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Phones for the elderly: Testers wanted for senior service -
Reg readers, can you help?
Column As if getting a business idea from Reg reader comments wasn’t enough for Simon Rockman he now wants help to get it working.…
(Sat, 25 May 2013 12:12:11 GMT)Lego X-wing fighter touches down in New York's Times Square -
Biggest-ever brick model to plug Disney show
Danish toymeister Lego has unveiled the largest model yet using its eponymous plastic chunks: a 43ft (13.1 meters) X-wing fighter that's a claimed 1:1 scale replica of George Lucas' Death Star destroyer, and is 42 times the size of the same kit that Lego offers to children (old and young).…
(Sat, 25 May 2013 01:23:26 GMT)Experts: Network security deteriorating, privacy a lost cause -
One suggestion: 'Don't armor the sheep, hunt the wolves'
Ethernet Summit Internet and network security is bad, and it's going to get worse before it gets better. To make it better, CIOs and IT admins need to rethink the way that they approach protecting their networks from hackers and other miscreants.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 23:15:58 GMT)Internet cafés declared 'illegal businesses' in Ohio -
Wretched hives 'harm more people than do good'
Having solved all of the state's other problems, the Ohio legislature has passed a bill outlawing that most foul of societal ills: the internet café.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 22:17:25 GMT)SAP shuffles execs to chase cloud success -
Former SuccessFactors CEO says Auf Wiedersehen
It is time for musical chairs at SAP, and the desire to ramp-up products that run on the cloud and sell more of them is calling the tune to which the executives are dancing.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 21:44:11 GMT)AT&T adds 61¢ 'Mobility Administrative Fee' for users -
Nickel and diming customers because it can
US subscribers to AT&T's mobile network are getting an extra 61¢ "Mobility Administrative Fee" on their bills beginning in May.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 21:04:46 GMT)Microsoft caves to Google, pulls YouTube app from WinPhone Store -
Back to the older version for now
Microsoft will remove its revamped YouTube app for Windows Phone 8 from its store and revert to the earlier version until such time as it can meet all of Google's requirements for the app, advertising included.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 20:59:18 GMT)Amazon expands Appstore reach, gives devs more user data -
Alternative Android store now in nearly 200 countries
Looking to woo more app publishers to its Android Appstore and away from Google Play, Amazon has announced new tools that allow developers to track user engagement with their apps.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 20:09:16 GMT)Now it gets serious: Fracking could RUIN BEER -
German brewers concerned about water purity plead case to Merkel
The extraction of oil and gas by means of hydraulic fracturing – aka "fracking" – has ignited a firestorm of controvery over its possible risks, but a new report hands a powerful weapon to its opponents: fracking may harm German beer.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 20:08:00 GMT)Reports: New Xbox could DOOM second-hand games market -
The cost of your cloudy new console
Updated Microsoft has been quite cagey about its plans for games licensing on the new Xbox One, but multiple reports now suggest there's going to be very little incentive for a second-hand games market anymore, and buyers could get stung with extra charges.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 19:05:04 GMT)Industry execs: Network admins an endangered species -
'IT peasant, you are mere human middleware'
Ethernet Summit If you are a network administrator, be aware that there are a lot of industry movers and shakers who want to put you out of a job.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 18:35:04 GMT)Wikileaks leaks documentary script about Wikileaks -
Simply no teddies left in this pram
Wikileaks has released a transcript of a documentary about its history so it can add notes to each section saying "Wrong!", a day before the film debuts.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 15:53:11 GMT)Investor Icahn needs a loan of $7bn to tick off Mike Dell -
I do not like it, SAM-I-am. I do not like Michael's big plan
Activist investor Carl Icahn will need as much as $7bn to carry off his plan to pull Dell out from under Mike Dell's nose, banking sources have said.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 15:29:12 GMT)World's richest hobo (Apple) has worked 'tax-free' in Ireland since '80s -
Ex-veep lifts lid on homeless fondleslab maker's finances
Apple has been operating practically tax-free in Ireland since 1980, a former exec has claimed.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 14:57:07 GMT)Security Twitteratti: Twitter's 2FA does sweet FA for biz -
Shared accounts? #FacebookIsBetter
Security-watchers don't appear overly impressed with Twitter's introduction of two-factor authentication (2FA) to its service.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 14:28:11 GMT)Judge: Evidence will likely show Apple DID fix ebook prices -
Reckons DoJ can prove Cupertino 'knowingly participated in... conspiracy'
The US judge who will decide the ebook price fixing case has suggested the government will be able to show that Apple was part of the conspiracy, before the trial has even begun.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 13:56:10 GMT)ServiceKey, Oracle end 'grey market' code spat without bloodshed -
No damages, no tears, just a shedload of paperwork to fill
US managed services provider ServiceKey has walked away from legal action brought by Oracle over an alleged "grey market conspiracy" without having to cough a bean in compensation.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 13:27:09 GMT)BBC suspends CTO after it wastes £100m on doomed IT system -
Revealed: The digital monster that ate Shepherd's Bush
The BBC has suspended its chief technology officer on full pay - after it spunked almost £100m on a "tapeless" digital content management system that didn't deliver.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 13:04:19 GMT)Open wide, Google: Here comes an advertising antitrust probe -
Can one ever escape the Choc Factory, FTC 'ponders'
Ad giant Google is facing an antitrust probe intended to establish whether it exploits its dominance in the advertising trade to steer customers away from rivals' products.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 12:44:13 GMT)El Reg drills into Office 365: Email migration -
Mail bonding with sysadmin Trevor
Video Spinning up a new instance of Office 365 to provide email for a brand new domain is easy; migrating email from existing domains is not.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 12:37:59 GMT)Daft tweet by Speaker Bercow's loquacious wife DID libel lord -
Why is Sally feeling so very sorry? *innocent face*
Sally Bercow, the wife of Commons Speaker John Bercow, libelled a peer in her infamous "innocent face" tweet, a judge ruled today.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 12:19:11 GMT)Paul Allen buys lovingly restored vintage V-2 Nazi ballistic missile -
First space rocket of humanity, used to bomb London
Ex-Microsoft gazillionaire Paul Allen has acquired a V2 rocket for his Flying Heritage Collection.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 11:59:48 GMT)Hey, you, dev. What do you mean, storage is BORING? -
Listen, codemonkey, do you want to take this outside...
