A supported infrastructure mode will bring new functions to ad hoc PSP games by playing them through the PS3. Assumably using the PS3 as a dedicated multuplayer server, options like voice and text chat will become available through the console, along with (improved?) online matchmaking.

Hopefully, by exploiting the PS3's backbone, the PSP will be able to perform some neat tricks beyond the stuff we've already seen before. [IGN via PSPFanboy]

The PSP 4GB Memory Entertainment Pack includes:

— Updated Piano Black PSP system

— 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo — Store more photos, music, videos,

downloadable games and game saves.

— Everyday Shooter PLAYSTATION Network voucher* — A colorful and

music-driven arcade shooter, Everyday Shooter won three awards at the

Independent Gaming Festival at the 2007 Game Developers Conference.

Unlike traditional arcade shooters, in Everyday Shooter each on-screen

interaction is a note, chord, or riff that plays in harmony with each

level's unique music track. The title is available for PLAYSTATION(R)3

and will be making its debut for PSP. Download Everyday Shooter for

PSP from PLAYSTATION Store to your Memory Stick PRO Duo with the

included voucher.

Now recordings will not be transferable between systems, and HD recording has been nixed for the moment, too (but presumably coming back after launch). So what's left to look forward to with PlayTV? The PS3 combined with the PSP will still allow streaming of PlayTV signals/content. Not bad, but not enough to justify replacing my current DVR, either. [Eurogamer]

[PSPzProject via Kotaku]

There are dozens of guides online that show you how to get custom firmware onto your PSP in as many different ways. This is the method I found to be the easiest, combining tips from sites like PSP Slim Hacks and Code Retard. Note that this is customized for the PSP Slim, which is the only PSP you can go out to stores and buy, but most of these steps will be the same for the older PSP. I started the process with a PSP running 3.71 firmware, but it should much the same on other versions.

1) Buy a PSP MAX Power TOOL SLIM battery. Trust me. Unless you have a friend who already hacked their PSP and has a service mode battery of their own, this is the easiest solution. There are ways of modifying your current battery to enable service mode on your PSP, but the time spent doing that is much better spent doing ANYTHING else. Buy this for $25 and wait for it to come in the mail.

Update: Reader Wrocky found this $10 version that supposedly does the same thing. Buy it here at Dealextreme. We haven't personally tested it, but if it works, it works! The only downside is that it's made for the original PSP so will stick out of your battery case if you have a PSP Slim. Since you'll only be using this once, that's not a big deal.

2) Make sure you have at least a 256MB Memory Stick and a USB to miniUSB cable to connect your PSP to your computer running a version of Windows XP. I tried this on Vista but it kept erroring out on various parts of the process.

3) Charge your current (normal) battery as well as the MAX Power to full.

4) Download this file here, as linked to from this guide here. Extract the file to your desktop (remember, Windows XP machine).

5) Connect your PSP to your computer via the USB cable and setting it in "USB mode". Use the standard battery for this. If you have any important files on your memory card, back that up to a folder on your computer first.

6) Run the "START.exe" file from the package you extracted. Follow the instructions there. Once this is done, you'll have what's called a "Magic Memory Card", which is used to replace the standard firmware with a customized one. You'll have to pop your memory card in and out as the program tells you during the process. Follow the instructions until it tells you that you're done, then disconnect your PSP and turn it off.

7) Take out your normal battery, but don't put in your MAX Power battery just yet. Hold the L button (the left shoulder button) while inserting in the MAX Power battery. Make sure it's secure and won't fall out fall out while you're putting the battery cover back on.

8) Once the PSP is on (you might have to flip the power toggle) you may see a black screen with white text, or you may see nothing at all—I saw a completely blank screen for some reason. Either way, the power light on your PSP should be green to show that the unit's powered on. To install the firmware, press the X button. You should see the Memory Stick light on the left of your PSP flash with activity. When this is done, the PSP will shut itself off. Congrats! Now you have version 3.71 m33. But you're not done.

