10th January 2008 Archive

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IBM gives Itanium five years to live

Sun also on life support, apparently

Despite HP's healthy rise in Itanium server sales, IBM think its major rival and Intel will have to give up on the processor in the near future due to basic economics. "The end of life for Itanium will occur in the next five years," IBM VP Scott Handy told us, during an interview here in Austin, Texas. "(HP) will have to …

Servers 10 Jan 01:09
Nexsan gives 42TB array a make-over for picky Apple fans

SATABeast cleans up, brushes its metal

Storage system developer Nexsan Technologies is releasing a new version of its SATABeast disk array designed for Apple XServe and Mac Pro systems. The SATABeast Xi holds up to 42TB of storage in a 4U form-factor. The hardware is similar to Nexsan's current SATABeast array, but with tweaks to the box design, web management GUI …

Storage 10 Jan 01:48
The Eee PC cuts the mustard at CES

Leaving Las Vegas

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) isn't quite over yet, but I'm heading home and it's time for a few post-expo comments on the computer that's been keeping me company here: Asus' Eee PC. Having reviewed the elfin laptop last year, I bought myself a black 4GB model just before Christmas, impressed by its sheer portability and …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 07:02
Beware the populist mash oozing out of Facebook and YouTube

And Ninthly Lies better served as solids

Yep. It felt just like that, didn't it? For scenario one, place your tongue between teeth. Let your tongue relax and give it a few strict but not too rough clamps with the teeth. While repeating this exercise, imagine that your mouth - no, make that your head - has filled with some manner of corn mash. Not just any old corn …

Music and Media 10 Jan 08:04
Eye-Fi pitches camera-friendly memory card with... Wi-Fi

CES on Video Take pics, copy them to your computer wirelessly

It's an SD card for your digital camera that manages to cram Wi-Fi in too. Plug it in and wireless transfer your pics to your computer... Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com CES on Video WowWee wheels in Tribot DisplayLink demos multi-monitor USB dongle Guitar Hero gets true air axe WowWee demos …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 09:02
The cordless phone is reborn for the IM era

CES VTech LS6117 launched

VTech has catapulted the cordless home phone into the 21st Century. It’s unveiled the LS6117, which boasts a full Qwerty keyboard and instant messaging capabilities. VTech LS6117: text and talk The company claims the handset is in fact the first to combine a Qwerty keyboard, IM and peer-to-peer calls, using a DECT 6 …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 10:02
Does the Creative Zen work with Mac OS X?

Q&A

Simple (?) question: is the Creative Zen compatible with Macs?

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 10:02
Learn online with Register Books

Site offer Free trial courses to whet your appetites

In the last instalment of our Christmas Offer, we mentioned that Register Books would be launching a brand new product range that we thought would be of interest to Reg readers. Many of you have taken advantage of the large range of books that Register Books have to offer but we have not, as yet, been able to fully connect …

Site News 10 Jan 10:05
Broadcom hooks up with Trolltech for Linux VoIP

Riding the LiMo

Days after Trolltech announced it had signed up with LiMo Foundation, after dropping out of the LiPS Forum last year, it has signed a deal with Broadcom to optimise its code for the chip vendor's VoIP hardware. Broadcom has several multimedia processors suited to low-power applications. This deal focuses on its VoIP (BCM1103) …

VoIP 10 Jan 10:25
FTC issues ad-tracking guidelines

Let 'em know they're being watched

US consumer protection body the Federal Trade Commission has backed a tightening of rules on internet advertising and the use of personal information. It has proposed stronger industry regulation of the tracking of users' habits. Online advertising is often based on information about a user's browsing habits, but the FTC said …

ID 10 Jan 10:34
Judge bounces ex-Brocade chief's appeal bid

Storage fraudster must face the music

A federal judge has denied a bid by Greg Reyes, the former CEO of storage switch maker Brocade, to launch an appeal against his conviction for stock options fiddling. Reyes' legal team had high hopes for the challenge because they claim a key prosecution witness has recanted her testimony. The lawyers said that Brocade's …

