Sony building Android 3.0-based PSP smartphone?

Matthew DeCarlo

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All that clamor about the PSP being "just" a single-function device may have sunk in. Engadget has it on good authority that Sony Ericsson is preparing an Android 3.0-based gaming smartphone described as a mix between the Samsung Captivate and the PSP Go. A "trusted source" tells the site that the company is toiling away on a landscape slider with game controls instead of a hardware keyboard.

The slider contains a standard D-pad but opts for some kind of touch pad instead of a joystick, and there's also word of shoulder buttons. It carries a large 3.7 to 4.1-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera and it's powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Color-wise, you can expect something that's mostly black with silver or white accents. Engadget has a rough mockup seen below.


As noted, it runs Android 3.0, codenamed Gingerbread, with a custom skin. Games will be on par with PSP titles (Modern Warfare and God of War were mentioned) and downloaded from a new Android Market section, which might be open to other handsets that meet the requirements. Early speculation says the phone will be unveiled as early as October, but nothing is official at this point.

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hello ...

i've been waiting long for a PSP, was hoping for a number 2, but with a PSP Phone why not! I agree trillionsin, if the price is right this time, i'll GO for the PSP-GO phone ;)

cheers!
 
IDK the last Sony Ericsson phone I owned had retched service. People on the same network but with other brands of phones had 4 to 5 bars of service standing right next to me - I would be lucky to get any service at all. So that kinda worries me.

Other than that the idea sounds pretty cool.
 
I've never had any problem with sony ericsson phones and i've been using them after switching from nokia O_o

Anyway, yeah if this turns out well it would be definitely on my list
 
Not sure why people aren't more excited around here...I, for one, am extremely happy to see Android edging slowly but surely into the handheld gaming, tablet, and mp3 player markets.

I think this has potential to clean up pretty nicely in its niche market. Sony makes a good product, Android is AWESOME, and this thing doesn't come loaded with Froyo - it comes with 3.0. That alone is enough to pique my interest in this device.

Also to remember -- kids (PSP market) are getting phones younger and younger. When my generation was old enough to have a gameboy, having a cellphone would be UNHEARD OF. Now, kids walk around aged 9 or 10 with phones. What 9 year old boy WOULDN'T want this? It seems like a great teeny-bopper birthday gift / upgrade from Little Jimmy's first phone / excuse for parents not to buy their kids both a PSP and a cellphone.
 
Where do you live that a 4th or 5th grader has a cell phone? Must be a really nice suburban neighborhood you're from.
 
You would be surprised how many 10 year olds have phones... I don't exactly come from a nice suburban area, but everyone has a mobile phone these day, even children. When I was 10 i wouldn't have even thought of having a mobile...
 
Sounds pretty cool. I assume it'd be an upgrade on current PSP specs. I actually liked the N-Gage when I owned it. Sure it had some issues, but I did enjoy playing games on it. It still think its shape was pretty well designed for that (although not for talking...).
 
+ Phone has Android
+ Phone is powerful
+ Phone is a PSP
+ Phone can use both Android and PSP markets
- Uhmm...No keypad?

Yeah I am going to buy one :D
 
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