Attention XP'ers -- your wildest fantasies are coming to fruition. Word on the street is that Service Pack 3 is now available for download all over the World Wide Web. When we say "all over" what we really mean is via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center, though we doubt it will stay in one place for too long. Apparently, the new pack offers 1,100 hotfixes and patches, so maybe your obscure, cheapo soundcard will now function in stereo.

Update: Apparently due to a "glitch" in the latest SP, Microsoft has delayed the release of the update, now aiming for a May 2nd street date. Thanks commenters and tipsters, and no thanks to you, Microsoft.

With prime motorcycling weather nearly here, TomTom has prepped an update to bring a handful of new features to its RIDER 2nd Edition. Aside from including Map Share technology and the "Help Me" menu, the enhanced 2nd Edition GPS will also provide a latest map guarantee, trip statistics and itinerary planning. Reportedly, the upgraded unit will go on sale early next month for £349.99 ($691) / £399.99 ($790) depending on whether you're picking up UK / Ireland maps or all of Europe, but existing 1st Edition / 2nd Edition owners can snag the update gratis via TomTom HOME. No word on a North American release just yet.

Don't act like you didn't have April 24th circled in your day planner -- heck, you probably stayed up all night hoping Hardy Heron 8.04 would be launched as the 24th dawned in Australia. Regardless of your level of fanaticism towards the OS, the latest flavor of Ubuntu is finally ready for mass consumption. You know what's waiting for your torrent manager right down there, so why on Earth are you still reading rather than downloading? Get!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in, image courtesy of doninside]

Although Pleo just got upgraded to v1.0.2 earlier this month, UGOBE is taking the Life OS to 1.1 and adding a laundry list of features to boot. Initially available for install only through an SD card (download via USB should hit within a few weeks), the update enables your favorite dino pet to sit, sing a variety of melodies, call for attention, get sick (coughing / sneezing) and change attitudes based on how much attention it gets. As these things always go, there's also the promise of a few unannounced inclusions ("strange habits," as it were), and it should be noted that previous downloads -- Holiday, Love-struck, MySkit, Yapt, etc. -- will need to eventually be re-downloaded in new versions to be compatible with the Life OS 1.1 update. Give the read link some attention to check out the changes, and fire up the download while you're over there.

[Thanks, Caaahl]

Just four days after Apple announced that the beta version of the iPhone SDK would be available to developers, some 100,000 downloads have taken place. 'Course, it's not like we're shocked by Cupertino's latest horn tooting, but we've all ideas that number pales in comparison to the amount of requests for unlocks. Nevertheless, the real news from the Apple camp is that companies such as Namco and PopCap are apparently on board to bring titles such as Pac-man, Galaga, Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle to the iPod touch / iPhone via App Store. Furthermore, Six Apart's CEO admitted that it's already developing a "native iPhone application for TypePad," and the VP of THQ Wireless implied that we'd be seeing some of its wares surface here as well. As for release dates? Your guess is as good as ours.

If Pleo's holiday behavior mode left you thirsty for more, chances are the first bona fide update to its Life OS won't disappoint. Version 1.0.2 enables your dino to explore its surroundings more, engage in fits of singing when encountering groups, and hear erratic noises when sleeping softly. Of note, UGOBE promises the update won't change your Pleo's existing personality, so apparently, there's nothing to lose (but more spare time). Go on, hit up the read link and start that download -- right after you tell Pleo to expect a treat, of course.

Get ready to burn through your allowance, kids, as AMD is getting set to loose its Catalyst 8.3 drivers for all to indulge in. What does the download net you, exactly? Why, CrossFireX support, of course. Starting today, users can link up any combination of RV670- and R680-based products -- that includes the Radeon HD 3850, Radeon HD 3870 and Radeon HD 3870 X2 -- in order to acquire triple- and quad-GPU performance within Windows Vista. Additionally, the drivers also introduce ATI Hybrid Graphics support in Vista, which was boasted about already when the firm unveiled its upcoming 780G chipset. Check out the read link for the full list of changes, and keep an eye on the firm's support page for v8.3 to surface any moment now.

C'mon -- hop in this nifty time machine here and float with us back to December of 2006. That month, friends, is when Palm initially stated that it was cooking up a Vista-savvy iteration of its Desktop synchronization software, and yet, here we are some 13 months later wondering what took so long. Nevertheless, a finalized version of Desktop 6.2 for Vista has finally been loosed (half a year after the beta was revealed, mind you), and even though it does play nice with 32-bit editions of Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate, 64-bit Vista / XP users are still left out in the cold. For Palm (and Vista) users out there willing to forgive the tardiness, go on and hit up the read link to get the 65.2MB file headed over.

