Support for Mobile Device Manager 2008 will come with the next version of Windows Mobile, codenamed Photon and due in the first half of 2008 along with MDM itself. Other versions of Windows Mobile will not support Active Directory, but Microsoft is working with partners to enable devices to be upgraded to the new platform.

Windows Mobile devices are to be integrated with Active Directory, which will enable enterprises to manage smartphones using the same policies and infrastructure already used to control Windows PCs, according to Microsoft. The Active Directory integration will come in 2008 with a new version of the Windows Mobile platform, plus a new server product called System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008.

As well as providing end-to-end security and management, this will include a VPN to allow secure mobile access to enterprise resources such as line-of-business applications. Microsoft UK’s Mobility business manager Jason Langridge said that Windows Mobile will effectively become part of the corporate domain, enabling devices to be managed through group policy just like PCs.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion has launched Facebook software designed especially for its smartphones to make it easier for users to browse the popular social networking Web site. T-Mobile USA has been chosen as the first carrier to provide the new software to its customers, RIM said on Wednesday.

The application will let users receive Facebook notifications and messages automatically and scroll through them quickly, just like the email service for which the BlackBerry is already well known. Users can also read and compose messages even while off line, RIM said. The feature that lets users upload photos to Facebook will also be integrated with the BlackBerry’s camera and photo management software, RIM said.

Microsoft’s new Mobile Device Manager faces a shortcoming because it is exclusive to Windows Mobile devices, but that might change, an executive said on Tuesday. Scott Horn, general manager at Microsoft’s mobile and embedded device group, left the door open to potential future support for non-Windows Mobile devices.

Microsoft has released a new Xbox 360 console–dubbed The Arcade–which is aimed squarely at the family market. The reworked, low-end version of the console will have a price tag of 199.99-pounds and will go on sale in the UK from Friday 26 October.

The move will be seen as an attempt to close the gap on Nintendo’s Wii console which has been a big hit with families. Microsoft is also releasing two games aimed at younger players, including one based on the Shrek movies.

AT&T has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Vonage Holdings, according to a Vonage regulatory filing on Friday, the latest legal trouble for the Internet phone service provider. It said in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that AT&T is seeking injunctive relief, compensatory and treble damages and attorneys’ fees in unspecified amounts.

Palm announced that it will make the Treo 750 smartphone compatible with Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008, delivering increased security and easier phone management, as well as access to information on the corporate network. IT professionals will be able to confidently manage large Treo 750 deployments with features such as policy enforcement, inventory and reporting, and software targeting.

Mobile Device Manager is a comprehensive management solution that enables efficient control of Windows Mobile phones, such as the Treo 750 smartphone, by providing reliable, low-cost consistent manageability within a company’s existing Microsoft infrastructure.

Palm and Garmin announced a Palm GPS Navigator featuring Garmin Mobile XT software for the first time. Drivers using the new GPS Navigator with their Palm smartphones can rely on turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions to easily find their destinations as well as millions of points of interest, updated traffic, fuel prices, hotel prices, and weather forecasts. Expected late November, the Palm GPS Navigator featuring Garmin software will be $249 USD.

The Palm GPS Navigator with Garmin Mobile XT Software is expected to attract new users to the mobile-phone GPS market. Garmin Mobile XT is preloaded on a microSD card (with miniSD and standard SD card adapters) that includes Garmin navigation software for the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Customers can easily route to a specific street address or choose from more than 6 million points of interest–such as restaurants, hotels, ATMs, and gas stations. In addition to turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions, users also will see their exact position on a detailed moving map. If a turn is missed along the way, a new route will be recalculated automatically.

SanDisk announced the U.S. availability of the Sansa TakeTV video player, a breakthrough media player that gives consumers a smart, convenient and affordable way to move video content from their PC to the TV.

Using the Sansa TakeTV video player is as simple as using a USB flash drive: simply drag video files to the TakeTV player, and then slip the player into its TV cradle. The cradle plugs into the standard A/V sockets of nearly every existing TV. Next, consumers are shown a simple, on-screen guide where they can quickly select the content they’ve stored on the Sansa TakeTV player, using the included remote control.

SanDisk announced the public beta version of Fanfare, a dynamic Web-based service that enables consumers to download television shows, movies, and other premium video content to portable devices. The beta of the Fanfare content delivery service platform coincides with the U.S. online retail availability of the new Sansa TakeTV PC-to-TV video player. The combination of Fanfare with Sansa TakeTV creates an end-to-end entertainment system enabling viewers to time-shift and place-shift their favorite shows by downloading them from their PC to watch them on nearly any TV, at any time.

Fanfare video content is a combination of free (ad supported) and paid episodes. The company is in the process of adding new episodes from current partners to the catalog, and acquiring additional programs, other premium content and channels. More than 85 titles are available today, with dozens more expected to be added each week to grant consumers access to thousands of hours of television programming.

Everyone knows that a significant number of file-sharers are teenagers and young adults, and they get their share of press. But what about the true kids–the under 10? TorrentFreak makes itself feel old trying to keep up with the agile mind of a 9-year-old file-sharer.