Microsoft has launched what developers are calling version 2.0 of Windows Live Maps, which has been completely revamped inside and out. A number of new features have also been added, including "Party Maps," which enables users to send invitations to 50 people with a simple link to directions.

Like Google Maps, Windows Live Maps now displays traffic data and can route around congestion, although you can't change your route by simply dragging it on the map. 3D birds-eye views are also now integrated in maps, although with adding 3D models of buildings onto maps that are stored in Collections. More information the new features can be found on the Virtual Earth blog.

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While some iPhone users in the United States are busy playing a cat-and-mouse game with Apple in order to unlock the device, mobile operator Orange will begin selling an unlocked iPhone in France next month. This is due to a French law that prohibits exclusively bundling a handset with a wireless carrier.

Apple confirmed months of speculation Tuesday, announcing that Orange will be its exclusive partner in France. The deal was delayed, however, due to discussions about a revenue sharing agreement. Like in other European countries, the locked iPhone will cost 399 euros. The unlocked iPhone will cost more, Orange said, but will not specify how much until November.

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Jammie Thomas, the woman recently found guilty of piracy, and her attorneys filed a motion yesterday for a retrial on the grounds that the $222,000 total penalty issued to her is so excessive that it is unconstitutional.

The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits courts from imposing excessive fines.

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American airline US Airways said Tuesday that it will begin to accept PayPal as a form of payment when purchasing tickets through its Web site.

The company said that the the ability to purchase airfare using the online payment service was a popular request among its customers. In addition, the company will also promote PayPal through the "travel tools" section of its Web site.

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While the fourth "Die Hard" DVD may seem like an unlikely place to set a historical milestone in the movie industry, Yippee Kay-yay. 20th Century Fox said Tuesday that a special edition version of "Live Free or Die Hard" will include a Windows Media Video file that can be copied to a PC or portable video player.

The WMV file reportedly has no DRM, however the user will be required to input a 16-digit code before the DVD software will unlock and copy it. Called "Digital Copy," the feature will be available on future Fox DVDs, although no specific titles were announced. Warner Home Video plans a similar capability for "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which goes on sale in December.

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While Sony is remaining cagey about whether it will bring the 40GB PlayStation 3 to the United States, Target appears to have let the cat out of the bag. The company's inventory systems are reporting the lower-cost model will arrive on October 28 with a price tag of $399 USD.

Sony has already launched the 40GB PS3 in Europe and Japan, which will replace the phased out 60GB model. The company hopes the lower $399 price will drive sales by those who aren't willing to pony up $599 for the high-end model. But the low cost comes with a big caveat: the 40GB PS3 does not offer backward compatibility for PS2 games, nor the memory card port.

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Apple has silently dropped the price of its DRM-free iTunes Plus tracks, which come as 256kbps AAC. Instead of $1.29, the tracks will cost the same as standard songs with DRM: 99-cents. The move is seemingly in response to Amazon's launch of its DRM-free music store that sells 256kbps MP3s for between 89 cents to 99 cents each.

Although the iTunes Plus songs were individually $1.29, Apple usually sold full iTunes Plus albums at the same price as their DRM counterpart. The company is expected to make an official announcement Wednesday, along with bulking up its DRM-free offering with additional independent labels.

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In yet another snub to anti-piracy efforts, infamous Swedish BitTorrent site The Pirate Bay has taken over IFPI.com, a domain formerly owned by the recording industry group by the same name. IFPI, previously known as the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, pushes for anti-piracy enforcement in 75 countries.

The Pirate Bay -- the biggest BitTorrent tracker in the world -- claims someone gave them the domain name, which they plan to use to promote the International Federation of Pirates Interests. IFPI, which operates at IFPI.org and has previously pursued legal action against The Pirate Bay, could ask ICANN to force the group to turn over the domain.

