25th March 2004 Archive

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Five-domain Googlebomb explodes in boardroom

I'm Feeling Gamed

"Can anybody catch these guys?" is the question posed by Newsweek's cover story in the current issue. Veteran archivist Daniel Brandt has created a Googlebomb which makes the question rather redundant. The bomb is for the phrase 'out of touch executives'. Type the phrase with quotes into the Google search engine, and hit "I'm …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 03:33
Pipex in talks to buy Host Europe

Not so much

Pipex is in discussions to buy Host Europe , the rival web host, for £31.2m in cash. They haven't struck a deal yet, but the talks seems to have leaked, which is why Host announced the news in a regulatory statement yesterday. Pipex Communications was formed in October 2003, when GX Networks shelled out for Pipex in October …

Telecoms 25 Mar 2004, 08:35
HP chases small business

Smart Office programme for SMEs

HP has unveiled a package of services aimed at tempting more small and medium sized businesses into HP's fold. The worldwide programme, which HP says is costing $750m, includes financial software from Intuit and cheaper storage solutions. The "Smart Office" scheme aims to give SMBs (small and medium-sized businesses) more …

Small Biz 25 Mar 2004, 08:45
US DoJ condemns MS ruling

Mario Monti joins Axis of Evil...

A senior figure at the Department of Justice and the leader of the Senate have damned Mario Monti's judgement on Microsoft. Competition Commissioner Monti yesterday levied a record fine of €497m on Microsoft and ordered it to offer a version of Windows without Media Player. Hewitt Pate, head of antitrust at the Department of …

Software 25 Mar 2004, 10:06
Carphone Warehouse declares war on BT

Publishes free call plans

The Carphone Warehouse - Europe's biggest mobile phone retailer - is to offer free calls to its residential customers in a move that looks set to spark a price war between telcos in the UK. Although the offer was widely trailed at the weekend, the full details suggest that The Carphone Warehouse is gunning for BT. From 1 April …

Telecoms 25 Mar 2004, 10:31
Interview with the keystroke caperist

Bugged bosses' PC to 'expose improper practices'

A former claims adjuster for a US insurance company is the first to be charged under federal wiretap law for the covert use of a hardware keystroke logger, after he was caught using the device while secretly helping consumer attorneys gather information to use against his own company. Larry Ropp, 46, was indicted Tuesday by a …

Security 25 Mar 2004, 10:32
US online gambling ban may be illegal

WTO doesn't like it...

The World Trade Organisation has ruled against US government restrictions on online gambling. Antigua and Barbuda said US restrictions on gambling were contrary to the general agreement on trade and services (GATS). Antigua, with a population of 68 000, handles a quarter of the worldwide online bets, according to Bloomberg. …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 10:38
German police blitz music-swap neo-Nazis

Computers and CDs seized

German police yesterday raided the homes of over 300 alleged Neo-Nazis accused of distributing racist skinhead music over the Internet. They seized CDs and computers in an investigation into 342 individuals suspected of disseminating Nazi material via the Net. Publishing such material is illegal in Germany. Federal Crime …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 10:42
SCC wins CSC £500m desktop contract

Channel round-up Lockie to head Tech Data UK

SCC will provide desktop computers and servers to all Computer Science Corporation (CSC) across mainland Europe for the next five years. The deal is valued at £500m and extends an agreement reached in April 2001 for SCC to provide machines for CSC's UK clients. SCC won the UK gig, valued at the time at £390m over five years, …

Channel 25 Mar 2004, 10:58
EC erects toll booth for Microsoft's open source rivals

Pay to play

Far from penalizing Microsoft, Wednesday's decision by the European Commission assures a bright future for the company as a patent licensing operation, according to one representative only two open source interests called to testify before the investigation. Because Microsoft will be allowed to pursue royalty revenue from the …

Software 25 Mar 2004, 11:04
MS unwraps XNA for games developers

One platform to rule them all

Microsoft yesterday used the GDC conference to launch a development platform called XNA. This will roll out across all future game platforms - including Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. The initiative is aimed at providing a common environment for game development on all of the platforms with which Microsoft is involved, ranging …

