Sony is getting really creative. Have you guys noticed the new colors for the new PSP slim models? If you put them one near another I am sure it looks just like a pastel, with warm and soft colors that might convince (or not) my father into playing poker. Sony guys, they are not really for 10 years old or for those over 50. We the 20-30 years old usually take some time off for a game on the new PSP. Why don’t you guys make something to suit our tastes, too?

The new PSP colors are Piano Black, Ceramic White and Ice Silver which are almost obligatory, and then Rose Pink, Lavender Purple and Felicia Blue. People are screaming for “bloody red”, “screaming yellow” and “midnight blue” not some threatening manhood colors.

I agree that many will like them, but please Sony, think of everyone. Bring in some more!

[Sony via Gizmodo]

After several months of rumours and anticipation, Sony finally admitted they are currently working on an upgrade to their PlayStation Portable (PSP) console. According to Kazuo Hirai, president of Sony Computer Entertainment, the new console will be 33% lighter, 19% slimmer than the current version and will also feature an improved battery.

The announcement also mentions faster load time for games and the ability to stream images directly to a high-quality display by a press of a single button. You can therefore enjoy, your games, videos or pictures even on your big screen TV. The good news don’t stop here as Sony gave September as launch data for their device so you won’t have to wait to long for it. Moreover the price is set somewhere below $200 area so it’s won’t be very expensive either.

[Source]

If you are one of those mobile hackers waiting for OpenMoko Linux / GNU based GSM platform (and hardware) to go live here it is: July 9th you get to put your hands on the new Neo 1973. It comes in two versions, for $300 you get the Open Moko Neo Base Kit which “contains everything the mobile application developer needs to enjoy the benefits of the first freed phone” and for $450 you get the Neo Advanced Kit for those advanced mobile device hackers that really want to test the limits.

Start your code engines and tweak it. Waiting for the firsts YouTube videos that describe mobile hacks for OpenMoko Neo 1973 and to adding WiFi, 256 onboard Flash, two onboard accelerometers and a faster core. Happy hacking!

Source OpenMoko

It looks like Zunescene has another tip about some Zune releases late July. For all those Zune lovers you should know that the next generation of Zune is going to be called Scorpio, will have a 80GB hard drive (yes not a flash based unit) and will be the bigger brother of Zune Draco (which is flash).

Both the Scorpio and Draco are Pyxis enabled devices which is the Wi-Fi protocol to transfer files between devices. No news on how soon the new Zune will come on the European market, no prices and no exact dates. However, prepare to buy it for the 2007 holidays because the mass production will start late July for both the Draco and Scorpio.

Source

Not even available on the market, Apple’s mobile phone already got some improvements today, ten days before its release. According to an official Apple statement the overly anticipated device promises to deliver more battery life: “up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback” and 250 hours (10 days) in stand-by mode.

The other upgrade announced today focuses on the multi-touch display. As the only input method of the iPhone, the display is clearly exposed to scratching and consequently Apple decided to replace it: “We’ve also upgraded iPhone’s entire top surface from plastic to optical-quality glass for superior scratch resistance and clarity“.

[Apple’s announcement]

For all those that have a Sansa MP3 player from SanDisk we have news: it will support DivX videos in the near future. All these happen because of a partnership between SanDisk and DivX to include interoperability with the DivX Stage6 video website. Since this format is one of the most used in the growing video library with professional users and amateur clips this is going to be a great upgrade for the new Sansa.
So all Sansa owners, prepare to get your files from BitTorrent directly on the screen. Cool huh? Does this new partnership with DivX gonna encourage pirating? This is a question I would love all the devicepedia.com readers to answer.

[via Gizmodo]

Samsung has a very nice upgrade of the YP-T9 media player which we mentioned from the start that has a very bad name. Samsung T9+ The Third Story is what we get our eyes at these days, after the great success in the Korean markets. So far we had Bluetooth headphones but now with the new T9+ it has player-to-player game functions that can be used withing a 30-feet radius and has 5 built-in multiplayer games. File support is for WMA and MP3.

