23rd February 2007 Archive

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Sprint Nextel more reliable than Cingular, Shock!

Call-dropping like flies

Cingular has again been forced to defend claims made in a big money advertising campaign about the reliability of its network. The wireless operator, now rebranding as AT&T, launched the high-profile billboard, TV and print campaign last year. TV ads are still running now in which a series of hilarious binds are caused by calls …

Wireless 23 Feb 2007, 00:57
Microsoft told to pay Alcatel $1.5bn in MP3 patent spat

Kerching!

Microsoft is reviewing its legal options after a US court ordered it to pay Alcatel $1.5bn for infringing the French telecoms' company's MP3 technology in Windows. Microsoft slammed the court's ruling, calling it "completely unsupported by the law or the facts," and claimed it had paid $16m to license the voice technology in …

Law 23 Feb 2007, 01:19
Chimpanzees sharpen spikes for bush baby killings

Chimpy Spears

Chimpanzees in West Africa have been observed using sharpened branches as "spears" to hunt other primates. A report in the journal Current Biology documents 22 instances of chimps in Senegal creating tools to stab their bush baby prey. Bush babies are tiny and much more primitive primates related to the lemurs found in …

Biology 23 Feb 2007, 01:29
Rushing to the defense of the Baghdad Sniper

Letters 'If you were smart you would keep your mouth shut'

Our story on the Google Video footage celebrating Juba, the Baghdad Sniper may or may not have been the cause of the clip having been removed. What we can say for sure is it ruffled the feather of many a reader. The award for most most outraged blowhard goes to Jürgen, whose 1151-word diatribe is included in its entirety at the …

Letters 23 Feb 2007, 01:35
BEA sales supremo exits as regions fizzle

WebLogic flat

One of the executives credited with helping stabilize BEA Systems is quitting as the company continues to iron out troubling kinks in its global sales operations. Tom Ashburn, president of worldwide field operations, is retiring, and BEA executives in charge of sales, services, and marketing will now report directly to chief …

Business 23 Feb 2007, 02:02
Mysterious 'Vladuz' again hacks eBay employee servers

He's ba-ack

A hacker has once again managed to pilfer eBay credentials that allow him to masquerade as an official company representative even as he taunts eBay officials on the company's message boards. It's at least the second time the person going by the name Vladuz has pulled off the prank, which is causing many users to question the …

Security 23 Feb 2007, 04:40
ICANN rides to the rescue in Registerfly meltdown

Touched by an Ombudsman

In a sudden about face, ICANN has concluded that it does indeed have authority over renegade domain pusher Registerfly. A lawsuit against the recently ousted CEO that alleges corporate spending on such sumptuous perks as escorts and liposuction, not to mention a Miami Beach penthouse, has shone a harsh light on the inner …

Small Biz 23 Feb 2007, 04:58
Ebuyer caught pinching content from rival site

Naughty, very naughty

Online retailer Ebuyer has been caught copying content from a rival website. We were sent several pages which contained identical words and images as the same product pages on Broadbandbuyer. Even worse this page (last para) on Ebuyer suggested customers should call Broadbandbuyer's pre-sales team if they wanted more …

Channel Register 23 Feb 2007, 08:02
New Europol powers need new protection, says watchdog

Consistency is key

Europe's police data protection policies must be more consistent before Europol's powers can be increased, the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has said (PDF). The European Parliament last week proposed increasing the police body's powers. The European Parliament has proposed that Europol's legal basis be changed in …

Government 23 Feb 2007, 10:08
Man due in court on letter bomb charges

Back in court later today

A man is due in court in Oxfordshire today to face 12 charges relating to the recent string of letter bombs in the UK. Miles Cooper of Cherry Hinton, Cambridge, faces 12 charges under the Explosive Substance Act and the Offences Against the Person Act. He is expected to appear in court in Banbury later today. Cooper, a school …

Law 23 Feb 2007, 10:20
Doctors back controversial NHS IT system

But say 'no more cash'

NHS doctors have given the controversial new £12bn IT system their backing, but say that no more money should be spent on it. In a survey of 3,000 doctors, 66 per cent said they think the new system would make a positive change to the NHS. In a survey carried out by website Doctors.net.uk for The Times newspaper, 86 per cent of …

Public Sector 23 Feb 2007, 10:21
EU endorses flexible frequency use

Just buy a license, and do what you will

The EU has released a policy document calling for frequencies to be allocated with no restriction put on what they can be used for. "Europe must fully exploit the potential use of certain spectrum bands by new wireless products and services, so as to encourage market development," EU Commissioner for Information Society and …

Wireless 23 Feb 2007, 10:34
Torture and '24' - because it hurts us less than the real thing?

