Sony may be preparing to release its first PlayStation Portable (PSP) update, if a file that briefly appeared on the web this weekend is what it purports to be: a leaked copy of an early version of the update code. Whatever its provenance, the software certainly includes some interesting features. In addition to the usual bug fixes, the update is said to add not only a web browser and an email program, but a word processor and a spreadsheet.
At this stage, the translations from the original Japanese exploration of the alleged PSP update file doesn"t make it clear whether these are fully functioning office apps - or simply readers put in place to handled emailed attachments. Given the device"s nature, we suspect that latter, but early talk of a PSP keyboard accessory has led some observers to suggest they"re the real thing. The update also adds an on-screen calculator utility, three games and an automatic software update feature along the lines of the utilities found in desktop operating systems.