9) To upgrade this to version 4.01 (the latest hacked release as of this writing), download these files. First, the official 4.01 firmware. Then, the hacked 4.01 m33 and also 4.01 m33-2. That not a typo, by the way: Those file names are actually backwards and m33 is actually m33-2. Keep this in mind.

10) Extract all 3 files into their own directories. The 401-m332 folder (which should actually be the m33 update and not the m33-2 update) should have a folder called UPDATE under it. The Now, place the 401.PBP file (the official 4.01 firmware file) into the 401-m33 UPDATE. All this is going on on your PC's hard drive, not the PSP.

11) Then connect your PSP to your PC again (put the normal battery back), enable USB mode and copy the entire UPDATE folder from your PC onto /PSP/GAME/ onto your PSP's memory card.

12) On your PSP, exit USB mode, go to the Game and then Memory Stick, and run the PSP Update. Follow the instructions on screen, and you should have a PSP running 4.01 m33.

13) Now, connect your PSP to your computer using USB mode, delete the UPDATE folder under /PSP/GAME from your PSP, and copy over the UPDATE folder that belongs to the 401m33-2 file from your PC onto the PSP. Then go to the Game section and run this update on your PSP. You don't need the official 4.01 firmware in your UPDATE folder for this. Woohoo, you're finished.

Are you ready to get some homebrew going? Hit up PSP Hacks for a big list of applications you can run, including web apps, radio apps, Sudoku and even emulators. For obvious reasons, we're not going to link you to actual ROMs to run on an SNES emulator, but you can find those in the usual places you get ROMs. There are several SNES emulators to choose from, but this SNES emulator runs particularly well on the PSP, lending itself to old school gaming on the go.

Although a side effect of homebrew is that you can run pirated PSP games on your PSP, that's being pretty naughty and isn't something we encourage. The fact that a lot of people are doing this is contributing to (according to Sony) the lack of good games for the platform, which hurts everybody. Try not do to this.

What you can do is rip your old PS1 games and play THOSE on your PSP without waiting for an official release and having to pay Sony again for something you already own. Another idea when you're going on vacation is to get a 16GB Memory Stick and load all the PSP games you own onto it so you don't have to carry around so many UMDs. In order to rip PS1 games, you'll need a program like ISOBuster (there are others as well) that can take your disc and create an "image" of it on your hard drive, which is just a file representing the contents of the CD. You then plug those files into a program called PSX eBoot Creator to make it suitable for your PSP. The file and instructions on how to use it can be found here. You don't need a separate emulator once you have the eBoot file, but you do need plenty of space on your Memory Stick (1GB is probably only enough to hold a couple small games or one large one).

Thanks: We wanted to thank all the hard work that the PSP community—which includes PSP Slim Hacks and Code Retard which we got much help installing this from.

Did you like this How To tutorial? The point was to give you the easiest path from start to finish, even if it required you to spend money on purchasing something. Your time is valuable, which means you don't want to spend hours solving something yourself when it can easily be bypassed with a few dollars. What do you want to see a How To on? Drop us a note at tips@gizmodo.com with the subject "How To Suggestion".

Sony PSP: A healthy and thriving homebrew community had sprung up around Sony's PSP, with alternate, user-made firmware adding new functionality like a wider range of supported media codecs and the ability to share music. Oh, and, well, there was also that little issue of mass piracy of games. Sony issued a number of firmware upgrades—a whopping six each in 2006 and 2007—designed to curb the little thieves, but which had the unfortunate side effect of discouraging the more creative, less piratical wing of the homebrew community. Sony used the "carrot and stick" method, enticing users with marginal new functions when the real purpose of the upgrade was to stop the homebrewers. This led to users actually trying to downgrade, or move back to an earlier firmware. Sony in turn tried to make it harder to downgrade, escalating the squabble into a war with its own customers.
Degree of Evilness: High. This is a deliberate attempt to harsh PSP users' buzz.

