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Hi everyone. Just a reminder that there’s no PLAYSTATION Store update today, but the Store remains open for business. As announced last week, Warhawk is still on promotion for $29.99 (regular price $39.99). We’re working hard on getting the revamped Store up and running. Keep an eye out for a walk-through video next week. In the meantime, take a peek at a few screens from the new interface. [Playstation Blog]

No, there is no plan to extend sales of other editions of Windows XP beyond June 30, 2008. We are very proud of the progress that we have made with Windows Vista over the last sixteen months. Since its launch, Windows Vista has become the fastest-selling operating system inMicrosoft history, and more than 100 million Windows Vista licenses have been sold worldwide.
Last fall, our OEM partners asked us to extend sales of Windows XP to give their customers more time to transition to Windows Vista while we worked with other software vendors to expand application compatibility. Today, more than 2,500 applications have received the Windows Vista logo (a ten-fold increase since launch) and more than 78,000 devices and components are supported by drivers either in-box or on Windows Update. On NPD’s list of the top 100 consumer applications selling at retail, 98 are now compatible—and the latest versions of the top free downloads (Adobe Reader, Shockwave and iTunes) are all compatible. 
Given this landscape and after consulting with our partners, apart from today’s announced extension of Windows XP Home for ULCPCs, we are maintaining the timelines we announced in September. 
I should also note that there will also be no impact on our technical support plans—mainstream technical support will continue to be available until April 2009 and extended support will continue until April 2014. [Microsoft Presspass]

Vehicle damage, community building features coming later this year, Yamauchi reveals to CVG
Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi has revealed that a “major update” is coming for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue later this year, which will add among other things long-awaited vehicledamage.
In an interview with CVG this afternoon, Yamauchi said that the update will also have a big focus on enhancing Prologue’s online modes, starting with the addition of various “community building features.”
The last bit will come as particularly excellent news to PS3 owners, as the GT5 preview is currently lacking somewhat in the online department.
You can expect the full interview with Mr. Gran Turismo very shortly. Who says it’s ‘just a demo’ now, eh? [computerandvideogames]

I got my DualShock 3 controller from Sony today. The new controller, which goes on sale in North America this week, will make my Sony games start rumbling ASAP.
But unboxing my DualShock 3 made me wonder ab out my PS3’s Sixaxis controllers. Are they the old hotness?
A Sony rep tells me that the Sixaxis is indeed on the way out: “Sixaxis will no longer be offered after it’s completely sold through at retail (likely by the summer timeframe).”
The original rumble-free motion-controller won’t make it out of 2008. So seeya, Sixaxis. Hello, motion-sensitive, rumbling Dualshock 3. [MTV]

The fact that Microsoft has relaxed its antipiracy mechanism built into Windows Vista concomitantly with the release of Service Pack 1 failed to stop hackers from providing a crack for the latest version of Windows Genuine Advantage Validation. Various reports point out that Genuine Advantage Validation and Notifications versions 1.7.69.1 (1.7.0069.1) and 1.7.69.2released in March 2008, following the March 18 availability of Windows Vista SP1 through Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center, have been cracked.
The workaround is designed to be integrated with pirated copies of Windows XP and Windows Vista in order to render useless the WGA Validation mechanism. According to the reports, applying the WGA crack will permit users of counterfeit versions of Windows to access and download items from Windows Update, Microsoft Download Center and Microsoft Update. The pirated operating systems with the cracked WGA will pass all validations on Microsoft’s websites and offer anything from updates to applications that are restricted to users of genuine operating systems only.
View: Full Article @ Softpedia

In Las Vegas Sprint has announced a new mobile called the Instinct made by Samsung. It weighs in and is about the same size as the iPhone, and seems to use similar interface ideas. One of the most touted features of the Instinct over the iPhone is the ability to run on EVDO Rev. A, which can achieve much faster speeds than AT&Ts EDGE network. Instinct will come with a 2GB microSD card and it can be expanded up to 8GB. It also features a 2 megapixel camera, GPS navigation (using Telenav), Visual Voicemail (using the touch screen to scan through and browse voicemail messages), and two 1000 mAmp batteries giving up to 5.75 hours of talk time each, as well as some other accessories.
No price was announced, but Sprint claims it will be competitive to the $399 iPhone and should be available to purchase in June. [Detroit Free Press]
Click Read More for photos
View: PhoneScoops Video of the Instinct
View: Sprints Instinct Website and Order Reservation

