Comments on: Report: Sony considers adding phone to PSP

Sony is reportedly looking into making a combination gadget that would meld its PlayStation Portable gaming system with cell phone technology from Sony Ericsson.

[Sporlo]

They won't even have to change the name of PSP: PlayStation Phone!

[spaceyguy]

For something like this it cant be a phone that can play games, or a game system that can make calls, it has to be both a phone and a game system. Both parts need to be well developed, you cannot just add a phone to something and make it work. They might be able to learn a lesson from what Nokia went through with the NGage.

[Me-Ruud]

Actually you can lol, doesn't mean it will "co-operate" with each other ;).. and that is probably what you mean..

But I think this would be a really smart idea,
The capability's of the psp are really high, the hardware in it overdoes almost all portable devices and phones from these days..
If they can make it work, and "co-operate" with each other, it would be a great product..

[JCPayne]

Re: (quote) Both parts need to be well developed, you cannot just add a phone to something and make it work. (/end quote)
Me: Hence why Sony phone sales are in the toilet. I've bought soo many Sony phone but can't do it any longer. Sony is stagnant and they wont fix long standing issues. Any phone that is over a year old (from first production date) they refuse to issue patches... etc.

The Z10i had some badd flaws.
1) Flaw 1. Randomly the phone will stop logging all calls thus, if someone called you and say this flaw kicked-in,, if you didn't answer the phone call (and you knew it rang but didn't answer) you'll see nothing in the call log. Nothing indicating a missed call took place. Likewise if you make a call during this flaw it wont show that in the call log either. Very annoying but Sony refuses to fix it. People all over the net on various message boards have trashed Sony out for this flaw but they don't care.

2) Flaw 2. If you send a txt msg. to 1 person and you have txt message receipt turned-on it will randomly say that your text message went to other additional people in your address book.

3) Flaw 3. There is a software flaw where randomly just be shutting the lid your phone may shut off. (No matter how full the battery even. is)

There is a fourth flaw too but I can't remember it.

The W760a has some flaws too and other annoyances. One annoyance is not being able to turn MP3s into ringtones!!! You can play them on the phone but can't set any MP3s as ringtones. The option to turn an MP3 into a ringtone is grayed out. Hopefully one day Sony Ericsson will one day allow MP3 support.

[samkass]

From what I understand, the hardware in the PSP isn't even up to current iPhone standards (3GS), let alone "overdoes almost all portables devices and phones". iPhones are also selling much faster than PSPs and Apple has almost caught up to the installed base. If you also consider that the iPhone already has more games available for it than any other handheld gaming system, and Sony has its work cut out for it.

It's true that there aren't as many AAA titles yet, or established franchises, but they're starting to come as well. This is a desperation move on Sony's part, not some grand strategy.

[ironbyron_hd]

True, the PSP hardware is not up to currrent iPhone standards. Maybe adding a phone could help the price-subsidation increase that Apple is able to get away with. Having someone like AT&T step in and "lower" the price of a much more powerful PSP to that of a current iPhone would be great. Except, not AT&T. Maybe one of the cell providers looming in the dark ready to pounce is willing to join with Sony and make it happen. Start with the obvious lacking features: camera, decent wi-fi adapter, and faster processor and now your talking about a lot more punch for web browsing, skype, gaming, phone in one.

[scalemaster34]

If they can make it work... it's about time.

I see parents buying phones for their very young kids more and more today, I'm sure this type of device will really be appealing to them. Never mine everyone else that just loves to "play" with the phones.

But the biggest problem with most all smart-phones, is battery life, and any application that keep the device active is going to reduce they amount of call time available.

So a device that is going to really promote gaming, is going to really need a good battery.

[rtuinenburg]

Why not add a dual battery system (IE: http://www.goincase.com/products/detail/power-slider-ec20009)
Works great!

[edfaulkner]

[admitted iPhone fanboy here...] That would be the first device to give the iPhone a run. I still think the iPhone is a hit because of its store, so Sony should develop that part of it to help it compete. They should also pay attention to the user experience, not something they usually do well. Whether I bought one or not, it would be great to have a serious contender to the iPhone in the market finally, keep Apple pushing forward!

[Mergatroid Mania]

I would never buy an IPhone BECAUSE of it's censorship plagued store.

[ApplerPS3]

*Mergatroid Mania: I would never buy an IPhone BECAUSE of it's censorship plagued store.
If you only knew the options and choices that await jailbreakers (and now its a very easy process). Who needs the app store when you have Cydia/installer/Icy with much better apps (and utilities) to enhance the iphone experience?

[d4nowar]

Great! Now if only we could go back to 4 years ago when this would have been a good idea...

[nSeika]

Hopefully without the need of a touch screen, or nothing like the barrage of phones walking iPhone's path. Would be great if Sony would make a major device that's different.

