News

Data centre hardware

March 27, 2006 27 Mar'06
Japanese heavyweights plan 45-nanometre chip production

Sony, Toshiba and NEC are reportedly planning to jointly produce 45-nanometre microchips from 2010 to increase processing speeds.
March 24, 2006 24 Mar'06
Revenue to invest £340m in online services

HM Revenue and Customs is to invest £340m in its online service infrastructure over the next nine years as it bids to meet the aim of universal electronic delivery of tax returns from businesses by 2012.
March 23, 2006 23 Mar'06
Samsung execs to be jailed for memory price fixing

Three Samsung executives have agreed to plead guilty on charges of conspiring to fix the price of computer memory chips, and now face jail terms.
March 22, 2006 22 Mar'06
Wyse streams PC features to thin clients

Wyse Technology has launched a product designed to provide thin client users with a full-featured desktop PC environment.

March 22, 2006 22 Mar'06
Your Shout: public service IT; tech tallk in the boardroom

Have your say at computerweekly.com
March 21, 2006 21 Mar'06
Datacentres: Cool the costs, users told

IT departments could make substantial savings in electricity costs by paying greater attention to datacentre cooling requirements, according to a report from Forrester Research.
March 21, 2006 21 Mar'06
Computer Weekly tax campaign up for 'Oscar'

Computer Weekly's campaign to reform the culture of IT failure and excessive secrecy at HM Revenue and Customs has been shortlisted for one of the publishing industry's most prestigious accolades.
March 21, 2006 21 Mar'06
New Itanium platform to increase upgrade options for Alpha users

Upgrade options for Hewlett-Packard Alpha chip users are set to increase with the release of HP's latest Itanium-based Unix Integrity server, codenamed Lightning.
March 21, 2006 21 Mar'06
News in brief

Short takes on this week's news
March 21, 2006 21 Mar'06
Hot skills: Java and .net support sees HP-UX used across all vertical markets

HP-UX has features that top-end enterprises look for

March 20, 2006 20 Mar'06
PC is pushed to record top speed of 5.46GHz

The world's fastest PC, with clock speeds of up to 5.46GHz, was demonstrated at the CeBit trade show this month.
March 20, 2006 20 Mar'06
Thin client computing takes off

The European market for thin client PC hardware is now taking off, with more than one million units shipped last year, up 42%.
March 15, 2006 15 Mar'06
Intel addresses datacentre cooling and power needs with new chips

Intel has developed processors designed to address the growing concern of cooling and power requirements in datacentres.
March 15, 2006 15 Mar'06
Microsoft Origami mini laptop unveiled

Samsung Electronics demonstrated the first mobile device designed around Microsoft's Origami project at the CeBit show in Germany last week.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Fujitsu to ship blade-based eight-way server

Fujitsu is to start shipping an eight-way server created from four integrated dual-processor blade servers.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Apple fixes previous security update, addresses new threats too

Apple Computer has issued a security patch to correct problems in its previous security update and to plug new security holes.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Intel outlines plans for virtualisation

Intel has taken advantage of its developer forum to announce plans for the next generation technologies for future computer systems.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Technology behind Ashes cricket success revealed

England cricketer Andrew Flintoff's shoulder alignment angle with his backfoot when bowling is 256 degrees, and that information helps decide how long he stays in the field.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Hot skills: Solaris open source move opens up multi-platform opportunities

Unix implementation is not just confined to Sun systems
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Why small is still beautiful for councils

Local authority IT directors have challenged the government's decision to enforce large-scale shared services centres, preferring more adaptable local approaches
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Microsoft collaboration aims to ease system management

Intel and Microsoft are to combine their network management technologies and work together to develop virtualisation technology. The move could ease system management for users.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
Bike Tyrestore boosts service with web system

Motorbike tyre wholesaler Bike Tyrestore has reported improvements in its customer service after adopting a web-based tracking system for its tyre deliveries.
March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06
National Express trials coach-based Wi-Fi

National Express has begun a trial of wireless access systems on its coaches travelling between London and Cambridge.
March 13, 2006 13 Mar'06
Your shout: MiFID, offshoring and spreadsheets

Have your say at computerweekly.com
March 13, 2006 13 Mar'06
Gent leaves Vodafone, boardroom power struggle rumoured

Former Vodafone chief executive Chris Gent has left the company amid rumours over boardroom splits at the world’s largest mobile operator.
March 10, 2006 10 Mar'06
CeBit: World’s fastest PC demonstrated

CeBIT saw the world’s fastest PC being demonstrated to attendees, with clock speeds of up to 5.46GHz.
March 10, 2006 10 Mar'06
BlackBerry makes acquisition and updates e-mail server

