Gateway showed off the latest addition to its line of notebook computers Wednesday at the Microsoft Small Business Summit in Redmond, WA. The CX200, Gateway's new convertible notebook with a 14-inch display, also comes in at a competitive price compared with other Tablet PCs at $1099 USD.

The company says it is aiming the notebook at students and home users rather than business users that have predominantly been the target market for tablets.

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Computer Associates on Wednesday said that it would open up 14 of its patents to the open source community, as well as announcing a cross-licensing deal with IBM. CA said that it was joining IBM, which pledged 500 patents earlier this year, in calling for a "patent commons" for open source developers. The patents cover application development, systems and network management, and business intelligence.

IBM and CA will also exchange license rights that would make it easier for customers of the two companies to access free intellectual property. "[The agreement] will stimulate the development of new solutions and enable the flexible combination of products from both companies in an on-demand environment," Mark Barrenechea, executive vice president at CA, said.

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"Today's business software doesn't look enough like today's businesses," says Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. With that in mind, Redmond has unveiled a new platform designed specifically for midsize companies, which combines the next-generation Windows Server with Exchange and new management tools.

The midsize, or midmarket, segment is defined as organizations with between 25 and 500 PCs. Software companies have often ignored this market, instead building products designed for large enterprises or small businesses. But the number of midsized companies is rapidly growing, while IT options remain limited.

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Saying any public release of its source code has "far-reaching implications for the protection of our intellectual property rights around the world," Microsoft appealed a European Union ruling that would force the company to share the bits behind certain Windows networking protocols.

"Microsoft has filed an application for annulment with the Court of First Instance specifically concerning the issue of broad licenses in source code form of communications protocols which are based upon Microsoft's intellectual property," a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed.

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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has issued an executive memo explaining the company's new push to deliver software that targets small and midsize businesses. Read on for a transcript of the memo, which coincides with the start of the Microsoft Business Summit in Redmond.

Together, We Build Business

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At the company's Business Summit Wednesday, Microsoft formally unveiled a new accounting software package aimed at small and midsize businesses. Small Business Accounting 2006 is Microsoft's first shot at unseating market leader Intuit, which recently completed work on QuickBooks 2006.

On its own, Small Business Accounting 2006 will run $179.99 USD before a $30 mail-in rebate. A larger Small Business Management bundle adds the four Office System components -- Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint -- for $569.99 USD, with an upgrade available for $399.99 USD. A $100 mail-in rebate is available for the full package.

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Corel on Tuesday announced new versions of both Paint Shop Pro and Photo Album, the first updates to either product since the company acquired the titles in October 2004 through the purchase of Jasc Software.

Corel says the focus behind Paint Shop Pro X is ease of use. This is evidenced by the addition of the "Integrated Learning Center." The tools included in this area will help to create professional-looking results regardless of experience level.

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Microsoft is donating money and resources to aid the recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, including nearly $1 million in cash and the loaning of three buses equipped with satellite systems to aid in emergency communications.

Microsoft says it is working with state and local governments, as well as businesses and educational institutions, to repair damaged IT infrastructure. Also, the company is assisting the Red Cross in developing a technology plan to ensure smooth communications between the organization's 240 relief centers.

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Parents worried about where their kids are driving will appreciate the latest service now being offered by SkyTel, a division of MCI. The unit has launched the SkyTel Guard, a wireless device placed in the car that transmits location, speed and information on the vehicle to a secure Web site.

The Web site allows users to set up allowed and restricted areas of travel, as well as methods to alert parents of unusual activity. Doors can also be locked and unlocked remotely and users can disable a vehicle's starter to prevent the car from starting once it has been turned off.

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Court documents publicly released late last week in the increasingly nasty battle between Microsoft and Google over the hiring of Kai-Fu Lee include an outburst by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer where he vowed to "kill" Google.

Mark Lucovsky, a senior engineer who left Microsoft in November 2004, recounted his conversation with Ballmer in a statement to the court. "Just tell me it's not Google," Ballmer said. Lucovsky claimed that when he confirmed that he was leaving for Google, Ballmer reacted violently.

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VoIP provider Vonage said on Tuesday that it now has one million customers on its service, the first Internet telephony provider to cross that mark. "In a very short time, Vonage has woken up a dormant telecommunications industry and sparked a tidal wave of change; activating over one million lines is both a milestone for Vonage and the industry," said Vonage CEO Jeffrey Citron.

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There is still no agreement in the fight to become the de-facto standard for next generation DVDs, but at least one company is preparing itself for the possibility of competing technologies and will produce a DVD player that will be able to play both Blu-ray and HD-DVD formats.

A Samsung executive told the Financial Times Deutschland that while the company is pushing for a single standard, it is ready to produce a player that would be compatible with both formats.

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Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun said on Monday that Sony was in talks with Apple to launch a joint music service to bring the company's large portfolio of Japanese artists to iPod users. A Sony spokesperson confirmed that the two sides had indeed started talks.

While such a move may surprise some, as Apple and Sony are rivals in the competitive digital music industry, it appears Sony is willing to set aside any differences in order to allow iPod users access to its artists. The company says that over 25,000 songs could be made available through such a deal.

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Microsoft on Tuesday introduced six new mice and two keyboards as part of a revamped hardware lineup that features high-definition optics and advanced ergonomics. The new arrivals include Microsoft's first wired laser mouse designed specifically for gaming.

Three of Microsoft's new mice are for notebook users. The $54.95 USD Wireless Notebook Laser Mouse 6000, $44.95 USD Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 4000, and $34.95 USD Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 all boast a magnifying tool and new Tilt Wheel while remaining compact for those on the go.

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TiVo on Tuesday launched its latest promotion aimed at enticing new users to the service, offering its 40-hour digital video recorder for $49.99 after a $150 mail in rebate.

The company also announced two contests, one to search for a TiVo evangelist to spread the word about the product, and another that would enter current subscribers who refer new customers to the service into a weekly drawing for $1,000.

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