The battle goes on – which one is the most favourable gadget for your portable needs?

First you have to ask yourself as lots of potential buyers of either of the three below products, IPOD, IPOD TOUCH, IPOD Phone or the PSP. We do not talk about the iBook nor do we talk about Nintendos games console in this article, but they could be considered of course. Ibook is very costly but it enable you to use internet and listen to itunes with the same gadget.

What product fit your needs and the potential usage you are going to put it through?

If you look at some main parameters to judge the products more or less objective based on the user profile, you could come closer to the truth.

Look at functionalities like Gaming, Internet, Photo, Video, Music and Storage capacity. You also have to look at the user interface and its design like screen and functionality buttons.

We will try to compile these criteria’s more or less objective so you can evaluate the PSP vs the Ipod/phone products.

Gaming

Only PSP provides serious gaming console capacity and functionality. If you want gaming console capability your choice is clear, you need the Sony PSP and nothing else. There is no other choice.

Internet

Only PSP, Ipod Phone and Touch (latest software release January 2008) provides internet browsing and email capabilities. However the PSP screen is the largest of them all (for userability of web pages). PSP has some issues with some web pages which has to be taken into consideration. Apple products however have not been long enough in market to really test these features yet.

Photo

You get Photo album capabilities in all products more or less, however the PSP needs some upgrade by 3rd party software. What differentiates the products is memory capacity to hold a certain amount of pictures, but also the way you can interface with your photos. Looking at pictures, select, zoom in and out is better in the Ipod touch or the Iphone, utilizing the touch screen and its capabilities.

In all honesty the PSP looks better – the iphone seems to be suffering from a severe white balance problem. Maybe some people prefer that, but as the iphone costs four times as much as the PSP then you have to judge what is more important to meet your requirements. Obviously the PSP has the size advantage but the iPhone is brighter.

Video/Film

All products can hold videos at their internal formats, and several 3rd party software makes it possible to transfer this media between various medias such as PC, Ipod, PSP, cell phones etc. Again the user interface is the main differentiator here, as the touch screen makes it possible to browse the various movies in a more fancy and maybe interactive way than in the PSP. However this is a matter of user preference and will be highly subjective to users needs and how he/she wants to interact with the gadget. Higher resolution on the PSP versus its competitors is also a point to mention here. So if you want the high resolution and slightly better screen definition, then PSP is definitively your choice.

Music/Audio

You can send your files over and use PSP as you would use an iPod Video, although Apple product has an advantage when it comes to storage. You’ll need to get up to 8Gb MemStick DUO on the PSP to get decent memory, but still much lower than IPOD with its 60Gb capacity. If you want a straight out of the box itunes player, then select the Ipod/touch/phone range, otherwise it will just be a subjective choice as there are lots of 3rd party customization to make the PSP to offer Itunes capability, conversion of audio files etc.

Storage Capacity

You can get up to 8Gb MemStick DUO for the PSP. IPOD leads here with its 60Gb capacity. Utilizing high memory capacity for the PSP will run at a cost as well, which needs to be addressed if compared for this purpose. However the Ipod Touch or Iphone comes with maximum of 8Gb memory and can not be upgraded without consequences for warranty etc. Ipod is superior when it comes to capacity, so if you need to store tens of Gb of music, or video, then your choice is the Ipod machine. If you tend to change content often and want to transfer often, then it is either the PSP or the Iphone/ Ipod Touch choices left. However the Apple product have a slight advantage as their user interface for handling the files are easier.

User interface/Design

Several comparisons of the IPOD screen vs PSP makes PSP the clear choice. When you compare IPOD Touch or IPHONE with PSP there is still a slight advantage to PSP since the screen is larger and it seems to have better color definition and looks crispier in view.

PSP is larger as a console vs either IPOD or Iphone or Ipod Touch, so it is maybe less practical to put in your pocket. However since we talk about different usage of these gadgets, you need to see if this really is a differentiator at all.

The later products from Apple with the touch screen is of course an new technology brought to the table, however you have to judge whether you need it for the purpose you need.

It comes down to touch and feel and what you focus on most. If you focus on screen quality, the Sony PSP is the clear choice. If you focus on the user interface and modern technology, then the Apple series touch or Phone is the selection for you.

I would personally go for the PSP, since my use is internet, movie and games. Since we really talk about a game console here, it gives power to all my favourite games as well as the chance to download some fancy graphics to use as my wall papers, or to manipulate some graphics on my PC or Mac and transfer to my PSP, it makes the choice clear to me. I can read most of my favourites on internet as well as reading my emails pretty effective despite no mouse or keyboard on the PSP, but here it is up to you to select what interface you want or are used to.

However, if you are a music and photo lover, I would maybe lean towards the Ipod touch or Iphone. If you already have an iPod that works good and hold enough music to keep you happy, then go with a new PSP.

So it all depends on what you want the gadget for. If you want to listen to music, get an iPod, if you want to play games, get a PSP.

So it comes down to the question Console or a Phone or a media player?

Iphone is a phone and the PSP is a console, Ipod Touch is a media player simple and easy.

The iPhone is a very pretty and medium to high priced multi-functional handheld device that can be used as a phone. The PSP is a very pretty and low cost multi-functional handheld device that can be used to play games, or fed with some 3rd party software used for a whole lot of things. Sony would prefer you not think of PSP as a handheld, more like a multi-media portable. Several handhelds that acts similar to the iPhone with the touch interface (Treo for instance).

You have to lean towards the price as well as your user profile, there is a large price difference to consider here. But if you want to boost your PSP, the price difference gets less, and can become minimal, especially when you talk about the Ipod Touch from Apple.

The old argument for people saying the PSP was the right choice for you, was that it can play music, watch videos, check email, play games and all in one device. This argument could be used for the Iphone as well, since you have the phone capability into it.

32Gb memory stick is soon to be released, so the PSP will be more costly than the iphone, if not the same price when using this memory. However it will have more than Apple products and more flexibility as you can buy as many memory sticks you want and have one for photos, one for audio and another one for games or email information etc.

In the end, the choice is yours but you need to do the homework first, decide what you need the most in your new gadget and what flexibility you want.

People want the simplest, easist way to get enjoyment. Apple, when designing anything (OS, iPod, Hardware, and now the iPhone) always aims for a high level of ease of use.

With any MP3 player, you don’t have a uniform way of getting music. It might come with applications to rip music, and even tell you where to legally download music. But then you factor in the compatibility. It may also give you a audio converter so everything works with your player. And it’s own media manager to boot. But with the iPod, you get just iTunes. And it’s that relationship that makes the iPod so dominant in the market. The program will rip your CDs. It has access to the store where every song, regardless of what the RIAA wants, will be 99 cents or 10 USD pr CD. And when you bring in your own music, iTunes will not only add it and organize it, but convert it to AAC if need be. It’s less work on the consumer. That is an appeal. And you have to pay for this convenience. It is the real reason why these products became dominant is for their consumer design.

However the PSP with 3rd party software or as the communities call it “homebrew” has common like music and video playback, image viewing and internet browsing and in those areas I’m sure the PSP will be comparable to the Ipod range products.

The iPhone won’t play any games though, at least they haven’t announced that it will, which is what most people who have a PSP use it for.

Network to support the 2.5G network that the iPhone uses and the network is lacking several places and has to be considered.