ModNation Racers PSP Game Review

SCORE: 74
Couple of months ago I've played ModNation Racers on the Sony PSP and I was really impressed. In general, drifting was a little stiff, however the track design was quite awe-inspiring as you could whomp up a 3D track without ever experiencing the PSP slow down or chug. If you can get used to the stiff controls, then you should be on your way.

Oblivious of ModNation Racers? Well, you are insane! It is a kart racing game that will kicked LittleBigPlanet out of the water. Sure, you will be able to take part in a long career mode and participate in race online, but there will be also this collection of creation utilities that allow you grind out the own courses, racers (also known as Mods), and you may share your karts online so people all around the whole world may download your hotrods. If you grasp deeper into the game, you will have a near-constant flow of contents, as long as there are players are popping to join the fray.
Driving will never feel all that smooth or simple, and it may hold back your experiences.
I was really torn over this game. On the one hand, it’s supremely awesome to see how the game was designed. When you whomp up your own course, modify the terrain, and add plants and buildings without the game slowing down, it’s simple to gawk at how Sony San Diego has succeeded this time. But then, the racing seems a little flat -- there isn’t a sensation of accelerateion and the controls are a little clumsy and inflexible.

ModNation Racers is a title that is rough around the edges. However, the game got a few amazing concepts, but the gameplay problems and flat presentation may hold it back somewha.

PSP browser by Nomad

One of the links that you'll find under the PSP section of the PSP Web Portal's main page is to the PSP browser (http://www.allxboxskins.com/pspbrowser.php). This PHP-based page embeds a browser inside the Wipeout Pure browser, so that you can surf different sites and keep a handy address bar at the top of the screen with instant access to Google. This solution helps avoid having to return back to the main portal page whenever you want to navigate to a new site that isn't linked on the page you are currently viewing

PSP Web Portal by Fujimax.

Once you click on X, the main page of the PSP Web Portal will load. Use the directional keypad to jump around between the different hyperlinks on the page.

There is a link to Google (http://www.google.com) in the upper-right corner of the screen, and an address bar at the bottom of the screen via which you can pull up any web page you like. Additionally, there is a list of links (tech, news, misc., psp) on the right-hand side of the screen. If you click on one of these links, a series of related links appears below a graphic of the link category.

If you move down to the address bar on the bottom of the page and hit the X button, the PSP's default text-entry screen will appear. I Highlighting Enter and hitting X brings me back to the PSP Web Portal screen.

After entering the address on this screen, I highlight the Enter button and hit X. This returns me to the PSP Web Portal with the text I just entered appearing in the address bar at the bottom of the page. Navigating to the Go button next to the address bar and hitting the X button loads the page. If you are used to flawless Web browsing on a broadband connection, prepare for a rude wake-up call. The Wipeout Pure browser can move very slowly at times, especially on graphics-rich sites that aren't designed for a small screen. My site loaded, although without the background graphic, and while the text loaded rather quickly, some of the images took some time to load. As you can see, the site is legible and the picture shows up clearly. However, it took about five minutes to load.

Have some fun exploring all that the PSP Web Portal has to offer. Whenever you become too lost in the Web, simply hit the Start button and choose "Go to Home Page" to return to the PSP Web Portal or Quit to return to the main menu of Wipeout Pure.

Redirecting the browser

Repeat all the steps from the last section up until you are ready to select your default connection. Highlight the connection and hit the Triangle button. An overlay menu will appear on the right side of the screen. Use the directional keypad to select Edit from this menu and then hit the X button.

All of these settings can be accessed from the main Settings menu on your PSP (Settings Network Settings). For the purposes of this hack, I'm showing you how to edit a preexisting connection from within Wipeout Pure, but if you think you will be surfing the Web via your PSP on a regular basis, it makes sense to set up a few extra connections.

I have three connections set up. Connection 1 is just the default connection for game playing over the Internet and downloading PSP updates and in-game downloads such as the Gamma Pack 1. The other two connections connect to various online portals, which I am about to discuss.

Once you select Edit, you will be presented with a series of screens. The first screen is the connection name. If you want to change it, you can, but I'm leaving it as Connection 1. Simply hit the right directional keypad to move on to the next screen. This is the WLAN Settings screen. Highlight Scan and press X to scan for any networks in range. Pick the one you want and hit X again. You will be returned to the WLAN Settings screen. Hit the right directional key to move on to the next screen. Configure the appropriate WLAN security settings and hit the right directional key again.

Now you will be presented with the Address Settings screen. You have a choice between Easy and Custom. Select Custom and hit the X key. This will immediately bring you to the IP Address Setting screen. You can either leave this set to Automatic and move on to the next screen to make the necessary changes to your DNS Settings to use a public PSP web portal, or you can choose Manual and hit the X button.

In the Manual Network Connection pane, I gave the PSP an IP address of 192.168.1.18 (so that it would not conflict with the other IP addresses I've assigned on my network), left the subnet to the default 255.255.255.0, and set the Default Router to 192.168.1.1, the address to my wireless access point. To make the changes, you have to hit X on each field you want to change, and then scroll up and down using the directional keypad until you hit the right number, then hit X again to get to the next field. If the network you are connecting to uses automatic (DHCP) assignment for some or all wireless users, you're better off selecting Automatic for the IP address assignment. My manual settings will probably not work for you.

If you'd rather not spend all this time making sure that the IP and Subnet settings are all perfect, you can skip much of this by selecting Automatic instead of Manual on the Address Settings screen, then when the DNS Settings screen appears, selecting Manual. This will allow you to only change the relevant DNS settings before moving on.

