Today Google introduced a new social networking service called Buzz. Buzz works pretty well on the iPhone, Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms. If you're a webOS user, however, you're mostly out of luck.

Calling it "one of the most perverse things I have heard," the CIO of the U.K.'s Revenue and Customs branch said he was warned by Cabinet officials that if he were to find creative ways to cut his $1.2 billion IT budget by 50%, he would be dropped from a top-level group that shapes government purchasing policy and strategy.

When organizations migrate to cloud computing, most of the focus is on technology components such as security, automation, and policy management. There is, however, another key element that's necessary for a cloud model to work within enterprises, and it involves organizational behavior.

Street.com just released a list of "best and worst" healthcare IT stocks. You'd think with all the stimulus money being waved at healthcare providers to install e-health record systems over the next few years, all health IT stocks would be winners.

Google recently lowered the "equipment recovery fee" it is charging those who wish to break their Nexus One contracts early from $350 to $150. That's still $150 too much. Here's why.

Microsoft needs to bite the bullet and make a giant leap of faith if it wants Windows Mobile to remain a relevant platform. The best way for it to do so is to give up on what's been holding it back for years -- its dedicated support to legacy apps and ways of computing. Windows Mobile needs a complete redesign from the ground up and start anew.

Extending its wide-ranging strategic relationship with Vodafone, Oracle has picked the giant mobile-phone operator to supply more than 16,000 Oracle EMEA employees with voice, data, and management services.

Information about RIM's BIS 3.0 product has been leaked and it looks like users of the service will get better support for Gmail via its IMAP feature. That is good news for individuals and small companies using the device, but you are still married to BIS. The device cannot do much without it.

Under CIO Vivek Kundra, the federal government has launched Apps.gov, an online marketplace of software where federal agencies can find what they need, sometimes at bargain prices. But behind the scenes, it's made a much bigger bet on cloud computing. It's NASA's Nebula cloud at the Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.

Tech news sites have been buzzing about Google's plan to turn mobile phones into universal translators, based on a report in The Times.

In a conversation I had a few weeks ago with Pillar Data’s CEO, Mike Workman, we discussed his recent blog entry on the “Auto Tiering of Data”. In this blog he brings up several important considerations as vendors and users begin to examine automated tiering. One I’d like to elaborate on is QoS in Automated Tiering.

Google is prepared to update its Gmail service with a new social networking feature that will be make it behave more like Facebook or Twitter. Is this what we want clogging our inboxes, or will it be too distracting for those who rely on Gmail day in and day out?

Inside sources say that a major update is headed for the Motorola Droid. It will be bestowed with Android version 2.1, and with the update comes some major new features. Updated: The update is coming this week!

A small handful of mobile-related ads aired during Superbowl 44. Where they any good? Did they get the message across? Will they actually convert to sales? Or do all the companies involved need to fire their ad agencies?

Ralph Szygenda, General Motors' longtime CIO who retired late last year, is joining rapidly growing software firm iRise as a strategic consultant to create a CIO advisory council focused on defining and leading IT transformation and understanding the potential of enterprise visualization in those large-scale efforts.

A flurry of new rumors have been posted about Windows Mobile 7 just over a week before Mobile World Congress, where Microsoft is expected to announce the latest version of their mobile platform. Some of the information is welcome but other bits are surprising. Will they change your opinion of WinMo 7 if all of these are true?

Sometimes an idea is so crazy that you wonder how anyone ever had the nerve to say it out loud. That's how I feel about the comment attributed to Microsoft's Craig Mundie at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. How would an Internet driver's license ever be practical, or advisable?

It's once again travel time. Full disclosure: I was the first to publish an exploit against travel systems. Co-released with iDefense (since acquired by Symantec) this simple denial of service exploit was capable of halting operations at most airlines and airports in the United States.

Squeezing 2.2% revenue growth out of recession-racked 2009, SAS posted record revenue of $2.31 billion while plowing 23% of that total, or about $530 million, back into R&D. And the company also said it kept its promise on layoffs.

