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Currently, it would appear that Microsoft does not have any plans to release a second service pack for their widely popular operating system, Windows 7. XP, on the other hand, received three such service packs, and has lasted longer than any other Microsoft Windows operating system.

People close to Microsoft's sustained engineering team, the team who would be responsible for building and releasing a service pack, confirm that there are no plans for a second service pack. This breaks the cycle that Microsoft has traditionally kept in regards to updating the Windows operating system.

It's likely that Microsoft is doing this in part to drive people to Windows 8. It also takes time and effort to build these service packs, time and effort that could be going into Windows 8, or even 9. Monthly updates will continue to be pushed out. Users will just have to individually update all of the security updates, which is a hassle, but can be done.

Google is taking another step towards world domination. They have just announced plans to take the Trekker into the Grand Canyon. For those not in the know, the Trekker is a backpack-sized version of the car-mounted Street View camera that is worn, big surprise, like a backpack. This will be the Trekker's first official outing.

The Trekker is a pretty cool piece of technology. They've packed loads of technology into a small, wearable version. The Grand Canyon trip will map the National Park's hiking trails and allow lazy people to take those hikes without having to lift a leg. All they will have to do is click through the tough spots.

It's a perfect place to debut the Trekker. "The canyon landscape is one of the most breathtaking places in the world, is only accessible on foot, and perfectly demonstrates why the Street View Trekker backpack was developed to maneuver narrow trails and rocky terrain," a Google spokesperson told TechCrunch.

Pre-order bonuses have typically been an exclusive map, character or real-life merchandise like a sticker or poster, but this is the first time that I thought any pre-order bonus for any game was worth me going out to a store to pre-order any game at this moment as I absolutely need it in my life.

Sony has announced today one of the weirdest, but at the same time, coolest piece of pre-order bonus content I've ever heard of. For God of War: Ascension, if you pre-order either the standard or collector's edition of the game, you'll be given a voucher code to access King Leonidas from "300."

Yes - the ultimate Spartan to have ever kicked a messenger into a bottomless pit will be somewhat of a playable character in God of War: Ascension as the voucher code will give access to King Leonidas' red cape, helmet, armor and spear which has its own combat moves. All of this will be made available in God of War: Ascension's multiplayer mode only.

The Nintendo Wii U will be released in just under a month, but Nintendo has stated that they're still going to be dedicated to its Wii console even after the Wii U launches. With today's news, it's apparent Nintendo is doing its best in order to make the Wii even more of a bargain for parents who may want to give their children a game console, but don't need the latest and greatest.

Nintendo announced today they'll be offering two separate bundles for its Nintendo Wii that will bundle two games that will be on nearly every kid's list this holiday season: Just Dance 4 and Skylanders Giants.

Both Nintendo Wii bundles will come with the Wii console and a copy of the game highlighted in the bundle. The Just Dance 4 bundle will come with a white Wii console, Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk and will retail for $129.99. The Skylanders Giants bundle will come with a blue Wii console, Wii Remote Plus, Nunchuk, a Portal of Power, two Skylanders characters and an exclusive Giant Skylander and will retail for $149.99

Apple's newly-announced iPad mini may be smaller, and thinner than the previous iPad's, but it will lack one serious function of the current slates: GPS. Apple's Wi-Fi-only iPad mini won't sport GPS capabilities which current 7-inch tablets sport, like the incredible Nexus 7 from ASUS.

Apple's Wi-Fi+Cellular iPad mini's will definitely include GPS functionality, but the non-cellular models won't. Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller has defended the company's premium price point for the iPad mini, stating that he expects customers to be "very exited" about the iPad mini and its $329 price tag.

The lack of GPS on the Wi-Fi-only iPad mini will most likely do a number of things to consumers. First, unless they know this fact, they will buy it and expect it to "just work" (Apple's words) and be perplexed when they realize it lacks GPS. Secondly, they'll be educated about the lack of GPS and turn toward another device, not wanting to shell out another $130 to ge the cellular version to gain GPS capabilities. Thirdly, shell out $130 for something that would cost Apple cents on the dollar to bake into the iPad mini.

