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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Hacking the PSP has long been a popular pastime, but the 3000 model has proven a tough nut to crack. Don’t pop open the champagne just yet, though, Sony — Datel has revealed a special battery peripheral called the Lite Blue Tool that boots the handheld console into service mode, where downgrades to earlier, cracked firmwares are possible. Of course, most older PSPs could be downgraded without any additional hardware and you only needed a battery like Pandora if you failed the idiot test and bricked your system, but be patient, pirates totally legit homebrew types — Rome wasn’t burnt in a day. Lite Blue is priced at an affordable $29.99, not bad for an interim solution if homebrew and “backups” are your thing.

PSP 3000 finally, inevitably hacked by Datel’s Lite Blue Tool originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After being saved by a near-miraculous act of Congress, net radio operators are busy negotiating new rates with royalty-collection mobsters SoundExchange that hopefully won’t put them out of business. Pandora CEO Tim Westergren says that while the final deal isn’t expected until next year, “the hard stuff has been done.” He won’t say what the new rates are, just that they’re still “tremendously unfair.” Good to know some things are still the same. [All Things D]

Filed under: Gaming

The PSP has proven to be quite the popular system among hackers and modders of all sorts, but it looks like Sony has turned the tables a bit with its latest PSP-3000 model (otherwise known as the PSP Brite), which has so far put up a stiff resistance against folks’ attempts to put it to some decidedly unofficial uses. Among other things, the PSP-3000 has apparently completely shut shutting down the popular Pandora battery hack, and it’s even managed to stifle new attempts by heavyweight modders like Dark Alex to crack it open. One modder, known only as Royginald, even went so far as to swap the PSP-3000’s CPU out in favor of one from a PSP-2000, only to discover far too late that the 3000’s new interlaced video made the entire setup quite useless. Maybe that’s one of the “features” Sony was talking about?

[Via PSP Fanboy]

PSP-3000 proving to be difficult for hackers to crack originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

While any announcement of a new game console is rightly going to be greeting with a hefty amount of skepticism, it looks like this new Evo “Smart Console” from upstart Envizions Computer Entertainment could be a bit of a unique case and, as Pandora has shown, sometimes these things do actually pan out. Working in the Evo’s favor is the fact that it’s really nothing more than a Linux-based computer that relies entirely on off the shelf parts like an overclocked Athlon 64×2 5600 processor and ATI Radeon 3200 graphics. The more ambitious, and potentially vaporware bit, is Envizions’ hopes for the system as a game development platform and a cloud computing device of sorts. Apparently, it’s betting on developers tailoring games specifically for the system and selling ‘em through its proposed Evo Network, which Envizions CEO Derrick Samuels says would “give Linux game developers a chance to make some money.” The company also says that a subsidized rebate plan will eventually bring the price of the console down to $250, but it’ll run a full $600 out of the gate, and Envizions will gladly take a $100 deposit right now from anyone willing to reserve one of the first few consoles that’ll supposedly start shipping on November 20th.

[Via thegadgetsite]

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When we last checked in with Lala, the music service promised us access to our local collections from anywhere over the web. Using a unique combination of uploading and matching their collection to yours, you can sync your various libraries and listen to them any place where internet is available. Now they are back with some brand new features, including a vastly expanded catalog, an iPhone app and the unheard of 10-cent song.

So how do they get away with it? Well, Lala assumes that you’re doing most of your listening over the web—as a result, the songs that cost a dime are only playable through a browser, like Rhapsody in the olden days. If you want the DRM-free MP3 for your portable player (or whatever), you’re looking at a more typical 89 to 99-cent sticker price. All songs in the 6 million+ track catalog can be sampled once for free before you commit to purchasing them, and the 10 cents for a web purchase can be credited toward your MP3 purchase, so it’s not money lost.

If you listen to most of your music sitting at the computer, and have qualms about stealing it, Lala may very well be a good way to go. It’s like a soup made up of the best components of other online music services such as iTunes, Rhapsody, Pandora, and Last.fm. The site is appealing, the music recommendation engine is good, and there’s some value in there. If you’re the type of person who would add just one or two new songs per day to your personal playlist, this kind of a la carte pay system is a lot cheaper and more practical than Rhapsody. You can build up a nice collection for a few dollars a month, and you don’t keep paying after you’ve amassed all the music you need.

