I cannot say for certain if the rad-shack model has been "orphaned," but I have the old GRE PSR-800 version of that scanner, and had it upgraded by Whistler--best $60 I've ever spent. It now uses Whistler handheld software and is the equivalent of a WS-1080. Now, I'm getting good use from a scanner that I had almost relegated to the junk pile.
I can say with all certainty that the upgraded scanner will handle the updates just fine.
Hope that's helpful--maybe someone else can say whether or not the 688 has been orphaned.
Good luck.