While the Sony PSPgo has only been out for a very short time, it seems that Sony is already itching to refresh the line with a splash of color. A UK market research company recently approached a number of individuals to see if they would be interested in a new color of PSPgo, asking which one they would most likely want to buy.

For the record, the PSPgo is currently available in only the monochromatic options of black or white, so it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more color options thrown into the mix. It is a little disconcerting, however, that Sony is seemingly looking for new ways to bump up sales already. Is the PSPgo really performing that badly?

Looking at the image embedded here, I think the camo green could be a good tie-in to some army-related title and the ocean blue could be pretty popular on its own. The lemon and turquoise hurt my eyes a little though.

Source: Kotaku

Most of us would agree that Gran Turismo PSP would probably be one of the more popular titles on the new PSP Go, since that racing game franchise has easily hit legendary status over the years. As such, this sounds like quite the appealing incentive to invest in a new PSP Go.

So, how do you do it? From what I understand, you’ll need to buy the new Sony PSP Go on October 1st (that’s this Thursday) and then you need to log into the PlayStation Store on the PSPgo between 1400 GMT (I think that’s 10am EST) on October 1st and 2359 GMT on October 10th.

After you log in to your account, you download the Gran Turismo theme for the PSPgo and then you’ll get an email with the promotional code shortly thereafter. Enter this code in the PlayStation Store and you get Gran Turismo PSP.

Source: CVG

Sony said that it was going to address this concern by offering some sort of trade-in or transfer program so that our PSP UMD-based games could then be transferred over to the PSP Go in the form of a digital download. It seemed that everyone was going to be happy and we would be able to enjoy our “legacy” games alongside our new PSP Go Mini games.

Well, things didn’t quite go according to plan. With the launch of the PSP Go right around the corner, Sony has now said that the UMD transfer program is not quite ready to go. They cite “legal and technical issues” over the matter, so you won’t be able to take your old UMD games and play them on your new PSP Go.

Does this mean that the trade-in program is nixed for good? Not exactly. Sony says that it will continue to work on these issues and hopefully the UMD transfer thing will come back on track sooner rather than later. It just won’t be there in time for the device launch.

Source: Crunchgear

As such, it’s important to me to always have a supply of batteries ready to go, just in case the set inside one of my devices happens to run dry. It’d be so much more convenient if these batteries could last longer and charge up faster. Sony agrees.

The newest batch of lithium-ion batteries from Sony offer both of these very important characteristics. The batteries feature an olivine-type lithium iron phosphate and this pushes out more power, apparently. Further still, it can top up to 99% of its capacity in just 30 minutes.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that these batteries have only been shipping for use with power tools (that’s why the label is so basic), but I’m thinking that Sony will be pushing similar tech into their more consumer-ready offerings at some point in the future too.

Source: OhGizmo

To accompany the announcement of a couple of new cameras, both of which have been optimized for taking good photos under low light conditions, Sony also announced the IPT-DS1 Partyshot docking station. This docking station will take pictures of everyone without you having to touch a thing.

Just set up the camera and docking station in one part of the room, and the station will automatically pan, tilt, and zoom to find the different people in the room. If it finds someone new, it’ll snap a shot. Further still, it can take advantage of its Face Detection and Smile Shutter technologies to ensure that you are only getting pictures of happy people.

This sounds like it could be a pretty interesting contraption, but I want to know how much it’s going to cost. In any case, we should be able to find the Sony IPT-DS1 Partyshot docking station on sale as of this September some time.

Source: i4u

Just as the SD people decided to go with SDXC to indicate its extra capacity, Sony has also christened its new format as the Memory Stick XC. Interestingly, the MS-XC actually uses some SDXC technology to go with its exFAT file system. You’ve got to find a way to stuff that much memory into such a smal stick, right?

Having a lot of storage is all well and good, but you want to access that data in an expedient manner too. Sony is saying that the transfer speed will be as high as 480Mbps, assuming that your computer can handle that kind of thing. This translates to about 60MB/s using USB 2.0.

The assumption is that the first devices to support the new Memory Stick XC format will be in the digital camera and high-definition digital camcorder range. Like their predecessors, these devices will likely be backwards compatible with regular Memory Sticks too.

Source: Newlaunches

We may still be basking in the glow from the E3 Expo last month, since it was there that Sony officially announced the new Sony PSPgo handheld. Well, it seems that a successor to the UMD-free sliding gaming console is already in the works and we have some of the preliminary details.

When we first saw the Sony PSP Go for real, the representatives at the company were quick to point out that this was not supposed to represent a PSP2. Instead, it was a half-step forward for the platform, creating what we may better consider as the PSP 1.5. That’s what the PSPgo is supposed to be. So, what can expect from the next generation?

What We Know and What We’ve Heard about PSP2

Rumors surrounding the possibility of a Sony PSP2 have been floating around for nearly as long as the original PSP has been in existence. Most recently, we’ve picked up on some new rumors that point toward the processing prowess of the PSP2.

Shown above is one of the early concepts that we’ve seen several times before, so don’t view it as an official image of the upcoming PSP2. Sony could take any number of directions in terms of physical design.

