Broadband-help.com: LIVE broadband news

TI Soups Up Its Smartphone Chips for MIDs

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:27:00 GMT

No one knows exactly how big the market for mobile Internet devices will be, but the major chip makers are betting it will be huge (it’s one of the reasons they’re making chips for mobile devices at 45 nanometers.) We’ve covered efforts by Intel, Qualcomm, and Via Technologies to get their chips into devices sized [...]

Project Better Place Might Charge Up SF

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:27:00 GMT

Shai Agassi’s electric vehicle infrastructure startup, Project Better Place, may be aiming to work with San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom has been talking with the company about potentially building the infrastructure for a fleet of plug-in cars for the city, including parking meter charging stations and battery replacement stations. Newsom last week traveled to [...]

IBM's Cell blade boosted by memory and floating point gains

Tue, 13 May 2008 21:25:00 GMT

Now shipping with more relevance

IBM's Cell attack will gain some added muscle next month thanks to a new blade server. The system will run on a refreshed version of the Cell chip that includes better support for mathematical calculations and memory. As a result, the Cell-based blades could tempt a larger set of customers.…

Romanian and Turkish scientists turn circuit boards into oil

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:59:00 GMT

Biomess goes biomass

Whether through a force of expanding environmental activism or just compliance with government edicts, the IT sector is in a pinch over how to safely recycle defunct computers and equipment.…

Museum puts Dead Sea scroll on rare display

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:41:00 GMT

One of the most important Dead Sea scrolls is going on display in Jerusalem this week — more than four decades after it was last seen by the public.

Google and Facebook socialize world+dog

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:24:00 GMT

Having faces is not enough

Following quickly in the footsteps of MySpace, both Facebook and Google have announced new-fangled tools that allow social-networking types to shuttle their online data from site to site.…

Google and Facebook socialize world+dog

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:24:00 GMT

Having faces is not enough

Following quickly in the footsteps of MySpace, both Facebook and Google have announced new-fangled tools that allow social-networking types to shuttle their online data from site to site.…

Next Ubuntu LTS in 2010, unless Linuxes synchronize

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:08:00 GMT

Common components

Mark Shuttleworth, head of Canonical and founder of the Ubuntu project, has called on other Linux developers to synchronize releases of new versions of their distros.…

Next Ubuntu LTS in 2010, unless Linuxes synchronize

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:08:00 GMT

Common components

Mark Shuttleworth, head of Canonical and founder of the Ubuntu project, has called on other Linux developers to synchronize releases of new versions of their distros.…

Plazes Builds an iPhone Plazer

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:04:00 GMT

For the past few days, I’ve been buried under a flurry of press releases coming out of O’Reilly’s Where 2.0 conference, currently under way just south of San Francisco. Many of the ideas/apps/startups are boring, a few are interesting, and a couple are, well, pretty good. I’ll write about them after I’ve had a chance [...]

When It Comes to Broadband, There’s Never Enough

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:04:00 GMT

Anyone questioning the need for more fiber or wireless backhaul, or even 4G wireless broadband, need only look at a recent survey from IDC that finds that a constant connection is becoming the expected norm for almost a fifth of the world’s population. Sure, the study was funded by Nortel Networks, a telecommunications gear maker, [...]

iTunes to start selling HBO shows

Tue, 13 May 2008 20:01:00 GMT

Apple's iTunes online store will begin selling downloads of television shows from the HBO cable network, including acclaimed crime dramas "The Sopranos" and "The Wire," the companies said on Tuesday.

Cell phones designed to save lives

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:25:00 GMT

As technology evolves and phones morph into ubiquitous, highly personal gadgets, they're becoming genuine safety devices, crammed with features designed to protect us from accidents and injury.

When It Comes to Broadband, There’s Never Enough

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:23:00 GMT

Debian fixes serious crypto bug

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:23:00 GMT

Locksmith overtime for sys admins

Debian has warned of a vulnerability in its cryptographic functions that could leave systems open to attack.…

China's panda preserve reported safe

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:18:00 GMT

All the pandas at the world’s most famous panda preserve were reported safe Tuesday, more than a day after China’s worst earthquake.

Phoenix on track for May 25 Mars landing

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:18:00 GMT

With just 12 days to go until its Mars arrival, NASA's Phoenix lander is functioning well and on course to be the first mission to land in the frigid, arctic regions of the red planet, NASA officials said today.

Google Android winners shun publicity

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:54:00 GMT

No, I don't want to be your 'friend'

Mystery surrounds the identity of four winners in Google's $10m Android mobile applications competition, announced last November.…

Windows Server 2008 bundles get first 'public' airing

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:52:00 GMT

Taking care of the little guy

Microsoft today announced that it will launch a “public preview” program for two of its first Windows Server 2008-based bundles.…

EarthLink to pull plug on Philly's Wi-Fi

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:49:00 GMT

EarthLink Inc. is pulling the plug on its troubled wireless high-speed Internet network in Philadelphia, once touted as a model for how big cities should deploy Wi-Fi.

