17th December 2004 Archive

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Tech lobby loses stock options battle

WYSIWYG comes to the balance sheet

US corporations must accurately reflect the value of stock options in their accounts from June next year, the accounting industry's board FASB ruled today. The practice had drawn criticism from many sides, including Joseph Stiglitz, Alan Greenspan, Greenspan's predecessor at the Federal Reserve Paul Volker, John McCain and …

IT Director 17 Dec 2004, 08:45
RIAA sues 754 more P2Pers

But to what effect?

The Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA) has filed a further 754 lawsuits against named and unnamed individuals it claims have infringed its members' copyrights. The latest round of court filings brings the total number of lawsuits the organisation has issued to 7706. However, there seems little sign that the RIAA's …

Music and Media 17 Dec 2004, 09:53
Symbian CEO to quit

Levin off to run £747m-turnover United Business Media

Symbian CEO David Levin is to leave the company to join publishing and media group United Business Media (UBM), it was announced last night. Levin will continue running Symbian until March 2005, the operating system supplier said. He joined the company in April 2002, moving over from Symbian's former parent, Psion, where he was …

Financial News 17 Dec 2004, 10:21
Analyst slashes 2005 chip capex forecast - again

Chip makers to spend 15% less on new kit next year

Market watcher Gartner has once again cut the amount of money it reckons the world's chip makers will invest in new equipment next year. Back in October, Gartner said capital expenditure will grow a mere 0.5 per cent in 2005, significantly lower than the company's July 2004 forecast of 13.4 per cent capex growth, and well below …

Channel Register 17 Dec 2004, 10:46
BOFH gets into the Xmas spirit

Episode 42 Good will to all men. No, really...

So I'm prancing around the office with my Santa hat on when the PFY walks in. "Uh... err... Compliments of the Season?" he says warily, knowing my views of the orgy of capitalism that the former orgy of laziness known as Christmas has become. "And the very best of the festive season to you my young assistant!" I cry heartily …

BOFH 17 Dec 2004, 10:50
'World's Biggest Luddite' heads for the UK

Lock up your laptops

Lock up your laptops - the "World's Biggest Luddite" is coming to the UK. The Australian Government has confirmed earlier rumours that former communications minister Richard Alston is to be its next high commissioner to London. While one senior minister said Alston would make "an outstanding high commissioner", the opposition …

Bootnotes 17 Dec 2004, 10:56
DHS network vulnerable to attack

Remote access security issues

The US Department of Homeland Security is having some homeland cyber security issues on its systems providing remote access to telecommuters, according to a newly-released report by the DHS Inspector General's office. Earlier this year security auditors armed with ISS's Internet Scanner, @stake's L0phtCrack and Sandstorm …

Enterprise Security 17 Dec 2004, 11:06
AMD to gain market share in 2005

But 'sleepy' Intel to be fully awake by 2006

AMD will continue to grab market share from Intel next year, investment house Piper Jaffray (PJ) forecast this week, thanks to what the researcher called a "very compelling product line". That means AMD's 64-bit Athlon 64 and Opteron processors, the former dubbed a "viable if not more potent competitor" to Intel's own desktop …

Financial News 17 Dec 2004, 11:19
Property tycoon buys fantasy island

$26,500 down the hole? Apparently not...

A 22 year-old Australian gamer has bought a virtual island for $26,500 in the largest Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) purchase ever. Treasure Island exists only in the MMORPG Project Entropia (website: www.project-entropia.com), and was auctioned off for 265,000 Project Entropia Dollars, equivalent to $26, …

Music and Media 17 Dec 2004, 11:34
DfES wants school kids spaced out

Learning about fun science

The British National Space Centre and the Department for Education and Skills have joined forces to bring real-life space science into the classroom. The BNSC has worked with teachers to develop lesson plans that draw on the science and technology of the Cassini-Huygens mission. The resources, which are available from the BNSC' …

Science 17 Dec 2004, 11:40
iRiver preps colour-screen iPod Mini rival

H10 unveiled

iRiver's parent company has revealed the portable music player maker's next major release: the 5GB hard drive-based H10. The H10 will be aimed squarely at Apple's iPod Mini, itself expected to be updated early next year from 4GB to 5GB, the better to compete with new rivals like the H10 and Creative's Zen Micro. Unveiled …

