It's often said that the applications define the platform, and if that's the case, Windows Phone 7 has finally arrived. Yes, it's true: Microsoft's new mobile operating system has its first fart app, courtesy Shai Raiten, a technology consultant and member of Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional program who built and posted the test "Fart with 7" app last week. It was only a matter of time. (Via Bob Familiar's Blog.)

Amazon.com is asking again for amateur videos that it may use for a new Kindle ad campaign. The company did this once before, choosing a playful, stop-action video called Kindlicious that became part of an Amazon ad campaign seen by 100 million people, according to the company. The best part: The winner gets $15,000 in Amazon gift cards.

In a sea of crappy corporate blogs, Seattle-based online real estate firm Redfin stands out as a beacon in the muck. Or something like that. So asserts Heather Hamilton, a Microsoft manager and blogger who has a good eye for such things. CEO Glenn Kelman & Co. are responsible for some of the "best corporate blogging I have seen in a very long time," she says. Read her full explanation here, and please take notes, corporate types.

Is the BlackBerry poised for a comeback? That seems like a strange question, given its strength in the market, but the rise of the iPhone and Android have pushed the Research in Motion platform out of favor among geeks. Which is why the new BlackBerry Torch, announced today for the BlackBerry 6 operating system, is particularly interesting to see. PC World says the device "provides a hybrid experience combining the familiar BlackBerry keyboard with the next-generation features of the iPhone and Android platforms." Images and details here.

Is a Kindle a computer or a book? And what the heck is an iPad? Here's a great post on that topic from Nick Bilton of the New York Times, who found himself stymied when pulling out Amazon's e-reader at a coffee shop that was cracking down on computer usage. Same with Apple's iPad at a computer-restricted sandwich shop. Sounds like Microsoft isn't the only company still trying to figure this market out.

Clearwire this week has been trumpeting the expansion of its service to such cities as Stockton, Modesto, Grand Rapids and Wilmington, but GigaOm notes that the Kirkland company's current coverage of markets with a total population of 51 million people is still well short of its goal of covering 120 million people by the end of the year. Clearwire is trying to shore up its position ahead Verizon's planned launch of its competing LTE network in the fourth quarter of this year, which is expected to cover 100 million people.

Former Microsoft games chief Ed Fries is getting lots of attention on the video-game blogs for a fun project, "Halo 2600" -- a free online game that envisions Microsoft's blockbuster Halo franchise for the Atari 2600. The theme music is especially inspired. Fries tells the Seattle Times that he wouldn't mind seeing the game on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade.

Microsoft's Bing Maps today launched an updated interface that the company says is meant to improve readability and aesthetics -- with better contrast among colors, larger fonts, improved international coverage and a "Dynamic Labels" beta feature for faster map navigation. Details on the official Bing blog. The company also added a new OpenStreetMap application that incorporates map data contributed users.

Eric Engleman contributed to this post.