Canadian Watchdog Seeks Bell Privacy Probe

Tue, 13 May 2008 18:02:00 GMT

Network management practices employed by Bell Canada have led the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic to ask for an investigation of the telecommunications company. The CIPPIC, a University of Ottawa legal clinic, accuses the firm of using deep packet inspection tools to determine what customers are doing with their Internet connections and then [...]

Dino death tied to sun's bounce

Tue, 13 May 2008 17:59:00 GMT

The sun bounces up and down as it roams the Milky Way, and such wavering might have hurled showers of comets Earth's way that caused mass extinctions, including the one that killed the dinosaurs, a new study claims.

Canadian Watchdog Seeks Bell Privacy Probe

Tue, 13 May 2008 17:22:00 GMT

Metrics: Trouble in Online Adland

Tue, 13 May 2008 17:22:00 GMT

PubMatic, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based startup focused on online advertising just released its PubMatic AdPrice Index based on data from over 3,000 publishers and billions of ad impressions. The findings of this month’s report: The U.S. economic slowdown is beginning to impact online advertising in a big way, with overall monetization dropping by 23 percent [...]

Why Social Gaming Network Got $15M in Funding

Tue, 13 May 2008 17:22:00 GMT

What began last March with Warbook, a no-frills Facebook fantasy strategy game first conceived by an intern, has lead to today’s announcement: Social Gaming Network, a startup still based in a Palo Alto garage, is getting $15 million in Series A funding from a VC team comprised of Greylock Partners, Founders Fund, Columbia Partners [...]

HP-EDS: It’s About The Clouds, Baby!

Tue, 13 May 2008 17:22:00 GMT

Updated: With the Microsoft-Yahoo battle fading from the dynamic random memories of our over stimulated brains, it is time to turn our attention to Hewlett-Packard’s $12 billion $13.9 billion deal to acquire EDS, a services giant in its own right. The news was announced this morning. HP will purchase EDS at a price of $25.00 [...]

Brocade cranks Fibre switches and HBAs to 8Gb/s

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:55:00 GMT

Speedier SAN selection sighted

Brocade is primed to move its 8Gb/s networking gear to a market it entered just one year ago, server bus host adapters (HBAs). It's also giving the 8Gig work-over to its Fibre Channel switch lineup.…

Brocade cranks its Fibre switches and HBAs to 8Gb/s

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:55:00 GMT

Speedier SAN selection sighted

Geek reputation hurting math profession

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:53:00 GMT

No great surprise, but the numbers in a new study show mathematicians are viewed as geeks, a stereotype that keeps students from studying math or using the subject later in life.

Drive-by download attack compromises 500K websites

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:46:00 GMT

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum

More than half a million web pages have been compromised with malware as part of a new attack, Trend Micro warns.…

Experts: 'Indiana Jones' pure fiction

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:45:00 GMT

Read full story for latest details.

For Hezbollah, it's fiber warfare

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:45:00 GMT

Over the past few weeks, things have heated up again in Lebanon, with the U.S.-backed government on one side and the Syrian-backed Hezbollah on the other.

To many U.S. observers, this might be just another case of tensions flaring up in the Middle East. Do not be ...

Why Social Gaming Network Got $15M in Funding

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:41:00 GMT

Corporate America's rejection of Vista

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:34:00 GMT

Companies across Corporate America are finding themselves similarly vexed by Vista. The resulting delay or rejection of Microsoft's flagship product is stepping up pressure on the company to expand other areas of its business, including online software.

AT&T defends 'open' wireless network

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:27:00 GMT

A mixed message

Innovation '08 Three years ago, Jason Devitt was speaking at an industry conference when he criticized a mobile application just released by a big-name wireless carrier. And the big-name wireless carrier wasn't happy.…

The Clouds Part on HP's Computing Strategy

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:15:00 GMT

News from Portfolio.com

Also on Portfolio

The HP Way: A Big Deal

Turning a Radio Deal Back On

The Dirtiest Major League Ballparks

Subscribe to Portfolio magazine

Five years ago, if Hewlett-Packard bought EDS, everyone would've thought it was pretty much like when IBM bought PwC -- a play to create a powerful data processing consulting business that could coexist with a computer hardware business. In fact, that's been a great model for IBM.

But with HP today buying EDS for $12 billion, the smart thinking goes in a different direction. It's looking like a red-hot area going forward for IBM, Amazon and Google will be so-called cloud computing -- a.k.a. hardware as a service.

