PSP 3000: Another minor PSP upgrade

Sony officially unveiled the PSP 3000 Wednesday at the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany, confirming rumors that had popped up online in recent weeks. But before you get excited (or--if you just bought a PSP--exasperated), note that this appears to be an even more subtle upgrade than the slimmed-down PSP 2000 that debuted in September 2007. The main changes, according to Sony:

• An antireflective screen, "which enables users to see the screen more clearly in well-lit places, even when used outdoors."
• A built-in microphone, which will allow users to use voice features in certain games and use the PSP's built-in Skype functionality without the need for a mic-enabled headset.
• The addition of 480i output for gameplay when the PSP is connected to a TV screen via a composite or S-video cable. (The previous model allowed playback at only 480p, effectively restricting the usefulness of the feature to newer HDTVs with component video inputs.)

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Apple finally ready for iTunes subscriptions?

Three Mac rumors sites have received anonymous tips that Apple is getting ready to introduce a subscription iTunes service in September.

We were already pretty sure that September would bring new iPods, but Apple might have something more ambitious up its sleeve. MacRumors, MacDailyNews, and The Unofficial Apple Weblog are all saying a tipster spilled the beans about a US$129-a-year iTunes service that would piggyback on Apple's MobileMe service.

The reports are all eerily similar, suggesting that accurate or not, all the sites heard from the same source. Under the new service, Apple would offer unlimited access to half of its iTunes Store--as of an October launch--for US$129 a year, or US$179 for an iTunes/MobileMe combo deal, in the US only. If you're already a MobileMe subscriber, you'll only have to fork over US$99.99 for the subscription service, perhaps as a mea culpa for this summer's disastrous MobileMe launch.
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Retail moves suggest new iPods are coming

Apple's global stock of iPods is dwindling, in line with widespread expectations that the company will introduce new models next month.

AppleInsider brings the latest news suggesting new iPods are around the corner, this time pointing to a switch in the status of various iPod models from "active" to "discontinued" in Target's inventory-management system. That suggests that new models are coming to take the place of the old ones, since it doesn't seem very likely that Apple is getting out of the iPod business.

One almost sure bet for September--which has seen an iPod event take place each of the last three years--seems to be a cheaper iPod touch. With the decision to subsidize the price of the iPhone to US$199, the iPod touch seems a tad expensive at its current price of US$499 for the 32GB version.
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One MP3 player, one dream

Geeph.com is diving into Olympics mania with a 2008 Beijing Olympic Stadium "Bird's Nest" MP3 player shaped like the now famous stadium.

Priced at US$19.30, I'm going to take a wild guess and say this isn't an officially licensed 2008 Beijing Olympic souvenir, despite the logo.

The MP3 player supports MP3, WMA, WMV, ASF, and WAV files, to name a few. It has an optional FM tuner, USB plug, seven equalizer settings, and a built-in mic for digital voice recording. Can it hold as many songs as the real Bird's Nest holds people?

Geeph takes the "One World, One Dream" message to heart, offering products for sale in British pounds, euros, and US, Canadian, Australian, or Hong Kong dollars.

Now if only they sold one in the shape of the Water Cube for that hard-to-buy-for record-breaking gold medalist in your life.

Of course, then it would have to be waterproof.

Via Crave CNET | Source: (Chip Chick)

FCC gives OK to 120GB Zune

The FCC's Web site let us all in on a little Microsoft secret Monday: The company is working on a 120GB Zune.

A report detailing a test performed by the government agency in mid-June shows a picture of the portable media player, which looks identical to the 80GB version of the device. It doesn't appear that there are any other spec changes besides the larger hard drive capacity.

At 120GB, that puts Microsoft neatly between Apple's largest-capacity iPod offerings. Apple has an 80GB and a 160GB iPod Classic, and doesn't participate in the 120GB category.
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