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The Nintendo 3DS has reached a milestone in Japan, fastest selling console in the nation's history.

In just under a year, the 3DS has reached 5 million units sold, faster than its predecessors.

After a bumpy start in which sales were slow, Nintendo dropped the price from 25,000 yen ($250 in the US) to 15,000 yen ($169.99 in the US). Additionally, the company released titles like Super Mario 3D Land, Monster Hunter 3 (-tri) G and Mario Kart 7, which helped make the handheld a formidable console.

Although the price cut helped boost sales, it came with a drastic cost. Nintendo had its first annual loss, ever, in 2011.

Microsoft Japan has revealed the end-of-life dates for its last three Windows operating systems.

Here is the list, which includes extended support for Vista and 7:

Windows XP 4/8/2014

Windows Vista 4/11/2017

Windows 7 1/14/2020

Adds the company:

Changed the lifecycle policy for extended support, Microsoft provides a consistent customer use Windows client operating system (OS) services. Will be applied the extended support for Windows 7, Windows Vista consumer products.

Available service packs for Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 product currently supported this change's customers are subject to up to 10 years of security update provides will regardless of the Edition.

Apple has started a countdown today as it approaches 25 billion apps downloaded from the iOS App Store.

The user who downloads the 25 billionth app will get a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

Says Apple: "As of today, nearly 25 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store worldwide. Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we want to say thanks. Download the 25 billionth app, and you could win a US $10,000 iTunes Gift Card. Just visit the App Store, and download what could be your best app yet."

Users can make up to 25 contest entries per day by either downloading an app or filling out an entry form via Apple.

More info here: http://www.apple.com/itunes/25-billion-app-countdown/

LG has unveiled their unique Optimus Vu before the Mobile World Congress event this week.

The device has a 5-inch screen, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 32GB internal memory and a large 2,080 mAh battery.

Says LG: "The Optimus Vu: was designed to maximize what customers could do with a smart-phone. By offering an optimal 4:3 ratio viewing experience, 5-inch display combined with superfast LTE technology, Optimus Vu: is just one example of what we can achieve when we combine our best technology with customer needs."

The device is one of the only smartphones to have a 4:3 aspect ratio, which the company says makes "viewing documents, books, internet and multimedia contents easier and more comfortable."

For now, the device will have Android 2.3 Gingerbread with an update to 4.0 in the works.

Google's upcoming Android update will be available in the summer, say sources.

Android 5.0 (or 4.5) 'Jelly Bean' will not target smartphones however, but will be be built with dual-boot functionality for Chrome OS tablets and netbooks.

More importantly, the OS would allow users to dual-boot Android on Windows 8 machines, including the ability to hot-swap without a reboot.

Users could use Android for better battery life, and switch to Windows for more robust features.

The OS is expected to hit in June.

HTC has lost the first of their patent-infringement cases against Apple filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).

The ITC said this week that Apple did not violate the HTC patent "for controlling how mobile phones manage power supply."

Says one analyst at IDC of the decision: "HTC is not having much luck in their cases and their performance in the market is taking a hit. At the end of the day, this is an elongated battle that seems to be going a little bit better for Apple than for Android."

HTC has not ruled out an appeal, but one seems unlikely. The company's second case against Apple will begin in August.

Apple, Samsung and HTC are all involved in multiple patent infringement cases revolving around iOS or Android which will guarantee the companies remain in litigation for the near future.

Acer has announced today that two more of its Iconia tablets will receive the Android 4.0 ice Cream Sandwich update this year.

The Iconia Tab A200 just received the update last week and now the company says their A100 and A500 will get updated in mid-April.

Both tablets have lagged Acer's sales expectations, but 4.0 can likely give them a small boost.

The Iconia Tab A500 runs on Android 3.0 Honeycomb, has a Tegra 2 Processor, a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 screen, Wi-Fi, 1GB RAM, a 5MP rear-facing camera plus an HD front-facing camera.

'Antennagate' has finally been settled.

In the summer of 2010, Apple came under intense criticism when it was revealed their iPhone 4 device could lose complete cell signal when held in certain ways. This so-called "death grip" had everything to do with the placement of the iPhone's antenna and the casing of the smartphone.

Dubbed 'Antennagate' for its large scale media coverage, Apple eventually admitted to the issue and offered all iPhone 4 owners the chance to receive a free "bumper" case (which nullified the issue) or the option to hold out for a settlement.

This week, all class action suits have been settled, and users who never took the free bumper are now entitled to a $15 payout settlement.

Apple PR spokesperson Natalie Harrison said this (via Cnet): "This settlement relates to a small number of customers who indicated that they experienced antenna or reception issues with their iPhone 4 and didn't want to take advantage of a free case from Apple while it was being offered in 2010."

LG has unveiled a new logo for its Optimus smartphone/tablet line.

The new design will "accentuate the metallic edges and slim shape of the 2012 smartphone line-up."

Additionally, the logo "will embody modern and seamless simplicity," which is LG's design aim.

