Roundup: Microsoft’s team-up with Verizon, Wolfram/Alpha’s demo, and more

Here’s the latest action:

Are Microsoft and Verizon teaming up on an iPhone rival? — That partnership may be the real source of rumors about negotiations between Verizon and Apple, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Stephen Wolfram demos Wolfram/Alpha search engine — Larry Dignan of ZDNet says the “computational knowledge engine” (a search engine that understands your questions and computes the correct answer, rather than just digging up relevant web pages based on keywords) probably isn’t a Google killer, but could be useful in a corporate setting.

Sun Microsystems’ revenues plunge — These earnings make it clear why Oracle needs to take over, and what challenges the company will face when it does.

Corporate tweets may cause trouble with the SEC — Basically, federal laws regulating corporate communications may be at odds with the more informal communication encouraged on Twitter and blogs.

Justice Dept. investigates Google Books settlement — Critics have complained that the deal (allowing Google to place scanned books online and share revenue with authors and publishers) basically gives Google the exclusive right to profit from those scanned books, thus raising anti-trust concerns.

Nokia drops ability to pay for apps on your phone bill — The company had planned to include that feature in the Ovi Store, scheduled to open this summer.

Can a game company survive with six workers and 5,000 fans? — That’s the question for Flashbang Studios, which hopes to support itself with a small group of devoted fans.

Mint tries to encourage “financial fitness” with a game — Basically, members of the personal finance site earn points by accomplishing tasks that also improve their financial situation.

PBwiki changes name to PBworks — The company is trying to show that its products aren’t just wikis, but are more generally about collaboration at work.

Warner Music asks YouTube to take down presentation by Lawrence Lessig — Since Lessig is a law professor and activist against the abuse of copyright, this should make for an interesting battle.