Sony PlayStation 3: The PS3's anticipated firmware 2.40, on the other hand, was a simple disaster. The famously expensive console was due to receive a major update, adding the flashy XMB interface to the mix. Unfortunately, while the update did work for some, it bricked a lot of PS3s, producing some very upset gamers. Sony pulled the update and re-released it, repaired, as 2.41, but Sony's mucked-up firmware was the Story of the Day. Bad press, ill will and useless hulking black machines. Not a great moment for Sony.
Degree of Evilness: Low. Simple incompetence from a corporation that should know better.

Apple iPod: Back in 2004, Real cracked Apple's FairPlay code in order to allow music purchased from Rhapsody to be played on iPods. When Apple released an update blocking Rhapsody users, Real cracked it again. Apple released another block update, and so on until Real ran out of steam. We doubt there was much demand for the service at the time, but Apple's clampdown was shameless. Hell, Apple could have played Real compatibility as yet another reason to buy an iPod.
Degree of Evilness: Medium-High. In the end, it was more bratty than evil.

Apple iPhone/iPod touch: When the first iPhone/iPod touch software was jailbroken, a few updates came out under the guise of bug fixing that just happened to make unauthorized use a lot more difficult. This time around, with the 2.0 release, the setbacks were more accidental than deliberate. The new 2.0 firmware may have creaked open the floodgates for third-party applications, but it also resulted in a lot of instability. Thanks to the update, iPhones have crashed at a rate never seen before (well, outside of my last couple Windows machines, that is), the keyboard gained a frustrating lag, "backing up" takes almost as long as the Iraq occupation (zing!), and, in a total affront to common sense, THERE IS STILL NO COPY-PASTE.
Degree of Evilness: Middle. A mix of self-preservation and circumstance, with some brazen stubbornness from His Steveness thrown in.

Nintendo Wii: In Nintendo's Photo Channel 1.1 firmware update, the game maker quietly removed support for MP3 playback in their Wii console. They replaced it with support for the iPod-friendly AAC codec, a far-too-obvious hint at what we all suspected: Nintendo has been taken over by the White Devil. How else do we explain the move from that GameCube controller that was clearly designed for some moon octopus to a remote control so simple I can operate it with my genitals? What about the new and incredibly racist all-white color scheme, the minimalist design aesthetic, and the cavalier and haughty attitude toward competition? Readers, watch out, or Jobs will get you ne-AAAACK!
Degree of Evilness: Nintendo can do no wrong. (And Steve Jobs is perfect.)

Firmware updates that leave you worse off than you were before are a kick in the crotch. But what about the slow, increasingly painful wedgie of unfulfilled promises? Electronics companies often promise to deliver features in firmware updates that, for whatever reason, aren't included at the time of purchase. In the best of cases, this is frustrating: Samsung's P2, for instance, promised Bluetooth compatibility, games, skins and more upon release, but was only achieved, finally, months later. But what if, as in Samsung's Blu-Ray/HD DVD combo player, the product line dies before the promised features (Blu-Ray 2.0 compatibility) can be updated? Firmware updates should be a surprise, a freshly-wrapped hand-me-down present that makes your crappy old gadget seem somehow new again, not a license to shove an unfinished product out the door.

This is just a short list of troubling firmware updates—if you have some firmware horror stories of your own to share, be our guest. And for all of you who immediately click "YES PLEASE!" to all auto-updaters, take heed, and maybe wait 24 hours before doing the upgrade.

He also goes on to say that it's almost as strong as a PlayStation 2 and an Xbox 1 at launch. Think back to the games you played on the PS2 and Xbox. Now think of the games you're playing on the iPhone. Doesn't quite match up, does it?

It's strange to us that Carmack is throwing out so much hype for Apple, seeing as he's got a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with the company.

The verdict is also out on whether Apple has a concrete grasp of gaming, the id co-founder said. The company's reception to criticism has also been counterintuitive, which has led to its relationship with id being something akin to a roller-coaster ride.

Apple essentially kisses his ass when they need him to show up for one of Steve Jobs' keynotes, but then throws him the cold shoulder the second he passes judgment, Carmack said.

