Here's one that might have passed you by last week.

Dell and Google have joined forces by signing a deal that'll give Microsoft a headache.

The deal, which integrates select Google software into PCs shipped by Dell, will include a pre-installed Google toolbar and a Dell/Google-branded homepage, which will be the first page you see when accessing the Internet on Dell PCs in the near future.

Microsoft has enjoyed considerable success with its pre-installed programs that default to M$'s sites, and both Dell and Google want in on that lucrative sector.