11th January 2008 Archive

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AT&T to crush copyrighted network packets

'Eat our dust, Comcast'

AT&T says it's time to start filtering copyrighted content at the network level. During a panel discussion at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), The New York Times reports, the communications giant joined Microsoft and NBC Universal in arguing that internet service providers - like AT&T itself - should be …

Telecoms 11 Jan 01:00
Light reading for XML with Groovy

Hands on, part 2 Intuitive, naturally

Groovy, unlike Java, provides a relatively streamlined way to read and write XML documents. In the first part of my two-piece tutorial, I looked at how you can use Groovy's flexible strings, closures and iterators to quickly create XML fragments and files. The emphasis was on making the most of Groovy as a scripting language …

Applications 11 Jan 01:01
DARPA whirly-wing jet gyrocraft hits noise snags

Pentagon retrocopter sent back to drawing board

DARPA*, the Pentagon warboffinry outfit for whom the only field worthwhile is the left one, is having some problems with its "Heliplane" programme. The Heliplane is essentially a modified autogyro (aka gyrocopter or gyroplane), an aircraft that gets its lift from a rotor disc outwardly resembling that of a helicopter. However …

Science 11 Jan 01:26
Microsoft's Raikes leaves

Office software exec will retire in September

Jeff Raikes, head of Microsoft's Office software business is stepping down after 26 years with the company. The long-standing executive behind Microsoft Business Division plans to call it quits in September. His role will be filled by Juniper Networks chief operating officer Stephen Elop, who resigned from his post at the …

Applications 11 Jan 01:39
Knock, knock: Cisco is banging at your door

Will you let it in?

The average person regards the Cisco brand much as they do intestinal bacteria: blissfully unaware of its presence. Certainly Cisco is an omnipresent force in electronic equipment. Yet a person can live a perfectly rich and fulfilling life as an electronics consumer and never so much as glimpse a product with the Cisco logo. …

Channel Register 11 Jan 03:56
The MP3 speaker jacket

No headphones here

The New Year brings about resolutions to get fit and lose weight. So, if you’re still struggling to get up of the sofa, a jacket with built-in MP3 capabilities could be the motivation you need. MP3 Smart Jacket: like jogging with a ghetto blaster Although jackets integrating MP3 players are nothing new, this is the first we …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 08:02
WowWee wheels in Tribot

CES on Video Your plastic pal who's fun to be with

Your plastic pal who's fun to be with. WowWee's Tribot is a 'cartoon character come to life...' 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- …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 09:02
Best wireless VoIP phone?

Q&A

I work on a diving vessel (oil related) and I'm looking to purchase a portable phone which can work on a wireless network. If possible I would prefer if the phone was not LAN connected, and that the actual phone could pick up the wireless signal. The portable phones will be used in a compressed chamber to give the divers …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 09:02
Sir Edmund Hillary dies at 88

RIP conqueror of Everest

Sir Edmund Hillary, the NZ climber who in 1953 conquered Mount Everest and subsequently did much to improve the lot of Nepal's Sherpa people has died aged 88. Hillary passed away on Friday morning at Auckland City Hospital as a result of pneumonia, local media reported. NZ prime minister Helen Clark said: "The legendary …

Science 11 Jan 11:00
Samsung YP-P2 personal media player

Review iPod Touch beater?

Believe it or not, 'yepp peetoo' is Samsung's preferred pronunciation of the name of their new media player. Thankfully a coterie of Yepp Girls were on hand at the launch of the peetoo a month or so back and they had such lovely thighs, sorry, smiles, that we instantly forgave Samsung its assault on the English language. …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 11:06
Atlantis to blast off on 7 Feb

All being well

NASA has announced that space shuttle Atlantis will carry Europe's Columbus laboratory to the ISS on 7 February. The new launch date is conditional on the rescheduling of a planned Russian cargo ship flight to the station on the same day, since both vessels can't dock at the same time. It's not, however, dependent on solving …

Space 11 Jan 11:27
ODF vs OOXML - views from the coal face

Mini-Poll Standards wars?

