As reported on Engadget yesterday, Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) is set to launch a newer, slimmer Zune digital media player in November. It's adding two new products to the Zune ecosystem as well, both of which are based on flash memory instead of using hard drives. In essence, Microsoft is trying to catch up, once again, to Apple, Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPod lineup, the most recent of which was announced and subsequently launched about a month ago.

Microsoft's more fascinating products out of the new lineup are the slim, flash memory-based devices. These new Zunes will come in several colors and memory capacities, with a 4-gigabyte version selling for $150 and an 8-gigabyte version running at $200. These are the exact same price point Apple has on its new iPod nano products.

Microsoft is touting the term "Zune" as more than just about the player devices themselves, but is trying to market the brand in a way similar to the iTunes atmosphere most iPod owners use to download music, movies, TV shows, podcasts and other content. Microsoft is doing one thing different, though -- it's adding a "social network" concept to the Zune atmosphere and pushing that concept with built-in wireless internet capability on all new players. Also, the Redmond giant is relaxing some of the song-sharing restrictions that have hampered wireless networking capabilities in the first generation of Zune players released last year. The large question is this: will the Zune ever be able to compete with the iPod, on any level and at any price? Round two is about to begin.

Dell, Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) has rolled out what it is calling a "budget supercomputer" in a London event. The computer maker wants its newer and cheaper supercomputer offering to be used in research dealing with custom cures for cancer as well as searching for universe origins in all the radio wave data that spills into the earth these days using large collection dishes.

Is this a move into a new area of computing or a publicity stunt? Neither, but it is Dell's attempt at some good press, something that has been lacking for the company in recent years. With commodity computer parts available to just about anyone who wants them, Dell will once again be assembling commodity machines (supercomputers) to sell to large clients that need a lot of processing power to sift through all the data available to them. Dell's entrance (if it can be called that) is not really all that unexpected, as both competitors Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE: HPQ) and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAVA) have been in the supercomputer field for a very long time. Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) made the practice of stringing together many standard PCs to make a supercomputer popular years ago as well.

Dell's new 'Legion' system will have the processing power of 3,000 desktop PCs and will target those who need cheap computing power available from commodity components without spending a fortune on proprietary systems and parts in the process. As Dell basically defined the role of commodity computer supplier in the last decade and a half, it should be primed to fill this role while giving in to the need of "adding value" to what could be seen as a boring commodity market. If Dell can bring more and more cheap supercomputing to the field and compete against International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) (which leads all others when it comes to built supercomputers), then it may just have something.

Due to potential safety problems, Toyota (NYSE: TM) has decided to delay the launch of new high-mileage hybrids with lithium-ion battery technology by one to two years, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the strategy. The decision destroys any chance of Toyota meeting its goal of selling 600,000 hybrids a year by early next decade, up from almost 200,000 in 2006. The move allows General Motors (NYSE: GM) and others the opportunity to narrow the gap of future vehicle technology.

Toyota has also postponed its plans for the hybrid versions of the Sequoia SUV and the Tundra pickup until 2013-2014. That puts Toyota way behind General Motors and Chrysler's plans to launch hybrid SUVs in 2008.

The "potential safety problem" Toyota says, is the development of lithium cobalt oxide particles in its batteries, which have a tendency to overheat, catch fire or even explode. According to the company, similar problems have been seen in Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) lithium-ion batteries in laptops -- mostly because the chemistry of Sony's batteries was similar to that of batteries they were attempting to use in future hybrids.

The next-generation Prius will instead use the conventional nickel-metal-hydride batteries for its launch in early 2009. The first Toyota hybrid with lithium-ion battery technology will not arrive in the U.S. until 2011.

GM will have an opportunity to launch its first lithium-ion hybrid, the Saturn VUE Green Line model, as soon as late 2009, and before any competitors. Toyota's delays also give Honda Motors (NYSE: HMC) the opportunity to highlight its launch of a subcompact hybrid with improved nickel-metal-hydride batteries in 2009. Volkswagen (OTC: VLKAY), BMW and DaimlerChrysler (NYSE: DAI) all plan to create clean diesel engines for U.S. cars starting in 2009. The automakers say they now have obtained the technology to meet tough American clean-air standards.

Regardless of which company produces the first lithium-ion hybrid, Toyota's delays push back J.D. Power's estimates on future hybrid sales. Hybrid sales totaled 2.3% of all auto sales this year and were expected to reach 5% by 2010.

