Influx

Sony has announced its intent to release a new category of portable consumer electronic devices called PSP which will be an a-la-carte product series with various combinations of the following features:
-cell phone functionality
-Playstation-like graphical portable gaming with wireless connectivity for competiiton
-ipod-like music storage and playback and an itunes-like content download-store with the addition of video and games.

In a direct retaliatory attack on Apple, Sony will also release slimmed down versions of the PSP with equivalent features to the iPod at less than one quarter of the ipod price ($60 versus $200-$400 for an ipod.) Note that Apple effectively stole the portable mp3 device market from Sony who invented mp3 players. We’ll see whether Apple’s iPod brand campaign can hold onto market share as competitors offering lower-priced and feature-extended devices like PSP flood the market.

article entitled, ‘Sony previews new game device’
article entitled, ‘Sony offers cut-price ipod’