Gadgets Blog » MP3 players

When I was working at a corporation and was required to have a cell phone so that the soulless leeches could contact me 24/7, I had a cell phone contract maxed out on everything. I maxed on the minutes, texts, data usage and anything they had because that phone was my lifeline to corporate hell.

I checked my e-mail constantly, surfed the Web in the car, texted while I drove (yeah, I was one of those guys) and occasionally talked on the phone. I had the standard contract, and since everything was supplemented with a monthly stipend from work, it never hurt my pocket book.

When I decided to make the change from the corporate world to stay-at-home writer and blogger, the phone that had been so important was pretty useless. My wife and I were home 24/7, so I had my desktop computer to surf the Web and check my e-mail.

We used our landline for phone calls because our cell reception was bad in the house. We didn’t go anywhere because we have three small children and no social life, so why was I spending so much money per month on a cell contract?

We looked into decreasing everything, but I still had tons of leftover minutes on both our phones. Our contract was reaching its end, and we began looking at no contract and prepaid phones as a way to stop wasting money.

The world of mobile devices has gotten more and more crowded over the last decade. In addition to phones and MP3 players, portable computers, gaming devices, handheld GPS units and other electronics have shed their wires and moved into compact casings. Along with the steadily decreasing bulk of these devices has come the integration of multiple applications into a single unit; you can make calls, get directions and listen to music on a smartphone like the Droid or the iPhone. And now Sony has presented users with a product that combines two of their most iconic electronics.

Part phone, part video game system, the Sony Ericsson and PlayStation have met and been combined in some type of Frankenstein-like creation. Back in August, Sony dropped hints that it was considering such a device, but this week, the company announced plans to move forward with its production. The latest entry in the Ericsson lineup features integration with the PlayStation, capable of producing graphics up to the classic console of the 1990s. Not only that, but the device will look much like the PSP Go, with a keypad and buttons similar to those on iconic video game controllers.