Looking to make your Windows 7 rig even better? Love service packs? You’re in luck! Today, Microsoft made Service Pack 1 for its Windows 7 desktop operating system available to the general public. The update weighs in at a hefty 1.95GB and packs a treasure trove of improvements and optimizations. If you’re not interested in waiting for Windows Update to give you the proverbial nod, hit up the read link and have yourself a manual download.

Read

Regional wireless provider U.S. Cellular has announced that over 1 million of its customers are now enrolled in the company’s Belief Project. The cellular plans allow customers to earns points, similar to credit card points, that they can then use towards their U.S. Cellular bill, services, or early upgrades. The longer customers stay enrolled in the Belief Project, the more Belief Points they can earn. The company also announced it would be giving away over 1 million points to its customers for the holiday season. Hit the jump for the full press release.

THE BELIEF PROJECT FROM U.S. CELLULAR

SURPASSES 1 MILLION CUSTOMERS

Company Celebrates by Surprising Customers with More than 1 Million

Belief Reward Points to Use Toward New Phones, Faster Upgrades,

Ringtones, Accessories and More

CHICAGO – (December 23, 2010) – On the heels of its top ranking by customers in a Consumer Reports survey, U.S. Cellular is celebrating the more than 1 million customers who are now part of The Belief Project. Staying true to its commitment to delighting customers, the company marked this milestone by surprising Moshe Weitzberg of Highland Park, Ill., with a windfall of 100,000 Belief Reward Points. The appreciation continued when another 1,000 customers on Belief Plans were randomly chosen to receive a gift of 1,000 Belief Reward Points. That’s a giveaway of more than 1 million points, just in time for the holidays.

“I recently switched to U.S. Cellular because of their commitment to the community,” said an excited Weitzberg when company representatives called to deliver the news. “This is unbelievable. They’re already showing how much they value me as a customer.”

The Belief Project recognizes customer loyalty with innovative programs like upgrades to the coolest phones at promotional prices every 18 months without requiring customers to repeatedly sign contracts. After completing the first contract, customers never have to sign another one. U.S. Cellular customers on Belief Plans get Belief Reward Points for doing simple things like paying their monthly bill on time, adding a line or referring new customers.

Weitzberg now has some fun decisions to make because 100,000 Belief Reward Points go a long way. He could upgrade all of the lines on his Belief Plan to the hottest Android-powered smartphones and get the Samsung Galaxy Tab™, a handheld mobile tablet with a 7-inch screen that runs on the Android platform and provides an impressive multimedia, messaging and music experience. In addition to these cutting-edge devices, Weitzberg would still have plenty of Belief Reward Points left over to use for free accessories, ringtones or spread holiday cheer by giving a phone as a gift.

The 1,000 lucky customers who were surprised with 1,000 Belief Reward Points can bump their phone upgrades up a whole month or use them for free ringtones and accessories too.

“We predicted that the millionth customer would sign up for a Belief Plan some time in February. Hitting this mark in December says that existing and new customers are embracing how we’re changing the rules of the wireless industry,” said Alan D. Ferber, executive vice president of operations for U.S. Cellular. “We love our customers, which is why we’re always looking for ways to show them how much they are appreciated. They can expect surprises like these to continue.”

A recent Consumer Reports survey of 58,000 participants ranked U.S. Cellular #1 in service and was named the best carrier in the country based on customer feedback.

For more information about The Belief Project, visit any U.S. Cellular store, go to uscellular.com or check out U.S. Cellular on Facebook. All decisions on award of Belief Points are final.

In a short press release this morning, iMaker Apple, Inc. announced that it anticipates sales of its new Apple TV device to eclipse 1 million in sales “later this week.” The announcement was made a little early by Apple’s PR team as later this week most consumers, writers, and analysts will be sitting by their respective fires roasting chestnuts… or something like that. The new Apple TV was released on September 1st of this year — it has taken the company just under three months to reach the 1 million units sold milestone.

