BT and Sony Unveil VoIP Messaging Software for Sony PSP

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BT and Sony Unveil VoIP Messaging Software for Sony PSP

4:28 am on August 24, 2007 | Category: VoIP, Web Services, Mobile Devices, Messaging, Software

British telephone provider, BT Group, and Japan’s Sony Corp., have unveiled a new piece of software allowing millions of PlayStation Portable (PSP) users to make voice and video calls, and send and receive instant messages, during game play.

The Go!Messenger software takes advantage of the Sony PSP’s built-in Wi-Fi capability, and uses VoIP to establish voice communication between gamers.

“By offering a variety of communications options to help stay in touch with other gamers, Go!Messenger truly brings the entertainment potential of PSP to life,” explained BT’s head of mobility and convergence, Steve Andrews.

BT’s role will be to initially promote the software itself, then license it to regional wireless ISPs around the world to repackage and sell under their own brands. Sony, which has sold more than 24 million PSPs since launching the device in December 2004, signed a four-year distribution deal with the British telephone and internet carrier in May.

Go!Messenger will commercially launched in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy in January 2008, and later extended to more than 100 countries across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.