[Jonny_Five]

the PSP to the iPod? That doesn't even make sense to me; they are two completely different machines. Though the PSP plays music, it's a gaming machine where as the iPod is for music.
Jonathan

[Argent]

I wouldn't say that Peter Cohen is comparing the PSP to the iPod he's just using the iPod as a frame of reference in order to describe the PSP's size, weight, and feel. Not everyone ran out at midnight the other day to pick one up.

In reply to:

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they are two completely different machines. Though the PSP plays music, it's a gaming machine where as the iPod is for music.

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Peter says exactly that in the second paragraph of his review:
But the PSP is designed for a very different purpose: It's a multipurpose entertainment console that can play music, movies and video games, and display photos.

[gdsegel]

Having purchased both iPods (mini and shuffle) and most recently the PSP, I have to say I am very, very impressed with the PSP.
Even though the PSP is limited in the amount of music it can store via the memory card, it does offer a 1 gig card that can store a good amount of music for limited travelling. This coupled with the stunning graphcs that it offers in comparison to the iPod Photo and the ability to play games (I purchased EA Tiger Woods and Ridge Racer) and movies on a very small UMD disc and I think Sony has a winner.
My opinion is that this is a shot over the bow of Apple's iPod. Will Apple consider a media device similar to the PSP? I don't know. But I hope they consider it.

Gregg

[lkalliance]

That anecdote sort of validates the purpose of comparing the two, though. Even though they are hand-held electronic gadgets that do different things, I'd expect they are comparable just based on their being hand-held electronic gadgets. Might we say that MOST consumers would buy one or the other, but not both? Even if a consumer knows that they are not similar devices, he may very well regard them as budgetarily exclusive: buy one or the other.
As such I think such a comparison is valuable.

[althe3rd]

I have both the 4th gen ipod and the PSP. In my opinion its hard to say the PSP is anywhere near as good as the ipod.
Haven't any of you heard someone say "spreading yourself too thin"?
The PSP is a cool device, and its games and video screen are great. But if we are to compare it to what the ipod has, meaning music, the psp doesn't come close.
-Size the psp is bigger and heavier
-Battery life is good but not as long as the ipods
-Controls for browsing large quantities of music is almost non existant
-And supporting protected songs is also not there for the psp
So as a music player, the psp isn't ideal at all for most people. It may seem cool in concept to have a "jack of all trades" device but unfortunatly getting one that does all of the funcitons equally well is not very likely. The PSP makes a great portable movie playing device as well as a great game player ofcourse. And you are not likely to see me going for my morning jog with a giant psp in my hand as opposed to my ipod which fits in my pocket.
In conclusion, comparing the PSP to the ipod is apple's to oranges. The PSP can't fill the ipods shoes in music, and the ipod can't fill the PSP's shoes in gaming and video. I say, buy em both! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif