Sony’s video download cards revealed?

The Wall Street Journal — citing “people familiar with the situation” — claims that Sony is poised to enter video-downloading services whole-hog. Think Go!PSP, only extended with new “products and services to let users download television shows and movies” to Sony’s sweet, suite of PS3s, PSPs, and Bravia televisions “similar to the way” people use the Apple ecosystem. Go!PS3, Go!Bravia, Go!Rolly? Sure, why not. Unfortunately, the WSJ piece doesn’t provide any dates or any real details to speak of. Regardless, none of this comes as a surprise what with PS3s doubling as DVRs in Europe, video-capable Walkmans finally released in the US, and the looming shutdown of Sony’s ATRAC-based Connect music services. Hell, Stringer already ceded portable music dominance to Apple back at the June shareholders meeting in Tokyo where he noted that Sony has “worked very hard to catch up so that in the age of video we will not suffer as much as we did in audio.” We’ll see. Hey Howie (sorry, Sir Howie), we hear NBC could use a new on-line storefront soon. You know, quick-wins and all.

Sony has set up Playstation 3 kiosks at Shinhan Banks in Korea

Looks like people have a reason to go to the bank, even if you don’t have any money to dump into it.

Sony has set up Playstation 3 kiosks at Shinhan Banks in Korea. Besides the conventional print ads and commercials, it looks like Sony is pulling out all their ideas trying to get consumers to play their games. Forget BestBuy, they’re pioneering into banks.

And banks aren’t the only place their trying to tap into. In Mokdong, Seoul, a public demonstration of the Playstation 3 was setup in a multiplex theater.

What’s next?PS3 booths in McDonalds!?

PSP wireless heartbeat sensor hack

It’s amazing what homebrew coders for the PSP are able to come up with, especially when you consider that the “solutions” don’t really solve anything. If you’ve ever hankered for a heartbeat recognition ability for your portable gaming machine, then here it is. One guy called Art simply soldered a coiled copper wire across the microphone input, which allows it to pick up the signal from a wireless heartbeat sensor. The result isn’t visually impressive — he hasn’t coded a graphical readout yet — but it should definitely inspire confidence in the homebrew community’s ingenuity. PSP pull-ups anyone?

Sony PSP Software update

The PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system software update may include security patches, new or revised settings and features and other items, which will change your current operating system. We encourage you to check this page from time to time for software updates and to always maintain your system to use the latest version of the system software.

An update to the PSP® system software was made available on July 24, 2007. If you update your PSP® system, the system software will be version 3.52.

Notices

• This update is for customers who own PSP® systems with model number PSP-1001 sold in North America. DO NOT update your PSP® system through this Web site if you purchased your system outside North America. There is no guarantee of proper operation with models sold outside North America.
• Do not perform updates using any data other than the official update data provided by Sony Computer Entertainment over a network or on disc media, and do not perform updates by methods other than those described in the product documentation or in this site. If an update is performed using data from another source, by another method, or with a PSP® system that has been altered or modified in any way, the PSP® system may not operate properly and may not be able to install the official update data. Any of these actions may void the PSP® system warranty and affect your ability to obtain warranty services and repair services from Sony Computer Entertainment.
• For customers using PSP® system software version 2.80 or earlier:
  PSP® systems with system software version 2.80 or earlier do not correctly recognize high-capacity Memory Stick PRO Duo™ with more than 4 GB of free (recordable) memory space. For further details, select here.
• The system software included within this product is subject to a limited license from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Refer to http://www.scei.co.jp/psp-eula for further details.

The PSP® system software version 3.52 update (with v 3.50/3.51) includes the following:

• Game
  • New for 3.52: Support for PLAYSTATION®Network titles has been expanded.
• Network
  • New for 3.50: You can now connect a PSP® system to a PS3™ system via the Internet using [Remote Play].
  • New for 3.50: [Communication Settings] has been added as an option to the [Remote Play] menu.
  • New for 3.50: [RSS Channel Guide] has been added as a feature under [RSS Channel].
• Other
  • New for 3.51: A security patch was added to address security vulnerabilities in the system software.

Hints

• If your PSP® system software version is 3.52 (or later), you do not need to perform this update. To check the version of your system software, go to (Settings) > [System Settings] > [System Information]. The information is shown in the System Software field.
• Depending on the software title, you may not be able to play without first updating the system software.
• This system software update includes all features contained in previous versions.
• Depending on the system software version, screen images shown here may be different from the actual product.
• To connect to the Internet using your system, you must be within range of a wireless access point (or hotspot) that allows connections to the Internet.

You can update your system software by any of the following methods:

• Update using a PC »
  Download the update data to a PC, and then save on Memory Stick Duo™ media. Start the saved update data on your PSP® system to perform the update. Select the link above for update instructions.
  
• Network Update »
  Use the PSP® system’s Network Update feature to perform the update. Select the link above for update instructions. Refer also to the instructions for the PSP® system.
  
• Update using a UMD »
  Use the update data included on a UMD™ to perform the update. Select the link above for update instructions.
  *As of May 31, 2007, this method is only available for updates up to version 3.40.