Mozilla Corp. Thursday confirmed that it will release the final beta of Firefox 3.0 shortly, and that it expects to deliver the finished browser to users in June. Firefox 3.0 Beta 5 has been code-frozen, said Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla’s vice president of engineering, and is working its way toward release. “That will be the last beta for Firefox 3.0,” he said. Once Beta 5 is out of the way, developers will move to the Release Candidate (RC) stage.
Release Candidate 1 (RC1) should be ready sometime in early May, said Schroepfer, assuming Mozilla meets its current schedule. “The release candidates will move a little slower than beta,” he continued, noting that the company must make allowances for public feedback.
View: The full story @ PCWorld

At CTIA Wireless 2008, Robbie Bach unveiled new features for an update to Windows Mobile, which includes enhanced features for socializing like threaded text messaging and features for simpler navigation. He also announced Microsoft’s plans to bring desktop-grade Web browsingexperience to the Windows Mobile phone with an upcoming version of Internet Explorer Mobile.
Updates and new phones are expected to be available beginning in the second quarter of 2008. IE Mobile will be available to mobile phone partners in the third quarter of 2008 with the first Windows Mobile phones using the new version to be available by the end of 2008. 
For Windows Mobile phones used in businesses, System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 is now available. 
The Microsoft Mobile Services Plan (MMSP) was also announced today in partnership with AT&T, O2, Orange, TaTa Teleservices Ltd. and Verizon Wireless. The plan will help businesses with:
• Securing Windows Mobile phones with the same ease and flexibility as Windows-based PCs and providing access to information behind a company’s firewall. 
• Helping businesses meet their mobile device management needs through mobile operators with the MMSP. 
• Managing and securing phones with Exchange Server 2007 SP1 advanced mobile policies while enabling people to find, share, and use information no matter where they are
View: Microsoft Press Release

As the dust from the high-definition DVD format war starts to settle, Dell is jumping on Sony’s Blu-ray bandwagon by offering an optional Blu-ray disc drive on its Inspiron 1525 notebook, with a sale price starting at $879. “Dell has been a backer of Blu-ray from the beginning, and we’ve actually been offering Blu-ray notebooks for close to 18 months now,” said Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden. “The big news now is we are actually able to offer it at a price that puts it at a mainstream user’s reach.” 
A company release said the disc drive is fully backwards compatible, and will play as well as burn traditional DVDs and CDs. The company is also offering consumers a Blu-ray burner drive, which Dell recommends for backing up and storing files like digital photos, videos, financial records. Blu-ray discs have a significant advantage over standard DVDs, with 50 GB of data available versus 8.5 GB available on a typical DVD disc. 
View: The full story @ CRN

Sony Pictures Television is looking to launch the first movie network on mobile phones in the United States. 
The studio has signed a deal with AT&T and MediaFLO USA to launch the linear channel as one of two exclusive channels coming to the newly announced AT&T Mobile TV with FLO service in May.
The channel, to be known as PIX, will be stocked with such titles as “Ghostbusters,” “Philadelphia” and “Stand by Me.”
Mobile has been viewed mostly as a marketing platform for theatricals in the U.S. With the domestic mobile video category for even shortform clips lagging behind markets in Europe and Asia, Sony is looking to entice viewers with more diverse content offerings.
“What you see a lot on the carrier decks is promotional content that people can snack a little on,” said Eric Berger, vp mobile entertainment at Sony Pictures Television. “There’s nothing currently there as deeply entertaining as these movies.”
Films have been made available on handsets on an on-demand basis. Sony was one of several studios that contributed titles to content aggregator MSpot, which teamed with Sprint to launch MSpot Movies in 2006. [Reuters]