BlackBerry maker RIM has acquired software firm Ascendent Systems to further develop the functionality of its “push” e-mail devices.
March 10, 2006 10 Mar'06
Slower PC growth in 2006

Worldwide PC shipments will see less growth this year compared to 2005.
March 10, 2006 10 Mar'06
Co-op goes live with first payment by biometrics system

Co-op Mid Counties has become the first UK retailer to go live with a payment by biometrics system.
March 09, 2006 09 Mar'06
National Express trial coach-based Wi-Fi

National Express has launched a trial wireless access systems on its coaches travelling between between London and Cambridge.
March 09, 2006 09 Mar'06
Intel ships low power cool processor

Intel is set to deliver a line of chips which are designed to address a growing concern of cooling and power requirements within data centres.
March 08, 2006 08 Mar'06
Intel and Microsoft join forces to ease systems management

Intel and Microsoft are to combine their network management technologies and work together to develop joint virtualisation technology, to ease users’ system management.
March 08, 2006 08 Mar'06
Co-op customers can use their fingerprint to pay

Three Co-op stores in the Oxford area are allowing their customers to pay for their food and other groceries by using fingerprint readers.
March 08, 2006 08 Mar'06
QLogic SANbox ships with HP StorageWorks EVA platform

Network equipment provider QLogic’s SANbox 6000 Series intelligent storage router is now available as the HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA) iSCSI Connectivity Option.
March 08, 2006 08 Mar'06
Record number of servers in EMEA but spending dipping

Even though there have never been so many servers in use in the EMEA region, spending on the devices is showing signs of diminishing, according to IDC's EMEA Quarterly Server Tracker findings.
March 08, 2006 08 Mar'06
Ball and walk lead the way for WCIT's fundraising

Two events this year will enable the IT community to see at first hand how the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists (WCIT) acts as a hub for IT charitable activity in the UK.
March 08, 2006 08 Mar'06
Haringey in row over Tech Refresh

Opposition members of Haringey Council in north-east London have accused the ruling party of giving evasive answers to questions about a £24.6m "Tech Refresh" project that has cost more than double the original budget.
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Google data back-up service plans slip onto the net

Google’s plan to offer computer users a stored mirror image of their PC’s hard drive has slipped out.
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Blackberry goes ERP

Research in Motion has given its Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) support for web services to enable wireless access to enterprise systems such as SAP.
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Your shout: IT's a job not a career, Skype pros and cons, blade cooling

Readers' views on the week's news
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Digital pen and paper delivers cost savings for medical company

Medical examinations company Medicals Direct is rolling out a digital pen and paper system to 500 nurses.
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Brother's network deal

Brother is bundling network management software in its new HL-5200 range of mono laser printers to simplify the management of networked printers in large office spaces,
March 07, 2006 07 Mar'06
Discounts up to 40% for IBM p5 570 users

Users have been urged to assess IBM's latest Power5+ server family because it includes an important discount, analyst Gartner has advised.
March 06, 2006 06 Mar'06
CeBIT helps drive mobile travel

Airline passengers flying between Munich and Hanover, Germany, for this week’s CeBIT trade show will be able to use their mobile phones to check in and board their flights.
March 03, 2006 03 Mar'06
Smart phones carve out a big niche

Smart phones are expected to make up 15% of the global mobile phone market this year, as users adopt wider mobile data services.
March 02, 2006 02 Mar'06
US government systems auditor faces jail for spying on boss

A former IT system auditor for a US government agency is facing a five-year prison sentence for spying on his boss.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
Intel to launch dual-core Xeon server chip

Intel is expected to use next week’s Intel Developer Forum to announce production of Dempsey, the first major Xeon server chip to use dual processing cores.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
HP to launch high-end Montecito server without new chip

HP is to launch a new high-end server this month to help customers already hitting their server processing limits.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
PC virus attempts to infect PDAs

Mobile security researchers are warning of a new virus that attempts to infect personal digital assistants (PDAs) once it has found its way onto a Windows PC.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
SSRG focuses on effective supplier relationships

Managing effective relationships with IT suppliers is the core theme of a conference this spring organised by the Strategic Supplier Relationships Group (SSRG), a consortium of 11 user groups founded last year.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
Small success for IBM in chip development

IBM researchers have found a way to extend a key chip manufacturing process that they expect will extend the life of current chip fabrication processes by up to seven years.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
Council goes from worst to best after street cleaners go mobile

Rushcliffe Council in Nottinghamshire has gone from having some of Britain's dirtiest streets to being one of the country's cleanest local authorities after equipping its street cleaners with mobile devices.
March 01, 2006 01 Mar'06
Virtualisation and cooling to be hot topics