The important change for this hack is the Primary DNS. Even if your network uses DHCP assignment, you must override its default settings. You should make the Primary DNS 24.3.244.76, which is the address of the fujimax PSP Web Portal. If you want to check out the fujimax PSP Web Portal before performing this change on your PSP, visit http://24.3.244.76/wipeout/index.html from your desktop computer. You can, if you'd like, set the Secondary DNS to the DNS server that the wireless access point is configured to hand out. Although this gives you a back up if, for whatever reason, the fujimax PSP Web Portal is down, it won't let you redirect the browser to the PSP Web Portal.

The IP address of the fujimax PSP Web Portal changed once before from 67.171.70.72 to 24.3.244.76. If you try to access it and it doesn't come up, check in the sidebar of the blog associated with the portal (http://genius.fujumax.com/weblog/index.html) to see whether the IP address has changed yet again.

After you have completed all the proper entries, click on the right arrow on the directional keypad to move to the next screen. Make sure that Do Not Use is highlighted under Proxy Server and then hit the right arrow again to move on to the Setting List screen, which will give you a summary of the settings you have just entered. Hit the right arrow button again and press X to save your settings.

If you are on Version 2.0 of the firmware, you'll be asked whether you want to launch an Internet browser before you review your settings. You can choose Do Not Start unless you are in a hotspot that requires you to log into a web portal before you can access the Internet. Of course, 2.0 users don't need to use the Wipeout Pure hack, but I'm sure some of you want to try it out anyhow!

This will return you to the Select Connection screen. Select the connection that you just edited and hit the X button. When you hit this, the PSP sends out a request for http://ingame.scea.com/wipeout/index.html, but since you changed the Domain Name Server to 24.3.244.76, the request for this page is redirected by that DNS server to http://24.3.244.76/wipeout/index.html, the address for the fujimax PSP Web Portal. Click on the X button to enter the portal.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands Game Review

SCORE: 66
Besides being helplessly caught in oblivion between a completely digital realm and UMD , the Sony PSP has consistently plagued with a kind of identity crisis. It's just strong enough to emulate scaled down variants of your favorite titles on PS 3, but they completely suffer from less powerful visuals and controls which have been tailored onto the gadget. Ubisoft is among the few companies that take their time to develop a distinctive experience designed specifically for the specialties of the gadget. In this matter they may need to be commended for their efforts, even if they were not completely successful in following through the original premise.

The Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands basically reiterates the chronicle of an athletic young Prince who want to prevail over magical forces to redeem his family members and his realm. A wicked fire spirit is taking the royalty hostage and the best way he can stop the carnage is by allying with the God of Time's daughter. Your characters jump, run, and execute perfectly timed leapings past environmental challenges while from time to time engaging in a few easy sword-play. Other than the unsatisfying revelation about the game conclusion, Prince of Persia is a firm experiences on the portable platform. It professionally steps the line between providing us a sense of what are inside on the bigger consoles and promising distinctive and stimulating interface that is suitable to the gadget. If not for the haphazard stumbles, I would describe the Forgotten Sands as a solid addition to anyone’s Sony PSP library. Even so, be prepared for a few grievous frustration as ar trying to complete the game.

2010 FIFA World Cup (South Africa) Game Review

SCORE: 71
Porting games onto the Sony PSP is consistently a feat for EA Sports. These people continuously scramble to differentiate this game enough from its console cousins, while keeping a really low cap for development budget. So now we got 2010 FIFA World Cup (South Africa), title that makes almost no effort at differentiating its functionality set from its console counterparts. Rather, 2010 FIFA attempts to simulate what was appeared on PS3 and XBox 360. The endeavor is admirable, fortunately eventually falls short of bringing comparable gameplay flavor.
I is an adequate effort that overzealous soccer buffs are willing to catch whie waiting for the actual event. There is a comfortable amount of material under the hood, however people would have liked to get some completely refined interface, fresh structure and a number of attributes that served to tell apart this newest FIFA version on Sony PSP from its bigger siblings. As it stands, it one just ain’t up to spec.

Using Wipeout Pure browser

Grab your copy of Wipeout Pure and stick it in your PSP. Click through all the beginning bits and load any preexisting game profiles. After you do all this, you should be presented with Wipeout Pure's main menu. Select the Download option and hit X.

When you select Download, an overlay screen will pop up saying "Game Experience May Change During Wireless Play." Select OK and press the X button. This will bring up another overlay screen for your Network Connection, prompting you to select from your preconfigured network connections.

Choose your default connection and hit the X button. This will load the Wipeout Pure browser, and the default browser page will be displayed with any available downloads. If you get an error message saying, "A connection error has occurred. The WLAN switch is not turned on," go back, switch the WLAN switch (located on the bottom-left side of your PSP) into the on position, and try again. If you get a message that your wireless access point is not available, check to make sure that your wireless network is running and configured properly and try again.

Once you have the default page loaded, use the directional keypad to select Downloads and hit the X button. A new page will load with a set of PSP download terms and conditions. Use the directional keypad to highlight Accept and hit the X button. A list of available downloads will appear. Highlight the download you want to grab and hit the X button. A more detailed description of the download will appear. Again, use the directional keypad to navigate to the actual download and hit the X button. An overlay progress bar will appear and the download will begin.

