Zend Technologies is releasing the 1.7 update of Zend Framework (ZF), the open source, object-oriented web application framework implemented in PHP 5 and developed with the goal of simplifying web development. There are many improvements, but this includes Twitter support. In version 1.7 Twitter can be used within a Zend-based application instead of requiring the Twitter interface. (more…)

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer characterized Windows 7 as an improved version of Windows Vista this week, prompting the question of why consumers and businesses should adopt Microsoft’s current operating system, says PC Magazine.  Speaking at a Gartner-sponsored conference in Florida, Ballmer was asked what would make consumers and businesses buy Vista. The interview, held between Ballmer and Gartner analysts Neal MacDonald and David Smith, was published on the Gartner Web site. (more…)

Symbian CEO Nigel Clifford used this morning’s opening keynote address at the Symbian Smartphone show in London to call on developers from across the computing and software world to focus on the new Symbian Foundation platform. “The eco-system is now bigger than Symbian,” Clifford said. He described the Symbian Foundation as being aimed at attracting developers who had previously been put off from developing for the mobile industry due to complex terms and conditions and licensing issues. (more…)

Openwave Systems just announced the launch of the Openwave Mobile Analytics service, which combines the expertise of the company’s professional services with the analytics and reporting capabilities of Openwave’s analytics solution. This includes the Mobile Business Intelligence (MBI) module, which characterizes mobile internet traffic, including subscriber access to URLs, the duration of website visits and how frequently subscribers are accessing social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Mobile Analytics also includes the Openwave Behavioral Targeting module, which correlates data from a carrier’s subscriber demographics and classifies website traffic to create behavioral categories of subscribers that can be used to develop targeted marketing and advertising campaigns. (more…)

MiTAC International launched Spirit software to provide consumers with a greater ability to explore more. Spirit was created with a massive investment of resources and in-depth consumer research. The success of the software development will be a breakthrough in navigation providing a much more intuitive interface and menu system, requiring fewer clicks for all functions. Spirit will be applied to new Navman S100 products and all new Mio products across the globe from 2009. (more…)

Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest developer of software, plans to unveil more details regarding its Windows 7 operating system and even provide select software developers pre-beta versions of the forthcoming OS in late October at its Professional Developers Conference, says X-bit.

Microsoft recently announced that at this year’s PDC, keynote attendees will be among the first to receive the pre-beta build of Windows 7.  Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to attend 21 different sessions that drill down into the details of developing for Windows 7. (more…)

Microsoft announced the release to manufacturing of Microsoft SQL Server 2008, the new version of the company’s acclaimed data management and business intelligence platform. This version of SQL Server provides powerful new capabilities such as support for policy-based management, auditing, large-scale data warehousing, geospatial data, and advanced reporting and analysis services. SQL Server 2008 provides the trusted, productive and intelligent platform necessary for business-critical applications. (more…)

The WordPress for iPhone App is nearly ready to go.  It supports WordPress.com blogs as well as self-hosted WordPress.org blogs running version 2.5.1 or newer. (more…)

Google announced that registration is now open for Google Code Jam 2008. Programmers ready to use their coding skills, creativity, and ingenuity to solve a series of challenges can register at http://code.google.com/codejam. The top 500 contestants will win an all expenses paid trip to the semifinals at regional Google offices, with the top 100 advancing to the grand final at Google’s Mountain View headquarters. (more…)

Google Docs users can open and see PDF files, but Google hasn’t yet built in search or zoom abilities. People using the service now can upload and view documents encoded with the widely used and now standardized Portable Document Format initially created by Adobe Systems. People also can transfer PDFs stored on the Web