Virtualisation will be one of the big themes at next week's Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, along with the growing challenge of how to cool servers.
February 28, 2006 28 Feb'06
Heat problem is undermining datacentre advances, says analyst

Heat problems are severely restricting the capacity of modern datacentres, and users need to address the problem urgently, an analyst has warned.
February 28, 2006 28 Feb'06
UK grid tackles climate change assessment

Oxford University, the Met Office and several other universities have developed a huge grid computer for the BBC to predict climate change up to 2080.
February 28, 2006 28 Feb'06
HP Labs celebrates 40th anniversary

HP Labs, which developed the first commercially available LED in 1968, is celebrating its 40th anniversary.
February 27, 2006 27 Feb'06
US Blackberry users given stay of execution

Blackberry users in the US still have a service after a US judge decided not to immediately turn off the company’s push e-mail service as a result of a patent dispute.
February 23, 2006 23 Feb'06
Hewlett-Packard leads on server shipment but IBM tops market share

Worldwide server shipments increased 12.7% over the past year, with Hewlett-Packard the leading supplier by market share, research from industry analyst Gartner reveals.
February 22, 2006 22 Feb'06
Courts reject US government’s Blackberry appeal

The US courts have turned down a request from the Justice Department for additional hearings to protect US government users if legal action forces a shut-down of the Blackberry network.
February 22, 2006 22 Feb'06
Google responds to enterprise fears

Google has responded to criticisms of its Desktop 3 Beta software after its filesharing feature was branded an “unacceptable security risk”.
February 21, 2006 21 Feb'06
Blackberry is still the sweetest, says Forrester

Corporate users are still buying Research In Motion's Blackberry service in massive numbers, despite widespread prior awareness of Microsoft and Vodafone's plans to launch a rival push e-mail service early this year.
February 21, 2006 21 Feb'06
Lessons of council's out of control project

The Audit Commission report into hard-pressed London Borough of Haringey provides an object lesson in how not to run an IT modernisation project.
February 21, 2006 21 Feb'06
Handhelds help wood company log instant quotations

Sales staff at wood products manufacturer Norbord are saving an average of two hours a week each after the firm switched to handheld devices linked to its dedicated quotation engine.
February 21, 2006 21 Feb'06
RSA cuts two-factor cost

RSA Security is poised to offer businesses a range of lower-cost alternatives to traditional two-factor authentication tokens, in a move that could accelerate the replacement of passwords with more secure authentication.
February 20, 2006 20 Feb'06
Your shout: broadband, security and planning

Have your say at Computer Weely.com
February 17, 2006 17 Feb'06
Grid project hits one gigabyte a second

A grid computing project supporting research into the origins of the universe has succeeded in pumping physics data across a worldwide grid at speeds of up to one gigabyte a second.
February 16, 2006 16 Feb'06
Mozilla releases Camino 1.0 for the Mac

The Mozilla Foundation has released version 1.0 of its Camino browser, which is built for the Mac operating system.
February 16, 2006 16 Feb'06
AMD slashes prices on dual-core server chips

AMD has slashed prices on a range of its dual-core Opteron server processors as it prepares to launch new chip technology.
February 15, 2006 15 Feb'06
Brown drums up support for biometrics

Chancellor Gordon Brown has been praising the use of biometric technology for cross-border control, anti-terrorist activity and to combat identity theft.
February 15, 2006 15 Feb'06
IDC predicts future surge for IT virtualisation

At its annual Virtualisation Forum, IDS has predicted huge demand for IT virtualisation products and services.
February 15, 2006 15 Feb'06
Eli Lilly's formula for IT overhaul

Pharmaceuticals company Eli Lilly has signed a £30m, five-year deal with Capgemini to overhaul and support its IT infrastructure in 48 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
February 14, 2006 14 Feb'06
IBM launching faster servers

IBM plans to announce the launch of several new Unix-based servers this week, including one with faster Power5+ processors.
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
Blackberry sidesteps patent row

Research In Motion has produced a workaround for systems covered by the patents it is disputing in the US.
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
QoS added to network certificates

The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) has expanded its certification programme to include quality of service parameters in network kit.
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
Virtualisation is added to Novell SuSE servers

Novell is adding virtualisation technology from Virtual Iron Software to SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9. Virtual Iron's datacentre virtualisation and management platform will be pre-configured into the kernel that ships with the server.
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
Salaries and prospects: Consultants sitting pretty

Systems consultants are in the money with big pay rises contrasting with steady growth elsewhere. Nicholas Enticknap analyses the latest SSL/ Computer Weekly salary survey to discover the roles, skills and areas that offer the richest pickings
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
Police improve lead sharing

