The much anticipated Camera and GPS module for the PSP is set to hit retail shelves in Japan on November 2nd and December 7th with a MSRP of 5,000 yen (approx. USD$43) and 6,000 yen (approx. USD$51) respectively.

The PSP camera module [PSP-300] has the ability to capture still images at a resolution of 480 x 272 or 640 x 480 and record short video clips (30 fps, 15 seconds) at 480 x 272. Short video clips can be exported as AVI for playback on the PC. The PSP-300 will also come bundled with a carrying case and complimentary editing software simply known as the “ちょっとショットＥｄｉｔ/Chotto Shot Edit”. “Chotto Shot Edit” enables users to add and edit captions, background music, frames and special effects (72 types) to still images and video clips.

Specifications of PSP-300
★ Effective Resolution: 1.31 million pixels (actual recording resolution may vary according to the employed software)
★ Lens: Wide Angle Lens F2.8 f=28mm (35mm conversion)
★ Recording Distance Standard Mode: 40cm ~ ∞ / Macro Mode Available (Macro Mode Minimum Recording Distance: 7cm)
★ Zoom: Digital Zoom
★ Recording Format: Still Image: JPEG / Video: Motion JPEG
★ Audio Input: Monaural Microphone Linear PCM
★ Dimensions: 45 x 27.3 x 16mm (W x H x D)
★ Weight: approx. 15g

The PSP GPS module [PSP-290] has a resolution of 5 meters, refreshes every second and comes bundled with a carrying case.

Specifications of PSP-290
★ Reception Frequency: 1575.42MHz (L1 ban, C/A code)
★ Reception System: 20 Channel
★ Reception Sensitivity: Following: -153dBm
★ Captured: -140dBm
★ Position Renew Interval: ~1 second
★ Positioning Precision: 5m (2DRAMS, -130dBm)
★ External Dimensions: 45 x 41 x 17mm (W x H x D)
★ Weight: approx. 16g

Apple Computer Inc. and Sony Corp. may hold the key to NAND flash-memory makers’ success or failure in the second half.

Demand for NAND flash-memory chips has been weaker than expected this year, leading to steep price declines. But major chip makers are moving aggressively to boost capacity in anticipation that the two electronics manufacturers will launch new products that will help spur chip demand and absorb excess supply in the market.

Analysts say if Apple, of the U.S., and Sony, of Japan, launch new devices using NAND flash-memory chips in the second half, that will provide a much-needed catalyst to ease price declines in the industry. But any hitches or delays by the two companies will likely exacerbate an oversupply situation, making it tougher for NAND flash-memory chip manufacturers to weather the second half, typically a strong selling season for technology products, they say.

NAND flash-memory chips are widely used in a variety of consumer electronic products such as MP3 players and digital cameras and differ from dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chips for their ability to retain data in devices even when power is switched off.

“Apple and Sony will decide the destiny of the NAND flash market in the fourth quarter,” said iSuppli Corp. analyst Nam Hyung Kim. “Potential demand from Apple and Sony could consume up to 40% of the global NAND supply in the fourth quarter. But any delay in new product launches will blow away the supply-and-demand balance and will spur significant oversupply and price declines.”

The average spot price of a four-gigabit NAND flash-memory chip fetched $7.22 Monday, down from $8.93 in late June, according to DRAMeXchange, a Taiwan-based online chip clearinghouse.

Many analysts anticipate Apple — the maker of the popular iPod music player — to launch a higher-density eight-gigabyte NAND flash-memory-based music player later this year after flash-memory-card producer SanDisk Corp. of the U.S. earlier this month unveiled a new MP3 player with eight gigabytes of memory.

Last year, Apple unveiled its two- and four-gigabyte “iPod nano,” which uses NAND flash-memory chips instead of bulky hard-disk drives to store songs. The launch of the svelte model helped to bring the global NAND flash market into an unexpected shortage in the second half of 2005, and many are hopeful that Apple will help chip makers’ businesses again this year.

Jill Tan, a spokeswoman for Apple in Asia, declined to comment.

According to iSuppli’s Mr. Kim, Sony is also expected to launch a flash-memory-chip-based portable media player and a new version of its Playstation Portable game player. He said the new products will have as much as eight to 10 gigabytes of NAND flash memory per system.

Read the rest of this entry »

Sony Connect has relaunched with an enhanced user interface and expanded features. The fresh, new look for the Connect Music store includes:

• a new navigation menu structure that makes it easier to find the songs you want from our catalog of over two million tracks
• a new Artist Discovery applet that provides links between an artist and his/her influences, or other musicians influenced by the artist
• expanded editorial information including more editors picks and artist interviews

Please check it out at Connect.com, or within the SonicStage application for Sony digital music devices.

Feel free to leave feedback for Sony about the Connect service via the comment feature of this blog entry and we’ll forward it back to Sony!

Sony is on the roll with its PSPs – following its announcement of the Playstation Signature limited edition PSPs, it slips a Pink variant for its European market.

(via IGN)

News of the pink PSP comes courtesy of an apparently premature official Sony press release, since pulled from the company’s website. The limited edition PSP bundle, released in collaboration with everyone’s favourite perky popstress P!nk, contains the pink PSP, white headphones with remote control, pouch, wrist strap and a 32MB Memory Stick Duo.