Once you are finished using the browser for its default purposes, simply hit the Start button and select Quit to return to Wipeout Pure's main menu.

Now that you've checked out the browser for its intended purposes, you should trick it into doing some real web surfing.

The story behind this tips

Shortly after the PSP's North American release, several people noticed that there was a very basic browser built into Wipeout Pure, accessible via the main menu of the game. When you click on Downloads in this menu, the game attempts to connect to the Internet and access a page that allows you to download new skins and racetracks for the game.

Several people decided to run a scan while this connection was going on and discovered that Wipeout Pure's browser was attempting to reach out to http://ingame.scea.com/wipeout/index.html. Setting up a little simple DNS redirection taking any requests for http://ingame.scea.com and redirecting them to another server hosting a /wipeout/index.html file was the next logical step. Fill that index.html file with a few of your favorite links, and suddenly the entire Internet is available to you via your PSP.

If you try to load http://ingame.scea.com/wipeout/index.html in your regular web browser on your computer, you will receive a page warning you that you are forbidden to access that page. You could try hacking the user agent identification in your browser to mimic the PSP's browser, but just load it in the PSP if you really want to see it.

PSP Web browser

Your PSP has built-in 802.11b wireless capabilities. High-speed, portable Internet access is literally at your fingertips.

The first section of this tips shows everyone with Version 1.01.52 of the firmware how to access the browser in Wipeout Pure for its intended use, and points you to the basics of redirecting the browser to one of the several PSP-designed web portals that open up these browsers to the full Internet, as well as many of the other hacks covered in this book.

If you are running Version 2.0 of the firmware, skip ahead to the Version 2.0 section to learn all the ins and outs of your browser.

Version 1.x Firmware
This introductory tips is going to point you to a few of the existing PSP web portals you can find online, and show you the basics of tricking your PSP into letting you surf the Internet via an embedded browser in Wipeout Pure. Here's what you'll need:

• A PSP
• A copy of Wipeout Pure (supposedly, a Japanese game, Derby Time, also features a built-in web browser and could be used for this hack; I haven't tested this)
• An accessible wireless (802.11b/g) access pointck
• An active Internet connection (broadband preferred, if not completely necessary)

Fun Careers With An Information Technology Degree

Note : This article caught my eye, as everyone wants a fun career, and nowadays this is realy really possible. With the technology boom and the infinite oportunities because of the new Web 2.o there are careers you would not have taken into consideration years ago. Enjoy !

Fun Careers With An Information Technology Degree
by: Andy West
Reprinted with permission : ArticleCity.com

Are you a technology junkie? Do you have all of the newest gizmos and the most modern cell phone? Do you shake with excitement and anticipation every time a new game system is released? Are you the one your friends call when they have problems with their new laptops?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, it is time put your love of technology into a fun and rewarding career. Don't you think it's time you received an information technology degree? An information technology degree will give you the opportunity to turn your hobby into an exciting career. Computer programming, network security, and network engineering are just the tip of the IT iceberg. With an associate's degree in information technology, a successful, not to mention fun filled, future is practically guaranteed.

So what are your options? Your career selection is almost limitless. There is an IT job for all individuals who want to have a fun career, as well as earn a substantial living. The career title Webmaster has a nice ring to it. The Internet is hotter than ever. Everyone wants to be online. Whether you own a small business, such as a pet boutique, looking to expand your clientele by advertising your unique wares online, or a huge international non profit association seeking to explain your mission statement in order to solicit more donations from the tech savvy crowd, you need a web site. As a Webmaster, you will always be in demand. This is why an information technology degree will guarantee you a gratifying career. It's really that simple. With an IT degree as an Internet Webmaster, you will be qualified to build, fix, and expand sites on the Web. Graphic designers are artists who use mostly computer technology to design marketing materials, magazine layouts, websites, logos for businesses, and much more.

So, as long as there are magazines, newspapers and web sites, graphic designers will be in demand. In fact, according to some researches, graphic designers are among the five design professionals that are anticipated to have the newest positions available through 2014. Some individuals are employed as graphic designers after receiving their bachelor's degree, but to receive the best paying, more technical jobs, an information technology degree is necessary. By attending a school that offers an IT track, you will receive all of the software certification necessary to become proficient graphic designer. Do you love playing video games? Why not use your imagination and skills to create your own games? With an IT associate's degree you could concentrate on designing your own video games. When you choose this field, your will be offered a well rounded curriculum that teaches the basics of artist design, project management, digital content creation as well as the more advanced courses in 3D modeling and character design. Imagine playing video games as a career. It is definitely possible when you assert yourself and earn your IT degree.

As fun and exciting as all of these fields of information technology are, earning your degree is hard work. You need to be dedicated to the world of IT because there are always going to be other people fighting for the same jobs you will be striving for. However, the IT world is expanding daily, and more and more jobs are becoming available. Be a part of the web and earn your information technology degree today.

About The Author
Andy West is a freelance writer for Virginia College. Virginia College offers many Information Technology Degree programs. Please visit Virginia College at http://www.vc.edu/site/department.cfm?deptID=2 to select the IT program that is right for you.

How to Create and Share an iGoogle Tab

I m a kind of a surfer who likes to open multiple sites open at once, it was a real pain to have to use the back button or click through open windows to go from site to site. Earlier I thought it was only Firefox browser which had tabbed browsing feature, but it came as a surprise that opera browser always had tabbed browsing feature. Well let’s get back to do the topic...

