Handy Gadgets

PC World have published a review of the Sony PlayStation 3 40GB game console/Blu-ray Disc Player. ‘From the outset, the PlayStation 3 has billed itself as more than just another game console. And this machine lives up to its promise: It's one of the most capable Blu-ray Disc players available today. The 40GB PS3 ($400, as of 4/24/08) has built-in gigabit ethernet and is one of the few Blu-ray players that supports BD-Live (Profile 2.0) content that can be delivered via the Internet. It also supports Blu-ray BonusView, for playing back picture-in-picture content.

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 1:42 PM | Permalink

CNET Asia have published their review of the Sony PlayStation 3 (upgraded with firmware version 2.3 and game library as of May 2008) game console. ‘The PS3's sexy shape and futuristic look are ample evidence that the company's renowned design standards are alive and well. One look at its glossy exterior and touch-sensitive power and eject buttons on its face, and you can see why it might cost what it does. Like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, the PS3 can stand vertically or lie horizontally in an A/V rack, though because of its curved top, it's not meant to have any other components resting on top of it. While its 40GB sibling is available in black, white and silver, the 60GB version is shipped in the dark shade.

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 11:45 AM | Permalink

A review of the Sony PlayStation 3 game console has been posted over at PC Authority. ‘At $675, the PlayStation 3 is by far the most expensive device in this Labs. Of course, you’re not simply getting a video streamer for your money, though. The gaming capabilities are potentially Xbox 360-beating (but game choice is still incredibly poor by comparison), plus it incorporates a Blu-ray drive, so you can watch HD movies, and the drive also supports Super Audio CD.

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 3:39 PM | Permalink

Captain-Odegard have published a review of the PSP Slim portable unit. 'Officially, the PSP Slim support MPEG-4 LC and h.264/MPEG-4 AVC Main profile. In real life, video is such a hassle there really is no way of knowing what it will accept. For a long time, video files could only be up to 368x208 or 320x240 pixels, which means it didn't cover all of the PSP's 480x272 screen. It also required you to name the files in a very confusing way and use specific folders for each codec type. Luckily those days are over. The PSP now support fullscreen video, and you can name the files what you want and put them in the VIDEO folder. It's still picky about the codecs, and I've encoutered a number of errors while trying to get video onto it. Luckily, there are programs out there that will convert video for you, and these will correct most troubles that I had converting the files manually. You don't get the same quality as with a manual conversion, but it will do.'

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 10:34 PM | Permalink

14U News have published a review of the new PSP 2000 game console from Sony. 'The new PSP has the same basic specifications as the old PSP. Games and movies are still stored on UMD discs. You can even pop your Memory Stick out of your old PSP if you are upgrading and play from your previous saved games without any issues. Size wise the new PSP is a bit slimmer and by a bit, I mean a tiny bit. It is 0.7-inch thick whereas the old PSP was 0.9-inch thick. The weight of the new system is 6.7 ounces as compared to the weight of the old system at 9.2 ounces. Sony doubled the amount of onboard memory with the slim PSP from the original 32MB to 54MB in the slim PSP. The screen is the same on both machines and the WiFi adapter is the same as well. The slim PSP gains the ability to use a component out cable to play games on a larger screen.'

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 10:11 PM | Permalink

A review of the Sony 80GB PlayStation 3 game console has been posted over at ZDNet. 'Like the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii, the PlayStation 3 can stand vertically or lie horizontally in an AV rack, though because of its curved top, it's not meant to have any other components resting on top of it. Early prototypes were shown in white and silver, but the PS3 is currently available only in black. The 20GB version (now discontinued) was all black, but the larger capacity models are highlighted with a chrome trim--and there's no way to customize its look as you can with Xbox 360's interchangeable, if overpriced, faceplates. Judging from Sony's recent decision to bring out the PSP in more colors, we don't expect the company to stick to the black-only option for too long, especially since this system, like the PSP, is a fingerprint- and smudge-magnet. If you handle it at all, you'll end up having to wipe it off, so you'll probably just want to stick it in a rack and leave it there.'