Financial News 10 Jan 10:56
GPS finds its way onto the PSP

Find your way, another way

Any gamers that thought Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP) had lost its way of late may soon be proven wrong. The company has announced a GPS navigation system for the portable gaming device. Go! Explore: a PSP GPS navigation system Dubbed Go! Explore, it consists of a GPS receiver and a UMD disc containing the gamer’s …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 10:59
Don't shed any tears for Pandora

Guest Opinion The Web 2.0 darlings can't pay - won't pay

So 2008 brings another battle in the war over the value of music. As an ordinary Pandora member, I received a very disappointing email yesterday morning. But as a rights owner myself (the state51 conspiracy includes about 70 incredibly great indie labels, and does digital licensing and distribution) I found it perhaps a little …

Music and Media 10 Jan 11:20
Government rejects elephants for pets e-petition

Pachyderm disappointment

We're very sorry to announce that Her Maj's government has decided to reject the following e-petition which attracted a creditable 655 signatures: We believe that every child in the UK would benefit from owning an elephant. It was my dream as a child to care for these magnificent creatures but at the age of twelve I find that …

Biology 10 Jan 12:07
3 to carry MVNO

Just like a real network

3UK, the 3G provider much derided for coming late to the UK mobile party, can now count itself among the grown-ups as it agrees to provide network infrastructure to a new MVNO from Gamma Telecom. Gamma Telecom already provides telephony services to small and medium sized companies around the UK, and the new MVNO will be …

Telecoms 10 Jan 12:09
Want faster broadband soon? Move to Kent, says BT

A little piece of South Korea in the garden of England

BT will dip its toe in the rapid waters of fibre-to-the-home broadband this year, when it'll run optic cables to 10,000 new homes being built at Ebbsfleet in Kent. The pilot will offer a maximum 100Mbit/s connection (not 100MB per second as The Guardian has reported) from August, BT's Openreach division said today. Wholesale …

Telecoms 10 Jan 12:14
Aussies whip out their a*se antlers

Hot competition for word of the year

Lovers of the English language in all its glory have until 31 January to vote for the online Macquarie Dictionary word of the year from a splendid selection of neologisms and rather more familiar terms. Reg readers will, of course, be au fait with offerings such as "bloatware", "Web 2.0" and the "Great Firewall of China", but …

Bootnotes 10 Jan 12:18
Japan to lose 20GB and 60GB PS3

It's goodbye from him, and it's goodbye from me

Sony plans to end sales of its 20GB and 60GB PlayStation 3 (PS3) models in Japan, within just two months. The company has confirmed that it will no longer sell the two different capacity models in its home region from March this year, although it hasn’t officially stated the reason for its decision. However, several online …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 12:22
Sensory jacket simulates the speed experience

CES Designed to be used with racing games

TN Games, the company behind the 3rd Space FPS sensory gaming vest - first seen in October last year, has premiered the GFR racing vest and the HXT helmet at CES in Las Vegas. Specifically optimised to convey six additional effect zones in and around the player's head, the HXT helmet will include four small diameter helmet …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 12:27
Voltaic solar bag steps up to laptop size

CES Power of the sun harnessed

The manufacturers behind the original solar backpack, Voltaic Systems, has launched a new bag that generates enough power from the sun's rays to charge laptops. Notebook users will now be able to unplug from the power grid and power up from the sun. Does the name Icarus mean anything to anybody..? The "Generator" uses a …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 12:35
Horizon downplays drop in profits

Blames Xmas and stricken UK customer

System builder and IT distributor Horizon Technology Group said today that revenue fell below expectations in the last quarter partly because of a dip in orders in December. It also said in a trading statement that "a significant UK customer whose business has gone into administration" meant it was adding €800,000 to bad debt …

Channel Register 10 Jan 12:47
HP to reduce PC energy consumption by a quarter

Industry asks: But how?

HP's ambitious plan to slash energy consumption in its PCs by 25 per cent by 2010 has been greeted with scepticism in some quarters. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas the computer firm proclaimed its intent to cut the carbon footprint of its desktop and notebook PCs by adopting more efficient power supplies …

Hardware 10 Jan 12:55
WowWee demos FemiSapien robotrix

CES on Video With a wiggle in her walk...

