News to know: Microsoft; Motorola; BIOS 'rootkit'

Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage.

Ryan Naraine: Researchers find insecure BIOS 'rootkit' pre-loaded in laptops

Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting 2009:

• Mary Jo Foley: Ballmer: Ultra-thin PCs will be the answer to netbooks
• The Windows Mobile-Windows continuum: The plot thickens
• How will Microsoft fix Windows Mobile? The Softies still aren't saying
• Larry Dignan: Ballmer: He knows when you're using a Mac
• Ballmer on the Microsoft-Yahoo deal: 'Nobody gets it'
• Slide of the day: Laptop Hunter ads working?
• Yahoo costs: The slide Microsoft didn't want you to see

Foley: Microsoft does a 180: Tech testers to get a copy of Windows 7 for free

• Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Invitation-only Windows 7 beta testers to get free copy of Ultimate
• Two questions about Microsoft's future ...

Matthew Miller: So which device is my top King of the QWERTYs?

NetSuite's second quarter better than expected

McAfee acquires MX Logic, Delivers solid third quarter outlook

Andrew Nusca: Dead-Finger Tech: Apple MacBook Pro (13-inch unibody, 2009)

• NYT's Pogue starts revolution vs. carriers' 15-second voicemail delay

Images: Dinosaur sightings: Old search engines

Zack Whittaker: Microsoft-Yahoo!: Combine, compete, crush

• Dignan: Yahoo's SearchMonkey, BOSS efforts likely to die on the vine
• Dana Blankenhorn: Microhoo lessons for open source

Rachel King: Learning to use Picasa

Dana Blankenhorn: Ending DNS abuse with European open source

Michael Krigsman: Software pricing and the Devil's Triangle

Guardian: Virtual worlds are getting a second life

Marketwatch: What's to become of Microsoft's answer to the iPod?

Tom Foremski: Groovy says it can make IT apps work in real-time

Measuring the ROI of PR

• Online marketing's future in a web-based world

VentureBeat: Developers beware: Apple undermines my6sense app launch

Andrew Mager: Aardvark: ask it anything, get an answer in 5 minutes [invites]

Researchers take control of iPhone via SMS

• Researchers exploit SSL and domain flaws

Larry Dignan: Motorola: Android device launches get us back in the smartphone game

9to5 Mac: Apple boosts Time Capsule capacity to 2TB

Matthew Miller: Evernote announces PDF search capability

Samsung Jet photos

Australian postal service bans lithium battery air lifts

Dan Kusnetzky: Layer 7 Technologies Security in the Cloud

Novell aims to tighten cloud security

Janice Chen: Nikon D3000 replaces the venerable D40 entry-level DSLR

Jennifer Bergen: Gadget Gal's daily deals: Creative Zen Mozaic MP3 player, Plantronics Voyager Bluetooth headset, Polaroid digital camera

Richard Koman: Court boots Pirate Bay out of Netherlands

Heather Clancy: Climate Savers power management seminar transcript now online