What could a PlayStation Phone do that iPhone can’t?
Speculation is dribbling out that Sony is contemplating a new PlayStation Portable married to a Sony Ericsson phone — the better to mine a market dominated by iPhone and other game-playing mobiles.
The concept is just a pile of words at the moment, according to reports. Even if it were more than that though, a “PSPhone” or whatever probably wouldn’t appear for a year or more.
But let’s say Sony’s committed to doing this — what more could a PSPhone be that the iPhone isn’t already?
A portable TV? Portable movie theater? Satellite radio player? How about a phone that simultaneously lets you make international calls and play games off your PlayStation 3 back at home?
The reason for iPhone’s popularity isn’t its crystal-clear connectivity; AT&T could do better in that regard, at least with Game Guy’s phone. No, people love all the little “apps” it runs on every topic from office management to weight control. Apple’s iPhone and sister device iPod touch aren’t modern conveniences as much as pocket-sized best friends that do everything but take out the trash and wax your car.
Which begs the question: What kind of things would you like to see in a PSPhone? Is there anything you think a cellular PSP could do better than an iPhone?
Since my wife and I purchased our iPhones, a year ago for me and a bit more for her, we have called it a “personal entertainment device that also makes phone calls”. We have apps for the kids to play (ending in us purchasing an iPod Touch for my daughter), for information, for work and some impressive video games. On the latter and answering your last question, with EA Sports entering the mix on the apps as well as other big name developers, I’m not overly certain that the PSPhone would be able to do anything different enough to get a big marketshare. However, as a 37 year old kid, I welcome the thought of the competition to make things more interesting for the consumer.