psp

Could Sony make a PlayStation Vita phone?

Two things leap to mind this morning:

1. Sony has acquired Ericsson's part of Sony Ericsson for $1.74 billion. 2. The PlayStation Vita handheld has a 3G version, and will be released in the U.S. next year.

Somehow, can Sony's full control over the mobile phone unit lead to what I've been hoping for for years--a true PlayStation phone, preferably in the form of a revamped Vita? … Read more

PlayStation Network down, Sony says should return soon

Sony's PlayStation Network is currently experiencing an outage affecting users of the service around the world.

An error message appears when attempting to log in to PSN: "An error has occurred. You have been signed out of PlayStation Network. (8002A548)." According to an official PlayStation support site, the error code 8002A543 may also appear.

"We're aware that some of you are having issues trying to log into PSN. We're working to resolve the issue, and we'll update you here," read a tweet on the PlayStation Twitter account several hours ago.

PlayStation Blog Europe also chimed in on Twitter with an acknowledgement that the PSN is down in that region. "PlayStation Network engineers are working hard on restoring the service."

Just a few moments ago, the same account offered a timetable and some hope for confused users of the service who can't get online: "Current indications are that we'll be restoring PlayStation Network services in approx. two hours. We appreciate your patience." (Update: As of 1:30 p.m. PT, tweets were beginning to indicate that the service was gradually returning online.) … Read more

Sony reveals PlayStation Vita battery life

Sony finally has announced the true battery life of its next-generation PlayStation Vita handheld entertainment device.

Sony held a press conference today during the Tokyo Game Show detailing many aspects of the highly anticipated successor to the PlayStation Portable. The Vita is capable of 3 to 5 hours of gaming, 5 hours of video playback, and 9 hours of music playback (in standby mode) via the 2,200 mAh battery. These figures are based on the brightness used for the device's default settings (I assume that's somewhere in the middle), Bluetooth disabled, and Wi-Fi not being used; altering those features will affect the battery life accordingly. To fully recharge the battery from 0 percent will take 2 hours and 40 minutes. … Read more

PaintShop Pro X4 simplifies the complex

PaintShop Pro X4 is the latest release in Corel's popular line of photo management and editing software. This newest version brings with it a more polished interface, GPU optimizations, and a significant boost in terms of professional editing power.

The interface is fairly simple to navigate, with all of the program's functionality falling under three main tabs at the top of the screen: Manage, Adjust, and Edit.

The Manage tab is, of course, the hub for organizing all of your photos. In addition to all of the expected browsing and preview utilities, it includes a nifty Info palette … Read more

Sony bets on quality with S and P Android tablets

Sony is one of the last major manufacturers to jump into the tablet wars, but at least it's arriving in style. Today, Sony published all the details surrounding its two planned Android 3.1 tablets, originally codenamed S1 and S2.

For the first bit of business, the official names have been figured out. The larger of the two tablets with the 9.4-inch screen will be called the Sony S tablet, while their folding tablet made from two 5.5-inch screens will be called the Sony P tablet. The P, apparently, stands for "pocket."

The S tablet … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1524: The finger wiggle patent portfolio attacks (Podcast)

On today's show, Google is upset that its competitors are using a giant portfolio of patents to attack Android. Never mind that Google could have joined in the purchase of said portfolio or, more importantly, that it's got the clout and cash to lead a fight against software patents in the first place. Good try, though! Also, our government prepares for the next war on terror--cyber-terror--and will HBO Go ever go a la carte? We hope so!

Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (640x360) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS (640x360)… Read more

PSP games coming to PS3 via Remaster series

Sony is trying to bridge the gap between its PlayStation Portable and the PlayStation 3.

The company said yesterday it plans to launch a new series of games called PSP Remaster. The series will be composed of some of the more-popular PSP games, which will then be ported to the PlayStation 3 for big-screen, high-definition gameplay. To add more appeal to the formerly portable-only titles, the company said the games will come with stereoscopic 3D support.

However, the most important addition to the games is the ability for people to start playing the title on either the PSP or PlayStation 3 and then continuing the saved game on the other hardware.

Sony's decision to tie the PSP to its PlayStation 3 comes at a transitional time in the company's portable division.

Earlier this year, Sony unveiled the Next Generation Portable (NGP), which it plans to launch at the end of this year. The device, which is designed to replace the aging PSP, boasts two thumbsticks and a 5-inch OLED display. It will come with 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, and it will offer vastly improved graphical capabilities, compared with the PSP.… Read more

Report: PlayStation Store back online next week

The PlayStation Store might be accessible again as soon as Tuesday, according to a report published today.

Gaming blog Gamasutra says a memo sent from Sony to its game maker partners says May 24 is the date the online store for buying video games and video content will return, unless some problem arises in the meantime.

The letter, from PSN content manager Jack Osorno, reportedly included details of a new game-publishing schedule that would allow Sony to catch up on game releases that were bypassed while the network was offline for more than three weeks.

Sony previously had said only that it aimed to relaunch the store by May 31.

In a comment to gaming site Giant Bomb, Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold said, "We've not announced a specific date other than to say we expect to have the service fully restored by the end of the month. Anything other than that is purely speculative."

The return of the PlayStation Store will complete the relaunch of Sony's gaming network following a cyberattack last month. After more than 77 million PSN customers' personal data was compromised, Sony took the network, along with its Qriocity and Sony Online services, offline while it investigated and rebuilt its network security.

Related link • PSN breach exposes records of millions (roundup)

The ability to sign in, change passwords, play games, and watch previously downloaded content returned on Saturday. Yesterday another vulnerability in Sony's security system was found that allowed anyone to change PSN users' passwords if they knew a user's e-mail address and date of birth, both part of the information stolen in the attack last month. Sony closed the loophole and took its PlayStation.com and Qriocity.com Web sites down for repair yesterday, though the game network remains accessible via the PlayStation 3 console and PlayStation Portable handheld device. … Read more

The 404 803: Where we're picking up some Funyuns, man (podcast)

Wilson mysteriously disappears on this beautiful Wednesday, but Natali's pulling a twofer this week and filling in to help us with today's rundown. To her delight, a new augmented reality app is bringing future tech from the Harry Potter series alive, a PhillieBot will chuck the first patch at tonight's game, and a new iPhone case protects more than just the device inside.

The 404 Digest for Episode 803

Robot to throw first pitch at today's Phillies game How did that RFID chip end up in my suitcase? On a related note, Natali brings this delightful Jamaican tale to our attention. The JustinCase prototype fights for safe sex.

Thanks to Attariq for drawing this picture of The 404!

Episode 803 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more