SONY Next Generation Portable (NGP)

   Today is the day when Sony has announced the new Playstation Portable. This was not named as PSP 2 but as Next Generation Portable (NGP), and this is correct given the fact that has a lot more features than the first portable console as you will see below.

   First is the OLED 5 inches screen which is a capacitive multi touch and 960 x 544 pixels resolution. This screen has a 4 times higher resolution than the PSP. On the back there is a capacitive multi touch pad for a new game play style 'allowing users to interact directly with games in three dimensions-like motion through touch, grab, trace, push and pull moves of the fingers'. The processor (CPU) is a... get ready... ARM CORTEX A9 quad core and the GPU is SGX543MP4+ - very powerful hardware for a portable console. But this console is a revolutionary one so wait as there is more. Have you ever wondered what PSP did not have or perhaps wanted more? Well you got more as the NGP has connectivity, and this is no small talking. This device comes with wireless IEEE 802.1 b/g/n, GPS with Wi-Fi location service support, Bluetooth 2.1. Above all these there is a 3G connectivity included. Why this large connectivity support? This is because the portable console has a new approach for gamers. One reason is that they can share games achievements with friends. Another reason is the internet access and satellite navigation. But most important for a gaming console these days is the cloud gaming. There are more and more singes that future of gaming is in clouding. If you were looking for multimedia you need to know about the 2 cameras - front and rear - and the built-in microphone and stereo speakers.

   As you probably noticed, in terms of design, this looks a lot like PSP. The differences are the dual analog sticks which should allow a wider range of games categories to be brought into the portable experience. These go with the usual action buttons, a D-pad two shoulder buttons, a PS key, volume controls, start and select buttons and a power key. The Next Generation Portable has something in common with PlayStation Move as comes with the same six-axis motion sensing control system - 3 for gyroscope and 3 for accelerometer - plus a 3 axis compass. What I like is that different than PSP the UMD drive is missing because was replaced with 'a small flash memory based card' slot. So the games will be played from a normal card - which may have a great impact regarding the price but also for gaming experience as content or save data will be stored on the card.

   NGP has also a new User Interface named LiveArea. Through this users will be able to share 'the fun and excitement with other players', will have access to the latest games information from the producers and the achievements will be also highlighted there. Another application which will come pre-installed on this console is the Near. This is a location-based system which will allow the users to check what their friends nearby are playing. Another important information is regarding the games made for more platforms. If you have a game in progress on PS3 this will be synchronized with the NGP so you can play further.

   In conclusion this is WOW plus a serious competitor for PS3. I am sure more information, reviews and feedback we will have after this will be available. But this is the only bad news - Next Generation Portable from Sony will be available at the end of 2011 - so we will have to wait for about a year.

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Google Voice Number Porting

   Today Google announced the opening of porting numbers to a Google Voice account for all existing users. The porting operation will charge the user with 20 USD and porting should be completed in about 24 hours with a confirmation email sent to the requester. After the number is ported to the Google Voice account the mobile service plan will be cancelled. It appears that users may experience disruptions in sending and receiving text messages for up to 3 business days. The good part is that users will be able to receive/initiate calls using this number from any device/computer which has the Google Voice application installed.

   If you wish to port your number you will need to login to the Google Voice account and access the Settings page. Here you will need to click the 'Change/Port' link which will appear next to the Google Voice number.

   Oh, by the way: - Hey Google, when are going to expand your Voice services outside US - like Europe countries? We are waiting for some time now... Thank you.

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ASUS Tablets

   At CES, ASUS has announced 4 new tablet PCs, 3 of them running Google`s Android 3.0 Honeycomb and only one with Microsoft`s Windows 7 - the Home Premium version. Although they did not provide too much information regarding their key features - let`s see what we have.

Eee Pad Slider

   This looks like the best choice for users who want a product that combines the tablet`s mobility and a traditional laptop`s comfort. Slider has an IPS 10.1 inches capacitive touch screen with a WSVGA 1280 x 800 resolution and 1080P HD playback capability. The CPU, and GPU in the same time, is the nVidia Tegra 2 dual-core. For RAM memory there are 2 versions available 512 MB and 1 GB, while for storage there is a 16 GB or 32 GB eMMC flash. This can be extended with a MicroSD card up to 32GB. For connectivity Slider offers Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR, WLAN 802.11 b/g/n, one USB 2.0 mini port, mini HDMI video-out, audio jack for headset, and a docking port. This tablet comes with 2 cameras - a front 1.2 MP and a rear 5 MP with LED flash. As you already noticed in the picture has a slide out QWERTY keyboard which may remind you of the HTC Shift. As operating system Asus Slider runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

   Unfortunately there are no words regarding the battery life and the 3G network connectivity is optional. Also it appears that HD recording is missing and of course the Motorola XOOM has more.If you ask me, this looks like a great device for the business environment. But we will have to see how it compares with the Cisco Cius.

Eee Pad Transformer

   This tablet has almost the same features as the Slider. But if you do not like the keyboard you can detach it at any moment, which is a good thing. Another difference is the extra storage 64 GB version while for connectivity the USB 2.0 is missing (or at least is not mentioned anywhere) - a bad thing. The card slot is SD (SDHC) and unlike Slider, Transformer has an internal microphone and 2 stereo speakers. They say that has a smooth playback of HD video conferencing, fast Web access and 'incredible mobile gaming performance'. Oh, and the battery life offers up to 16 hours access. So this appears to be a good device for professionals but with nice gaming capability.

Eee Pad Memo 

   The Memo looks like an ebook tablet style device, especially because it comes with a stylus pen for perfect hand-written notes. Different than Slider and Transformer, the Memo has a 7.1 inches capacitive touch screen and a 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm 8260 processor. The front and rear cameras are the same as these other 2 tablets and has a micro HDMI port. As OS has Android Honeycomb but comes with 2 pre-installed applications - Media Note and Painter. The first one, as you probably guessed is a scrapbook or note taking application, while the Painter allows you to use the stylus as a sensitive drawing instrument. There are no other specifications at this moment.

Eee Slate EP121

   This is a totally different product in terms of hardware and software. Its getting very close to a normal laptop. The capacitive touch screen has a 12.1 inches size with LED-backlit display, 1280 x 800 resolution and 178° viewing angle. The processor is an Intel Core i5 470 UM dual-core, for storage there are 32 GB or 64 GB available SSD (expandable through a SDXC card) and the RAM starts with 2GB but can go up to 4GB of DDR3. As the Memo this has a stylus pen also. New features can be noticed in connectivity too: Bluetooth 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports. The OS is a Windows 7 Home Premium with all its wide range applications compatibility. So if Motorola XOOM is the most powerful Android tablet, this is the most powerful Windows 7 tablet.

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