• an issue that might cause your system to logout unexpectedly
• a graphics distortion in Safari Top Sites
• spotlight search results not showing Exchange contacts
• a problem that prevented authenticating as an administrative user
• issues when using NTFS and WebDAV file servers
• the reliability of menu extras
• an issue with the 4-finger swipe gesture
• an issue that causes Mail to quit unexpectedly when setting up an Exchange server
• address Book becoming unresponsive when editing
• a problem adding images to contacts in Address Book
• an issue that prevented opening files downloaded from the Internet
• Safari plug-in reliability
• general reliability improvements for iWork, iLife, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, MobileMe, and iDisk
• an issue that caused data to be deleted when using a guest account

The download is about 450 megabytes and according to Apple the update will offer: “general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.”

The modem is compatible with the ongoing 7.2Mbps network upgrade being launched across the country, with Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami expected to launch the upgraded service the end of the year.

Pricing for the modem is set at $99.99 after new 2 year agreement and LaptopConnect data plan requirement before an additional $100 mail-in rebate, bringing the total cost to free on contract.

Read More for the full message being sent to Xbox 360 users with banned consoles.

- What does this mean for you and what can you do about it?
Firstly, and most obviously, you cannot connect to Xbox Live on this console any more. This means no more game updates (aka title updates), XBLA games, marketplace content, netflix/sky player and so on. There is no way around this, all online capabilities are now disabled PERMANENTLY.

 

In all likelihood, your gamertag has NOT BEEN BANNED. When your gamertag gets banned, Microsoft sends you an email detailing why, if you have not recieved this email then your profile should be ok, to a certain extent.

Hard Drive installs are now disabled on the banned console. This means any disk-based games you have will no longer play off of the hard drive. If you attempt to play a game, it will tell you that it was installed on a different 360 and needs to be deleted/installed again. When you delete the game and attempt to install it, you are given a message telling you that it is not supported. There is no way to fix this, that functionality is simply gone from the banned 360.

The hard drive itself is left untouched – you can place it in another 360, even an unbanned one, and it will still work just fine. You do NOT need to reformat it to regain any kind of functionality. Any installed games will need to be reinstalled for the console you want to play them on. This is normal behaviour and happens when swapping HDDs on unbanned/legit 360’s.

Windows Media Centre functionality is disabled. It is still possible to stream video/music content via the video library.

Your Gamertag may be corrupted. This does not mean your gamertag has been banned, you can recover it using any live-capable 360, however ANY ACHIVEMENTS YOU HAVE EARNED SINCE BEING BANNED WILL BE LOST. Your gamertag will be corrupted EVERY SINGLE TIME it is used on a banned console. This means you cannot use your banned console to play backups offline just to get achievements – it wont work, the second you put your profile back on a good 360, it will be corrupted and all progress lost. There is no way around this.

The same applies to game saves – if you access a game save on a banned 360, it too will be corrupted when accessed on a legit/unbanned 360! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! There is no way around this, either.

Your XBLA games and DLC will still be valid, however to play them on a different 360 you will need to be signed into Xbox Live. This is normal behaviour on unbanned/legit 360’s as well. They may be corrupted and have to be re-downloaded if you attempt to access them on a banned 360. You can transfer all of your downloaded content to a new 360 here: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/systemuse/xbox360/licensemigration/default.htmhowever note that you can only do it once every 12 months.

So, in summary:
Your Banned 360:
* Cannot go on Xbox Live
* Cannot install games to the HDD
* Cannot use Windows Media Centre extender
* Cannot be used to get achievements from backups without corrupting your profile

You cannot do anything about this, short of buying a new 360.

There may be more functionality disabled than mentioned here, things are still being discovered.

- So what caused my ban?
There are MANY theories as to what is causing so many consoles to get banned this time, however as of yet there is nothing concrete, just a lot of circumstantial evidence and speculation. Please do not add to this, a full investigation is under-way.

Consumer advocacy issues notwithstanding, this demonstrates how far Microsoft is willing to go to keep people from using their console, usually claiming that it is fighting piracy and cheating in online games when there is no substantial proof of the activity.

The inPulse Smartwatch for BlackBerry is being manufactured by Allerta and will rely on Bluetooth in order to send incoming emails, text messages and other alerts from the handset to the watch by installing a companion BlackBerry application in order to pass along information to the watch.

Specifications consist of a 1.3-inch OLED display, glass lens, full metal body, vibrating motor, microUSB port and a rechargeable battery rated for around four days of use. The watch is up for pre-order at $149 with shipping bringing the total cost to $164.