Long, long ago, in an industry far, far away, a number of large companies struggled to decide whether to adopt a document interchange format as a global standard. Debate was heated, not least because the format, OOXML, had been proposed by a single vendor, which already occupied an incumbent position. Some others claimed OOXML …

Reg Technology Panel 11 Jan 11:33
Intel to revise mobile CPU naming scheme

'Montevina' adjustment

Intel will revise its naming scheme for mobile processors in Q2, a move that will see the old LV and ULV labels dropped in favour of new processor class prefixes to go with the ones already applied to Core 2 Duo chips. Intel currently prefixes some mobile processor model numbers with X, T, L and U. To that it's going to add P …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 11:35
NASA's Messenger closes on Mercury

Arrives Monday for a first fly-by

NASA's MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft (Messenger) will on Monday make a close pass of Mercury, marking the first spacecraft visit to the world in 33 years since Mariner 10 dropped by in 1975. In the first of three encounters with Mercury before settling into orbit around the planet in …

Space 11 Jan 11:42
Facebook checks for Cambridge applicants

Good lord, you can just type their names in!

Somewhat behind the rush, it seems that at least some Oxbridge academics are getting wise to the Facebook phenomenon. The Guardian reports today that Dr Richard Barnes, admissions tutor at Cambridge's Emmanuel College, recently admitted as much. "This has been the year in which I joined Facebook," commented Barnes, speaking …

Bootnotes 11 Jan 11:52
Europe to probe state funding of new media

Keeping skewed markets on an even keel

The European Commission will investigate public service broadcasting's use of new media to determine whether state aid to broadcasters is unfair to commercial competitors. The commission has said it will look into a 2001 set of rules on what subsidies countries are allowed to give to public sector broadcasters. It said an …

Public Sector 11 Jan 11:55
Polish teen derails tram after hacking train network

Turns city network into Hornby set

A Polish teenager allegedly turned the tram system in the city of Lodz into his own personal train set, triggering chaos and derailing four vehicles in the process. Twelve people were injured in one of the incidents. The 14-year-old modified a TV remote control so that it could be used to change track points, The Telegraph …

Enterprise Security 11 Jan 11:56
Samsung rolls out Croix-based F490

CES The F700's younger brother

Samsung has waited until the end of this year’s CES show in Las Vegas to secure plenty of attention for its latest mobile phone, the Croix UI-based F490. Samsung F490: touch-operated Croix UI Looking deceptively similar to the existing Samsung F700, the F490 marries quad-band GSM connectivity with HSDPA for downloads up to …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 12:13
Intel readies low-end 'Penryn' Core 2 Duos

Dual-core Celeron E1000 series too

With Intel's 45nm Core 2 Duo E8000 series now launched, the first mainstream desktop 'Penryn' processors are on their way. Lesser versions are due in Q2, as the Core 2 Duo E7000 series. Range topping dual-core Celerons will be coming sooner. The E7000 CPUs - the first is expected to be the E7200, according to a report at …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 12:13
Micro SD spy gadgets spied on web

MI6 storage

Flash storage has already seen numerous gadgets shrink in size. But it’s now shrinking the consumer spy gadget market with the development of a belt-buckle spy camera for snooping on your pals. Who'd ever know? The belt-buckle DVR secretes a hidden camera that records content in 3GP format at a resolution of 176 x 144 …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 12:16
Becta excludes Vista, Office - again

Shouldn't be running in our classrooms

Microsoft’s hopes of getting Vista into British classrooms have been held back at least another year after Becta issued a scathing report on the operating system and its equally fresh-faced twin, Office 2007. The UK's education technology agency concluded there are very few situations where it is worthwhile for schools and …

Software 11 Jan 12:28
Microsoft demos Surface multi-touch user interface

CES on Video iPhone UI clone

Bill Gates demos Surface, Microsoft's multi-touch finger-controlled UI that sports some rather iPhone-like gesture controls... 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 11 Jan 12:43
Casio readies launch of 'world's fastest-shooting' digicam

CES But scales back 300fps mode

Casio finally looks set to launch its fastest snapper yet, the Exilim EX-F1. However, it has cut back on the camera's movie frame rate since unveiling a prototype model at the IFA show in Berlin last year. Casio's EX-F1: 300fps shooter It was originally thought that the EX-F1 would support 300 frames per second (fps) at a …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 12:51
RIAA 'to disappear'?