Finally, web browsers and internet connectivity is becoming, if not already, the norm in smartphones, I mean “coms”, and Lala plans to expand to meet this market. They already have an iPhone app in the approval process, which will play recommended songs and hopefully soon, your web library too. An app that acts like Simplify and Pandora together? It could be a real winner, but we’ll reserve judgment till we see it in action. [Lala]

PALO ALTO, Calif., October 21, 2008 – Lala is unveiling the first and only free service to instantly provide anywhere Web access to an existing MP3 music library such as iTunes. Replacing the outdated approach of uploading MP3 files from a PC, Lala introduces a licensed technology to instantly match songs from consumers’ personal music library with the Web-based catalog on lala.com.

Adding new music to a collection is easier and less expensive than ever. Sample any full song or complete album for free. Add songs to a Web collection for only 10 cents, and buy DRM-free MP3 downloads for as low as an additional 79 cents.

“We live our lives in a browser, whether it’s emailing, watching television shows or using Facebook” said Geoff Ralston, CEO of Lala. “When I launched Yahoo! Mail few thought hundreds of millions would depend on Web email. My music belongs online in the same way. Will there be anything without a browser in 5 years?”

Microsoft Explorer, FireFox, and Safari browsers on both Windows and Mac OS are supported.

Major and Independent Labels Support
All four major labels including EMI Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group and publishers have licensed Lala with partnership agreements to stream and sell music online.

And unlike ad-supported music sites, Lala has garnered support from over 170,000 independent labels and distributors.

“We thank Lala for their support of A2IM and the independent music community and congratulate them on the launch of their new service which includes tens of thousands of independent artists, labels, aggregators and distributors,” said Rich Bengloff, President of The American Association For Independent Music (A2IM). “As the primary advocacy group for the independent music community, we also applaud Lala for recognizing the value of independent labels and artists to their business and providing inclusion to the independent community in their launch.”

The Most Affordable Music on the Web
Lala offers consumers the easiest, most affordable way to buy music on the Web. Lala’s catalog includes over 6 million songs which users can play once for free before buying. For as little as 10 cents, users can buy a Websong, a new product that gives users the ability to play as often as they choose from their web collection. The Websong fee can be applied towards the purchase of the DRM-free MP3 version of the same track. MP3s are priced from 89 cents or 79 cents with a prior web song purchase.

Unique Features of lala.com
· Completely advertising free service
· First and only fully licensed service for free Web hosting of a personal music library
· Instant matching of MP3s and iTunes Fairplay songs to the Web without uploading
· Fully featured web-application in a browser with speedy look-ahead search, drag and drop playlist creation, and instant, continuous music streaming
· 6 million and growing song catalog
· Free sampling of the entire catalog as songs or albums
· Websongs available for purchase at 10 cents or less
· DRM-free MP3s for additional price of 79 cents
· Support of popular Web browsers including Windows Explorer, Firefox, and Safari
· Support for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS
· Catalog of all four major labels and publishers
· Catalog of 170,000 independent labels

When we last checked in with Lala, the music service promised us access to our local collections from anywhere over the web. Using a unique combination of uploading and matching their collection to yours, you can sync your various libraries and listen to them any place where internet is available. Now they are back with some brand new features, including a vastly expanded catalog, an iPhone app and the unheard of 10-cent song.

So how do they get away with it? Well, Lala assumes that you’re doing most of your listening over the web—as a result, the songs that cost a dime are only playable through a browser, like Rhapsody in the olden days. If you want the DRM-free MP3 for your portable player (or whatever), you’re looking at a more typical 89 to 99-cent sticker price. All songs in the 6 million+ track catalog can be sampled once for free before you commit to purchasing them, and the 10 cents for a web purchase can be credited toward your MP3 purchase, so it’s not money lost.

If you listen to most of your music sitting at the computer, and have qualms about stealing it, Lala may very well be a good way to go. It’s like a soup made up of the best components of other online music services such as iTunes, Rhapsody, Pandora, and Last.fm. The site is appealing, the music recommendation engine is good, and there’s some value in there. If you’re the type of person who would add just one or two new songs per day to your personal playlist, this kind of a la carte pay system is a lot cheaper and more practical than Rhapsody. You can build up a nice collection for a few dollars a month, and you don’t keep paying after you’ve amassed all the music you need.

