Rooting or jailbreaking your cellie is no legal?; and new Madden demo comes tomorrow

Couple interesting tidbits from the tech world today:

1. Cell phone users running the popular iOS (Apple) and Android operating systems may now legally run software applications not approved.

The new ruling will allow users to "jailbreak" or "root" their phones legally. The Library of Congress, which oversees the Copyright Office, reviews and authorizes exemptions every three years to ensure that the law does not prevent certain non-infringing uses of copyright-protected material.

Quoting from the Associated Press story: "Unless users unlock their devices, they can only download apps from Apple's iTunes store. Software developers must get such apps pre-approved by Apple, which sometimes demands changes or rejects programs for what the developers say are vague reasons.

"The new government rules, however, won't stop Apple from continuing its practice of disabling jailbroken phones with software upgrades. That means owners of such phones might not be able to take advantage of software improvements, and they still run the risk of voiding their warranty."

2. Tomorrow, Xbox Live and PlayStation network will host the new Madden 11 demo featuring a playoff game between the Jets and Colts. There will be five-minute quarters and four difficulty choices.

The new Madden debuts Aug. 10.