[Apple Insider]

Previous Carmack coverage

Other than those tidbits, we have little more information on the alleged update other than that it could include "cellphone support." And from the looks of this back casing, it doesn't seem that the next PSP will be much, if any, thinner than its predecessor. [PSP China BBS via Kotaku]

But how good is the iPhone in terms of being a game console? How good are the tilt controls for accepting input for programs that you to make small adjustments with the phone in 3D space? Here's what the same developer from EA said to better help you conceptualize its accelerometer. "Think of it as a loose analog stick...you get lots of random data." Developers need to create smoothing algorithms in order to take random data points and interpret them into a curve which can then be used as movement info. Think about the Wii Remote before the MotionPlus add-on in Wii Sports Baseball. Remember all that jiggling your bat did? Yeah, this is that.

11:32: Sony's pumping electronic music between audio feeds of the six games people are playing on stage. Metal Gear Solid 4, Pixeljunk Eden, GT5 Prologue, GRAW2, Ecochrome and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

11:33: What could Sony pull out to top Wii Music? It's going to be pretty difficult, if you know what I mean. Seriously, it's the epitome of gaming and developer should just go home at this point.

11:35: It's starting! A bunch of Sony PlayStation shapes are scrolling across the six screens.

11:37: The excitement level is definitely higher than Nintendo's which was laid back and totally casual-oriented.

11:38: The stage is definitely very well designed. Very pretty. Jack Tretton, Emperor of Sony, is coming on stage.

11:39: Jack is talking about all the stars that have been on this stage, including Jack Bauer and Jack Pallance. And then he made a crack about how Jack Pallance is dead, followed by slight shock and boos from the crowd.

11:41: It was 10 years ago that Sony introduced the PlayStation, and they're taking the crowd on a journey through the PlayStation brand—including all the more notable games.

11:43: Now Sony is talking about other features, like videos and photos, plus the @home research program that helps to cure diseases.

11:44: They're talking about how the Blu-ray won the next-gen disc format war against the HD DVD. And part of that is because of the PS3. A big part.

11:45: Grand Theft Auto 4, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue are three examples of great games (sequels) on the platform, says Jack.

11:47: A five second video just went up showing an image of the PS3.

11:48: Jack Tretton is much better this year than last, where he was fairly awkward. He played off his awkwardness well this time.

11:48: Here comes Resistance 2 being demoed in real time.

11:48: There's a gigantic ugly alien stomping around a city like the Cloverfield monster.

11:50: It's definitely very cinematic, but the environment graphics don't seem all THAT fantastic. Definitely a good looking game though.

11:52: The game is set in Chicago in the 1950s.

11:53: There's eight-player online co-op and 60 player online-multiplayer.

11:55: They're playing a trailer with a Kennedy-esque president making a speech about how aliens are winning the war. Kotaku will have more on this later.

11:56: Next up is Little Big Planet. It's a game with pretty large social networking and user-created content.

11:58: Jack's using Little Big Planet to talk about the business updates. Very clever. Using the little guy (Sack Boy) to illustrate what would otherwise be Powerpoint slides. Woo!

11:59: A lot of $29 discount titles are announced as well.

12:02: Little Big Planet is coming October 2008.

12:02: Hats off to Sony for making a dry business presentation interesting with Little Big Planet.

12:03: Now, the PlayStation 2.

12:03: There are still 130 titles coming to the old system, in case you still haven't updated to a next-gen system yet.

12:06: Buzz, the quiz show, is coming to PS2 and PS3.

12:06: Singstar, the karaoke game, is still going strong on the PS2.

12:07: Later this year, a Lego Batman PS2 bundle will be $149 and also include a DC movie DVD.

12:08: Next up, the PlayStation Network. All PlayStation users will have a single sign-on over PC, PS3 and PSP.

12:09: Jack is talking about the amount of downloads on the PSN, which is up to 180 million pieces of content downloaded since Nov. 2006.

12:11: New game announcement: Rachet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty. It's a shorter game with a lower price, and was rumored before. It's a continuation of the Rachet & Clank game that's already out now.