Storagebod Many years ago, as an entry-level systems programmer, I decided there were two teams that I was never going to join: the test team and the storage team - because they were boring.*…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 11:39:51 GMT)Curse you, old person, for inventing computers! -
Too sexy for my (night)shirt
Something for the Weekend, Sir? Since being allowed back into public places without causing the skin of those nearby to melt or for Jurassic sealife to shuffle out of the Pacific and sneeze fire at Tokyo Tower, Half Life Wife has enjoyed several evenings out at the theatre with yours truly.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 11:24:06 GMT)Feds slam hacker-friendly backdoors in jalopy, grub factories -
Kit easily violated by miscreants with 'minimal skill'
Security researchers have uncovered hard-coded user accounts that could act as backdoors into food, car, and agricultural production systems across the world.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 11:04:13 GMT)4G LTE: Good for tweets and watching Dr Who. Crap at saving lives -
Why cops, medics must stick to walkie talkies
Critical Communications World High-speed mobile broadband standard LTE, the preferred 4G technology around the world, isn't good enough for critical networks and won't be up to scratch until at least 2018.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 10:44:53 GMT)Microsoft exposes green users' privates in web quiz snafu -
Web design 101 guys, this is basic stuff
Microsoft has plugged a flaw in its Greener IT Challenge website that leaked the names and email addresses of users who took a quiz on the site.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 10:26:12 GMT)Woolwich beheading sparks call to REVIVE UK Snoopers' Charter -
What? You don't agree? What are you, a terrorist?
Nick Clegg has been warned that his opposition to the controversial Communications Data Bill could leave Britain "at risk" after a soldier was beheaded in Woolwich, London.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 10:08:04 GMT)Is the next-gen console war already One? -
Microsoft’s new Xbox - and more
Game Theory How else to start a Game Theory column other than with the Xbox One? With the dust starting to settle on news reports, I’ve gone for a rather more devil’s advocate approach to Microsoft’s unveiling. There’s also room for a review of Metro: Last Light, and a quick look at the splendid The Last of Us to whet the appetite for next month’s release.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 09:50:29 GMT)Internet advertising giant (Google) 'mulls' map app Waze gobble -
Gonna offer anything less than $1bn? No Waze, Jose
Ad giant Google is also considering snapping up mapping software firm Waze, which could spark a bidding war with Facebook over the business.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 09:37:14 GMT)Did Kim Dotcom invent 2-factor authentication? Er, not exactly... -
Pull out your pagers and your Hammer pants, we're going back to the '90s
Twitter is the latest major web service to beef up its security two-factor authentication (2FA). The security feature is a pretty simple and effective approach - and one the notorious Mega kingpin Kim Dotcom claims today to have invented back in the '90s.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 09:04:06 GMT)'Google IS a capitalist country... er, company' -
Plus: 'Apple execs, I apologise for this theatre of the absurd'
QuoTW This was the week when the tax row shifted into high gear, with politicos on both sides of the pond railing at Google and Apple, while respective chiefs Eric Schmidt and Tim Cook presented defences that amounted to yelling "If you don't like it, you fix it" and running away.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 08:27:47 GMT)Grim outlook for Big Storage as revenues dip across board -
Snapping up the minnows only keeps the wolf at bay for so long
Mainstream storage vendors seem to be in trouble as Dell, HP and IBM's storage revenues have tanked over the past two years.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 07:26:08 GMT)INSIDE GCHQ: Welcome to Cheltenham's cottage industry -
'If this nerve centre didn't exist, neither would I' says Reg man
Geek's Guide to Britain For staff at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham, there’s an air of Fight Club about the place. The first rule about GCHQ is you don’t talk about GCHQ.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 07:05:03 GMT)China’s state-run rags brand Mars One mission a scam -
Beijing doesn't like the idea of its citizens visiting RED planet
Chinese state-run media has branded the Mars One mission designed to land successful applicants on the Red Planet in 2023 a “hoax” and probable “scam”, in what appears to be a co-ordinated attempt to undermine the non-profit behind the project.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 06:27:07 GMT)US Senator introduces 'Patent Abuse Reduction Act' -
Rackspace and industry groups like it, trolls maybe not so much
