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More reports PSP2 is coming next week

Bloomberg News is reporting that Sony will unveil a new version of its PlayStation Portable game console next week, followed by a game-playing smartphone in February.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
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David Carnoy

This is one of the concept designs floating around for the PSP2. PSM3

It's never official until it's really official, but there continue to be strong indications that Sony will unveil its next-generation PlayStation Portable game console on January 27.

This time Bloomberg News is reporting that two sources who have knowledge of the company's plans say the new handheld will be announced next week. At the press conference, Sony will also "outline a strategy to use its networked entertainment services to share games, movies, and music among handheld products, TVs, and other devices," according to Bloomberg, once again citing a source who wished to remain anonymous.

And what about the impending arrival of the so-called PSP Phone? Well, as many people suspected, that Sony Ericsson touch-screen smartphone will supposedly have its coming-out party at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, next month.

As usual, Sony had no comment about a possible announcement. But at this point, with all the earlier leaks, we can say with some confidence this rumor now falls into the all-but-confirmed category.

Among the many things we don't know are how much the new products will cost and when they'll be available for sale. Our guess is that the PSP Phone will run current PSP games (as digital downloads) but won't be able to run next-generation games that might take advantage of the PSP2's more powerful graphics capabilities that are rumored to rival those of the PS3.

Hopefully, we'll get more clarity on all this next week.

More: PSP2 concept designs (roundup)