handhelds
Latest
White PSP in Europe next week
While everyone's still reeling from the PS3 price announcement, UK gamers who want some shiny new Sony hardware before the PS3 launches are in luck. Sony has announced that the Ceramic White PSP will finally be released in Europe next Monday (May 15), with an expected retail price of £179.99 in the UK (€249).As of June there will also be a range of Platinum UMDs, with titles like Everybody's Golf available for £19.99 (€24.99). As if that's not enough, a range of Lonely Planet-produced city guides, to be called Planet PSP, will arrive this autumn; also, in the near future we'll see PlayStation Spot appearing in Europe.
Vonage prepping VoIP solutions for DS and PSP?
Although neither device has a true VoIP option yet, UK tech site T3 is reporting that "a source close to...Vonage" (i.e. a friend of a friend of a friend) has confirmed that the VoIP provider is developing WiFi calling solutions for both the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. We've known for awhile that both systems were capable of implementing the ol' VoIP, but other than a random blog musing we reported on last year, this is the first indication we've seen of a major player making moves in this direction. Even for a rumor, the details here are pretty thin, such as how Vonage plans to actually implement VoIP in the disparate devices -- the possibilities include a firmware update for the PSP, and either DSpeak-like software or an Opera-like cartridge for the DS -- or even a hint of when we can expect to see any products come to market. As you might expect, Vonage itself declined to comment on the matter when contacted by T3.
.jpg.cf.jpg)
Samsung to release $700ish UMPC by end of year
Telecoms Korea is quoting a Samsung company official who claims a low-cost, Via-based UMPC will be launched in the second half of 2006. While no model number has been released, it will be priced at "slightly over $700" undercutting that other Via-based TabletKiosk eo by about $200 or less than half of Samsung's own Q1 (pictured). We're still a few hundie above that $500 sweet spot, and we still have to wait and see what this new Sammy packs for specs and if that's Korean or US pricing they're referring to. Still, with prices dropping and that Media Center Extender on the horizon, well, we won't abandon this fledgling platform just yet.Also, while we're here, we wanted to issue an update to yesterday's Samsung Q1 post. As pointed out by several people, the Korean price will actually be W1,199,000 (about $1,250), not W2,000,000 (about $2,000), as reported yesterday. Not exactly a huge bargain, but certainly better than the price we originally reported.[Via UMPC Buzz]
Census Bureau to use HTC handhelds in 2010
For the first census of the 21st Century, the US Census Bureau is finally entering the 20th. In 2010, when the next census is conducted, the agency will use handheld computers, rather than relying on notepads for door-to-door visits. The agency says the plan will keep costs down as well as making the count more accurate. The handhelds will be made by smartphone manufacturer HTC, and will run a version of Windows Mobile. Concerned Census Bureau officials have been assured that the HTC units won't replace their BlackBerrys, and will be used solely for data collection, not as smartphones (despite the fact that, coming from HTC, they'll probably be very capable smartphones with messaging and calling functions turned off for this project). The equipment is expected to be deployed this year or next by Florida-based Harris Corp., which won a $600 million contract to run the field operation. According to Census Bureau officials, the switch from paper to PDA will save money, though the total cost for the 2010 census is still expected to be as much as $12 billion, double that of 2000.
Doing the math on DS lite
The dimensions of the full-sized Nintendo DS are: 5.85x3.33x1.13 inches, giving us a volume of 22.01 cubic inches.The dimensions of the diminutive Nintendo DS lite are: 5.24x2.91x0.85 inches, giving us a volume of 12.96 cubic inches. While it might not look much smaller than the full-sized DS, the DS lite is in fact over 40% smaller by volume. To give you some context, we'll list the volume of some other devices you might be familiar with: Game Boy micro: 5.6 cubic inches Game Boy Advance: 17.64 cubic inches Game Boy Advance SP: 9.81 cubic inches Sony PSP: 17.52 cubic inches Atari Lynx: 68.53 cubic inches Xbox 360 power supply: 51.96 cubic feet inches Despite the size reduction, it's still 80% of the weight of the full-sized DS, so it'll be one dense little unit.(Update: To sate curiosity, the above dimension for the Atari Lynx comes from the original design. More interesting is that the redesigned Lynx II is actually larger by volume. Original Lynx dimensions: 10.75x4.25x1.5 inches, versus the redesigned Lynx II: 9.25x4.25x2 inches. The volumes of the two units are 68.53 cubic inches and 78.62 cubic inches, respectively. Who'da thunk?)[Image borrowed from 4cr]