What does this have to do with iGoogle? Everything. If you have your own iGoogle page, and you really should, then you know how easy it is to get overwhelmed with gadgets on your page, just like it was easy to get overwhelmed with too many open websites.  Once again, tabs are here to save the day, or at least reduce gadget overload, by giving you the option to put your gadgets on different pages instead of all in one place. Tabs act as a table of contents that lists the name of each page (the title of the tab) and the gadgets that are on that page.

If you look at the left-hand side of your iGoogle page, you'll notice a tab that's labeled "Home" and has links underneath that open each of the gadgets you have on your homepage. Here's what the Home tab looks like on the iGoogle homepage:

You can categorize your gadgets by adding a tab.  Let's say you'd like to put all of your productivity gadgets like your calendar, e-mail and to do list on one page. To add your first new tab, click the arrow to the right of Home on your Home tab and choose "Add a Tab" from the dropdown menu and open the "Add a tab" dialog window.   

You’ll be familiar with the "I'm Feeling Lucky" option. If you know what type of tab you'd like to add but aren't sure what gadgets to put on the page, let iGoogle do it for you. Just type in a search term, click the box next to "I'm feeling lucky…" and like magic, you have a new tab already populated with great gadgets.     

Not only are tabs a great way to beat gadget overload by putting your gadgets on different pages, they also make it easy to navigate to the gadget you want to use by clicking on the tab (page) that contains the gadget or clicking on the name of the individual gadget listed on the tab to open the gadget page. Once you've created one new tab, you can create more by clicking the arrow to the right of the tab that's currently open. You can also add and remove gadgets, change the theme of your iGoogle pages and even change the layout of the page by clicking "Edit this tab" to open the Preferences dialog window. 

If you think somebody else might like your tabs, you can send the tabs to them by choosing the Share this tab option from the dropdown menu in your Microsoft Windows to the right of the  tab you want to share (the same one you used to Add a Tab). This option allows you to share some or all of the gadgets on the tabbed page with others. Just check the box next to each gadget you want to share and enter the email addresses of the people with whom you want to share. Make sure you include a message letting them know how the gadgets have helped you! You can also receive a copy of the email you send by checking the "Send me a copy…" option.

What sorts of tabs might you be interested in adding besides your Home tab? On my own personal iGoogle page, I have tabs for Productivity Tools, News, Music and Contacts.  

See Productivity gadgets on YOUR iGoogle Homepage

I also like to keep up with the news, so I have a tabbed page that contains my favorite news sources. I always check my Google Reader first thing. Other favorite news gadgets include NPR and USAToday. I also like to keep up with technology and entertainment news so I have gadgets for PC World's Top Technology News and Yahoo Entertainment News.

See News gadgets on YOUR iGoogle Homepage

r. I also like to check out the latest music videos so I have the You Tube and Yahoo Music Video gadgets on my Music page.

See Music gadgets on YOUR iGoogle Homepage

Since I like to keep up with friends, colleagues and family, I created a tab for Contacts. I used the "I'm feeling lucky…" option to magically create a contact page already populated with gadgets. Now I can see my Gmail contacts (Gmail Contact Manager Gadget), my Google Talk (Google Talk gadget) contacts and even my Twitter friends all on one page! 

More How to do tips >>

Make Firefox Look like Internet Explorer 7 on Windows Vista

How to Add Signature in Outlook 2007

How to find a Forgotten Password Saved in Firefox

Installing Windows Media Player Plugin for Firefox

Move Firefox tab to Chrome and vice a versa

Gameboy and Gameboy Color Emulator for PSP

Play thousands of free Gameboy and Gameboy Color games inside your PSP.
Download here

SNES emulator for PSP

Play SNES games in your PSP, you can potentially play hundreds of free SNES games for free!
Download here

NES emulator for PSP

Play classic NES games in your PSP
Download here

Patapon 2 Review

SCORE: 83

When we get Patapon 2, there is a instant when I guessed it is the worst. The initial missions are quite equal as the initial in the earlier game, the set up of Patapolis is the equal and the game definitely looks a good deal like the predecessor. Briefly, we concerned that among the grooviest PSP games had recently churned out among the most irksome sequels.

Patapon 2 is more attractive and gets you employ the entire of your classes, it is better to customize since the control that the Evolution Tree is givem over your army is more crystal clear thanks to its advice displays and item interchanging mini-games, it is more all-around Due to the multiplayer alternatives and it is just a comprehensively amazing game. If a person had only encountered the initial missions or peeked at a few screens, I would recognize why he or she might write this game off as the clone, yet this skill is so much detailed compared to the original that you absolutely can not blame it for appearing like its sibling. Lovers of the previous game need no misgiving about choosing this game up, at the same time noobs have to climb aboard and be grateful for the accounts and exhibits they earn this time around.
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X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review

SCORE: 62
Activision has a corner about the super-hero games genre today with amazing Marvel permissions like Fantastic Four, Spider-Man,and the X-Men. So it was not much of a big surprise to discover that they might be accepting among the greatest and most hoped-for action films, and with that Griptonite in your helm on that PSP port, this X-Men Origins: Wolverine game is highly probably to be among the a couple of videogames to fulfil the speed of the motion-picture show that inspired it.

