Microsoft's dual-screen booklet shows 'face' on web
Redmond concept artists outdo themselves
More delicious rumor scraps about Microsoft's not-yet-announced Courier tablet/e-book/Girl Tech Password Journal have been leaked to the web.
The folks at Engadget unveiled some new Courier info from a "trusted" source. At the very least, Courier is shaping to be a collection of fabulous concept art.
If the actual product can …
Microsoft unplugs middling Windows server
Windows EBS on the way out
Microsoft will halt development of its mid-market oriented Windows Essential Business Server software bundle, as the company bets on "cloud computing" rather than lump licensing to woo penny-pinching IT markets.
The EBS package, which combines Windows Server 2008, Exchange 2007 and server management tools, will be discontinued …
US judge puts freeze on Apple-Nokia patent kerfuffle
Let the feds sort it
A US federal judge has sent Apple and Nokia lawyers to their respective corners until the feds get their chance to sort through the competing patent infringement claims.
US District Court in Delaware signed an order staying litigation, pending decisions by the US International Trade Commission on the matter.
Nokia sued Apple in …
YouTube: Auto-captions for everyone
All toe they donuts work prefect Lee
Google is now letting anyone use its new auto-captioning feature for YouTube videos.
Back in November, YouTube released a robo-transcription option for just a limited number of educational channels, saying it would expand the tool to more videos in the future. Well, the future is now and has begun rolling out across the entire …
Real Networks rolls over to Hollywood
Will kill RealDVD, pay $4.5m
RealNetworks has agreed to destroy all traces of its short-lived DVD-duplicating software, RealDVD, to appease the Hollywood heads that brought legal action against it.
As part of a settlement filed Wednesday in a California court, the company will also cough up $4.5m in legal fees to the six movie studios, Viacom, and the DVD …
More doubt tossed onto iPad numbers
Apple manufacturer denies claims
A second report has surfaced claiming Apple is experiencing spotty overseas production of the iPad, due for release later this month.
ThinkEquity analyst Vijay Rakesh issued a note to investors on Thursday claiming checks with manufacturers suggested "some minor delays" in ramping up production for the tablet.
Apparently, a …
Ubuntu Lucid Lynx changes its spots
Runs brown out of town
Canonical is replacing its signature brown color scheme with the debut of Ubuntu 10.04, the next major release of the popular Linux distribution.
Departing from six years of interface tradition, Canonical has revealed a new "light" default theme and updated Ubuntu logo that introduces a pallet of purple, orange, slate grey, and …
Skype arrives on Nokia Symbian phones
Live at the Ovi
One day after Skype yanked support for Windows and Java mobiles, citing a lack of consistent quality across handsets, the proprietary VoIP outfit is showing its love for Symbian.
Skype's free mobile app for Nokia's Symbian OS has left the beta stage and is now available directly from the mobile Ovi Store or alternatively the …
IBM closer to chips with frickin' laser beams
Debuts teeny-tiny optical detector
IBM scientists say they're another step closer to creating computer chips circuits that efficiently use frickin' laser beams rather than copper wires to communicate.
On Wednesday, Big Blue's light-wrangling boffins unveiled what's called an avalanche photodetector capable of receiving optical information pulses at 40Gbps. The …
Dell flogs its 'zero client'
PC-over-IP rolls into FX100 boxes
Dell has unveiled its first "zero client" device for enterprise customers who think traditional thin clients are fatty, fatty 2x4s.
The FX100 Zero Client has no x86 CPU, no hard disk drive, and no image to manage. Instead, it simply acts as a terminal to a virtual environment running on a remote server.
The system was …
Apple schemes mobile movie streams
As Netflix mulls iPhone app
Apple executives are shopping around the idea of enabling iTunes users to back up movies, music, and television on the company's servers and to access them from any internet-connected device.
Movie studio representatives have reportedly been approached by Apple over creating a possible free streaming service for iTunes, Cnet …
US burg renames self 'Google'
What would you do for Gigabit internet?
Google is looking for US locations to test its own ultra-high-speed fibre optic networks, and there's no city more eager to be chosen than Google, Kansas.
Bill Bunten, mayor of the state capital formally known as Topeka, Kansas signed a proclamation on Monday temporarily renaming the city "Google" in an effort to convince the …
Chrome beta bakes in auto-translation
Pickier privacy settings
Google has added automatic translation and a more granular set of privacy options in the latest beta of its Chrome browser.