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 9:10 PM | Permalink

PC Magazine have published their review of the Sony PSP (model 2000) game console. 'Measuring 6.6 by 2.8 by 0.6 inches (HWD), the PSP's shape has been streamlined in a way that is noticeable when you place the PSP 2000 next to the original, which measures 6.7 by 2.9 by 0.9 inches. The major difference between the two, however, is that the PSP 2000 weighs about a third less, 6.7 versus 9.2. When you use the PSP 2000 for an extended time, the lower weight makes it really easy on the hands; those seasoned by hours of game play on the original model will feel the difference instantly. While holding the PSP 2000 with both hands I noticed another design change: the wavelike bulges on the old PSP, which covered the battery and Memory Stick slot on both sides and curved beneath the middle and index fingers, are gone. They gave the original a more ergonomic feel, which will be missed, but this is minor point. The PSP 2000's screen is the same as the original's and, unfortunately, just as smudge-prone.'

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 10:42 PM | Permalink

CNET have published a review of the new Sony PSP 2000 multimedia gaming device. ‘When Sony first announced an updated PSP at 2007's E3 show, a lot of people were straining to see what was so new about it. Indeed, from a distance, the new PSP is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor. But pick one up, and the differences are more apparent: it's thinner, much lighter, and sleeker than the original. It's also got a few other new tricks under the hood. The new PSP (which Sony calls "the PSP 2000," to delineate from the earlier "PSP 1000" model) will be available in North America on September 10 in two different versions: a black PSP-only package ($170) and the Daxter Entertainment Pack version, a $200 package that includes a silver PSP with the Daxter game, a Family Guy UMD video, and a 1GB Memory Stick Duo.

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 8:49 AM | Permalink

Reg Harware have published a review of the Xploder PS 2 HDTV Player. 'Packaged in a very nice, neat, little tin box – which could no doubt find a dozen different uses around the home after the contents are removed – the Xploder PS 2 HDTV Player certainly looks like it means business. You may remember we previewed it back in August 2006, well now we've got our hands on one... Said box's contents comprise solely of a single RGB component-video cable and a CD to install the software on your Sony console. Setting everything up is reasonably straightforward - although a little limbering up first could be beneficial as you’ll have pull your HD TV out from its corner and contort yourself to match each of the video cable plugs to the respective ports.'

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 2:02 AM | Permalink

CNET have published their review of the Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray DVD Remote which should be of interest if you do a lot of movie watching with your PS3 and don't mind the extra expense. 'The remote, like the wireless game controller that comes with the system, features Bluetooth wireless connectivity. In fact, it behaves just like a Sony wireless game controller would, except you have to manually pair it to the system via the accessories link in the settings menu (it uses port number seven). However, once you've paired it, you shouldn't have to worry about doing it again.

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 2:59 PM | Permalink

A review of the Sony's PlayStation 3 next-generation gaming console has been posted 0ver at CNET. 'Sony has been showing off prototypes of the PS3 for the last 18 months, and though the exact dimensions of the final unit were in doubt, the PS3's general shape and glossy finish have been set in stone for a while. Though it's been overshadowed in recent years by Apple's leading-edge MP3 players and computers, the PS3's sexy shape and futuristic look is ample evidence that the company's renowned design standards are alive and well. One look at its glossy exterior and touch-sensitive power and eject buttons on its face, and you can see why it might cost what it does.

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 1:32 AM | Permalink

CNET previews the Sony PlayStation 3 (60GB) video console. 'Like the PS2 did for DVDs, the PS3 hopes to give a boost to the nascent Blu-ray movie format, going so far as to include the Blu-ray version of the Will Ferrell comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby as an add-in. The console's built-in Blu-ray drive allows it to double as a high-def movie player, making its otherwise hefty $500-to-$600 price tag seem like a bargain compared to that of dedicated stand-alone Blu-ray players, which bottom out at $1,000.

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 5:55 AM | Permalink

Daniel Terdiman writing over at CNET provides some insights into just what to expect from the PlayStation 3 gaming console. ' From the street, it's not clear why such an event would matter, but inside, on two floors filled almost literally to the rafters with high-definition TVs and PS3s, it's obvious that this is the center of the video game universe today. And that's borne out by the fact that nearly every important American video game journalist is on hand.

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 4:20 PM | Permalink

The PlayStation 3 console may not be available just yet but from the "news" surrounding this gadget it would seem there is going to be the possibility of players volunteering their idle machines to a very worthwhile project. 'Stanford and Sony have announced that PlayStation 3s will be able to participate in Cure@PS3, making gamers' consoles massively parallelized computing nodes for the Folding@Home project. What is Folding@home? Well, in a nutshell you can donate your processor's spare cycles (when it's not computing for you, that is) to the incredibly complex study of protein folding; possible uses for the data including curing many forms of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and all sorts of other diseases.'

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Posted by Handy Gadgets Admin at 4:34 AM | Permalink