The leader of Microsoft's Server and Tools Business goes out with a slap in the face.

In an executive e-mail released by Microsoft today, CEO Steve Ballmer revealed Bob Muglia's departure. The Microsoft veteran played an essential role building up the Server and Tools Business division, and he is popular with software developers. Muglia joined Microsoft in 1988 and became president of the Server and Tools Business two years ago this month.

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The Visteon iPad dock provides a charging cradle for Apple's "I look cool" device. However, what's really cool about this product is its communicating with the vehicle's computer via a completely wireless network. Control of the HVAC, radio, phone and navigation system is possible from any seat in or out of the vehicle.

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I see over on Business Insider that AT&T's PR boss is already bashing the Verizon iPhone that will be announced [this] week.

AT&T should shut up.

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By just about every measure, 2010 was a great year for Google -- perhaps its best ever. So I'm surprised to have read over the last 10 days or so, several commentaries and punditries asserting that Google has slowed down and is losing its competitive edge. These prognosticators of Google doom are fraking crazy. Anyone who asserts that Google has lost its mojo is simply and absolutely clueless.

Google is on a roll and showing its mojo everywhere. No tech company on the planet is iterating products and services faster than Google. Not a week goes by when Google isn't announcing something new somewhere. Perhaps some of Google's critics aren't paying close enough attention, since there are few Apple-like media events, which draw lots of attention.

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Parrot Electronics showcases its new Asteroid single din head unit running the Android operating system using an ARM 9 processor at roughly 500 MHz. Music, Bluetooth, Navigation, USB connectivity and an integrated amplifier all fit in a form factor less than 5-inches deep. Best of all, the unit will be open for community application development.

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Two of the world's top four mobile phone makers hold their prestigious positions with almost no presence in the United States at all, but one of them looks to have what it takes to make a strong impression in the U.S. in the not too distant future.

I'm talking about Nokia and ZTE, who each enjoy massive popularity in Europe and Asia, but who have remained relatively silent in the states. Judging by ZTE's performance at the end of 2010, and its presence at CES 2011 this week, however, the Chinese telecommunications company will be stepping up its brand in the United States in a big way when the transition to 4G technology is in full swing.

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Sean Clark, from mp3Car.ccom, interviews Chris Demeniuk from Ford about the application design process for vehicles. Simplicity, usability, and engineering with the end user in mind are all important themes when creating a Human Machine Interface.

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In an interview with the BBC, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the Kinect motion control interface released in 2010 for the Xbox 360 will be coming to PCs "in the right time."

But Belgian middleware company SoftKinetic might just beat Microsoft to the punch with its own white-label gesture interface for Atom-based PCs and set-top boxes.

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Rob Wray, from mp3Car, shows off the Visteon C-Beyond car. The center console has a thermal IR sensor that detects your hand location and opens and closes the console compartment automatically according to hand movement.

Adjustable ambient lighting can be changed based on the passenger's mood. Motion sensing lighting can aid passengers in finding lost items at night as the floor can illuminate based on hand gestures. "Vertical Air Flow" eliminates the need for conventional HVAC vents on the dash. Individual zones of the vehicle are more easily climate controlled based around circular ceiling and floor modules. A Windows PC and Centrafuse front end controls all of the technology.

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Rob Wray, from mp3Car, speaks with Mikael Soderberg, from Pelagicore, to discuss two new vehicle hardware setups.

First, the ARM processor of the Beagleboard C4 is paired with a daughterboard from Pelagicore to enable easy communication with systems in the vehicle including the MOST, CAN, & LIN protocols. AM/FM radio integration, Bluetooth and power management capabilities are also integrated.

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Verizon isn't taking any shit from Apple.

Late yesterday, the wireless carrier set Wall Street and the Web abuzz with invitations to a mysterious January 11 event in New York. Several Apple journalists reported receiving the invites, including veteran Mac reporter Jim Dalrymple (disclosure: we're friends, and I hope will still be after this post). The timing fits with other rumors about the imminent launch of iPhone 4 -- let's call it iPhone 4.5 for this post -- on Verizon Wireless. I say iPhone 4.5, because this isn't your daddy's GSM handset. Verizon's network is CDMA, and it's moving to LTE.

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All of the e-readers that use legitimate "e paper" and not some other display type license their technology from the E Ink Corporation. It's the high-visibility screen technology used in the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, the original Nook, and many more.

Late in 2010, E Ink debuted an active matrix color E Ink technology called Triton, and Chinese manufacturer Hanvon jumped on board as the first adopter of the new screens.

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What would another day be without somebody, somewhere having some kind of inside information -- from (gasp) unnamed, so-called reliable sources -- that the iPhone is coming to Verizon? Next year. Next month. Next week. Next day. Next minute. Two new dates have popped up -- January 11 and February 3 -- over the last 24 hours. Could it all be true this time?

January 11 is interesting if no other reason than it's closer. Today, several journalists received invitations to a special, unnamed Verizon event in New York City next week. My buddy Jim Dalrymple received an invite. He writes: "While it doesn't mention anything about Apple this could be the Verizon iPhone." TechCrunch's MG Siegler got one, too. Now there's someone who is an Apple hugger du jour.

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Some are calling the year 2011 the year of the tablet, and from the looks of what's coming out of CES this week it certainly seems the case. For much of 2010, Apple's iPad ruled the roost and sold an estimated 10 million units.

The only serious competitor to appear was Samsung's Galaxy Tab, which debuted in September and sold 600,000 units in its first month alone. The success of the Tab showed that there may be a market for an iPod competitor, which should be heartening to these new entrants.

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Although not available yet, the Foryou Electronics double din unit in this video features the Android 2.2 operating system. With it, a plethora of app possibilities can now exist in the vehicle, with a user interface conducive to in-vehicle use. Bluetooth, music, email, radio, internet access, and a fast processor are now all easily possible from your dash.

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