PSP to gain Skype VoIP capability
Monday 07th January 2008, 10:10:00 PM, written by Carl Bender
Sony has announced that coming late January via firmware update, owners
of the redesigned PSP-2000 will gain access to the Skype IP telephony
service via their portable consoles. Long rumored to be a feature in the works for the handheld, the VoIP capability will take advantage of the PSP's Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity in order to enable a link. Although both the newer and older versions of the PSP are in many respects functionally identical, the original revision of the PSP will not support the client, with the lesser internal RAM of the PSP-1000 rumored to be the choke-point in getting Skype to run properly on the system.
The client software itself will be accessible from the cross-media bar menu via a new 'Skype' icon, with present Skype users granted the ability to log in via their existing user names and passwords. Newcomers to the service will be able to register an account directly from the PSP, and able to choose from a variety of service levels paralleling the PC offerings. Specifically, calls made from the PSP to other Skype users (whether PC, PSP, or otherwise) will be free of charge in all instances, with a real-time list kept of which 'buddies' are presently logged in to the service, and thus able to receive calls. For an additional fee, PSP owners will gain 'SkypeOut,' the ability to make calls to any landline or mobile number in the world. Further, users will have the additional option of having a static phone number assigned to the PSP itself in order to enable the receipt of calls originating from non-Skype devices.
The addition of VoIP follows other recent moves by Sony towards expanding the non-gaming functionality of the PSP, including access to media content stored on linked PS3s via RemotePlay, a recently added selection of Internet radio stations accessible via the XMB, and support in Japan for a digital TV tuner.
The client software itself will be accessible from the cross-media bar menu via a new 'Skype' icon, with present Skype users granted the ability to log in via their existing user names and passwords. Newcomers to the service will be able to register an account directly from the PSP, and able to choose from a variety of service levels paralleling the PC offerings. Specifically, calls made from the PSP to other Skype users (whether PC, PSP, or otherwise) will be free of charge in all instances, with a real-time list kept of which 'buddies' are presently logged in to the service, and thus able to receive calls. For an additional fee, PSP owners will gain 'SkypeOut,' the ability to make calls to any landline or mobile number in the world. Further, users will have the additional option of having a static phone number assigned to the PSP itself in order to enable the receipt of calls originating from non-Skype devices.
The addition of VoIP follows other recent moves by Sony towards expanding the non-gaming functionality of the PSP, including access to media content stored on linked PS3s via RemotePlay, a recently added selection of Internet radio stations accessible via the XMB, and support in Japan for a digital TV tuner.
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