If you’re like most Windows XP users, you’re perfectly willing to wait for Windows Vista Service Pack 13 to be released before upgrading. Well, there’s good news. If you can hold out for three more years, you can skip over Vista entirely and get the next version of Microsoft’s operating system, which the company is internally referring to as “Windows 7.”

The announcement came at a sales force conference in Orlando this week. Microsoft plans to get back to releasing Windows upgrades on a regular schedule. Windows Vista was released more than five years after the last operating system, Windows XP.

But we kind of knew all that. So the only real news to come out of this sales force meeting is that Windows is no longer using the codename “Vienna” for the next operating system. The nomenclature behind “Windows 7″ is a bit unclear though. The way we see it, the new OS should be called Windows 11. Or if you take out NT, Windows 10. Perhaps OS 10?

1. Windows 1.0
2. Windows 2.0/2.1
3. Windows 3.0/3.1
4. Windows 95
5. Windows 98
6. Windows ME
7. Windows NT
8. Windows 2000
9. Windows XP
10. Windows Vista
11. Windows 7

Okay, so Microsoft’s probably pretending that Windows 1 - 3.11 and NT don’t count. But the company’s got three years to come up with a snappier name than “Windows 7.” Best get started soon.

If you were enthralled by the sound of what the Dev Wiki crowd was cookin’ up, yet you just couldn’t understand the majority of what they were telling you, you’re in luck. bitSplit, the man that brought you iFuntastic, has released version 2.0 of the software, which goes the extra mile and enables mere mortals (read: folks who aren’t down with code speak) to “add ringtones, change the carrier logo, and reorder their iPhone applications.” Best of all, this here software is completely free to use, but unless you’ve got an Intel-based Mac, you won’t get very far. So go on, tag the read link and see what fun awaits you.

In a move which will bolster your undoubtedly high sensations of “faith” in the US voting process, a group of University of California researchers have just hacked their way through security on nearly every voting machine certified by the state of California. According to Secretary of State Debra Bowen, who initiated these tests, the team was able to “bypass physical and software security in every machine they tested.” The group, which was sanctioned by the state, was given full access to the machines, as well as their source code and manuals, leaving some to argue that the test doesn’t accurately depict how vulnerable the machines are — because we all know how hard it is for hackers to get their hands on that kind of stuff. The report will affect whether or not Bowen approves the systems for use throughout California in its upcoming presidential primaries. It looks like 2008 is going to be an exciting year, to say the least.

Washing machines that somehow remove the odors and spots from your garments sans the use of water have been around the block a time or two, and while we’ve heard a mad scientist claim that he discovered soap-free cleaning, it’s Haier who’s making him look brilliant. The detergentless WasH20 reportedly works by breaking down water molecules into OH- and H+ ions, and while we hardly recall the last chemistry course we took, we suppose we’ll believe the claims for now. Apparently, the stains on the linens are “attracted and retained by ions of OH-, while the clothes are sterilized by the H+ ions.” Word on the street has this one landing in France soon for around €699 ($957), but don’t be surprised if your threads come out of the wash mutated, vaporized, or worst of all, smelling exactly like they did when they went in.

It was but a few weeks ago that we caught Fujitsu’s LifeBook N6460 showing off in Singapore, and now it looks like the beastly machine has made its way stateside for all of us Americans to enjoy. This 17-incher touts an XGA+ panel, Intel’s 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7300 CPU, ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 2600 graphics set, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, up to 400GB of hard drive space, an optional Blu-ray drive, integrated fingerprint scanner, a remote control, 56k modem, gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, and a plethora of ports including five USB 2.0 connectors, FireWire, a multicard reader, and an ExpressCard opening to boot. Granted, you can certainly opt to customize the aforementioned specifications to fit your budget, but pre-established configurations range from $1,499 to $2,599 and look to be shipping right away.

Microsoft is planning to ship its next major version of Windows–known internally as version “7″–within roughly three years, CNET News.com has learned.

The company discussed Windows 7 on Thursday at a conference for its field sales force in Orlando, Fla., according to sources close to the company.

While the company provided few details, Windows 7, the next client version of the operating system, will be among the steps taken by Microsoft to establish a more predictable release schedule, according to sources. The company plans a more “iterative” process of information disclosure to business customers and partners, sources said.

Windows Vista, the oft-delayed most recent release of Windows, shipped to businesses in November and to consumers in January after more than five years of development. Vista’s gestation period was marked by shifting product details as internal priorities changed and problems arose with development.

Like Vista, Windows 7 will ship in consumer and business versions, and in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. The company also confirmed that it is considering a subscription model to complement Windows, but did not provide specifics or a time frame.

Next up on Microsoft’s agenda is Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista, which is expected before year’s end.

The discussion of Windows’ future isn’t surprising, given that Microsoft has been criticized by business customers for delays related to Vista. Many business customers pay for Microsoft’s software under a license agreement called Software Assurance.

Windows 7 was previously known by the code name Vienna. A Microsoft representative confirmed that Windows 7 is the internal code name for the next client release of Windows. The details were released “as part of our ongoing outreach to enterprise customers and partners, Microsoft has begun sharing plans for how they will continue to deliver value to businesses in the future…Software Assurance customers in particular,” a representative said in a statement via e-mail.

“Microsoft is scoping Windows 7 development to a three-year time frame, and then the specific release date will ultimately be determined by meeting the quality bar,” according to the representative.

Looks like Sony finally took the wraps off its Network Walkman NWD-B100, which we first heard about months ago. The featherweight player is landing in Europe come August (sorry, no US release info as of yet), and has a 3-line color LCD, comes in 1GB (NWD-B103 / B103F) and 2GB sizes (NWD-B105 / 105F), and features an FM tuner, mic / voice recorder, up to 12 hours battery life, and perhaps best of all, it’s now ATRAC-free (MP3 and WMA only) with mass-storage mode, meaning you can officially throw out your copy of SonicStage. Sony, welcome to 2007 — we could almost kiss you.

Get your software update on kids, Sony’s latest firmware is available now for your Sony PS3 and PSP rigs. While the PSP pulls a minor 0.01 update offering a boost in both security and playable network titles under [Game], the real sauce comes by way of firmware 1.90 for the PS3. Custom photo wallpapers for the XMB, messaging emoticons, AVCHD video playback direct from Memory Stick or camcorder, DMB sorting of hard drive-based games, upscaled CD audio over HDMI or digital optical outs, and a new forced 1080p24 HDMI output for Blu-ray films. Best of all perhaps, is the new “eject disc” option from the controller to keep your lazy meat sack planted on the couch just that much longer.

Hmmm, this is interesting. While the whole European iPhone carrier mess gets sorted, Expansys has gone ahead and listed a “network-unlocked” iPhone for their English punters. There’s no price or delivery on the 8GB model which makes the pre-order button a bit dubious. Still, the quad-band GSM / EDGE phone looks every bit the peer to its US colonial cousin only with the promise to work with a SIM card from “any UK or European GSM provider.” Do you know something we don’t Expansys or is this just wishful thinking?

Update: Expansys updated the site, gone is the paragraph regarding the unlocked SIM. Now back to your hacking stations, please.

We know that many consumers like their flat panels big and cheap even at the expense of quality. No doubt then, Vizio’s new “full-HD” 52-inch LCD rumored to sell at Costco next month will be a hit. The $2,200 sets are even said to carry an LG.Philips panel according to DigiTimes’ Taiwanese supply chain sources. Promising, but will they bring LED backlighting, 120Hz tech, and 1080p24 HDMI input? Doubtful, but the money you save should keep the fridge swollen with Bud into the foreseeable future.