The federal government has officially banned truckers and bus drivers from texting while on the road, a rule that had been implemented by many of the trucking companies already.

"We want the drivers of big rigs and buses and those who share the roads with them to be safe," says U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "This is an important safety step, and we will be taking more to eliminate the threat of distracted driving."

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Earlier this week we reported that Avatar was set to become the highest grossing film of all-time.

Today, that has come true, with the movie surpassing Titanic as the highest grossing film of all-time (not adjusted for inflation.)

Gregg Brilliant, of 20th Century Fox, said "Avatar" now stands at $1.859 billion in global sales, beating out Titanic's $1.843 billion from 1998.

The movie is the highest grossing in Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Australia as well, and is one its way to breaking the American record of $600 million, likely this week.

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Long Zheng at istartedsomething has made a very interesting find today, finding drivers for a Zune phone in the latest Zune software update, version 4.2.202.

[Microsoft.NTx86]
%Zune.DeviceDesc% = ZuneMTPZUSB, USBMS_COMP_MTPZ
%Zune.DeviceDesc% = ZuneMTPZUSB, USBVID_045E&PID_0710
%Zune.DeviceDesc% = ZuneMTPZUSB, USBVID_045E&PID_063E
%Phone.DeviceDesc% = ZuneMTPZUSB, USBVID_045E&PID_0640
%Phone.DeviceDesc% = ZuneMTPZUSB, USBVID_045E&PID_0641
%Phone.DeviceDesc% = ZuneMTPZUSB, USBVID_045E&PID_0642
%ZuneIp.DeviceDesc% = ZuneMTPZIP, umburn:microsoft-com:device:mtpz:1

; Localizable strings
Msft = "Microsoft"
Zune.DeviceDesc = "Zune"
…
Phone.DeviceDesc = "Phone"

Zheng concludes that a Zune phone will indeed be launched, most likely at the Mobile World Congress next month.

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AT&T has shown Apple its plans to improve the wireless data network, says COO Tim Cook, hoping the new infrastructure will change the general perception of the public that the carrier's network is lacking.

"We have personally reviewed these plans, and we have very high confidence that they will make significant progress toward fixing them," Cook added.

Cook did not comment on whether the exclusivity pact Apple has with AT&T was set to expire, and would not go into whether the iPhone would be available for new carriers soon.

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The Google Nexus One smartphone has been plagued with 3G connectivity issues since its launch earlier this month, but Google has said today that an OTA firmware update coming this week should fix the problems.

One employee named Ivar says that the company has been actively creating a software fix that should "improve connectivity to 3G for some users." Ivar does say however that it will not solve all problems, as some users may simply be on the outer range of T-Mobile 3G coverage.

The Nexus One will be available for Verizon users in April, and for Vodafone users in the UK at the same time. If you plan to buy the phone unlocked, you can use it on AT&T, but only using EDGE (2G) speeds.

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According to new sources, Verizon will begin offering prepaid BlackBerry data service sometime in the next three months.

Although there weren't too many details revealed, the plan will cost $35 on top of your normal voice plan. Most likely, only a few BlackBerrys will be available for the new deal.

The move is the first time Verizon will offer a smartphone as a "prepaid" device, and most American carriers have been reluctant to make such offers, instead opting for long-term contracts with locked in prices.

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Although it is available online through the new Google Android store, it appears as though Wal-Mart stores may be getting the smartphone soon too.

More interesting however is the fact that in the specs sheet listed, AT&T and Sprint bands are listed, meaning the phone may be soon available for four major carriers.

Check the full Wal-Mart page here: Nexus One Wal-Mart page

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In the latest (likely fake) leak of Apple Tablet pictures, TechCrunch has posted a couple of pictures showing the "iPad" next to a MacBook Pro.

The pics:

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Google has announced the launch of a new version of Google Voice for the Apple iPhone, one that cannot be downloaded through the app store but instead used through the web browser.

In July, the original Google Voice app was rejected from the app store and faced large criticism, prompting the FCC to look into Apple's rejection process.

The Voice service allows users to make cheap long-distance calls online, and the ability to forward phone calls from one number to multiple phones.

Google says the new version is a "Web app" that is "much more interactive than the previous browser-based version of the service, with the ability to listen to voice mails directly from within the browser and to dial phone numbers on an interactive on-screen keypad."

The new version will work for iPhone 3.0 and above firmware and for WebOS based Palm smartphones.

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