The new additions are ready for user testing on the Chrome beta channel. The beta release, however, requires a machine running Windows Vista or XP SP2. Windows 7, Linux, and Mac users don't have the …
iPad launch may be limited to US, says analyst
'Manufacturing bottleneck'
Apple's forthcoming iPad launch may be delayed a month or limited to the US due to an "unspecified production problem," according to one market analyst.
In a research to note published on Monday, Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek claims to have heard rumblings that a "manufacturing bottleneck" at the iPad's producer will limit …
Cisco rolls out mobile VPN trifecta
Remote access without borders
It was back in October that Cisco first revealed its latest corporate vision to mush a whole bunch of enterprise Web 2.0-ish concepts into what it calls the new "borderless networks" architecture.
It's something to do with combining in-house network kit and cloud-based technology to deliver services and applications to anyone, …
SCO's Linux litigation architect angles for SCO's mobile biz
Former CEO strikes back
Desperate to fund its seemingly-endless legal battle for Unix copyrights against Novell and others, SCO Group has found someone willing to buy the bankrupt company's mobile assets - and it's none other than Darl McBride, the former SCO chief executive sacked as a result of his ruinous crusade to claim Unix.
Groklaw has flagged …
Fedora 13 Alpha release delayed
Tuesday ties makes for 7 day truancy
Fedora Project developers said they will push back the first alpha release for Fedora 13 by one week.
In a Thursday mailing list post by Jesse Keating, Red Hat release engineer for Fedora Core, said the first alpha will be delayed to "verify blocker bug fixes and validate new builds of software necessary to fix those bugs." …
Facebook patents user news feed
Zuckerberg owns Web 2.0 stalking
Facebook has been awarded a patent on displaying news feeds of users' activities, creating an interwebs stir that basic social network functionality could soon fall prey to Facebook IP rights.
The US patent - awarded February 23 - pertains to "dynamically providing a news feed about a user of a social network". For example: " …
IBM quietly shoves ISS wares into Tivoli
Services only, please
IBM Internet Security Systems (ISS) products have quietly been booted from Big Blue's global services business and into the ever-expanding Tivoli brand product line, The Register has learned.
IBM acquired ISS four years ago in a deal valued at an astounding $1.3bn. And though the Georgia-based firm was best known for its …
Gmail error hops on POP
Importing issues hit mail service
Google grappled with erratic Gmail behavior this morning for a "significant subset" of users who receive their mail via POP from external mail providers into Gmail.
The company posted notice on its Apps Status Dashboard that users were experiencing "error messages and/or other unexpected behavior" when attempting to fetch …
Senators to NASA: Get your ass to Mars
Lawmakers blast agency for lack o' vision
NASA lacks a clear vision for the future of US human spaceflight, US Senators told the space agency's chief on Wednesday.
A Senate science subcommittee clashed with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden over President Barack Obama's proposed 2011 budget, which effectively kills the previous administration's goal of returning to the …
Cryptome restored after Microsoft change of heart
Redmond rescinds DMCA takedown
Microsoft has rescinded the copyright complaint that resulted in the shutdown of the long-standing whistleblower website, Cryptome.org, after it published Redmond's spy guide for law enforcement.
The company said it has asked Cryptome's ISP, Network Solutions, that the website be restored and that it no longer wants the …
Linux kernel R&D worth over 1bn euros
Spanish boffins put value on penguin
How much would it cost the European Union to cobble together the Linux kernel from scratch?
The development costs would reach over a billion euros (or about £900m, or $1.4bn USD), according to researchers from the University of Oviedo, Spain. Jesús García-García and Mª Isabel Alonso de Magdaleno are set to present this open …
IBM plugs Netcool into Juniper's Space
Big Blue service management for Junos
Juniper Networks is reaching into IBM's service management portfolio to add some oomph to its new Junos Space network application platform.
Big Blue said on Tuesday that it will license its Tivoli Netcool/Ominibus and Network Manager technology for Junos Space. The pact was announced during IBM's Pulse 2010 conference in Las …
Chuck Norris botnet doesn't infect routers...
...it stares them down until they infect themselves
A so-called Chuck Norris botnet is hijacking poorly-configured routers and DSL modems.
According to ComputerWorld, the botnet spreads by malware that installs itself on routers and modems by guessing the default administrative password and seizing control due to many devices being configured to allow remote access.