AMD might Never Settle, but it doesn't mean NVIDIA will settle, either. NVIDIA have a new batch of beta drivers out which offer up to 15% more performance on certain GPU and software setups, as well as offering some new and updated profiles.

When compared to the GeForce 306.89 WHQL drivers, the new GeForce 310.33 beta drivers offer some improvements in most of the latest games, as shown in the table above. On top of these performance improvements, the new 310.33 beta drivers also include new or improved ambient occlusion support for Cross Fire, Dragon Nest, Meng San Guo, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Darksiders 2, and MechWarrior Online.

New or updated SLI and 3D Vision profiles are also included with GeForce 310.33 beta including Assassin's Creed III, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Dishonored, FIFA 13, Hitman: Absolution, Need for Speed: Most Wanted XCOM: Enemy Unknown and more. The new beta drivers also include some Windows 8-specific fixes, the first of which caused a forced reboot on pre-release versions of Windows 8, with the other causing a "Hardware Test Failed" error when running the 3D Vision Setup Wizard on Mitsubishi's WD-6039 monitor.

On the heals of today's release of the iPad mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina, Mac mini, iPad 4, and iMac, we're reminded that Apple can still keep a secret--sort of. Before today's event, rumors were running rampant regarding the upcoming iPad mini. As the event neared, people caught word that a 13-inch MacBook pro with Retina would be coming and an update for the Mac mini was inevitable.

However, I didn't see a single rumor regarding an iPad 4 or iMac being talked about at today's event. But they were. Maybe it was because nobody cared about those as much as the other products. Or maybe, Apple still has some skills when it comes to security and secrecy. It's a battle that Apple has been fighting for a long time, and it seemed as though they were losing as the iPhone 5 came with basically zero surprises at launch.

ArsTechnica talked to a couple of Apple employees on the condition on anonymity and found out some really interesting stuff. According to the employees, the security is just as tough as it was with Steve Jobs, if not more so now with Tim Cook. However, the leaks aren't coming from the US-based teams.

If you're not an Apple fanboy or at least have a somewhat interest in Apple products, then today probably was not the day to be following the Internet as all everyone has been talking about all day have been sprinkled in Apple praise or disdain.

Regardless on what side of the fence you're on, it's always entertaining to see what Apple has up their sleeves and that's exactly what we saw today as a slew of new Apple products like the new Mac Mini, 13" MacBook Pro with Retina Display and, of course, the 4th generation iPad and iPad Mini.

Sure, you could follow along with our news pieces to find out exactly what was announced, its specs and how much it will cost you. But for those of you who would prefer to watch Apple announce their new products in their typical fashion, then you'll be happy to hear they have made their video available for your viewing pleasure online.

Borderlands 2 has been available on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 for over a month now, but with Gearbox Software already releasing a new piece of DLC last week, we're sure many of you are still fighting across Pandora looking for loot and to kill Handsome Jack. But what if you could take everything you love from Borderlands with you while you're on the go on your mobile device? Then I'm sure you'll be one of the millions of people around the world who will be excited to hear Borderlands is coming to iOS very, very soon.

According to an ad that was leaked in Borderlands 2's digital strategy guide, it looks as though a Borderlands-inspired iOS game is currently in the works called Borderlands Legends. Better yet, the ad says the game will be "coming in October" which means the game should be released very soon.

The ad for Borderlands Legends says the game has been designed for mobile and tablet devices and will have you play as the heroes from the original Borderlands. Players will take on wave after wave of enemies in order to collect in-game cash and experience which can be used to purchase new weapons, level up your character and unlock new skills and abilities. Seeing as the characters are from Borderlands, take the phrase "new skills and abilities" to mean skills and abilities they were already capable of.

Being based in Australia is great for some things, the culture, the laid-back lifestyle, health care, and the weather - but there are huge downsides in that we don't see a lot of great IT brands getting any recognition in this company which excites me that little bit more when I get to be involved with companies like Digital Storm and their latest creation, Bolt.

Digital Storm's new Bolt is the company's slimmest, custom-designed gaming PC yet. Digital Storm's engineers went on a search for a slim chassis, but didn't find any on the market that suited their needs, so they did the next best thing - created their own chassis from the ground up, as you do.

