IBM and Lehman create $180M China venture fund ... Microsoft offers free SMB software

HIGHLIGHTS

News: IBM and Lehman Brothers create $180 million China venture fund
News: Plunging desktop demand could mean bargains for users
News: Microsoft offers free small-business software
News: Seagate tries again with encrypted drive
Opinion: Smaller, Cooler Blades
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: 10 seriously cool workplaces


NEWS UPDATES

IBM and Lehman Brothers create $180 million China venture fund
IBM Corp. and investment bank Lehman Brothers Inc. have set up a $180 million fund to invest in Chinese companies to help them transform themselves through the adoption of information technology and new business practices.

Plunging desktop demand could mean bargains for users
Demand for desktop PC motherboards "is falling off a cliff" in late October as users put off purchases until the Windows Vista OS launches in January, investment banking firm Goldman Sachs said Saturday.

Microsoft offers free small-business software
Microsoft Corp. has turned its accounting suite for small businesses into two separate offerings, one of which users can download for free starting Monday.

Seagate tries again with encrypted drive
Beginning early next year, Seagate Technology LLC will begin shipping its first widely available hard drives with built-in encryption.

Microsoft's new browser haunted by old flaw
A security problem originally found in Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer 6 browser has returned to haunt IE7, the new version of the browser launched two weeks ago, a security consultant said Monday.

Red Hat defends support while buying back stock
The board of Linux distributor Red Hat Inc. has decided to buy back some of the company's stock to shore up its share price in the wake of a competitive blow from Oracle Corp.


OPINION

Smaller, Cooler Blades
By James Gaskin

I drove to Houston a couple of weeks ago to see HP, and take a tour of their factory where servers are stuffed into racks and cabinets. Let me start by talking about their new blade servers, and next week I'll tell you about my Factory Express tour.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Seagate develops drive with built-in encryption ... Online game retailer shut down by Sony lawsuit ... Intel to close Cambridge R&D lab


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
Top 10 Apple innovations ... 10 secrets to better memory use ... 10 HDTV myths ... Top 10 most effective ab exercises ... 10 seriously cool workplaces