RoboSapien gets a mate... Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com CES on Video WowWee wheels in Tribot DisplayLink demos multi-monitor USB dongle Guitar Hero gets true air axe WowWee demos FemiSapien robotrix Eye-Fi pitches camera-friendly memory card with... Wi-Fi Amiga explains AmigaOS 5 …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 12:56
UK.Gov green lights nuclear power

Tories give glowing reception; Lib Dems out in cold

The Brown government has committed itself publicly to the continued use of nuclear power in Britain, shrugging off the orthodox green lobby's calls to eliminate the technology completely. In a long-awaited speech to Parliament this morning, business secretary John Hutton gave the go-ahead, saying the government hoped for the …

Government 10 Jan 13:18
Casio broadens its Exilim range, again

Even more models to choose from

Casio has once again expanded its Exilim brand of digital cameras. It has created four additional models, including one that’s purportedly the world’s smallest and thinnest ten-megapixel digicam. Exilim S10: 10.1 megapixels and a 2.7in LCD display Despite its miniscule proportions, the super-slim EX-S10 boasts a 2.7in LCD …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 13:22
Ticketopolists win backing for online tax

Analysis Online ticket levy wins MPs' blessing

Why is the Recording Industry Ass. of America still Diablo Numero Uno for so many people? The major record labels are at an advanced stage of terminal illness, sit on a diminishing asset base, and unable to make more than token gestures at preventing online file sharing. Perhaps it's because some people now make it a point of …

Law 10 Jan 13:28
YouTube biker clocked at 189mph

'Lets av sum fun!!'

Gloucestershire Police are investigating a YouTube video which appears to show a Kawasaki ZX10R clocking up an impressive 189mph: According to the Sun, the "speed freak forces other drivers to change lanes as he heads in the direction of the A417 Swindon to Gloucester road", while his machine is "also seen weaving …

Bootnotes 10 Jan 13:32
Guitar Hero gets true air axe

CES on Video Spank a really virtual plank

Who needs a fancy electronic axe to slam out power chords? Guitar Hero the way it's really meant to be played... Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com CES on Video WowWee wheels in Tribot DisplayLink demos multi-monitor USB dongle Guitar Hero gets true air axe WowWee demos FemiSapien robotrix Eye-Fi …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 14:02
Bloke finds missus working in brothel

'I was dumbfounded'

A Polish bloke got a bit of a shock when he decided to nip out to a brothel - his missus was among the establishment's employees. According to tabloid Super Express, the woman had been earning extra cash on the side while hubby thought she was working in a store in a nearby town. He told the paper: "I was dumbfounded. I …

Bootnotes 10 Jan 14:25
Super Soaker inventor touts solid state heat-2-leccy

Ex-NASA boffin could kill off wind and tidal

A former NASA engineer, most famous for inventing the noted "Super Soaker" squirtguns, may be on the track of a radical new energy technology which could have important implications for power generation. Popular Mechanics reports that Lonnie Johnson, late of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, believes he may be able to hugely …

Physics 10 Jan 14:44
Everex targets Eee PC with higher spec mini laptop at same price

CES Mini PC launched too

Everex, the US-based PC selling division of Taiwan's First International Computer (FIC), this week took the fight to Asus' popular Eee PC sub-notebook. It also launched a desktop-oriented mini PC. Dubbed the CloudBook CE1200V, the compact laptop will be instantly familiar to anyone who's seen Packard Bell's EasyNote XS20 or …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 14:50
Citizen's panels to put DNA database under microscope

Government wants to ignore a wider range of opinion

The government is bankrolling a massive “citizen’s inquiry” that will see its DNA database policies scrutinised by panels of “ordinary” people, including criminals and youngsters, instead of scientists and legal professionals. The process, due to report in the spring, is being led by the Human Genetics Commission and will be …

Government 10 Jan 14:54
Microsoft backpedals on Blu-ray for Xbox 360 comments

HD DVD or die!

