobs as part of restructuring exercise, according to a source who tipped off El Reg. The security-software maker confirmed to The Register that cuts in some areas of its business were on the cards. But it declined to discuss the specifics of the planned redundancies; for example, it did not say which …

    Security 16 Apr 08:36

  • Netflix plotting move to HTML5 video - but only if DRM works

    'We're a major source of funds for Hollywood'

    Streaming video leader Netflix says it's eager to move away from using Microsoft's moribund Silverlight technology to support its service on desktop PCs, but it will be a while yet before today's HTML5 browsers support the features it needs to make that happen. In a blog post on Monday, reps for Netflix – which by some …

    Cloud 16 Apr 08:59

  • Gigabyte bats Brix at Intel's tiny NUC PC

    Half as tall as Chipzilla's micro PC - and with a better spec

    Taiwan’s Gigabyte is to take on Intel’s Next Unit of Computing (NUC), the chip company’s ultra-compact Core i3-based desktop computer. Last week, it demo’d Brix, a box with a slightly bigger footprint than the NUC but around only half as tall. Gigabyte promises four Brix systems with, respectively, Celeron, Core i3, i5 and i7 …

    Hardware 16 Apr 09:32

  • Why hacking and platforms are the future of NHS IT

    Opinion Doctors and architects go white elephant hunting

    Apart from those who have a commercial vested interest does anyone still believe in large top-down centrally architected IT solutions? Public sector IT in the UK is littered with expensive white elephants, and it sometimes seems as if the only beneficiaries are the large IT contractors, who can threaten significant job losses or …

    Management 16 Apr 10:04

  • Firefox 'death sentence' threat to TeliaSonera over gov spy claims

    Mozilla may snub telecom giant's new SSL certs

    Firefox-maker Mozilla could issue a "death sentence" to TeliaSonera's SSL business over allegations the telecoms giant sold Orwellian surveillance tech to dictators. The punishment would be an embarrassing blow to the company: it would effectively cut off HTTPS-encrypted websites verified by TeliaSonera from Firefox users, who …

    Security 16 Apr 10:19

  • Now Fujitsu breaks up with UK tech distributor Northamber

    Exclusive Surrey-based distie cut loose by end of June

    Fujitsu Technology Products Group (FTPG) has become the latest major vendor to give UK IT distributor Northamber its marching orders, The Channel can exclusively reveal. Folk close to the Japanese outfit reckon the clock is already ticking on Surrey-based Northamber to wind down its position. "They are gone by 30 June," said …

    The Channel 16 Apr 10:36

  • Ten Windows tablets

    Product Roundup Slates to select when Android and iOS gadgets will just not do

    Twelve months ago the idea of compiling a list of Windows tablets that you would actually want to buy would have been as impossible to do as it would have been farcical to suggest. But with the launch of Windows 8 and Windows RT all that has changed, and we are now faced with a bewildering array of fondleslabs all running …

    Tablets 16 Apr 11:00

  • Facebook struggling to find 'immersive' Home on Apple's iPhone

    Gimme some skin ... bitch

    Facebook is reportedly in talks with Apple about bringing a version of its new Home interface to the iPhone. However, it's unlikely that Facebook will be afforded the same type of freedom it received with some Android devices, which were recently decorated with a skin feeding a constant stream of personal information from the …

    Applications 16 Apr 11:17

  • Anonymous squirts all over NORKS in birthday surprise outrage

    Happy Birthday, Mr Zombie President

    Anonymous hackers have sent North Korean despot Kim Jong-un a little present on the anniversary of his grandfather’s birthday: they vandalised key Nork websites and posted their handiwork on a hijacked Twitter account. The @uriminzokkiri account was taken over earlier this month in the first round of attacks against North …

    Security 16 Apr 11:44

  • Survey: FOSS biz fans aching for 'enterprise-class' support

    6 in 10 suits would even pay for it

    The absence of enterprise-grade support for free and open-source software (FOSS) is the single biggest pain point for business customers who are using it. That’s according to a survey by data-centre automation company Univa, which found 64 per cent of respondents were prepared to pay for supported open-source software. The …

    Management 16 Apr 12:00

  • Kobo strikes new match against Kindle: The Aura HD e-reader

    Pics 'World's most hi-res' 6.8" technobook unzipped

    Kobo gathered the great and the good from publishing and distribution in London yesterday to launch its new high-res e-ink reader, the Aura HD. Michael Serbinis, Kobo CEO, said the company asked 10,000 book lovers for the features a perfect e-reader should have. While the Kobo Aura HD probably doesn't match all the survey …

    Tablets 16 Apr 12:25

  • Raspberry Pi space jaunt ends in dramatic mountain rescue

    Slovakian team tracks stunning globes to snow-capped peak

    Blighty's two-pronged High Altitude Ballooning (HAB) assault on Europe over the weekend ended dramatically with the rescue of one payload from the slopes of a snow-capped Austrian mountain, while the other is officially AWOL somewhere in France. Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator (LOHAN) team members Dave Akerman and Anthony …

    SPB 16 Apr 12:45

  • Logitech launches MEGA-PRICEY 15-in-1 remote

    £229 buys you deluxe model, cheaper sister sets you back £109

    Swiss mouse master Logitech will whip out a pair of new Harmony “universal” remote controls this month, extending the range to take in home automation kit as well as your home entertainment rig. First, the Harmony Ultimate, the latest in Logitech’s line of programmable controllers. This one can control up to 15 devices and has …

    Hardware 16 Apr 13:05

  • Samsung vs Apple: which smartphone do Reg readers prefer?

