21st May 2004 Archive

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Capgemini scores big with TXU

10-year, $3.5bn IT services contract

Capgemini has signed the biggest IT services contract of 2004 so far: a 10-year $3.5bn outsourcing deal with TXU to provide a range of BPO and IT support services. The deal is similar to an agreement Capgemini has with Hydro One, but it looks like the French IT services provider has learnt from its previous experience. The …

Financial News 21 May 2004, 08:44
TechnoDepot debuts the d:-) polo shirt

Cash'n'Carrion Must-have kit for cool techy dudes

If you're a "a cool techy engineer type dude", but are somewhat lacking in the apparel department, then those cheeky chappies down at TechnoDepot have the perfect solution - the TechnoDepot Engineer Polo shirt. This stealthy black item sports a discreet d:-) logo on the left breast and, if that weren't enough, goes out at an …

Site News 21 May 2004, 08:45
Esat BT to launch residential VoIP

Challenging Eircom

Esat BT has vowed to redouble its efforts to gain voice telephony market share, but may ultimately pursue it through voice over IP (VoIP) rather than traditional fixed lines. Ireland's second largest telecoms company said that decisive action by ComReg and the government on the issues of wholesale line rental and single billing …

Data Networking 21 May 2004, 09:03
Brightmail finds sanctuary with Symantec

MS anti-spam play still a threat

Never afraid to dip into its monster cash pile when an opportunity presents itself, Symantec is going to buy Brightmail, one of the leading anti-spam vendors, for $370m in cash. The deal will improve Brightmail's position, although the prospect of Microsoft entering the anti-spam market is still a significant threat. The deal …

Spam 21 May 2004, 09:04
BT & Vodafone: uneasy bedfellows

'Bluephone' converged handset alliance

BT has stormed back into the wireless business with an MVNO deal with Vodafone and accelerated plans to offer a converged landline/cellular/WLAN handset. The converged handset, codenamed Bluephone, was first mooted last August but now BT has enlisted Alcatel, Ericsson and Motorola to speed up its development, ready for launch …

Mobile 21 May 2004, 09:29
Apple to slow annual OS X update rate

'Unsustainable' schedule, says software chief

After four years of regular, annual major Mac OS X updates, Apple has pledged to ease its foot off the gas and slow down the operating system's release schedule going forward. The next major release, codenamed 'Tiger', will be previewed at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco next month. If it follows …

Mac Channel 21 May 2004, 09:40
Tech firm seeks $500m for Intel patent 'violation'

Pentium... er... II under threat

A little-known Canadian computer company has sued Intel for alleged intellectual property violation. All Computers claims the Pentium II contained circuitry for which it owns the right. Furthermore, it says, Intel does not have permission to use said circuitry. All currently has two patents filed with the US Patent and …

Channel 21 May 2004, 09:42
Cometa crash bursts hotspot bubble?

Analysis Public WLANs 'overhyped'

Cometa Networks, once the symbol of the Wi-Fi hotspot bubble, has ceased to trade, throwing into sharp relief the fact that public WLANs, for all their advantages, have been overhyped and given burdens of expectation that they could not reach. Not to mention that hotspots have largely failed to find a credible business model as …

Wireless 21 May 2004, 09:52
Aliens: coming to a house near you soon

It was five years ago today... 21 May 1999

The SETI@home project of Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) celebrated its fifth birthday this week. Doubtless its many members would have popped a few champagne corks and sported party hats were they not still hard at it looking for ET: Aliens: coming to a house near you soon By Pete Sherriff Published Friday …

Bootnotes 21 May 2004, 10:07
Sony to ship Wi-Fi LCD TV this autumn

LocationFree by name, nature

Sony will ship its first wireless, Internet-enabled TV this autumn, the consumer electronics giant announced yesterday. Dubbed the LocationFree TV, the unit is based on an LCD panel and an integrated tri-mode Wi-Fi adaptor. Sony will offer two models, one with a 12in, 800 x 600 display, the other a more portable 7in, 800 x 480 …

Mobile 21 May 2004, 10:48
Could Patriot unjam US garage doors?