After Mac was hacked in 2 minutes at the CanSecWest Conference, it was now the time for Vista to get hacked on the 3rd day. Vista’s security was compromised through the popular 3rd party software, Adobe Flash.  
“The contest, which saw a MacBook Air get hacked on Thursday, relaxed the rules even further. On the first day of the contest, only the operating system could be targeted, but on the second day that was expanded to include standard applications. An undisclosed Safari flaw led to the MacBook Air’s downfall through the OS X operating system.” 
The MacBook Air went first; a Fujitsu laptop running Vista was hacked on the last day of the contest; but it was Linux, running on a Sony Vaio, that remained undefeated as conference organizers ended a three-way computer hacking challenge Friday at the CanSecWest conference. [WinVistaClub via Neowin]

Microsoft has in Japan, combined Windows Vista Home Premium with Windows Live OneCare in one eye-popping hot pink box. 
As a special promotion for the Japanese market, an upgrade version of Windows Vista Home Premium is bundled with a year’s subscription of Windows Live OneCare and a copy of a Vista tips and tricks book. The pink flowers are called sakura (cherry blossoms) and this is being released for the Sakura or ‘Cherry Blossom’ season, which is a BIG event in Japan.
Image: Box Shot
View: istartedsomething

It may be the quickest $10,000 Charlie Miller ever earned. 
He took the first of three laptop computers — and a $10,000 cash prize — Thursday after breaking into a MacBook Air at the CanSecWest security conference’s PWN 2 OWN hacking contest. 
Show organizers offered a Sony Vaio, Fujitsu U810, and the MacBook as prizes, saying that they could be won by anybody at the show who could find a way to hack into each of them and read the contents of a file on the system using a previously undisclosed “0day” attack.
Within 2 minutes, he directed the contest’s organizers to visit a Web site that contained his exploit code, which then allowed him to seize control of the computer, as about 20 onlookers cheered him on. He was the first contestant to attempt an attack on any of the systems.
Miller was quickly given a nondisclosure agreement to sign, and he’s not allowed to discuss particulars of his bug until the contest’s sponsor, TippingPoint, can notify the vendor.
Contest rules state that Miller could only take advantage of software that was preinstalled on the Mac, so the flaw he exploited must have been accessible by, or possibly inside, Apple’s Safari browser. [Yahoo! News]

How best to sum up this new lineup? I guess it’s a case where that old phrase “something for everyone” actually fits the bill pretty well. We have processors aimed at both the high-endenthusiast who wants to squeeze as much power out of their components as well as processors aimed at the budget-conscious. We also see a revolutionary new energy efficient processor aimed at home theater enthusiasts who want quad-core power without having to put up with large PC cases in their living rooms or the noise generated by extravagant fans.
So, finally, some cool stuff to drool over from AMD. Let’s take a closer look starting with the tech specs. [zDnet]

Here are the new processors, seven in all, five quad-core processors and two triple-core units:
AMD Phenom X4 Quad-core - Socket AM2+
X4 9850 Black Edition (unlocked multiplier)
- 2.5GHz
- 125W TDP
X4 9750
- 2.4GHz
- 125W / 95W TDP
X4 9650
- 2.3GHz
- 95W TDP
X4 9550
- 2.2GHz
- 95W TDP
Some of the highlights of this lineup include:
Up to 20% faster than previous models
B3 revision (TLB bug free)
2MB L2 cache
2MB L3 cache
DDR2-1066 support
65nm process technology
Integrated Memory Controller
Fast HyperTransport 3.0 technology
Cool & Quiet v2.0
Also added to the quad-core lineup is a new energy efficient unit:
X4 9100e
- 1.8GHz
- 65W TDP
Some of the X4 9100e energy-efficient features include:
Cool’n’Quiet 2.0 technology, which helps users achieve more efficient performance by dynamically activating or turning off parts of the processor as needed
Independent Dynamic Core Technology, a fully independent frequency control per processor core that can reduce processor energy consumption by adjusting power usage according to core utilization
Dual Dynamic Power Management, which splits power plane design, allowing independent voltage planes for processor and memory controller for greater control over performance based on system demands
AMD Wideband Frequency Control, that simplifies performance state transitions to reduce power consumption, latency and software overhead of performance states changes
Multi-Point Thermal Control, featuring multiple sensors across processor silicon designed to automatically reduce speed and heat when temperature exceeds pre-defined limits