Microsoft today stressed that it believes HD DVD is the best optical disc for consumers and that it has no plans to support Blu-ray Disc on the Xbox 360, despite recent comments from company staffers that it might. The company reaffirmed its love for HD DVD following a news story in which Microsoft suggested it might back Blu- …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 14:58
Beeb's iPlayer reaps streaming traffic dividends

Viewers skip swarms to join streams

The BBC's Flash-based streaming service has gifted a massive traffic boost to the iPlayer site since it went live in mid-December, independent figures have revealed. Traffic analysis firm Hitwise reports that in the five weeks beginning 2 December, iPlayer visits rocketed 14 times over. Flash streaming launched 13 December, …

Music and Media 10 Jan 15:06
DisplayLink demos multi-monitor USB dongle

CES on Video How to connect six screens to your PC

Want to connect your PC to six monitors? You heard right - six screens. DisplayLink's small USB dongle is what you need... Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com CES on Video WowWee wheels in Tribot DisplayLink demos multi-monitor USB dongle Guitar Hero gets true air axe WowWee demos FemiSapien …

Reg Hardware 10 Jan 17:02
ACS pays $60m for Syan

From Dallas to Telford in one leap

Affiliated Computer Services has paid $60m in cash for British outsourcer and IBM specialist Syan Holdings. The deal brings Shropshire-based Syan’s operations, including two data centers, under the ACS umbrella. ACS said the deal would extend its ability to support global customers. Syan services include server hosting and …

Channel Register 10 Jan 17:02
Sprinting towards a WiMAX future

CTO outlines future of WiMAX in the USA

Sprint Nextel is on schedule to launch its WiMAX service at the end of April, but won't be subsidising devices or requiring long-term contracts. Chief technology office Barry West, speaking at CES in Las Vegas this week, rejected a direct device subsidy. But he did moot the idea of incorporating WiMAX access into the cost of …

Mobile 10 Jan 17:07
LA grand jury probes MySpace teenage suicide case

Fake user said: 'World would be a better place without you'

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has subpoenaed MySpace and others in connection with a teenage girl who hanged herself after receiving cruel messages on the site from people posing as a 16-year-old boy. The tragedy unleashed national outrage after authorities said "Josh Evans," the supposed boyfriend, was a fake identity …

ID 10 Jan 19:15
IBM no comments way to optical Power7 confirmation

We're sure. Kinda

Not satisfied with flexing its machismo through the zippy 4.0+GHz Power6 chip, IBM appears to have a couple rather radical notions in mind to improve its Unix server performance over the next couple of years. IBM refuses to confirm much of anything around what the Power7 successor to Power6 will look like. We do know, however …

Servers 10 Jan 19:29
Network Solutions games net domain biz

'It's not a dirty trick. It's a security measure'

Network Solutions is front running domain name registrations, temporarily preventing competitors from selling domains that web users show interest in. But the popular registrar insists this is merely a way of preventing others from front running. As originally noted by the URL-obsessed webbies at DomainState - a message board …

Small Biz 10 Jan 19:47
New York launches antitrust probe against Intel

Another day, another investigation

New York state is joining the growing line to probe Intel's paperwork over charges of anticompetitive behavior against chip rival AMD. The office of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo today said both Intel and AMD have been served subpoenas seeking documents and information regarding Intel's pricing strategy. Cuomo will …

Channel Register 10 Jan 19:57
Academics slam Java

Learn a real language

The choice of Java as a first programming language in computer science courses is undermining good programming practice, according to two leading academics. In a withering attack on those responsible for setting the curriculum for computer science courses, doctors Robert Dewar and Edmond Schonberg of New York University (and …

Software 10 Jan 20:36
Telcos yank FBI wiretaps

'Your phone bill is overdue'

FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals have been repeatedly canceled by telephone companies because the bureau failed to pay their bills on time. According to an audit conducted by an inspector general at the Justice Department, the disconnected wiretaps were the result of the FBI's lax oversight of money used …

Government 10 Jan 20:46
Microsoft takes a shine to Logitech?

Investors eye $8bn takeover claim

Microsoft wants to buy mouse maker Logitech, if investor speculation is to be believed. At this stage, neither company is commenting on the rumour, though it pushed Logitech's Zurich-traded shares up 12 per cent today, according to Reuters. The big question is why Microsoft would make such a move. Logitech was once the world' …

Financial News 10 Jan 20:46