Finally, web browsers and internet connectivity is becoming, if not already, the norm in smartphones, I mean “coms”, and Lala plans to expand to meet this market. They already have an iPhone app in the approval process, which will play recommended songs and hopefully soon, your web library too. An app that acts like Simplify and Pandora together? It could be a real winner, but we’ll reserve judgment till we see it in action. [Lala]

PALO ALTO, Calif., October 21, 2008 – Lala is unveiling the first and only free service to instantly provide anywhere Web access to an existing MP3 music library such as iTunes. Replacing the outdated approach of uploading MP3 files from a PC, Lala introduces a licensed technology to instantly match songs from consumers’ personal music library with the Web-based catalog on lala.com.

Adding new music to a collection is easier and less expensive than ever. Sample any full song or complete album for free. Add songs to a Web collection for only 10 cents, and buy DRM-free MP3 downloads for as low as an additional 79 cents.

“We live our lives in a browser, whether it’s emailing, watching television shows or using Facebook” said Geoff Ralston, CEO of Lala. “When I launched Yahoo! Mail few thought hundreds of millions would depend on Web email. My music belongs online in the same way. Will there be anything without a browser in 5 years?”

Microsoft Explorer, FireFox, and Safari browsers on both Windows and Mac OS are supported.

Major and Independent Labels Support
All four major labels including EMI Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group and publishers have licensed Lala with partnership agreements to stream and sell music online.

And unlike ad-supported music sites, Lala has garnered support from over 170,000 independent labels and distributors.

“We thank Lala for their support of A2IM and the independent music community and congratulate them on the launch of their new service which includes tens of thousands of independent artists, labels, aggregators and distributors,” said Rich Bengloff, President of The American Association For Independent Music (A2IM). “As the primary advocacy group for the independent music community, we also applaud Lala for recognizing the value of independent labels and artists to their business and providing inclusion to the independent community in their launch.”

The Most Affordable Music on the Web
Lala offers consumers the easiest, most affordable way to buy music on the Web. Lala’s catalog includes over 6 million songs which users can play once for free before buying. For as little as 10 cents, users can buy a Websong, a new product that gives users the ability to play as often as they choose from their web collection. The Websong fee can be applied towards the purchase of the DRM-free MP3 version of the same track. MP3s are priced from 89 cents or 79 cents with a prior web song purchase.

Unique Features of lala.com
· Completely advertising free service
· First and only fully licensed service for free Web hosting of a personal music library
· Instant matching of MP3s and iTunes Fairplay songs to the Web without uploading
· Fully featured web-application in a browser with speedy look-ahead search, drag and drop playlist creation, and instant, continuous music streaming
· 6 million and growing song catalog
· Free sampling of the entire catalog as songs or albums
· Websongs available for purchase at 10 cents or less
· DRM-free MP3s for additional price of 79 cents
· Support of popular Web browsers including Windows Explorer, Firefox, and Safari
· Support for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS
· Catalog of all four major labels and publishers
· Catalog of 170,000 independent labels

Filed under: Handhelds

Before we go any further, we’d like to inform this here Telson UMPC that if Pandora can finally get out of the starting blocks, so can you. Today, we’re looking at new evidence that Digital Cube (the handheld’s new parent) could be inching ever closer to bringing this shockingly thick gaming handheld to market. Out of seemingly nowhere, images have emerged of the portable posing beside a USB 3D camera dongle (saywha?); additionally, we’re told that it will pack a 1.2GHz VIA C7M CPU and feature a 4.3-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 30GB hard drive and Windows XP. Oh, and we’re also informed that it’ll be “released in October” in at least one section of the world, so we’ve got T-minus 27 days to see if that claim is legit.

[Via Pocketables]

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Filed under: Handhelds

Before we go any further, we’d like to inform this here Telson UMPC that if Pandora can finally get out of the starting blocks, so can you. Today, we’re looking at new evidence that Digital Cube (the handheld’s new parent) could be inching ever closer to bringing this shockingly thick gaming handheld to market. Out of seemingly nowhere, images have emerged of the portable posing beside a USB 3D camera dongle (saywha?); additionally, we’re told that it will pack a 1.2GHz VIA C7M CPU and feature a 4.3-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 30GB hard drive and Windows XP. Oh, and we’re also informed that it’ll be “released in October” in at least one section of the world, so we’ve got T-minus 27 days to see if that claim is legit.

