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Popular smartphones, like the Apple iPhone and RIM’s BlackBerry, play an important role in driving the people for mobile game downloads, says the findings of comScore. The total number of Americans downloading mobile games increased by 17 percent in November, last year. Out of them 8.5 million people were those wireless subscribers who used to download at least one game per month.

This is because of the intuitive controls, as well as large and clear display with excellent graphic capabilities, that advanced smartphones like the iPhone, Windows Mobile phone and BlackBerry models offer. The Apple iPhone 3G 16GB has already been recognised as a potential mobile gaming device that is as efficient as Sony’s PlayStation Portable (PSP). According to the research conducted by comScore the number of smartphone users downloading mobile games during November 2007 to November 2008 quadrupled and the game downloads by basic handset users declined by 14 percent because such mobile phones do not feature awesome graphics, high fps and speedy processing. The Apple iPhone is the most preferred smartphone for mobile gaming and accounts for 14 percent of total game downloads.

Mark Donovan, a senior analyst at comScore commented, “The rapid growth in smartphone adoption in the United States has provided a boost for mobile gaming, as 34 percent of those downloading a game in November did so using a smartphone. Last year, not one smartphone appeared in the top 10 devices used for mobile downloads. This year, six out of 10 are smartphones, excluding devices with smartphone-like functionality, such as the Instinct and Voyager, which also make appearances.”

Tags for this article: blackberry, comscore, downloads, increase, iphone, mobile gaming, mobile phone, psp, smartphones, windows mobile

Sony is proud to announce that the total number of registered accounts for the PlayStation Network has exceeded 20 million as of 20th Feb, 2009. This clearly shows how popular the PlayStation Network is getting day by day. The PlayStation Network is continuously receiving more and more registrations and thus it has now become a robust network business platform.

PlayStation Network is basically a free network service offered to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable owners. It has got huge library of multimedia stuff including online games, movies, videos and much more. The PlayStation Network also provides real time chatting, online games like Warhawk, and text messaging services and is directly accessible via PS3, PSP and PC. To offer more fun the Sony Entertainment continuously updates the network’s stuff. The company is enhancing the gaming experience by introducing new features to online gaming such as online battle and team play and adding more and more downloadable game items.

The PlayStation Network has got all the main attractions including the PlayStation Store and the PlayStation Home application. The former offers more than 14,500 diverse digital content such as online games, downloadable UMD titles etc. The latter one, i.e. PlayStation Home has proved itself as a groundbreaking 3D application where PS3 users can meet with each other to share their experiences and create their own virtual space. The PlayStation Network is continually growing as a fast pace and the company expects further increase in the number of registered accounts.

Keeping the PlayStation Portable updated all the time is more difficult than beating God of War: Chains of Olympus in hard mode. The PSP is a versatile gaming handheld and the web and game markets are full of thousands of resources, applications, game UMDs and other stuff that is exclusively designed for it. So, it’s necessary to get consolidated information about the latest developments and Playstation Portable resources.

Xtreme Newsletter and Xtreme PSP Magazine, these two are the most reputed and powerful resources bringing all the necessary information to the PSP fans. The Xtreme PSP Magazine is also popular as PSP Magazine for Men (PSP M4M). It’s an online resource hub hosting different types of resources, downloadable applications, news, updates and patches. You can always look for something new and exciting for your gaming handheld. The Xtreme PSP magazine is well designed and maintained. It’s been divided into different sections that make it easy to search and browse a particular online resource. For instance, the PSP Download section of the magazine has got all the downloadable software, wallpapers, games, screensavers, firmware, homebrew applications and other stuff.

The PSP M4M also publishes latest news and stories related to the handheld. Updates take place regularly and the old publications are stored in a huge archive. You too can also take part in the update process by submitting anything related to the console.

The latest buzz to originate from the rumour factory was the coming of a unique device called PSP Phone. However this was not a rumour completely because the Ericsson did try to develop such as device but didn’t succeed because its partner Sony Computer Entertainment refused to issue the license for making any such gadget. On the one hand, the integrity of the PSP brand has been maintained, but on the other hand millions of fans and mobile gamers have been very annoyed and disheartened at Sony’s short-sighted decision.

The PSP Phone was a great idea. After seeing Apple promoting its iPod and iPhone as a potential mobile gaming console, Ericsson also wanted to combine its mobile phone technologies with the capabilities of Sony’s PlayStation Portable. Current Sony-Ericsson phones, like the Sony-Ericsson Xperia X1 slider smartphone, obviously are fairly deficient when it comes to mobile gaming. The company believed adding a substantial gaming element to its phones would bring a new revolution in the mobile gaming domain and the PSP Phone will be crowned as the most versatile handheld. But Sony Entertainment didn’t find it fruitful to license PSP branding to Sony Ericsson. Sony is known for its collaboration with other electronic device manufacturers but in case of PSP it seems that the company is not sure whether the PSP Phone will adhere to the current PSP standards or not.

