PlayStation University is reporting today that Sony's latest PlayStation 3 hardware updates should help the console finally become profitable without the aid of software sales.

The new motherboard of the Slim units have an improved RSX GPU, one that uses about 15 percent less power, and almost completely eliminates the possibility of the 'yellow light of death'.

There has not been a breakdown completed yet of the new hardware, but the original Slim PS3 was said to bring the console to almost breakeven in terms of profitability so the new GPU should likely make the hardware profitable for the first time since the console's launch in 2006.

The new RSX GPU is 45nm, an update from the larger, less efficient 65nm version seen in all past models.

Adding to the efficiency, the new Slim unit features two 128MB XDR RAM chips instead of four 64MB chips, a new cooling assembly, as well as a lighter power supply.

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RLSLOG, the most popular torrent release news site, has been taken down this week after its hosting company received a takedown request from Universal Music Group.

The site says it is moving to a new host, as it does not, and will not ever host copyrighted material.

Regulars of the site were greeted with this message: "RLSLOG.net was suspended by its German hosting company after removal request from law firm representing Universal Music, although we never hosted any files or copyrighted data on our server. Our site is strictly informative."

TF interviewed the founder of the site that said the site was not given any prior notice before being taken down, and apologized for the downtime.

Last year Google took action to filter some of RLSLOG'S pages from its search engine results, after complaints were filed by copyright holders.

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The world's highest grossing movie of all-time, the blockbuster Avatar, has now also become the fastest-selling Blu-ray disc of all-time, selling 2.7 million units in just four days.

The previous record holder was the blockbuster The Dark Knight, which has sold 2.5 million discs in 18 months.

Avatar, on DVD and Blu-ray has already sold upwards of 7 million units, putting it on pace to become the best-selling title of the decade.

20th Century Fox, the distributor behind the film says cumulative first day sales were 3.2 million, with 2 million coming from DVD sales and the rest from Blu-ray. In recent memory, the Dark Knight launched with 2.7 million units (2.1 million on DVD) and Twilight: New Moon saw 4 million units sold in its first two days. Avatar's two-day number was around 5.5 million.

Says James Finn of Fox, via Deadline: "Grocery and drug stores sold more Avatar [2D] in one day than they sold of The Dark Knight during its entire life on shelves. This shows that the audience for the home entertainment release far out weighs the fan boy base. It's a cultural phenomenon…again. Employees and customers alike are dressing up as Na'vis in stores around the country, and this is a home entertainment release like no other."

"My sources are telling me that Best Buy has sold twice as many Blu-ray players as they normally do since the biggest movie of all time landed in stores. Mass merchants are estimating that Avatar Blu-ray sales are north of 50%, a remarkable percentage for the format and for the home entertainment category. I'll have more of a read tomorrow morning, but Avatar [2D] is on track to do for Blu-ray what it did for 3D in theaters."

The 3D edition of the Blu-ray is expected to hit in early 2011.

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After just 18 months, the Android Market has hit its latest milestone, 50,000 apps available in the marketplace.

The company reported in December 2009 that it the store had reached 16,000 apps.

By mid-March 2010, the store had doubled its apps available to 30,000.

The stats site AndroLib says the breakdown of the 50,000 apps, in terms of free vs. paid, is 59 percent to 41 percent, the closest number is recent memory.

In comparison, the Apple App Store hit 50,000 in 12 months, and now sits at around 190,000.

Adds Asad Rafi of Android Spin: "With this rapid increase in the number of applications with in such a short time period, it will only a matter of time before the Android market will cross 100,000 application mark."

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Although Google promised the Nexus One smartphone for Verizon when it launched the device, the search giant has changed its stance today, instead telling Verizon subscribers to instead purchase the HTC Incredible, if they want a high-end Android device.

As posted earlier today in the official Google phones portal, instead of saying to buy the Nexus One for Verizon in the spring, it now reads: "For Verizon's network, you can buy the Droid Incredible by HTC."

When asked for an elaboration on the word change, Google added the following: "We won't be selling a Nexus One with Verizon, and this is a reflection of the amazing innovation happening across the open Android ecosystem. Verizon Wireless customers who want an Android phone with the power of the Nexus One can get the Droid Incredible by HTC."

Vodafone just announced that it will begin selling the Nexus One in the UK starting this week.

The 'superphone' has a 3.7″ AMOLED 480x800 WVGA display, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 5MP camera with autofocus and flash, 512MB RAM and ROM, a microSD slot and noise suppression.

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The Google Nexus One will go on sale in the UK via Vodafone starting on April 30th, reads a press release from the companies, with the "superphone" available for as cheap as free depending on the contract.

Vodafone is the first carrier in the EU to offer the phone, and they will offer the device for free if you sign up for a two-year contract at £35 a month.

Unlike in the U.S., where the phone is only available online, Vodafone will make the smartphone available in stores and online, with direct support for both types of purchase.

Owners get up to 1GB of data with their plans, as well as a free 1GB of data at "premium BT Openzone hotspots" around the nations. Wi-Fi is unlimited.

The Nexus One has a 3.7″ AMOLED 480x800 WVGA display, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 5MP camera with autofocus and flash, 512MB RAM and ROM, a microSD slot and noise suppression.

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