Microsoft has announced the availability of Windows Internet Explorer 8, its new Web browser.

The company claims the Internet Explorer 8 is easy to use, and offers security features in direct response to people’s concerns about online safety.

Internet Explorer 8 will be available for download in 25 languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified and Hong Kong), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

AIS and Research In Motion (RIM) have introduced the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone in Thailand.

The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 is a full-QWERTY BlackBerry smartphone and it offers a feature-set in a compact and refined design that looks, feels and works great.

The smartphone sports a chrome frame with a black finish. Among its communications and multimedia capabilities are a full-QWERTY keyboard and a large HVGA+ (480×360 resolution) display. The phone weighs 110 grams and measures 109 x 60 x 13.5 mm.

In addition to its advanced phone, e-mail, messaging, organiser, web browser and multimedia applications, it features built-in GPS to support location-based applications and services. It also allows access to social networking sites and has built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g).

Vodafone Malta and Research In Motion (RIM) have launched the BlackBerry Curve 8900 in Malta.

In addition to the phone, e-mail, messaging, organiser, web browser and multimedia applications, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone features global connectivity support, built-in Wi-fi and GPS, a next generation 512MHz processor and a hi-resolution display.

The company informed that the smartphone incorporates a full-QWERTY keyboard and an intuitive trackball that allow easy typing and navigation. Other features include a 3.2 megapixel camera, with auto focus, digital zoom, flash and video recording; and a microSD/SDHC expandable memory card slot that supports up to 16GB per card.

Telefonica Europe has selected Amdocs ChangingWorlds’ technology to launch a new Mobile Internet service to four of the mobile operators from Telefonica Europe. Amdocs completed its acquisition of ChangingWorlds in December 2008.

The agreement includes O2 UK and Czech Republic, which have already launched, and O2 Germany and O2 Ireland, which will launch in 2009.

The new service will be made available across the majority of the Telefonica Europe device portfolio.

The solution was defined by Telefonica Europe in close collaboration with Amdocs ChangingWorlds and offers a new internet-like portal and a browser bar that provides intuitive navigation support.

As users browse the service, the browser bar guides and provides links to both on- and off-portal content that matches their content preferences and behavioural profiles.

The personalisation engine automatically selects new, fresh and relevant content for each user based on learned user content preferences and behavioural patterns. Additionally, the Amdocs ChangingWorlds’ device management system optimises content presentation and screen flows to the specific capabilities of each O2 handset, Amdocs explained.

Xfire, an online gaming platform, has announced that its latest release includes an in-game web browser.

Gamers who already use Xfire to chat with friends, take screenshots and capture game-play video no longer have to alt-tab away from their game.

‘Scroll Lock + W’ or a search from the main Xfire window launches the new web browser in-game.

This is expected to now make checking game FAQs, strategy guides and maps easier. Listening to Pandora or viewing YouTube videos linked by friends without pausing the game is also possible, thanks to Flash support and tight integration with Xfire Chat.

Vodafone and Research In Motion (RIM) have launched the BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone for Vodafone customers in Spain. RIM also introduced the smartphone in Malaysia.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 has a feature set aimed at keeping users connected with their office, friends and family.

It features built-in Wi-fi, GPS, a next generation processor (512 MHz) and a hi-resolution display.

Other features include a full-QWERTY keyboard and intuitive trackball; full-featured media player; a 3.2 megapixel camera, with auto focus, digital zoom, flash and video recording. A microSD/SDHC expandable memory card slot supports up to 16GB per card.

The smartphone will be available from Celcom and Maxis in Malaysia this month.

The phone from Vodafone will be available in Spain with BlackBerry Internet Service at a flat rate of €18 per month. The service allows users to browse the web, and access e-mail, instant messages and social networks.

The European Commission has awarded TAEUS International’s European subsidiary, TAEUS Europe, a €9m ($13.2m) contract to continue its investigation of Microsoft’s interoperability data for communication protocol technology.

As a result of previous work performed by TAEUS, the European Commission, levied fines against Microsoft totalling €1.3bn for failing to comply with Article 82 of the European Union Treaty.

The new contract will provide for technical monitoring services to support anti-trust investigations against Microsoft and other companies in the information technology sector relating to e-mail server software, personal productivity applications and internet browsers, among others.