If you're a startup or a corporate IT manager, you increasingly won't have to buy computers to run your business. You just rent capabilities from some computing giant and move the information there and back over the internet. If something crashes, the data is always backed up and stored somewhere out there in the cloud. This is the ubiquitous computing idea IBM has pushed for a decade -- making computer power something like electric power.

If you tack together some of HP's other purchases under CEO Mark Hurd -- as Om Malik did -- it seems even more obvious that HP is at least as interested in cloud computing as consulting. And EDS is a solid cloud-computing play because a core business is owning and running giant data centers.

As part of the interview I did with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (the video is now on Portfolio.com), we discussed Amazon's push into cloud computing.

"We've been working on our Infrastructure Web Services for four years," Bezos said. "We launched our first one two years ago, the Simple Storage Service, and I am astonished -- I rarely meet a startup company these days who isn't using our web services and now we're starting to get, you know, deployment inside Enterprise level data centers as well. So it's a very exciting."

Asked about Google's plans to get into a similar business, Bezos said: "Well ... we really do have a practice of not talking about other companies. But this, like our retail business, (there) is not going to be one winner. I think there are going to be multiple winners pursuing different flavors or strategies, different kinds of products.... I think our web services business is going to be part of what becomes an important industry. And ... important industries are rarely made by single companies."

So maybe there is room for HP, Amazon, IBM, Google and others to play in the cloud computing space. The HP deal is telling us that the concept is ready for prime time.

HP Buying EDS With Its Head in the Clouds

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:15:00 GMT

News from Portfolio.com

Also on Portfolio

The HP Way: A Big Deal

Turning a Radio Deal Back On

The Dirtiest Major League Ballparks

Subscribe to Portfolio magazine

As part of the interview I did with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (the video is now on Portfolio.com), we discussed Amazon's push into cloud computing.

So maybe there is room for HP, Amazon, IBM, Google and others to play in the cloud computing space. The HP deal is telling us that the concept is ready for prime time.

HP in $12.6bn challenge to IBM

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:05:00 GMT

Hewlett-Packard buys information technology provider EDS for $12.6bn in a bid to take on rival IBM.

Metrics: Trouble in Online Adland

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:01:00 GMT

PubMatic, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based start-up focused on online just released its PubMatic AdPrice Index based on data from over 3,000 publishers and billions of ad impressions. The findings of this month’s report: the US economic slowdown is beginning to impact online advertising in a big way, with overall monetization dropping by 23% - 38 [...]

HP-EDS: It’s About The Clouds, Baby!

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:01:00 GMT

Mobile Backhaul Equals Big Money Opportunity

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:01:00 GMT

As noted earlier, wireless industry experts believe that mobile backhaul networks represent a big opportunity, mostly because of the proliferation of 3G and 4G networks and the easy availablity of iPhone-type devices is going to boost mobile data and video use. Infonetics Research has issued a report that forecasts 4.4 billion mobile subscribers worldwide by 2011, [...]

Dallas kids tracked for their own good

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:36:00 GMT

No more playing by the ol' water hole

Tracking children from dawn to dusk might seem extreme, but in Dallas, Texas, it seems to be working to reduce truancy and get more kids graduating.…

'Indiana Jones' would make a bad archaeologist

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:29:00 GMT

Indiana Jones managed to retrieve the trinket he was after in the opening moments of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." He pretty much wrecked everything else in the ancient South American temple where the little gold idol had rested for millennia.

Why Social Gaming Network Got $15 MM In Funding

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:20:00 GMT

What began last March with Warbook, a no-frills Facebook fantasy strategy game first conceived by an intern, has lead to today’s announcement: Social Gaming Network, a start-up still based in a Palo Alto garage, is getting $15 million in Series A funding from a VC team comprised of Greylock Partners, Founders Fund, Columbia Partners [...]

HP-EDS: It’s About The Clouds Baby!

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:20:00 GMT

Mobile Backhaul Equals Big Money Opportunity

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:20:00 GMT

Metrics: Fun Facts About iPhone

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:20:00 GMT

Love it or hate it, one has to admit that Apple’s iPhone has been quite a game changer forcing the wireless industry to get off its duff and start innovating. I think a lot of people forget that iPhone is not just a pretty face and sleek curves. Instead it is a device that is [...]

Prying Open the Social Graph

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:20:00 GMT

Last week, I pointed out that MySpace’s Data Availability efforts were welcome in that they expand the number of sites on which a user can use her MySpace data, but that MySpace still had a lock on the user data since it hosted and determined who could display that data by approving site partners. If MySpace’s efforts were three steps forward in opening up user profiles, then Google’s Friend Connect represents two steps back.

