Web awaits Japanese PS2 owners

Published: 14 April 2001 y., Saturday
Planetweb, a Redwood Shores, Calif.-based software maker specializing in applications for consumer electronics, announced Thursday the availability of Egbrowser, developed in conjunction with Japan's Ergosoft. The software will work with PS2-compatible modems that connect through the console's USB (universal serial bus) port. Besides Web browsing and e-mail, the software supports MP3 music files and online features in development for current and upcoming PS2 games. The software will come on a standard disc for PS2, will be sold either on its own or bundled with a USB modem, and will work with most Internet service accounts, said Ken Soohoo, CEO of Planetweb. The software will allow WebTV-style Web browsing and e-mail, Soohoo said, but the main function is to deliver online gaming content as it becomes available for the system. "It's a totally different model from WebTV," he said. "Our main mission is to allow people to hook up and play games online." Soohoo said development of a U.S. version of the software is up to Sony, which closely controls licensing of all PS2 products. Online connections have emerged as one of the key arenas as Sony battles with Nintendo and with Microsoft's upcoming Xbox game console. The Xbox will ship with a built-in Ethernet port that will allow broadband Internet connections. Microsoft announced an agreement last month with Japanese phone giant NTT Communications to provide online services for the Xbox. Nintendo's upcoming GameCube console will include support for broadband and dial-up Internet connections.
Šaltinis: CNET News.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

Microsoft and Yahoo take on Google

Microsoft's Bing search engine will be the sole provider of search and paid search technology for all of Yahoo's websites. Yahoo will sell premium search ads for both companies. more »

Thales achieves Cat III approval at Bournemouth Airport

Thales UK today announces that its Cat III Instrument Landing System (ILS)1 has received UK approval for installation at Bournemouth Airport. more »

Shell service stations in Germany sign with Wincor for upgraded cash management

Postbank customers can now pay their fuel bills at Shell service stations and withdraw cash as stations in Hamburg, Germany, have been converted to the new technology from Wincor Nixdorf International. more »

Japan's virtual disaster training

Japanese company Crescent has simulated a series of emergency situations that people may have to deal with in the workplace. By practicing with these simulations they can learn how to cope with a real-life crisis. more »

'Hero' to take on the iPhone

The touchscreen device built on Google's Android platform equates to a bold attempt by HTC to take on Apple's popular iPhone - not by creating a copycat - but by building an attractive alternative. more »

ATMs reprogrammed to print out ATM, debit details on receipts

A devious piece of criminal coding that has been quietly at work in a clutch of ATMs at banks in Russia and Ukraine has recently been discovered. more »

MasterCard to launch mobile P-to-P payments, money transfer

In the person-to-person transfer business, text messaging is so 2008. more »

Wincor Nixdorf pioneers bank branch transformation in Indonesia

Bank Central Asia, one of Indonesia's largest banks, has partnered with Wincor Nixdorf International to rejuvenate its branch network. more »

Japan's robo-chefs

What's cooking at Tokyo's International Food Machinery and Technology Expo? For this robo-chef, it's okonomiaki, Japanese pancakes. more »

Signing into school with the iPhone

Taking attendance at Aoyama University used to be a chore, but no longer as the Japanese school is giving over 500 iPhones to students and faculty in an effort to enhance the classroom experience. more »