[Via PDAStreet]

Not only is the latest version of iTunes (v7.6 for those keeping count) required to enjoy those brand new movie rentals, but users with 64-bit Windows Vista machines can now look forward to using the software without issue. According to a number of tips, owners of said setups are apparently having no issues with it as of now. So, 64-bit Vista users -- for any of you courageous enough to give it a whirl, why not install iTunes 7.6 and report back with how things worked out?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Granted, there are some out there who've been dodging the whole "limitation" aspect of Netflix's Watch Instantly feature for a good while, but for the honest, upstanding citizens abiding by the rules, things are (seemingly) about to change for the better. According to a recent report from the AP, Netflix is gearing up to banish the time limits for online streaming on all but its el cheapo $4.99 plan, meaning that subscribers to every other plan will be able to watch online content as much as they'd like. In case you haven't connected the dots quite yet, it's being suggested that the move will be made to fend off the looming competition from Cupertino, and while this would undoubtedly increase costs, it doesn't seem as if the firm plans on hiking rates (at least initially) to compensate. Now that's a change we can live with.

Ah, if only all behavior modification of pets, children, and certain unruly celebutantes (you know who you are) were as easy as Pleo's new downloadable "Holiday Pleo" behavior mode. It's about a meg and will run straight off an SD card, so get your dino-ho-ho on -- that is, if you're lucky enough to even have one of these things.

[Thanks, Jared C]

SpiralFrog, the badly named, ad-supported music and video download portal has gone live today after months of beta testing, or so we're told. The site allows users to legally and freely download media from a catalogue of over 800,000 songs and 3,500 videos (most provided by Apple ship-jumper Universal Music Group, as mentioned way back in August 2006), and requires only that users register on the site and log in once a month (otherwise the DRM'd files go belly up). It's not all lollipops and rainbows, however, as just mentioned, the files are full of nasty, fun-murdering DRM which prevents your new tunes from being burned onto a CD. In other gloomy news, SpiralFrog's content won't work on your Mac or your iPod, and can only be placed on two media players or phones at a time. "We believe it will be a very powerful alternative to the pirate sites," said company chairman Joe Mohen, adding, "With SpiralFrog you know what you're getting." Yes Joe, and we know what we're not getting, too.

If you think you've seen this headline before, fret not, all but one measly number is indeed the same. Of course, for Axim X51v owners, that makes all the difference in the world. Just days after Windows Mobile 6 was unofficially made available for the X50v, now X51v owners can experience the same luxury -- if you're down with voiding that warranty and living with a few bugs, that is. Reportedly, some upgraders have seen issues (or outright failures) with WiFi connectivity, Windows Live, and a number of other somewhat minor features, so be sure and read your fill before heedlessly slapping a new OS on your discontinued PDA.

[Via DownloadSquad]

Considering that Doom runs smooth as butter on Nokia's 770, the OLPC XO, and the iPod, you knew it was only a matter of time before this classic made its way over to the iPhone. Just in time for the weekend, Doom is now available for Apple's first handset. And just in case blasting through pixelated fiends wears you out, why not check out the new and improved NES emulator? We won't waste anymore of your precious iPhone gaming time here, now get your downloads on below!

Update: So you can't exactly -- what's the word we're looking for -- "play" Doom quite yet, it seems the controller ain't working. It's a promising sign, though!

Read - id Software Doom on iPhone
Read - iPhone NES v0.20.1 + Games

Don't look now, but Microsoft is apparently readying a Vista Performance and Reliability Pack for release, and while it's certainly not available through Windows Update just yet, that doesn't mean it's not hiding elsewhere. Reportedly, the aforementioned pack and the Vista Compatibility and Reliability Pack will institute a number of welcome fixes and performance increases in a variety of areas, and though the list is indeed lengthy, a few notables include:

• Increased compatibility with many video drivers.
  
• Improved visual appearance of games with high intensity graphics.
  
• Improved quality of playback for HD DVD and Blu-ray disks on large monitors.
  
• Improved reliability for Internet Explorer when some third party toolbars are installed on Vista.
  
• Improved reliability of systems that were upgraded from XP to Vista.
  
• Resolves an issue where creating AVI files on Vista may get corrupted.
  
• Improves the performance of Vista's Memory Manager in specific customer scenarios and prevents some issues which may lead to memory corruption.

So if all the red flags prove correct, Vista users can eagerly await an official release of the updates, or if you're the adventurous type, you can bypass the whole "waiting" thing altogether and get your download on immediately.

[Via TechSpot]