So, why isn't the PSP the de facto portable multimedia device?

[Dimwhit]

iPod

Plays music. Nice screen for photo viewing. Screen is too small for extended viewing of movies/TV. No 'net access. Bottom line: Does 3 of the big 4 and is the closest thing to a de facto device out there, IMO. Interface is excellent. Very easy to move media to and from the device.

Once Apple releases the next gen video iPod, things will change. Especially if they're smart and build in WiFi streaming to computers/internet. But a widescreen iPod is just a matter of when. I think the absolute latest would be MacWorld in Jan '08, but I'd be surprised if they wait that long.

Once it comes out, I'll probably get one for my wife. Depending on storage size. Rumors are they'll be going all-flash, which right now would limit it to 16GB, maybe 32GB. A 32GB video iPod I'd consider. But that's as low as I'd go. We'll see what happens.

Never seen the Sony, though.

 

[Ranger REG]

John is absolutely right, and after reading three posts in a row going off on tangents about how it stacks up as a game console, I'm glad he said it. I think I laid out very clearly in my opening post that I was evaluating the PSP as a multimedia device that's got a big screen, low price, wifi internet connectivity, and can play games. I'm saying this is what it can do that an iPod can't. I don't even know what DS stands for, and I'm not really that interested in finding out, unless of course it's an even better multimedia device.

Sorry, but I think we made the point that it isn't. It's primarily marketed as a handheld videogame console. The multimedia feature (able to play movies and music) is just a bonus. Nothing to get excited about it. If you're looking at it as a multimedia device and not a videogame handheld, you're barking up the wrong tree. It's like comparing an Emerson CD Clock Radio to a Kenwood home audio system.

 

[John Crichton]

Once Apple releases the next gen video iPod, things will change. Especially if they're smart and build in WiFi streaming to computers/internet. But a widescreen iPod is just a matter of when. I think the absolute latest would be MacWorld in Jan '08, but I'd be surprised if they wait that long.

I certainly hope the next version of the iPod has widescreen support and internet. There is no reason to release a new version without those features. That said, I just bought one last year so I'll be waiting at least two generations to start thinking about buying a new one. I only bought the iPod for music, the screen is just gravy and cool for album covers.

Never seen the Sony, though.

Really? If you are into tech at all, check one out a store. The screen is amazing.

 

[Felon]

Sorry, but I think we made the point that it isn't. It's primarily marketed as a handheld videogame console. The multimedia feature (able to play movies and music) is just a bonus. Nothing to get excited about it.

You didn't really "make" the point by providing any hard data. Just asserting that its primary purpose is X and not Y without providing specifics as to why it's inferior in regards to Y doesn't help me. I mean, if my $30 toaster turned out to be an outstanding multimedia device, I wouldn't decide not to use it as such just because its primary purpose is cooking slices of bread.

But lo and behold, Twistedbishop, Arwyn, Vigilance, and J. Crichton have stepped up and provided the little chunklets of info I was looking for. Thank you one and all. The PSP won't play my AVI's, it won't hold more than a handful of movies, and the battery is weak. Those were prime considerations.

I also noticed the aforementioned catch-22 in effect: if a device is ideally-sized for playing video, then it's deemed too big to be portable.

Really, it sounds like the Creative Labs Zen I bought kicks a fair amount of butt. Good for me!

 

[Steel_Wind]

This is another non-answer answer.

There are a million reasons why an Ipod is better for multimedia than a PSP? I'm not that high maintenance. I'd settle for two or three.

I said one hundred million for a reason.

It was a reference to the number of Ipods that have been sold, as announced this week by Apple: 100,000,000.

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...Z_01_N09334422_RTRUKOC_0_US-APPLE-IPODS-1.xml

It's compact, it's powerful, it's easy to use, it's cool, it has a 30 or 60 gig hard drive in video mode. Itunes software (and service, for those that want it).

It has an aftermarket of add-ons for it that fill a section of the local Best Buy.

Yadda yadda.

Don't listen to me. Listen to the 100 million people who bought Ipods. Money like that TALKS.

 

[John Crichton]

I said one hundred million for a reason.

It was a reference to the number of Ipods that have been sold, as announced this week by Apple: 100,000,000.

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...Z_01_N09334422_RTRUKOC_0_US-APPLE-IPODS-1.xml

It's compact, it's powerful, it's easy to use, it's cool, it has a 30 or 60 gig hard drive in video mode. Itunes software (and service, for those that want it).

It has an aftermarket of add-ons for it that fill a section of the local Best Buy.

Yadda yadda.

Don't listen to me. Listen to the 100 million people who bought Ipods. Money like that TALKS.

Right, but iPod is not a true multimedia device. It's primary draw is as a music player. Video is just being added to the thing. Video is becoming more popular but we'll need a newer version with a bigger screen to have it be considered a true multimedia machine.

Ever try to watch anything on an iPod for more than 10 minutes? Ugh.

And dangit, it's iPod & iTunes not Ipod. Sorry, pet peeve.

 

[Vigilance]

Right, but iPod is not a true multimedia device. It's primary draw is as a music player. Video is just being added to the thing. Video is becoming more popular but we'll need a newer version with a bigger screen to have it be considered a true multimedia machine.

Ever try to watch anything on an iPod for more than 10 minutes? Ugh.

And dangit, it's iPod & iTunes not Ipod. Sorry, pet peeve.

Which is why video games and music seem to be the killer aps of the handheld market.

I said that above, but my lawyer didnt vet my responses properly beforehand and I just got grief for responding in a way not appropriately in accord with what people wanted to hear.

 

[John Crichton]

Which is why video games and music seem to be the killer aps of the handheld market.

I said that above, but my lawyer didnt vet my responses properly beforehand and I just got grief for responding in a way not appropriately in accord with what people wanted to hear.

You already got thanked for your input. Is there a problem?

 

[Felon]

Don't listen to me. Listen to the 100 million people who bought Ipods. Money like that TALKS.

Thanks, I'll pass on blindly trusting the majority. Millions of people kept Full House on the air for eight years.

Or for a more directly-related analogy, I don't see any reason why the Zen has sold so much worse than the Ipod. It's just that snowball effect of folks trusting those big numbers.

Right, but iPod is not a true multimedia device. It's primary draw is as a music player. Video is just being added to the thing. Video is becoming more popular but we'll need a newer version with a bigger screen to have it be considered a true multimedia machine.

Ever try to watch anything on an iPod for more than 10 minutes? Ugh.

Heh. I've been watching the first season of House for a few days now. I think the Zen may need to go on Crichton's list.

 

[John Crichton]

Heh. I've been watching the first season of House for a few days now. I think the Zen may need to go on Crichton's list.

Which version of the Zen do you have? It's widescreen, right?

Also, I'm an HD whore so I tend to only watch stuff on my HDTV so I'm not really the target audience for portable video. When I travel I tend to read a magazine/book and listen to music.