Looking inside, the current rumor is pointing toward Imagination Technology’s PowerVR tech. More specifically, we hear that they’ll use the “Hydra” chip that can push 133 million polygons a second and has a fillrate of 4GPizelx per second. The chip acts as both the GPU and CPU simultaneously, improving efficiency and “helping in other areas of programming for the device.”

This should really push the graphical envelope. According to Digital Foundry, this new chip will put the so-called PSP2 in the same neighborhood as the original Xbox. That’s very impressive for a portable platform.

Possible Directions, Designs, and Features

Based on what we’ve heard in the past and based on the direction that Sony has taken with the PSPgo, we can make some educated guesses as to what we’ll see when the PSP2 sees the light of day.

I think it is very likely that they will continue with the UMD-free experience, ditching the physical drive in favor of an all digital delivery format. Seeing how we’re still some time out from a PSP2, the new handheld should be able to push 64GB or more by that time.

The sliding form factor may also be maintained, helping to provide the largest screen with the smallest footprint. The vertical slider of the PSPgo is a possibility, though the horizontal slide of the image above may also be possible.

Will the PSP2 have a touchscreen? It seems that touchscreens are all the rage when it comes to smartphones. We’ve got the HTC Touch Diamond, Samsung Omnia, Palm Pre, BlackBerry Storm and… oh right, the Apple iPhone. Touchscreens are huge and it would seem prudent for Sony to join that arena as well. The Sony Ericsson Rachael seems to be heading that way.

So many PSP owners have long since wondered by Sony only included a single analog thumb stick on their portable gaming machine. The PS2 and PS3 both have dual analog sticks, so why not the PSP2 as well? This will be huge for first-person shooters and similar action-adventure titles for sure. Sony didn’t include one in the PSPgo, but the PSP2 may finally include this feature.

Sony PSP2 Release Date and Price

Realistically, we still know very little about what could come with the Sony PSP2. The PSPgo is working to revitalize Sony’s brand in gaming and the digital delivery is a big part of that. In this way, Sony will likely take a wait-and-see approach for the PSP2, tweaking it according to how the market reacts to the PSPgo.

In this way, it’s very unlikely that we’ll hear anything official until well into 2010, if not 2011. In terms of pricing, we already know what they did with the PSPgo, so expect an early adopter tax. I sincerely hope they keep it under $250.

The cheaper of the two is the Sony HDR-CX500V comes equipped with 32GB of flash memory and costs $1100, whereas the HDR-CX520V bumps the memory to 64GB of flash memory and costs $1300. Aside from memory capacity, the two Sony HD camcorders appear to be pretty much the same.

Using either cam, you can record amazing 1080p HD video at 60fps. Those of you with shaky hands will be glad to hear about the three-way SteadyShot (vertical, horizontal, roll). There’s also the integrated GPS chip for geotagging your photos and videos. No more wondering where you shot what.

Rounding out the specs are a “Face Touch” mode for focus prioritization, back-illuminated CMOS sensor, direct to DVD burning, zoom microphone, Memory Stick expansion, and a flip-out LCD screen.

Look for both the Sony HDR-C500V ($1100) and the HDR-CX520V ($1300) to launch this September.

Source: Crunchgear

I wouldn’t say that the Sony PSPgo completely came out of left field, but it still had a few surprises for us to consider when it was officially unveiled at E3 2009. As it turns out, Sony had been planning to release a PSP without a UMD drive for quite some time. The PSPgo is just the final fruition of that vision.

The biggest kicker is that Sony didn’t suddenly come up with plans to remove the UMD drive in the last six months or so. Instead, they are saying that they had major plans to make a PSP without the UMD drive right from the beginning of the system’s life.

Remember when the original Sony PSP first hit the market? It introduced the UMD drive, but I guess Sony saw that format as a temporary solution. So, they wanted to build “the right environment” for it first, whatever that means. Sony had been working on a PSP sans UMD for the last two years.

Now that digital delivery has become so incredibly popular, thanks largely to the iPhone and the App Store, it only makes sense that the PSP Go is able to grab new games without having to mess with physical media. Sony can cut costs, games can (hopefully) become cheaper, and everyone can win, right?

Source: 1Up

I still remember when I had that big, chunky yellow “Sports” Walkman tape player that just about everyone else seemed to have. That was one rugged beast and it was easily the best way to take my mixtapes on the go. It, of course, was not the first Walkman.

Here are some fun Sony Walkman facts for you to ponder. In the first ten years, Sony released no fewer than 170 different models of Walkman music player. Along the way, Sony also considered calling its devices the Soundabout, Freestyle, Stowaway, and Stereo Walky.

In the first ten years of its existence, the Sony Walkman sold 50 million units around the world. Over the same time period, 150 million “alternative” Walkman personal stereos were sold by other companies. Cloning came about way before the iPod ever existed.

Since then, we’ve seen the Discman, Sony Walkman MP3 players, Sony Ericsson Walkman music phones… and let’s not forget about those Mini-Disc players. Here’s to 30 more years, Sony.

Source: Gizmodo