Sony
Computer
Entertainment
America
Offers PSP®
(PlayStation®Portable)
Users
T-Mobile®
Hotspot
Access
Online
Gaming and
Internet
Access at
T-Mobile®
HotSpots Now
Available to
PSP® Owners
as Part of
Latest PSP®
System
Firmware
Update
FOSTER CITY,
Calif.,
March 29,
2007 – Sony
Computer
Entertainment
America (SCEA)
today
announced a
new firmware
upgrade for
the
PSP®(PlayStation®Portable)
system,
version
3.30,
enabling PSP
users to
play
compatible
games
online, surf
the Web, and
download
podcasts at
more than
7,000
T-Mobile®
HotSpot
locations,
including
select
Starbucks
coffee
shops,
Borders
bookstores,
Hyatt
Hotels, and
more than 70
major
airports
across the
United
States.
This limited
time
promotional
offer
includes six
months of
Wi-Fi
network
access to
T-Mobile
HotSpot
starting at
the initial
log-in on
the T-Mobile
HotSpot
network for
PSP owners
who have
downloaded
the firmware
update. Once
the
six-month
period is
complete,
T-Mobile
will offer
PSP owners
an option to
purchase a
subscription
at a special
rate.
Details of
the post
offer will
be available
directly
from
T-Mobile.
PSP owners
must log-in
to the
T-Mobile
HotSpot
Network by
March 28,
2008, to
access the
six-month
promotional
period.
“This new
offer
enables SCEA
to take
portable
gaming and
entertainment
to a new
level of
mobility and
convenience
for PSP
owners,”
said Peter
Dille,
Senior Vice
President of
Marketing,
Sony
Computer
Entertainment
America.
“With
T-Mobile’s
service,
we’re making
it possible
for the PSP
community to
connect in
new ways and
access the
online
content they
want in more
places than
ever before.
More and
more PSP
users are
going online
to challenge
each other
in
multi-player
games, and
we can now
make it more
convenient
to access
online
gaming as
well as the
Internet,
showcasing
the rich
feature set
that PSP has
to offer.”
Joe Sims,
Vice
President
and General
Manager,
Broadband
Products and
Services,
T-Mobile
USA, said,
“Through
SCEA’s offer
to PSP
owners,
T-Mobile
HotSpot is
expanding
the ways
customers
can stay
connected.
Now the
millions of
loyal PSP
users in the
United
States will
be able to
go online at
thousands of
T-Mobile
HotSpot
locations
across the
country that
they may
already
frequent
daily.”
PSP users
can now
enter a
T-Mobile
HotSpot
location and
access
compatible
online games
via the
PSP’s Wi-Fi
functionality.
Ratchet and
Clank: Size
Matters, the
highly
acclaimed
newest
chapter in
the popular
franchise,
is the first
title to
take
advantage of
this new
online
access,
enabling PSP
owners to
tackle the
title’s
various
multi-player
options
whenever
they’re at a
T-Mobile
HotSpot.
Additional
software
titles
supporting
access to
T-Mobile
HotSpot
locations
will be
released
later this
year.
Additionally,
this new
capability
makes it
easier than
ever to
access the
PSP system’s
multimedia
features
beyond
online
gaming. PSP
owners can
take a break
from the
controls and
watch a
streaming
video or
download a
podcast
while
drinking
lattes at
Starbucks,
check out
online
reviews of
the latest
book
releases
while
browsing at
Borders, or
access
online city
guides for
restaurant
and
nightlife
recommendations
when passing
through the
airport or a
Hyatt hotel.
Additional
Firmware
3.30
Upgrades
The firmware
3.30 update
is now
available
and includes
the addition
of T-Mobile
HotSpot
access as
well as the
following
upgrades.
Full-resolution
video – PSP
users can
now view
videos saved
on a Memory
Stick Duo in
full
resolution
(720x480).
Thumbnail
support –
Thumbnail
files for
video and
RSS content
can now be
displayed.
PSP system
firmware
updates can
be
wirelessly
downloaded
directly to
a PSP system
using a
Wi-Fi
connection;
downloaded
to a PC from
http://www.us.playstation.com/psp
and
transferred
to a PSP
system
through a
USB cable;
or installed
using
upcoming UMD™
software.
About PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
handheld
entertainment
system
PSP is the
first truly
integrated
handheld
entertainment
system
designed to
handle
multiple
applications
— music,
video,
photo,
Internet,
live and
recorded TV,
and wireless
connectivity,
with games
as its key
feature. PSP
system
features an
unmatched
library of
entertainment
content,
totaling
more than
200 games
and nearly
450 feature
films, TV
programs,
and videos
from major
studios and
record
labels, as
well as
downloadable
content from
the
Internet.
About Sony
Computer
Entertainment
America Inc.
Sony
Computer
Entertainment
America Inc.
continues to
redefine the
entertainment
lifestyle
with its
PlayStation®
and PS one®
game
console, the
PlayStation®2
computer
entertainment
system, and
the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)
system, and
the
ground-breaking
PLAYSTATION®3
(PS3™)
computer
entertainment
system.
Recognized
as the
undisputed
industry
leader, Sony
Computer
Entertainment
America Inc.
markets the
PlayStation
family of
products and
develops,
publishes,
markets, and
distributes
software for
the PS one
game
console, the
PlayStation
2 computer
entertainment
system and
the PSP
system for
the North
American
market.
Based in
Foster City,
Calif. Sony
Computer
Entertainment
America,
Inc. serves
as
headquarters
for all
North
American
operations
and is a
wholly owned
subsidiary
of Sony
Computer
Entertainment
Inc.
About
T-Mobile USA
Based in
Bellevue,
Wash.,
T-Mobile
USA, Inc. is
a member of
the T-Mobile
International
group, one
of the
world’s
leading
companies in
mobile
communications,
and the
mobile
telecommunications
subsidiary
of Deutsche
Telekom AG.
At the end
of December
2006, more
than 106
million
mobile
customers
were served
by companies
of the
Deutsche
Telekom
group — 25
million by
T-Mobile USA
— all via a
common
technology
platform
based on GSM,
the world’s
most
successful
digital
wireless
standard.
T-Mobile’s
innovative
wireless
products and
services
help empower
people to
connect
effortlessly
to those who
matter most.
Multiple
independent
research
studies
continue to
rank
T-Mobile
highest, in
numerous
regions
throughout
the U.S., in
wireless
call quality
and wireless
customer
care. For
more
information,
please visit
the
company’s
Web site at
www.t-mobile.com.
T-Mobile® is
a federally
registered
trademark.