    Satisfaction, loyalty and the iPhone boredom factor

    Reg readers feel strongly about their smartphones. This much was clear when Freeform Dynamics analysed the results of a recent research study looking at Reg readers' habits and activity with respect to smartphones, tablets, TV viewing and electronic gaming (discussed in a previous article), Altogether, 1122 respondents took …

    Mobile 16 Apr 13:37

  • Ex-hacker leaves Pentagon's TOP-SECRET war boffins for Google

    What will he do? We don't know - it's a secret

    Google has hired a former hacker who has spent the last three years working for the US Department of Defense's secretive military research bureau. The Chocolate factory poached Peiter "Mudge" Zatko from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and will put him to work in its own research skunkworks. He will take …

    Security 16 Apr 13:59

  • Dell tried gobbling doomed Brit IT giant 2e2 for £350m, say insiders

    Exclusive Its backers 'wanted £400m', then the biz imploded

    Dell narrowly avoided buying Brit IT giant 2e2 before the integrator went titsup, say sources close to the £350m talks. The negotiations collapsed after 2e2's venture-capital backers Duke Street Capital held out for more. Both sides met across the table a year ago, long before 2e2's UK operations nosedived into administration …

    The Channel 16 Apr 14:32

  • Microsoft: FINE! We'll match Amazon - by HIKING cloud prices

    Reassuringly expensive Redmond ramps rivalry

    What's the difference between Windows Azure and Amazon Web Services? Very little – or so says Microsoft, which has made a new commitment to match the web bazaar's pricing for basic cloud services. The price-matching announcement was made by Microsoft on Tuesday, alongside news that Redmond thinks its infrastructure-as-a- …

    Cloud 16 Apr 14:58

  • Web host Linode, hackers clash over credit-card raid claim

    Crooks boast of swiped privates via ColdFusion hole

    Crooks claim they gained access to server hosting biz Linode's customer passwords and credit card numbers. On Friday, Linode said someone tried to compromise one of its clients' machines, but insisted no financially sensitive information was leaked. Linode reset all account passwords as a precautionary measure. The virtual …

    Security 16 Apr 15:04

  • Teradata buffs Hadoop for the biz intelligence masses

    Tools without the HDFS headache

    Teradata has polished Apache’s Hadoop Big Data framework for business intelligence and added new tools for quicker and easier querying of massed data. The data warehousing and BI giant has released Teradata Enterprise Access for Hadoop, which includes two new features: Smart Loader for Hadoop and its trademarked SQL-H. …

    HPC 16 Apr 15:31

  • At LAST, scientists tackle the problems faced by alcoholic rats

    Fresh rodent kidney created in lab

    Scientists have grown an artificial rat kidney in the laboratory, heralding an era when humans can replace their own knackered organs with off the shelf stand-ins. Boffins at Massachusetts General Hospital used a technique which had previously been used to create fully working hearts, lungs and liver tissue. They first took a …

    Science 16 Apr 17:04

  • Teradata cranks appliance iron, adopts InfiniBand as cluster backbone

    SQL-H to link Hadoop to both Teradata and Aster databases

    Another database and data warehousing vendor has adopted InfiniBand as its backbone for data transmission. While upgrading the x86 iron inside its Active Enterprise Data Warehouse appliance and rolling out a new data mart server, Teradata said it was ditching its proprietary networking hardware and moving its homegrown Bynet …

    Cloud Infrastructure 16 Apr 18:03

  • Oracle critical patch plugs 128 security vulns

    Database Server, MySQL, Siebel all affected

    Oracle is issuing a hefty patch batch that seals 128 serious security vulnerabilities across the database company's vast product suite. The Critical Patch Update for April 2013 is due to come out on Tuesday and "Oracle strongly recommends that customers apply Critical Patch Update fixes as soon as possible," the company warns …

    Security 16 Apr 18:23

  • CISPA cybersecurity legislation vote due in next 48 hours

    All your data are belong to us

    The US House of Representatives has scheduled to vote on the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) for Wednesday or Thursday, and the pro and anti camps are marshaling their forces to try and sway the result. #CISPA slated for House Floor on Wed & Thurs (April 17 & 18) — House Intel Comm (@HouseIntelComm) …

    Government 16 Apr 19:16

  • Verizon Terremark backs Xen-CloudStack combo for clouds

    Can you hear me now, VMware ESXi and vCloud?

    Hot on the heels of the open source Xen hypervisor being moved over to the Linux Foundation as an official collaborative project, Citrix Systems, which has controlled the Xen community as well as the open source CloudStack cloud controller that is one of the viable alternatives to OpenStack, has scored the Terremark cloud …

    Cloud 16 Apr 20:59

  • NZ plans interception law refresh

    Dotcom bust leads to spooks' charter

    Still suffering judicial criticism over its bungled spying on Kim Dotcom, the New Zealand government has announced that it will revise its telecommunications interception regime to force ISPs and telcos to co-operate with that country's Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). Ms Adams' announcement stated that “ …

    Law 16 Apr 22:29