This means that every aspect of Bolt's design from cooling, performance and upgradeability were designed not only specific to the bolt, but to the highest possible standards. Digital Storm's Bolt measures in at just 3.6-inch wide, and 14-inch tall. The thin chassis that makes up the Bolt is also designed to effectivity vent out heat allowing it to sport the best components on the market, without worrying about it breaking a sweat.

"They love the display. They love the camera for FaceTime. They love that they can connect anywhere they go on Wi-Fi or cellular. They love iPad's legendary all day battery life. And they love all of the amazing apps optimized for iPad." Apple says that the iPad accounts for 91 percent of the tablet web traffic.

In June, Apple say they sold more iPads than any PC maker shipped PCs. Bragging about how the iPad is great in education, they are now announcing the latest version of iBooks Author.

Now Tim Cook has moved onto the business sector saying that "almost every company in the Fortune 500 is now testing or deploying iPad, and we're seeing a similar success in smaller business." "We've got some really cool stuff to show you, and to do that I'd like to welcome Phil back up on the stage."

"The Mac mini is packed with great features. But the action on this product and the update is on the inside." Four USB 3.0, SD card reader, HDMI, i5 or i7 Ivy Bridge, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB or 256GB of flash. Server model comes with a 2.3GHz i7, 4GB of RAM, and dual 1TB drives for $999. Both ship today.

Phil really rushed through that to get to the iMac refresh. The iMac has gone through 7 generations, with "each one better than the last." The new one is incredibly thin. "It's stunning from every side. Edge-to-edge glass... Would you like to see one in person?" "The most beautiful Mac we've ever made."

And here comes the specifications. At the edge, its only 5mm thick. It features no optical drive, an IPS screen, and all of the internal components have been "re-engineered."

Microsoft's Xbox SmartGlass was first announced at this year's E3 and it blew away the majority of the gaming & tech community as not only would it serve as a companion application that allows for your Windows-powered devices to interact with your Xbox 360, but it will also play well with iOS and Android devices, too. The wait for Xbox SmartGlass is nearly over as it'll officially launch alongside Windows 8 on October 26th.

Xbox SmartGlass will first be made available as a built-in add-on to Microsoft's Surface RT and other Windows 8 tablets that can be accessed within Windows 8's "Games" section. You'll then be able to use your Windows 8 tablet as a second screen or event a controller, depending on what game you're accessing at the time. Think of the Wii U, but without needing to buy a completely new console.

Microsoft has announced a handful of games and applications that will have SmartGlass integration when Windows 8 launches on October 26th like Dance Central 3, ESPN, HBO GO and NBC News to name a few.

Today is another big day for Apple as not only are they currently the only website authorized to host the new Iron Man 3 trailer, but it's a day where all techies around the world will sitting at their desk waiting to hear what the company has up their sleeve this time. Judging by the rumor mill for the past six months, it looks like we're going to be hearing about Apple's iPad mini.

Apple's event is set to kick off at 10 a.m. PDT and normally, you'd have to be sitting at your desk following a handful of live-blogs from outlets who were lucky enough to receive an invite to the event. Apparently this isn't just any normal event as Apple will be live-streaming the event for Apple TV owners, iOS device owners and users of Apple's Safari browser.

The following URLs should go live once the event begins at 10 a.m. PDT:

Amazon have reportedly wiped a single customers account, including all of her paid-for books, all without an explanation. The customer is a Norweigian woman who is identified by "Linn" on media commentator Martin Bekkelund's blog.

Linn approached Amazon who she discovered her Kindle had been wiped, where she informed by an Amazon customer relations executive that her account had been closed, all open orders had been cancelled and her content had been removed - and even up until today - she doesn't know why.

This mistake highlights the fact that DRM can be a dangerous thing, where manufacturers and publishers use it to limit the use of digital content once the consumer has purchased it. In this case, if Linn hadn't finished reading her ebooks - well, they're now gone. Amazon has told Linn:

We're nearly here, folks! The Classification Board has started working with Australian retailers to get them ready to introduce the new R18+ classification in January 2013.