12:12: It's darker than the original R&C, and he's got a new wrench tool.

12:13: $14.99 later this summer. See Kotaku for more.

12:13: Here's a dig at Xbox Live Arcade: "We're not interested in filling up our store with games nobody wants to play just so we can say we have more games."

12:14: And now a montage of upcoming PlayStation Network games. Hit up Kotaku for details on these.

12:15: A bunch of car TV content is coming to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in October, including car shows like Top Gear and various Japanese racing events.

12:20: Now, PlayStation Home. Jack assures people that their patience will be rewarded when Home finally expands to wide beta.

12:21: He's talking about various game companies and their promise to provide content for PlayStation Home and utilize it in their games.

12:22: They're showing a bunch of game spaces like Warhawk and Resistance 2, which are basically like command-rooms that you can view some decorations based on the game and even launch it.

12:23: The PlayStation Network video network will have various content providers like MGM, Warner, and a bunch of others (including Sony Pictures.) Both standard def and high def TV, and pricing will be $2.99-$5.99 for rentals and $9.99-$14.99 for purchases. We've posted on Sony's PSN video before, but the pricing seems new. Once you purchase it for the PS3, you can load it on your PSP as well.

12:25: Eric Lempel of Sony is showing how the video store will work. It's located inside the PSN store now and looks pretty much like a video store would.

12:26: Downloading an SD movie takes an hour to get a two-hour movie, but you can start watching it after you've downloaded about a minute's worth.

12:28: HD rentals are more expensive (usually about $5.99).

12:28: There are two ways to get content onto the PSP. One way is going through the PS3 and transferring via USB cable, another is through the PC.

12:30: The video service is going up tonight, July 15.

12:30: Rachel & Clank Size Matters Entertainment Pack is coming soon at $199, with a Memory Stick and National Treasure 2.

12:33: Now, they're showing off a Resistance game for the PSP. It's called Resistance Retribution.

12:35: And now a highlights reel of PSP games. Hit Kotaku if you want a list of them.

12:37: Jack is talking about Google, with uploading clips onto YouTube automatically (only in some games).

12:40: Jim Lee, executive creator of DC Universe Online, is coming on stage. He's doing some one-arm pushups. Nice!

12:42: They've been working for three years building DC Universe Online, which includes Superman and BATMAN, of course.

12:42: You can HELP Batman, but not BE Batman. You can also be a villain and be beat up by Batman too.

12:46: Price drop! 80GB PS3 goes to $399 later this year. It's got the same functionality as the 40GB one now, but with a larger hard drive.

12:50: Sony's showing a montage of developers talking about how powerful the console is and how they're getting used to programming for it.

12:53: Another montage of upcoming and already-released PS3 games.

12:56: Yes, another montage is coming. This time including God Of War 3.

12:58: And Infamous, where you play a good or bad superhero.

12:59: Andy Beaudoin from Zipper Interactive is up on stage, talking about an as-of-yet unannounced multiplayer game. Wait, it's called MAG (Massive Action Game). Battles of up to 256 players at a time.

It's a combination of small, squad-based gaming with the numbers of an MMO.

1:05: And that's it for Sony! Thanks for reading. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Features

DVD, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW, VCD, SVCD, JPEG and MP3 playback

MPEG4 playback

Flash media card capability with a port for SD(tm), MMC and MS Cards

Built-in USB port

16:9 widescreen format

High-resolution active matrix TFT display

Built-in stereo speakers and anti-shock system

Includes rechargeable NiMH battery, IR remote control, AV cable, AC/DC adapters and carrying case

[Chipchick]

June 26, 2008
Sony Group Corporate Strategy Update FY2008—FY2010*
“To be the leading global provider of networked consumer electronics and entertainment”

Tokyo, Japan – Sony today presented a series of new initiatives designed to build on its previous
three-year revitalization plan and to position the company as the leading global provider of
networked consumer electronics and entertainment. In particular, the company will focus on
strengthening core businesses, enhancing network initiatives and leveraging international growth
opportunities to build for the future and drive further growth and profits. In addition, Sony
announced the following key mid-term goals:

