2007 could be called the year of the mobile operating system. Since Microsoft entered the scene around five years ago, the smartphone operating system industry has been fairly stable. Symbian, Linux, Research in Motion, and Windows Mobile make up the bulk of smartphone software, each to varying degrees of success in different regions.

But in 2007, Apple introduced the iPhone, which runs its own brand of software, and Google announced that next year its Android mobile operating system platform will come out. The entrance of two new operating systems from well-known brands shakes up the plans of some mobile operators, creates some headaches for end users, presents bigger challenges for application developers and indicates some fundamental changes in the mobile industry.

VITO Technology has released a new version of FunContact. Managing contacts on your Windows Mobile Pocket PC has become easier and more fun. New features on top of finger friendly and stylish interface make FunContact a truly irreplaceable contact manager.

Now even more visual effects. The new sliding out keypad allows you to easily dial numbers missing from your contacts. All it takes is tapping the red arrow, and here you are dialing the number you need. T9 contacts look up is also possible on this keypad like on smartphones. New version of FunContact provides its own contact editing. It has become possible to edit or add new contacts without going to the default WM contacts.

The highly contagious norovirus, often called the stomach flu, can be passed from one person to another through contact with commonly shared items such as computer keyboards and computer mice, U.S. health officials report. The virus, which is common in winter and is the most frequent cause of outbreaks of vomiting and diarrhea in the United States, is often contracted in schools, at work and on cruise ships.

On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on a norovirus outbreak at a Washington, D.C., elementary school last February in which some of the victims picked up the virus from contaminated computer equipment.

For the first time outside of China, Lenovo is launching a line of consumer desktops and laptops in a move to increase the company’s global PC market share and expand its brand recognition beyond enterprise buyers and small businesses. At the International CES, which starts Jan. 7 in Las Vegas, Lenovo will officially launch its IdeaPad line of consumer laptops and the new IdeaCentre desktop model. Lenovo is initially targeting 15 countries with the new PCs, including the United States, as well as emerging markets such as Russia, India and South Africa.

While the consumer launch will not directly impact Lenovo’s enterprise business or its ThinkPad and ThinkCentre PCs, the company’s new focus on the consumer market will help it compete on a global scale against the likes of Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Acer, which all have well-established consumer offerings and have been reaping the benefits of a consumer market focused on mobility.

mNotes5 is CommonTime’s latest innovation in mobilizing Lotus Notes software, offering an Enterprise strength solution for single users. It allows instant and secure access to your email and PIM applications including Calendar, Contacts, Journal, Tasks and SameTime messaging on your mobile device.

The CommonTime Switching Centre transfers your data directly to your device in real-time, ensuring you always have the most up-to-date information at your fingertips. Simple to install, configure and manage, mNotes5 offers highly secure and seamless data transfer. The switching center also means that you don’t need to involve your corporate IT department.

Motorola introduced a mobile media player that shows live television, on-demand video clips and programming saved on digital video recorders. Mobile TV, which is in the early stages of development, joins Web surfing and music as an emerging wireless feature expected to boost service revenue as mobile calling prices fall.

The device, which will be showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week, is pocket-sized with a 4.3 inch video screen, Motorola said. It has a five minute memory buffer that allows users to pause live television and also supports memory cards that can store up to 90 minutes of video, according to the company.

Ask.com and ChaCha Search introduced free search services to make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for from their mobile devices. Ask.com has added a voice activation utility called Click to Speak to its Ask.com Mobile Directions service. A first of its kind among search engines, Click to Speak lets people speak their location and desired destination to receive directions on their Web-based mobile phones and handhelds.

If you’re late for work, a driver using a cell phone may be to blame. U.S. researchers said on Wednesday that people who use cell phones while behind the wheel impede the flow of traffic, clog highways and extend commute times. Prior studies have equated the risk of driving while talking on a cell phone with driving while drunk. Some 50 countries have banned use of hand-held phones while driving.

The latest study shows the impact of cell phone use on traffic patterns. “It has to do with the reaction to changes in speed,” said Martin, who teaches civil and environmental engineering.

Users of unlocked iPhones have been warned that the next upgrade for the device will relock their phones and disable any third-party applications that have been installed. The update breaks unlocks–hacks made to allow the iPhone to work with non-authorized mobile networks–done with AnySIM, the popular for-free, open-source unlock utility. The upgrade also disables any installed third-party applications, and breaks the “jailbreak” applications used to install those unauthorised programs.

Fulton Innovation–which debuted eCoupled Intelligent Wireless Power at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show–is set to show the evolution of the technology and its expanded reach into new market segments at the 2008 CES in Las Vegas, January 7-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Central Hall. At the forefront of Fulton’s newly expanded portfolio of low, medium and high power applications is an efficient wirelessly powered laptop computer. The laptop, developed in partnership with a leading computer industry manufacturer, will be powered through an integrated eCoupled-enabled desktop.

The laptop-charging desktop concept has been in development with one of Fulton’s key strategic partners since eCoupled technology’s debut at CES in 2007, and it is just one example of how eCoupled technology is on track to make everyday life easier, safer and more energy efficient. Soon, the technology will make masses of charging cords obsolete in everything from cell phones and toys to power tools, cars and kitchen appliances.