News to know: Google-China; CTIA Wireless; Dell Aero; Novell

Google’s chess move with its China site, a peek at some early CTIA news and an update on the Novell acquisition are the themes of the day. You can get the day’s rolling postsvia Twitter,RSS, oremail.

Among the key themes for Tuesday, March 23, 2010:

We had been waiting for Google to make a full-and-complete exit from China - but the search giant pulled a fast one on us. Instead of shutting down its site completely, it's rerouting Google.cn traffic to the uncensored Google.hk site in Hong Kong, a legal tactic, it says.

Meanwhile, it says it will maintaining its sales and R&D operations in China. What happens next is still an unknown. After all, the Chinese government could very well block the Hong Kong site. And is it realistic to think that it can maintain a sales and R&D presence there, following such a showdown with the government?

Also see:

• Google lays down China gauntlet of its own making. Living by the sword...
• Why Google should stay in China
• Google vs. China: Is a graceful exit possible?
• Special Report: Google-China showdown

The CTIA Wireless show kicks off in Las Vegas today and some of the early announcements include a Root Mobile app for Android and Blackberry that allows smartphone users to report exact locations where data signals fade and calls drop, the granular data needed to build a new type of wireless coverage map. Also, Verizon Wireless has launched a mobile payment system for ecommerce. The show formally kicks off Tuesday morning with keynote speeches featuring AT&T execs and more.

Dell marks two firsts with the launch of a smartphone called Aero. Not only is it the company's first smartphone but it's also the first Android- powered smartphone on AT&T's network. News of the Aero came shortly after the Palm Pre and Pixi were announced for AT&T, as well. That's a lot of potential data network demand for a carrier that's already struggling to keep up with iPhone users. And with the coming-soon iPad also tied to AT&T, the network certainly will be put to the test.

Novell is actually interested in the acquisition offer by Elliott Associates, even though it has rejected the $2 billion offer because the proposal “undervalues the company’s franchise and growth prospects.” Novell said isn't opposed to offers but said Elliott's offer wasn't working for them. For now, Elliott Associates is happy that Novell is willing to sell and that it would continue its quest to buy it.

We're keeping an eye out for official news from both AMD and Intel, following

reports on the Internet about processor news.  Intel is reportedly planning on extending its Core i5 and Core i7 CPU lines. Meanwhile, AMD is reportedly planning to release a whole raft of new processors in the coming months, including a brand new six-core line.

Finally, if you're big on mobile messaging, you'll want to check out our photo gallery of the Top 10 messaging phones.