Expand our PC, Blu-ray DiscTM-related products and component/semiconductor businesses
into “trillion yen businesses**,” joining LCD TVs, digital imaging (digital cameras and
camcorders), game and mobile phones and raising the total number of “trillion yen
businesses” to seven.
Ensure that 90% of our electronics product categories are network-enabled and
wireless-capable by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011 (“FY2010”).
Roll out video services across key Sony products by FY2010, starting with the summer 2008
launch on the PLAYSTATION®Network.
Double annual revenue from BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) countries to 2 trillion yen***
by FY2010.

* Three-year period ending March 31, 2011
** Businesses each generating 1 trillion yen or more of annual sales to outside customers, except for Blu-ray Disc
related business which includes intersegment sales
*** Includes Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT as allocated

Sony has identified a 5% operating margin as a baseline of profitability to generate cash to
continue to lead and innovate. Furthermore we will target an annual return on equity of 10% by
FY2010. Sony is also planning to allocate a total of 1.8 trillion yen to invest in and build key
businesses and technologies over the next three years.

Highlights are as follows:

Further Strengthen Our Core Businesses

Sony intends to maintain a leading position in its “trillion yen businesses” (LCD TVs, digital
imaging, game and mobile phones) and will focus on expanding its PC, Blu-ray Disc-related
products, and component/semiconductor businesses into “trillion yen businesses” by the end of
FY2010. At the same time, we expect to improve the operations of our TV business significantly
and implement a variety of cost reduction measures to restore that business to profitability in the
fiscal year ending March 31, 2009*, and strive for the global No. 1 position in LCD TVs by
FY2010. Of the planned 1.8 trillion yen investment over the next three years, approximately 900
billion yen will be allocated towards strengthening core focus areas within components and
semiconductors, such as image sensors, batteries, display devices and Blu-ray Disc-related
components.
1/3

Sony is also promoting the concept of “open innovation”, whereby we are looking not only inside
the company, but outside for technologies that foster innovation. By combing Sony’s inherent
technological strengths with external expertise, we aim to accelerate R&D efficiency and enable
the company to effectively respond to rapidly changing customer needs and preferences in the
network era. Through the creation of new user experiences, strengthening core businesses,
driving innovation, and minimizing the environmental impact of its operations, Sony will strive to
achieve not only sales volume, but also sustainable and profitable growth.

In the Game segment, the two key drivers of new growth are non-game content and services in
tandem with enhanced network capability. Sony also expects to achieve profitability in this
segment in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009*, a significant year-on-year improvement due
to hardware cost reductions and an enhanced line-up of software titles for PLAYSTATION®3
(“PS3”). Key Game initiatives are:

1. Expand content and services available on the network platform
2. Continue to expand the PS3 customer base through the strength of Blu-ray Disc
3. Accelerate PS3 sales through upcoming key franchise software titles
4. Continue PS3 cost reduction initiatives

* Forecast as of May 14, 2008

Network Initiatives

Sony will increase network and wireless connectivity across its family of devices and build a
service platform to provide a seamless user experience across our key hardware devices and
content. We are planning to expand services that will enable our customers to enjoy content such
as motion pictures and television programming through the network on a variety of Sony
products such as BRAVIATM LCD TVs, PS3, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and Walkman® video
music players.

Sony’s unique position in electronics and entertainment allows us to offer compelling network
services. As an example of our potential, this November, Sony Pictures Entertainment will offer
one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer, “Hancock”, exclusively to all internet
connected BRAVIA LCD TVs in the U.S. before it is available on DVD. This film will be
distributed to Sony customers directly to their televisions outside conventional distributors and
without the need for any set-top box. This is an industry first.

Capitalize on Growth in BRIC Countries and Other Emerging Markets

Because Sony believes that the largest growth opportunities exist outside its traditional markets
of Japan, North America and Europe, expanding Sony’s business into new markets is a key area
of focus. New markets in regions including the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China
– are developing quickly, and Sony’s business in these countries is growing rapidly. Going
forward, Sony plans to accelerate business expansion through collaboration and integration, not
just within each of the Electronics, Game and Pictures segments, but across the entire Sony
Group.