Welcome to our first major redesign of BloggingStocks. We're relaunching the site today with a clean, sophisticated design and some new ways to highlight the best posts our team of world class investment bloggers has to offer.

Looking for information about a specific company? Use our new horizontal navigation bar to see posts about one of the 350 or so stocks we cover. You can also click there to see the latest stock picks, opinions on business news of the day, financial analysis or country-by-country research.

With this new design we also make it easier for you to check out what we consider the best crop of posts each day. On the left side of the page we're highlighting topics in the news today and the best of our in-depth features.

Most important, let us know what you think of the new design by leaving your comments. We are eager for feedback.

I like to call them "superphones" but the industry phrase is "smart phones," and the best of the bunch still exist in our collective imagination and in sparkling light-on-black press photos on the internet: the Apple iPhone (due out June 29), the LG Prada ("late summer") and the Foleo, a companion to the Palm Treo (more "late summer").

While many of the details are known, of course, I haven't actually touched any of these superphones. But that's part of the deliciousness. I can already tell you which one I want to have in my big purple knitted bag immediately (the iPhone) and which I'm fine admiring from afar, and on the cover of US Magazine (LG Prada) and which I might only buy if I was far more idle and in possession of way more disposable income than I now have (Palm Foleo).

When will the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone be released? When will AT&T (NYSE: T)/Cingular stores have it available for sale? How much will customers pay if they're signing up for two-year contracts? Will it be delayed? If it will, what does that even mean?

Although it appears that the iPhone will be available for sale in AT&T/Cingular stores and website, and on the Apple web site [update: and Apple stores] sometime between June 11 and June 30, there still is no solid date --

Update: The iPhone release date of June 29 has been confirmed as of June 3, 2007.

-- what's more, customers won't be able to pre-order and so will have to (in all likelihood) stand in line on a day yet-to-be-determined in order to get their hands on one of the hot items. I know I'll be in line, but here's the ironic part: I won't be able to live blog from my iPhone, because I won't have it yet. Click through our gallery to learn everything there is to know about the iPhone and its projected launch date!

Last night, a commercial break during the 79th Academy Awards featured an ad spot for Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) long-awaited-and-much-discussed iPhone. The 30-second ad, screened during the first break and several breaks thereafter, began with images of old-fashioned phones and moves to clips of 31 assorted film and television characters saying "Hello," including Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Michael J. Fox and Mr. Incredible from Pixar's "The Incredibles." The spot ended with an image of the new iPhone and the word "Hello." Of course, it also said "Coming in June," so any rumors of an April arrival are probably out of the question right now.

The ad was in good taste, meaning there was no bashing of any of Apple's rivals (ahem, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)). Having a good relationship with Tinsel Town can't hurt either.

If you want to watch it for yourself, click here.

Everyone wants an iPhone. Well, maybe not everyone, but I've been startled by the number of completely non-tech-focused blogs where I've seen dreamy love directed to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)'s soon-to-be category-killer. You may think the iPhone craze was a flash in the pan? Nope. This seems to have some major staying power.

Take my friend Citymama, who (I'm sure she'd admit happily), is not the sort to be normally found toting around the latest and geekiest tech gear. She sings the iPhone's praises on a parent-focused blog, mentioning the ability to play Laurie Berkner and is thrilled about "plenty of space to store my grainy pictures of soccer dads losing their shit, nannies behaving badly ...and photos of my kids, of course." Best of all: you can baby blog from the playground. Awesome.

The knitting blogs, never the height of gadget culture, have been all abuzz. At Paideia's Closet, the potential issues with the iPhone are innumerated but when it comes right down to it: "I can't help being wowed. It just looks so beautiful, so elegant, so intuitive, and, like most current Apple products, would be such an upgrade from what I currently have, that I still want one." Friends of mine who spend most of their blog space analyzing an imperfect sweater pattern or debating the merits of Manos del Uruguay over Malabrigo yarn? They can't help talking about the iPhone.

Blogs as divergent from tech as JacketFlap, the Children's Book Publishing Blog are even in on the fun. Amidst posts on home libraries and stealing books? Ian says, "I want an iPhone ... I want it now."

I want it now, too. But it's still 107 days until the announced June 1 launch. Yes. I am counting. Are you?