US Senator John Cornyn, who represents Texas, has introduced the “Patent Abuse Reduction Act of 2013”.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 06:03:17 GMT)'Catastrophic failure' of 3D-printed gun in Oz Police test -
Panic on the streets of Sydney, as US says printed guns 'unstoppable'
The New South Wales Police Force, guardians of Australia's most-populous state, have gotten themselves into a panic over the Liberator, the 3D-printable pistol.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 05:32:09 GMT)Peak Facebook: British users lose their Liking for Zuck's ad empire -
One in 10 UK Facebookers: I quit this... bitch
Facebook's popularity is slumping in the UK as users become fed up with being bombarded with advertising, a YouGov survey has revealed.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 05:02:59 GMT)SoftBank gives Washington veto over Sprint board job -
The things you do to stop spooks worrying about Huawei
Japanese company SoftBank, currently wrapping a deal to buy 70 per cent of US mobile carrier Sprint, has taken the unusual step of giving the US government veto power over one member to be elected to the board of its acquisition target.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 04:18:16 GMT)STROKE this mouse to make apps POP, says Microsoft -
Windows 8 Start button comes to Redmond's rodents
Microsoft has unveiled two mice that for the first time pack a button that sends users straight to the Windows 8 Start screen, the unloved abode of The interface Formerly Known As Metro (TIFKAM).…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 03:49:00 GMT)Oz shared services collapse looks bad for NetApp -
Central IT agency didn't deliver, likely to quit storage-as-a-service caper
Opponents of shared IT services in government have a new case study they point to, and NetApp's busy executives have another tricky item to consider after a major Australian shared services organisation failed.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 02:02:15 GMT)Googorola loses bid to ban US Xbox sales after ITC slapdown -
Microsoft escapes $4bn payout
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has denied an attempt by Google to impose a US-wide sales ban on Microsoft's Xbox by rejecting the claim that might have cost Redmond $US4bn in royalties.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 01:13:20 GMT)Samsung, carriers tout first Tizen mobes for late 2013 -
HTML5 seen as key to open source smartphone success
TDC2013 You could be forgiven for thinking there's not much going on with Tizen, the Linux Foundation's open source mobile OS. It's been two years since the project was launched and there still are no Tizen devices on the market. But that's about to change – and there has been a lot happening behind the scenes, as well.…
(Fri, 24 May 2013 00:35:14 GMT)Google to double encryption key lengths for SSL certs by year's end -
2048-bit keys will be the norm
Google is about to start the first upgrade to its SSL certification system in recent memory, and will move to 2048-bit encryption keys by the end of 2013. The first tranche of changes is planned for August 1.…
(Thu, 23 May 2013 23:23:59 GMT)Facebook Home phone plans canned in the UK -
Support for new devices put on ice as well
The HTC First "Facebook phone" is not coming to the UK after its frigid reception in the US, and the social networking company is going back to work on the app after mass user apathy.…
(Thu, 23 May 2013 23:04:27 GMT)Joyent cuts prices on cloudy infrastructure -
Aligns with AWS instances, and offers the same or lower prices
Joyent, one of the upstart cloudy infrastructure providers that is taking a custom software stack to market to peddle virty server and storage, has done a major revamp of the way it carves up slices on its Joyent Compute Service cloud.…
(Thu, 23 May 2013 21:18:35 GMT)Yahoo! continues quest for youth with yet another acquisition -
PlayerScale purchase gives foothold in gaming market
Marissa Mayer has continued her acquisitions spree with the purchase of gaming software house PlayerScale for an undisclosed sum.…
(Thu, 23 May 2013 20:44:36 GMT)Internet2 superfast-boffinry network peers with Azure cloud -
Microsoft waives data egress rates for researchers
Ultra-fast US academic network Internet2 is going to peer with Microsoft's cloud to give researchers from over 200 institutions high-speed reliable access to Azure at a discounted rate.…
(Thu, 23 May 2013 20:04:19 GMT)Google slashes App Engine NoSQL data storage prices by 25 per cent -
Amazon cuts DynamoDB costs, and Google follows suit
Amazon doesn't care much about profits and both Google and Microsoft have monopolies that give them deep pockets. And so it is no surprise that the three companies will be engaged in a cloud price war that will very likely leave a lot of smaller cloud providers dead by the side of the road in the coming years.…
(Thu, 23 May 2013 18:57:15 GMT)Orange customer clobbered with SIX-FIGURE phone bill -
If your handset's overheating, check your data connection
EE's Orange arm managed to bill a customer £163,000 for a month's data use, thanks to a dodgy handset which was opening a data connection every 20 minutes.…
(Thu, 23 May 2013 15:59:11 GMT) |