This is the first post in a while. We’re just trying to fire this up again….

Windows has had it’s share of vulnerabilities in the past, so now Microsoft is offering more than $250,000 in cash and prizes for contestants who can come up with new ways to mitigate exploits. Anonymous and LulzSec are out there after all, taking companies down.

Microsoft will pay $200,000 for the best “novel runtime mitigation technology designed to prevent the exploitation of memory safety vulnerabilities.” Two runners up will also receive $50,000 and a MSDN Universal subscription valued at $10,000. I’d say that is lots of incentive to come up with some new tricks, wouldn’t you?

Fans of Black Ops have something to be very happy about. The latest map pack titled “Rezurrection” will be coming to the Xbox 360 followed by PC and PlayStation 3 later. Sadly these maps will not be multiplayer maps though.

You get a new map level called “Moon” along with four re-mastered zombie maps: “Nacht der Üntoten,” “Verrückt,” “Shi No Numa” and “Der Riese.” They should be released on August 23rd for the XBox, with PS3 and PC following later.

The Verizon Fascinate was the last Samsung Galaxy S variant to hit the U.S. and the carrier is doing its best to keep the phone up to date with software updates, even though some of them caused problems for users. Interestingly, Verizon is now listing the phone with a “retired” label.

You can see the red watermark embedded all over the device page. It says the phone is retired and so has already been removed from the carrier’s online store. So what would they replace it with? Probably the Galaxy S II variant for Verizon (whether it will be called Samsung Galaxy S II, Function, Fascinate II or Stratosphere).

Say what? Sony’s new handheld console already passed through the FCC and the rumor was that it had an October release date. But now it looks as if Santa has let us down this year.

Bloomberg is reporting that Kazuo Hirai says the Vita won’t launch in the US and Europe until early next year, but Japan is still getting the device before Christmas. We hope this is not the case. It’s like getting coal in our stockings several months early.

This 8GB TR-808 flash drive is perfect for DJs and other music enthusiasts. You can pre-order it now for $40. Sadly it doesn’t also function as the real thing, but at least it looks authentic in a mini form.

It might be fun to fool your friends and tell them that you’ve shrunk the real instrument. Hopefully they won’t ask you to play it and prove it.

Sony’s highly anticipated PlayStation Vita has finally arrived at the FCC for wireless testing and approval. The Commission’s test documents do not shed any new light on features, but the approval suggests the company is on schedule to launch the device in time for the holiday season.

Rumors have the Vita hitting stores this fall. There is an ad supposedly from Blockbuster UK that points to an October 28 date as well.

If you are a fan of Time Inc’s publications, you’ll be happy to know that it will be bringing all its 21 publications out as tablet editions before the end of the year. Time Inc. is the first major U.S. magazine publisher to make all of its titles available specifically for tablet devices.

Time Inc. has also announced a new agreement with Barnes & Noble to sell digital subscriptions of its publications on the NOOK Color e-reader. No surprise there. The new e-reader editions will be available toward the end of August.

Qualcomm has announced a new naming scheme for its Snapdragon processors. The idea is to make it easier for consumers to understand what is powering their device. Now Qualcomm Snapdragon processors will be known as S1,S2, S3 and S4. The higher the number the faster the processor.

That should keep things simple for those who have a hard time keeping track. The S4 processors will encompass Qualcomm’s new range of Quad-Core processors which have yet to be launched, while the S1 range will include processors designed for mass market smartphones.

The Compaq Mini CQ10-688nr comes with a 10.1-inch screen and 1024 x 600 resolution. It packs an Intel Atom N455 CPU at 1.66GHz, a 250GB HDD and it has 1GB of DDR3 RAM. There’s also a VGA resolution webcam for video chatting, WiFi and a media card reader.

If you’re into LTE you can expect to see download speeds in the 5-12Mbps range and uploads around 2 to 5Mbps. The Compaq Mini CQ10-688nr will retail for $449.99 with a new 2-year customer agreement. A monthly data plan with 2GB of monthly data is $30, 5GB of monthly data is $50, and 10GB of monthly data is $80.

iHome has released the new SD63 Retro-Style Hi-Fi Stereo headphones. These boast an on-ear design and feature a pair of 40mm neodymium drivers, an adjustable headband, air-cushioned ear pads for added comfort, a six-foot coiled cord, chrome accents, and Soundesign branding.

You also get a rotary volume control on one of the two swiveling ear cups. The iHome SD63 Retro-Style Hi-Fi Stereo headphones are priced at $49.99 and we love the retro style.

Iomega has released the new Mac Companion Hard Drive, which is available in 2TB or 3TB storage capacities. It features a 2.1 Amp USB charging port designed specifically for charging your iPad, iPhone, or iPod and uses a fast 7200 RPM 3.5-inch hard drive formatted HFS+ for compatibility with Mac computers right out of the box.

The device fits perfectly on the base of your Apple iMac or your monitor. It also boasts two FireWire 800 ports, one USB 2.0 port, and a two-port integrated USB 2.0 hub that lets you connect multiple devices. The 2TB model is priced at $195. The 3TB model is $295.

LG Revolution users on Verizon LTE are about to get a new OTA update for their smartphones very soon. Not Gingerbread on the Revolution just yet, but VS910ZV6 has new apps, updates, and bugfixes in the meantime.

Verizon will provide you with its latest VCAST media apps, as well as provide updates for some of the pre-installed titles on the Revolution. None of the bugfixes address any serious problems with the phone itself, but they’ll make sure that it works the way you expect it to, with proper call notifications when in vibrate mode, auto-correct not turning on by default, album art displaying correctly etc.

We know that you can’t wait to get yourself a Droid Bionic and you’ve no doubt been wondering about the specs. Well, they are on Motorola’s developer site. It features a TI OMAP 4430 1GHz dual-core CPU bundled with 1GB RAM, a 4.3-inch qHD display with 960 x 540 resolution, HDMI 1.4, 8 megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-facing camera.

Other specs include 1080p HD video capture, webtop capabilities, and LTE radio. No GSM / EDGE of course. At least now we know some more of what it’s offering.

If you like to make calls from Gmail, then here’s some good news. The service will now support over 38 different languages, and Google has also lowered the call rates to more than 150 destinations.

The rates have been cut quite a bit. For example, you can make calls to a landline in France for $0.02/min, while it will only cost you $0.10/min to call a mobile phone in UK and chat up your British friends. Calls to the U.S. or Canada placed within those countries will continue to be free for the rest of 2011. Calls to the U.S. or Canada placed from outside these countries will be charged $0.01 per minute. That’s a bargain.