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DirecTV said Monday it had expanded its channel lineup to 72 high-definition channels for those subscribed to all of its premium lineup, part of an effort to offer customers 100 channels in HD by the end of this year. Even without the premium HD channels, of which there are about a dozen, the company's lineup far exceeds that of any other provider at the moment.

The standard HD package costs $9.99 per month, and includes those HD channels that are tied to their particular package. For an additional $4.99 monthly, the company would give access to all non-premium HD channels in its lineup. All HD packages also include local channels in HD where available, the company said.

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Gateway continued to reposition itself following its sale to Acer on Monday, saying that it had sold its professional division -- which includes desktops, laptops, and tablets -- to MPC (formerly Micron) for an undisclosed sum.

While initially the transition will be seamless to customers, within one year the MPC brand will replace Gateway's on professional products. Support relationships will be assumed immediately.

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Symantec is warning about a new security exploit making the rounds that takes advantage of a flaw in Office 2004 for Mac. A maliciously crafted Word file could lead to malware and rootkits being installed on a vulnerable system, including Windows PCs running older versions of Office. The issue was patched on Tuesday by Microsoft.

"It seems that the trend for exploiting vulnerabilities around the same time as Patch Tuesday continues. Microsoft themselves confirm in their advisory that they have seen this issue exploited in the wild," Symantec said in a blog posting. "The good news is that the default configuration in Microsoft Office 2007 and Office 2003, Service Pack 3 will not allow you to open some older Office file formats, including Office for Macintosh documents."

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Although it has yet to launch its high-speed wireless network, T-Mobile is selling its first 3G-capable phone - but only in select New York City stores. The Samsung T639 handset, which supports GSM/EDGE and WCDMA 1700 networks, was approved by the FCC in July.

T-Mobile is the only major wireless provider in the United States not to offer a 3G network; rivals Verizon, AT&T and Sprint have been building out their networks for years. But sales of the T639 may be the first real indicator that T-Mobile is preparing to finally launch its high-speed offering in some markets. T-Mobile acquired wireless licenses for the 1700 MHz band in a 2006 auction.

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The private equity firm backed by U2 frontman Bono, which recently invested $325 million into Palm, has received a hefty return on its $300 purchase of game developers BioWare and Pandemic. EA has agreed to acquire the two studios from Elevation Partners, with 10 games in development, for $620 million in cash and another $205 million in stock.

The total price of $825 million is EA's largest acquisition yet, and the company says the deal will boost its market share in multiplayer online games by two percent. Interestingly, Elevation Partners founder John Riccitello was a former EA exec who rejoined the company as its CEO in April. Riccitello, who retains a stake in Elevation, did not vote on the deal but did endorse it.

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Just days after its CEO admitted it was behind schedule in rolling out DVR service to Comcast customers, TiVo confirmed late Thursday that the first "non-Comcast employees" were now receiving the service. TiVo CEO Tom Rogers had said on Tuesday at an investor conference that the company was behind yet again in getting the TiVo service to Comcast customers. The result was a near immediate effect on the company's stock price.

Since that admission, TiVo's stock has fallen some six percent. Comcast's stock briefly dropped about 1.3 percent Tuesday, however it had recovered all of its losses by midday trading on Friday. In a move that seems to be more like damage control than an actual rollout per se, only "test customers" are able to receive the TiVo service via Comcast. The option will be more broadly available to those in New England "within the coming weeks," according to Comcast.

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Despite price cuts coming from both Microsoft and Sony in preparation for holiday season sales of their next-generation consoles, Nintendo is opting not to follow suit. The company says it is selling every single $249 Wii console it makes, and thus has no reason to drop the price.

Microsoft has dropped the cost of the Xbox 360 by $50, while Sony has introduced a cheaper 40GB model in Japan and Europe. It is rumored that Sony will lower the price of the new 80GB PS3 once 60GB stock is depleted, but no concrete statement has been made. "We'll stay at $249 for the foreseeable future," Nintendo senior vice president of marketing George Harrison was quoted by Reuters.

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