A modest upgrade to the Xbox Live experience is on tap for die-hard 360 users. I got my hands on the update a little early, and I can attest that it's got lots of new features in store that just about every Xbox enthusiast should find of interest.

Among the biggest upgrades:

> Netflix now lets you browse for movies and manage your queue within the 360 environment, and users can host "movie parties" so everyone invited can watch the same film at the same time.

> Avatars now have a marketplace where you can buy special clothing and accessories to dress them up. Want your little guy to wield the giant Q-Tip from Monkey Island? You can buy it for him for 160 MS points. Also, games will now be able to offer avatar clothing as rewards for doing certain feats, much like achievements.

> Games on demand will now let you download and play full 360 games without having to purchase a disc (provided you have the hard drive space). Titles available for download won't launch until August, but the functionality to do it is built into the update. You can also rate titles in the marketplace using a five-star system and sort games based on what's getting the best reviews.

> Other tweaks are more modest, almost of the bug-fix variety, with better handling of voice messages, friend sorting, and achievements management all part of the update.

> Alas, Facebook and Twitter features are not part of the update, nor is Zune video or Last.fm connectivity, all of which are still on tap for future upgrades to the service.

Want to get in on the upgrade early for yourself? Just visit this link and fill out the survey mentioned. Microsoft will select the first wave of public users (they want "many thousands" of you, so your chances aren't bad) to get a preview of the update starting Monday. Good luck!