The Droid invasion landed on Friday and so far the iPhone comparisons haven't stopped. Customers showed up for midnight launches to be first to get the new Android 2.0 device, and Verizon stores haven't had any issue burning through their inventory of the new phone. There is at least one other iPhone comparison that bears noticing, though--battery life.

If you actually put the many functions of the Droid to use, your battery mileage will vary. The phone has to be powered up to be of any use beyond a glorified paper weight, so poor battery life could be an Achilles heel for the Droid invasion like the bacteria that took down the alien invasion force in War of the Worlds.

The Apple rumor mill claims that work is underway to develop a 'world-mode' iPhone capable of operating on both CDMA and GSM/UMTS networks. World mode. Rumors also persist that Verizon will begin to carry the iPhone in 2010. All of these rumors suggest that the AT&T honeymoon with the iPhone is nearing an end.

These are just rumors at this point, but when a rumor is both pervasive and tenacious there is usually a reason. That gives AT&T some reason to be concerned. Without iPhone exclusivity, what does AT&T bring to the table that would entice customers to switch to, or stick with the wireless provider?

Businesses planning a move to Windows 7 need a more rigorous planning and assessment tool than the consumer-grade Upgrade Advisor. The early success of the operating system notwithstanding, you need to do some due diligence up front to determine if the existing hardware and software you rely on will work with the new operating system. If you only have a handful of systems to assess the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor should do the trick. For larger deployments, the more appropriate tool is the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit 4.0--or MAP.

MAP is a Solution Accelerator from Microsoft that allows you to inventory and analyze the systems in your organization without requiring any sort of agent software to be installed on the endpoints. MAP leverages existing Microsoft technologies such as Active Directory Domain Services, the Remote Registry Service, and the Computer Browser Service to gather information and produce informative reports to help guide your IT planning.

There is no piece of technological wizardry that I want so much as a Droid. Yet, I have decided to hold onto my iPhone. Why? Because the iPhone is the PC of smartphones.

I mean that in the good sense of what a PC represents, namely compatibility. Yes, Google's Android operating system may someday--probably will--become the standard for comparison among smartphones.

Initial sales numbers for Windows 7 are in and it seems that the operating system is delivering the redemption for Windows Vista that Microsoft was hoping for. Lower revenue and lower PC hardware sales figures related to Windows 7 hint at issues, but those figures have to be put in perspective.

Microsoft has reported that Windows 7 sales are 234 percent higher than Windows Vista for the initial week after its release. That figure however is tempered with the statistic that Windows 7 has not prompted the same surge in PC sales that accompanied the release of Windows Vista.

Skype users can breathe easier, now that one of technology's greatest business blunders has been fixed. The outside chance of a Skype shutdown has gone away, messy lawsuits have been resolved, and Skype's founders are back helping run the company.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that Skype founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis will join the consortium that is buying the company, taking a 14 percent stake, and joining the company's board.

The Droid hits the streets today. After all of the hype around Verizon's marketing efforts, and generally favorable reviews of the Motorola Droid, users that rush out to get the new device may be in for a shock. The Droid does tethering (or at least it will very soon), but the cost will surprise people.

At first glance, and based on initial reviews, the Droid seems to be a very capable device. It may or may not be an 'iPhone-killer', but it certainly seems to be the best phone Verizon has to offer as of today. The Android 2.0-based device will cost users $199.99 with a 2-year contract, with an additional $30 per month for the mandatory data plan to go with it.

Before naming him CEO of the Decade, perhaps Fortune magazine should have asked other successful CEOs: Could Steve Jobs run your company? The question is not meant to diminish Job's success, just put it into perspective.

Apple is a company that Steve Jobs has--twice--created in his own image. The second incarnation has been an incredible success. For that, "CEO of the Decade" might be appropriate.

The new Google Dashboard addresses concerns that users have regarding just how much Google knows about them. Providing a resource like the Google Dashboard that presents all associated information in one place may actually create more privacy and security issues than it solves though.

Users have a reason to be concerned, or at least curious, about what kind of information is available about them on the Web. Google is like the Big Brother of the Internet--indexing and cataloging virtually everything you do online. Web indexing is like social networking in that its core purpose is in direct conflict with privacy and security. The primary goal is to index everything and provide access to as much information as possible--even if that information is sensitive or personal.

If you are buying your first smartphone, which should it be: Droid or the iPhone? Both are revolutionary devices, but which revolution is for you? It is not (yet) a coin toss.

That is the challenge I was asked to solve, the choice of the perfect smartphone for a woman who had never owned a smartphone before. Until recently, the choice was easy, after tomorrow it becomes much more difficult.