Online Isn’t the Only Place Privacy is Eroding

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:20:00 GMT

Controversy around RealID is nothing new. When Congress passed an act in 2005 that required a set of machine-readable information on government-issued identity cards, plenty of opposition pointed out the expense, the unnecessary amounts of data and the bureaucratic nightmare of issuing all-new cards to citizens. So far not a single state has actually made [...]

PMOG Launches — With An Om Award!

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:20:00 GMT

A few months ago we made note of the public beta of GameLayers’ Passively Multiplayer Online Game, the immensely clever MMO that turns web browsing into a game. Now with 20,000 registered beta users, it’s finally open for public play — go here to check it out. It debuts with a cool kicker: [...]

Effect of quake on panda preserve still unknown

Tue, 13 May 2008 15:06:00 GMT

The fate of the world's most famous panda preserve remained unknown Tuesday, more than a day after a devastating earthquake isolated the remote, mountainous area from the rest of the world.

Welsh Darth Vader dodges jail

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:59:00 GMT

'The drink is strong in this one'

A Welsh man, Arwel Wynn Hughes, from Holyhead has avoided jail for attacking two would-be Jedis with a crutch while disguised as Darth Vader.…

Son of 419 victim contacts El Reg

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:54:00 GMT

Dad taken for $70k, pondering suicide

It's sad to report that amid all the merriment to be had at the expense of Nigerian 419 fraudsters and their improbable tales of MARIAM ABACHA, Congolese banks stuffed with illicit loot and other entertaining yarns concerning riches beyond the wildest dreams of avarice, there are all too real people ready and willing to believe the Lads from Lagos.…

Korean DMZ droids 'unfit for combat'

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:50:00 GMT

Fleshy troops hand tin soldiers a can of whup-ass

The South Korean armed forces have announced that a year-long trial of robotic guard systems versus human troops has been judged a failure for the mechanoids. South Korea remains committed to significant automation of its defences, but intends to move forward with different kit - possibly with overseas involvement.…

SOCA denies ditching crime boss hunt

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:46:00 GMT

Still seeking Mr Big

The UK's Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) has denied reports that it has abandoned a hunt for crime barons in favour of a broader sweep against 500 criminal organisations involving 15,000 suspected crooks.…

Why Social Gaming Network Got $15 MM In Funding

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:40:00 GMT

Becta asks EC to probe Microsoft school deals

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:25:00 GMT

Unfair licensing for non-interoperable products

Microsoft’s plans to get Office 2007 into British classrooms suffered a fresh blow yesterday when Becta confirmed that it has referred an interoperability complaint to the European Commission (EC).…

'Boom Blox' is a strong title for Wii

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:14:00 GMT

“Boom Blox,” a new family game from Electronic Arts and shepherded by director Steven Spielberg, proves that any developer can make a great, involving Wii game when they truly "get" both the console's strengths and its shortcomings.

Vendor touts notebook as desktop server replacement

Tue, 13 May 2008 14:01:00 GMT

Marvel at its quad-core processor! Gasp at its one-hour battery life!

We've all heard of laptop computers that have been designed to replace desktop PCs, but this is the first time we've come across one that's intended a server replacement.…

Gizmondo console revamp 'on track' for Q4 launch, claims boss

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:27:00 GMT

Only here for the Freer

Gizmondo chief Carl Freer has apparently told fans of the failed handheld games console that the gadget will be back on the market and is "on target for a Q4 2008" launch... er... relaunch.…

Eco-fashion: Transforming trash into treasures

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:17:00 GMT

Fashion designers are giving new life to worthless candy wrappers, newspapers and plastic bags; turning trash into trendy tote bags, purses and jewelry.

HP buys EDS: what are they thinking?

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:07:00 GMT

Backward looking forward statements

Analysis Mark Hurd must know what happens to HP bosses who strike a legacy defining deal.…

Heathrow 777 crash: Siberian cold to blame?

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:04:00 GMT

Probe into 'reduced fuel flow' considers possible freezing

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) yesterday issued a further update (pdf) on its investigation into the 17 January crash-landing of a Boeing 777 at Heathrow following an otherwise uneventful long-haul flight from Beijing.…

HP pays $13.9bn for EDS

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Silicon Valley opens a branch in Texas

Hewlett Packard has bought EDS for $13.9bn, doubling its services business at a stroke.…

Microsoft slams OEMs over XP SP3 install cock-up

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Suffers serious image problem

Microsoft has blamed computer makers for the Windows XP service pack three (SP3) install debacle that has wreaked havoc on PCs.…

Microsoft slams OEMs over XP SP3 install cock-up

Tue, 13 May 2008 13:00:00 GMT

Suffers serious image problem

Microsoft has blamed computer makers for the Windows XP service pack three (SP3) install debacle that has wreaked havoc on PCs.…