The Board are working with retailers, getting training programs into place, making sure that staff are prepared for the changes to happen in January. In an update from the iGEA, CEO Ron Curry has said that JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Dick Smiths Electronics, Big W, Ebay Australia, Kmart and Target have already had meetings with the Classification Board and had discussions about the new signage that will be placed around the retailers' stores when the R18+ rating is live.

There is one big retailer that hasn't had discussions yet, and that's EB Games. EB have a future date set up for discussions of similar issues. Video Game Assessors are also set to take part in new training through information sessions provided by the Classification Branch in Sydney and Melbourne.

Kickstarter is the new trend in crowdsourcing funding for all sorts of projects. Often times, the people behind the Kickstarter campaign will offer rewards in exchange for pledges. But what happens when the creator of a Kickstarter campaign doesn't come through with what was promised as the end result?

Well, that's something that we're all about to find out. Haunts: The Manse Macabre was a game that got funding through Kickstarter. They reached the original funding goal and surpassed it by $3,500. Now, however, the project creator has announced that the game has no developers or programmers to finish it out due to lack of funding.

It seems as though they ended up finding a lot of bugs. "The game as it stands has all the systems in place, but there are a lot of bugs," Rick Dakan, Mob Rules founder, writes in a Kickstarter update. "I am still determined to get the game out, but I no longer have any way of knowing when and how that will happen."

Playing games on iOS and Android have been as common as checking your Facebook or Twitter as nearly everyone with a smartphone and some spare time have played at least one game on their device. For those who take their gaming a little more serious, on-screen controls aren't ideal, especially when it comes to first-person shooters like Gameloft's N.O.V.A. series. PowerA's MOGA will finally give gamers the control they want when they game on their mobile device, and best of all, it's available right now.

The MOGA Mobile Gaming System is compatible with only Android devices right now running Android 2.3 and above and will house your Android device of choice within the top bracket, which may be a familiar angle for you Nintendo DS & 3DS owners.

The MOGA uses bluetooth to connect to your Android device, features dual-analog sticks, four face buttons, two shoulder buttons and a start and select button. It also already has some serious developer support as big-name game developers like Gameloft, SEGA, Atari and Namco Bandai have already updated games like N.O.V.A. 3, Sonic CD and Dungeon Hunter 3. The MOGA Pivot app will allow users of the controller to find games that have been optimized in one easy location.

Robot Entertainment's hit free-to-play iOS game, Hero Academy, has been receiving regular updates ever since it was released earlier this year. When it was first released, only the Council and Dark Elves, but within months, we had The Tribe, Dwarves and Team Fortress 2. You would think that would be good enough for Robot Entertainment, but today, they announced a new team will be making its way to the Hero Academy stage next month.

The new team that will be released this November is called the Shaolin team and they will focus more on combinations as the more you attack with individual Shaolin units, the higher the amount of damage your team will inflict on the opposing team. Not only that, but the Shaolin team's heroes can reduce the strength of the opposing team, which makes them quite the serious team to go up against.

As is customary when new teams are introduced, a new map inspired by the Shaolin team will be put into rotation once the update goes live next month as well as new avatars and Shaolin team-specific challenges.

AMD aren't taking the graphics war sitting on their hands, with the release of their Catalyst 12.11 driver set which the company are calling the "Never Settle" driver, and rightly so by the looks of things.

These new drivers carry support for the AMD Radeon 7000 series of GPUs, with specific GPUs in mind based on the Graphics CoreNext architecture, such as HD 7750, HD 7770 GHz Ed., HD 7850, HD 7870 GHz Ed., HD 7950, HD 7950 BE, HD 7970, HD 7970 GHz Ed., and HD 7990; and mobile Radeon HD 7700M series, HD 7800M series, and HD 7900M series.

The new Never Settle drivers sport performance improvements of up to 15% in most of the latest games including Battlefield 3, DiRT Showdown, Sleeping Dogs, Medal of Honor: Warfighter and much more. AMD is now able to claim the performance lead for all of their top-end products, with the HD 7970 GHz Edition seeing a 20% performance gain over NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680.