With major cyber-security initiatives by the Department of Homeland Security underway, and the U.S. House of Representatives passing nearly $400 million in IT security research, I wonder if the efforts are being placed where they are most needed, and if more would be achieved by focusing on application security - and unleashing the bug finders.

State of California CIO Teri Takai may be in line to become the Department of Defense’s next CIO, but Takai isn’t ready to admit it. “This is a rumor,” Takai says via e-mail. “I have lots to do in California and am working hard at it.”

Earlier this week, Google announced a new version of Maps for Mobile for the Android platform. That software went live in the Android Market today and offers Motorola Droid users a hidden feature: multitouch.

No high-flying Apple iPad type news, but the implications of some of this week's news could weigh heavily (good and bad) on enterprise IT managers. On today's Fritz & David Show Podcast, my colleague David Berlind and I discuss news of a successful Trusted Platform Module hack, as well as a Black Hat researcher's prediction of the end of anti-virus as an effective tool. We also discussed some significant news coming from Google, and we ranted about some of the recent mudslinging between Apple and Adobe.

Ex-Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz has Tweeted his resignation haiku, and now promises to return to blogging--now that he's no longer in a position of influence and power. And that's what's wrong with CEO bloggers.

In direct conflict with comments made yesterday by AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega about Sling Media, a company representative said that Sling Media didn't do anything to change its SlingPlayer Mobile app in order for it to work on AT&T's network.

Google has taken a lot of heat the last few weeks over its support -- or lack thereof -- for the Nexus One. Customers find dealing with Google's support forums to be lacking. Google hinted that it may be making some changes to better handle the situation.

Networks have been dealing with ever increasing data usage by customers with smartphones, particularly AT&T as the sole iPhone provider in the US. Now government officials are concerned that the iPad may actually threaten the national infrastructure.

The digital clues left by Apple haven't escaped the watchful eyes of the webosphere. Coders have found references to what is most likely the next version of the iPhone. Its killer feature? The ability to record HD video.

Google recently announced that it will be halting support for Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 for Google Docs and Sites. Google's not stopping there, however. Gmail and Google Calendar won't work with IE6 starting later this year.

Google has removed what for many CIOs and IT professionals has been one of the last remaining hurdles to their adoption of Google Apps for business documents, spreadsheets, presentations and probably most importantly: email. Yesterday, the biggest of the cloud-based challengers to Microsoft and IBM-Lotus announced it now has a range of Blackberry-esque mobile device management features (including the ability to remotely wipe a smartphone) for iPhones as well as Windows Mobile and Nokia-based devices.

In a just released report, IT security firm MANDIANT painfully breaks down the anatomy of the sophisticated threats targeting businesses and western governments. The company says the study is based on seven years of front-lines breach investigation for the public and private sector. It's worth a look.

If you're addicted to your SlingBox, here's some good news from AT&T. The company recently approved a new version of the SlingPlayer Mobile application to work over its 3G network, instead of just Wi-Fi. Now, SlingBox users can stream their content to their mobile phone wherever they happen to be.

Apple's iPhone has been an insanely popular device in the two and a half years since its release, but it may be showing signs that it has peaked. Even though the iPhone sold 18% more devices in Q4 2009 over Q3, the overall smartphone market increased 26% in the same time period.

A new analyst report estimates that state governments will lose a whopping $67 billion this year alone to waste, fraud and abuse in government benefit programs. Despite drives to make government more efficient, however, spending on BI and other tech that can sniff out and prevent overspending is increasing slower than you might expect.

Apple recently eased the restriction that prevented third-party app makers from enabling VoIP calls over 3G. With that restriction gone, all eyes have turned to Skype. The big question: When is Skype going to revise its iPhone app? The answer: Soon.

One week ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPad. Here are my reasons why I want an iPad and why it will be a big hit for mainstream consumers.

Palm shares surged over 7% yesterday after German Deutsche Bank raised their price target. Their analysts think Palm is at a good value to be absorbed by another company and there could be a bit of a premium for current shareholders. Would it make sense for someone else to get into the phone space this way?

Last year, Microsoft laid off some 800 employees in November. Don Dodge, director of business development for Microsoft's emerging business team, was one of them.

