RSS video for PSP

Video podcast support is coming to the PlayStation Portable (PSP) thanks to a new firmware update Sony Computer Entertainment has published today.

The update takes the PSP firmware to version 2.8. It allows the PSP to receive video clips through RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds from blogs and other websites. Sony first added RSS and podcast support in November 2005 and expanded it in April this year.

Additionally the firmware update adds compatibility for the ".3gp" audio format used by some mobile phones, and greater access to content stored on Memory Stick memory cards.

This update also includes a demo for World Tour Soccer 2.

At least one more update is expected before the end of this year. The update will add VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) telephony and the ability to boot games from Memory Sticks, according to plans outlined by Sony in March this year.

Users can download the new firmware through the PSP's "network update" feature or here.

WiiPod

Online speculation is rife regarding rumors that Apple's next generation iPod may include the capacity to play classic Nintendo games? This is based on several suppositions, not least Apple's appointment of a game developer last year and Nintendo's adoption of Apple aesthetics.

If so, this would most likely be part of a co-branded offering including the licensing of iTunes for Nintendo's Wii and, perhaps, DS! Is it that farfetched?

Kylie La La La

I've followed Kylie Minogue's career since Neighbours and developed an adolescent crush, on her, when she embarked on a pop path that has confounded and delighted critics in equal measure! Incidentally, the album Kylie was my first ever CD purchase after buying a Sony Discman D-88 in the summer of 1988.

Further to the above. I read with unfetered interest that Kylie begins her Homecoming Tour later this year! Must secure seats at Wembley Arena for her January 2007 concert dates.

When "Kylie - Showgirl; The Greatest Hits Tour", her sold out world tour, opened in Scotland in March 2005, it was her most ambitious show yet. The show itself was a triumph and represented Kylie's finest moments in music, performance and style and is an homage to the showgirl, one of the most exotic, decadent and sensual icons of our times. Inspiration came from the Moulin Rouge to the Folies Bergere, from the Doris Girls of the Paris Lido to the entertainment palaces of Las Vegas, from the underground burlesque bars of Soho to the Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930s. Kylie's show pays tribute to the showgirl in all her forms and guises.

The Final Frontier

With the popularity of MySpace eclipsing the, not too shabby, success of Friends Reunited and boasting celebrity endorsements. It's high time for me to establish a network of friends too!

Join me.

Brit Art

Yesterday I received an e-mail from the Saatchi Gallery inviting me to exhibit my artwork.

Charles Saatchi, of Saatchi & Saatchi fame (and laterly M&C Saatchi), founded the Saatchi Gallery as a means to showcase new talent. The Saatchi Gallery is moving to the Duke of York's HQ in Chelsea, and will open again in early 2007.

King of the Castles

In the summer of 2004 Bournemouth University's Alumni Association interviewed me for a special magazine feature focusing on graduates who are now successfully working in the media industry. The article was published in The Talbot (Summer 2004) magazine. Download the PDF (13.9MB).

Speak & Spell

Surprises are rare. Yahoo! has removed the shrink-wrap from Yahoo! Messenger for Mac 3.0 Beta 1.

Nearly 3 years ago I trashed Yahoo! Messenger 2.x.x, a dated carbon application, for the last time and never gave it a second thought. Looks like the Mac developers (Konfabulator?) at Yahoo! had other ideas! This is a sweet update, applied with Tiger lip gloss:

*New look and feel for OS X
*New features including Avatars, sounds, iTunes current song and display images
*Coming soon: IM with friends that use Windows Live™ (MSN) Messenger

There's currently no chat room support. However, the final release should find its way onto most docks; it's already on mine!

New Nike iTunes is ready for download too. Hm, wonder how the Cola wars will shape up now that Coca-Cola has purportedly signed an international marketing deal with Apple?

Ministry Of Sound

AOL Radio has been updated and can now be used with free AIM accounts.

Listen to AOL Radio featuring XM's 200+ streaming radio stations on broadband or dial-up. Integrates with iChat and provides a desktop overlay for song changes.

This application is a great compliment to iTunes, which, lets face it, is somewhat lacking in terms of radio support!

Whilst listening to AOL Radio, Jessica Simpson's new single, A Public Affair, debuted! This dance anthem evokes early era Madonna (Angel is a prime example)! Very catchy.

Can't wait to hear Jessica's new album (Epic records). This will be followed by Beyoncé's B-Day, the follow-up to Beyoncé's 7.6 million selling 2003 solo debut Dangerously In Love. A line-up of top producers including The Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins and Swizz Beatz have contributed to the set, which will be released on September 4, Beyoncé's 25th birthday. B-Day is sure to be ushered-in with the pomp and circumstance once reserved for Michael Jackson!

Too Low For Zero

With the FIFA World Cup coverage now at saturation point! I'm inspired to impart the following football anecdote, which first appeared here.

In the summer of 1989 Dad, Uncle Allan, Mike and me watched Torquay United play Bolton Wanderers at Wembley Stadium. We'd secured VIP tickets and therefore were able to park in the VIP car park.

The guest of honor, Sir Elton John (obese, bold, pallid and dressed in what can only be described as Parson's attire), arrived in his signature black Bentley! His driver was promptly told not to park in the private members area! His royal highness, Sir Elton John, stepped out of the car. But, security were nonplussed and reiterated, to the driver (whose protestations had incensed security), to move the car or it would be towed away!!!

Whilst this was going on, I took the opportunity to ask Sir Elton for an autograph? His driver informed me that Mr Elton wasn't signing today, before returning to argue with security! Nice. I couldn't resist telling Sir Elton that I was a Michael Jackson fan! And the car was driven away!

So, there you have it, unequivocal proof that Sir Elton John is an incorrigible diva! Can't wait to meet Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey one day!

Mario Warez

Amazon UK has confirmed dispatch of my eagerly awaited Polar Ice DS Lite. In anticipation of its arrival tomorrow and some quality time playing Mario Kart DS, Mario 64 DS and Metroid Prime: Hunters. Here's a Wii post!

Whilst I applaud Nintendo's decision to include the Virtual Console in its next generation games machine - the download service will feature classic titles from past Nintendo consoles (from the NES to the N64) as well as from formerly competing systems, such as the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and PC Engine/TurboGrafx 16 - what impact (if any) will this have on the emulation market?

What intrinsic value (aside from legalities) is there for a paid-for download service, when ROMs and software emulators can be (relatively) easily obtained online? Yes, Nintendo (and third party companies) can issue suits (and have done so to protect their intellectual property).

In terms of mainstream consumers there's little doubt that the service will be a boon: finding and maintaining emulators and working ROMs is time intensive. And perhaps Nintendo will offer value-added features such as full screen anti-aliasing and extra levels for example?

Of course customization is part and parcel of emulators such as NESCafe and Genesis Plus. So, to the PokeROMs community there's perhaps zero benefit. I, for one, will support Virtual Console as long as the UI compares favorably with Apple's iTunes Music Store experience.

Is it too late to change the pervasive all you can eat (for free) culture?

Opera 9 has been announced and their DS browser debuts in Japan.