For some, this is a shocker, since their systems came pre-installed with Windows. It’s true, Microsoft has changed the upgrade protocol in Windows 7 slightly. And, that unconvered some bugs along the way, buried in past versions of Windows Draconian Activation.

If you are tech-savvy enough to read this, then updating your BIOS probably isn’t much of an issue. Unfortunately, for millions of computer users, it’s something they’ve never heard of or know how to do. But, HP and Compaq have posted over the past few weeks new BIOS for many products. Specifically, these patch bugs in the Windows OPROM, which is the hidden part of the BIOS that ships with your Windows XP/Vista product key loaded on it.

By updating your BIOS, Windows 7 will be able to properly view and access your hardware’s built-in product key for that previous version of Windows. It is unclear, at this time, how many systems this bug has affected, or how many manufacturers will need to issue BIOS updates.

And, if you’re still stick, Paul Thurrott has uncovered your other options for getting around Microsoft’s broken upgrade check. Including, the fact that despite grandstanding from Microsoft, the in-place upgrade loophole from Vista is still very much intact.

Sony’s Playstation Blog has announced that the highly praised Netflix Watch Instantly video streaming service offered by the mail-order DVD rental company will be available for the console next month, following months of cryptic speculation and even triggering competitive bluster by Microsoft who initially claimed an exclusive on the offering.

Netflix has setup a dedicated portal for the new service, which will initially require a Blu-Ray disc to be sent out as it takes advantage of the BD-Live network connection and is not tied to a Playstation Network account unlike the Live Gold account requirement on the Xbox 360.

Future plans call for an embedded application similar to the Xbox 360 version sometime in the future.

Update: Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter has noted in a statement that the Blu-ray disc required for Netflix playback on the PS3 may circumvent exclusivity clauses instituted by Microsoft’s agreement.

“We believe that the exclusive arrangement limits Netflix’s ability to appear on the ‘dashboard’ for the PS3 or the Wii.”

Pachter also believes Netflix streaming will expand to Nintendo’s console next year.

“We anticipate that a similar arrangement will be announced for the Wii in the next 12 months.”

The car kit consists of a dock with a built-in GPS transceiver designed in tandem with the companion TomTom for iPhone GPS application, although the application is sold separately for $99.99 and is not bundled with the $119.99 dock as first expected during its introduction at the last iPhone keynote in June.

Apple originally touted ZFS filesystem support as a feature that would be available in Snow Leopard Server and in a future Snow Leopard update. A few months before its recent release, all mention of ZFS was removed from the Apple web site and related literature with ZFS support missing completely from Snow Leopard Server at launch, wheras Apple included unofficial support in Leopard.

Apple has not made any official statement regarding the matter, as a new Google mailing list is being set up by and for former members of the zfs-discuss mailing list. Many developers and people have started using the unfinished ZFS port with the requisite call out for any and all developers who can continue the now-forked project.

It has been speculated that onging ZFS patent litigation between Sun-Oracle-NetApp is the main reason for the discontinuation of the project, with Apple seeking new file-system engineers for its own filesystem project.

Update: A post on the zfs-discuss mailing list has quietly confirmed licensing issues with Sun as being the main issue that led to Apple discontinuing ZFS development.

Since the BCM2074x series is also developed on a new 65nm manufacturing process, power management is expected to be improved, with Broadcom claiming double the talk time compared to its previous chipsets along with support for Bluetooth versions 2.0, 2.1 and 3.0.

The three chipsets in the BCM2074x series are all currently undergoing manufacturer sampling with the first headsets to be released sometime next year.

Click for full-size.

The service is sold as part of special bundles called Fast Packs, which consist of the following eight plans depending on the selection of Metro 4G service for service within the immediate coverage area or Nationwide 3G/4G service with a branded Franklin U300 dual-mode 3G/4G modem:

Fast Pack with Metro Service:

12Mbps with Metro 4G High-Speed2Go – $49.99 for 1 year, $72.95 thereafter.

16Mbps with Metro 4G High-Speed2Go – $59.99 for 1 year, $82.95 thereafter.

22Mbps with Metro 4G High-Speed2Go – $69.99 for 1 year, $92.95 thereafter.

50Mbps with Metro 4G High-Speed2Go – $106.99 for 1 year, $129.95 thereafter.

Fast Pack with Nationwide High-Speed2Go

12Mbps with Nationwide 3G/4G High-Speed2Go – $69.99 for 1 year, $92.95 thereafter.

16Mbps with Nationwide 3G/4G – $79.99 for 1 year, $102.95 thereafter.

22Mbps with Nationwide 3G/4G – $89.99 for 1 year, $112.95 thereafter.

50Mbps with Nationwide 3G/4G – $126.99 for 1 year, $149.95 thereafter.