Microsoft, which is trying to move its software from desktops to people's hands and pockets, on Wednesday unveiled plans for a portable media player and a radio-linked wristwatch. The announcements by Microsoft Chairman and founder Bill Gates come as the world's largest software company mounts a push beyond its existing market stronghold in computer operating systems toward a range of devices such as Tablet PCs, cars, monitors and even exercise bikes.

Linux Para Todos gladly announces the availability of LPT Desktop for Yellow Dog Linux 2.3. It includes GNOME 2.0.3 desktop envoiroment, plus other goodies like Mozilla-1.2.1 (not Xft), galeon-1.2.7, xmms-1.2.7, pilot-Link-0.11 and GNOME Pilot 0.1.71. Everything in RPM packages available as APT repositories. The whole package list and official announce (in spanish) available at Linux Para Todos.

In more Linux consumer electronics news, Computerworld has a short article outlining the latest inroads that the open source OS is making in the already crowded phone-OS space.  NEC Corp. said today that it's working on the development of Linux-based cell phones with MontaVista Software Inc., and an executive of the Sunnyvale, Calif., software company said it's in talks with other major cellular handset makers on similar projects.

"I've got 1GB of memory in my 867MHz PowerMac. But at 15,500 tracks, iTunes is starting to become difficult (not quite impossible) to use. It hums along fine if I don't touch it. But simply selecting a track can result in 20 seconds of spinning beachball. Editing an ID3 tag can take more than 30 seconds. Dragging tracks to a playlist, same. iPhoto is even worse. At around 800 images, it started to bog down on me." Read Scot Hacker's editorial at OReilly NetWork. The book writer (mostly known for his 'BeOS Bible' book, now a MacOSX convert) finds scalability problems on the famous iApps and suggests these to be fixed before adding new features.

Nintendo has announced that a new Gameboy version will be introduced in March. This version will include a front-lit screen, a rechargeable lithium-Ion battery and opens and closes like a mini-laptop. Since the Gameboy introduction in 1989, there have been over 120 million units sold. Of the most recent version, the Game Boy Advance, almost 12 million units have been sold since its June 2001 debut. Update: Gamespot.com has revealed that they have learned that a blue-colored and black-colored version will be available upon release in Japan on the 14th of February.

Steve Jobs just announced in his Macworld Keynote that Apple is releasing its own browser, called Safari. Its claim to fame is extremely fast performance on the Mac. The Mac platform has struggled from sluggish browser performance with IE (the old default browser). Update: According to Jobs, Safari is open source and based on khtml. It only runs on Mac OS X and will be available for download today.