Masaryk …
CollabNet chews up scrum dev house
Danube Technologies down the hatch
CollabNet is stuffing scrum into its web-hosted development arsenal with the purchase of Danube Technologies, a maker of scrum-based project management software.
Distributed development specialist CollabNet claims that more and more organizations are keen on the scrum method of breaking down the development process into …
Zmanda hooks Tivoli cop into MySQL
Open source backup glue
Open source vendor Zmanda is adding hooks into its MySQL database backup software for shops using IBM's Tivoli Storage Manager to mastermind the policies.
The company on Monday unfurled a new feature for Zmanda Recovery Manager called — get ready for some unwieldily precision here —Tivoli Storage Manager Option for Zmanda …
Cisco and HP - the gloves come off
Like we knew they would
The pretense of friendship is officially over between Hewlett-Packard and Cisco, though the two giants have been rallying their banners for war since the launch of Cisco's Unified Computing System last year.
In a blog post late Thursday, Keith Goodwin -chief of Cisco worldwide partner organization - announced that his company is …
Microsoft chucks bargain bin at world's youth
Empowers IEEE tots with Windows of yesteryear
How does Microsoft tempt students into its development tools bandwagon? By parking it outside the school yard and promising free love and software to the tiny tots.
The Redmond giant is teaming up with industry standards body the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to give its student members gratis access …
IBM betas click-recording Firefox add-on
Scripted web surfing
IBM Labs has squeezed out a beta version of a Firefox add-on that records a user's online activities so they can be repeated automatically or be printed out for others as step-by-step instructions.
Concocted by IBM Almaden Research Center, the CoScripter Reusable History add-on is designed to reduce repetitive browser-based …
Dell's profits shrink as revenue grows
Blame cheap PCs
Profits for Dell - the world's third-largest computer seller by shipments - declined 4.8 per cent during its fiscal fourth quarter despite an increase in sales for each of its business units.
Steeper component costs were part of the problem. Plus, cheaper consumer PCs accounted for a larger percentage of sales. Dell's net income …
Silicon Valley plane crash kills 3 Tesla employees
Massive power outage hits Facebook, HP
A small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in Silicon Valley on Wednesday, killing the pilot and two passengers — all employees of Tesla Motors — and triggering a widespread electricity outage that cut power to thousands of homes as well as companies like Hewlett-Packard and Facebook.
Amidst a shroud of early-morning …
HP's PC and printer sales back from the depths
Shame about the services
In an unexpected reversal, Hewlett-Packard's core PC business has boosted the company to a 25 per cent increase of profits while its enormous service division went kinda limp.
During its first fiscal quarter, which ended January 31, HP pulled in profits of $2.3bn, up from $1.9bn during the same period last year.
The is was …
ISS gets bay window onto Earth
Cupola uncurtained
In a highly anticipated finale to their mission, NASA astronauts have thrown open the shutters on the International Space Station's new room with a view.
During the last of three spacewalks planned for Endeavour's 14-day mission, astronauts Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick removed insulation blankets on Tranquility node's …
Intel joins troll-blocking club
Patent pals with MS, IBM, Cisco
Intel is diving into a patent pool in hopes of avoiding future troll attacks.
The chip maker has signed on with RPX, a patent aggregation startup whose members pay steep annual fees to help shield themselves from royalty demands and litigation costs of patent trolls.
Palm and four small software security firms also signed on to …
Skype set for Verizon 3G
Cellular VoiP for BlackBerry, Android
Verizon Wireless has joined forces with Skype to allow select BlackBerry and Android phones to make internet calls across its 3G network starting in March.
On Tuesday, the pair announced new smartphone software called Skype Mobile, which will let US Verizon customers with data plans make free Skype-to-Skype calls across the …
IBM consumes network kit automation firm
Intelliden rolls into Tivoli
IBM has scooped up network automation software maker Intelliden.
Big Blue announced the acquisition on Tuesday, but it did not disclose the terms of the deal. Venture-backed Intelliden specializes in software that allows telecoms to automate the configuration of thousands of routers, switches, and hubs made by a range of …
Cisco cuts and runs on Dell blade partnership
'Dell, you broke my heart'
It was only a few months ago that Dell gave Cisco a powerful smack to the face by publicly denouncing the network giants' big Unified Computing System pitch as a vendor lock-in scheme when unveiling a set of servers, storage systems, and third-party network technologies it called an "open" alternative.*
Well, Cisco remembers. …
Juniper readies Pulse security for mobiles
SSL VPN on enterprise smartphones
Juniper Networks has unzipped several new products for wireless devices this weekend as a counterpoint to Cisco's own ambitions in the mobile space.
