I used to think Ubuntu was destined to lead Linux into the mainstream, but now it's looking much more like Google--not Canonical--will be the first Linux vendor to truly challenge Microsoft.

Why can't Apple's App Store overlords exercise more discretion when it counts? A $2 Britney Spears app has just approved is available for the iPhone. I thought the app called "It's Britney!" may have been some clever lip-syncing or karaoke app, but it's not. According to Britney's Web site "There really is an app for everything."

Should we have expected any less from Britney? After all, an iPhone app is the perfect byproduct of our celebrity (and iPhone) obsessed culture. But wait, it gets better: There are plenty more self-obsessed celebrities with an iPhone app available at theiPhone's App Store. Heck, a star stalking iPhone user could waste hours with apps that revolve around musicians, athletes and movie stars. Here's a rundown of iPhone apps brought to you by your favorite celebs:

Much as I'm pleased to see Windows Explorer finally getting a prominent spot on the taskbar in Windows 7, I'm a little disappointed that it opens to the Libraries folders by default. That's rarely the area I'm after when I open Explorer.

Fortunately, there's an easy way to tweak it so that it opens to whatever folder I want. Here's how:

The Motorola Droid is doing more than just bashing the iPhone -- it's also smashing the ceiling when it comes to mainstream Android appeal. A full 250,000 people snatched up Droids during the phone's first week in stores, some newly released data suggests. That's four times the number of launch-week sales estimated for the myTouch 3G, which had previously been considered the fastest-selling Android device.

Seesmic Desktop is one of a number of apps that combine your social media feeds in one place. Operating under the theory that checking Twitter, Facebook, and so on for all your needed updates is cumbersome and time consuming, Seesmic attempts to streamline the process. It's only partially successful, so the question is whether it does enough to suit your needs.

What mythical product will simultaneously kill off the Kindle, iPod, Zune, iPod, Nintendo DS, and a whole slew of cheap netbooks? Oh, and during recharges, it'll save newspapers and magazines, reinvent TV viewing (and maybe deep-six the cable guys), and make mobile Web browsing a lot more enjoyable with a lot less finger dragging and pinching.

A rumor that Nokia might purchase Palm shot the troubled smartphone company's shares up on Friday and reignited the debate: What should happen to Palm?

For the moment, nothing. With a $1.7 billion market cap, Palm seems awful pricey. It is hard to imagine anyone making such a huge investment for a company whose gloss is so rapidly wearing away.

If I had a dollar for every instance of misguided Wall Street speculation, I might be richer than a trader, but let's just imagine that Nokia will acquire Palm, as reported on Friday. What would happen to Palm's WebOS, the mobile operating system that debuted last June with the Palm Pre?

A new security advisory from Microsoft shines the light on a denial-of-service bug in Windows 7 and Server 2008 that could be hit to crash the system but not cause other harm.

The flaw in the Server Message Block (SMB) protocol only affects Windows 7 and Server 2008, and is unrelated to the previously fixed MS09-050 flaw affecting SMBv2, according to the Internet Storm Center. Microsoft says it does not yet know of any attacks against the flaw, but it has seen "public, detailed exploit code that would cause a system to stop functioning or become unreliable." A patch is not yet availabe.

The agency in charge of assigning domain names today began accepting applications for domain names written in non-Latin languages, and Egypt -- a country now drawing heated criticism from human rights advocates -- became the first to apply for a domain name in Arabic.

Microsoft has acknowledged the Windows 7 zero-day vulnerability reported last week with a Security Advisory. The advisory from Microsoft provides some additional details about the scope and nature of the threat, as well as some steps you can take immediately to protect vulnerable systems.

The Security Advisory explains that this vulnerability cannot be used by an attacker to gain control of a vulnerable system, or to install malicious software. It also notes that, while functional exploit code has been published, there are no reported incidents of this flaw being exploited in the wild at this time.

Four colored balls now tell parents their children are protected against adult content while searching on Google, the search giant said last week. The balls appear at the top right of the screen when "strict" SafeSearch in enabled.

While much has been made of Google's holiday "gift" of free airport Wi-Fi, this new feature is likely to provide even more popular with teachers and parents. In addition, it is a gift that goes on giving long after free Wi-Fi ends on Jan. 15.