HTC launches Microsoft-based iPhone rival

HIGHLIGHTS

News: HTC launches Microsoft-based iPhone rival
News: TECH ED: Microsoft to update Web conferencing service
News: Salesforce.com, Google release first joint product
News: Ask.com revamps search engine
News: Software more art than science, says Microsoft's Mundie
Computex Roundup: Via NanoBook takes aim at ultramobile market
Computex Roundup: Via develops namecard-sized PC board
Computex Roundup: Bearlake chipsets hit the market
Computex Roundup: Acer wheels out Ferrari PDA
Computex Roundup: Asustek and Intel working on $199 laptop
Computex Roundup: Server makers show first Barcelona systems
ITWhirled: Cell phone slows bullet, saves amputee


NEWS UPDATES

HTC launches Microsoft-based iPhone rival
High Tech Computer Corp. announced the HTC Touch, a Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Professional OS device designed with one-touch screen features giving users instant access to emails, contacts and appointments.


TECH ED: Microsoft to update Web conferencing service
Microsoft Corp. plans to offer a few more details Tuesday on the upcoming version of its hosted Web conferencing offering, Microsoft Office Live Meeting 2007.


Salesforce.com, Google release first joint product
Salesforce.com Inc. and Google Inc. announced a strategic global partnership Tuesday, but it wasn't the widely expected tight integration between Google Apps and Salesforce.com's hosted CRM (customer relationship management) software. Instead, the two vendors brought out their first jointly developed and co-marketed product combining Google AdWords with Salesforce on-demand CRM.


Ask.com revamps search engine
Ask.com is making another major attempt to attract more people to its search engine, as its years-long, unsuccessful struggle to boost its usage market share continues.


Software more art than science, says Microsoft's Mundie
Ever wondered why Microsoft software needs continually to be patched and updated? Microsoft Corp.'s Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie believes it's because software development is still more an art than a science.


COMPUTEX ROUNDUP

The annual Computex exhibition in Taiwan, which started today, offers a clear view of what we can expect in new computer systems over the next year. Considered an important barometer of hardware trends, this is where some of the largest companies that manufacture and supply many of the components and finished computers sold by HP, Dell, and others show off their latest and greatest products. This week's ITworld.com Daily Newsletters will highlight news coming out of the show.

COMPUTEX: Via NanoBook takes aim at ultramobile market
Via Technologies Inc. has developed an ultraportable notebook reference design that will soon hit European markets.


COMPUTEX: Via develops namecard-sized PC board
Taiwan's Via Technologies Inc. has a knack for making motherboards smaller, and its latest design pushes the boundary of what's possible further than ever before.


COMPUTEX: Bearlake chipsets hit the market
Motherboards that use Intel Corp.'s 3-series chipsets, codenamed Bearlake, seem to be everywhere at the Computex exhibition -- signalling they will soon find their way to store shelves and hardware makers around the world.


COMPUTEX: Acer wheels out Ferrari PDA
Acer Inc. plans to start selling a Ferrari PDA (personal digital assistant), adding to a line of Ferrari-branded computer gear that already includes notebook PCs and a monitor.


COMPUTEX: Asustek and Intel working on $199 laptop
Taiwanese hardware maker Asustek Computer Inc. is working with Intel Corp. on a line of notebook PCs priced as low as US$199, according to one of the chipmaker's top executives.


COMPUTEX: Server makers show first Barcelona systems
Server makers are showing their first systems based on Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s upcoming quad-core Opteron chip, known as Barcelona.


ITWHIRLED

Cell phone slows bullet, saves amputee
If you had to bet in a battle between an armed burglar and a recent amputee whose only weapon was his crutch, you'd probably put your money on the guy with the gun. But that calculus doesn't take the amputee's faithful cell phone into account. Roger Baxter survived the fight because his cell phone slowed the burglar's bullet before it entered his body. "I just got it programmed," Baxter lamented.