Read

One of our solid Apple sources has just let us know some pretty interesting (and exciting) information surrounding Apple’s upcoming iPhone devices. For starters, we have been told that iPhone model 3,2 — what everyone is assuming to be the Verizon (or at least CDMA-compatible) phone — just hit the “AP” testing stage. This is the very last stage before retail release; final hardware, almost final software. Here is the odd thing, though… the iPhone 3,2 unit, we have been exclusively told, contains a SIM card slot. This is interesting for a multitude of reasons, and presents several different scenarios:

• The iPhone 3,2 could be the mythical CDMA + GSM/HSPA device that would support Verizon, AT&T, and the other current worldwide iPhone 4 carriers frequencies. The mid-cycle refresh would bring an updated antenna design for the current iPhone 4 and bring CDMA-compatibility; essentially, Verizon Wireless subscribers would have the same device as AT&T subscribers.
• The iPhone 3,2 could be a CDMA-capable iPhone that houses a SIM card for global roaming capabilities; though that certainly seems more complicated than just having one single glove that would fit both hands.
• One last possibility that the iPhone model 3,2 would simply be a slightly different design that doesn’t suffer from the same antenna attenuation as the current model; though that would be a little disappointing.

As far as the next generation iPhone 5, our source has also indicated to us that device has hit the “EVT” stage in the development cycle. The “EVT” stage is the engineering verification test phase, before the “DVT” phase.

At today’s keynote event, Apple announced that iOS 4.1 is coming out of beta and getting official. Additions to the latest iOS code base include bug fixes, HDR photos, and the inclusion of the Game Center. Apple is stating that iOS 4.1 addresses Bluetooth issues, proximity sensor, and iPhone 3G issues that have been reported ad nauseum in Apple’s support forums. HDR photos, for those not familiar, occur when your camera takes several photos — in succession — at different exposure levels. The photos are then combined using software that chooses the optimal lighting conditions, from each of the photos, for each area of the original photo. HDR shots result in images “with preserved or exaggerated local contrast” which increases the artistic effect of your shot. The Game Center will be live in the new OS update and will have several new game titles available. iOS 4.1 will also add HD video uploads to YouTube over Wi-Fi and  TV show rentals (we’re sure there will be more on this later). iOS 4.1 is set to drop next week.

This morning, we told you about a Bloomberg report that stated Apple, Inc. would be holding a September 7th media event in San Francisco; an event that the publication predicted would herald in a new AppleTV and iPod Touch models. While we have no idea what will be released, we now know — officially — that Apple will be holding a media event on September 1st out in San Francisco. Judging by the invite, it will have something to do with music (see how we picked up on that). The event starts at 10:00 AM PT (1:00 PM ET). Any guesses what Apple has in store?

We showed you some spy shots and leaked both the release date and the pricing – now it is time to put an end to these pre-launch rumors and let Verizon have its turn. On Tuesday, Verizon Wireless officially announced the Samsung Omnia. Confirming what we had already leaked, the Samsung Omnia will be available online and via telesales starting on November 26th and will make its in-store debut on December 8th. The Omnia will retail for $249 after a $70 MIR with a 2-year contract. Hit the jump for a quick rundown of the specs.

Verizon Wireless Samsung Omnia specs:

• CDMA 800/1900 with 1xRTT/1xEV-DO rev.0/1xEV-DO rev.A
• 3.2″ touchscreen with 240 x 400 resolution
• 128 MB RAM / 256 MB ROM
• 5MP camera camera and camcorder with flash and zoom
• GPS with VZ Navigator capability
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g)
• Bluetooth 2.0
• 8GB built-in memory with microSD/microSDHC expansion
• TV Out
• FM Radio with RDS
• DivX/XviD playback
• Opera 9.5
• Access to VZAppZone – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers and more
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with TouchWiz
• Dimensions: 4.41” (l) x 2.24” (w) x 0.52” (d) with standard battery
• Weight: approximately 4.34 ounces
• Usage time: up to 346 minutes with standard battery
• Standby time: up to 464 hours with standard battery

Read