The fiction is that it makes any kind of sense

The terrorism action show "24" is now thought to be such heady stuff to the average American, media sources have decided to complain about it. And what is the objection? The contrived plots or the utterly unrealistic grasp and use of technology? No, it's the torture. New Yorker magazine just spun out a longish piece on how Joel …

Law 23 Feb 2007, 10:42
Trojan phishing attack claims multiple victims

From Russia without love

Security watchers have discovered a string of malicious websites that install Trojan code, allowing hackers to compromise end-user banking credentials for more than 50 financial institutions and ecommerce websites. Thousands of surfers a day are falling victim to the sophisticated attack, net security firm Websense warns. …

ID 23 Feb 2007, 10:56
Bruce Willis thwarts cybergeddon

Haxploitation opus set for summer release

Bruce Willis will face down cyberterrorists in upcoming blockbuster Live Free or Die Hard. Ex-model turned actress Maggie Q will play an uber-hacker out to bring down the US's transport and banking system with a few mouse clicks in the forthcoming haxploitation opus. In an entertaining development, the latest installment of …

Enterprise Security 23 Feb 2007, 10:58
DSG 'consults' on future of French operation

Preps 'Chere Jean' letter for PC City

DSG International has put its French PC City operation on notice, after kicking off a “consultation process” ahead of the reorganization of its Gallic assets. The electronics giant said “promotional restrictions” and a “competitive property market” make it increasingly difficult to achieve scale and brand awareness. In a bid …

Channel Register 23 Feb 2007, 11:27
Murdoch buys online ad firm

Popups for everyone

Fox Interactive Media (FIM), part of News Corp, is buying online advertising firm Strategic Data Corporation (SDC). Fox claims 135 million unique monthly visitors to its websites, which include MySpace, download site direct2drive, and askmen.com. It claims almost 40 billion monthly page views, the vast majority from MySpace. …

Financial News 23 Feb 2007, 11:28
BOFH: The takeover

Episode 8 Who's your Daddy?

"It's a takeover," the PFY murmurs, entering Mission Control after his recce of the top floor - or more accurately, the spade work he's been putting in with the CEO's PA. "A takeover, I should have guessed," I say, thinking back to the feverish activity which has been occurring in Beancounter and PR Centrals. "Who?" "No idea …

BOFH 23 Feb 2007, 12:02
In-car entertainment by LG

Ladies and gentleman, we're currently cruising at a speed of 70MPH...

In the true spirit of healthy competition, LG Electronics has launched a rival to Pioneer's in-car SatNav entertainment device. The LG LAN9600R has a seven-inch touchscreen DVD monitor, MP3 player and CD tuner with European street-level navigation and integrated Bluetooth hands-free calling. Drivers will also be able to …

Reg Hardware 23 Feb 2007, 12:04
MoD extends procurement to fire services

Expected to cut phone bills by 20%

The Ministry of Defence is rolling out a shared service procurement initiative that is expected to shave up to 20 per cent a year off Fire and Rescue Authority phone bills. The MoD has extended its IT and communications procurement agreement for a further five years. It announced that it will extend the deal to 47 FRAs …

Channel Register 23 Feb 2007, 12:10
KGB trumped OS on UK mapping

Thames Valley was top of target list

Detailed maps of the UK created by the KGB between 1950 and 1990 have gone on sale in digital format for the first time. The maps show 16,000 square kilometres and 103 UK town and cities in more detail than Ordnance Survey maps. The Russians used satellite images and spies on the ground to create the maps, which include army …

Public Sector 23 Feb 2007, 12:24
British council prepares action on Dell

Wolves circles in insider dealing case

Californian lawyers have applied to bring a class action law suit against computer giant Dell with Wolverhampton City Council's pension fund as lead plaintiff. Patrick Daniels of Lerach Coughlin law firm alleged on Channel4 News last night that Dell executives had conducted "one of the largest cases of insider trading in US …

Financial News 23 Feb 2007, 13:31
eBay fingered in cash for honours scandal

Fancy a peerage? Click here

We're delighted to report that New Labour has decided to extend its cash for honours scheme to the great unwashed masses. Until now, you really had to be on first name terms with, well you know who, to secure elevation to the great and the good. Not any more: A word of warning, though. One enraged eBayer, username HotChai, …

Bootnotes 23 Feb 2007, 13:34
UK forces tested, rejected psychic techniques

Remote viewing far-fetched

Britain’s military spent taxpayers' money to test out “remote viewing” as recently as 2002, only to conclude the technique had little value. According to the BBC documents secured through the Freedom of Information act show the MoD initially sought to recruit professional psychics to take part in the research, failing to …

Science 23 Feb 2007, 13:57
The Screwpole Emails- Fytte the Third

Uncle Screwpole goes into project estimating...

