PlayStation + Sony Ericsson = PlayStation Phone

jhay — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 05:00:03 +0000

Too good to be true? Well it’s not yet a real gadget but I just read from Game News that an executive from Sony Computer Entertainment has strongly hinted that SCE will team with Sony Ericsson to create a PlayStation Phone.

Speaking to the Economic Times, Sony Computer Entertainment co-chief operating officer Jim Ryan hinted that a PlayStation Phone could be on the way.

“The PlayStation is a proven success and so is Sony Ericsson. Convergence with the two arms working together is definitely plausible,” he said. “What has been done is finding a match between a camera and a mobile phone, and that has been done wherein the mobile phone features are not reasonably inhibited and the camera is also a reasonably competitive product. It is hugely intellectually seductive to have a console-oriented phone.”

Unlike camera phones, however, where the camera is sort of an add-on onto the phone – something that doesn’t provide great picture quality – the idea for a PlayStation Phone may be more rooted in the console side than in the phone. According to the report, the phone would be “superimposed on the console.” Could this be the new PSP in a few years?

Would this be the real ‘iPhone killer’ or something totally new and awesome in its own right? Or has SCE and Sony Ericsson has finally learned enough from the tragedy of Nokia’s N-gage that they feel and think they could prove that this concept can be a real success story.

They succeeded in combining the Walkman and Cyber-shot brands with phones so it’s much closer to reality than if other companies would take a shot at it.

What would it looke like? Would you get one?

And I wonder what’s next, camera phones + photo printers? (WTF?!)

All in all, it would be something definitely to watch out for.

Update:

CVG has been told that Sony is not working on a PlayStation Phone. (bummer!) And again I quote:

“Jim Ryan was in fact misquoted by the Economic Times of India about this issue,” a Sony UK spokesperson told us moments ago, adding, “We do have talks with other arms of the Sony family about various topics but I can confirm we are not currently working together on the creation of a PlayStation Phone.”

The power of the rumors being spread over the internet.

Cyber-shot or a Walkman phone?

jhay — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 03:00:15 +0000

This was an interesting question that was asked to me by Anel, one of the most hardworking and friendly USC scholars as we spent the afternoon talking and joking around the USC office with the other officers and members of hardworking committees.

His question again was; “Kuya, anong mas maganda: Cyber-shot o Walkman phone?”

Obviously, he’s interested in getting a Sony-Ericsson phone when has saved enough money for it. To Anel, going for a Sony-Ericsson phone is good choice. Sure there are a lot of great phones by Nokia but almost everyone else has a Nokia phone.

More on that on a future post, let’s go back to Anel’s question. Judging from my past experiences not just with Sony-Ericsson phones (the K800 is my very first SE phone and I only had 4 phones in all my life) but also with mp3 players, my near-Spartan preference on usability and reading lots of blogs about mobile phones, I did not give Anel a straight answer, rather I laid down the basics of why one would choose either a Cyber-shot phone or a Walkman phone.

Cyber-shot phones are:

For digital photography novices and enthusiasts – a Cyber-shot phone is almost, if not the equivalent of most entry-level standalone digi-cams today all thanks to the years of experience and know-how of Sony in the field of digital photography. You can choose from the basic k550i at 2MP, to the mid-level K800 & K810i at 3.2MP to the latest upcoming K850i at 5MP the Cyber-shot collection is perfect for the digital photography enthusiasts or the plain camera whores.
No need for another imaging device – since your digi-cam is merged with your mobile phone, there’s no need to lug around another device though it’s small enough to fit in your pocket, it’s one less device you have to worry about being stolen, lost or broken when you’re on the go.
More than a camera phone – it’s a photo-lab of sorts. Cyber-shot phones have built-in technologies to improve your photos and give it a professional touch. Image and Video Stabalizers, photo editing, various camera modes for the right lighting and conditions. Plus the basic connectivity options like Bluetooth, Infra-red and Internet are available to share your photos on the go.

Walkman phones on the other hand are:

For the music addict – everyone recognizes the Walkman brand from Sony, so the Walkman phones are media players to reckon with. It has powerful front speakers, can handle the 512MB Memory Stick Micro for 470 or so songs plus nifty music technologies to provide a better listening experience. It may not have the capacity of an iPod or a dedicated mp3 player, but can you or do you really listen to all 4,000 songs in a day?
It’s all in one device – this I highligthed before, no need to carry with you another mp3 player or even a fragile iPod nano, all the music you love to listen to are in the Walkman phone, along with your messages, emails, photos, contact numbers, organizer and games.
More than a music player – it’s your mobile beat box cum DJ turntable. It’s packed with nifty musci technologies like “Shake to shuffle” – just shake your Walkman phone to change the song. It’s also a personal trainer tracking how long you’ve jogged, how fast are you going and keeping it all in a progress chart.

But just like what Anel realized, it all boils down to your personal preferences. If you’re into digital-photography or camera-whoring take the Cyber-shot phone. If you want to wet your taste for music while on the go then pick any of the Walkman phones. Either way, Sony-Ericsson has phones to suit your every need and taste.

What you fellas? Which would you go for? A Cyber-shot phone or a Walkman phone? Or do you have other models from the other brands?

The Four-eyed Journal » Cyber-shot

PlayStation + Sony Ericsson = PlayStation Phone

Cyber-shot or a Walkman phone?