According to a Sony Ericsson’s spokesperson, “In the past, we have been keen that our product proposition lives up to brand promise, and we feel at the moment the technical specs are not high enough to put such a prestigious brand on a phone.” So as of now the PSP Phone is not getting materialised but it may make its debut after sometime.

Game sharing is one of the PlayStation Portable’s most exciting features. It lets you even play those games that are loaded in some other PSP console. So if you don’t have the UMD, but your friend does, then you can access it over the wireless network. During the game sharing process, the whole game data is copied to the RAM of the PSP without the original game UMD or data stored in a memory stick.

To enable game sharing the first and foremost task is to activate the WLAN on both the consoles (the host device and the receiving device). Once both the Sony handhelds recognise each other the game data can be transferred then. The person hosting the game has to enable the ‘Transmit’ function in his console and the one who is receiving the game has to activate the ‘Game Sharing’ function to retrieve and load the game data into his PSP’s RAM at a speed of 11 megabits per second. Once the RAM has all the data the user can easily play the game virtually. We call it virtually because the original game is still with the ad-hoc hosting party. In fact this is the biggest disadvantage of Game Sharing because if the host device is turned off or even it’s being navigated to the home menu the connection is lost and the other person can no longer access the game. He even can’t save the game data loaded in the RAM. So, this technique works fine as long as the host person is willing to keep its PSP in transmit mode.

Another issue with Game Sharing is that not all the PSP titles support this functionality. For example Virtua Tennis 3 PSP makes a great ad-hoc multiplayer game, but Harvest Moon: Innocent Life, and many other titles, do not. So the options are very much limited. But still, it’s better than nothing. The Game Sharing can really help you in certain situations.

Almost everybody is familiar with the PlayStation Portable. This awesome gaming handheld not only offers high definition gaming on the go but also has the capability to play music, movies and display razor sharp images on its large LCD screen. Pro gamers accessorise their PSPs in different ways. In fact, there are endless possibilities to make your PSP look unique. Various types of face plates, stickers, logos, emblems etc. are available in abundance to improve the console’s aesthetics.

How about making your PSP glow in the dark? Yes, it’s incredible but true. Your PSP can be converted in an auto-lit device that will automatically start glowing as soon as it encounters darkness. You even need not to supply any kind of power to it or install any LEDs on your PSP. All you have to do is grab the XCM PSP faceplate with its magic night glow effect and enjoy the illusions. The XCM Magic Night Glow face plate is made of high quality unbreakable material that uses light the charging source. Once charged it emits cool glow when exposed to pitch darkness.

Apart from this the XCM Magic Night Glow face plate also protects the PlayStation Portable from dust, scratches, minor bumps, moisture and other debris. It’s completely non-toxic and thus even small kids can use it without any fear.

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The Sony PSP remains popular among is the most faithful fans, despite falling behind the Nintendo DS in terms of sales. In addition to providing a superb gaming experience, the PSP offers users also high resolution movies and good quality music to enjoy as well. The new PSP 3000 enhances the overall quality and performance further which is bolstering the handheld’s sales.

But Sony is regularly combating with the problems of piracy and homebrew applications. The company has found that most of the PSP owners prefer pirated content instead of buying original UMDs. The one and only reason for this is that the UMDs are very costly, which in turn makes the games made on UMDs, such as NBA Live 2009, even more expensive. Initially, it was more costly than a standard DVD and due to the poor customer response many studios discontinued the manufacturing and licensing of the game UMD for PSP. This further forced more users to go for the pirated content. But now the Sony entertainment has decided to resolve this issue and cut down the price of the original UMDs t again motivate the users to buy the original content. The company will now take care of licensing, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of movie UMDs itself. The new UMDs are £7 to £17 cheaper than the old ones. So, you don’t have to search for alternatives anymore.

Sony’s director of hardware marketing John Koller commented, “We want to provide a legal offering from the studios, … and it’s an easier conversation to have with them now. There is a lot of positive momentum with the PSP. The biggest issue with UMD was the lack of creating for a targeted demo. When we first launched, it was a difficult sale. I don’t think it’s a big stretch to say that a 16-year-old doesn’t have a lot of discretionary income. … We were offering UMDs that were more expensive than DVDs at the time. And we want content that is in line with what the demo is asking for, action and comedy … not romantic dramas.””

