Dell unveiled the Android-based Mini 3 smartphone today and announced that it will be available soon in China and Brazil. Venturing away from the familiar server and desktop foundation that Dell is built on may seem risky, but there is a method to Dell's madness that may just pay off.

Ever since rumors began to circulate earlier this year that Dell was planning a move into smartphones there have been naysayers. The market is crowded. Competition is rough. Dell is already losing ground in its core business. If your device isn't from Apple and doesn't say 'iPhone' it can't succeed in the smartphone market.

Painting colors, lightness, saturation, and so forth onto photographs can be great fun. If done correctly, it can also produce some very attractive, creative pictures. Akvis MultiBrush ($49, 10-day free trial) is a very basic image painting program that provides some nice tools, but they are limited and require skill to be able to use them.

This week, PC World editors Steve Fox, Robert Strohmeyer, and Tim Moynihan are joined by Macworld's Jason Snell for to explore all the hubbub over allegations that Microsoft has copied Apple in the design of Windows 7.

But first, Steve Fox walks us through the history of Intel's disputes with rival chip maker AMD, and sheds light on the settlement between the two companies.

Cell phone lovers, get ready to rumble: AT&T and Verizon are duking it out in an ad-based battle, and the fight isn't showing any signs of slowing down. Now, some new data suggests the public is starting to take notice.

AT&T's Verizon Ad Battle

If this is part of Redmond's alleged scheme to steal the Mac's look, it's got the wrong idea.

Microsoft has announced plans to peddle Windows 7 desktop space to advertisers, who'll create Windows UI themes--customized backgrounds, audio clips, and other elements--that highlight their brand, Computerworld reports. In fact, some advertiser themes are already available in the Windows 7 Personalization Gallery, including desktop pitches for soft drinks (Coca-Cola, Pepsi), autos (Ducati, Ferrari, Infiniti), and big-budget Hollywood blockbusters (Avatar).

Most users know how to copy text. Select the text with your mouse, then click Edit, Copy--or, better yet, press Ctrl-C on your keyboard. Easy right?

Well, it's about to get a little easier. AutoCopy is a Firefox add-on that automatically copies any selected text straight to the Clipboard. (You then paste it like you normally would.)

Dell confirmed it is releasing an Android-based smartphone, called the Mini 3, in China and Brazil, but the company's lack of details about the handset makes it hard to get excited. Dell's unwillingness to share more about the Mini 3 also has me wondering if the phone just really isn't that exciting and Dell knows it.

A prototype of the Mini 3, which reportedly surfaced in August, had a 3.5-inch, 360-by-640 resolution screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera and no Wi-Fi. We at least know that the phone will run on Google's Android platform, but even that tells us nothing about version or user interface.

Verizon made some minor adjustments in the latest series of 3G coverage ads, but AT&T is not impressed. AT&T has expanded its initial complaint and request for injunction to include the new ads, and has issued a statement to 'set the record straight' about the Verizon claims. Do the ads really deserve this much attention?

First of all, what does AT&T hope to accomplish? If the goal is to prevent customers and prospective customers from learning about its sparse 3G coverage, filing a lawsuit and drawing the attention of the media was not a good strategy. The net result is a bunch of free advertising for Verizon.

Deep inside its top secret labs, Google has been piecing together a Frankenstein that will rise and forever change the Web. It's called Google Chrome. , Chrome is set to blow the barn doors off all the competition with the introduction of SPDY (pronounced "speedy"), a new application-layer protocol. SPDY is true to its name and is capable of revving Web download speeds up to 55 percent. (Developers are expecting to get a closer look at Chrome's newest build next week.) So what will Google do with this behemoth, and how will it affect the Web as a whole?

Google's Chrome operating system could mark a turning point in computing, but many questions remain. Today's rumor is the OS will be released to developers next week, answering some questions but probably raising even more. Google had previously promised Chrome OS, in some form, before the end of this year.

Chrome OS strikes me as being just enough Linux to allow an underpowered computer to run Chrome browser and connect to cloud-based applications. How exciting can that really be?

A hacker eager to reconnect modded Xbox 360s banned by Microsoft in recent days may be on the verge of releasing a workaround. According to 360Mods (by way of DailyTech), user 'c4eva' has shifted gears from developing Lite-on and Hitachi optical drive mods to creating a firmware rev that would allow modded Xbox 360s to bypass Microsoft's online security tests.

Square Enix says Final Fantasy XIII will hit the US on March 9, 2010, an announcement fulfilling the publisher's promise earlier this week to deliver 'important' news on Friday.