Letters Plus, universe theory gets butt kicked

This week we have seen Europe's Council of Ministers push through a bill on computer implemented inventions that could drastically change how software patents are awarded; it has become apparent that the UK's police forces lack the skills they need to use technology in pursuit of criminals; Cisco's source code was stolen and …

Letters 21 May 2004, 11:11
Sasser fan club stops rattling tin

Fundraising abandoned at under $100

Supporters of the self-confessed author of the Sasser worm, Sven Jaschan, have abandoned attempts to raise money on his behalf. A brief notice on the support site explains: "Actually, we were unable to get a hold of Mr. Jaschan in a timely manner, so we have decided to stop our fundraiser. Losing the paypal account didn't …

Anti-Virus 21 May 2004, 11:20
Blu-ray founders rename, open group to new members

Blu-ray Disc Association to lead tech's consumer push

Sony and 12 other supporters of Blu-ray optical disc technology have formed the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) to promote the system over rival blue-laser technology from the DVD Forum. The BDA represents an expansion of the 13 members' Blu-ray Disc Founders (BDF) organisation, formed in May 2002. The BDF will be folded into …

Storage 21 May 2004, 11:33
Net surrogate mum jailed for two years

'Cynical and callous fraud'

The British woman who fleeced two childless couples of more than £2,500 after offering her unborn baby for sale on the Net has been jailed for two years. Moira Greenslade, 33, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, received £1,000 from Welsh couple Peter and Sharon Robinson-Hudson. Mr Robinson-Hudson was to declare himself the baby's …

Music and Media 21 May 2004, 11:52
Replacement kit dominates world PC sales

Upgrades to account for more than half of new PC sales

World PC sales will grow 13.6 per cent this year as enterprises and individuals replace old kit with shiny new models, market watcher IDC reported this week. Replacements will account for more than half of new PC sales this year, if Gartner's figures prove accurate. It expects some 186.4m machines to ship this year - almost …

Channel 21 May 2004, 12:32
Belgacom to launch DSL interactive TV

Alcatel on board for VDSL service

Belgacom has selected Alcatel as the first supplier for the roll-out of their upcoming VDSL service. The Belgium telecom operator plans to offer new, premium broadband services such as interactive television to residential and business customers in Brussels, Ghent and Liege. Michel Rahier, chief operating officer of Alcatel's …

Telecoms 21 May 2004, 12:45
Medical imaging research awarded £4.5m

Grant will improve breast cancer screening

New developments in imaging technology could revolutionise diagnostic medicine, and save 2,000 lives in Europe every year, through better breast cancer screening, according to a group of UK scientists. A consortium of universities and other research bodies, led by Dr. Nigel Allinson of the University of Sheffield, was awarded a …

Science 21 May 2004, 13:08
Chip and PIN gathers pace

Preparing for January liability shift

Two in five UK cardholders now have chip and PIN cards, as the progress towards introducing a more secure method of authorising credit cards transactions gathers pace. More than 17m next-generation cards have been used issued to date. The Chip and PIN scheme, which began in October 2003, is designed to make credit and debit …

Business 21 May 2004, 13:56
'Silver Surfers' day targets the over-50s

Seeking to end digital exclusion

In an effort to get more Brits over 50 online, today has been named "Silver Surfers" day, with 69-year-old Dennis Rogers scooping the "Silver Surfer of the Year, 2004" award. Organiser Hairnet says it wants to combat digital exclusion by showing how technology is relevent to people's lives. To mark the occassion, Hairnet has …

Music and Media 21 May 2004, 14:19
CA flirts with white box makers

Free software, boys!

Computer Associates (CA) is showing a little leg to white box makers by starting a new program designed to tempt system builders into bundling its software with their kit. CA is going after server, PC and laptop makers who target both the small and medium-sized business and home office markets. The white box makers can pick up …

Channel 21 May 2004, 15:24
Columbia debris tested for re-entry stress

Material loaned for analysis

NASA has loaned pieces debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia to The Aerospace Corporation for research on the effects of re-entry. The space agency has dispatched pieces of the graphite/epoxy honeycomb skins from orbital manoeuvring system, main propulsion tanks, reaction control systems and reactant distribution systems to …

Science 21 May 2004, 15:25
UK's RAF planned WMD delivery via 'pigeons of death'

Lofty goals

British secret service files released today reveal the existence immediately after the second world war of a stealth weapons system capable of the precision delivery of death, destruction and anthrax to an unsuspecting enemy. Unfortunately, the WMD programme was cancelled when the Joint Intelligence Committee decided it couldn't …

Bootnotes 21 May 2004, 16:46
The dot-com revival begins in the Midwest

Easy as lotto

Some of the Midwest's finest Internet survivors tried their hand at a full-on dot-com revival yesterday during a conference here. The Dot-Com Boomerang event, organized by ePrairie.com, gave close to fifteen companies five minutes each to explain how they made it through the darkest part of the cave and out into the light. …

Financial News 21 May 2004, 17:33
Biometric ID card trial kicks off in Glasgow

Smile better for the nice databank, dearie

The biometric enrolement process which will underpin the UK ID card scheme went on trial in Scotland today. Home Office minister Des Browne launched the pilot at the Glasgow DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority) office. Volunteers will have their iris scans, finger prints and facial biometrics recorded as part of the …

Music and Media 21 May 2004, 18:01