Mobile 17 Dec 2004, 11:40
Capgemini picked for Swansea eGov project

Big in Wales

Swansea Council has named Capgemini to run its ambitious £100m eGovernment programme. The "service@swansea" scheme - which led to a bitter strike among 100 IT staff earlier this year - is expected to be inked in April when the council and Capgemini sign the ten-year deal. Despite the industrial action by IT staff which dogged …

Public Sector 17 Dec 2004, 11:45
eBay buys Rent.com for $415m

Auction house becomes landlord

eBay is spreading its wings still further with the acquistion of Rent.com for $415m. The apartment rental site claims to be the biggest of its type in the US and boasts an annual revenue of $40m. eBay will pay $385m in stock and $30m in cash for the site which puts its success down to the fact that it lets landlords put their …

Financial News 17 Dec 2004, 11:51
Adobe patches Acrobat, Reader flaws

Read all about it

Adobe has released updates for Acrobat and Reader to fix security bugs that might allow attackers to gain access to unpatched systems. A trio of vulnerabilities pose a risk to users of version 6.0.0 to 6.0.2 of Abode’s products. First up, there's a vulnerability in the handling of Flash files embedded in PDF documents that can …

Applications 17 Dec 2004, 11:57
PalmOne offers Treo 650 users a free 128MB card

Hurry, offer open only while stocks last

PalmOne has posted instructions detailing how Treo 650 owners can claim their free 128MB SD memory card. For starters, visit PalmOne's Treo support site here. You'll be asked to remove your Treo 650's battery and enter the handset serial and ID numbers thus revealed onto the web page. Unless you own more than one 650, the …

Mobile 17 Dec 2004, 12:12
Swatch designs Paparazzi wristwatch for MSN

Comes to Europe next Spring

Swiss company Swatch and Microsoft have jointly designed a new computer wristwatch called Paparazzi. The miniature computer tells you what the weather will be like tomorrow, which movies are showing in local cinemas, the sports results and even current stock-exchange prices. The new watch is developed exclusively for Microsoft' …

Mobile 17 Dec 2004, 12:16
Spanish deploy CAD in the name of God

Unfinished cathedral gets virtual boost

Builders on Antoni Gaudi's landmark Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona are to get helping hand in realising the Spanish architect's vision - in the form of new software from Dassault Systemes and IBM. For nearly 80 years, architects and masons have struggled to interpret the models which represent the only means of …

Applications 17 Dec 2004, 12:17
German Postbank phishers arrested

Five caught, one on the run

German police have arrested five suspects of Internet-banking fraud that successfully targeted Postbank account holders. A sixth suspect is on the run, German news site Heise Online reports. This summer Postbank (with 12m customers) suffered several phishing attacks from what they believed were internationally organised …

Spam 17 Dec 2004, 12:19
PalmOne Q2 sales soar

Reaping the benefits as buyers turn to smart phones

PalmOne saw its sales grow 37.8 per cent sequentially and 29 per cent year on year during the second quarter of its 2005 fiscal year, the smart phone and PDA maker reported yesterday. Q2's revenues totalled $376.2m, well up on the $273.1m it recorded in Q1 and the $271.1m it received in the year-ago quarter. Net income was …

Financial News 17 Dec 2004, 12:35
Wanadoo.fr staff strike over 'buggy' VoIP service

UK roll-out won't be delayed

Wanadoo UK has denied that the roll-out of its new internet telephony service will be delayed, after problems with the VoIP service in France. Almost 300 Wanadoo staff in France went on strike last week in protest at fielding calls from irate customers complaining that the service didn't work. Staff told bosses that the VoIP …

Telecoms 17 Dec 2004, 13:00
Gooooal! Ronaldinho scores his own domain name

Open and shut case this one

Brazilian and Barcelona football star Ronaldinho has won his namesake domain name, www.ronaldinhogaucho.com. The decision by domain arbitration body WIPO is one of a rare breed concerning famous names, in that it was an open and shut case. Ignoring the fact that Ronaldinho Gaucho is actually called Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, and …

Financial News 17 Dec 2004, 13:11
Car self-destructs in assassination bid

Frenchman shaken after terror ordeal

A middle-aged Frenchman has become the latest victim of murderous technology after his car exploded as he activated the central locking system. The unnamed victim from Valenciennes used his electronic key to unlock the vehicle, at which point a spark from the security system ignited leaked gas from cylinders the man had rather …

Rise of the Machines 17 Dec 2004, 13:32
Prior art claimed for concentration camp invention

Letters It could only happen in Letters

Afternoon, lovely readers, and welcome to Friday's trawl through the letters bag. We'll hand over to John Lettice to kick things off today: Having suggested that the British invented concentration camps in South Africa, we naturally received several alternative suggestions, the earliest claimed sighting being the fate of the …

Letters 17 Dec 2004, 13:44
Apple talks up mid-range Motorola 'iPod phone'

Coming sooner than we think?