Gone from a PSP variant is the "uncaged" denotation, and perceptive gamers will also observe the M rating is currently T. Unfortunately, it implies that Logan has dropped off almost all of his edge, at any rate when it really comes to troublesome ferocity and rampant bloodshed. Even the astonishing opening film has been hygienised so there's no blood and no obvious effects or impalement when claws thrust torsos. It essentially looks rather absurd now, that's a shame as it's so wonderful at the uncaged variants of the game. Even so, if you've excessively sensible parents then you need at the least go to play a few kind of Wolverine games this summer.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine does not nearly reanimating a similar level of exhilaration also known as the experience of essentially being Wolverine that this console versions can do. I would like to say a good deal of this needs to do with the gore and fury but in the end Wolverine breaks off appearing and playing like the most part of PSP games out there. There's still enough entertainment to be delivered here, yet Activision has seen finer releases at the PSP. Wolverine is still deserving checking into, particularly if the parents will not let you experience the "perfect version".

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce Review

SCORE: 64
It is no mystery that the Dynasty Warriors serial might do with a fresh life applied into it. Although as the lover of this serial, I realize that Koei has made a little to maintain the franchise refreshed, and that a change-up is certainly welcomed.

It appears that Koei may have really heard to critique this moment in the developing of Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, the game that refreshens the creative recipe with a concentrate on multiplayer and the construction owes more than a bit credit to Capcom's well known Monster Hunter serial.

Is this modification for the better, or has Koei wavered in swerving from its old-hat track? Read on as I examine Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce.

As always, the newest Dynasty Warriors title concentrates on the events that transpirated at the later Han Dynasty in ancient mainland China, when the old region was burst between 3 adversary factions, each fighting for control. Players then decide a character according to among China's historic warriors and assist their preferred kingdom by removing all things that gets in button crunching bashes.

Compared to earlier games, which place you on a side of an immense army, players then move around into levels broken down into a few arena-esque environments, either going unaccompanied or brought together by 3 other individual players in local four-player cooperative conflicts. The scale is a great deal humbler, yet the foes are a lot more combative this moment around, particularly the immense boss fights that will not think twice about ganging on you with many officers, additional lives and monolithic military machine. Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is a damn nice game that might have been the finest in the serial had it not been designed so preponderantly on a style of gameplay that simply Is not going to be effective for the phase it is been released in. The add-on of cyberspace play or just a few artificial intelligence friends might have caused the game less tormenting, and it has a rpity that only local multiplayer is backed up. If you are audacious enough to move it solitary and level up quickly to bang Lu Bu's chickenhearted arse, Well, you will find a rich light-weight title that's more than adequate to offering a few determined playing, with a good deal of of attributes and even predicted free DLC to continue the feel going.

If you already enjoy Dynasty Warriors and get family members that do, or only a powerful masochistic streak with respect to challenge, then it is a clear investment.

Homebrew games and emulators

In addition to the homebrew games such as PSP Chess and PSP Go, there are various programs copied from other games, in particular a Bejeweled clone and games such as Dr. Mario. Perhaps one of the most popular forms of homebrew that has the largest following and has persuaded many PSP owners to diligently avoid upgrading their firmware can be found in the form of homebrew emulators that emulate the behavior of other gaming systems.

Since its initial release, the PSP has become one of the best and most versatile emulation platforms available. There are PSP emulators for the Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, Atari Lynx, and a variety of other platforms. There's even a MAME emulator for the PSP. Many of these are available bundled together in packs, such as the Kxsploit Homebrew Pack.

All of these emulators need ROMs to run. You can obtain many excellent homebrew ROMs for a variety of systems at http://www.pdroms.de/.

PSP Rhythm Composer and DJSP

The musically inclined amongst you will like PSP Rhythm Composer (http://www.iturzaeta.com/PSPRhythm/). This homebrew drum machine for your PSP features a 16-step sequencer, 16 drum instruments with 32 total samples, 16 drum patterns, and a song mode.

If you enjoy listening more than creating, you might prefer DJSP (visit http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=1&platformId=14&N=4294925759&productId=175143&R=175143) over the MP3 player that comes preloaded in your PSP.

This Audio Visual MP3 player for the PSP features 10 different visual patterns that play along with your music, a 10-band equalizer that will allow you to increase the volume beyond the loudest volume allowed by the PSP's default MP3 player, and the ability to play tracks of any file length (according to the web site, up to 2 GB, if necessary).

PSP Chess

Christopher Bowron is one of the first and most diligent homebrew developers, releasing PSP Chess (http://bace.bowron.us/) and continuing to improve and update the program over time. It's a really nifty and well-designed chess program that I play regularly on my PSP

Make Firefox Look like Internet Explorer 7 on Windows Vista

If you really want that look for your Firefox to look like internet explorer 7 in Windows Vista, then in order to achieve this look, the first thing we'll need to do is install a few addons to Firefox. The first add-on is the great theme called "myFirefox. Then we'll need to install the "Personal Menu" extension, which will allow us to hide the menu bar.

Once you have those both installed, and have restarted Firefox, we can move on. The first thing you'll notice is that the menu bar has moved. It's now in the same location that the menu bar on IE7 is when you hit the Alt key. You should note that the shortcut keys will still work normally (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+T, O, etc)

If you want to hide this menu using the Personal menu extension, then just right click somewhere on the top bar (the home button is a good choice).

You should see a new item in the menu called "Menus Toolbar". This will let you hide the menu. It will also give you an informational dialog telling you the shortcut key (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S) should you want to show the menu again. You can change this key if you install the keyconfig extension.

In the right-click menu used above, you should also notice a new item called Menus \ Edit This Menu. If you select that, you will see this dialog that will let you show the menus via the same right-click menu.

