IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced IBM Lotus Connections – a business-ready social software platform, IBM Lotus Quickr – a new Web 2.0 collaborative content platform offering, IBM Lotus Sametime 7.5.1 – featuring expanded unified communications capabilities and increased interoperability with Microsoft software, and IBM Lotus Notes and Domino 8 open beta program starting this February. The new Lotus Notes client includes major upgrades to core applications and expanded integration with the new collaboration tools. http://www.ibm.com/