Amazon adds persistent storage to its compute cloud. The company claims that the new Elastic Block Store, which a third-party provider described as a SAN in the cloud, will enable developers to use EC2 for a broader range of applications. Upgrades such as replacing your laptop’s LCD screen deliver genuine benefits, sure. Five insane upgrades you should never do. They’re time-consuming, expensive, and in some cases even dangerous — at least to your hardware. Nokia discloses that its widely used operating system Series 40 has security holes that could allow attackers to install and activate rogue applications. But the company was not clear on whether or not it paid a security researcher to find them. Palm appeals to enterprises with its newest smartphone, the Treo Pro, which it will as an unlocked device. One analyst says the move is either the beginning of a new trend, or a bad sign for Palm.And while road warriors have a raft of options for mobile computing — ultraportables, handhelds, cloud-services via which they can access data from anywhere — only virtualization can truly set them free. Here’s how to make your workforce machine-independent so they can leave that laptop behind. Technology Industry