On 04.24.06, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) released a major update (v2.70) for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). Once PSP owners update their PSP, they will be able to playblack Macromedia Flash files through the WebBrowser and save Podcasts to the Memory Stick through the RSS Channel. Video Podcast support has not been added yet, but should be included in the next update. Full v2.70 ChangeLog below:

PSP Firmware v2.70 ChangeLog:

• You can now play Macromedia Flash content under [Internet Browser]. *Note that you must adjust a setting to enable this feature. A connection to the internet is required to adjust the setting.
• [Connection Settings] has been added under [Settings] in [Internet Browser].
• You can now save content added under [RSS Channel] on a Memory Stick.
• [Automatic] has been added as an option under [Rate] in [Location Free Player].
• [UMD Video L/R Button] has been added under [Video Settings] in [Settings]. You can now disable the channel skip feature of the L/R buttons. (This applies to UMD VIDEO.)
• A new file extension has been added to playable AAC formats.
• [Simplified Chinese] and [Traditional Chinese] have been added as options under [System Language] in [Settings] > [System Settings].
• [RSS Channel Settings] has been added under [Settings].

With this update, it seems as though Sony is sticking with their PSP Timeline Plan they had presented in the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing. To update your PSP to v2.70 either visit the U.S. PlayStation Software Update page or to [Settings] > [Network Update] on you PSP. Updating does have a major draw back, homebrew that worked on v2.60 PSPs using the GTA exploit will no longer function. If you do update you won’t be able to run any homebrew applications until PSP hackers release a new exploit. But if you don’t wish to run homebrew you might as well update. Both the Macromedia Flash Player and the Save Feature for the RSS Channel are great new addons. (Stream iTunes to PSP will now allow saving files.)

Links: US PlayStation SoftWare Update | ChangeLog
Related: PSP Firmware v2.60 Released

Although there was plenty of coverage on the 2006 PlayStation Business Briefing on March 19th, it seems as though almost everyone missed one very important slide. The slide, screenshot above, was Sony’s Schedule for the PlayStation Portable (PSP). This slide outlined when and what SCEA plans to release for the unit throughout this year.

According to the chart Macromedia Flash support, downloadable audio through the RSS Channel, Chinese Fonts, and Libraries for the Camera/GPS should all be available in Spring 2006. SCEA then plans to release another update that includes a RSS Channel with Video and expand UMD video profiles by the end of Summer. Sony has already set September 6th as the launch date of the PSP Camera and October 6th for the PSP GPS module. Finally, one more update which allows Booting PSone games from Memory Sticks and having VoIP support should be released by the end of the year.

Lets hope that SCEA sticks to this schedule and release new firmware that open up the PSP to more content than restricting it like they have done in the past. Check back soon for more information and PSP news.

Related Links: PlayStation Business Briefing 2006
Other: Griffin iTunes PSP and iFM PSP