Don’t have a PSP, but need to kill time while travelling flight long routes via airbus? Then you should think about booking with 1Time Airlines next time. For the first time 1Time Airlines has come up with a unique an astonishing idea to entertain its customers. The company is now providing the Sony PSP for its passengers on hire on a per flight basis. Incredible but true, however initially this service will be available for selected routes only, but soon it will be offered to airline passengers on all routes.

Giving PSPs on hire is a real feast especially for those passengers who travel long distances and want to avoid boredom and tiredness in the flight. Unfortunately Nintendo DS lite fans, will have to wait and see if 1Time will ever offer the Nintendo handheld. At any rate, all passengers can take away the PSP consoles with them to enjoy the latest games, videos and audio tracks. Along with the base console a set of headphones with disposable silicon ear pads will also be given so that the others don’t get disturb and to make sure that hygiene and decorum is maintained some rules have been laid down regarding the usage of the consoles. Coming to the more exciting part, the content for the PSP will be updated regularly. The passengers can get the console at the affordable price of 60.00 Rand (or about £4) for the duration of the flight. Payments can be made either by cash or by credit card.

Anya Potgieter, 1Time marketing manager said, “By making PSPs available to 1Time passengers, we’re not only providing a unique form of in-flight entertainment in comparison to our competitors. We’re literally putting PSPs into the hands of potential new users who may traditionally not own a PSP of their own. This opportunity, from SterKinekor’s perspective (the distributor of the console), is invaluable in reaching a whole new market from a gaming perspective. Perhaps in the future, we’ll find out that our passengers will provide their own UMD movies and games and rent the PSP from the airline – cutting out the extra piece of equipment to carry around.”

Up until now the two most popular handheld consoles are undoubtedly the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. The PSP is very popular around the globe, though it has seen a recent slump in gaming titles, and trails the DS Lite in terms of sales. In its weakened state the PSP has even been challenged by the Apple iPhone, and iPod touch, which could threaten to overtake it. Apple is putting extra emphasis on turning these two handhelds, one a phone and the other an MP3 player, in viable gaming platforms.

A new and aspiring gamer looking for a handheld console can easily get confused while making a choice between iPhone and PSP. It’s really hard to compare them as both of them offer spectacular gaming on the go. The only factor which can help is individual’s taste and preferences. Both the PSP and iPhone, and Apple iPod touch as well of course, render awesome graphics and quality sound. Apart from this both the consoles have a number of games released for them and both the devices can be used to enjoy and store multimedia. The only differentiating factors are the other functions offered by these two handhelds, controls and the cost.

If you want to make and receive the calls, apart from gaming, then naturally the iPhone is a good device to have. However this involves lots of monthly expenditure in the form of mobile subscription plan. Apart from this the iPhone’s cost itself is much more than the PSP. So if you are no interested in making calls then definitely go for PlayStation Portable. Besides this the PSP is a console that is optimized for gaming only. So ergonomically, it’s more comfortable to pay games on it instead of playing on the iPhone. PSP offers D-pad, four action buttons and joystick. However, it does not offer touch screen gaming like the iPhone.

The much awaited PSP 3000 has been launched officially now by Sony Entertainment. PlayStation Portable is one of the world’s most popular handheld gaming consoles, as it offers mobile gamers a whole new exciting way of enjoying their favourite games on the go. Now Sony entertainment has recently upgraded its PSP Slim n Lite model to enhance the mobile gaming experience.

PSP 3000 is no more a rumour in the market. You can actually find it listed under the product catalog on Sony’s official website. It offers the mobile gamers lots more than the old Slim n Lite edition. It is much lighter and slimmer than the PSP 2000. The LCD screen is also improved. The PSP 3000 has got better contrast ratio and its display is free from color gamut. It will also allow you to play your favorite games under direct sunlight without any hassles. The main advantage of having the new Sony PlayStation Portable is that you don’t have to spend a lot to get a new display supporting progressive scan mode. The PSP 3000 can easily redirect the output to those non-HDTV screens also which don’t support progressive scan. However in order to accomplish this you have to buy composite cable separately that is available in PSP stores.

Apart from this, the PSP 3000 also offers a built in microphone which can be used for making VoIP calls and communicating with your near and dear ones. The PSP 3000 is tested and fully compatible with software applications like Skype. Technically speaking, the new PSP is better than the 2000 model because it has got anti-reflective technology, increased color range and reduced pixel response time. Thus, it effectively avoids any ghostly effects or blur during the game play. The only issue with this device is that it draws a little extra power from the battery but overall it’s an outstanding portable gaming console.