PSP Becomes a Phone Via UK Deal With BT 41
marcellizot writes "PSP owners might want to sit down for this one: Sony has just signed a four-year deal with BT to turn the PSP into a phone. The partnership will add wireless broadband communication functions, including high quality video calls, voice calls and messaging. The partnership will initially integrate the PSP with BT Broadband's video and voice softphone VoIP software, meaning that calls will be free, with the customer only having to pay for the BT broadband subscription. This means that initially the service will only enable the PSP to communicate with products that run the softphone software. BT has already confirmed however that in the months following the service's debut, additional features will be launched to enable calls and messages to PCs, fixed lines and mobiles."
It's the N-Gage 2! (Score:2, Funny)
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It's actually sold over 20 million... (Score:1, Informative)
The actual hardware is pretty poor IMO (analog nub in particular) but you can't really knock its popularity.
Not really.... (Score:1)
Multi-functionality (Score:3, Insightful)
Naw, some things are too crazy.
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However, being serious for a moment, there's been a lot of talk on the PSP forums about voip functionality being hidden somewhere in the PSP firmware for a good while.
But having to add a microphone onto the PSP seems a tad bit awkward. If it connects up like the camera addon, then it'll no doubt look pretty stupid, heck, even worse than the dreaded sidetalkin' N-Gage days of yo
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Yes, but... (Score:2)
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I'm out and out boycotting Sony. How about you?
(And yes, that means I haven't seen Spiderman 3 either legally or illegally. Nor do I intend to.)
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I gave up on the idea of all out boycotting. If a company is doing some things right and some things wrong, giving them up completely deprives them of feedback that might otherwise push them in the right direction.
That said, Sony hasn't done anything since the launch of the PS3 to push me to buy anything of theirs again.
Re:well... (Score:4, Insightful)
Because I already have two.
$200 portable video / mp3 player (including the 4GB card) with a beautiful screen that can play PS1 games in addition to it's own mature library.
Yeah, sucker me.
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My PSP can play music (I don't ever have an urge to listen to 30GB of music anyway, 1-4GB is more than enough) and can play games. Yes, their games library is a bit shoddy and Sony shoots themselves in the foot over marketing and the poor choices they make. Even so, the PSP is mu
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Mod up (Score:2)
Someone should mod down that AC.
What does the PSP have to do with... (Score:1, Offtopic)
Must remember this... (Score:2)
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My Impression (Score:3, Insightful)
If a service launches with an obviously limited functionality, very few will buy into it (as, really, it is just a nifty gee-whiz feature). However BT (and any company investing in such a move) would require significant sales initially to show that there is profitability. OF course, no one will be terribly interested in the PSP, so the sales won't be there, and the service will likely be axed, or those "improvements" will never appear...
Just my 2c Canadian....
What about service outside Britain? (Score:1)
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I know, those games are better in a console, but I do not have the time to play with a console. The only way I can play console games is via ports to handhelds...and only the PSP
another nail in the Mylo coffin (Score:3, Insightful)
Dumb questions . . . (Score:1)
1) What is "the BT"?
2) How do you dial a PSP? No touch screen, no keypad. Are you supposed to move a cursor around on an on-screen keyboard? Kind of like naming your main character in old rpg's.
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1) What is "the BT"?
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A few possibilities:
1) Push the analog nub around like a rotary phone's dial.
2) Map the D-pad, face buttons, Select, and Start to 0-9, *, and #. Impress your friends by instructing them to call you by entering the Konami Code.
3) Seriously, who even uses a keypad for dialing anymore? I select a name from a contact list when I need to make a call. A lot of automated phone systems even support voice activation instead now.
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Someone who wants to call anyone they've never called before?
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It takes longer, but half the time I'm doing it from the road, so I'd rather be safer about it. Some phones (like many of LG's new ones) are extremely repetitive when doing that, though, so it really depends on the model.
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I bet they could sell the rotary dialing with the analogue stick as a retro-style feature.
But seriously, if you use this as your main phone you're going to have to download contacts from a computer (and by computer I mean a PC with clunky proprietary software) onto the phone. You won't be able to update or add to your contacts very easily. This is exactly why I don't use the calendar/datebook function on my iPod: its read-only.
Cheers (Score:2)