21st November 2007 Archive

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Virtual Iron presses OEM deal with Dell

Mikey likes it

Virtualization software firm Virtual Iron has found another top OEM to vend its wares. The company today announced an agreement with Dell, which will resell Virtual Iron's server and storage software alongside the OEM's virtualization-friendly hardware. Virtual Iron inked similar pacts with IBM and Hewlett-Packard last month …

Servers 21 Nov 05:44
New emails address you by name, then try to hose your PC

Spear and spell

Beware of emails that mention you and your company by name and claim to be official communications from the US Department of Justice. They're phony and will attempt to install malware on your machine. The emails, which claim to reference a complaint recently filed by a business associate, invite the recipient to click on an …

Anti-Virus 21 Nov 05:49
Ring-back tones to carry adverts

Jajah seeks new opt-in advertising model

Wannabe telecommunications company Jajah is planning to replace the ringing tone with recording advertisements, when the user wants them, with the revenue split 50-50 between customer and operator. Jajah's main business is connecting calls which are set up using their website, but users who sign up to the new advertising …

Mobile 21 Nov 07:02
Personal data is not a bar to FOI disclosure

European Court backs Bavarian Lager

Documents containing personal data cannot be withheld under EU freedom of information laws if the disclosure of the data does not undermine the privacy of the persons named, according to a ruling by the European Court of First Instance. The case was started by an importer of German beer, the Bavarian Lager Company, more than …

ID 21 Nov 09:39
EU fines videotape manufacturers for alleged cartel

Sony, Fuji and Maxell pay €74.8m

The European Commission has fined videotape manufacturers Sony, Fuji and Maxell a total of €74.8m for alleged cartel activity in the videotape market. In a statement, the commission said the three companies, which have a combined share of 85 per cent of the professional videotape market, managed to "raise or otherwise control …

Law 21 Nov 09:49
Police Complaints joins inquest into Darling data giveaway

UK Identity Crisis Get in the queue

Police complaints authority the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is to investigate the loss of 25 million private records by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The loss of two CDs containing the UK's entire child benefit database is now being investigated by: the Metropolitan Police, an inquiry led by …

Government 21 Nov 10:10
Consumers not confident about web security

Businesses should be doing more to protect us

The risk of identity theft is a serious concern for users of internet services, with 70 per cent of adults saying it has changed their online behaviour. This is one of the findings of a new survey which interviewed 2,000 people across the UK about online security. Almost two thirds of those spoken to said they believed …

ID 21 Nov 10:11
Lost HMRC discs pop up on eBay

UK Identity Crisis 'Sensitive HM Government Information - DO NOT LOSE'

Well, it had to happen, and so here you have it - those mislaid HMRC discs going for a song down at eBay: Since we have no doubt the powers that be down at the world's fave tat bazaar will move rather more quickly to remove this auction than they do to act on iffy vendors, here's the accompanying text: Here we have two CD- …

Bootnotes 21 Nov 10:22
Nvidia on-the-fly GPU switching desktop debut due Q1 '08

Hybrid SLI coming in MCP78S chipset

Nvidia will bring the ability to flip at will between integrated and discrete graphics cores to the desktop early next year, courtesy of upcoming AMD-oriented chipset the MCP78S. The chipset incorporates a GeForce 8-class DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0 graphics engine, but it's also capable of driving a PCI Express 2.0 graphics …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 10:52
Huge sea scorpion overshadowed humans

Super-sized ancient creepy crawlies

The giant fossilised claw of a 2.5m-long (8ft) cannibalistic sea scorpion has been discovered by a European researcher. The creature, known as Jaekelopterus rhenaniae and nicknamed Jake, is thought to have scuttled around planet Earth some 390 million years ago. According to the Beeb, which cites the journal Biology Letters, …

Biology 21 Nov 11:00
WolfKing howls about wacky gaming keyboard

Qwerty circled

Peripherals manufacturer WolfKing has created what it claims is the world’s first hybrid PC gamepad and keyboard for gamers - and, we might add, poser typists - everywhere. Wolfking's Warrior Xxtreme: in the round... The Warrior Xxtreme [sic] builds on the company’s earlier circular Warrior model, adding 40 additional keys …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 11:01
Digital SLRs

Top Five Unsure which DSLR to plum for this Xmas? Just ask an expert...