[Via Pocketables]

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CNet earlier today broke a story about how the National Association of Broadcasters—traditional broadcasting conglomerates and others who think HD Radio is more vital than the internet—is trying to kill a brand new bill that could save Pandora and other web radio services. We’ve done some reporting of our own, and the situation does indeed seem dire. If you love your Pandora, here’s what’s going on, and how you can help save its very existence:

Though we had previously feared the worst, Pandora honcho Tim Westergren told us today that he and other web broadcasters were about to reach a settlement with SoundExchange, the RIAA and the Copyright Royalty Board. They needed a bit more time, which would be granted by a new bill, HR 7084. Though the bill, introduced by Congressman Jay Inslee and others, only extends the negotiation period, Westergren told us that it’s the clincher. “We’ve negotiating for over a year, but people on both sides are now feeling optimistic about getting a deal done,” he says. “This bill is a signal of that. We need more time, but we’re getting there.”

Enter the NAB, who issued the following statement to us and others from Executive VP Dennis Wharton:

NAB has concerns related to Congress attempting to fast-track a bill introduced less than 24 hours ago that could have serious implications for broadcasters, webcasters, and consumers of music. NAB spent more than a year trying to work out an equitable agreement on webcasting rates, only to be stonewalled by SoundExchange and the record labels. We will continue to work with policymakers on a solution that is fair to all parties.

The funny part about this, at least to Westergren, is that this bill and subsequent settlement would actually grant broadcasters lower fees on the internet, too. “If this falls apart, [NAB members] pay more for their webcasts, too,” he says. “So there’s only one interpretation, that they are trying to kill us.”

Man, Pandora, why is everyone out to get you? If you readers feel like forming up in Pandora’s defense, tell your congressperson that you support HR 7084, aka the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008. Congressional switchboard is (202) 225-3121, and you know your congressperson has a website, right? Since Capitol Hill is abuzz nights and weekends trying to stem the financial crisis, you can pretty much call at any hour and someone will answer. [Pandora]

CNet earlier today broke a story about how the National Association of Broadcasters—traditional broadcasting conglomerates and others who think HD Radio is more vital than the internet—is trying to kill a brand new bill that could save Pandora and other web radio services. We’ve done some reporting of our own, and the situation does indeed seem dire. If you love your Pandora, here’s what’s going on, and how you can help save its very existence:

Though we had previously feared the worst, Pandora honcho Tim Westergren told us today that he and other web broadcasters were about to reach a settlement with SoundExchange, the RIAA and the Copyright Royalty Board. They needed a bit more time, which would be granted by a new bill, HR 7084. Though the bill, introduced by Congressman Jay Inslee and others, only extends the negotiation period, Westergren told us that it’s the clincher. “We’ve negotiating for over a year, but people on both sides are now feeling optimistic about getting a deal done,” he says. “This bill is a signal of that. We need more time, but we’re getting there.”

Enter the NAB, who issued the following statement to us and others from Executive VP Dennis Wharton:

NAB has concerns related to Congress attempting to fast-track a bill introduced less than 24 hours ago that could have serious implications for broadcasters, webcasters, and consumers of music. NAB spent more than a year trying to work out an equitable agreement on webcasting rates, only to be stonewalled by SoundExchange and the record labels. We will continue to work with policymakers on a solution that is fair to all parties.

The funny part about this, at least to Westergren, is that this bill and subsequent settlement would actually grant broadcasters lower fees on the internet, too. “If this falls apart, [NAB members] pay more for their webcasts, too,” he says. “So there’s only one interpretation, that they are trying to kill us.”

Man, Pandora, why is everyone out to get you? If you readers feel like forming up in Pandora’s defense, tell your congressperson that you support HR 7084, aka the Webcaster Settlement Act of 2008. Congressional switchboard is (202) 225-3121, and you know your congressperson has a website, right? Since Capitol Hill is abuzz nights and weekends trying to stem the financial crisis, you can pretty much call at any hour and someone will answer. [Pandora]