Posts in Music & Play
Sony responds to PSP 3000 screen issues
John F. Falcone | Oct 22, 2008
(Credit: Engadget Japan)
The PSP 3000 is equipped with an updated screen, which--according to Sony--reduces glare, offers better color reproduction, and reduces pixel ghosting. Now that the models are hitting retail, however, some users are complaining that the supposed improvements are actually a step backward, introducing artifacts in the form of visible scanlines and jaggies on the screen.
When queried on the issue, Sony's Japanese headquarters (SCEI) is said to have replied: "Since this phenomenon is caused by hardware characteristics, there is no plan to fix it with a system software update." (That's as reported on Engadget Japan, and translated by its sister site, Joystiq.)
We've reached out to Sony's US arm, SCEA, which provided us with the following statement:
On some occasions, scan lines may appear on scenes where brightness changes drastically, due to the hardware features of the new LCD device on PSP-3000. Installed with this new LCD device, PSP-3000 offers more natural and vibrant colors on its screen, but the scan lines have come out to be more visible as a result of improving response time to alleviate the afterimages on PSP-3000. Since this is due to hardware specification, there are no plans for a system software update concerning this issue.
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Hands-on with 3M's micro projector
John Chan | Oct 21, 2008
(Credit: 3M)
The idea of having a projector that fits in the palm of your hands has been floating around for ages. There have been prototypes shown off by various companies but it looks like 3M has beaten everyone (i.e. mainstream technology companies--there are micro projectors from lesser-known Asian OEMs) to the chase with a real commercial product, the MPro110. Representatives from the company gave us a demo of the product. Here are our thoughts.
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Hello Kitty gamers take on New York
Dong Ngo | Oct 20, 2008
(Credit: Sanrio Digital)
Sanrio Digital, maker of the Hello Kitty Online 3D virtual world that's currently in beta, announced Friday the game's largest in-game event: The building of New York City. Players of the Hello Kitty Online Founders' Beta can take part in a series of quests to collect and organize materials for the building of a new New York area that will appear in the next phase of the game--and will undoubtedly be far more pink than the real Big Apple.
Players who successfully complete all the required quests will have the names of their character permanently recorded on virtual commemorative plaques located throughout the virtual New York (the plaques will appear in future versions of the game's North American edition).
These permanent rewards and status, as well as the character's progress, will be carried into the final version of Hello Kitty Online. The game is free to play and can be downloaded here. Currently it's unclear when the game will be finalized.
For those who are no longer kids and already heart New York (like my college Joseph Kaminski and his co-hosts of the Digital City podcast), this is also very exciting news.
Via CNET Crave
Relief for users with new iPods and older cars
Eric Franklin | Oct 17, 2008
So, you just bought a new car that came with a built-in iPod cable. Great, right? Well, maybe not. Unfortunately, the cable is only compatible with the previous generation of iPod products and not your brand new iPhone 3G, nano 4G, or touch 2G.
A bummer? Yes. However, Scosche is on this like an Apple fanboy is on Steve Jobs' every word. Or close to that, at least.
On Thursday, Scosche announced the Passport, which is now on sale at Apple stores, although I was unable to find it at Apple's online store at press time.
The Passport utilizes a female pass-through connector, which--purportedly--will attach to any in-car iPod-integration system to charge all iPhone and iPod models, including the iPhone 3G and the recently introduced nano 4G and touch 2G.
According to Scosche, prior to the Passport, many car owners could not get these integrated systems to work with the new products; now they don't have to buy a new car to do so.
I've found a few people who have experienced this problem with their built-in car adapters. My guess is that these are adapters hard-wired into the car that cannot be replaced and there is some kind of voltage incompatibility that prevents them from working. If that is the case, the Passport could be a fix.
Update: The guys are Scosche let me in on exactly why connecting your new iPhone or iPod to a car system might be a problem: "The reason that the iPhone is compatible with your computer cable is because it plugs into a USB port that operates on 5V. When you directly connect one of the newer iPod or iPhone models (iPhone 3G, iPod nano 4th Gen, iPod touch 2nd Gen) to an existing car system they will play but not charge. This is because most car integration units operate on the older "Firewire" voltage (12V). The Passport converts the 12V to the new 5V "USB" standard. It does not have to do with switching the pins, just converting the voltage"
The Passport retails for US$29.99.
Via CNET Crave
Sony marks PSP 3000 release with firmware update that adds direct access to PlayStation Store
John P. Falcone | Oct 16, 2008
(Credit: Sony)
As of Tuesday, the Sony PSP-3000 is officially for sale. It's an evolutionary step up from last year's PSP-2000, with a slightly improved screen (better color reproduction, slightly less glare), a built-in microphone (Skype users can now use regular headphones instead of a special headset), and improved video-out support (games can now be displayed on non-HD TVs). Otherwise, it's pretty much the same ol' PSP--which we've always liked.
Editors' note:
The Asian version, the PSP-3006, retails for S$290 for the set alone or S$320 with a bundled game. Both variations are available now. The configurations and PlayStation Store service listed below are available for the US market and may not be applicable to users in Asia Pacific.In other words, it's not a must-have upgrade (unless you're dying for one of those above-mentioned upgrades), but anyone new to the platform will be getting the best PSP to date.
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