Christmas time always means photography time. So, if you're looking to buy a new digital SLR (DSLR) or upgrade on older machine to capture this year's happy moments, here are the season's five hottest models according to camera expert George Asghari, who runs independent retail chain Ask Electronics' flagship London store. …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 11:09
Luvvies get temporary reprieve

West End not reduced to opera as yet

Ofcom has guaranteed some radio channels will be available for the wireless microphones used in theatre and for events, at least until 2009 - but the available frequencies won't be the same across the country, which could be a nightmare for touring shows. The problem for Programme Making & Special Events (PMSE) users is the …

Mobile 21 Nov 11:27
Helicopters: President buys British, Queen buys American

We are amused

The Queen's new helicopter will be supplied by an American company, it has been announced - just as a plan to replace the US President's helicopters with British-made ones seems to be faltering. In the late '90s the former Queen's Flight of the Royal Air Force was amalgamated with 32 Squadron and the Wessex helicopters …

Science 21 Nov 11:29
Google serves up surprise password cracking function

Rainbow warrior sinks MD5

A Cambridge University researcher successfully used Google to unearth a password used by an attacker to compromise its security blog. The attacker created an account in Wordpress when he attacked the Light the Blue Touch Paper blog, the online journal of the Computer Laboratory at Cambridge University. Wordpress stores …

ID 21 Nov 11:32
German cops shutter school after net massacre tip-off

Authorities on alert for anniversary killings

A German secondary school was closed by police yesterday after internet investigators discovered it was being targeted for a Columbine-style killing spree. Finnish authorities made the discovery in a chatroom and tipped off their German counterparts in Kaarst, near Düsseldorf. They were following up the killing of eight …

Law 21 Nov 11:34
Inventor offers London Congestion Charge GPS gizmo

KenBuster coughs fee up automatically

Most activities in London are expensive - and so is driving through it. So one inventor has developed a GPS device to automatically pay the Congestion Charge fee, ensuring drivers are never stung by late-payment charges. The KenBuster: never miss a payment Dubbed the KenBuster, the phone-sized device works much like a sat …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 12:29
Iowa house swallowed in grain bin collapse

Family lucky to escape corn tsunami

An Iowa family had a near miss when a collapsing giant grain bin buried their house under "thousands of bushels of corn", destroying the structure and trapping father and son in the wreckage. According to the Burlington Hawk Eye, the bin in Hillsboro, Henry County, failed structurally on Tuesday night at around 8pm while Jesse …

Bootnotes 21 Nov 12:35
iSkin Cerulean F1+TX Bluetooth stereo headset

Review For iPod. For PCs. For Macs. For mobile phones...

You know the problem: your iPod's safely stashed deep down in a pocket or a bag and you want to skip the current track or adjust the volume. Or you're just fed up of the earpieces dropping out as you're walking around. Accessory specialist iSkin reckons its stylish Cerulean F1 and TX combo is the answer. The Cerulean set-up …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 12:50
PSP PlayStation Store launched on PC

Portable console action

Sony has re-launched its Playstation Store for the PSP, allowing gamers to download titles for the handheld console through a PC. Sony's Playstation Store: PSP via your PC The store, which is already accessible through the PS3, is now available in the UK and US, and is free to access. However, gamers must use a virtual …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 12:55
Will Darling's data giveaway kill off ID cards?

UK Identity Crisis Time for an info breach law

Anti-ID card campaigners believe that yesterday's admission by Chancellor Alistair Darling that the government has lost records and private information relating to 25 million people could be the nail in the coffin for the ID card project. A spokesman for campaign group NO2ID said: "It's inevitably good news for our campaign …

Government 21 Nov 12:56
Darling's Data giveaway - what the readers say

UK Identity Crisis Civil servants divulge all

More than 200 Register readers have commented on our stories on Alistair Darling's great data giveway. Many pointed out that this loss does little to increase confidence in government's ability to care for our personal information - even without creating a national ID database. One Reg reader said: "It is perfectly safe to …

Government 21 Nov 13:02
Germany seeks malware 'specialists' to bug terrorists

Daft plan gains further traction

The German government has reportedly started hiring coders to develop "white hat" malware capable of covertly hacking into terrorists' PCs. The recruitment push signals that the German government is going ahead with controversial plans, yet to be legally approved, to develop "remote forensic software" (AKA a law enforcement …

Security 21 Nov 13:09
When is Java not Java?

When it's an Android

Google's cunning plan to bypass the Java license might not be cunning enough, depending on how Sun decides to play it and if they see Android as a significant threat to their Java revenues. The Android platform can run applications developed for Java Micro Edition (J2ME) but to avoid the restrictions of Java licence Google's …

Mobile 21 Nov 13:10
T-Mobile unlocks iPhone, charges €999

Vodafone court case pays off... sorta

Want an unlocked iPhone? Go to Germany. T-Mobile today said it would sell Apple's handset without a contract for a whopping €999 ($1481/£720). It also said it will unlock already-purchased iPhones. The network's move was prompted by Vodafone's success in the German court. The cellco claimed T-Mobile's exclusive iPhone sales …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 13:16
Sagem's feature-less bling mobile

All that glitters...

