A ZuneBoards post today has revealed that the Zune and Zune HD media devices have finally been hacked, as of today, meaning all XNA limitations are no longer a problem.

A few of the current XNA limitations are no 3D, no Internet access, and performance peaks that are not very high given the hardware.

The ZuneBoards Development Front, which consists of "itsnotabigtruck", "Netrix" and "Nurta," says that all Zune models, past and present are now hacked and will "for the first time, run applications directly on top of the Zune firmware," giving users and developers full access to the firmware and hardware, without limitations.

Dubbed OpenZDK, the hackers behind it say there have been very few apps written so far, but admittedly OpenZDK is newly released.

That being said, developers can now add emulators, 3D games, port classic games, and also create full-on app stores, like Cydia for jailbroken iPhones.

Read the OpenZDK wiki here: OpenZDK Dev Wiki

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An official report in China has shown the reach of a widespread variant of Conficker B in the country as of late last year. The report from the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT) reported 7 million Internet-connected machines in the country infected with the Conficker B in the first half of 2009.

In the second half of the year, the number of Conficker infections in the country varied but only spent one week under 5 million PCs. From the figures, China had up to 28 percent of the worldwide Conficker reach within its borders, depending on the week.

Chinese users are found to be hit more easily by worms that in other areas of the world. About 4 percent of the country's 380 million Internet users run no security software at all, and the higher rates of pirate software also has an impact with services such as Automatic Updates being disabled.

China also had anywhere from 125,000 to over 300,000 IPs infected with Conficker C during the second half of last year, giving it up to 20 percent of the world's infections for that variant.

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A ruling by the High Court in Ireland has paved way for subscribers of Eircom's Internet services to have their service suspended for repeatedly sharing music illegally despite warnings. Eircom is the country's largest ISP, but the ruling is expected to have an effect on other ISPs in Ireland.

In a settlement deal last year, Eircom agreed to implement measures aimed at stopping illegal downloading, including handing over subscribers' identities when they are caught sharing files illegally. The Data Protection Commissioner had concerns about the settlement, questioning whether the measures violated rights of access to the Internet.

Mr Justice Peter Charleton rejected the concerns, ruling that the anti-piracy measures were lawful and compatible with the data protection legislation. He said that young people are now in the habit of file sharing that they appear to believe they have an entitlement to take what is not theirs.

"The right to be identified with and to reasonably exploit one's own original creative endeavour I regard as a human right," he commented, referring to what he said was a fundamental right to copyright in Irish law.

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Samsung has offered some guidelines for 3D television viewing and possible associated health risks and side effects. While most likely being the result of pressure from lawyers, the health warnings would probably take a bit of enthusiasm about 3D away from anybody who reads them.

"Some viewers may experience an epileptic seizure or stroke when exposed to certain flashing images or lights contained in certain television pictures or video games. If you suffer from, or have a family history of epilepsy or strokes, please consult with a medical specialist before using the 3D function," the warnings read.

"Even those without a personal or family history of epilepsy or stroke may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause photosensitive epileptic seizures. Pregnant women, the elderly, sufferers of serious medical conditions, those who are sleep deprived or under the influence of alcohol should avoid utilising the unit's 3D functionality."

"Viewing 3D television may also cause motion sickness, perceptual after effects, disorientation, eye strain and decreased postural stability. It is recommended that users take frequent breaks to lessen the potential of these effects. If your eyes show signs of fatigue or dryness or if you have any of the above symptoms, immediately discontinue use of this device and do not resume using it for at least thirty minutes after the symptoms have subsided."

The guidelines also recommend that younger viewers be supervised while viewing 3D content. "Children and teenagers may be more susceptible to health issues associated with viewing in 3D and should be closely supervised when viewing these images."

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