Amazon.com has rolled out a new promotion, making their two-day shipping and reduced overnight shipping choices free… for college students. Amazon Prime is popular with the tech community for making online stores rival brick-and-mortar stores more closely.

Prime allows up to five Amazon.com accounts in a family, for $80 per year, to enjoy free two-day shipping on items fulfilled by Amazon.com, including the inventories of many other retailers who tap Amazon for shipping and fulfillment services. The service also offers an upgrade for $3.99 to overnight shipping on any order, regardless of size or weight.

The change for college students may appear to be a move of mercy in this troubled economy, but the move may also be a shot across the bow at one key rival: College Bookstores. By allowing customers to search through ISBN, and enjoy cheap overnight shipping on heavy textbooks, Amazon.com is essentially cutting their profit margins to challenge a different type of high-markup, brick-and-mortar retailer.

Customers must register to lock in the free offering by visiting Amazon.com and confirming their account with a .edu email address from their college.

Microsoft has officially released Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1) to IT professionals for download and evaluation.

The first major upgrade to Windows 7 clocks in at approximately 600 MB, depending on 32-bit or 64-bit updates. Microsoft, as usual, encourages only IT professionals to download the beta, and to not use it on any mission-critical or primary computer.

The update however does lack one thing commonly in service packs: new features. Microsoft typically waits until a Service Pack to add features, such as the Windows Firewall or ATSC/OTA HD television support. Windows 7 SP1 does not add any new “end user” features as of this beta, and that likely is to remain the same in the final version.

Windows 7 SP1 Beta – Microsoft TechNet

Verizon will be launching a variant of the Samsung NC150 netbook with integrated Global Access dual-mode CDMA/HSPA aircard in the second week of July on the 8th, with Best Buy launching the netbook today.

The NC150 features a 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 10.1 inch WSVGA display, 160GB hard drive, Bluetooth and Windows 7 Starter.

For those lucky enough to live in the cities graced with the presence of Microsoft retail locations this weekend, the company has set up a promotion whereby interested customers will be able to test the recently announced Kinect Peripheral ahead of its launch later this year.

The Microsoft Store locations in Scottsdale, Arizona, Lone Tree, Colorado, Mission Viejo, or San Diego in California will be holding demos for the product.  No plans for demos outside of these locations will be made, with Microsoft suggesting pre-ordering if not able to demo the product.

Bloomberg is reporting that Sony is close to signing a deal with News Corp and NBC Universal owned Hulu to integrate the service as a premium option on the Playstation Network, which is also being offered to Microsoft for potential integration into Xbox LIVE.

The service is expected to consist of access to major network primetime programming from Fox, NBC and ABC, though no specific mention is made of additional access to additional content.

The report cites unnamed sources close to the deal as it has not been made public and a formal announcement is expected next week. Hulu is also planning a premium option priced at $9.95 per month on its web portal according to the Los Angeles Times.

YouTube has won a summary judgment against Viacom regarding a lawsuit filed by the media conglomerate against the video sharing site in 2007 alleging that YouTube willingly and knowingly committed copyright infringement.  The English Premier League via its commercial rights division was also a plaintiff in the case along with Viacom

At issue were the allegations by Viacom that YouTube was willingly allowing its users to upload video from its libraries and argued that the site did not enjoy DMCA protection under the safe harbor provision because it felt that YouTube was allowing and endorsing the activity and did not do enough to stop it effectively. 

Earlier today, the judge presiding over the case found in favor of YouTube concluding that the site did indeed qualify for safe harbor protection, shielding it from undue liability and allowing the site enough leeway to work with license/copyright holders in order to remove such infringing content without the threat of lawsuits, provided it removed the content in a timely manner.

Viacom has released its own statement on the case and plans to appeal the decision.

WalMart.com is currently offering the God of War III Ultimate Edition for the Playstation 3 for $59.98 from its $89.98 release price, a savings of $30 over its original price.

The Ultimate Edition comprises a hand-sculpted replica of Pandora’s Box, hardbound art book and downloadable content exclusive to the Ultimate Edition along with the “Blood and Metal” EP a 6 song EP with tracks by OPETH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, DREAM THEATER, TRIVIUM, TAKING DAWN, and MUTINY WITHIN.

Buy God Of War Ultimate Edition on WalMart.com

Following up on the repeated sighting of Microsoft Kinect pricing being set for $149.99 ahead of its release, Microsoft Director of Policy and Enforcement for Xbox Live has clarified the issue by stating on Twitter that all pricing so far is nothing more than a placeholder until official pricing is announced.

Microsoft has even gone so far as to update its official page for the peripheral with a disclaimer stating that official pricing has yet to be announced.

OnLive has officially announced the launch of its highly-anticipated cloud gaming service for Thursday June 16th.

To celebrate the launch the service is also offering a Founding Members program whereby those that sign up and meet the service requirements as specified internally by OnLive will be selected for a free year of service, with the second year being priced at $4.99/month.

AT&T has also been selected as the partner for the service in the US, which will involve sponsoring the Founding Members program.

The following games will be also be available at launch tomorrow:

Assassin’s Creed II (Ubisoft)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (Square Enix / Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
Borderlands (Take Two Interactive Entertainment)
Dragon Age: Origins (Electronic Arts)
Just Cause 2 (Square Enix)
Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts)
NBA 2K10 (Take Two Interactive Entertainment)
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (Ubisoft)
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction (Ubisoft)

Valve CEO Gabe Newell has announced that the Portal 2 will be available for the Playstation 3 in 2011 with Steamworks support (community chat and leaderboards, not the full Steam service).  During Sony’s keynote, the Valve CEO stated that Portal 2 on the Playstation 3 would be “the best version of Portal 2 on any game console.”