Apple finally approved a revision to the Commodore 64 emulator for iPhone.

Touch Arcade reports that Manomio's Commodore 64 emulator has returned to Apple's App Store after a rather lengthy absence. The emulator initially made a brief appearance months after a long battle with the App approval team. Although the app was fully licensed, Apple said that it violated the terms of the SDK regarding installing and launching executable code via the included BASIC interpreter. Apple requested its removal. Instead, Manomio merely disabled the feature.

Finally approved, Apple thus published the App in September. However, the program was yanked from the online store just days after its release because it violated the terms of the SDK again. The reason for this rejection--as it was before the app was originally approved--stemmed from the BASIC interpreter. Even though the feature was disabled, apparently reactivating BASIC was extremely simple.

According to Touch Arcade, the new version of the emulator is 30-percent faster than before, features minor UI improvements, and also provides on-board instructions for each of the included games (Dragons Den, Le Mans, Jupiter Lander, Arctic Shipwreck, Jack Attack). The C64 also includes three new additional games as well: International Basketball, International Baseball, and International Tennis.

The C64 emulator can be purchased here for a meager $4.99. For fans that already purchased the application in September, this will appear as an update, and will not cost a penny.

Full GameCube stuffed into modded design.

Today's current gaming portables are starting to look a little old. The DS and DSi aren't exactly high-powered systems, and the PSP is still trying to figure out exactly which form and niche is right for it.

Instead, would you like to play Metroid Prime or Zelda: Wind Waker while on the go? Then perhaps you wish that you had (or had the skills to make) something like this:

Check out this forum thread for more details. Amazing work!

More signs that the iPhone is leaving AT&T's death grip.

Looks as if there are more signs appearing indicating that the iPhone is really jumping ship in regards to AT&T. In fact, the latest findings may be exactly what consumers have wanted to hear for a long time: that Apple has signed a contract to produce iPhones working on any carrier worldwide.

AppleInsider provides the tasty scoop, reporting that the new hybrid iPhone--combining UMTS 3G and CDMA2000--will be manufactured by Asustek subsidiary Pegatron and expected to hit the market in Q3 2010. This means that the new iPhone will be compatible with Verizon's network, making rumors that the device is coming to the wireless carrier that much more substantiated.

A document acquired by AppleInsider claims that the new iPhone will feature a smaller screen: down to 2.8-inches from the current 3.5-inch screen. The document also states that Verizon and Apple have come to an agreement to sell the new model within a year. That's surprising considering the company's attempts to portray the Motorola Droid as an "iPhone killer."

Earlier today, Radio Shack--or rather The Shack--announced that it would begin selling Apple's iPhone 3G and 3GS in select cities by the end of the month (Dallas-Forth Worth, New York City). The sale will then go nationwide sometime in 2010. However, consumers may want to put those anxious fingers on hold until more details on the "world mode" version become available.

EA predicts that single-player campaigns are on the way out.

What's the best part of a game? The single-player experience? Or is it the online component providing deathmatch or cooperative play? Electronic Arts seems the feel it's the latter component, and believes that the single-player aspect may be a thing of the past according to Bit-Tech.

"Single-player games are no longer the future," said an EA spokesperson. "Multiplayer games are becoming increasingly exciting...Online functionality is a key way of extending the player experience."

The comment was made during an EA Winter Games Showcase last week held in London, displaying working segments of Left 4 Dead 2, Mass Effect 2, and Command & Conquer 4. Skate 3 also made an appearance, and EA said that the fourth installment will include extensive multiplayer and co-op play options.

Granted multiplayer is an exciting feature, it's hard to believe it will replace the single-player story. Then again, EA believes that players are "increasingly" focusing on multiplayer experiences, and if that is actually the case, the single hero that saves the day may indeed be a thing of the past.

China is now going after Yahoo and it's photo-sharing website.

After smacking Google around with its anti-porn stick a few months back, the Internet Society of China--the Chinese government's "watchdog" patrolling for porn and other sensitive subjects--is now going after Yahoo and the photo-sharing website it is currently hosting. More specifically, the government is accusing Yahoo of violating social morals by allowing the pornographic material on its domains.

Computerworld reports that the Chinese version of Yahoo Space provided the offending visuals, however Alibaba Group, the local e-commerce group that owns Yahoo China, closed Yahoo Space a week ago. A spokesperson for Alibaba Group said that the company is currently restructuring Yahoo Space to "focus on entertainment features." Yahoo Space was a site that allowed registered users to share their photo albums with attached blogs.

Currently there's no word if China will take the same "blocking" action it used with Google. To appease the Chinese government, Yahoo may install age gates or an approval process when Yahoo Space eventually re-opens for business. Additionally, Yahoo may need to change the algorithm of its China search engine to block problematic material slipping through.

Verizon has taken another shot at AT&T in its latest commercials.

The first advert shows Apple's iPhone banished to the Island of Misfit toys because of AT&T's bad 3G coverage. The second shows elves packing phones with Verizon coverage for the nice kids and phones with AT&T coverage for the naughty ones. One elf adds, "Good luck surfing the net with that." The third TV spot sees a man fruitlessly trying to get signal while on his way home for the holidays. Upon his arrival he is gifted with a phone on Verizon's network.

All three ads feature the controversial maps that last week landed Verizon in court. AT&T complained that the two maps showing AT&T's 3G coverage next to Verizon's were misleading customers to believe AT&T had no coverage at all outside of its 3G areas. However, it seems Verizon disagrees as the company had no problem featuring the offending map in its new ads.

