News that a forthcoming software update will allow the Vita to act as a PS3 controller may help counter the appeal of Nintendo's Wii U touchscreen Gamepad controller and Microsoft's Smartglass service, which pairs the Xbox with a tablet.

BBC: Sony acts to boost PlayStation Vita at Gamescom

That said, perhaps the forthcoming Surface Pro software update might solve this problem altogether, but an Android tablet?

ENGADGET

Moving on to more important matters, the forthcoming v1.3 software -- which is hitting barely a month after v1.2 was loosed -- will open up the VUDU Vault.

ENGADGET: VUDU XL starts shipping, v1.3 software gets detailed

Microsoft, with its history of corporate software sales, is still cultivating the business potential of search, but its forthcoming Windows Live product is expected to take a similar turn.

FORBES: Chief Executive Eric Schmidt

The free software community today unveiled the two phones it will ship to developers who want to make apps for its forthcoming open-source mobile platform.

FORBES: Mozilla's Firefox Jumps Into The Smartphone Wars