There is a case of piling on going on right now as it relates to cloud storage. While I agree that the term has been hijacked, stretched and bent by more than a few storage vendors, that does not mean that the whole concept is bad. While the name is as poorly chosen as “social media”, the concept is dead on.

Cisco India plans to double its workforce in the next 23 months from 5,000 to 10,000, but a company official expressed concern that the rapidly growing demand for IT talent in India could be outstripping supply. Cisco's plan comes as IBM and EMC are also undertaking massive expansion plans in India.

Nokia is pleased to crow about the initial success of its newly-free Ovi Maps software, which was downloaded 1 million times in the first week of availability. The total number of downloads of the mapping software has already reached 1.4 million.

Speaking on Good Morning America this morning during a report on the terror threat, former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke pegged cyberthreats as just as, if not more, serious than the next iteration of the underwear bomber. "Every day major corporations in the country lose their intellectual property, their corporate secrets, without even knowing it, to successful Chinese hacks" says Clarke. "This is the real big threat, because it takes away our economic advantage."

The news has been good lately for Google and its Chrome browser. The most important sign is that Chrome's market share has reached 5.2 percent according to NetApps. Despite that growth, I wonder if Chrome will ever be a viable option for corporate businesses.

Today Motorola announced the latest Android handset for Verizon's network, the Devour. This new handset appears to be a step down from the Droid. It has less-thrilling specs, but it is the first handset for Verizon Wireless to run Motorola's MOTOBLUR.

Owners of the HTC-made Nexus One rejoice! A new -- and official -- software update has been made available that adds a spate of new features, including multitouch.

PepsiCo plans to install Cisco TelePresence systems in major offices around the world to help it work more closely with leading distributors and retailers. The huge deal will "reinvent the way we work," said PepsiCo Global CIO Robert Dixon.

Apple isn't the only company with a tablet computer in the works. Google's forthcoming Chrome OS may debut in tablet form, too. Chrome OS's lead designer Glen Murphy posted a video that demonstrates what a tablet version of Chrome OS might look like.

In my quest to get a handle on where servers are headed in 2010, I've spent time thinking about architectural innovations from Intel and AMD. I've also been serially interviewing the server vendors themselves (see my new piece on HP). Now comes the next step--I'm pulling together a survey for InformationWeek Analytics. And I'm asking for your help.

Google's considering an online store for business applications, the Wall Street Journal reports. If so, it would show Google getting more serious about business software, which is good. It would also lay down a challenge to Microsoft's new Office Online business.

Never mind apps for phones, Google is planning to launch a new online apps store for business customers. The software would integrate with its Web-based services. Google continues to increase the pressure on Microsoft.

Has Windows 7 had a big impact on Microsoft's frustrated customers and on Microsoft's bruised reputation? According to one study, Microsoft posted a bigger boost in customer-satisfaction scores after the Win7 rollout than ultracool Apple did after its release of Snow Leopard. That news, plus its strong financial results this week, give Microsoft some much-needed momentum.

Sony Ericsson is announcing a new phone based on Windows Mobile 6.5.3 that will initially be on sale in the UK. The phone is called the Aspen and seems to be geared more towards business users. While this is a .dot.dot release for Windows Mobile, it shows that Microsoft is serious about turning Windows Mobile's perception around. This update to 6.5 provides a lot more features than you'd think of for a .0.3 release.

Through its acquisition of Phion, Barracuda Networks has launched a line of seven enterprise firewalls meant to consolidate network security devices and reduce management overhead when dealing with numerous distributed firewalls.

Windows Mobile rumors are kicking up into high gear with the approach of Mobile World Congress. Buzz suggests that Microsoft will unveil Windows Mobile 7 at the show. Today, reports of the fabled "Zune Phone" making an appearance also reached fever pitch. Here's why it's not gonna happen.

Promising to improve installation and support for Oracle-Sun products at Sun's 4,000 top customers, Oracle's Larry Ellison said the new company must "do a better job" of "working with those customers to make sure they get [Sun technology] installed successfully and running successfully." He didn't say so explicitly, but Ellison's implied message to Sun resellers and integrators: better give HP a call.