Police forces are now able to check whether another force holds information on an individual they are investigating.
February 13, 2006 13 Feb'06
HP splits handheld business to boost sales

Hewlett-Packard is splitting its handheld business away from the laptop business, in an attempt to become more focused and boost its sales in the flagging handheld market.
February 10, 2006 10 Feb'06
Virgin promises Wi-Fi to overcome connectivity problems

Virgin Trains is planning to roll out Wi-Fi services on its trains, despite many users of mobile data cards and even mobile phone users complaining of difficulties in getting an adequate connection on existing services.
February 09, 2006 09 Feb'06
IBM develops blade server-based on “cell” technology

IBM has developed a blade server based on its Cell Broadband Engine, a microprocessor that will power Sony’s Playstation 3, due out later this year.
February 09, 2006 09 Feb'06
Google adds to Desktop search software

Google is today expected to release new features in its free desktop search program.
February 09, 2006 09 Feb'06
French bank accounts targeted by Russian virus gangs

Russian criminal gangs have used sophisticated virus programs to steal more than £600,000 from personal bank accounts across France.
February 08, 2006 08 Feb'06
HP water-cooled rack system aims to boost efficiency of blade farms

Hewlett-Packard has launched a water cooling system that could address the problem of overheating blade servers and cut datacentre running costs.
February 07, 2006 07 Feb'06
BT offers firms cheaper mobile calls with Fusion

BT has made its BT Fusion fixed mobile convergence (FMC) platform available to businesses, with the promise of cheaper mobile phone costs.
February 07, 2006 07 Feb'06
Intel continues reduced power consumption drive

Intel is working on two new manufacturing and design processes to improve transistor power efficiency and reduce motherboard power consumption.
February 07, 2006 07 Feb'06
IT 'not to blame' for Kinnect flop

Lloyd's of London should not blame technology for the failure of its electronic trading platform, according to law firm Barlow Lyde and Gilbert. The exchange pulled the plug on the £70m Kinnect system last week.
February 06, 2006 06 Feb'06
News in brief

Brief takes on the week's news
February 06, 2006 06 Feb'06
NEC unveils new fault-tolerant server range

NEC is introducing a range of fault-tolerant servers that use Intel’s dual-core Xeon processors.
February 03, 2006 03 Feb'06
Firefox browser patched for eight security holes

The open source Mozilla Foundation has patched its Firefox 1.5 browser to fix eight potential security vulnerabilities.
February 03, 2006 03 Feb'06
Apple sued over iPod hearing loss

A Louisiana man has filed a class action suit against Apple, claiming the company has failed to take adequate steps in preventing hearing loss among its growing army of iPod digital music player customers.
February 02, 2006 02 Feb'06
Itanium cited as offering success for servers

A new IDC study has found that technologies such as Linux and Itanium will gain in popularity in the business critical solutions arena.
February 02, 2006 02 Feb'06
Government gets tough on computer crime

The government has proposed sharply increasing penalties for computer crime, taking the maximum penalty for unauthorised modification of a computer from five to 10 years.
February 01, 2006 01 Feb'06
Google continues sales and profits growth

Google has continued its sales and profits growth by reporting an 86% increase in sales for the fourth quarter ended 31 December, but the shares fell as the search engine giant missed analyst’s expectations.
February 01, 2006 01 Feb'06
New ThinkPads bundled with Vodafone

Lenovo is the second laptop manufacturer to announce that it will incorporate Vodafone’s 3G mobile data technology into its machines.
February 01, 2006 01 Feb'06
Israeli Trojan espionage writers extradited for trial

A London-based Israeli couple at the centre of one of the world's largest industrial espionage and computer hacking scandals have been extradited to Israel to face trial.
January 31, 2006 31 Jan'06
IBM plans launch of next generation blades

IBM is believed to be planning the launch of its next generation of blade servers next week, as it attempts to stay number one in the market ahead of Hewlett-Packard.
January 31, 2006 31 Jan'06
HP launches new datacentre cooling system

Hewlett-Packard plans to start selling water cooling systems next week to address power and heat problems caused by ever-more-powerful servers in datacentres.
January 31, 2006 31 Jan'06
Firms warned of stealth virus risk

Businesses are at risk from a new generation of targeted stealth viruses as organised criminal groups exploit weaknesses in corporate systems to steal sensitive data for profit, security experts have warned.
January 31, 2006 31 Jan'06
Reforms to Computer Misuse Act close gaps and increase penalties

The government has announced legislation to toughen the Computer Misuse Act by increasing the maximum jail sentence for hackers and strengthening legal protection against denial of service attacks.
January 30, 2006 30 Jan'06
BT VoIP service hit by outage

Thousands of BT’s broadband voice over IP subscribers were cut off from the service last week.