EMI forces IFPI merger discussions - report

Prepare to peel off your bumper stickers - the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA) may disappear in a merger of trade groups, Variety reports. According to the Hollywood trade paper, EMI has formally filed to leave the global trade body that represents sound recording owners, the IFPI (International Federation of …

Music and Media 11 Jan 12:55
US-Iranian naval clash: Radio trolls probably to blame

Analysis 'Filipino Monkey' strikes again

Those readers who follow the non-IT'n'Paris news will be aware that in recent days a group of US warships almost fired on fast boats operated by Iranian Revolutionary Guards. This was after hearing radio transmissions in which the Iranians appeared to threaten some form of attack. A heavily-accented voice speaking in English …

Science 11 Jan 13:09
BOFH: Memory short circuit

Episode 1 And my password is... damn it

There must be something in the water. I've got a shocking case of nominal amnesia which I can't shake and the PFY just isn't helping. True, being locked in a lift for several hours (until I'd fed sufficient pound notes through the doors to the PFY) just prior to the holidays didn't help, but I'm never really any good at …

BOFH 11 Jan 13:11
Colombian ID thief coughs

Hotel keystroke-log scam financed luxury lifestyle

A Colombian citizen has pleaded guilty to ripping off as many as 600 people after planting keystroke-logging software on the PCs of hotels. Mario Simbaqueba Bonilla, 40, used his illicit income to finance trips to exotic locations (including Hong Kong, Italy, and the Caribbean) and expensive electronics. He carried out his …

Crime 11 Jan 13:29
Junkie sues pusher over heart attack

Crystal meth → coma → lawsuit

A Canadian former drug addict has successfully sued the dealer who supplied the crystal methamphetamine that triggered a heart attack and put her in a coma for 11 days, the Times reports. Sandra Bergen, 23, of Biggar, Saskatchewan, alleged that "her nursery-school classmate Clinton Davey got her addicted to crystal …

Bootnotes 11 Jan 13:35
Toshiba demos Cell-equipped HDTV

CES What it's doing with the PS3 processor

Toshiba used the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to explain why it plans to incorporate the PlayStation 3's Cell processor into future LCD TV products. Tucked away in one corner of Toshiba's cavernous CES stand was a prototype Cell-equipped telly running a range of image processing demos. The Japanese giant showed two key apps …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 13:43
The future's bright for Virgin executives

Jobs for the boys at Orange

Less than a month into the job and Orange boss Tom Alexander has lured three of his old muckers from Virgin to help him turn Orange UK into a competitive business. Andrew Ralston, Gerry McQuade, and Steven Day all used to work for Alexander at Virgin's MVNO, but have now switched to Orange with responsibility for operations, …

Mobile 11 Jan 14:08
Bed maker constructs cot for gadget lovers

Never sleep again

If you’re always searching for a reason for 'just an extra five minutes' in the mornings, then here it is: a hi-tech bed that combines all the latest gadgetry. The Starry Night Tech Bed The Starry Night Sleep Technology Bed includes wireless internet connectivity, an iPod docking station and a plethora of surround sound …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 14:11
DRM now dead, as Amazon snags Sony

It's the end of an era

Amazon.com has now secured the right to sell DRM-free music from all four major labels, snagging Sony BMG. On Monday, Sony BMG announced it was lifting DRM from its digital music, but only through a gift card service called Platinum MusicPass, which was available through bricks and mortar retail channels. Amazon wouldn't have …

Music and Media 11 Jan 14:13
OpenMoko preps Linux phone prototype

CES on Video Wi-Fi, GPS on board

OpenMoko's open source phone software is on its way, and now there's a handset to go with it, ready for budding coders to begin creating apps for the platform. Can't see the video? Download Flash Player from Adobe.com CES 2008 on Video Microsoft demos Surface multi-touch user interface WowWee wheels in Tribot DisplayLink …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 14:32
Dublin's free Wi-Fi falls foul of competition law

Private companies only

Dublin has abandoned its plan to blanket the city with free Wi-Fi as it thinks it might breach EU law on state aid, and they haven't got the €27m it's going to cost anyway. The opposition Labour Party, who originally proposed the plan, are claiming the council has been nobbled by telcoms companies who don't want to see free …

Wireless 11 Jan 14:52
Former Cisco UK chief steps into the channel

Watkins buys Teksys

Former Cisco UK boss Alan Watkins has jumped the fence into the channel with the buyout of Teksys, a Microsoft LAR (large account reseller). The buy could set off a wave of consolidation in the Microsoft channel, as Watkins and his business partner Kevin Lewis look to buy further Microsoft specialists. Microsoft itself has …

Channel Register 11 Jan 15:27
Bill kills Bill, UK gov goes nuclear and IT contractors shed tears

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Chipzilla suffers monster new year hangover, plink fizz Intel finally filed its response to the European Commission’s formal anti-competitive charges this week only to find the state of New York adding its squawky voice to the row. The office of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said both Intel and AMD, which last year …

