Sorry kiddies, your days of unlimited 360 playtime -- which seem primarily dedicated to screaming pre-pubescently into your headset while you trash us in Halo 3 -- are numbered. As rumored, Microsoft is unveiling new a new Xbox 360 Family Timer control for concerned parents that allows them to limit console time on a per-day or per-week basis. The child will be notified when they're play time is nearing an end, and the console will shut off once the limit is hit. The timer will be available in December as a download on Xbox LIVE. Microsoft is also teaming up with the Parent Teacher Association and Jerry Rice to raise awareness and plug "PACT," a family contract meant to get kids and parents talking about video game limits.

It's no secret that Google's quite interested in getting intermingled with the mobile internet crowd, and shortly after Sprint wrapped up a deal with Clearwire, the carrier has now inked yet another pact with a search giant. The deal, hailed as a "milestone" in Sprint's mobile internet strategy, will purportedly seek to "establish an internet destination for user-generated content and multimedia offerings." More specifically, Barry West (president of 4G Mobile Broadband for Sprint) noted that "Google and Sprint will optimize the internet experience for the digital lifestyle," and suggested that the agreement would wed the "best mobile internet network with the leading internet search company." Unfortunately, the nitty gritty we crave seems to be absent at the moment, but until the two start putting their heads together, we'll just have to believe Google when it promises a "rich and compelling broadband experience for WiMAX customers."

[Via The New Zealand Herald]