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Microsoft has revealed its new line of smart phones it hopes will compete with RIM’s BlackBerry and Apple’s iPhone. The new line of HTC handsets on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint will feature touch-screen pads, as well as access Microsoft’s patented Office Suite. Microsoft hopes its new tagline, “One phone for work and play,” will gain traction with users tired of carrying a BlackBerry for work and an iPhone for personal use.
Barnes & Noble announced that it will bring an eReader to market. The untitled device will reportedly feature a 6-inch screen with touch-screen capability and virtual keyboard. While it is unknown how much the device will retail for, sources say it could be available as early as next month.
Global Gaming Factory’s purchase of the Pirate Bay is now in serious doubt. GGF CEO Hans Pandeya, who is facing bankruptcy, said “GGF cannot discern whether the acquisition will be completed regardless of the outcome of the trial.” The situation became even more convuluted after the Pirate Bay told a Dutch court that it did not actually own the site, nor had any relationship with Reservella, the registered owner of the Pirate Bay.
Another day, another Twitter fail. The micro-blogging service went down for several hours yesterday due to an apparent bug. The problem was found in users timelines, which did not update despite new Tweets being posted. The company noted that the bug has been fixed and “additional optimizations based on what we learned” were added to the services infrastructure.
In other Twitter news, All Things D is reporting that the the is in “advanced” search negotiations with Google & Microsoft. A deal would bring Twitter results to the popular search engines. While news is scant, sources say deals may include “several million dollars” upfront, or a revenue-sharing plan.