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Consumers warned second-hand Xbox 360s may be modified

Dinah Greek — 2009-11-12T16:48:00.000Z

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Thursday 12 November 2009 at 16:48:00

Forums report flood of games consoles for sale following ban

Consumers are being warned to be careful when buying second-hand Microsoft Xbox 360s because they may have been illegally modified to play pirated videogames.

The warnings being posted on forums follows news yesterday of the permanent ban imposed by Microsoft on modified consoles accessing the Xbox Live service.

There are an estimated 20 million people using the service to play games and it is believed that around one million modified consoles have already been barred.

The ban on these consoles is permanent so people who have modified their 360s will have to buy a new one if they wish to access the Xbox Live service in future.

However since news of the ban broke, forums are talking about advertising and listings sites such as Craigslist seeing the number of Xbox 360s for sale skyrocket.

Microsoft said in a statement: “Our commitment to combating piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox LIVE community remains a top priority.

“All consumers should know that piracy is illegal and that modifying their Xbox 360 console to play pirated discs violates the Xbox LIVE terms of use, will void their warranty and result in a ban from Xbox LIVE.

"The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them.

The consoles can still play games offline but if a person inadvertently buys a modified console they will not be able to access or use the Microsoft Live gaming service.

The move to stamp out the trade in chips that allow people to play pirated video games has moved up a notch recently. Also Microsoft makes it clear in its terms and conditions that it modifying an Xbox console will result in a ban.

“…any attempt to disassemble, decompile, create derivative works of, reverse engineer, modify, further sublicense, distribute, or use for other purposes the Service, any game, application, or other content available or accessible through the Service, or any hardware or software associated with the Service or with an original Xbox or Xbox 360 console is strictly prohibited and may result in cancellation of your account and/or your ability to access the Service, and the pursuit of other legal remedies by Microsoft."

Although Microsoft would not comment on how it could tell if a console had been modified, gaming experts have said that people wanting to play pirated video games using the service will simply try to find another way around the ban.

French version of Wikia launches

Dinah Greek — 2009-11-12T12:09:00.000Z

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Thursday 12 November 2009 at 12:09:00

Creators of Wikipedia and Wikia take question and answer website to France

Wikia has launched the French version of its question and answer website.

Wikiréponses follows the same concept as the English, German, Italian and Spanish sites; letting people ask or answer questions on topics as diverse as travel, car repair, cuisine, entertainment, and games.

According to Wikia, the company set up by Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley, the latest incarnation of the community question and answer site has already captured a large audience.

Jimmy Wales said: “The response rate of nearly 80 per cent of the questions answered by the Wikia community demonstrates people’s interest in talking about what they know and, by doing so, helping others.”

“As home to some of the internet’s premier fan sites such as Lostpedia, Wikihowto and the Recipe Wiki, Wikia attracts people with broad interests, but they all have one thing in common: they are passionate about their interests and want to share their knowledge with others.”

Apple tipped to ship an international iPhone next year

Iain Thomson in San Francisco — 2009-11-12T04:21:00.000Z

Iain Thomson in San Francisco, V3.co.uk, Thursday 12 November 2009 at 04:21:00

Phone will work antime, anyplace, anywhere

Apple is said to be planning to release an international version of its iPhone handset next year that will work with 3G as well as CDMA2000 systems used predominantly in the US.

In a note to investors, Northeast Securities analyst Ashok Kumar said that the new phone would be using a hybrid chipset from Qualcomm and would be sold initially in the US via Verizon in the summer of next year.

If the phone does come into production it would be the first smartphone on the market capable of spanning different global networks.

The report backs up a similar note from analyst house OTR Global last week, which suggested that a "world phone" would be released by Apple in the third quarter of next year.

That report said that the new phone would be slightly smaller than existing iPhones, with a 2.8in display compared to the current 3.5in screen.

Gateshead gets superfast broadband

Tom Young — 2009-11-12T11:09:00.000Z

Tom Young, Computing, Thursday 12 November 2009 at 11:09:00

Council hopes the speed and quality of the network will bring businesses to the area

Gateshead Council has deployed a high speed broadband fibre network offering its business quarter speeds of up to 10Gb per second.

The network, known as G-ti, will be open access so any service provider can deliver any application to users. Gateshead Council hopes the speed and quality of the network will bring businesses to the area and encourage innovative start-ups.

Council lead Mick Henry said: "Gateshead Council is delighted to be at the forefront of broadband technology and leading the way by being the first

local authority to go live with a project like this."

The Council envisages businesses offering services such as video conferencing, video on demand, streaming media, data storage, disaster recovery and image processing could be interested.

The network was developed in partnership with Alcatel-Lucent and the Community Broadband Network which helps develop local broadband schemes.

"G-ti is a great project, adding to the growing patchwork of next generation broadband initiatives around the country," said Malcolm Corbett, chief executive of the Community Broadband Network.

The government estimates that up to a third of the country does not have access to super fast broadband and is instigating a 50p levy on phone bills to provide universal coverage.

The Conservatives have promised to abolish the levy should they win power next year.

A number of local projects have sprung up to fill the market gap in the third of homes and business not currently being reached, including projects in Bournemoth, Dundee and Northampton.

Innocents to be kept on DNA database for six years

Tom Young — 2009-11-11T15:27:00.000Z

Tom Young, Computing, Wednesday 11 November 2009 at 15:27:00

Length halved from 12 years after pressure from opposition and campaigners

The DNA of people arrested in England and Wales and then found innocent will no longer be held for more than six years, according to the BBC.

Currently the DNA of those arrested for a crime but not convicted can be held on the database indefinitely.

But the European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that this was illegal.

