Sony updates PS Vita firmware: Takes aim at Gmail on mobiles

 

Sony updates PS Vita firmware: Takes aim at Gmail on mobiles

Sony has just released a software update for the PS Vita that brings a host of improvements to the gaming handheld.

These include support for PlayStation Plus (so you can buy discounted games online, store your data in the cloud, and schedule games with other players), improvements to the web browser, and an email app that rivals those found on smartphones.

The email client is probably the biggest addition. You can get your Gmail or Yahoo Mail through it, and you can add more than one account as well, which you can’t do with Gmail on the iPhone. It’s not all good news though.

Some basic features are missing, so you can’t see past conversations or archive old messages. It also won’t push emails to your PS Vita, so you’ll have to set it to check every 15 minutes. Not a deal-breaker, admittedly, but annoying if you’re waiting for an important email.

The browser is a lot slicker than before, and you can use it without closing the game you’re playing, which is handy if you want to look something up quickly.

Viewsonic's massive tablet, Doom 3 coming to PS3, Xbox 360, LOVEFiLM gets HD streaming, and more

 

It’s that time again. In Gadget Digest we pick out a handful of stories we didn’t get the chance to share with you from earlier in the week. This week’s tech roundup is a nice little mix of entertainment news, gaming, music and tablets.

That sounds like a fun weekend, right? .

LOVEFiLM launches HD service secures exclusive NBCUniversal deal in battle with Netflix

In the battle for on-demand film and entertainment supremacy, LOVEFiLM has signed a multi-year agreement with NBCUniversal that will let customers exclusively watch films such as ‘Kick-Ass’, ‘Despicable Me’ and ‘Bourne Legacy’. LOVEFiLM also launched its HD service, giving customers the gift of full 1080p HD viewing where available. That’s as good a reason as any to get out the popcorn, we say.

Doom 3 to relaunch on PS3, Xbox 360, PC this autumn

Forget Call of Duty for a moment and cast your eyes and memories back to Doom – the series that made first-person shooters so popular many years back. A Doom 3: BFG Edition will be launching this autumn on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, with 3D support. As if that wasn’t enough, a single player story mode will bring seven new missions to Doom 3. Watch out for that, soon.

Pure Contour 200i Air: Pure’s first Apple AirPlay radio

Radio experts Pure has launched what could be the first of many Apple Airplay products. The Pure Contour 200i Air connects to a home Wi-Fi network to support wireless streaming from Apple devices such as an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad tablet. Naturally the Pure Contour 200i Air also works with Pure Music – Pure’s music streaming service giving users access to thousands of extra tracks and radio stations. The Pure Contour 200i Air is available now for £199.99.

Viewsonic launches massive tablet

When is a tablet not a tablet? When it measures nearly 22-inches. That’s when, but that hasn’t stopped Viewsonic calling its Viewsonic VCD22 tablet that. the exact measurements come in at 21.5-inches. The display is full HD. Other features include a 1GHz dual-core Texas Instruments processor, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, 1.2-megapixel camera micro HDMI port, and three handy USB ports. Pricing and release date details have yet to be revealed.

Seen anything else in the tech world you want to point out? Drop us a mention in the comments below. Have a great weekend, gadget fans

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Skype for PS Vita brings in-game video calls!

 

Following its arrival on the Windows Phone Marketplace, Skype has now landed on the PS Vita as a free app letting owners make and receive video and voice calls over 3G and Wi-Fi connections even during gameplay. 


Skype for PS Vita works using the PS Vita’s on-board microphone and cameras to make video calls possible. The feature owners can most look forward to is the exciting and very useful new ‘background’ mode.

During gameplay the mode lets you take Skype calls even during gameplay by pressing the PS button on the console. A pop-up notification alerts gamers when a call is coming in so that you won’t miss a call, and can easily chat about the games you’re playing with fellow PS Vita-owning Skype buddies.

Skype promises to it will continue updating and upgrading the app after its arrival, to deliver forth new features in future. 


“A lot of account functionality is not yet enabled,” Manrique Brenes, senior director, consumer electronics group at Skype told games site Polygon. “We will continue to enable features,” Brenes says, adding that Skype plans to introduce the service to as many platforms as possible.

“With the launch of Skype for PS Vita, we are taking another step towards our ultimate goal of making Skype video calling available on every platform, all over the world, and meeting the demands of existing PlayStation users to offer video on a gaming console.”

Skype for PS Vita is available for free right now. Simply head to the playStation Store to download the app that pretty much turns the PS Vita into the closest thing to a new PlayStation Phone. Have you tried it yet? Let us know what you think so far.