Given the state of the tech news world of late (prognosis: poor), I want to be very clear about these "news" items. They're unconfirmed. Each arrived via email. I've done absolutely no research at all--not even ten seconds worth--to confirm whether they're real. Therefore, take each with the appropriate grain of salt. Heck, ignore them completely. It's Friday.
Windows XP Support to Continue through 2012
Robert Y received the following email from his Dell representative:
Recently I have been receiving a lot of emails regarding Windows XP end of life. Please be aware that Dell will continue to offer XP Pro preloaded through 2012. We will ship XP Professional on Dell Optiplex, Latitude and Precision machines with a free upgrade path to Windows Vista.
Zune and Audible Update
Jerry D forwarded me the following email he received from Audible regarding compatibility with the Zune:
I understand that you have contacted us today in regards to whether or not the Microsoft Zune is compatible with our service. We have great news! After much anticipation, Audible and Microsoft have completed negotiations on making the Zune AudibleReady! While we do not have an exact date as to when the device will be officially AudibleReady, we expect to make the Zune compatible before years end. Our Device Center on our website will be updated upon the Zune becoming compatible, so please be sure to check there periodically.
UPDATE: This one is confirmed! I wrote Audible about Zune compatibility (i.e did the ten seconds of research) and was given the same reply as quoted above.
Expect a full report from Kevin McLaughlin, citing sources close to Microsoft. :)