28th November 2003 Archive

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ATI commits to desktop, mobile Athlon 64 chipsets

Waiting for PCI Express?

ATI President and COO Dave Orton has said the company is "committed" to offering a version of its chipset technology for the Athlon 64 processor - just don't expect it any time soon. Interviewed by Firing Squad, Orton said: "We are committed to developing K8 core-logic, though it probably won't be in the next six months." Orton …

Channel 28 Nov 2003, 09:59
Insurer taps voice analysis tech to detect fraud

Stress detector 'flags' dodgy claims for Esure

Online insurer Esure is to use technology that recognises when a speaker is under stress in a bid to detect fraud. The company hopes using voice risk analysis (VRA) technology will speed genuine claims, cut fraud and make its claims process more efficient. Reducing fraud will help keep premiums down for the honest majority, …

Software 28 Nov 2003, 10:50
Reseller touts home WLAN pack with easy to use security

Web-based WLAN setup, admin

UK reseller Dabs has launched a Wi-Fi offering that it claims will deliver a fully secure environment yet retain plug-and-play access to home WLANs. Dabs is essentially bundling services provided by hotspot aggregator MyZones with Netgear's ME103 ProSafe Wireless Access Point and the vendor's MA111 Wireless USB Adaptor for £99 …

Wireless 28 Nov 2003, 10:58
NTL dangles content as sweetener for punters

Need faster broadband though

NTL is offering cut-price broadband content in a bid to entice its Net punters to sign up to faster broadband services. Even though NTL insists its 150Kbps service is broadband, it seems it's just not "broadband enough" to handle this content. "In theory they [150K customers] would be able to sign up to this service," admits …

Telecoms 28 Nov 2003, 11:23
Tspeak buys Another.com

Nuff said

Skipton-based Tspeak UK Ltd has acquired email services company, Another.com, for an undisclosed sum. And to be honest, that really is about the long and short of it. Except to say that Tspeak - which offers a range of telecoms services such discount phone calls, broadband and Web hosting - will now be able to offer specialised …

Music and Media 28 Nov 2003, 11:33
Gigabyte combines Wi-FI, USB Flash drive

Is that a WLAN in your pocket?

Gigabyte has a novel idea for fans of go-anywhere computing: a USB Flash drive that features a built-in Wi-Fi adaptor. The GN-WLBZ201 offers 128MB of Flash storage accessible using any OS that supports USB storage devices. The device sports a fold-up antenna module with activity lights. Unhooked from a notebook or desktop, …

Wireless 28 Nov 2003, 11:33
Wanadoo UK in AnyTime promo

'Tis the season to be jolly, etc

Wanadoo's UK ISP, Freeserve, has begun pushing its unmetered dial-up service to cash in on this busy Christmas period. Punters signing up for Freeserve AnyTime can get it for half price - £7.49 a month - for the first three months. After that, the price reverts back to the usual price of £14.99 a month. The half-price offer …

Music and Media 28 Nov 2003, 15:51
Go-ahead US companies fail to prioritise security

Fast expanding firms exposed to rising risks

Nearly half of America's fastest growing companies suffered an information security breach over the last two years, despite beefed-up precautions since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Most (83 per cent) of victims experienced monetary loss and nearly one in four (24 per cent) network downtime as a result of security breaches, …

Security 28 Nov 2003, 15:54
BT to upgrade 21 exchanges for ADSL

Let's hear it for Brynmawr

Another 21 exchanges are to be converted to ADSL after local communities managed to secure enough demand for BT to sit up and take notice. All the exchanges listed below should be converted to broadband during February next year as part of BT's broadband registration scheme. MINEHEAD, Somerset BLEWBURY, Oxfordshire ILMINSTER …

Telecoms 28 Nov 2003, 15:57
Xbox makes gains as Japanese price cut bites

Japanese charts show big consumer uptake

Microsoft's Xbox has had its most successful week to date this year in Japan, capturing almost seven per cent market share following a price cut to the hardware and the launch of a Project Gotham Racing 2 bundle deal. Although that market share still represents well under 8000 units sold in total, it's still a massive gain for …

Personal 28 Nov 2003, 16:09
‘Yoof’ spurns new mobile technology

Especially sceptical about 3G

Recent consumer research in the UK has found that young people are surprisingly sceptical about some emerging technologies, especially in the mobile space. It found that whilst 96 per cent of 15- to 24-year-olds now have a mobile phone, only six per cent have a 3G phone. What's more, 79 per cent neither own nor intend to own a …

Mobile 28 Nov 2003, 16:12
UK.gov plans satellite tracking of asylum seekers

There he goes

UK asylum seekers are to be electronically tagged as part of plans to introduce tougher immigration controls announced by the Home Office yesterday. The government is putting forward electronic tagging as an alternative to detention for those unable to offer suitable sureties in immigration control cases. Enabling powers to …

Wireless 28 Nov 2003, 16:17
Sony Ericsson GC79 WLAN + GPRS card

Reg Review Wireless, anywhere

Sony Ericsson isn't the first to market with a PC Card that allows a notebook to connect to the Internet across a cellular network, but its GC79 has the novelty of also providing an 802.11b adaptor in the same card. The idea is simple: wherever you are, you can access the Internet wirelessly. When you're in range of a hotspot, …

Reviews 28 Nov 2003, 16:33
MS takes $1.1bn ‘hostage’ to freeze Lindows out of California case

Monopoly means never having to pay you're sorry...

Microsoft is holding up compensation claims from a quarter of million Californians in order to punish Lindows.com, and to coerce the class action plaintiffs "into siding with Microsoft against its Lindows competitor," according to a court filing seen by The Register. The document, filed on 21st November by Townsend and Townsend …

Software 28 Nov 2003, 17:31
Swen fends off Mimail to top viral charts

Top Ten Bugs

The Swen virus beat off a strong challenge from various Mimail virus variants to retain its position at the top of the viral charts this month. Message filtering firm MessageLabs blocked more than 567,000 Swen-infected emails this month. Durnaru-A was the second most prevalent nuisance with just under 386,000 sightings over the …

Anti-Virus 28 Nov 2003, 19:25
Samsung says it will overtake Nokia

World's largest supplier by 2010

Samsung's CEO, Lee Kunhee, claims his company will be the world's largest mobile phone supplier by 2010, overtaking Nokia. Kunhee said that Samsung will outperform its own sales targets this year by 2.5m units and will generate $25bn a year from handsets by 2010. The company believes it can take advantage of close …

Mobile 28 Nov 2003, 19:26
RIM faces fresh lawsuit

IP infringement allegation

Faced with an ongoing patent battle in the US that threatens to place injunctions on its products, RIM is focusing heavily on Europe and has launched a tri-band full color BlackBerry PDA this week – only to find itself attacked by another intellectual property lawsuit, this time from a Luxembourg-based company. RIM and T-Mobile …

Mobile 28 Nov 2003, 19:28