Uncle Screwpole, the devious master manipulator of IT projects, has promised his nephew Mugwort that he will reveal the secrets of time estimation… To: Mugwort From: Uncle Screwpole Subject: “An unplanned project takes twice as long to complete; but a well-planned project takes three times as long.” Loathly Mugwort, These …

Developer 23 Feb 2007, 14:02
Letting users loose on system integration?

Reg Reader Studies Is that really such a good idea?

There has been a lot of talk in recent times about portal frameworks and other technologies that allow end users to "compose" their own applications and essentially perform their own development and system integration, in the front end at least. Advocates of Web 2.0 often take this idea to the extreme, and sometimes appear to …

Reg Technology Panel 23 Feb 2007, 14:08
Sagem shows off Uhura-style earpiece

Hailing frequencies open Lieutenant...

If you have small ears and require your telephony to be of equally diddy proportions, Sagem has released a Bluetooth headset that could fit the bill. The Sagem H4 is a tiny glossy black earpiece that is 35x18x12.5mm in size and weighs just eight grams. The company goes as far to say that it could be the smallest of its kind to …

Reg Hardware 23 Feb 2007, 14:22
DiVitas turns mobiles into enterprise clients

Presence and email on your phone, and seamless VoIP roaming

Californian start-up DiVitas has claimed that its mobile convergence system can link smartphones to enterprise applications, including voice over IP (VoIP), email, instant messaging, and others such as CRM. It also provides cellular to Wi-Fi roaming, the company said. The system requires software on the handset which then …

Mobile 23 Feb 2007, 14:35
NASA and Virgin Galactic ink space deal

Future collaboration

NASA and Virgin Galactic announced this week they'd agreed to work together on future projects such as "development of space suits, heat shields for spaceships, hybrid rocket motors, and hypersonic vehicles". Dr S Pete Worden, director of the NASA Ames Research Centre, told eWeek: "Virgin Galactic is developing space ships, and …

Space 23 Feb 2007, 14:41
Bad week for Redmond and Reding

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Can Microsoft silence the critics? Microsoft – it's got PR agencies coming out of its ears to keep a tight hold on the media, and flocks of legal eagles flying around the planet to keep the courts in order. All this effort to keep a squeaky-clean image and then someone goes and cocks it all up. Last week the company settled …

Business 23 Feb 2007, 14:58
Comic Relief cans Jade Goody sketch

'Out of date' skit binned

Comic Relief organisers have canned a Question of Sport spoof featuring Celebrity Big Brother "contestant" Jade Goody. According to a Comic Relief spokesman, this is because the sketch felt "out of date" and "they were concerned it could detract attention from the fundraising". The spokesman explained: "Recent events have …

Entertainment 23 Feb 2007, 14:59
Airline revamps 'unlucky' logo

LogoWatch 13 dots spook superstitious fliers

Brussels Airlines recently found itself in some unexpected turbluence when superstitious passengers complained about its spiffing logo. The airline's stylised 'b' ruffled a few feathers since it comprised 13 dots. The company said it was "taken aback by the strength of feeling", the BBC reports. Spokesman Geert Sciot admitted …

Bootnotes 23 Feb 2007, 15:02
Reduced backwards compatibility for European PS3

Why it should be any different is anyone's guess

Sony Corp has said today that the European version of PlayStation 3 will play fewer PlayStation 2 games when it launches on March 23 compared with models launched earlier in Japan and America. "The backwards compatibility is not going to be as good as the U.S. and Japan models," a Sony spokesman said. PlayStation 3 was first …

Reg Hardware 23 Feb 2007, 15:42
Reg reader trapped in Vista network folder hell

The good, the bad and the folder with no name

A Reg reader got in touch to tell us that since installing Vista on his machine he can no longer rename folders he creates on the network. Creating a new folder on his machine's own drive is fine but there is no way to name or rename folders or files on the network. Calls to the hardware manufacturer were not helpful but the …

Operating Systems 23 Feb 2007, 15:52
US trawls Second Life funny money

Letters We will, we will solution you!

