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I’m happy to report that the Windows Phone Marketplace is now officially open for business in 5 new markets around the world—Argentina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, and the Philippines. We can’t wait to see all the great new apps you’ll create and publish for customers there. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, if you’d like your existing apps to reach Windows Phone owners in these new places, just log into App Hub and select them from the list—or choose “worldwide” if you want your app to appear in all 41 of the markets Marketplace is now available in.

Seamus Blackley, the co-creator of the Xbox, passionately believes that gameplay will triumph in the game business. That is why he and his new startup are relying on a team of famous designers from Atari to make a series of ….

Good news—the Windows Phone Marketplace for apps and games is opening for business today in five new spots—Argentina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru and the Philippines. If you live in one of these countries, tapping on the Marketplace tile will soon (it might a few hours for all the lights to come on) put loads of great apps and games at your fingertips. One important caveat: Your phone will need to have Windows Phone 7.5 installed to access the new stores.

Microsoft's Skype division is currently testing an initial Windows Phone client, expected to debut very soon. That's the word from several sources who have confirmed that Microsoft employees are able to download a test version of Skype from the Windows Phone Marketplace. The application will adopt Microsoft's Metro style guidelines, including a two column grid to display contacts, and will look very similar to the picture above.

Microsoft marketing layoffs are set to be announced internally on February 1, according to various sources.

Advanced Micro Devices said at its analyst meeting today that it will ship its first chips designed to provide the processing and graphics power for tablet computers. Rory Read (pictured), chief executive of Sunnyvale, Calif. -based AMD, was appointed the new ….

Back in December, a rumor emerged that Microsoft could be ditching the traditional Windows desktop for Windows 8 ARM tablets, signaling a move towards the Metro style user interface as the sole ARM strategy. Microsoft has consistently refused to comment on its plans for Windows 8 ARM, and has been reluctant to let vendors show off tablets running on ARM chipsets. The air of secrecy has created uncertainty for application developers and confusion for analysts and media who follow the company's every move.

By Paul Thurrott. Thanks to a recent leak which has revealed some interesting information about the next major Windows Phone version, I can now publicly discuss Windows Phone 8 for the first time.