Since PSP is a gaming brand, there would be a lot of online games available right ? With service like PlayStation Home on the device, taking advantage of that phone connection.

[JamesFoster32]

Sony don't really know what to do. They are desperate. This is not the Sony of the 80s and 90s that defined the industry.

[rtuinenburg]

How about a PSP that can run PS3,2 and 1 games, with a phone, running android. So you get the instant store following.

[Hunnter2k3]

Well PSP as it is pretty much is a PS2. (in fact, if i remember correct, the specs are better)
PS3 games is a bit of a stretch, and it would make the handheld many times more expensive than it is now. (plus, where do the games go? )

[ralfthedog]

It would be fun to see if it could boot before the battery was drained. Cell processors eat quite a bit of power.

[Hunnter2k3]

One thing i think that would maybe make it work is just make a plug&play phone extension.
The PSP Go is not long off from launching, a phone add-on would work perfectly with this.
And it could also be used with PSP original too.
All it would need is some firmware updates to enable support.

The major problem with this is the absence of touch-screen, or any keypad. (unless there is one, i haven't been following anything else since E3)
If they ever do get around to coming up with a keypad, then it might be a workable idea.
A touch-screen on PSP Go it would make it so worth buying, XMB is the perfect interface for touch-screen.
Then there wouldn't need to be a physical keyboard. (except from the minority who like a tangible input)

Still not forgiven them for skipping out on a 2nd stick.
It would have fit in there perfectly and there could be a new hardware setting for software to enable the 2nd stick, JUST like on PS1 when the original analog controller appeared.
The space above the stick and select/start just seems so wasted...

[Lumiseon]

"(except from the minority who like a tangible input)"

Wrong on so many levels. I know WAY more people who prefer buttons over a touchscreen for typing, myself included. Don't make assumptions on only what you know. Because most stats are made up on the spot, which is a well proven fact.

[Hunnter2k3]

@Lumiseon
You also made the same assumption, that everyone you know = everyone. :)

Larger keyboards are simple for those who can touch-type.
To those not so good, large keyboards are pretty daunting to them, and is one of the major reasons that people are pushed away from computers. (yes, this one IS a fact, computer accessibility is one of the major things that can push people away)
A smaller keyboard is less daunting to those people because they can find the key they want really quickly.

Touch-screens offer that kind of system. And the plus is it also comes with instant feedback, since the input field is within the view of the keyboard. (unless they have severe eye problems)
If you have ever seen a person typing a key and looking up to see they typed it, you can see why.
Add 2 and 2 together and you end up with 4.
It is simple psychology and facts. This wasn't just "a shot in the wind", it was an educated guess.

[adrollz]

so umm phones keyboard are large and input field on phones is so far away from the keyboard that it cant be seen... n yup todays generation cannot at all type without looking at the phone keyboard... very educated guess indeed!

[Hunnter2k3]

Damn, forgot to paste the bit after i cut it.
"If you just added a physical to the phone, yes, it might work, but it adds unnecessary weight to the handheld as well as raising prices to incorporate it into the design."
This was meant to be at the end of the 2nd paragraph.

As for the keypad typists, true, but it also wastes a around half (or more) the space that could be used for a screen.
I guess you could always have a little pop-out keyboard, kinda like how memory sticks pop out from the slots, but this is fixed to the hardware.
Again, incorporating it would increase costs. Touch-screens are just simpler.

One design i would love to see is something similar to the iPhone, but keys down the sides, best of both worlds.

[Drake1416]

Why do we need a touchscreen/keypad? Skype works fine with the stick/d-pad and face buttons. Same with the internet browser.

[Mergatroid Mania]

@ Lumiseon

I agree. I know more people that prefer a real keyboard for typing. My smartphone has a slidout keyboard and no touch screen at all. I did get used to a touch screen on an HP Jordana, but always longed for a real keyboard.

I much prefer my current smartphone. Even though it has a slightly smaller screen, the slidout keyboard makes it much easier to use, and much easier to enter a lot of data, or message a lot when it's needed.

@Hunnter2k3
Keyboards have a limit on how small you can get them and still have them usable. This limit is about the same for touch screen keyboards as well as physical keyboards (unless you're using a stylus, in which case a touchscreen keyboard is slower than a hardware keyboard or a slightly larger software keyboard). The keyboards on a Blackberry or a HTC smartphone are also small and situated so close to the display you can see the display and keyboard at the same time.
Also, I am certainly no touch typist, but I don't have to look at the screen every time I type a key. Only people who are barely computer literate would have that bad of a typing ability. Considering typing classes are taught in schools now, I doubt any young people have that problem either. It's really funny that you consider "large keyboards" to be pushing people away from computers "a fact". That's pretty ridiculous. Young people are taught computers in school, they grow up using keyboards. They are far better with them than older people are. I don't think your reasoning is a "fact" at all. Maybe an incorrect fact. As I said, I'm no touch typist, but I don't find large keyboards "daunting". If you want to to a LOT of typing, accurately and fast, there is no better input device than a computer keyboard.

