Microsoft has persuaded a number of carmakers to use its slimmed-down Windows CE operating system to power a variety of in-car electronics, from navigation systems to music players to information devices. News.com reports that BMW has gravitated to Microsoft systems, although the company has announced wins with Honda, Volvo and others as well.

Reasearch in Motion introduced a new tri-band device for enterprise users in Europe with support for international roaming on GSM/GPRS networks. According to Internet News, the BlackBerry 7730 handheld also offers cradle-free wireless email synchronization, integrated email attachment viewing, support for international roaming (on 900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS networks), a push-based wireless architecture and a wireless extension to existing email accounts including Microsoft Exchange or IBM Lotus Domino accounts.

Astraware Limited announced the release of its newest word game for PDA, Word Mojo. Developed and published by Astraware, Word Mojo is a conversion of the highly popular PC and Web game by US based FreshGames, LLC. Word Mojo is a simple, crossword-style word game that is both challenging and fun with a play style that engages the player with unlimited word variations played against the clock or with no time limit.

MessageVine and Hutchison CAT Wireless MultiMedia announced the deployment of Instant Messaging and Presence services. Hutch offers the IM Access application on the recently launched HutchPlay service, which offers a variety of downloadable applications. The new service is available on the BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) platform from QUALCOMM and offers an intuitive, easy to navigate interface for accessing IM buddy lists from mobile phones.

Textware Solutions announced that new versions of FitalyStamp3 for the Palm Powered Kyocera 7135 and Samsung SPH-i500 are now shipping. Each version has been designed to fit over the existing Grafitti area of the specified device. FitalyStamp3 is the latest version of FitalyStamp, the keyboard overlay allowing 50 WPM on your Palm OS based device, and the fastest text input method with a stylus.

Audible announced that the new Treo 600 wireless smartphone from palmOne can act as an AudibleReady device for listening to any audio downloaded from Audible.com. The free AudiblePlayer for Palm OS transforms the Treo 600 smartphone into a go-anywhere audiobook playback device, capable of storing and playing hours of audiobooks, audio periodicals, public radio, language learning, and more.

Evergreen Assurance announced its continuous availability solution designed specifically for RIM’s BlackBerry wireless service. Evergreen for BlackBerry Enterprise Server is a new service that provides recovery for BlackBerry outages via Evergreen Assurance’s automated one-click failover system. Evergreen’s new solution provides a dedicated secondary BlackBerry system and monitors customers’ BlackBerry server status from two remote command and control centers staffed 24×7. Evergreen for BlackBerry supports companies that route their BlackBerry service through either Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Domino servers.

Sharp has announced its first Linux-based Zaurus PDA for the corporate market. PC World reports that Metrowerks’ Open PDA variant of the Linux operating system forms the software base for the series. Each device is supplied with the Opera Web browser, mail software, an address book, and personal information manager application, Hanacom Mobile Word and Mobile Sheet applications, imaging and presentation software, Java, and other applications.

Apple, maker of exceptional products, seems to have a tendency to inspire fanaticism, whether it’s adoration or hatred. In this amusing movie, one iPod owner shows how Apple won’t replace his iPod’s dead, internal battery, even though he’s owned the unit for only 18 months.

Editorial comment: it’s always baffled us how Apple has long managed to piss off customers with its crappy support policies. It seems that if such incredible attention goes into the user experience (and it does), similar attention should go into the consumer experience. In any case, we’re betting that Apple lost well over the replacement cost of the battery in the bad PR generated by one unhappy customer armed with (you guessed it), a Mac and iMovie.

ZATZ Publishing (ZATZ us, the publishers of this-here publication) today launched our newest magazine, Connected Photographer. We named the magazine Connected Photographer for a reason. Whether you’re producing snapshots for your family or professional shots for clients, or even pictures for yourself, connections, both Internet and interpersonal, pervade every aspect of picture taking, production, and creation.

Connected Photographer will have the same editorial style of our other magazines. We’ll be personal, accessible, and friendly. We’ll cover interesting simple tips for beginners as well as some elements of photography so advanced that only a few people stand a chance of understanding. We’ll mix our advanced topics in with beginner topics, we’ll have some fun, and we’ll all learn to be better photographers, and better connectors.

Please feel free to visit the new magazine, subscribe, send friends to it, and, of course, send chocolate!