PSP gets trial at Arsenal and firmware upgrade in Japan

Just as the PlayStation Portable has had its firmware updated to make it that little bit more useful, so we receive news of an unusual trial involving the Sony handheld system in the UK.

So far, only Japanese PSPs have been able to download the update to firmware version 3.30, which adds a range of new screen resolutions for showing H.264 MPEG-4 videos. The usual release pattern should see the update released first in the US within days, then in Europe in a few weeks.

Aside from adding high(ish)-resolution 720 x 480-pixel playback (among other sizes), the new firmware also adds menu thumbnails for videos and RSS items and better performance from downloaded PSone games.

Elsewhere, Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium is about to host an unusual field test using PSPs in the hands of football fans. The new S.PORT system will be tested by wirelessly beaming replays and statistics to PSP screens during Arsenal games at the stadium.

Reports suggest that the new technology could be used in other venues for different sports, so don’t be surprised to see legions of nerds fumbling with their toys blissfully unaware of another goal bursting the net or a streaker at Wimbledon.

Panasonic tweaks SD camcorders to ‘Full HD’ at 1920 x 1080i

Although Panasonic claims the SD3 and DX3 are the world’s first ‘Full HD’ camcorders, which the 1920 x 1080 specs justify if one overlooks the interlaced/progressive debate, the website for the SD1 and DX1 still prominently touts them as ‘Full HD.’

On the cameras themselves, only the latest versions have a corresponding badge, as you’ll see in the second photo above. There are no details of the new cameras on the Panasonic website yet.

Aside from the ballyhoo over line counts, upgrades to the included editing software and some minor tweaks to the casing, such as to the grip of the SD3, the new camcorders seem unlikely to make much of a splash when launched in Japan on April 25.


Barely five months after announcing the world’s first video camera to record HD TV images to an SD memory card, Panasonic has replaced it with a cheaper, more-capable model that it claims breaks new ground.

Last November’s HDC-SD1 has been ruthlessly elbowed aside by today’s release of the HDC-SD3, which offers video recording at 1920 x 1080i pixels, compared with the earlier model’s 1440 x 1080i resolution.

If you’re thinking the difference is minimal, you’re probably right not to be bothered unless you’ve just bought the SD1. The newcomer not only lays down a few thousand more pixels per frame, but it’s also likely to be ¥30,000 cheaper at ¥150,000. That includes a bundled 4GB SDHC card.

Both cameras use the relatively new AVCHD compression technique to fit high-definition video onto current-generation media, such as the SD cards used in this case. A similarly revamped DVD camcorder has also been announced in the shape of the HDC-DX3.

Logitec transforms iPod into alarm clock with bells on

No, it’s not a late April-fool joke – the iPod/alarm clock combination you see above is a real product, announced today in Japan by Logitec, with speakers cunningly disguised as bells.

The Dialive will be available in the middle of this month in either black or white for around ¥8,000, adding bells and a snooze button to any full-size iPod from 4G on or either model of nano. There’s a refreshingly low-tech plastic dial on the back that adjusts the size of the dock connector.

As for the specs, the snooze button adds nine minutes to your kip, the speakers output 6W total, there’s a dinky little volume control on the back and the Dialive even charges the player via a mains connection.

Suvil Bluetooth handsfree — does what it says on the box

Suvil is one of those firms that produces plenty of the little bits and pieces you never knew you wanted. One case in point is the Hong Kong company's ClipFree iAudio BT (top) Bluetooth add-on for pretty much any piece of kit with an audio output. We took a quick look at the gear this morning and were pleasantly suprised.

The ClipFree does the whole BT thing just the way it should — the package includes a dongle for a stereo, cellphone or whatever, a clip-on receiver, both in- and over-ear headphones and a couple of different audio jacks, so connectivity is simple.

Performance is fine over 5m or so, but you might not want to push it to the claimed 10m range, and audio is generally clear. The auto-switching ability — between an audio source and an incoming call, for example — is smartly done and battery life is reasonable at four hours of use or 120 on standby.

Suvil also has a range of Wi-Fi necessities, such as the Wi-Fi Hunter (below), a bare-bones key-chain 802.11 b/g detector. Currently, we only have pricing in Euros (€89 for the ClipFree and €15 for the key chain) but US and Japan readers can expect to see Suvil gear in the stores any day now.

Mobile phone sales grow — except in Japan

Worldwide mobile phone sales grew 21.5 percent year on year to 251 million units in the third quarter, with India and China driving growth, according to research from Gartner.

Gartner predicts that sales for the year will fall just shy of one billion phones. Sales should reach 986 million units by the end of the year, the research group said.

Europe, one of the most mature mobile phone markets in the world, showed just 1.9 percent growth over the same quarter last year.

Asia Pacific experienced the most dramatic gains, with sales of 80.8 million units during the third quarter, an increase of 54.7 percent over the same period last year. That significant growth happened despite a decline in sales of 4.7 percent in Japan compared to the third quarter in 2005. An increase in retail outlets and better distribution channels in emerging markets such as Indonesia, Philippines and India significantly offset that loss though, driving growth in the region.

Other regions of the world also reported solid growth. In Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, sales grew 19 percent compared to last year, to 48 million phones. North American sales reached 40.8 million units, up 12 percent. Sales in Latin America grew 13.7 percent over the same time last year, to 29.8 million phones.

Gartner reported that the smaller phone makers will increasingly struggle to compete against the giants. In the third quarter, Nokia, Motorola and Samsung together accounted for 68 percent of phone sales.

Among those three, competition is fierce. While Motorola increased its market share during the quarter, it lost its number one position in Latin America, to Nokia, and also lost its number two spot in Western Europe, to Samsung. Nokia has the largest market share worldwide, but failed to grow its market share in North America during the quarter.

Nokia's worldwide market share was 35.1 percent, up from 32.5 percent in the same quarter last year. Motorola had 20.6 percent, compared to 18.7 percent during the third quarter in 2005. Number three vendor Samsung had 12.2 percent market share, just slightly down from 12.5 percent last year.

Man thrown in the slammer for selling bad ringtones

Next time you fancy getting the theme from The Godfather or Close Encounters as a cellphone ringtone, just be careful where you buy it — you could be helping put the seller behind bars.

It's pretty hard to believe, but the Malaysian press is reporting that some half-assed market trader who has been selling unlicensed ringtones has been arrested by their equivalent of the RIAA.

He faces up to five years in jail and a massive fine just for peddling annoying crap — personally, I'd pay him not to sell that junk ever again to anyone.

Legs everywhere rejoice as dog humps USB port silly

The outrage — how could they? One of those USB ports in the video is clearly exposed for the world and his wife to ogle. Filth.
Update: We have the dogs in stock — over 1,000 shipped so far!

Wireless USB finally arrives on the desktop in Japan

After several months, Y-E Data’s YD-300 WUSB hub is finally on sale in Japan — for ¥39,800, or almost $350.

If that seems like a lot for a four-port USB hub, that’s because it is. Also, it’s not technically complaint with ‘official’ WUSB, so Y-E Data has to call it an Ultra-Wideband Wireless Hub (UWB), but that won’t stop Japan’s computer nerds lapping it up.

The technology promises wireless USB transfers between anything connected to the hub and a dongle that plugs into a PC over up to 10m. Speeds are similar to those from regular, wired USB 2.0 connections (480Mbps), so the attraction is in clearing up a little cable clutter.

That and being first on the block to use yet another new wireless technology of course.