Microsoft has announced a new version of Office that will join its repertoire in late 2005, called Office for Small Business Management. The suite, code-named Magellan, takes on small business rival Intuit by bundling an accounting package and an improved Business Contact Manager for Outlook, alongside the standard Office System wares.

Microsoft is seeking beta testers for the new release, and is offering $300 American Express gift cards and a final boxed copy of Office for Small Business Management as a carrot those who submit at least five bug reports and complete two surveys.

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After announcing a $536 million cash infusion by Microsoft, Novell has unveiled its desktop operating system for businesses - based on Linux. Built atop SuSE Enterprise Server, Novell Desktop Linux 9 features leading open source applications such as OpenOffice.org and Firefox alongside enterprise features such as ZENworks, Novell's administration tool for Linux networks.

Taking a different approach from Linux vendors such as Linspire, Novell said its desktop offering is not meant as a substitute for Windows. Instead, the company is going after cost-conscious businesses interested in replacing expensive UNIX workstations, as well as special-purpose applications such as informational kiosks.

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Microsoft has agreed to pay Novell $536 million in cash in order to settle a longstanding antitrust dispute regarding the company's NetWare operating system. The two companies, however, could not reach a resolution regarding Microsoft's alleged predatory tactics against Novell's WordPerfect software -- now owned by Corel -- in the mid-1990s, and Novell will this week file suit seeking unspecified damages.

In April, Microsoft announced a similar settlement with Sun for $700 million, which was bolstered by another $900 million for patent licenses from Sun. Ostensibly taking a page from Sun's playbook, Novell has left the door open to sue over outstanding patent claims in addition to WordPerfect.

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As it continues to move forward on the development of Tiger, Apple has updated its current Mac OS X release to version 10.3.6. The Panther refresh includes bug fixes, application updates, as well as networking improvements. Safari has been tweaked to no longer time out after 60 seconds when connecting to a Web site. Apple has additionally bundled its latest security fixes with the 10.3.6 update, which is available via Software Update. For more information, visit Apple Support.

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MSN Direct customers will soon have an added feature on their Smart Watches - local movie listings. Provided by CinemaSource, the new movie channel allows subscribers to track up to 10 theaters and easily find showtimes starting November 8. The MSN Direct addition becomes the latest effort by Microsoft to ramp up its Smart Personal Objects Technology (SPOT) initiative. Watch makers Fossil and Swatch recently unveiled sleeker models that support the MSN service.

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At the RSA Conference in Barcelona, Microsoft announced beta availability of Windows Rights Management Services (RMS) Service Pack 1. RMS, which drew concern after its 2003 debut, is designed to lock down sensitive documents such as e-mails from prying eyes.

SP1 enhances protection through the use of smart cards, and more efficiently manages usage rights through Active Directory. In addition, RMS no longer requires a connection to the Internet or dependency on a third party like Microsoft.

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Following Apple's recent launch of the iTunes Music Store for the European Union, Microsoft has announced its MSN Music download service is available in eight new countries. Individual songs range from 99 euro cents to 1.29 euros, slightly more pricey than those from iTunes. Microsoft partnered with CDON.com to bring MSN Music to Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland; Spain, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland stores were launched through an arrangement with OD2. MSN Music is now offered in a total of 17 countries.

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A North Carolina man has become the latest example of Virginia's crackdown on spam, after being found guilting for sending hundreds of thousands of unwanted advertising e-mails. Jeremy Jaynes, considered one of the top ten spammers in the world by Spamhaus, was sentenced to nine years in prison. "This is a major victory for Virginians and all Americans," said Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore in a statement.

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Apple has officially downplayed concerns over the "Opener" malware program designed for Mac OS X, rejecting reports by antivirus companies.

Opener, also called Renepo, cropped up in late October after a Mac Web site posted details of its malicious tact to disable the OS X firewall and copy user information to a publicly shared folder. But users were split on the program's significance, as Opener is simply a Mac-tailored UNIX shell script and requires administrator access to function.

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DE Technologies, a small Virginia company, is taking computer giant Dell to court claiming infringement of a patent that covers all international commerce via computers. According to the Wall Street Journal, DE Technologies was granted the patent in 2002 despite it being cited in a Congressional debate as an example of the out-of-control patent office issuing obvious and broad patents. Long before it was even granted, DE prepared to license the patent to companies doing business outside the U.S., in exchange for a small percentage of sales, or threaten litigation.

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Tim O'Reilly, open source advocate and founder of O'Reilly Media, has disputed a report by Reuters stating that Google plans to bring its Desktop Search utility to Apple's Mac OS X. O'Reilly -- who asked Google CEO Eric Schmidt whether not to expect a Mac version during a conference at UCLA -- said in a posting to Ars Technica that Schmidt only explained it was a hard problem due to operating system differences. "He made no announcement of actual plans to deliver the product, or even that Google was actively working on it," said O'Reilly.

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The European Commission plans to send official objections to a proposed joint takeover of ContentGuard Holdings by Microsoft and Time Warner, according to Reuters.

ContentGuard offers technology to prevent copying of protected files and has created eXtensible rights Markup Language (XrML), which it is pushing for industry adoption. The company was spun off from Xerox, which plans to retain a small investment.

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After participation that has "exceeded expectations," Microsoft is expanding its Windows Genuine Advantage pilot, which requires users to validate their Windows license in exchange for special perks at the Microsoft Download Center. Changes to the program include added languages and exclusive access to software.

"To help differentiate the value of genuine Windows from counterfeit versions, Microsoft will now make a variety of special software offerings available exclusively to customers who validate as genuine," a Microsoft spokesperson explained to BetaNews.

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Sony is gearing up to take on Nintendo's DS in the battle for handheld gaming dominance. The company announced it will deliver its PlayStation Portable, or PSP, in Japan on December 12 for the equivalent of $185 USD. Sony says 21 games will be available at launch. With a large high-resolution screen and new optical media format, the PSP can also be used for music and movies - although battery life of the device is only four to six hours. While a US debut of the PSP is still up in the air, rival Nintendo is taking an opposite approach; the DS will be first available in the US in mid-November for $150 USD.

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XM Radio subscribers no longer have to be tied to their desks or car seats, as automotive and electronic manufacturer Delphi has unveiled a portable XM satellite radio called MyFi. The handheld MyFi works on the run to receive 130 digital XM channels anywhere in the US, and includes a memory mode to schedule recordings of shows for later listening. The built-in rechargeable battery provides 5 hours of mobile playback, although a car and home kit are also included with the $350 USD price tag. MyFi will be available at major retailers in early December.

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