Post from: The Gadget Blog

All Images Courtesy SCEA

Yet the focus on digital delivery means that Sony was reportedly thoughtful enough to equip the PSP Go with 16GB of onboard memory. The new slide-down form factor may be something new for longtime PSP users. That’s because controlling the portable console requires the hands to be closer together—and below the Go’s 3.8″ screen. Compare that to the thumbs-on-the-side configuration that has defined every PSP model until now.

Like its predecessors, the PSP Go features WiFi, which as you may know allows wireless multiplayer gaming, access to the PlayStation Network, and limited web browsing. Unlike previous PSPs however, the Go is also Bluetooth-capable, potentially allowing data sharing with other kinds of devices, and of course setting up multiplayer games with nearby PSP Go owners.

The PSP Go will debut in North America and Europe this October 1, at a price of $249 and €249 respectively (poor Europeans!). It will hit Japan on November 1, with a 26,800 yen price.

Given the PSP’s long history with homebrewing and piracy, I wonder if Sony will still go through the trouble of attempting to lock the PSP Go against hack/mod attempts. As anyone knows though, piracy is nigh impossible to stop. In any case, here’s a video of the PSP Go in action:

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Courtesy Danny Choo

He cites current Canon president Hisashi Sakamaki:

According to his book, employees can concentrate on the meeting at hand without chairs and they have been able to half the number of meetings each year.

He also says that by standing at work, the employees develop a closer relationship with each other and that problems are solved much more quicker. The company also saves on the cost of buying chairs as you can see in the photo.

Also in the photo you can see a blue sign on the floor. When Nikkei went to interview the president, while walking in the corridor a siren and flashing lights went off.

The corridor was designed to detect whether employees were walking at least 5 meters for every 3.6 seconds.

Personally, I really don’t mind working standing up—if I had a choice to work sitting down or not and my desk could adapt accordingly (the stand-up desk comes to mind). And I wouldn’t even mind having to walk a meter every 0.72 seconds, but again if I had a choice in the matter.

Both apparent Canon workplace realities are actually conducive for productivity, in my opinion. But imposing the standard on everyone, regardless of the situation or what I like to call the personal practicality of the approach, is not good.

Unfortunately, I can’t Danny Choo’s word for it. For after pointing out Canon’s workplace injustices, asking readers “Next time you take a photo on your Canon – think about the employees”, he reveals his totally drool-worthy home PC(s) setup, complete with his Nikon collection, and posts a Nikon ad featuring himself.

Courtesy Danny Choo

As commenter TheGreatest wrote:

I don’t see Nikon workers sitting down either eh?
http://www.e-fotografija.si/templates/?a=1132&z=93&page=2

Also, when were those pictures taken? These are more recent shots of Canon’s assembly line:
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/1305/pspro90isimg.jpg

Do you see any major differences?

I understand you have an overwhelming bias seeing as you got paid for a Nikon commercial, but you can at least have some integrity.

Personally, I’m calling out Danny Choo for showing off his multi-computer workspace. At least I can still consider his cable management crappy. Heh.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

*add about 1.8 ounces for battery and card

Most interesting about all three new models though is its support for SDHC cards, on top of typical support for Sony’s own Memory Sticks. Here’s to hoping the same happens to some future version of the PSP.

All three cameras will become available for pre-order “this week” from sony.com, for a sometime July release.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

• PSP-3000 Now Hacked
• Why iPhone Kindle Won’t Kill Kindle
• IPhone Baby Shaker App Saga, Part N
• Study Ball Chains People to Their Work
• Gaining Access to Private Facebook Accounts

And here’s an Intel ad you may have missed:

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment America

Typhoon’s hack takes advantage of a tiff exploit; viewing a carefully crafted image with the PSP-3000’s built-in viewer reboots the portable and makes it load the HEN environment. This, in the words of Boing Boing, opens the PSP-3000 up to “homebrew, customization and piracy.” Here’s the full declaratory message from Typhoon:

This is a demo of the 5.03 firmware running the tiff exploit and booting into a HEN environment on a PSP 2003 (3000 Support also) on 5.03 Official Firmware. This proves that the code survives a reboot and the system software and MAC address can be changed. This is something that only can be done with a kernel exploit. A video launching homebrew will be posted later.

Credits: Homebrew Enabler – (Davee) Team Typhoon
5.03 Tiff Exploit – MaTiAz
Video – Granite
The Community – All your support.

What demo you ask? Here (Typhoon’s currently working on packaging the exploit for the public, by the way):

All I can say is: Wow! Wasn’t it awesome how the background music cut in at just the right time? Thoughts on what this means for Sony are of course welcome below. Me? I’m still happy with my PSP-2000, thank you very much.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Finally being able to play Engrish Patapon 2 over the weekend, I found myself wondering, why are there no real-life Patapon tourneys?

The rules would be simple: organizers would play the boss, participants would organize into groups controlled by the ever-omniscient drums. Points would be awarded/taken away for proper organizations based on the Patapon commands.

If you really have no idea what I’m talking about, fellow PSP users, make sure to play Patapon. Once you’ve enjoyed the game enough to finish it, progress to Patapon 2. You’ll need a good sense of rhythm and the ability to remain calm to properly command your miniscule minions against the various challenges they will face.

It’s worth going through the game so you won’t be left scratching your head while hearing Pataponics chanting Pata Pata Pata Pon or Pon Pon Pata Pon in their sleep.

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Yes, we’ve already shown that expensive cases like camera bags have their very affordable alternatives. Here’s something we found through Philippine affiliate Technograph.

Yes, this humble offering from Hawk features the usual padding and compartments that characterize its pricier counterparts, including a hanging pouch for a 13.3″ laptop and space for secondary gadgets like the iPod and the PSP. On top of that, this backpack also has a waterproof sheath, connected to the bag itself by a garterized strap, that tucks away into a zipperized compartment at the bottom when not needed. Definitely a plus for the commuter!

Another mass-transit-oriented amenity is the hidden compartment, just below where the backpack straps meet the top of the bag. There’s no quick and easy way to open this pouch while the bag is worn properly.

Looks like the third-world economic model of cheap labor and low cost of living have worked for Hawk, the manufacturer of said bag. Why can’t companies in developed countries emulate the same economics, at least at a scale lower than the current average set by flashy branding and marketing?

Post from: The Gadget Blog

Other juicy tidbits: the PSP 2 will be entirely digital, meaning all content will be stored on-board. If true, then the UMD format is now scheduled for obsolescence. Just rumors for now, so stay tuned for updates. Maybe it’s time to start budgeting for a new console purchase.

Thanks Gearlog!

Post from: The Gadget Blog

This chair has endless features including: deluxe leather cover and double foam padding, lockable reclining feature, 3 channel wireless audio, amplifier, surround sound speakers, booming bass unit, cup holder, storage in one armrest. It works with Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Nintendo gaming units and all major game platforms, including handheld units such as PSP and DS lites. It also will work with your TV, DVD, VHS, and stereo system, your MP3 and iPod player and your phone if it has a standard earphone jack.

The only problem is, can any lazy geek afford the £600 ($937) price tag? After all, how can bums earn enough money to make this purchase? The only market I see for this are trust-fund babies with nothing better to do with their lives. Ah, in any case, you have to live in the UK to buy this chair anyway. Visit boysstuff.co.uk to make a purchase.

(image from boysstuff.co.uk)

Post from: The Gadget Blog