Check out the three new commercials below.

If you picked up a PC version of Modern Warfare 2 over the weekend you'll be disappointed to learn that the game is locked until tomorrow.

1up cites a tweet from Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling that says, "if you bought a retail copy on PC, you can play it on 11.10.09." The tweet was in response to a user who asked, "Will we be able to buy and play #MW2 for PC on 11.10.09 or do we have to wait until Friday for steam to unlock the discs?"

GameStop made headlines this weekend when it broke the November 10 street date for Modern Warfare 2. The retailer initially said it had Activision's permission to release the game ahead of Tuesday's launch but later changed its story when Activision denied the claims. GameStop now says the decision to release the game was a corporate one and says it is only selling MW2 in markets where the street date has already been broken.

The first known iPhone virus Rick rolls handsets.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. It would be foolish to think that with so many computer hackers and attackers in the world, the iPhone crowd would be spared. Fortunately for iPhoners, the first worm in Apple's golden apple isn't exactly malicious. Well, that probably depends on your definition of the word 'malicious,' but it's definitely not as bad as it could be, or as bad as smartphone viruses could be in the future.

Sure, designing a worm that will change the iPhone's wallpaper to a picture of Rick Astley is irritating for the user. However it seems it wasn't the developer's intent to do something malicious. The worm does nothing but change your screensaver and it only affects jailbroken iPhones -- and only if the user failed to change his or her default password for a secure shell (SSH) application that allows file transfers between smart phones.

A 21-year-old Australian hacker named Ashley Towns has since admitted to developing the worm. In the source code for the virus he writes, "People are stupid, and this is to prove it so" adding that iPhone users should read their manuals. "It's not that hard, guys," Towns writes. "But hey who cares its only your bank details at stake."

Towns spoke to ABC News Online and said that his aim was to wake people up and raise awareness, not to cause trouble.

"When people jailbreak their phone, it allows them to install a service on their phone called SSH," he told ABC. "Generally you should always change your password after setting up on the iPhone as all iPhones use the same password. This virus pretty much exploits people's laziness to change their password," the student continued, adding, "I think to raise awareness for one, somebody with more malicious intent could have done anything - read your SMSs, go through your emails, view your contacts, photos - anything. The virus itself is not malicious and is not out to hurt people. It's just poking fun and hoping waking people up a little."

Towns said the virus is relatively easy to remove. All users have to do is change the phone's password and delete a few files from the phone. You can check out the source code here.

Activision has said that GameStop's claims that it had special permission to sell Modern Warfare 2 early are false.

Early this weekend, GameStop broke the street date for Activision's Modern Warfare 2. The retailer said it had special permission to break the official November 10 date because of smaller, "mom and pop" stores that had already broken the date. However, it seems Activision did no such thing.

A company spokesperson told both Joystiq and Kotaku that Activision did not give any retailer permission to sell the title early and went on to reiterate the official street date.

"Activision has not given any retailer permission to sell Modern Warfare 2 prior to the Nov. 10 street date. The company fully supports the Nov.10 street date."

GameStop has since said the decision to sell Modern Warfare 2 before November 10 was a corporate one. Chris Olivera, vice president for corporate communications at GameStop's Grapevine, Texas headquarters contacted Kotaku on Sunday night to confirm that the company had made an executive decision to release the game in markets where the street date had already been broken.

This past weekend, GameStop made the decision to break street date and sell reserved copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in select markets where other retailers had broken street date. Our decision followed many conversations with Activision and was an effort to protect our customer base.

Nokia has issued a massive charger recall and is offering free replacements to those affected.

Nokia today announced a recall of over 14 million chargers manufactured by a third party partner, China's BYD. The recall is a precautionary measure after a routine quality control test showed that certain chargers could potentially shock the user.

"During a routine quality control process, Nokia identified a potential product quality issue with certain chargers manufactured by one of its third-party suppliers. The plastic covers of the affected chargers could come loose and separate, exposing the charger's internal components and potentially posing an electrical shock hazard if certain internal components are touched while the charger is plugged into a live socket. Nokia is not aware of any incidents or injuries related to these chargers."

The Finland-based company goes on to say that anyone with AC-3E and AC-3U model chargers, manufactured between June 15, 2009 and August 9, 2009; and the AC-4U model, manufactured between April 13, 2009 and October 25, 2009 should visit chargerexchange.nokia.com or their local Nokia website to arrange swapping their old adapter for a new one.

Reuters reports that the number of chargers affected amounts to 14 million and China's BYD is said to be covering the costs of the replacement chargers. Each charger reportedly costs around $1.

Retailers in the Northeast broke the street date for Modern Warfare 2 and began selling the game early this past weekend.

If you live in New York, Ohio or Pennsylvania, there's a good chance you have procured a copy of Modern Warfare 2 ahead of the official November 10 street date. Certain GameStop stores in the aforementioned states began selling the highly anticipated Modern Warfare 2 ahead of schedule, with one Ohio employee answering the phone to Kotaku with, "Thank you for calling GameStop, where you can pick up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2."

The reason? According to Kotaku, GameStop claimed it had special permission from Activision because of street date-breaking mom-and-pop stores.

Any of you guys manage to get yourself a copy? Let us know in the comments below!

Image credit: C & C Games (via Kotaku)