Ofcom sharpens cutlasses for pirate radio assault

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:34:00 GMT

Internal docs expose plans for fines, surveillance

Ofcom, the UK regulator of all things communicative, is considering everything from ASBOs to covert surveillance to shut down pirate radio stations, according to documents obtained by The Register under the Freedom of Information Act.…

Taser rolls out taser-on-a-roll, new military zapbomb deal

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:33:00 GMT

Stunning new technology

Everyone's favourite flying-cattleprod maker, Taser International, has won a new contract with the US military. The firm also announced a new "peel and stick" conversion kit for police riot shields, allowing their outer face to function like a sort of portable electric fence.…

HomePlug retakes lead in powerline Ethernet standards race

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:31:00 GMT

Once more unto the vote, dear friends

The HomePlug Alliance (HPA) has once again beaten rival powerline Ethernet organisation the Universal Powerline Association (UPA) to become the lead candidate for the IEEE's powerline networking standard. But it won't know it's won for sure until July.…

UK punters love Nokia, hate McDonalds

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:31:00 GMT

Still buying more burgers than phones though

The annual "Brands We Love, Brands We Hate" survey shows Nokia topping the charts as most loved brand in the UK, while McDonalds, AOL and The Sun are the most hated.…

Brits favour ASBOs for unruly mobile users

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:25:00 GMT

A step too far?

Asbos are usually reserved for rowdy town-centre teens, but one in ten Brits think the anti-social behaviour orders should be handed out inconsiderate mobile phone users.…

Lewis Hamilton and friend targeted in computer blackmail plot

Tue, 13 May 2008 12:15:00 GMT

Unwiped disc palaver

An unemployed man who tried to sell a computer disc that used to belong to the best mate of F1 star Lewis Hamilton has been arrested in Germany.…

LapDome Planet Business laptop bag and shade

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:51:00 GMT

Now you can type and tan

Review Thankfully, the typical English weather recently relented and gave us a few sunny days in which we rushed outside to test some summer kit. This curious laptop case was one such item.…

Tiscali reject Carphone Warehouse bid

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:50:00 GMT

The Carphone Warehouse bid of £550 million for the UK assets of Tiscali has been rejected with 6 bidders thought to still be in the running. The sale is expected to be completed next month.

MS whips lens cap off WorldWide Telescope

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:20:00 GMT

To reveal? The inexorable blackness of space

Microsoft yesterday whipped the lens cap off the public beta of its much-anticipated WorldWide Telescope - a "rich Web application that brings together imagery from the best ground- and space-based observatories across the world".…

Airbus revises A380 delivery schedule

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:19:00 GMT

Further delays

Airbus has confirmed it's cutting the number of A380s due to be delivered in 2008 and 2009 - from 13 to 12 and 25 to 21, respectively.…

Sony OLED TV longevity claim challenged

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:18:00 GMT

Quoted lifespan not realistic, claims analyst

Sony has downplayed allegations that its state-of-the-art OLED TV, the XEL-1, has a fraction of the longevity the manufacturer claims it has.…

Virtual telescope opens night sky

Tue, 13 May 2008 11:12:00 GMT

Microsoft launches a free tool that allows amateur star-gazers to explore the universe from their computers.

Tiscali crosses Carphone Warehouse from bidders list

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:39:00 GMT

Dance card amended

Tiscali has written up a wish list of companies it would like to sell itself to, and Carphone Warehouse has not made the cut.…

Oz driver sticks seatbelt on slab of beer

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:35:00 GMT

Do I buckle up the tinnies, or the 5-year-old kid?

Oz police have described themselves as "shocked and appalled" after pulling a driver near Alice Springs to discover he'd lovingly strapped in his slab of beer while leaving a five-year-old boy next to it without the benefit of a seatbelt.…

Kiwi airliners converted into giant iPod docks

Tue, 13 May 2008 10:20:00 GMT

'Your aircraft becomes an authorised Apple accessory'

A generation of unprecedentedly large and fast iPod docks is now on offer, and it has now been announced that firm customer orders have been placed.…

Computer Misuse Act changes are delayed further

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:54:00 GMT

DoS attacks not criminal till October

Denial of service attacks will not be criminalised in England and Wales for another six months despite measures lying unused in existing laws since 2006. Changes to the Computer Misuse Act will not be activated until October.…

UK's tallest bovine soars to 6ft 6in

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:45:00 GMT

An awful lot of bullock

A Friesian bullock who measures a towering 6ft 6in at the shoulder is expected to claim the Guinness World Record for the UK's tallest bovine, the Times reports.…

NetBeans extension makes simple work of PHP

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:44:00 GMT

Preview in review

Arriving with the NetBeans 6.1 release last week was the NetBeans IDE Early Access for PHP. This provides a complete PHP integrated development environment hosted in NetBeans, re-using the infrastructure NetBeans has already employed for Java and Ruby.…

HP-EDS: It’s About The Clouds Baby!