More importantly, the company is preparing to launch "superior smartphones that bring design prestige" to consumers who want aesthetically pleasing and feature-rich phones.

The company is expected to launch a quad-core device at next week's Mobile World Congress.

New logo in the picture sidebar.

26-year-old software development student Glenn Mangham has been sentenced to 8 months in prison for hacking into Facebook using an employee's login details.

When asked why he did it, Mangham says: "It was to identify vulnerabilities in the system so I could compile a report that I could then bundle over to Facebook and show them what was wrong with their system."

Despite admitting that Mangham had not done the crime for financial gain, the judge still gave the harsh sentence whilst declaring: "You accessed the very heart of the system of an international business of massive size, so this was not just fiddling about in the business records of some tiny business of no great importance."

At the time, authorities believed that Facebook was the next company in a long line of industrial espionage. Companies like Microsoft and Google have been hit over the years, as other companies or even governments try to access secrets.

Prosecutors accused Mangham of stealing "invaluable" intellectual property including restricted internal data.

MacRumors has "confirmed" today that the upcoming iPad 3 does indeed have a 2048 x 1536 resolution Retina Display screen.

After obtaining one of the iPad 3's displays and examining it under a microscope, the site says they have determined the resolution and the fact that the display is Retina.

The display will be the same size as the previous models, at 9.7-inches.

Says the site: "Since we only had a raw iPad 3 display with no method to power it, taking high quality photos of the pixels was difficult. Still, even with the relatively poor lighting, you can easily make out the pixels on each display (made up of red, green and blue elements). We highlighted a cluster of 4 pixels (2x2) from the iPad 2 to compare it to the same area on the iPad 3. On the iPad 3, the same cluster was occupied by 16 pixels (4x4) -- exactly twice the resolution in each direction.

Extrapolating out, the iPad 3 screen should carry a full resolution of 2048x1536, exactly twice the linear resolution of the iPad 1 and iPad 2 which is 1024x768. Such a screen should be able to display much sharper images as compared to the previous generation iPads."

HTC has confirmed that more of their smartphones will be getting the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update in the future.

Says the company: "We have more good news related to Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, and can confirm that upgrades are planned for Verizon Wireless customers with the HTC Rhyme, HTC Thunderbolt, and DROID Incredible 2 by HTC, as well as the already announced HTC Rezound.

In addition, the HTC Raider is on the list to receive ICS for customers of Rogers and Bell in Canada. Stay tuned for more news on Ice Cream Sandwich releases in the coming weeks."

The HTC Sensation and Sensation XE will be the first two HTC devices to receive the much-anticipated update, followed soon by the Sensation XL.

2013's yet un-named Xbox successor is codenamed 'Durango,' says Kotaku.

As the console develops, that will be the name used, say sources, until Microsoft comes up with a final name for the system.

The name makes sense given Microsoft's use of the codename "Natal" for the Kinect motion control system. Natal is a city in Brazil, and "Durango" is a state in Mexico, so it seems the company has a "thing" for naming their projects after areas.

Among the rumors about the Xbox successor are that the system will play Blu-ray discs, catching up to Sony 7 years after the launch of the PS3. Another is the notion that Microsoft will "incorporate some sort of anti-used game system" in the new console. It is unclear how this system would work, but it will likely not be foolproof, regardless. Additionally, Microsoft is likely to launch the console with the Kinect 2 motion control system including a built-in processor. The processor would allow the Kinect to process motions more accurately and smoother.

Last month, after years of negotiations, MSG was removed from Time Warner Cable's lineup leaving sports fans in New York without Knicks, Rangers, Sabres, Devils or Islanders games.

The two companies had been fighting over how much MSG should be paid and each had an ad campaign blasting the other side. MSG was asking for a 53 percent price increase for their sports programming.

Today, after an over one month blackout, over 1 million Time Warner subscribers will get to watch their sports again.

The companies did not disclose the terms, but the blackout has been lifted as of tonight's matchup between the Knicks and the New Orleans Hornets.

The two companies did not disclose specific terms of agreement.

Brean Murray analyst Todd Mitchell says Time Warner likely paid a premium to get the deal in place, thanks in part to the new Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin, who rose from last spot on the bench to starting and averaging over 20 points per game and 7 assists. "At this point given the phenomenon of the situation that is Jeremy Lin, I don't think they had much choice," said the analyst, via Reuters.

According to multiple reports, Amazon is preparing to launch their Kindle Fire sequel in May or June.

Hardware maker Quanta was in charge of the components in the Kindle Fire, but it appears that Amazon will take over the selection and certification of the components to be placed in the new build.

The report speculates Amazon may now add a microSD slot, actual volume buttons and likely Bluetooth or a mic.

Amazon has always implied a sequel was coming this year, as the Kindle Fire sells as an entry-level device. Foxconn will build the new "flagship" device which will be larger than the original Fire. Past rumors have an 8.9-inch as the target frame for the new device.

The etailer has sold over 5 million Kindle Fire since its launch in November, taking 14 percent of the tablet market share in just one quarter.