This will let you get to the menus if you really want to. (Or you could use the shortcut key) 

Alternatively, you can add a "Personal Menu" button to your toolbar, and customize a couple of frequently used items on it. Just right-click \ Customize on the toolbar, and choose the shiny new "Menu" button shown on the left hand side of this screenshot, and drag it to your toolbar somewhere in your Microsoft Windows Vista.

Now you can edit the menus on that button, and choose whatever items that you would like to have appear. 

If you still need help or if you have any technical support just ring us at out toll free number - 1800602586.

More techniocal tips and tricks - 

How to Add Signature in Outlook 2007

How to find a Forgotten Password Saved in Firefox

Installing Windows Media Player Plugin for Firefox

Move Firefox tab to Chrome and vice a versa

Where to find PSP homebrew and emulation applications?

So, now that you know how to both prepare the homebrew applications and get them onto your PSP, all you need to do is to find some homebrew to play. A comprehensive list of the ever-changing landscape of homebrew for the PSP is beyond the scope of this hack. Such an endeavor would be an entire book of its own, and a book that probably shouldn't be written for a while longer, as the scene keeps popping up with new apps and sometimes daily improvements of existing applications.

In the meantime, let's spend some time looking at some online sites where you can grab some of the latest homebrew.

At the risk of being self-promotional, I'll first direct you to the PSP category of my blog, Sample the Web (http://www.sampletheweb.com/categories/media/psp/), where I keep track of a lot of the little PSP bits that interest me. You should also check out PSP Fanboy, a PSP blog that I write for, and PSP Hacks: The Book (http://www.psphacksthebook.com/), a site thatas I write thisis nothing but a placeholder online, but which I intend to populate with lots of useful links and information to enhance this book. Also, make sure you check O'Reilly's web site page for this book (http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/psphks), as we'll be providing corrections to the book from time to time.

None of these sites, however, are hosting the various homebrew applications that you want to get your hands on. There are two places that I've found to be the best repositories for PSP homebrew. One is PSP Updates (http://www.pspupdates.com/).

Unfortunately, for the most part, PSP Updates is hidden behind multiple pop-up- and pop-over-plagued pages that can be more than a bit frustrating at times. The content is both great and free, but if you don't like sites that continually bombard you with advertisements, you may want to consider signing up for a paid account with PSP Updates so that you can browse their files ad-free.

I like free, however, so I'll just continually close the ad windows and click the Skip This Ad links to get to the goods, and diligently empty my browser's cache files after I'm done.

The other, less ad-laden site is PSP-Hacks (http://www.psp-hacks.com/), which has an easily accessible Homebrew Download section (http://www.psp-hacks.com/downloads.php#homebrew), although not as comprehensive as PSP Updates' selection.

Here's a short list of other useful PSP- and homebrew-related links:

PSPworld (http://www.pspworld.com/)
PSP-vault (http://www.psp-vault.com/)
PSP Garden (http://www.pspgarden.com/)
PSP Spot (http://www.psp-spot.com/)
PSP Hacks (http://www.psphacks.net/)
If I don't have direct links to any of the homebrew applications I list in this hack, it's because the developer doesn't have a web site of his own, and the file is found regularly updated on one of these sites. Wherever possible, however, I will link directly to the developer's site.

Split your EBOOT.PBP files

Most newer homebrew apps come in both Version 1.0 EBOOT.PBP format and in split 1.50 format, but in case you run across a homebrew application that is only ready to run on Version 1.0 firmware, there are a few tools available to help you properly prepare the file for running on your PSP.

If you are running Mac OS X, you will want to grab HomebrewPSP Converter (http://ipsp.kaisakura.com/homebrew.php), which is available for free from RnSKSoftronics, the makers of iPSP. This easy-to-use application will let you select a recently downloaded EBOOT.PBP file, split the file into the necessary two parts, and automatically copy these files to a mounted PSP when you click the Transfer To PSP button.

If you're running Windows XP, there are several programs that will do the same thing that HomebrewPSP Converter does on OS X. PSP Homebrew 9 (http://www.pspvideo9.com/homebrew/), from the makers of PSP Video 9, is a free (although donations are welcomed by the developer, Sajeeth Cherian) Windows solution for converting and moving your homebrew applications to your PSP on a Windows box.

In most cases, you won't need to worry about this. Most homebrew applications out there come preprepared in both firmware 1.0- and 1.5-savvy versions, so there is really not much need for converting the files anymore. I only supply the information here for the rare file that isn't pre-prepared, and to provide some of the history behind the scene.

PSP Homebrew and Emulators

If you were one of the fortunate few who grabbed a Japanese PSP running Version 1.0 of the firmware, then you have a very nice homebrew machine at your fingertips. There are multiple sites online that serve as repositories for these homebrew applications, where you can download them and then transfer them to the GAMES folder inside the PSP folder on your Memory Stick. After you copy the homebrew applications and games to this folder, navigate to Games Memory Stick on your PSP, hit the X button, and then select the homebrew game or application you want to play from the list and hit the X button again to launch it.

Keep in mind that all these homebrew apps take up space on your Memory Stick. Make sure you watch sites such as dealnews (http://www.dealnews.com) to try to get a 1GB or larger Memory Stick Duo card on the cheap.

