Sony's portable game machine gets a makeover

Sales are improving in Japan for Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable handheld video game machine, and a beefed up version with a clearer display is expected to add momentum, a senior executive said Tuesday

The portable game machine faces tough competition from Nintendo DS -- the handheld machine from the Japanese manufacturer of Pokemon and Super Mario games.
Nintendo also has a big hit in the Wii home console that's battering Sony's PlayStation 3 in sales.
The revamped PlayStation Portable with the improved liquid crystal display and a built-in microphone will go on sale October 16 in Japan at $180, the same price of the previous model, said Shawn Layden, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan.
The machine called PSP-3000 is also being promised for the U.S. and Europe next month.
Layden said the PSP was gaining popularity in Japan, nearly doubling in sales for this year's first eight months compared to the previous year.
People are increasingly using it to listen to music, watch video and access the Internet on the go, he said at a Tokyo hotel.
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"The PlayStation Portable can be called a PlayStation Personal," he told reporters. "It has become a lifestyle tool for owners."
Sony also unveiled a service planned for later this year in Japan that will allow several PSP machines to play games together, even if they aren't in the same room, by connecting to the Internet through PlayStation 3 machines. Layden said details will be released later.
Competition among game makers is intensifying ahead of the year-end shopping season.
Sony has sold about 41 million PSP machines globally -- 10 million in Japan. Nintendo has sold 77.5 million Nintendo DS handheld devices worldwide, nearly 23 million in Japan.
On top of that, Nintendo has scored success with its predecessor GameBoy series, selling more than a 100 million GameBoys cumulative worldwide.
On Monday, price cuts for Japan were announced for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 home consoles. The Xbox 360 has been struggling in Japan, a market dominated by the locals, Sony and Nintendo.
Microsoft doesn't disclose how many of the cumulative 20 million Xbox 360 machines sold worldwide were Japan sales. But it is widely viewed to be fewer than numbers sold elsewhere.
The Wii console has been popular, selling 29.6 million worldwide so far. PS3 sales have lagged at fewer than half of the Wii at 14.4 million.
Also shown Tuesday was footage from game software planned for the PlayStation Portable later this year, including "Gundam Vs. Gundam" from Bandai Namco Games and "Dissidia Final Fantasy" from Square Enix Co.

RAMADHAN DONT TOUCH ME

Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims around the world, a time to fast, cleanse the soul and surrender to God. But in the Middle East, there's a new twist to the tradition.
Ramadan translates into big bucks for Arab satellite channels. Millions of dollars are spent on special programming, much of it comparable to Western soap operas, to entertain the masses during their sunrise-to-sunset fasts.
One program, the popular Syrian production "Baab El-Hara" -- "The Neighborhood Gate" -- offers high drama focused on a family feud. A man and his pregnant wife are separated as their mothers fight it out, with each mother-in-law trying to teach the other a lesson.
The woman misses her husband and wants to go back to him. The husband kisses his mother's hand and promises her he'll do only what she wants.
The soaps showcase social traditions mixed with melodramatic characters and enough twists and turns of events to last the entire month of fasting.
But it's not all soap. There are also history programs highlighting glorious times of Islamic and Arabic bygone eras. On these, the ancient Arabic tribal costumes are showcased, complete with the traditional headdress, dagger on the side and more camels than a viewer can countThe soap opera boom during Ramadan has become the subject of hot debate on news channels. Some people have expressed concern that sitting in front of a TV set all day doesn't go well with the spirit of the month, when Muslims are supposed to be contemplating and meditating.
The Dubai-based news channel Al-Arabiya found a novel way to entertain its viewers: a documentary in which the host walks in the footsteps of the prophet Mohammed as detailed in the Quran.
The channel also offers a daily lighter look at Ramadan, focusing on people's health during the holy month. Recommendations on the best meals to eat are followed by descriptions of how many calories they contain. Middle Eastern cuisine is displayed to viewers just in time to break fast. That, too, is announced on TV these days, instead of the traditional cannon and call to prayer.
And if Muslims decide to break their fasts with a traditional shisha smoke and a light meal in a neighborhood cafe, no worries. Satellite channels will serve them soaps there, too.
It's all part of the big plan, and it happens only during Ramadan