Image courtesy of Joystiq

Microsoft’s Xbox division will be adding a long requested feature to the Xbox 360 after seeing the relative lack of success with its own proprietary memory cards in a forthcoming System Update with the addition of USB mass storage device support. Screenshots taken from the internal documents reveal support for USB storage devices larger than the current 512MB maximum capacity of Microsoft’s current Xbox 360 memory units.

A related note within the documents from a Microsoft software engineer also acknowledges the proliferation of USB storage devices and confirms that Microsoft will release an Xbox 360 system update sometime this year to provide support for such devices. The added feature is good news for those XBOX 360 owners whose core system has limited or no on-board storage as the update will allow the addition of up to two 16GB USB flash drives instead of relying on the overpriced and proprietary Microsoft Xbox 360 hard drive.

The application required for the service is a free download, with the service being billed at an additional $5 per month on top of the monthly rate plan and allows for group calls with up to 50 participants, Presence support to check availability for Push to Talk calls, online management of Push to Talk contacts and
simultaneous access to web/email while on a Push to Talk call.

Synaptics has released a new driver update for its trackpad hardware (which can be found on a majority of laptops sold today) that enables multitouch gestures without the need for additional hardware.

The updated driver (which is provided by HP as a separate update for its laptops, but will function on laptops with Synaptics touchpad hardware) enables the use of gestures such as two-finger scrolling and three-finger clicking along with three-finger horizontal and vertical swiping.

Windows XP Driver
Windows 7/Vista Driver

The elimination of the requirement makes things easier for users that would require such functionality, as it no longer requires verification of support before attempting to use the functionality. The elimination of the requirement will be issued via software update on Windows 7 Professional and higher, with users currently running XP mode not needing to do anything.

In related news, Microsoft has also announced an update that will be part of the first service pack for Windows Server 2008 R2. The update will add two features in Microsoft Dynamic Memory (will allow users to adjust memory of a guest virtual machine on demand) and Microsoft RemoteFX will enable users of virtual desktops and applications to 3-D experience while accessing information remotely. Microsoft also announced an expanded partnership with Citrix and licensing changes that will make it easier for businesses to allow workers remote access via virtualized desktops.

The service will allow wholesale partners and virtual operators on the Sprint network to offer prepaid mobile broadband services to their customers by the day, week or month or even by the megabyte. The service will be demonstrated during next week’s CTIA Wireless 2010 convention in Las Vegas.

The Virgin Mobile Broadband2Go prepaid mobile broadband solution was first offered last year and also recently improved by increased data allowances, placing it inline with contract based aircards from competitors on a prepaid basis.

Amazon has quietly launched its Kindle Reader desktop application for Mac OS X, without so much as any advance notice or a press release. This follows last month’s launch of the reader application for RIM’s BlackBerry lineup.

The desktop Kindle Reader application allows users to purchase books from Amazon as well as easing sync between the application and the Kindle hardware and displays bookmarks/highlights from Kindle reading sessions, although without allowing for new highlight creation.

The download is free and is compatible with Leopard, but is not compatible with PowerPC-based hardware or Tiger.

According to the above internal slide, Sprint will roll out the long awaited HTC Touch Pro 2 update to Windows Mobile 6.5 on Friday, following up on the previous confimation of the update for this month.

As explained in the slide, aside from the update to Windows Mobile 6.5 the update includes enhancements to Sense, bug fixes and improved social networking.

Update: As expected, the update is now available via HTC’s support page, with Sprint’s mirror going up later today at 6PM EDT/5PM CST/3PM PST.

Like Verizon’s forthcoming variant, the Sprint version will be sold through Google’s dedicated sales portal for the device, following the launch of the unlocked AT&T 3G compatible version yesterday. Pricing and launch details will be confirmed at a later date.

The Supersonic will be the first in a lineup of dual-mode WiMax/EVDO devices planned by the carrier as it shifts marketing priority from its 3G network and is currently touting WiMax as its advantage over competitors AT&T and Verizon, which have yet to launch networks based on the competing LTE standard.