Software 25 Mar 2004, 11:10
Intel to run with Marathon mobile graphics chip

Next-gen. XScale too

Intel will offer its handheld graphics chip, currently codenamed Carbonado, as Marathon when the part is officially launched next month in Taiwan. The launch, to be made during the local Intel Developer Forum, will also see Bulverde, Intel's next generation of Xscale processor, make its formal debut. Marathon - the only …

Mobile 25 Mar 2004, 11:11
SMIC accuses TSMC of ‘bullying tactics’

Industrial espionage case heats up

SMIC has accused rival chip foundry TSMC of waging a "smear campaign" against it and behaving like a "bully". The Chinese chip company's claim followed the filing of further evidence that TSMC believes verifies its allegation that SMIC attempted to steal its trade secrets. TSMC, the world's largest chip foundry, filed " …

Channel 25 Mar 2004, 11:24
NHS IT a wonderful thing – NHS

Staff encouraged to join the information love-in

The NHS is to embark on a promotional campaign to persuade staff of the benefits of its gigantic IT project. Deputy chief medical officer Aidan Halligan told delegates at the healthcare informatics conference in Harrogate that NHS trusts that did not invest in implementing the prgramme would not see the benefits, according to …

Hardware 25 Mar 2004, 11:26
AMD Socket 939 chip launch pinned to 25 May

But CPU availability may be limited

AMD will officially launch its new 939-pin processor socket on 25 May. However, significant volumes of the Athlon 64 and Athlon 64 FX chips that will use the new packaging many not appear until much later in the year. Citing sources familiar with AMD's plans, Xbit Labs claims Socket 939 parts will be offered in only limited …

Channel 25 Mar 2004, 11:44
Coming soon – a full-size browser on your mobile?

'Full desktop-quality content' from Picsel

You may not believe it possible, but Picsel Technologies yesterday announced software to allow a full-size browser on your phone's screen. It promises "full desktop-quality content" on the BREW platform - the smartphone operating system from Qualcomm. Implausible? Perhaps, but it will likely frighten Qualcomm's rivals. The …

Mobile 25 Mar 2004, 11:53
Retailers must embrace Chip and PIN. Or else

Paying the price of fraud

Businesses that do not adopt the "Chip and PIN" payment system from next year could be held liable for losses resulting from credit card fraud, an accountancy body warns. From 1 January 2005, the Chip and PIN system, which replaces signatures for card payments with a "hacker-proof" four-digit PIN number, will be introduced …

Small Biz 25 Mar 2004, 11:56
Trust me I'm clean, claims virus

Netsky-P spread steps up a gear

The latest in a long line of NetSky variants, Netsky-P, tries to lull users into a false sense of security by containing spoofed disclaimers from anti-virus firms. NetSky-P, first spotted over the weekend, was programmed to begin mass mailing yesterday. After encountering only a few copies of the virus during its "seeding" …

Anti-Virus 25 Mar 2004, 12:02
Creative Jukebox Zen Xtra

Reg Review Cheaper, more capacious than the iPod

Creative's Jukebox Zen remains one of the iPod's most consistent competitors. Since 2001, it has sometimes followed, sometimes led the race to offer the most features in a hard drive-based portable music player. It has never come close to touching the iPod for sheer style, but it has often beaten the Apple machine on both price …

Reviews 25 Mar 2004, 12:21
China cracks down on cybercafes – again

Concerns over mental health of teenagers this time

China has launched yet another crackdown of Internet cafés, warning that they can affect the "mental health of teenagers" while spreading "unhealthy online information". Authorities have ruled that Internet cafés are not to operate in residential areas or within 200 metres of primary and high schools. According to Xinhuanet, …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 12:37
Asus preps Wi-Fi hard drive

Reg Kit Watch Network Unattached Storage?