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:16:00 GMT

With the Microsoft-Yahoo battle fading from the dynamic random memories of our over stimulated brains, it is time to turn our attention to Hewlett-Packard’s $12 billion bid for EDS, a services giant in its own right. This indeed is the real thing: both companies have confirmed their talks and perhaps their seriousness. HP-EDS pairing will [...]

Four times more core bandwidth in prep for 50Mbps cable products

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:08:00 GMT

Virgin Media is upgrading the capacity of its core network in preparation for the much vaunted roll-out of its 50Mbps product.

HP-EDS Deal: It’s About The Clouds Baby!

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:36:00 GMT

Japan's ciggie machines to sniff out buyer's age

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:02:00 GMT

All smoke and mirrors?

Most people wouldn’t welcome the onset of wrinkles and crow’s feet, but Japanese smokers could soon need some if they’re to buy smokes from the county’s cigarette machines.…

Mobile Back Haul Equals Big Money Opportunity

Tue, 13 May 2008 07:13:00 GMT

As noted earlier, wireless industry experts believe that mobile backhaul networks represent a big opportunity, mostly because the proliferation of 3G and 4G networks and easy availablity of iPhone type devices is going to boost mobile data and video use. Infonetics Research has issued a report which forecasts 4.4 billion mobile subscribers worldwide by 2011, and [...]

Metrics: Fun Facts About iPhone

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:32:00 GMT

Study: Hands-free phones are lifesavers

Tue, 13 May 2008 06:03:00 GMT

A new study has led a California researcher to boldly assert that banning hand-held phone use by U.S. drivers could save thousands of lives each year.

Google helps the web to go social

Tue, 13 May 2008 05:17:00 GMT

The search giant Google is the latest company to launch a service aimed at making the web more social.

Intel feeds Google solid state disks

Tue, 13 May 2008 02:10:00 GMT

SSD shortage coming?

Intel is working its close ties to Google for solid state storage drive sales.…

Intel said to feed Google solid state disks

Tue, 13 May 2008 02:10:00 GMT

SSD shortage coming?

Intel is working its close ties to Google for solid state storage drive sales, according to a report.…

Intel said to feed Google solid state drives

Tue, 13 May 2008 02:10:00 GMT

SSD shortage coming?

Intel is working its close ties to Google for solid state storage drive sales, according to a report.…

TJX credit card heist suspect, 2 others, accused of new scam

Tue, 13 May 2008 01:48:00 GMT

Dave and Busted

Three men - one of them suspected of playing a role in the heist of 45.6 million credit cards from retailer TJX Companies - have been accused of hacking into cash register terminals belonging to a restaurant chain and installing software that sniffed credit card numbers.…

Prying Open the Social Graph

Tue, 13 May 2008 01:23:00 GMT

AMD excises two senior execs, while promoting server chief

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:57:00 GMT

Central Engineering roadmap task force formed

AMD is undergoing a major shakeup, forming a new product roadmap task force, promoting one senior executive, and dropping two others in the fallout.…

Microsoft denies Zune copyright cop

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:35:00 GMT

We play both sides of the IP fence

Innovation '08 Microsoft’s senior policy counsel for copyright and trademark has firmly denied that Redmond will slip its very own copyright cop into the Zune music player. But he acknowledges the company is particularly sympathetic to the copyright battles of music labels and other publishers.…

USAF Colonel goes on the offensive with botnet destroyer plan

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:02:00 GMT

Enemies reduced to 'hunks of metal and plastic'

After watching the US military infrastructure get kicked around like a playground weakling, an Air Force colonel wants to strike back by building a massive botnet that would mount massive denial-of-service counterattacks on adversaries that attack US networks first.…

Seal tries sex with penguin

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:59:00 GMT

A seal has been caught on camera trying to have sex with a penguin. This seems to be the first known example of a sexual escapade between a mammal and another kind of vertebrate such as a bird, reptile or fish.

Seal caught on tape molesting a penguin

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:59:00 GMT

A seal has been caught on camera trying to have sex with a penguin. This seems to be the first known example in the wild of a sexual escapade between a mammal and another kind of vertebrate such as a bird, reptile or fish.

Babbage's Difference Engine hits Silicon Valley

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:35:00 GMT

Wafers? Nah. How about bronze and wood?