Apple has declared itself "very happy" with Motorola's attempt to build an iPod-style mobile phone that can play songs downloaded from its iTunes Music Store. The two companies announced an agreement which will see Apple develop a version of its iTunes jukebox for future Motorola handsets last July. At the time, the partners …

Mobile 17 Dec 2004, 14:11
Playboy turns up the heat with iBod

iPod Photo + smut = phwooar!

We're delighted to report that Playboy is once again pushing back the envelope of soft porn by offering iPod Photo users the chance to acquire some free snaps of naked fillies. The service - rather appealingly entitled iBod - is a gallery of 25 pics designed to "beautify your dull commute or just to pass the time in class", as …

Bootnotes 17 Dec 2004, 14:20
Rosy future for Sprint-Nextel marriage

But what of T-Mobile USA?

So 2004 has started and ended with a major US cellco merger. The difference in style and execution of the two deals symbolizes wider contrasts that will filter through to the market as the four companies involved go through their transition periods. The takeover of AT&T Wireless by Cingular was messy, protracted and the buyer …

Mobile 17 Dec 2004, 14:43
NTL's CIO quits

Phil Pavitt makes 'genuinely personal decision'

NTL is looking for a new CIO after Phil Pavitt confirmed his decision to quit the cableco next year. In an email sent by NTL boss Simon Duffy to staff yesterday he wrote: "I am sorry to say that Phil has decided to move on. As many of you will know, Phil could almost be described as 'part of the furniture' at NTL, having spent …

Telecoms 17 Dec 2004, 14:56
Canadian 'iPod tax' illegal, judge rules

Canada's Copyright Act only specifies blank media

Canada's levy on blank media that could be used to record copyright material does not apply to MP3 players, the Canadian Federal Court of Appeal has ruled. While the Copyright Board of Canada is indeed permitted by Canada's Copyright Act to tax sales of blank media, the terms of the Act do not allow it to levy a similar fee …

Music and Media 17 Dec 2004, 14:58
Motorola shapes up its act

Four groups emerge from radical resructure

Motorola CEO Ed Zander is approaching his first anniversary in the job, one that will be overshadowed by the probable loss of the company's largest equipment customer, Nextel. As analysts mulled over the potentially serious impact of that loss, Zander rolled out his long awaited corporate restructuring, in an announcement that …

Mobile 17 Dec 2004, 15:13
MS plugs weak XP firewall

Critical update

Microsoft this week quietly fixed a security weakness in the configuration of the built-in firewall component of Windows XP. The firewall - turned on by default by XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) - can leave files open across the whole net if users choose to enable file and printer sharing, it transpires. Such access should be …

Security 17 Dec 2004, 15:48
Radiation puts kybosh on cheap satellite plans

No safe space

The space around the Earth is more dangerous than scientists thought, according to new research. This could mean plans for lightly shielded, very cheap satellites will have to be shelved for the time being. Researchers at the University of Colorado have discovered that a region around the planet, previously thought to be free …

Science 17 Dec 2004, 16:27
'We know you're in there!' - x-ray drug powers for UK police

May order scans for swallowed drugs

The Home Office's collection of tough-sounding but pointless laws continues to grow, despite the departure of David Blunkett mid-week. Today's addition is the Drugs Bill, which includes proposals to give police powers to order ultrasound or x-ray examinations of "dealers who swallow their drugs to conceal the evidence." Um, …

Music and Media 17 Dec 2004, 18:04
Adobe shares dip despite Q4 profit surge

Investors crop gains

Shares of Adobe were down 2 per cent during Friday's trading even though the software maker posted better than expected fourth quarter figures one day earlier. Adobe reported fourth quarter revenue of $430m, which compares to $359m in the same quarter a year ago. This 20 percent growth surpassed Adobe's previous forecasts. …

Financial News 17 Dec 2004, 19:23