Asus is promising to "change your perception on data storage" when it releases what may be the world's first Wi-Fi enabled network-attached hard drive storage system. The WL-HDD is a hard drive enclosure capable of taking any 2.5in ATA-100 hard disk. The enclosure also contains an 802.11g adaptor and antenna, plus a pair of …

Wireless 25 Mar 2004, 12:43
Sony launches true electronic book

Digital paper, runs off disposable batteries, the works

The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - the real one, not that Douglas Adams novel thingy - just came a step closer. Sony has launched its first electronic book using what it calls "electronic paper". In reality, that means a high pixel density display panel. Unlike most 72dpi notebook and monitor panels, the 6in one used in …

Personal 25 Mar 2004, 12:50
Top UK websites diss disabled

Eight out of 10 fail even most basic compliance test

Four out of five leading British websites fail even the most basic accessibility compliance standards, testing firm SciVisum claims. It looked at 105 UK organisations with a major Web presence and 111 companies that claim to be compliant with industry guidelines. Worst performers were travel and finance sites - all of which …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 12:57
UK business wirelessly floundering

No strategy, total anarchy, security meltdown. According to O2, that is

British business is missing out on the benefits of mobile technology because they lack even basic strategy, according to research from O2. The mobile operator talked to 600 businesses and found that although spending on mobile technology is expected to reach 12 per cent of IT spending this year 63 per cent of companies do not …

Mobile 25 Mar 2004, 12:58
Corporate websites are ‘financial black holes’

Little more than cash-eating billboards

Too many company websites are "financial black holes" that gobble up stacks of cash, but deliver few benefits. More than half of UK and European companies have no idea what return on investment (ROI) they make from their websites, according to a survey commissioned by Comrange and carried out by the European Centre for Customer …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 12:59
UK firms' wireless investments ‘short-sighted’

Businesses keen on tech, but lack strategic plan

British businesses may be jolly keen on wireless computing and mobile data - they are expected to spend £9.9bn on it this year - but many companies take a have done little or nothing to build a strategy that allows them to exploit WLAN technology to the full. So claimed mobile phone network O2 and computer maker Toshiba today …

Wireless 25 Mar 2004, 14:01
Apple delays world iPod Mini launch

Can only make enough to satisfy US buyers

European and Asian music fans hoping to get their hands on Apple's iPod Mini sooner rather than later are going to be disappointed. The Mac maker today admitted that it has delayed the portable music player's debut until July - three months after the original April ship-date. The delay comes just days after the company admitted …

Mac Channel 25 Mar 2004, 14:22
Software industry opts for subscription fees

Fees ability

The software industry is poised to move from a one-off licence payment system, to a subscription-based model, based on the needs of vendors and customers. These are the findings of a new report from research firm IDC, which found that more than 50 per cent of enterprise software vendors are likely to change their licensing …

Hardware 25 Mar 2004, 14:49
Ukrainian nukes go AWOL

'Strange things happen,' says defence minister

Hundreds of missiles have gone AWOL from the former Soviet republic of Ukraine, defence minister Yevhen Marchuk has admitted. The missiles - which were supposed to have been decommissioned following Ukraine's independence in 1991 - are apparently unaccounted for, due to "accounting problems". Marchuk said: "We are currently …

Bootnotes 25 Mar 2004, 15:50
SA telco says VoIP is illegal

Oh no it ain't, counters Skype

Telkom - South Africa's incumbent telco - has warned that consumers using VoIP could face legal action because it believes the use of such software is against the law. And it's threatened to lodge a formal complaint with the regulator if it believes the problem is getting out of hand. The company doesn't believe VoIP software …

Data Networking 25 Mar 2004, 15:54
Chip cooling technology struck by lightning

Goodbye to the fan-cooled PC?

The days of noisy fan-cooled laptops and PCs could be numbered, with tiny lightning storms set to take the heat in the cooling process. Finding new ways to dissipate the heat chips generate is one of the major challenges facing system designers. Water is a more efficient coolant than air, but has some rather obvious drawbacks …

Science 25 Mar 2004, 16:04
Paedo-stalking ChatNannies – fact or fiction?

