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By scrapping Windows Mobile and building the new Wind0ws Phone 7 system from the ground up, Microsoft’s risky bet is likely to pay off and help re-establish the company in smartphones if developers show up.

The crucial part of Microsoft’s new phone strategy is the quality control it imposes onto its hardware partners. Rather than code an operating system and allow manufacturers to do whatever they want with it — like Google is doing with Android — Microsoft is requiring hardware partners to meet a rigid criteria in order to run Windows Phone 7.

A Philadelphia-area school district will pay $610,000 to two students to settle lawsuits claiming that it used school-issued laptops embedded with cameras to spy on students, even at home, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Japanese social videogame developer DeNA Co. said Tuesday it plans to buy ngmoco Inc., a U.S. developer of gaming applications for smartphones, for up to $403 million as part of the company's ambitious overseas expansion.

Walmart this evening confirmed that the iPad would reach its stores this week. The tablet arrives in its stores on Friday, October 15, and will include all models at the same prices that Apple charges. "Hundreds" of stores will have it at first, Walmart said, but the expansion should reach 2,300 US shops by mid-November.

President Obama signed a major NASA act today (Oct. 11) that turns his vision for U.S. space exploration of asteroids and Mars into law. The signing makes official a NASA authorization act that scraps the space agency's previous moon-oriented goal and paves the way for a mannedmission to an asteroidby 2025. A manned mission to Mars is envisioned for some time in the 2030s. The bill also calls for a budget of $19 billion for NASA in 2011, adding one extra space shuttle flight before the fleet retires next year, and the extension of the International Space Station through at least 2020. [Poll: Weigh in on NASA's New Direction]

Blind and deaf people will be able to more easily use smart phones, the Internet and other technologies that are staples of life and work under a bill signed into law on Friday.

Can you see the man in the laundry pile? @ Club One - Petaluma

How bout now? @ Club One - Petaluma

What about now? @ Club One - Petaluma

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