PSP starts streaming Music Unlimited on April 14th

What started as loose-lipped tattle is now official: the PSP will get a taste of Sony's Music Unlimited streaming music service starting on April 14th. The service, tortuously entitled "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity" by Sony, requires a PlayStation Network ID to access all that digital audio. Once setup, Sony promises a "synchronized music experience" across your PSP, PS3, PC, and other network-enabled Sony devices like Bravia TVs and Blu-ray players -- a claim backed by a cloud-based catalog of some seven million tracks supported by a "music sync" functionality that will automatically organize your Music Unlimited library after perusing the local files and playlists found in your existing media player (yes, iTunes is supported). Click through the break for the full press release and a good video overview of the service while you ponder the $3.99 basic and $9.99 premium monthly service fees.

"Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™" Arrives on the PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable)

FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 7, 2011 –SonyNetwork Entertainment today announced that beginning April 14, PlayStation®Portable (PSP™) owners with PlayStation®Network (PSN) IDs will be able to access "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™," a new, cloud-based, digital music service which lets music lovers listen to millions of songs and easily discover new music from major and independent labels from around theworld*. PSP owners can also enjoy a common and synchronized music experience on their PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment systems as well as PCs and other network-enabled Sony devices without the need to manage or transfer music files.

Music Unlimited debuted in the U.K. and Ireland in December 2010 and became available in France, Germany, Italy and Spain in January 2011, then later launched in the United States, Australia and New Zealand in February 2011, representing one of the fastest global rollouts ever seen for a digital music service.

Music Unlimited service gives users the music they want,when they want it. It offers instant streaming access to a catalogue of over seven million songs on any PC or laptop, as well as a variety of Sony devices, including Sony's 2010 and 2011 models of network-enabled BRAVIA® TVs, Blu-Ray Disc™ players, Blu-Ray Disc Home Theatre systems, as well as PlayStation®3, VAIO® laptops, and now the PlayStation®Portable. It will also become available on a wider range of Sony's portable devices, Android-based mobile devices, and other portable devices.
By studying users' listening habits and incorporating their preferences, "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity" delivers dozens of personalized music channels uniquely tailored to their tastes, commercial-free and uninterrupted, with unlimited skips. Consumers can try the Premium service free for 30-days. Go to www.qmusic.com for more information.

*Currently accessible on PSP handheld entertainment systems in WiFi network environments

Manual for Alienware M11x with Sandy Bridge confirms NVIDIA GT540M graphics

If the previous Alienware M11x R3 spec leak got you all giddy, then we have some good news for you: according to a manual dug up by one of our eagle-eyed readers, it appears that this year's M11x refresh will indeed be coming with second-gen Core i5 ULV and Core i7 ULV options, along with a faster DDR3 bus (1333MHz instead of 800MHz), a higher-res webcam (2MP instead of 1.3MP), an HD TrueLife LCD, and optional 3G / 4G mobile broadband. But of course, the real meat on this laptop is its graphics card, which turns out to be an NVIDIA GeForce GT540M with either 1Gb or 2GB of dedicated memory -- not bad for a laptop of this size. Unsurprisingly, no dates or prices are mentioned here, but given the early start of inventory clearance, it shouldn't be long before Round Rock reveals all. Dell (ZIP)

IBM shows off Smarter Traveler traffic prediction tool

Traffic alerts on GPS devices may be old hat at this point, but there's obviously still plenty of room for improvement, and IBM now says it's managed to do just that with its new "Smarter Traveler" traffic prediction tool. Developed with the help of UC Berkeley's transportation group and the California Department of Transportation, the tool relies on predictive analytics software, GPS monitoring and sensors already on the roads to not only offer alerts, but build a model of each person's usual commuter route. Once the system is trained a bit, commuters are able to check out what's effectively a forecast of their entire route before they even leave the house, rather than simply be alerted to traffic problems before it's too late to avoid them. Head on past for the complete press release, and a quick video explanation of how it works. IBM, Caltrans and UC Berkeley Aim to Help Commuters Avoid Congested Roadways Before their Trip Begins First-of-a-K...

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo delayed to Q3, Arc and Play facing limited supply due to Japanese quake

There hasn't been much good news coming out of Japan lately and this sadly keeps up with the unhappy trend. Sony Ericsson has officially bumped the broad launch (it's already available in limited quantities) of its Xperia Neo handset to at least July, explaining the delay as the result of "supply chain disruptions." Additionally, the Xperia Arc and Play devices, two other members of the company's new Android Gingerbread family, will be available in smaller volume than expected, at least for the near term. We guess that might go some way to explaining why the Xperia Play failed to reach some UK carriers in time for its April 1st launch date. Skip past the break for a statement from Sony Ericsson, who promises to be more explicit about the situation when it delivers its latest quarterly results on April 19th. As Sony Ericsson continues to assess the impact of the situation in Japan on its business, we have communicated to our operator customers and dis...

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