[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l-hdKSvLG4&w=560&h=345]

Dice News Update: Google’s Motorola Mobility deal may have a surprising beneficiary... IT employment ticks up... And hardware you absolutely have to have. Well, I do. All on this week's Update. Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility may be the biggest tech news to hit Chicago on a long time. The $12.5 billion move is seen by some as a way for Google to get deep into the handset business, and grow the user base for Android. If it goes through – It’s a big enough deal to get the attention of regulators, though I haven’t heard anyone say they probably won’t approve it. What’s interesting is one of the beneficiaries of the deal could be … Microsoft. With Google making devices of its own, Windows Phone’s sure to become more attractive to developers. Redmond would become the only major OS developer without a hardware arm of its own. IT employment continued climbing in July, growing for the 18^th consecutive month – though modestly. TechServe Alliance says the number of jobs ticked up by 1,800 to just over 4 million. That’s up by more than 120,000 jobs from a year ago. Anything over the 4 million mark is considered a healthy sign for IT market. Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that things are particularly good for software engineers. But … the stock market’s drop has a lot of people wondering whether its shenanigans means whatever tech bubble there might have been has burst. Take Groupon: It’s filed for an IPO, but may have to settle for raising less money than it had hoped. Other companies may face similar disappointments -- unless they wait for the markets to bounce back. Now, a piece of hardware I absolutely, positively have to have. If you’re watching this, you probably spend a lot of time focused in your cube, or at your desk at home. You’re too busy to look at those pictures you have of your spouse, your family and dog. But you can fix that: With the USB Optical Mouse with Digital Photo Frame. Yes, that’s right. Now you don’t have to clutter your desk with all those pictures. Brando Workshop offers this mouse with an embedded 1.5-inch LCD digital photo frame built right in. It’s got 8 megabytes of memory, supports JPG and BMP graphics, and has a slideshow mode. It doesn’t even require a driver. All of this for a mere $32 plus shipping. Brando Workshop has other must-have gear, too. Like the USB Hedgehog Massage Optical Mouse or, for you ladies, the USB Jewel Gun Flash Drive. I am positive – positive – I can bury one of these things in my expense report.