File this one under “irony”‘ Microsoft’s is providing an incentive to purchase Apple’s iPhone though its Bing marketing campaign. In an attempt to entice users to try its Bing search engine, the company is offering 35% discount for AT&T’s online store, which sells iPhones.

[via Technologizer]

A few comparing pics of Meizu Mini One and Apple iPhone. The Mini One will have a 533Mhz Samsung processor, 128MB of DDR SDRAM, TFT touchscreen, 720×480 resolution, 3-megapixel back camera, 0.3-megapixel front camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, DMB TV Tuner, GPS, video output, AVI/MPEG4/WMV support, and a 4GB to 16GB size.

[Via dailymobile.se]

“If you are impressed by the “touch features” in the iPhone, you’ll be blown away by what’s coming in Windows 7″ Hilton Locke, TabBlogger

It looks as though Microsoft are also doing their own work with capacitative displays, the sort that Apple use in the iPhone and iPod Touch; in fact one has shown up in Dell’s Latitude XT Tablet PC, which the manufacturer is calling the “forerunner to emerging multi-touch capabilities”.  Ever since the iPhone launched and gathered dropped-jaws by the bucket load over its incredibly intuitive interface, the Mac faithful have been begging for the same touchscreen technology to be included in a MacBook or MacTablet; could Microsoft beat them to it?

See Dell’s capacitive interface in action, after the cut…

Of course, it’s not likely.  Many rumors point to a smaller MacBook, possibly MultiTouch-enabled, being announced at MacWorld in January.  Even if the launch doesn’t come so soon, Windows 7 is likely to drop in 2010 at the earliest which gives Apple ample time to put the finishing flourishes to the device they’re likely got waiting in the wings.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsxyhc_VnPA[/youtube]

What’s left to consider, then, is the depth to which any touchscreen interface is immersed in the OS and the software it runs.  So far, the iPhone has had hardware touch an integral part of the software environment; that, in part, could be due to the closed system of specifically-coded applications, making not just compatibility but seamless integration possible.  As touchscreen-variants of the Windows OS have discovered, adding touch to a full system can be far harder; while Vista’s inking is a great improvement on that of XP Tablet Edition, there are still many programmes (both Microsoft-made and third-party) which fail miserably to make the best use of pen or finger input.

Apple perhaps has a head start, since so many users stick to their iLife suite of bundled applications that “merely” re-coding them to take advantage of MultiTouch would vastly improve the sense of touch being designed in rather than an afterthought.  But there are undeniably questions to be asked and answered that may further delay any MultiTouch Apple portable.

Glen was unable to comment on most of the good stuff, but he did talk about his favorite features. He cited that he enjoys the browsing experience and how simple it is to use. When talking about the high price point he compared the price of purchasing an iPhone to what you would pay for an iPod nano, a BlackBerry and a cheap phone. I’m not sure what the cheap phone had to do with anything, I don’t know anyone that doesn’t use their BlackBerry for talking. That one detail aside he does make a good point. You’ll spend about the same, and only have to carry one device.

He also brought up some of the other great aspects of the iPhone including upcoming Google apps that are going to be included. He only mentioned Google applications in passing, but we’re speculating that it means we’ll be seeing some of the Google office apps like Docs & Spreadsheets. This would solve the issue of being able to access and edit Word and Excel files on the iPhone. This has been a major concern for many would-be users and may help to boost sales.

As our Editor Vincent put it, this “will be the dagger into Microsoft’s heart” since they have been touting that the iPhone will not be good for business users without the ability to open or edit Office documents. It would be great if Apple utilized their existing relationship with Google to bring this feature to the iPhone. Look out Microsoft, the iPhone just might tempt your business users to make the switch.

Leading the charge on iPhone [via seattletimes]

The event is currently sold out.  If you plan on crashing the party, drop by California’s Four Seasons Hotel Aviara.  The registration fee is $3,995 and make sure to bundle in an additional $950 for a guest or spouse.

d.wsj.com [Press Release via CrunchGear]

Until then, enjoy this virtual battle between Jobs and Gates.  It doesn’t matter which side of the camp you’re on, I promise you’ll have a chuckle or two.

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 Bill Gates and Steve Jobs square off in the clean white virtual world of the iconic Mac ads. (more)