Silicon Valley got its first look at the true roots of the digital age this week, with the arrival of a five-ton calculator made from the designs of the Victorian-age mathematician and Londoner, Charles Babbage.…

Online Isn’t the Only Place Privacy is Eroding

Mon, 12 May 2008 23:13:00 GMT

Data Domain guns de-duping gear

Mon, 12 May 2008 22:22:00 GMT

Quad-core injection

By moving from dual to quad-core Xeons Data Domain has a new high-end DD690 product that dedupes data twice as fast. It is the industry's fastest inline deduplication system.…

HP confirms in talks to buy EDS

Mon, 12 May 2008 22:20:00 GMT

Hewlett-Packard confirms that it is in talks to buy the IT services provider Electronic Data Systems.

Google aims to help friends connect online

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:47:00 GMT

The effort to make it easier for Web surfers to connect with their friends is attracting a crowd.

HP in talks to buy EDS

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:44:00 GMT

Hurd's big bite

Hewlett-Packard's Mark Hurd may be remounting his company's services charge, according to The Wall Street Journal, which says he is close to signing a deal to acquire Electronic Data Systems for $12bn to $13bn.…

iPhone sold out online

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:42:00 GMT

Read full story for latest details.

Tiscali has a number of bidders for its business

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:38:00 GMT

The sale of Tiscali operations in the UK and Italy has generated interest even with a potential price tag of around £1 billion.

Fedora 9 - an OS that even the Linux challenged can love

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:34:00 GMT

Plenty of muscle for hard core nerds too

Fedora 9, the latest release from the Fedora Project, goes up for download on Tuesday. The ninth release of Fedora ushers in a number of changes aimed at making the venerable distribution a more newbie-friendly desktop, but longtime users needn't fear a great dumbing down; version 9 packs plenty of power user punch as well.…

Plastic cornea helps blind dog see again

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:06:00 GMT

A once-blind dog can now see to chase squirrels to her heart's content, thanks to the new plastic cornea she received in a novel surgery.

Students show power of Google’s Android

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:47:00 GMT

Massachusetts Industry of Technology professor Hal Abelson gave 20 computer science students one assignment: Design a software program for cell phones that use Google's upcoming Android mobile operating system.

Microsoft Office chief to manage Bill Gates

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:42:00 GMT

Well, his foundation

Jeff Raikes is to captain Bill and Melinda Gates' massive global philanthropic operation, just months after announcing his phased resignation from Microsoft.…

VMware ships disaster recovery and testing software

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:38:00 GMT

Plopped into two new management bundles

VMware this week continues to campaign against human-on-virtual machine interaction with the shipment of two new products in its data center management and automation portfolio.…

Cigarette vending machine identifies age

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:13:00 GMT

Cigarette vending machines in Japan may soon start counting wrinkles, crow's feet and skin sags to see if the customer is old enough to smoke.

Astronomers discover missing matter

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:13:00 GMT

Astronomers have found a piece of the universe's puzzle that's been missing for awhile: a type of extremely hot, dense matter that is all but invisible to us.

Apple: iPhone sold out

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:40:00 GMT

Read full story for latest details.

Researchers dig into x86 chips for stealthier rootkits

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:17:00 GMT

Hiding under the radar

Security researchers have discovered a new technique for developing rootkits, malicious packages used to hide the presence of malware on compromised systems.…

Apple: iPhone sold out online in U.S., U.K.

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:11:00 GMT

Apple Inc. says its online stores in the U.S. and U.K. are sold out of the iPhone, a sign supplies are being winnowed ahead of the launch of the device's next generation that will feature faster Internet surfing speeds.

PMOG Launches — With An Om Award!

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Qualcomm Saves Millions With Green IT

Mon, 12 May 2008 19:04:00 GMT

Semiconductors are increasingly being designed to require less energy, but what are the chip makers themselves doing to reduce their power consumption? Norm Fjeldheim, chief information officer for cell-phone chip maker Qualcomm, recently shared with Earth2Tech what it’s doing to keep corporate consumption down — and it all starts with information technology. Go here [...]

Report: HBO to sell shows on iTunes

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:39:00 GMT

Time Warner's HBO cable network is expected to start selling shows on Apple's iTunes digital entertainment service, with flexible pricing, a source familiar with the discussions said on Monday.

DVD smut malware blights US forces in Iraq

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:38:00 GMT

A different kind of insurgency

Malware infected bootleg DVDs bought from Iraqi souks are causing US troops all sorts of problems.…

PMOG Launches — With Om As Acheivement Award!

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:24:00 GMT

Qualcomm Saves Millions With Green IT

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:24:00 GMT

Frogs go ultrasonic for sex

Mon, 12 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Nocturnal Chinese tree frogs' sounds are no mere "ribbits," but ultrasound squeaks designed to be heard over the rushing of a nearby mountain river that roars in the audible sound range.

HP tipped to take over BT's datacentres in £1.5bn deal

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:57:00 GMT

CEOs plan back-scratching calls this week?

