Hacking the PSP Blog

Off Topic: Microsoft shows off HD DVD drive for Xbox

CNET's News.com has published photo's of Microsoft's new external HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360. Microsoft says the drive will be in stores in time for this holiday season but they declined to offer pricing information. Check out the photos here.

Source: News.com

Poll: PSP users want TV

Sony's PSP handheld has seen a steadily growing set of features, thanks to frequent system software updates. Since its launch, the PSP has been given an Internet browser, Macromedia Flash capabilities, and support for RSS. At the March PlayStation Business Briefing, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ken Kutaragi also announced plans for a camera attachment and GPS receiver, scheduled for release in Japan in September and October respectively.

In a recent poll, Japanese Web site ITmedia asked its readers to vote on the new PSP features, both announced and otherwise, that they want the most. The least popular features, gaining 3 percent of the total votes each, were the camera attachment and support for electronic money. Another 14 percent of the votes went to the GPS receiver, which will enable the PSP to act as a portable navigation system and could be put to novel use in games as well.

However, the bulk of the votes went to support for the 1seg service. 1seg, so called because it uses one of the 13 segments allotted to terrestrial digital television broadcasting, began earlier this year and allows viewers to watch programming on a range of portable devices. A 1seg tuner for the Nintendo DS is already in the works, and was announced alongside the Opera Web browser in February.

Brendan Sinclair
August 8, 2006

Source: Gamespot

The Secrets of PSP Firmware Version 2.80

PSP Vault has posted an in depth article about the inner workings of Sony's new 2.80 firmware for the PSP. Since the technical documentation for the software release is only in Japanese, they were kind enough to go through and give us the details. From the article:

Back when PSP firmware version 2.80 was first announced, I entitled the article "PSP firmware 2.80 released: more than meets the eye." I made this the article's title because, at the time, I realized that PSP firmware 2.80 offered a little bit more than Sony originally publicized.

We followed this article up with another article, where we tried to figure out what was going on with the new "VIDEO" folder. We're now a step closer to finding out exactly what firmware 2.80 can and can't do -- it's a shame that we're having to figure this out on our own. Sony hasn't released any specific guidelines about what this new firmware can do.

Or at least that's what I thought. I was dead wrong -- Sony has released a a PDF file that detail the technical properties of the RSS feature, giving us a bit more insight into the "VIDEO" folder. They've also released a PDF file detailing the internet browser, which includes some new capabilities for firmware version 2.80. Who knew? I sure didn't, and unless you can read Japanese, you didn't either -- Sony hasn't released any English versions of these PDF files, at least to the general public.

So here PSP-Vault brings you, for the first time in English, "The Secrets of PSP Firmware Version 2.80."

View the full text here...

Source: PSP Vault

Sony Introduces a PSP-size Wi-Fi Audio/Video Communicator

This week Sony announced a new device called the Mylo, which is a handheld communications and media device roughly the same size as Sony's PSP. Despite the similarities in size, the Mylo screen actually slides up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard where users can use to type up instant messages, browse the web and type up emails.

The Mylo comes equipped with GoogleTalk as well as Yahoo! Messenger. Incidentally, Yahoo! Messenger is now compatible with Microsoft's Live Messenger -- users who were wondering whether or not they would be able to talk to Microsoft Messenger users need not worry. This is likely the reason why Microsoft's Messenger was omitted from the software package. AOL Instant Messenger is not supported.

According to Sony's press release "The mylo personal communicator boots up in seconds and can scan for available wireless networks right away. The 'What’s Up' screen serves as the hub, storing up to 90 of your friends’ avatars so you can quickly see who’s online.  You can store up to nine online identities per person which allows you to first choose who you want to chat with then easily initiate conversations using your preferred application."

The biggest feature of the Mylo is its Skype integration. Users can use Mylo's built in Wi-Fi capabilities to link up to an Internet connection and make calls through their Skype user account. Unfortunately, the Mylo is not a mobile phone and therefore does not have mobile connectivity features such as GSM.

In terms of multimedia features, the Mylo supports MPEG4 video playback and MP3, ATRAC and WMA support for audio. JPG image playback is supported. The unit has a 320x240 screen, which is not in the same aspect ratio as widescreen movies (16:9). Battery life is strong for audio, lasting roughly 45 hours. For more productive uses, the unit lasts up to 7 hours and just 3 hours for continuous talking through Skype. The Mylo also comes with a Memory Stick Duo expansion slot but comes integrated with 1GB of memory. Sony says that the Mylo will be available come September for $350.

Tuan Nguyen
August 8, 2006



Source: Daily Tech