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PSP Online Store Coming

PSP Online Store ComingSony is adapting their idea of the PS3 online store, taking it to their handheld games machine, the PSP – in the US at least.

It’s expected that a wide variety of content could be downloaded to it – demos, full games, possibly even music and videos.

With a planned start date of Autumn, or Fall for our US readers, access will be via the handheld’s Wi-Fi, using the Web browser that comes built-in.

It’s not exactly a lightening move, given that the UK release date of the PSP was September 2005 – and that was behind the US and Japan. This was acknowledged by Jack Tretton, Sony Computer Entertainment America president, “I think the advent of a long awaited and quite frankly long overdue ability to deliver a downloadable service for the PSP will help us out a great deal.”

Xbox Soundtracks Competition: UK Bedroom Musicians Awake!

Xbox Soundtracks Competition: UK Bedroom Musicians Awake!Life as a bedroom DJ or budding band member has taken a number of twists over the last few years. After ages of playing to themselves (or in some cases, with themselves), they now find that the world wants to know them.

Microsoft are casting their large net out to pickup up some music skillz, which they’ll use to fit specially composed tunes to Xbox 360 game trailers.

Entering sounds like a cinch. Simply grab a trailer or two from the site (there’s twelve available), apply your musical talents to it and re-upload it.
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BT Shout “We’re Number One” In Broadband

BT Shout We are Number One In BroadbandBT are rather pleased with themselves today as they’ve gained the number one position, as Britain’s most popular broadband retailer.

They now got 3.66m broadband customers which, in their words “leapfrogs” them over Virgin Media (NTL/ Telewest as was).

BT are of course running a reduced price scheme for the first six months of sign up – as are Virgin Media. The big difference between the two offers is the entry price – BT £8.95/month and VM £14.99. We would suggest that this has had a major impact in achieving BT’s current number one position (as well as buying PlusNet a short while back).

We’ve just a little, quick maths on the number of BT’s subscribers.

There’s healthy cash flows for BT in this game. Even taking the customers to be on the lowest package, they’ll be clawing in £66m _per month_. This rises to £91m if people are on the highest package.

On a yearly basis that’s broadband subscriptions earning for BT of between £792m and 1.092 Billion a year! Don’t forget you also _have_ to have a phone line with them to have their broadband, so extra earning there.

Not a bad little business broadband has turned out to be for them really. Makes you wonder why they were so reluctant to get going back in the late ’90’s/early 2000’s.

Tivo Swivel Search Launched: Content Beyond The Box

Tivo Swivel Search Launched: Content Beyond The BoxTivo have released a new search function that searches over not only the content on the box or that provided by the broadcaster subscribed to, but stretches beyond this to encompass relevant results from the TiVoCast service and Amazon Unbox™ on TiVo.
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UK Access To Broadband Figures From 2000 – 2006

Want a quick recap on how the growth in the access to broadband has gone in the UK?

Lucky for you Christopher Huhne, the Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh asked the DTI

how many and what proportion of homes had access to broadband in each year since 2000; what (a) estimates of and (b) targets for broadband access his Department has made for future years;

Which led Margaret Hodge to share the following
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New Apple MacBooks Released

New Apple MacBooks ReleasedThe adage “Everything comes to those who wait” will ring true for punters who have been umming and ahhing about getting a new MacBook.

Apple have announced the rumoured update for the MacBook range, giving them faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors, 1GB of memory and larger hard drives in every model.

Those of us still languishing with iBooks, will have even more reason to finally get around to upgrading to the 1 inch high beauties, especially as the new range now covers the sleek white 2.0 GHz and 2.16 GHz MacBook models, and a mysterious black 2.16 GHz MacBook model. All of them have a 13-inch glossy widescreen display that Apple non-modestly describe as “gorgeous.”

New Apple MacBooks ReleasedThe breakdown on the UK prices are 2.0 GHz (80Gb H/D and slot-load Combo (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) optical drive – £699; 2.16 GHz White (120GB H/D and slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive) – £829; 2.16 GHz Black (160GB H/D and same SuperDrive) – £949.

All come with iLife ’06 (until the new version comes out, we guess) and are available NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!

Apple

MySpace Introduces Copyright Protection For Videos

MySpace Introduces Copyright Protection For VideosWith a chilling wind stirred up by a tornado of law suits blowing their way, MySpace has announced that it will be implementing new technology to stop members’ using copyrighted material without permission.

Based on Audible Magic technology, the new content protection system regales under the name, “Take Down Stay Down,” and MySpace is hoping that it’ll do what it says on the tin.
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BT Vision MUST Be Ready Now, As Ad Campaign Launches

BT Vision MUST Be Ready Now, As Ad Campaign LaunchesMuch to our surprise, the UK public are starting to be told about the BT Vision service from BT, through a multi-million advertising campaign, with the two 60 second ads kicking off tomorrow during ITV’s ‘Grease Is The Word’.

The background
Since its initial ‘launch’, back in December 2006, when UK journalists were gathered together at BT’s head office (we covered it live) and were exposed to a very expensive event, there’s been very little further information – or even kit available.
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