The Globe and Mail says that Microsoft gave its business customers an incentive to upgrade their Office suite to the 2003 version. The company announced that its volume-license customers will be able to upgrade their Office XP Standard Edition to Office 2003 Professional Edition at no extra cost. Office Standard users who wish to upgrade to the full Professional Edition can do so simply by paying the price difference. While this seems like a great incentive to upgrade, the article explains why this is more like a bribe.

CRM Magazine says that Salesforce.com is reinventing itself with the launch of S3 and sforce. Some of the upgrades under the S3 umbrella include upgrades with Microsoft Outlook so users can click to add any email to S3 for organizationwide visibility and search Salesforce.com’s contacts or leads database within Microsoft Outlook.

Interwoven said it will merge with iManage in a stock and cash transaction deal estimated at $171 million. The two companies say their integration plan is to match iManage’s collaborative technology with Interwoven MetaTagger content intelligence server software. iManage said it offers market share leadership among major law firms. Based on 100 percent Java and J2EE-compliant architecture, iManage also works with Microsoft Outlook and Office.

Research In Motion brought the BlackBerry 7230 device to the U.S. in partnership with T-Mobile USA. The BlackBerry 7230 lets users access email along with the Internet and voice networks around the world. It is now available in the U.S. for $399.99. Computerworld reports that T-Mobile will charge $29.99 per month for unlimited email and other mobile content, while the voice service fee is separate.

Microsoft is set to announce pricing and licensing details for its Office Live Communications Server 2003. InfoWorld reports that the estimated retail price for Office Live Communications Server 2003, previously known as Office Real Time Communications Server 2003 and by its Greenwich code name, will be $929 for the server software and $34.95 per client access license.

Kubi Software announced a joint development agreement with DETERMINE Software. DETERMINE will integrate Kubi technology into its new Collaborative Contract Negotiation Module, enabling users of the DETERMINE contract-management application to collaborate on contract negotiations without leaving their familiar email environment. Kubi Software’s technology provides structured team spaces for individuals and teams to work together within the Microsoft Outlook or IBM Lotus Notes email clients.

Hormel is trying to block trademark filings from SpamArrest, the Seattle-based, spam-fighting company. This article from ABC News also includes this little known fact – residents of Hawaii eat more Spam than residents of any other state, with the Aloha State sucking down 6.7 million cans each year.

A federal judge has ordered Research in Motion to stop selling its BlackBerry wireless email units because of patent violations, but he stayed the decision while the company pursues an appeal. The Mercury News says that the ruling by U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer came after a jury’s finding last year that the BlackBerry infringes on patents held by NTP of Arlington, Va. Spencer ordered RIM to pay $53.7 million in damages.

InfoSync reviews Chapura’s KeySuite, a set of four independent applications, KeyDates, KeyContacts, KeyTasks, and KeyNotes. KeySuite’s main function is to duplicate the functions and fields available in Microsoft Outlook for Windows on the Palm.

RainMaker Software announced that Lindquist & Vennum has licensed its Practice Management Docketing and Exchange Server Integration software. The software provides the ability to schedule and manage the docketing activities of the entire firm including the automatic generation of paperless SmartAlert email tickler messages to remind attorneys of critical dates. The system includes a real-time two-way integration with Microsoft Exchange Server allowing attorneys to view and edit their docket events from an Outlook screen or synchronize them with a PDA.