Now and again, we at Vulture Towers feel it is our honour bound duty to purge the English language of offending little dittys that get up your noses. And so you have spoken. That nasty little scrubber "solution" has been duly banished to the place where bad words go. Reg archives are being cleansed as we speak. Why? Read on …

Letters 23 Feb 2007, 16:17
Microsoft seeking SaaS, Web 2.0 partners

Not even a club with no rules...yet

Microsoft may be going gangbusters on Web 2.0-related technology, but the arrival of tools such as Expression and WPF means little unless they are out there being used. To a large extent that means getting the technology used by the developer and partner communities. Redmond already has some 35,000 partner businesses, but it …

Developer 23 Feb 2007, 16:42
UPS threatens to cancel A380 order

Any more delays and the deal's off

United Parcel Service (UPS) will cancel its order for 10 freight versions of the A380 superjumbo if there are any further delays to a revised delivery schedule, the BBC reports. UPS had been due to take the controls off its shiny new aircraft between 2009 and 2012, but the A380's wiring woes - which have set the whole programme …

Science 23 Feb 2007, 16:43
FAST acts against corporate file sharers

Controls not enough

The Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) has taken action against "a high profile training company" for allowing its network to be used for file sharing. FAST, or The Federation as it now prefers to be called, contacted the company with its suspicions that staff were illegally sharing files. The company, which cannot be …

Software 23 Feb 2007, 16:53
India's wave of e-waste

Subcontinent covering itself in WEEE

India's production of high-tech waste is far higher than previously thought, according to a report by Delhi-headquartered environmental organisation Toxics Link. The report claims that the country now generates around 150,000 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) a year, including computers, TVs, fridges …

Hardware 23 Feb 2007, 16:54
Samsung showcases super speedy memory card

Data transfer speeds increased by two thirds

Samsung has increased the data transfer speed of its fast graphics memory by two thirds. Using 80nm technology, the 4Gbps GDDR 4, which runs at 2.0GHz, is 66 per cent faster than other "commercially available memory" and Samsung's own. The 4Gbps graphics memory, offered in a 512Mb density, has a 32-bit data bus configuration …

Reg Hardware 23 Feb 2007, 17:03
Intel and Microsoft plug into the Green Grid

Exclusive Group adds muscle and white papers

Come Monday, the elusive Green Grid consortium that focuses on the energy consumption of data centers will announce the acquisition of two industry heavyweights - Intel and Microsoft, The Register has learned. Up to this point, the Green Grid has been looking very, um, green with nothing of substance coming out of the group. …

Servers 23 Feb 2007, 18:24
Canadian hockey geeks now courting Sun's McNealy

'We puck you'

Shame on us for assuming that Canadian hockey geeks cared more for homegrown hero RIM CEO Jim Balsillie than Sun Mircrosystems' chief puck chaser Scott McNealy. It turns out that the Geeks on Ice have invited McNealy to their April hockey tournament meant to celebrate the might of Canadian IT. Yesterday, we declared that …

Bootnotes 23 Feb 2007, 19:01
New Yorkers get an eyeful of beaver

It's been a while

A wild beaver has been spotted New York City for the first time since the British were in charge. The New York branch of the Wildlife Conservation Society has discovered a beaver swimming to its dam on the Bronx River on Wednesday, according to local news station abc7. The lone rodent, a male thought to be between two and three …

Biology 23 Feb 2007, 19:53
Pro golfer sues over Wikipedia postings

Fuzzy takes swing at wikiality

Pro golfer Fuzzy Zoeller is suing to track down the Wikipedia user responsible for posting claims he abused alcohol and drugs and treated his family harshly, and an education consulting firm in South Florida has found itself caught in the cross fire. The law prevents Wikipedia from being named as a defendant, so Zoeller's …

Law 23 Feb 2007, 21:44
Overstock director picks Wall Street over crusade

Fisher tossed back

Overstock.com appears to have a lost a board member due to its $3.4bn lawsuit against Wall Street. The online retailer today announced John A. Fisher's resignation in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. "The Company believes that the reason for Mr. Fisher’s resignation was his disagreement with the company’ …

Financial News 23 Feb 2007, 22:01