If you have been putting off upgrading to Windows 8 cheaply, your time is running out. At the beginning of February the price of an upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 Pro will cost you $200 instead of the introductory offer of $40.

Redmond is claiming that it has already sold a whopping 60 million copies of Windows 8, but there is no word on how many of those licenses have actually been activated.

Like Windows 7 there are several editions of Windows 8 which will be priced as follows: Pro will be the top dog at $199.99, Windows 8 upgrade edition at $119.99, and Windows 8 Pro Pack at $99.99. If you have any interest in upgrading to Windows 8, I highly suggest you jump on the current $40 offer.

If you are a media junkie and a computer geek like me, you have most likely heard of XBMC, the Xbox-born open source media center software. Also if you are like me, you have used XBMC for years to shuttle your digital media from servers to televisions. Then like me, you will be glad to hear that XBMC has released a "user friendly" version of the XBMC app for Android.

While we have had access to the official app for a while now, it has been complicated to get working properly on most Android devices, leading to hours of frustration for not so tech savvy users. XBMC has announced that a stable, user friendly version of the app is now available for download. Details on how to get everything up and running can be found here.

This is especially exciting news for Android based set to box owners because it completely negates the need for a dedicated HTPC at each TV if you want to run XBMC. I own a Pivos XIOS DS Android box and have been using the PLEX app while a more stable release of XBMC for Android comes out. Making things even cooler is that XBMC will now sync up with my existing PLEX server and populate all of my media content into the XBMC interface.

A popular gaming website is reporting that the PlayStation 4 will be significantly more powerful than its rival, Microsoft's Xbox 720. VG247 has said that their developer sources who possess intimate knowledge of the PS4's specs as well as the Xbox 720 have confirmed the rumors.

VG247 says that the PS4 will clock in at around 1.84 teraflops of run-capability which is significantly more than the mere 1.23 teraflops possessed by the Xbox 720. The Xbox however, will sport 8GB of RAM over the PS3's 4GB, according to the source.

The website is also reporting that the new Xbox will have Blu-ray playback capabilities this time, which should come as no surprise because developers will need the extra disc space to fit all of those high-end graphics on. We will know for sure which console wins the power race in March when both companies are set to make announcements. Until then we'll keep reporting on developments on the subject as they come to hand.

Diane Franklin, a Missouri-based representative, has proposed a new sales tax on violent video games, in which she thinks "would finance mental health programs and law enforcement measures to prevent mass shootings."

The Entertainment Software Association told Joystiq in response to the proposal that "the U.S. Supreme Court ruled only 18 months ago that laws penalizing video games are unconstitutional. Taxing First Amendment protected speech based on its content is not only wrong, but will end up costing Missouri taxpayers."

I don't see how pushing in some new taxes is going to somehow curb mass shootings - guns don't kill people, people, kill people. I don't think video games are the cause of all of this, and if they're going to be targeted as a source, then I think we should be looking at the bigger picture. Is it society? Parenting? The influence within movies, music, TV shows?

Now that the Chrome Beta channel app has opened its doors for business in the Google Play Store, we're finally getting some constant updates. The latest update includes a new icon that has a black and white "BETA" tag on it.

This may not sound like world changing news for most, but usually the BETA tag has a grey and white color scheme. The new update brings some small fixes:

As with most Beta releases, there are still some bugs hanging around - such as the yahoo.com page links not working as well as some graphical glitches on some devices. You can get the Chrome Beta right here.

I knew Sony were in trouble, but is this a sign of serious problems for the Japanese electronics giant? Sony have now announced they're selling their New York headquarters to a consortium led by The Chetrit Group.

After Sony settle their debts on the building, the $1.1 billion sale will see Sony cash in around $685 million in operating income. This will help their Q3 earnings, but it won't help the company in the long run. Rumor has it that Sony are looking to repeat the sell off in Japan, which will see another $1.14 billion enter their accounts.

Do you see this as a sign of confidence for Sony? Or as a sign of things to come? I personally think that if the PlayStation 4 isn't super successful, and by that I mean a total homerun, it'll be lights out for Sony. Maybe not right away, but in the coming 1-2 years, that's my prediction. They need something big and they need it now.

Diablo III's Game Director, Jay Wilson, has announced through the Blizzard forums that he is leaving his post. Wilson has been in this position for seven years now, and is looking to move on as he has "reached a point creatively where I'm looking forward to working on something new".

Wilson will now move from the Diablo III project and onto something else within the company, so this definitely isn't hit resignation from the company. Wilson cites that he wasn't the only person working on the project and there are still many committed employees of Blizzard tweaking and working on Diablo III to continue to impress fans.

Wilson finishes his post by telling the world that patch version 1.0.7 is on its way, and that there are "many other great things brewing for Diablo in 2013". He finishes his post with something personal, and witty:

Google would be popping the Moet right now, as Fortune have released their annual list of the top 100 companies to work for, with Google taking out the top dog, number one position on the list.

This is not the first time the Mountain View-based company has taken the top spot, but their fourth time riding high on the Fortune 100 list. The explanation as to why Google is the best company to work for, is:

The Internet juggernaut takes the Best Companies crown for the fourth time, and not just for the 100,000 hours of subsidized massages it doled out in 2012. New this year are three wellness centers and a seven-acre sports complex, which includes a roller hockey rink; courts for basketball, bocce, and shuffle ball; and horseshoe pits.

AMD's first major driver release for 2013 is here in the form of the just-released AMD Catalyst 13.1 WHQL drivers. These drivers are similar to the company's 12.11 "Never Settle" driver, with the new 13.1 WHQL drivers delivering performance enhancements for a huge amount of games.

They mainly aim for the Radeon HD 7000 series GPUs, and AMD have also included some new 3D settings and profile management user interface within the Catalyst Control Center (CCC). This is on top of the performance enhancements and various fixes. From the changelog, we can expect:

There is a huge list of resolved problems within Windows 8 and Windows 7, which includes:

Google's Project Glass is quite an interesting project. With every new project, new challenges arise. For instance, developers will have to cope with figuring out how to enter data into the glasses without a keyboard. This is where a new patent by Google could come in handy. Pardon the pun.

Google's patent uses a laser to project a keyboard onto the user's hand, which can then be articulated by gestures. Patent 20130016070, "Methods and Systems for a Virtual Input Device," is the patent in question. Of course, as we warn with all patents, just because they have applied for it, it doesn't mean it will make its way into a product.

The hand can either be used as a touchscreen or the camera can recognize hand gestures, allowing input by two different methods. It would help solve the problem of input into a device that doesn't feature a physical keyboard. It would also be pretty sweet since it uses laser. We still have a good amount of time before Glass releases to the public, so it's definitely possible it will show up in the final product.