The PSP system has wireless connectivity for surfing the Web.
Playing video games. image by Bettina Eder from Fotolia.com
Though the PlayStation Portable includes a browser for surfing the Web, the system's limitations means the process can be clunky and counterintuitive. Users need to rely on the system's joystick for cursor movements, text entry requires selection of one character at a time, and the system's limited resources cause some sites to load incorrectly, or not at all. While it's not an ideal experience, you can improve online surfing by tweaking the settings of the browser, and by changing your browsing habits.
Disable Plug-Ins
The PSP browser works with Flash and other enhanced browsing technologies. Leaving these features on can seriously affect the loading time and performance of some Web pages, so turn them off to streamline your surfing experience. Press the triangle key to open the browser's menu and select Tools. Open Settings and then View Settings to see a list of active features. Toggle images, animation, JavaScript and Flash off to maximize efficiency. Note that some websites that rely on these technologies will not function at all with the features off.
Use Bookmarks
Get around clunky text entry by making the best of bookmarks, minimizing the amount of typing you need to do while browsing. To bookmark the current site press the triangle button to open the menu and select the heart icon. Open My Bookmarks and select the Add to Bookmarks item. The current site will appear in the My Bookmarks folder.
Use Mobile Sites
Many websites have alternate mobile versions for use by smartphones and other mobile devices. While these sites often present cleaner, more efficient layouts for the PSP's small screen, they often don't automatically detect the device properly, and load the full site on the handheld instead. Look for a link to a mobile site at the bottom of the full site, or add the prefix m. or mobile. to the site's URL, and then add the mobile site to your bookmarks.
Change Text Entry
The text entry screen actually makes several different keyboard layouts available to speed up entry. Press "Select" to cycle through them. Some of these screens improve typing efficiency by grouping several letters per button, much like text entry on a number pad. One screen also contains shortcuts that paste common entries such as http:// and .com automatically.
Use the Other Utilities
In addition to the browser, the PSP comes with Internet radio and RSS reader utilities located in the Network section of the main menu. Rather than using the browser for all your network surfing, access these items for feeds and online music for faster and easier access.
Photo Credits
- Playing video games. image by Bettina Eder from Fotolia.com