HP is expected to take BT’s UK datacentres off its hands in a £1.5bn deal.…

Back to the future: the Java client’s second go-round

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:45:00 GMT

Following the fads

JavaOne provides a good barometer of the current fads hitting IT. Three years ago, Java discovered open source, two years ago it was AJAX, while last year was a non-event. But this year, the rich client’s back, baby.…

HP Turns to Lasers to Cut Copper From Chips

Mon, 12 May 2008 17:31:00 GMT

HP is trying to eliminate copper on semiconductors to make them run faster, and today the company is gathering about 150 researchers at its Palo Alto campus to push lasers as a means to do this. If it and chip manufacturers such as Intel, IBM and Luxtera succeed, the chip firms will follow in [...]

AMD grabs for the data centre with low-power server chip

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:56:00 GMT

Pushes thermal envelope

AMD today launched low power quad-core Opteron processors for the x86 server market, once again playing catch-up with Intel.…

New BlackBerry ups resolution

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:55:00 GMT

Read full story for latest details.

HP Turns to Lasers to Cut Copper From Chips

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:51:00 GMT

Frigid robot eyes top tech prize

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:32:00 GMT

A robot which cares for millions of frozen biological samples is among four finalists for a top engineering award.

Coming Soon, HBO on iTunes?

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:10:00 GMT

I have had a cable TV-free life for almost over a year, though I did subscribed to it when my mother was visiting earlier this year when I was unwell. I have not missed it - though I do miss the thrill of watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart live. The jokes somehow seem [...]

Perot Systems buys into Ireland

Mon, 12 May 2008 16:08:00 GMT

Writes Limerick developer a big cheque

Perot Systems Corporation is buying an Irish application developer, Original Solutions Limited.…

'Virtual watercooler' makes work fun

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:32:00 GMT

Read full story for latest details.

Kombat's creator: 'Dramatic' changes

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:32:00 GMT

Since its 1992 debut in arcades, Midway's fighter Mortal Kombat has been acclaimed by players and denounced by livid parents. In April, Midway announced the eighth version of the super successful American fighting series, Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe.

Is your meeting green enough?

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:32:00 GMT

This summer, Republicans and Democrats will celebrate their presidential nominees at conventions billed as the greenest in their parties' histories.

Coming Soon, HBO on iTunes?

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Here Come the Mobile CDNs

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Today, telco gear maker Dilithium Networks launched a software product for carriers, content publishers and content delivery networks that can handle all of the transcoding necessary to take content formatted for one screen and move it to another in real time. The Dilithium Content Adapter is the first software product from the seven-year-old telecommunications gear [...]

Rising Cost of Facebook Infrastructure; CTO Resigns

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Last month, I wrote about Facebook’s insatiable hunger for hardware. Over the weekend, Spencer Ante of Business Week reported that Palo Alto-based social networking company had raised about $100 million from Triplepoint Capital, a venture lending operation. “It will be used entirely for servers,” Facebook Chief Financial Officer Gideon Yu told Business Week’s Ante. That [...]

Powerset Is Live

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:30:00 GMT

It has been a long time coming, but Powerset, a San Francisco-based contextual-semantic search engine has finally launched. I urge you to try it out, for this is quite an impressive search effort, despite the fact it is currently limited to searching Wikipedia along with some supplementary results from Metaweb’s Freebase. I think it has [...]

British Gas sues Accenture

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:22:00 GMT

Ahh... they deserve each other

British Gas is suing Accenture for £182m in costs connected to the failure of a new billing system put in place by the consultants in 2006.…

Taser gun usage soaring among UK cops

Mon, 12 May 2008 15:18:00 GMT

Proportion of actual shockings down, though

The Home Office has announced an increase in police use of Taser electroshock stun weapons in the UK, releasing figures up to the end of February today.…

New BlackBerry doubles screen resolution

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:57:00 GMT

Research In Motion Ltd. on Monday is introducing its first major new BlackBerry model in more than a year: the Bold, a high-end model that further demonstrates the company's desire to make tools for both work and play.

Hacker steals data of 6 million Chileans

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:51:00 GMT

Read full story for latest details.

Business suit tailored to reflect phone radiation

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:30:00 GMT

Something more stylish to go with your tinfoil hat

If you’re worried that mobile phone and Bluetooth signals could be doing you harm, then you can now block them out and still remain a dedicated follower of fashion.…

Apple to announce handheld games console at WWDC?

Mon, 12 May 2008 14:19:00 GMT

3G iPhone launch a decoy

Comment It's Monday lunchtime, and Apple's online store is still out of iPhones, a situation the site found itself in over the weekend. Left-of-field speculation says this means the 3G iPhone's release is coming sooner than thought. If so, what might Apple have in mind for its Worldwide Developer Conference instead?…