Readers sceptical, but creator sure of plaudits

Our story last week reporting software technology supposedly capable of detecting paedophile-grooming behaviour on the Internet has provoked a sceptical backlash from readers. The capabilities of ChatNannies software outlined in an article in last week's New Scientist and as reported by El Reg simply beggar belief, readers …

Software 25 Mar 2004, 16:17
BT fires ‘gimmick’ salvo at Carphone Warehouse

Strong words deployed as battle lines drawn

BT has lashed out at the offer of free calls from The Carphone Warehouse as a "marketing gimmick", branding it the "biggest lottery in town". Today The Carphone Warehouse, Europe's biggest mobile phone retailer, confirmed it is to offer free calls to its residential customers in a move that looks set to spark a price war …

Data Networking 25 Mar 2004, 16:19
SpamHaus lobbies for .mail TLD

But will .gov pull the .plug on the .plan?

The SpamHaus Project wants the Internet Corp for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to approve its application to launch a ".mail" top-level internet domain (TLD) and provide a trusted-sender system for email. Technically the plans should be fairly straightforward, but political issues are another matter. One of ten …

Security 25 Mar 2004, 16:20
Wal-Mart waltzes into music download market

Some neat footwork by the retail giant

Wal-Mart has entered the online music market and is using its already proven strategy of undercutting its rivals on price to win sales. However, Wal-Mart's commitment to the online music market, where margins are low, is questionable. The main reason for the venture could be to attract new customers to its online store in the …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 16:46
Secretary sacked for cyberlounge abuse

Claims Web stalker responsible for offensive postings

A senior secretary sacked over allegations that she posted offensive and racist messages in a cyberlounge says she was the victim of an orchestrated campaign to smear her name. Hazel Mahon, who worked as PA to four chief general managers during her 25 years with the Co-operative Insurance Society (CIS), was dismissed for gross …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 17:01
IP telephony and Wi-Fi must tie the knot

Converged communication strategies the secret of wedded bliss

Vendors should stop pushing IP telephony and Wi-Fi technology in isolation and put forward converged communication strategies instead. Analyst Butler Group reckons suppliers are letting end users down by failing to help them migrate to converged communications and allowing an ad hoc approach to technology deployment to become …

Data Networking 25 Mar 2004, 17:20
Europe wanted to rule over future Windows tech, says MS

A single rule to cover a pattern of conduct?

An update sent to Microsoft partners following the European Commission's ruling against the company suggests that settlement negotiations broke down because Microsoft refused to agree to wide-ranging Commission requirements governing the company's future products. The Commission's stated view that the problem is not so much …

Software 25 Mar 2004, 17:28
Lindows plans US gov backed global assault on Windows trademark

Using Commerce Dept programme covering English generics

If it emerges victorious from its current litigation with Microsoft, Lindows.com intends to use a US Department of Commerce programme to have Microsoft's trademarks of Windows invalidated worldwide. The company is being pursued by Microsoft in those countries where a Windows trademark has been granted, and is arguing - it says, …

Software 25 Mar 2004, 17:35
BPI threatens uploaders with big stick

Gonna get phonographic on your filesharing a**

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) went on the offensive today by telling UK filesharers stop sharing music - or end up in court. This latest attack on fast and loose MP3 action comes as the trade body releases new figures on the size of the filesharing phenomenon, which it says are a stark indication of how filesharing is …

Music and Media 25 Mar 2004, 17:41
Is CeBIT losing its IT focus?

Some express concern at gadget overload

CeBIT's decision to allow entertainment and consumer gadgets at this year's show hasn't gone down well with some exhibitors. More traditional IT companies fear that the Hanover trade fair is losing its IT focus. With punters through the turnstiles totalling 510,000, this year's CeBIT has exceeded all attandence expectations. …

Personal 25 Mar 2004, 18:29