[BlitzBoy1120]

I can see how the PsPhone would look like. It would look similar to the Go with a slide screen and button, cept for the fact that there's a touch screen to dial numbers and do the rest. Wonder what carrier it would go on.

[cvaldes1831]

It's up to Sony to decide which telephony technology they would want to focus on, but GSM has about 80% of the world's mobile users. While Verizon (the largest U.S. cellular carrier) and Sprint both use CDMA technology, GSM has far more penetration worldwide (including basically all of Europe, plus the world's most populous countries: China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Russia, etc.).

My guess is that they would look very carefully at Apple's strategy with the iPhone and initially deploy the PSP-phone on GSM. At least here in the U.S., that would mean AT&T or T-Mobile USA.

[choctawfootball]

too little too late.

and to just think the psp could have been what the iphone is today...

[Mergatroid Mania]

"In 2007, Sony raised eyebrows with a patent filing that appeared to show a PSP-like device with phone capabilities"

Is this a case of the U.S. patent office striking again? Just what is patentable in a device combining a phone and game machine? Just about any phone, and especially smart phones, can play games. Sony wouldn't be coming up with anything new at all, surly nothing worth a patent? The only thing different about it would be the ability (probably) to play PSP games on it. Yawn...

If I may ask, where is everyone coming up with the cash for all this wireless stuff? Ringtones, skins, games , video, TV. All on their wireless device. Isn't this making you go broke? Who can afford all this content? How does a kid that's not a spoiled rich brat get devices and content like this?

Forgive me if I say, enough is enough. My salary doesn't go up every time someone comes up with an idea to charge me more.

[sythara]

Many people have different priorities on how to spend their money

[moviegeek65]

I thought the PSP was discontinued?
What's next from Sony, a Walkman that makes phonecalls?

[DMAN3k]

D-Pad with touchscreen keyboards? Zune phone?

[saintseminole]

I'm still waiting for my wrist-watch two-way radio like Dick Tracy had. :-)

But seriously, do I need every device in my possession to also be a phone, and a computer, and a clock, and a calculator? No. I need my microwave oven to be just that. But, for a couple of decades, they've had clocks on them too. Now my toaster has a clock. In fact, every device I own has a clock on it.

Why not put a phone in my flashlight (or a flashlight in my phone)? And a phone/clock/calculator in my remote control? Now there's a good idea.

[cvaldes1831]

No one is saying that you need to put a phone in every single device. However, since cellphones are the one device that many people would not want to leave behind when they step out the front door, it makes sense to look at how you might combine the functionality of several devices into one.

Sony isn't currently competing in the smartphone arena. Analyzing the runaway hit of the iPhone (probably 30 million units at the end of this quarter) combined with the phone-less iPod touch (probably close to 20 million units), it makes sense to consider adding cellphone functionality to the PSP.

After all, the iPhone was initially an iPod with cellphone capabilities. Before the debut of the App Store, both the iPhone and iPod touch had limited functionality beyond music playing, web browsing, and e-mail reading.

[drbyte]

PSP's already cost too much and offer only a handful of decent games. How will they add that without the cost going up again?

[biffhenerson]

The kids already use it to surf porn so why not add a phone and a camera and complete the package.

[mikehill33]

The experience of this "tacked on" approach is both consistent with Sony, and consistent with a less than ideal experience.

Didn't they learn with the Playstation that simply tacking something on does not a complete or improved experience?

Sony should steal a chapter from Apple, and develop a ground-up approach, and stop being cheap or lazy in their development approach.

[sythara]

Sony was crushed after its failure of the Betamax, so they have not yet intellectually recovered.

[sav1981]

Well gamers Sony has officially lost it's marble. After two reincarnation of the PSP we have another one, but this one makes no sense at all. Don't get me wrong I like the design and the ..... ok that's about it. No Umd, no 2nd analog, no updated graphics chip nor processor. What the heck? Why not just make a PSP 2 with touchsreen? Oh and why the heck are they selling this next to the old PSP? The old PSP slim or fat will kick this new Psp in the butt. Is Sony saying that gamers will buy their products no matter what? I hate to be at Gamestop when someone is trying to get a refund of this new PSP because they found out that it doesn't take UMD and also because they may not have broadband internet. They should have wasted all that R & R on a slimmed down PS3.

[dnm]

Well, they should have shipped it two years ago, before iphone. When this thing ships it will have to be really compelling featurewise...