Some say you get what you pay for and, in the case of a Sagem handset, the statement rings true. Its gold-and-black MY220X handset costs about the same as an Indian takeaway, but still delivers plenty of bling. Sagem's MY220X: basic The dual-band GSM handset has an LCD display that’s capable of displaying 65,536 colours. …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 13:35
Yes! It's the USB retro-style vacuum cleaner

Really sucks

If you usually eat lunch at your desk, you’ll probably have crumbs everywhere. So, if the missus/cleaner doesn’t quite live up to the job, then get de-crumbing yourself with a USB vacuum cleaner. USB vacuum: get cleaning The tiny desktop unit - it measure 200 x 60 x 95mm - looks like one of those retro Hoover vacuums, rather …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 13:43
Qinetiq Q-branch and Area 51 tech sell-off due a roasting

Stealth blueprints, spy gear also sold off

A long-anticipated report by the National Audit Office (NAO) into the privatisation of defence-tech research company Qinetiq is due out on Friday. Advance hints suggest damning criticism of the sell-off. Qinetiq's basic assets are various laboratories and facilities full of top boffins, formerly operated by the Defence …

Government 21 Nov 13:48
MoveOn tells Facebook to stop shining Beacon

Bright light, bright light

Facebook has been hit by yet another privacy backlash, this time from an online democracy watchdog which has mounted a campaign against part of the social networking site's new advertising strategy. MoveOn.org charges that Facebook's Beacon ad program violates privacy because it automatically broadcasts what a user has bought …

ID 21 Nov 13:54
Wii grasses up cheating wife

US soldier discovers incriminating 'Mii'

A US soldier discovered his missus had been playing away at home after spotting a suspicious "Mii" on his Nintendo Wii, the Evening Standard reports. The man, known only as Tony, returned from a year in Iraq to reports from chums that his wife had been cheating on him. He'd had the Wii for company while on service in Iraq, but …

Bootnotes 21 Nov 14:09
Where does Web 2.0 leave the BBC?

Beeb Week 'You're listening to CB Radio 2.0'

The BBC is in a bind. The changing media landscape means that news and information must increasingly be presented in a provocative or visually stimulating fashion. Very often the easiest way of doing this is to offer it via the perspective of a celebrity reporter. Next time you’re watching BBC television news, note how little …

Music and Media 21 Nov 14:34
Leopard out, Tiger back in

I just downgraded from Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to the previous release, Tiger. I'd had enough of a recurring glitch that left me looking at the spinning Beach Ball of Death right after Finder starts loading. The only way out: force the computer to power-down. Judging by the comments posted by Leopard users on Apple's support …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 15:28
A parents' guide to the HMRC data giveaway

Don't panic

If you are a recipient of child benefit in the UK, the chances are your records and bank details were included in one of the two CDs that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has lost. HMRC has said we have nothing to fear, despite the fact it doesn't know where these unencrypted CDs are or who has been accessing them. All …

ID 21 Nov 15:33
ITU allocates post 2015 frequencies

Now we know where 4G is going to sit

The World Radio Conference, discussion forum of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), has allocated five frequency blocks for use by future mobile telephony technologies, with member countries signed up to the blocks they like the look of and aren't using for anything else. Two blocks, 450-470MHz and 2.3-2.5GHz, …

Mobile 21 Nov 15:48
Info chief renews call for data breach crime penalties

UK Identity Crisis Brown lets him carry out spot checks

The Prime Minister pledged today to give the Information Commissioner the right to perform spot checks on government departments in the wake of the HMRC ID debacle. However, Gordon Brown’s statement will do little to placate the ICO, which has demanded it be allowed to launch criminal prosecutions against organisations that …

Government 21 Nov 16:57
Tosh to tempt laptop buyers with free HD DVDs

Buy a notebook, get five discs

Want five free HD DVDs? Then hop on over to Toshiba's website and pick one of the manufacturer's HD DVD-friendly laptops. Buy it and the company will send you the discs - worth £75, it said. To claim your hi-def bounty, you'll need to enter the serial number of your computer on the Toshiba website. The catch is that you can …

Reg Hardware 21 Nov 17:29
Who's the greenest x86 vendor of them all?

HP and IBM...kinda', sorta' says survey

Despite unrelenting ado from every server vendor about their eco-friendly prowess in the data center, the reception of just who paints the most vivid shade of green remains unsubstantial. A recent survey of IT customers from the Gabriel Consulting Group attempted to shed some light on who is regarded as tops at addressing x86 …

Servers 21 Nov 20:46
Senate bill proposes to outlaw pretexting

Dodgy deeds clearly criminalised

The US Senate has approved a bill designed to tighten US cyber-crime laws. An amended version of the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007 was unanimously approved by the Senate on 15 November but the measures still need to be approved by the House and the President before becoming law. The bill, sponsoured by …

Crime 21 Nov 20:59
E-voting vendor sued over machine change

Allegedly not certified

California's chief elections official has sued a popular e-voting device vendor for almost $15m in a suit that claims Election Systems & Software (ES&S) repeatedly violated state laws requiring it to receive certification for a ballot-marking device before selling it to county voting officials. The suit (PDF here), filed by …

Government 21 Nov 21:20
NASA's Messenger mission reaches halfway point

Mercury or bust

The Messenger probe is nearing the halfway point of 7.9 billion kilometre journey, which when completed will make it the first man-made object to orbit the planet Mercury. During the craft's first three years and three months in space since its launch in August, 2004, Messenger has flown by Earth once and Venus twice. Now …

Space 21 Nov 23:31