Business 11 Jan 15:33
Toshiba quietly shows fuel-cell fitted UMPC

CES Methanol-powered processing

Toshiba didn't make much of a fuss about its UMPC, claiming the smooth-cornered handheld PC was intended to demo technologies the company develops to potential manufacturer customers. One such technology: fuel cells. Toshiba's fuel cell-fitted UMPC Toshiba didn't want to say what the unit's specification was, but we can say …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 16:14
Bluetooth's coming home

Footy fans to get pushed advertising

Footy fans at a number of clubs will soon be able to enjoy adverts downloaded direct to their mobile phones over a Bluetooth connection, courtesy of promotional company Bluepod. Fans at Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, West Ham, Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic, Wolves, and Celtic will be able to opt in to receive transmissions, …

Mobile 11 Jan 16:30
Showa Denko ships 40GB 1.3in HDD

Tiny

Japan's Showa Denko (SDK) has begun mass producing a phone-friendly 1.3in hard drive that can hold 40GB of data - the most capacious product of its kind, the company claimed. Seagate, for one, has 1in drives out there, but they only run to 8GB. Samsung is working on 1.3in HDDs, but hasn't shipped one yet. SDK didn't go into …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 16:45
MP3sparks.com downed by links to Russian cybercrime gang

Exclusive iTuneski jumps in bed with spammy host

The popular Russian digital music retailer MP3sparks.com has scored an own goal by doing business with a web host that has been linked to an infamous cybercrime syndicate. Many UK users have been frozen out of the site as a result. Access to the site for customers of major UK ISPs including Virgin Media, Plusnet and Zen has …

Law 11 Jan 17:17
Panasonic previews monster 150in plasma

CES 4x HD

Panasonic demo'd what must be the world's biggest TV, let alone the world's largest HD plasma screen. Its 150in display crams in a whopping 4096 x 2160 pixels more than four times 1080p's 1920 x 1080. Panasonic's 150in TV: monster It's a prototype, of course, but if the one-time gimmick 103in model can become a TV consumers …

Reg Hardware 11 Jan 17:40
Countdown for IBM Project Zero

Giver turns taker

Over the years, Microsoft's taken a lot of flack for attempting to undermine open source. Despite giving away code snippets and working with vendors like Zend and MySQL, what really sticks in the mind are attempts to shore up its market share by spooking people on IP and by playing hardball. Microsoft's position contrasts …

Applications 11 Jan 19:14
Mobe snap murderers face justice

Posed with victim after bloody stabbing

A Glasgow man who murdered a 24-year-old by stabbing him 80 times with a knife and then "went on to pose for a mobile phone picture alongside the victim's body" will be sentenced next month. Stephen Price, 20, admitted murdering 24-year-old Scott Burgess, "with a knife in his home in Glen Street, Paisley, between August and …

Crime 11 Jan 19:24
Hackers graft Google Android onto hardware

As first prototype surfaces

Mobile phone handsets based on Google's Android platform are due to appear some time in the second half of this year but hackers have already got a cut-down version of the software running on devices. By combining an Android Software Development kit with an emulator and a Poky Linux kernel, a hacker called Cortez has created …

Mobile 11 Jan 19:46
Malware hitches a ride on digital devices

In the frame

It's time to add digital picture frames to the group of consumer products that could carry computer viruses and Trojan horse programs. In the past month, at least three consumers have reported that photo frames - small flat-panel displays for displaying digital images - received over the holidays attempted to install malicious …

Security 11 Jan 20:45
VMware catches Foedus

Symptoms include red blotches and services

Foedus? Yeah, we wondered the same thing. You might not have heard of this small virtualization shop, but VMware thought enough of the outfit to buy it. VMware polished off the acquisition earlier this month, grabbing Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Foedus and 30 employees for an undisclosed sum. Maybe you're very …

Virtualization 11 Jan 22:04
Intel launches modular server platform for SMBs

Some assembly required

Intel is punting a new modular server kit that's based on standardized parts for system builders and OEMs who cater to small and mid-sized businesses. The platform, dubbed Intel Modular Server, uses blade server specifications announced by the Server Systems Infrastructure (SSI) organization last July. The gist is, when …

Channel Register 11 Jan 22:27
Mass web infection leaves researcher scratching her head

Issues call to arms

Security maven Mary Landesman is in the midst of piecing together a who-done-it involving the infection of hundreds of websites that are generating an enormous amount of traffic. Or maybe it's a how-done-it. Either way, she's mostly drawing blanks. Landesman is a researcher for ScanSafe, a company that monitors the web surfing …

Anti-Virus 11 Jan 23:33