If I think of the storage size, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB is what we already had in the previous model. Americans are waiting for the interface and language package upgrade.

[via electronista]

The new trends in gadgets industry is to combine more and more capabilities in a single device. Cowon L2 was projected to be a All-in-One device. It is a cool PMP, a DMB and a GPS system.

All the technologies were packed in a half kilo gadget which measures 191 x 120 x 26 mm. A 7″ WGVGA screen will make you enjoy some AVI and MPEG4 movies. The L2 supports the mp3, wma, asf, wav audio files and jpg, bmp, png image files. Another important features are the GPS system and the DMB compatibility. To avoid the boring days, there also is a FM radio. Regarding the storage, L2 comes with 2GB internal memory and an additional SD card port. Cowon L2 costs 299000WON or $320.

[Credits: Akihabara]

It’s been a while since we got the new Bluetooth Stereo Headset from Philips. It took us time to stress-test it because they are new in the Bluetooth world and they deserve our comments for each and every inch of their new headsets.

Inside the box

We got our hands on the Bluetooth Stereo Headset SHB6102 and from the start I should tell you what I found inside: the headset, a 3.5mm Bluetooth audio adapter, one wrap-around adapter pouch and the charger (5V,500mA). I like the design so far.

What can you do with Philips SHB6102

If you will only use the headset (not with the Bluetooth adapter) you will be able to pair it with your mobile phone (A2DP compatible) to take/decline phone calls or listen to music from it. You can easily switch between music and phone calls by the touch of a button. However if you need A2DP compatibility use the Bluetooth adapter. Plug it into your laptop or into your mp3 player.

What I did with it

Here is the real review of the Philips Bluetooth Stereo Headset SHB6102. First you need to charge them. They come empty.
First of all I used it on my laptop. Plugged the Bluetooth adapter in the audio jack and started Winamp. It was really nice to go to the kitchen and make dinner while listening to music or having a call on Skype. I need to tell you the sound quality was the same even if I were near the laptop or 8-9 meters away from it (that’s the maximum distance I got for them, not 33ft which is 10m).

After that I used the headsets to pair with my Nokia N65. Worked smoothly. I even tested a phone call with a friend in a very noisy local pub. Not sure if they have noise reduction, but the sound was great. Both on the headphones and for the phone that made the call. I even listened to music an switched the file with the two small buttons on the headset.

Yesterday morning I went for jogging. I connected the bluetooth adapter to my iRiver X20. I enjoyed music for about 25 minutes. No disruptions, no lack of sound quality, or anything bad.

Though what you’ve read above sounds like the perfect headset I need to tell you the one thing that I consider a disadvantage. I couldn’t pair it with my other phone, Nokia 6230i. I even tried with a few phones of my friends: Nokia 6233, Sony Ericsson w801i and Samsung SGH d600 and 6280 Nokia. I cannot explain why it only worked on the N65. It could be a fabrication problem for this specific package I got or maybe I didn’t pair them well?

One last thing that could be changed: the neck strap. I does have L, M and S but they are not enough. The difference is not big. I needed them much smaller than the minimum.

All in all, the new Philips Bluetooth Stereo Headset SHB6102 is working great and I am sure Philips will start making a name in the wireless headsets.

We have two new V models in the Gigabeat series to compete for the first place in portable media center gadgets competition. V801 is the bigger brother with 80GB space and V401 with 40GB. They both come with a new 4-inch, 24-bit color display and have improved sound quality packed in a very sweet 24-mm thick case. If I think about the display again I should tell you it has a built-in automatic brightness sensor that will adjust to the weather conditions.

The two Gigabeat models support WM DRM10 and DRM9 Lossless along with an 1Seg tuner and EPG that will allow you to watch and record digital television. The battery is good: 28 hours for audio, 10 hours for video and 8 hours for 1Seg TV.

Buy Toshiba Gigabeat V801 for $409 and the V401 for $491, starting from 1st of January.

[Source: Engadget]