If you, like most people who purchased their PSP in North America, have Version 1.5 of the firmware on your PSP, then things are only slightly trickier. Originally, the first workaround for running homebrew on Version 1.50 of the firmware involved something called a swaploit. For the swaploit, the EBOOT.PBP file that contains the main code for each homebrew program had to be split into two parts, placed into two identical folders inside /PSP/GAMES/ on two different Memory Sticks. You would navigate to the game on the first Memory Stick and hit the X button, then immediately after the PSP flash screen appeared, indicating that the game was launching, you had to quickly eject that first Memory Stick and replace it with the second one. If you timed everything just right, the game or homebrew application would successfully launch.

This swaploit was far from ideal, as the swapping required speed and skill and wasn't very good for the Memory Sticks involved, whichover timewould develop scratches on their contacts (and could also at times be damaged or possibly lost from accidentally shooting them across the room while ejecting them to make way for the second Memory Stick).

Fortunately, another workaround was discovered that eliminated the need to swap the Memory Sticks. Again, the EBOOT.PBP file was split in two, but this time, both files were placed on the same Memory Stick inside two different folders. Each folder had the same name, with the first ending with an additional % at the end of the name. When navigating through the Memory Stick via the PSP's Game menu, each homebrew game or application would show up next to another file called Corrupted Data. This file was merely the second folder that didn't appear launchable to the PSP.

How to Add Signature in Outlook 2007

Adding your contact information as a Signature to your emails is very useful in a corporate environment, but also for personal emails as well.  You can add a signature the same way as you would in Microsoft outlook 2003 on your Microsoft windows, but you can also use The Ribbon as a new way to add your signature.

Open up Microsoft Outlook 2007 and click on New to compose a new message, then click on the Insert tab on the Ribbon and choose Signature.

Click on the new button on the Signatures and Stationery screen, type in a name for your signature then click OK.

Now use the Edit signature box to compose your signature. You can change the colors, fonts, etc.

You can use the "Choose default signature" section to choose a specific signature for different email accounts, if you have more than one account. When you are done with it click OK to proceed.

Now go back to the message you want to compose and choose which signature you wish to use.

Your selected signature will now appear.  The great thing about this feature is you can have a custom signature for every person in your contact list if you want, and easily pop it into your message!

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Official Sony headset comes to PSP for VoIP

Tokyo (Japan) - Sony Computer Entertainment Japan has announced a PlayStation Portable Headset with Remote Control bundle for the PSP Slim (PSP-2000).

The remote control in this bundle features a black colored face to match the black on the PSP headset. It will be available in Japan for 3,800 yen starting June 19, 2008.

The good news is the PSP Headset bundle is listed to ship in the US next week, according to this product listing on Amazon.com. The bundle eliminates the need to buy the Sony PSP Headset (MSRP $19.99) and the PSP 2000 Remote Control (MSRP $29.99) separately to use it with the PSP's Skype, saving you $20.

How to know your PSP firmware version?

Here's how to make sure you're getting the PSP you really need.

Out of the box
If you have your PSP in your hands, it's pretty easy to find out which firmware you are running. Simply navigate to Settings System Settings, hit the X button, then scroll down to System Information and hit the X button again. An informational screen will pop up listing your PSP's MAC address, the System Software, and your PSP's nickname. Whatever number follows Version in the System Software row is the version of the firmware you are running.

In the box
If you don't have your PSP yet, or you're in the market for a second one, here's what you need to know to try to avoid grabbing another Version 2.0. The UPC sticker on one end of the box indicates the firmware version. There are two boxes, one without an A under 120V, indicating Version 1.5 boxed with the Spider-Man 2 UMD, and one with an A, indicating Version 1.5 of the firmware without the free UMD. If the box says something other than PSP-1001 K along the top, or it has a B or any other letter than an A underneath the 120V, then you're dealing with 1.51, 1.52, or 2.0 firmware, and you won't be able to run the homebrew.

Run Homebrewed Software in your PSP

One of the great things about the PSP as a gaming system is the large number of developers and hackers who flocked together to figure out ways to really trick out the system with their own homebrew applications.

If you have a PSP running Version 1.0 or 1.5 of the firmware, don't update to Version 2.0 of the firmware.

If you have a PSP running 1.51 or 1.52 of the firmware, then you might as well go ahead and upgrade to 2.0. Why? Well, all the dutiful hackers have figured out ways of running their own code on PSPs running Versions 1.0 and 1.5 of the firmware. They haven't figured out how to get around the clamps Sony slapped on Versions 1.51, 1.52, or 2.0…at least, not as of this writing.

If you buy a game that requires you to update to 1.51, 1.52, or 2.0, try grabbing WAB Version Changer (http://www.psphacks.net/content/view/344), which will trick the game into thinking you are running a newer version of the firmware and do so without ruining your homebrew. Keep your eyes on the WAB team too, as they are working on a downgrader to help everyone who has already updated their PSPs.

So, if you're running Version 1.0 or 1.5 of the firmware, an entire world of programs and emulators are available to you. If you're running Version 2.0, then you can still run browser-based JavaScript homebrew, but no native code and no emulators. Again, I think this will prove to be a "yet" situation. There are people working right now on breaking the locks Sony has put in the way of all the homebrew. If you're daring, you can try downgrading your firmware.

Feel free to skip ahead to the section that covers your firmware. Not sure what you have? Have you already bought a PSP running Version 2.0, but want to sell it on eBay to buy one running Version 1.5 of the firmware? Read on to find out how to spot a 1.5 PSP among a stack of 2.0s.

How to find a Forgotten Password Saved in Firefox

Firefox has a built-in functionality to save password. Often we use the saved password feature so often that we've completely forgotten our password when we need to login to the same website on another computer or operating system. We can easily locate our saved password.