Set for release on October 27 in Europe only, the P!nk PSP Value Pack will cost €229 ($294), or £169 (approx. $319). Anyone picking up the pack will gain access to exclusive P!nk-related downloads, courtesy of Sony’s YourPSP.com service.

If it’s justification you want, then Sony’s Stephane Hareau, PSP senior brand manager, noted that “Our collaboration with P!nk will reflect the shared values between the artist, PlayStation and all the young women with freedom, confidence and attitude. The exclusive and exciting P!nk content made available in this Limited Edition will let young women discover the entertainment potential of PSP beyond gaming. PSP is not exclusively for men, there is a PSP for everyone, and whoever you are, PSP can fit into your life.”

Sony has surprisingly released an odd-looking device that is reminscent of the PSP in many ways, and has functionality that many PSP users desire. Perhaps when the PSP gets a VOIP upgrade in a few months (as planned by Sony), it will have similiar abilities to what we’re seeing here with Mylo (MyLife Online). The skype integration is choice, as you can employ Skype’s free SkypeOut service until the end of the year and make any phone calls for free. Mylo also plays ATRAC. Here’s the official Sony Press Release.

Here’s the word from the Wall Street Journal:

Hoping to tap into the growth of wireless networks across college campuses, other public spaces and within homes, Sony Corp. unveiled a new pocket-size gadget for instant messaging and other Internet-based communications.

The Sony Mylo, slated for availability in September at a retail price of about $350, is a first-of-its-kind product that uses Wi-Fi networks. It will be sold only in the U.S.

The slim, oblong gizmo, which has a 2.4-inch display and slides open to expose a thumb keyboard, is geared toward young, mainstream consumers for messaging and Internet-based calls, commonly known as VOIP (voice over Internet protocol) calls. As long as a Wi-Fi network is accessible, a Mylo user could chat or browse the Web.

It isn’t a cellphone and thus doesn’t carry monthly service fees, and though it could handle Web-based email services, it doesn’t support corporate email programs.

Mylo, which stands for “my life online,” will be marketed toward 18- to 24-year-olds who rely heavily on instant messaging and already view email as passé, Sony said. The new gadget will be available through Sony’s online store and at select retailers in college towns.

Sony has partnered with Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. to integrate their instant-messaging services, and is looking to expand Mylo’s support to other services as well, most notably the leading messaging provider, Time Warner Inc.’s America Online. Sony has also teamed with eBay Inc.’s Skype VOIP service, which offers free voice chats for its registered users.

The so-called personal communicator doubles as a portable media player. It can play music and videos and display photos that are stored on its internal one gigabyte of flash memory or optional Memory Stick card. It also can stream songs between Mylo users within the same network, as long as the users grant permission to share their music files.

Danielle Levitas, an industry analyst at market researcher IDC, called the Mylo a “unique, compelling” product, but said it might fare better at a price of $299 and with added partners such as AOL.

In addition, though Wi-Fi is spreading across colleges, coffee houses, airports and even entire cities, Ms. Levitas said the wireless technology isn’t ubiquitous enough yet to help Sony break Mylo out of a niche market. “You need enough Wi-Fi out there to make this a compelling product to reach a wider audience,” she said.

Sony is betting Mylo will draw great interest not just among college students, but also in households where youngsters might be fighting over the use of a computer for chatting or Web surfing. “Our Mylo personal communicator lets you have the fun parts of a computer in the palm of your hand,” said John Kodera, a director of product marketing at Sony.

[via WSJ]

The NW-E00* series has finally landed in the United States and has attractive pricing: $130, 2GB; $100, 1GB; $70, 512MB.

This series should be a good seller that will restore some lost ground that Samsung has been wielding in the low-end realm. The cost of these units compliments the pricepoint of the recently revealed ‘06 NW-S series nicely. It is also reassuring to see Sony with a little more breathing room now that the transition (back) to Sonicstage is nearly complete. The company finally has a music management program that actually works, and is not that difficult to employ anymore. With this in mind, Sony is able to let loose the grip they held over related product releases in the US that were available long ago elsewhere in the world.

Curious however, is one odd theory that is seemingly becoming more and more realistic.

Has Sony become completely a chic brand in the US? The colors that are appearing on these units is quite unusual. The NW-A1200 series release may have been a little more appealing if there was the black or gold variants released stateside. Perhaps Sony is trying to become a more unisex or female-oriented brand after its minimalist and dull-colored past that lured in millions of male geeks. This could be a good move for Sony because not many DAP companies make “cute” devices (well, except the Nano. Shush.); tapping into this little-known market could harvest miracles.

Nonetheless, Sony’s direction feels different than it did before; the restructuring ushered in by Howard Stringer & co. have given a greater focus to their product offerings in the failing portable music areas. It is very likely that this year will actually be a strong year for the Walkman in the United States, and possibly beyond.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has released business data indicating that 20.02 million units of PSP (5.20 million, 8.17 million and 6.65 million to Asia, North America and Europe respectively) have shipped worldwide as of July 24, 2006.

(via Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.)