Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

We started talking about the v3.0 PSP firmware update back in March. Now that the PS3 has come out, with it comes a whole host of new features and interopeability. Sony is set to release the v3.0 update in the US over next few days. The update includes:

• Revisions to strengthen security


• PlayStation Network titles are now supported under [Game].


• [Remote Play] has been added as a feature under [Network].


• [Online Instruction Manuals] has been added as a feature under [RSS Channel].


• A visual player has been added as a feature under [Music].


• 3-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature under [Photo].


• [UMD Auto-Start] has been added as a feature in [System Settings] under [Settings].

I think that you should be rewarded for staying loyal to a gaming manufacturer (besides it making sense) and these streaming additions to connect the PSP and PS3 are more than welcome in my book, while others disagree. Over time I think hope that Sony will add even more functionality between the two devices.

Read [PlayStation Upgrade - not yet updated to 3.0] Read [v3.0 Manual] Via [Crave]

Everything else comes in colors, so why not color your PSP. Don’t you know that black is boring? All the cool kids are doing pink, silver, red, green, white… The pink hits on Nov. 22, silver on Dec. 14 and blue on Dec. 22—all in Japan.

Sony also showed off the PSP in color back at the Tokyo Game Show in September.

Read [Kotaku]

An update to PSP system features was made available on April 25, 2006. Features updated in system software version 2.70 include the following:

Network

• Macromedia Flash content can now be displayed


• [Connection Settings] has been added as a setting under [Settings] in [Internet Browser] > [Tools]


• Audio content from [RSS Channel] can now be saved on Memory Stick Duo media.


• [Automatic] has been added as an option under [Rate] in the control panel of [LocationFree Player].

Video

• A new file extension has been added to playable AAC formats.


• [Enable Flash Player] has been added as a setting under [System Settings].


• Options to display simplified Chinese or traditional Chinese characters have been added under [System Settings] > [System Language].


• [RSS Channel Settings] has been added as a setting.


• [UMD Video L/R Button] has been added as an option under [Video Settings].

Other

• Certain conditions that have occurred when using Memory Stick PRO Duo with free (recordable) memory space of 2 GB or more are now solved.

Read and Download [Sony]

PSP firmware v3.0 pictures have begun circulating the Internet. The authenticity of the images are in question but here are the features we may see:

• Sony Mail


• SonyPaint


• Sony Organiser (notice the use of an “s” and not a “z” in “Organiser")


• AlarmClock


• Writepad


• Console Security


• Music Store connectivity


• PS3 connectivity

The PSP seems to be evolving into a PSP-orginizer hybrid. Cool if it works.

Update: This has finally been released.