In Firefox, navigate to the Tools \ Options menu item. Select the Privacy button in your Microsoft windows, the Passwords tab, and then click on View Saved Passwords. You'll be presented with a screen.

Then Click the Show Passwords button, and navigate down to the website password you are looking for. 

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Unlockables

Destroy DU containers in episode 4

In missions 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3, there will be 5 DU containers scattered about each level. Shoot each one to unlock weapons for use in Mission Mode.

Unlockable	How to Unlock
M1 Super 90 in Mission Mode	Destroy 5 DU containers in 4-1
M16A2 in Mission Mode	Destroy 5 DU containers in 4-2
M4 Carbine in Mission Mode	Destroy 5 DU containers in 4-3

Contributed By: King_Lueshi

Increased Melee Damage

Only available online. Increases your damage done by melee moves such as kicking and elbowing.

Unlockable	How to Unlock
Increased melee damage	Get the first hand-to-hand combat medal

Contributed By: blitzofchaos

Multiplayer Weapons

Each time you rank up or obtain certain badges in multiplayer, you unlock new weapons. These weapons are unlocked for MULTIPLAYER use only. Guns are listed in order, Team 1 weapons first and Team 2 weapons second.

Unlockable	How to Unlock
33 SC-1 and SG-76 H-Bar (Snipers)	Achieve rank R2
AR-15 and Draugonov (Snipers)	Achieve rank T2
Claymore Mines	Earn Expert Gadget Expertise Badge
Desert Sniper .357 and SP-57 (Pistols)	Achieve rank O3
Double Sawn-Offs (Pistol)	Earn Elite One-handed skill badge
EMP Grenades	Earn Expert Explosive Expertise Badge
EPDD	Earn Elite Hand to Hand Combat Badge
G-17 and Makarov (Pistols)	Start a new account (R0)
Laser Mines	Earn Elite Gadget Expertise Badge
M16 A2 and Famas(ARs, burst fire)	Start a new account (R0)
M16K and Galil (ARs, Full Auto)	Achieve rank O2
M60 E-3 and Chinese Type-56 (HMGs)	Achieve rank O1
M67 Grenades	Earn Elite Explosive Expertise Badge
MDS A3 and Spectre (Full Auto SMGs)	Achieve rank R1
MDS-7 and Ripper (SMGs in pistol slot)	Achieve rank T1
Shot Defender and SPA-12 (Shotguns)	Achieve rank R3
Trip Bar and Ramat (HMGs/ARs)	Achieve rank T3
USAS-12 and Sawed Off (Shotguns)	Achieve rank 04

Contributed By: Comrade_27

Online Badges

Here are ways to earn/unlock badges while playing online Multiplayer.

Unlockable	How to Unlock
Ammo Expertise	Expert: Around 250 Headshots; Elite: around 500 Headshots
Armor Expertise	Expert and Elite badges are earned by finding Flak Jackets.
Explosive Expertise	Expert: Around 200 Exp. kills(MGL, SMAW or M67) Elite: 500 Exp. kills
Field Medic	Expert and Elite: HEAL!!!! Just keep on Healing!
Gadget Expertise	Expert and Elite: Get Kills with Taser, Laser Mines, Claymores
Hand-To-Hand	Expert: Around 30 Melee kills; Elite: Around 50 Melee Kills
One Handed Skill	Expert: Around 250 Single Handed Guns(pistols) Elite: Around 500 Single Handed Guns{Shotguns might possibly count}
Triage	Expert: Around 100 Revives; Elite: Around 200; WARNING: YOU MUST KEEP REVIVING OR ELSE THERES A CHANCE OF YOU LOSING IT!!

Contributed By: crazycrawler

Training Rewards

From the main menu select single player. Then select training mode. Then chose the training level you wish to try.

Unlockable	How to Unlock
Famas	Complete the second training mission in under 3 minutes
SP-57	Training Mission 1: Complete this mission in under 1 minute and 35 seconds
UNP .45	Training Mission 3: Complete this mission without wasting a shot.

Contributed By: Eminem9, Red_aka_madfrog

Unlock AK-47 for use in Mission Mode

Unlockable	How to Unlock
AK-47	Complete the "headshots" goal in mission 6-1

Contributed By: King_Lueshi

Unlock the M4 Silenced for use in Mission Mode

Unlockable	How to Unlock
M4 Silenced	Get 10 headshots on hard difficulty in mission 7-1

Contributed By: King_Lueshi

Unlock The Rocket Launcher For Use In Mission Mode

Unlockable	How to Unlock
SMAW	Shoot All The Small Warheads In 4-3

Contributed By: daBIONICredneck

Unlockable Bonus Missions

Complete certain tasks to unlock 5 different bonus missions.

Unlockable	How to Unlock
Birds of a Feather	Finish Story Mode on Normal or Hard
Goodnight, Sweetheart	Beat all the time limits in the Training Missions
Jimmy Zhou's Army	Finish "Birds of a Feather"
Trapped In The Hornets Nest	Obtain all patches for "Combat Sharp Shooter"
Up a Column Without a Paddle	Obtain all patches for "Elite Weapons Expert"

Contributed By: TheBoss815

Unlockables in the Bonus Missions

Unlockable	How to Unlock
M249 SAW	Beat KemSynth Tower in less than 2:42
Shot Defender	Beat Sana Yemen in less than 3:39

Contributed By: AlucardZero