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.

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.

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.

The HTC HD2 has the makings of an 'iPhone-killer'. It is an impressive device on paper, and early reviews and information on the HD2 suggest that it has the ingredients to compete with both the Motorola Droid and the Apple iPhone in a head-to-head-to-head comparison.

The HD2 matches the Droid for screen resolution at 480x800--dwarfing the iPhone resolution--but the HD2 has significantly more screen real estate with a 4.3 inch display. Initial reviews report that it is blazing fast as a result of its 1GHz Snapdragon processor. It has the seemingly obligatory WiFi, GPS, and 5 megapixel camera features, but also makes better use of the iPhone-like capacitive multitouch screen than the Droid.

Microsoft has unveiled a fairly significant redesign of the MSN web site, the first overhaul the site has seen in about a decade. The new MSN site incorporates social networking and could breathe some life back into the mostly dead concept of web portals.

The preview of the new design appears to be less cluttered and confusing--which isn't easy to do when also trying to convey as much information at-a-glance on one page as possible. The format and layout are very similar to what Yahoo and Google provide with their web portals, and you can customize it to display the information you want to see in the order you want to see it. Fairly standard stuff.

PayPal used its inaugural PayPal X Innovate 2009 conference in San Francisco to officially announce the PayPal X program to release APIs allowing developers to integrate PayPal seamlessly into third-party applications. The expanded functionality will help PayPal to compete against similar online payment services from Amazon and Google.

The new PayPal APIs allow developers to engage customers directly within their own applications rather than forcing them to port users off to the actual PayPal site. Users who don't even use PayPal can actually sign up for PayPal within the third-party application and begin making PayPal payments seamlessly from within the third-party application.

AT&T has taken offense at the recent Verizon 'There's a Map for That' ad campaign and has filed a lawsuit against Verizon. AT&T claims that the ads are "misleading" customers and resulting in the loss of "incalculable market share." The lawsuit may backfire though as AT&T draws more attention to the ad campaign and the shortcomings of its own 3G network.

Verizon began an aggressive series of marketing campaigns targeting the iPhone dynamic duo of AT&T and Apple. It began with the 'There's a Map for That' ads, playing off of the iPhone 'There's an App for That' marketing slogan and illustrating how Verizon has 5 times more 3G network coverage than AT&T. It followed that up with the iDon't campaign, highlighting weaknesses of the iPhone and stating that the upcoming Android-based Droid can do all of those things and more.

There are only three days until Verizon joins the Android invasion. T-Mobile was first to embrace the open source Google operating system, but with the addition of Sprint, and now Verizon, Android is mounting a quiet revolution that could see it squash the iPhone OS and rise to a dominant position among mobile operating systems.

There has been a lot of media attention devoted to whether or not the Motorola Droid, available beginning this Friday from Verizon, is as good or better than the iPhone. Of course, Verizon started that debate by running the iDon't ad campaign that directly attacks the iPhone and compares it to the Droid. The fact though is that neither Verizon, nor Google need the Droid to "kill" the iPhone in order for it to be a check in the win column for them.

The clock is ticking to the release of the Droid, and its smaller brother the Droid Eris, this Friday from Verizon. The media is filled with rhetoric drawing comparisons between the Droid and the iPhone. Those stories miss the point that the real battle isn't between the Droid and the iPhone, but between Verizon and AT&T.

The media is filled almost entirely with hyperbole comparing the Droid to the iPhone and discussing whether or not the Droid can knock the iPhone off of its mythically high pedestal. There are head-to-head comparisons, opinions claiming the Droid is superior, and articles pointing out that the iPhone killer is an elusive concept because iPhone users are devoted and won't be defecting en masse to adopt the Droid.

Microsoft has released the latest version of the semi-annual Security Intelligence Report (SIR). Microsoft gathers data from millions of Windows computers and high-traffic Internet sites to compile a detailed analysis of the current threat landscape and highlight attack trends. The Microsoft SIR contains some valuable insight, particularly given the recent release of Windows 7.

Looking at the highlights of the Security Intelligence Report, a lot of the information is interesting and may help you win a game of Trivial Pursuit for geeks, but doesn't provide much beyond the trivia factor for most people. For example, knowing which countries were targeted most by worms or Trojans doesn't really help you much unless you're planning on traveling to one of those countries and may want to increase your security controls accordingly.