Hey Microsoft! Forget the Zune, how about a Handheld instead?

Mike Bantick
Wednesday, 29 November 2006 05:56

Your IT - Entertainment

As pundits are increasingly pointing out, it is possible, against the popularity of iPod, the Zune is Doomed.   How about this for an idea then?  Take the knowledge and most of the technology from this device and take on the Sony PSP.

The PlayStation Portable (PSP), in a lot of respects, is a marvellous piece of engineering.  It looks cool, has superb interfaces with media; both wifi and cabled and provides another franchise outlet for games created for the PS3 as well as other platforms. 

The new Media Manager software provides a tool enabling users to centralise their media experience on the PC. Amalgamating files, converting a vast array of formats, transferring content between PC and PSP with a preview function that feels right.

But it does have problems, the death of the UMD movie format.  Due to Sony’s failure to secure a sensible marketing deal with Hollywood studios that would have seen content available at a sensible price.  It was obvious, consumers faced with titles available in both DVD and UMD format at the same price, which way they would jump.

Lack of hard drive; sure it would have added further weight and perhaps bulk to a Handheld device already straining to contain itself.  But imagine the possibilities of such an equipped gadget?  The Memory Stick Duo storage format is great from a power consumption and weight perspective, and capacity will only get larger.  But will it keep up with demand.  An added HDD would have given us a no-brainer solution to Music and TivoToGo recorded TV storage issues.

Now I know that there are minions deep in the Sony fortress, clanking together beakers and pulling huge wall mounted electrical circuit breakers in the constantly evolving PSP lab.  Sales figures are still strong, but the only real competition at the moment is the Nintendo DS – and really, they are not competing for the same demographic.

What is needed for the PSP to become all it can be, is some direct completion.   Microsoft, I am looking at you. What can they do? Find out on page two.