The networking kit, announced Sunday, builds on Juniper's newfangled "Project Falcon" mobile push that it has been somewhat belatedly fleshing out for the Mobile World Congress …
Scenic overlook bolted onto ISS
Endeavour mission extended a day
The premier - and most exclusive - place to observe Earth has been successfully latched and bolted to the planet-side port of the International Space Station's new Tranquility node, NASA said on Monday.
The Tranquility node was initially installed onto the ISS on Friday, with its cupola observation deck reattached from its …
OpenOffice 3.2 is on tap
Community celebrates tin anniversary
OpenOffice 3.2 is available for download.
Improvements in the latest release of the open source office suite include faster start-ups, improved compatibility with other office programs, and several new features (with special attention to the Calc spreadsheet program.)
At the same time, the OpenOffice.org team is celebrating its …
Juniper pays $169m to settle backdating suit
Births Junos developer ops
Juniper Networks has agreed to pay a massive $169 million fee to settle a class-action lawsuit with New York Clity pension funds and other investors over a backdated stock options scandal.
The settlement will be major blow to Juniper's bottom line. In a regulatory filing Wednesday, the company said it expects the charge will …
Can Sun's GlassFish turn on master Oracle?
More like IBM than you know
In Hand of Orlac, a plastic surgeon replaces the crushed hands of a pianist with those of an executed murder. What at first is a godsend for the ruined musician may in truth be an agent of its former owner's insidious will, compelling its inheritor to murder his own father.
We wonder if that works for corporations. Will the …
News Corp boots MySpace CEO
Van Natta outta there
After less than a year at the helm of MySpace, Owen Van Natta is stepping down as the social network's CEO, effective immediately.
News Corp - MySpace's parent company - announced the change late Wednesday.
Van Natta will be replaced by co-presidents Mike Jones and Jason Hirschorn, who will report to News Corp Digital Media …
YouTube saves dumb children from offensive content
Safety Mode is on patrol
YouTube has announced an optional feature designed to protect your dumb and impressionable kids from viewing sexual content, graphic violence, and salty comments on the website.
The new "Safety Mode" setting helps scour potentially objectionable content from YouTube that might not be nixed under its community guidelines, such as …
Boffins spy liquid water on Saturn's moon
Enceladus is a hydrated mistress
There's little doubt now that the Saturn moon Enceladus hides a vast, liquid ocean beneath its icy surface.
Massive plumes of water vapor discovered by Cassini in 2005 sparked speculation of sub-surface liquid water within the tiny moon. Later, fly-bys found that the massive geysers - whose jet steams supply the material for …
Cisco and Juniper armed for wireless showdown
The Falcon has (kinda) landed
The industry's two largest network vendors will be dueling on wireless with competing wares on display at the Mobile World Congress in Spain next week.
Juniper Networks will demonstrate some fruits of its Project Falcon mobile push announced in late 2009, while Cisco will burn its brand on a 4G LTE gateway obtained from its $2. …
OpenOffice is the new David Hasselhoff
Big in Germany. Not so big in Blighty
A new study from German web analytics firm Webmasterpro.de shows that adoption rates of open source productivity software suites swings wildly between different countries.
According to the study, over 20 per cent of Germans, Czechs, and Poles run OpenOffice or other open-source productivity suites, while the UK and US lag …
SourceForge reverses ban on US foes
U-turn on 'blanket blocking'
Open Source code repository SourceForge.net has pulled a U-turn on a widely unpopular decision to ban users from accessing its website from countries under US trade restrictions.
In a blog post Sunday, SourceForge announced that it has instead handed over responsibility of navigating international trade laws to individual …
OpenSUSE 11.3 hits milestone numero uno
LXDE debuts for small, cheap screens
The openSUSE Project has reached its first milestone for the upcoming 11.3 release, due in July.
Milestone 1 is the first of seven planned between now and late May. The development team said its primary goal is to test build interactions between newly-added features.
The first milestone features version 2.6.32 of the Linux …