The Home Office then announced plans to keep the DNA of those cleared of crimes on the DNA database for a minimum of 12 years. This has now been reduced to six years after pressure from opposition parties and campaigners.

But the new proposals will allow police to keep DNA from those arrested for terrorism for an indefinite period, even if they are freed or found not guilty.

Almost a million of the six million profiles on the database are thought to belong to innocent people.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said the package of proposed reforms will protect privacy - while still allowing police to use DNA to solve crime.

The current database has helped detect 300,000 crimes over a decade - 0.68 per cent of all crimes.

Between April and September 2009 the National DNA Database produced 112 matches to murders, 286 to rapes and 17,984 to other crimes.

Singleton sells Simplicity PC to silver surfers

Tom Royal — 2009-11-11T17:05:00.000Z

Tom Royal, Computeractive, Wednesday 11 November 2009 at 17:05:00

PCs run simplified operating system and include instructional videos

Simplicity Computers, a new company whose directors include former Blue Peter presenter Valerie Singleton, has launched a range of PCs designed for people aged over 50 and who have no computer experience.

The 'Simplicity' computers do not run Windows, instead using a version of the free Linux operating system and a special simplified interface called Eldy.

Eldy provides a way to send and receive emails, surf the web and create simple text documents. It has a simple interface based around large buttons, but the size of the text cannot be further increased by the user.

The computers also include 17 video tutorials, presented by Ms Singleton, explaining how to use each part of the software. When started up for the first time the computer automatically plays the introductory video, which demonstrates how to use the keyboard and mouse.

Two models are available. The Simplicity 100 uses an AMD Sempron processor, while the smaller Simplicity 200 uses a dual-core Intel Atom chip. Both are sold alone, for £299 and £389 respectively, or in a kit with a screen, keyboard and mouse for £436 and £526.

Both the Linux Mint operating system and a different version of the Eldy software used by the Simplicity computers can be downloaded at no cost, but Simplicity Computers say the inclusion of training videos with each PC mean its computers will cost less than a Windows computer and the training needed to use it.

"Our tuition is included in the price," said company director Guy Wigley. " We think we are saving people at least £200 per machine."

The computers have been generally well received by groups representing older computer users.

"It is pricey," said Bob Holmes of Digital Unite, organisers of Silver Surfers' Day, "but my feeling is that it would encourage people put off by the complexity of Windows PCs to use a computer."

A spokesperson for Age Concern said: "Anything that simplifies and facilitates older people getting online is to be applauded, and will help to bridge the digital divide between those who are online and those who miss out on all the benefits the internet has to offer."

[Updated 12/11/09 - amended information about Eldy software]

Court of Appeal clarifies video games copyright

Dinah Greek — 2009-11-11T14:18:00.000Z

Dinah Greek, Computeractive, Wednesday 11 November 2009 at 14:18:00

Paves the way for more prosecutions as games industry battles pirate and counterfeit video games

A Hereford man has lost his appeal in the Court of Appeal against a conviction for selling illegal computer modification chips.

These chips, known as ‘modchips’, enable people to override technical measures to stop people playing counterfeit or pirate video games.

The ruling given yesterday to dismiss Christopher Paul Gilham’s appeal against his earlier conviction at Hereford Crown Court (19 September 2008) is seen as pivotal in the battle against copyright and chipping criminals.

The Court of Appeal found that associated copyrights are infringed by the playing of a counterfeit game on a chipped console.

The Court judged that characters such as Britain’s own Lara Croft are included within the copyright if their image from the playing of a game can be viewed as a result of chipping a console.

It concluded: that "it is not necessary in future to show that a substantial copy of the game is made in Random Access Memory (Ram); all that needs to be shown is that some copyright work contained within the video game is substantially copied eg the image of a game character."

The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (Elspa), the UK video games trade body, welcomed the court’s decision.

Michael Rawlinson, director general of Elspa, said: “Protecting intellectual property (IP) theft is an important issue for the country’s video games industry. This judgment strengthens copyright law and will be a significant step in helping us protect the industry.

“One behalf of the team in Elspa's IP Crime Unit, I would like to thank Worcestershire Trading Standards Office, which originally prosecuted Gilham, for their resolute efforts in this case.

Elspa strives to protect the interests of its members and we will continue to work hard to ensure that our members’ IP is fully safeguarded.”

It is estimated that criminal games copying and other illegal activities cost the video games industry in excess of £750m a year.

The Court of Appeal’s decision now paves the way for a number of future prosecutions by other Trading Standards Authorities that have been awaiting this result.

New BlackBerry targets business and consumer sectors

Iain Thomson in San Francisco — 2009-11-11T07:01:00.000Z

Iain Thomson in San Francisco, V3.co.uk, Wednesday 11 November 2009 at 07:01:00

New 9700 comes with trackpad and bigger battery

Research in Motion (RIM) is to release its BlackBerry 9700 mobile on European and US markets in the next two weeks, and is hoping the handset will bridge the divide between a business and consumer phone.

The 9700 is smaller than the company's previous keyboard handsets, but comes with a trackpad in place of RIM's traditional ball mouse. The company said the move was in part to counter clogging claims for its trackball and to also mimic the user experience of a laptop.

The phone will be released via AT&T and T-Mobile in the US and via T-Mobile in the UK.

By adding full support for RIM’s enterprise server software, the company is positioning the phone directly in the business space, but is also hoping the multimedia functions will appeal to the business buyer with an eye for consumer features.

The phone has a 3.2 megapixel digital camera capable of video and as 3G and Wi-Fi support.

“It is a crossover between a business handset to one that owners would feel comfortable using as a consumer phone,” said Blair Young, director of carrier products at RIM.