Sony will target annual sales of 2 trillion yen in the BRIC countries (including revenues from Sony
Ericsson Mobile Communications and SONY BMG) by FY2010, doubling FY2007 sales with
annual Electronics segment sales alone slated to grow from 600 billion yen to 1.2 trillion yen
during this period.

2/3
Environmental Initiatives - Green Management 2010

“Green Management 2010” is a series of mid-term environmental targets that are guiding the
Sony Group in its efforts to help prevent global warming, recycle resources, ensure appropriate
management of chemical substances and address a broad range of other environmental issues.
Through these initiatives, Sony is striving to achieve an absolute reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions, specifically a 7% or greater reduction in CO2 emissions by FY2010 compared to the
level of FY2000.

Financial Strategies for the Mid-Term

In order to generate funds to continue to grow and innovate, Sony has identified a 5 percent
operating margin as a baseline of profitability. Sony is also establishing return on investment
capital as a fundamental framework for evaluating capital investments and potential acquisitions
across the Sony Group to ensure the optimum use of resources. Our targeted investment (an
aggregate of 1.8 trillion yen by the end of FY2010) will put Sony in a position to drive further
growth and innovation over the next three years and beyond. Sony will also target an annual
return on equity of 10% by FY2010. Going forward, we will work to deliver a stable, high level of
profitability while enhancing shareholder value.

The business environment in which Sony operates is changing rapidly and, with the advance in
digital technology and broadband networks, technological innovation is moving at a pace never
experienced before. In order to be a leading company in the digital age, Sony aims to leverage its
unique advantage of producing both hardware and content, continuing to offer cutting-edge
products together with superior content and services to meet the needs and expectations of our
customers.

[Sony and Impress]

Citing industry sources, Marketing Week heard that the relationship between the two companies has become "frosty" and that Sony would “never give its PlayStation branding” to a Sony Ericsson joint venture. If it were true, it could go a long way in explaining the recently released F305 which is certainly not PlayStation branded and seems to fall well short of a fabled PSP phone. Could it be that Sony is throwing Ericsson scraps while they keep the juicy ideas to themselves? There have been a lot of rumors thrown out there about a PSP phone, and so far nothing has materialized. We will just have to wait and see. [Marketing Week]

[PSP GadgetZ via PSP Fanboy]

The Google search engine will be accessible under the XMB’s “Network” category through a new “Internet Search” icon. The new feature will deliver the same Google search results as when searching on www.google.com. The functionality also has an input history recall of up to 20 items for more efficient browsing. Working with Google to offer its superior search technology demonstrates SCEA’s commitment to further enhance the mobile entertainment experience on PSP system.

Other details are slightly less impressive. It's quad-band GSM with only EDGE, has a Power Pack CCP-100 purchasable accessory for backup battery capabilities, stereo rear speakers, Bluetooth connectivity to other phones for multiplayer, Memory Stick Micro slot, built-in FM, TrackID track recognition, and a "selected market" release in Q3 of this year. Se-nse says it'll be formally announced on Tuesday. [Se-nse]

Maybe the best part is that the right analog stick has been mapped with the D-Pad buttons. So while it's still not quite perfect for an FPS, it feels better than the alternative. Damn I wish the PSP had two analog sticks. [acidmods]

Pretty much everything that fits a GPS module inside is rocking GPS, and more and more gadgets are getting GPS add ons (the PSP's looks particularly killer). While most of them don't touch high-end units in features or functionality, for your average trekker, they offer enough. So while more people than ever are using GPS, and that'll keep growing by leaps and bounds, the likes of Garmin and TomTom won't necessarily be reaping the windfall hawking the same old wares.

So yeah, they should worry about the iPhone. And the PSP. And everything else with a screen. When a technology truly becomes one of the masses, it's hard to hold on to it. [Popular Mechanics]