[image:4307 left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]Word has it that Xbox Live subscribers are starting to see the updated dashboard as of today, with all new features including access to the Friends list and to voice chat in the dash itself, without loading a game.
UPDATE: I've managed to get and try out the update myself; it seems to me that the voice quality is better. The in-dash voice chat does indeed, work. There's a new feature to play the voice output through the speakers instead of just through the headset, which, given the subscription fee and internet costs, makes Xbox Live a passable and inexpensive speakerphone.