Engadget Gets Pictures of Apparent PlayStation Phone

Engadget just posted pictures and some substantive information on what it claims (ne, assures) is the PlayStation Phone. Apparently this early prototype has got Android 3.0 running on it right now, with an almost vanilla ROM but it will eventually have a new Sony build with a marketplace where you’ll be able to download games for the new platform.

The gadget blog details the hardware’s innards (1 GHz processor, 512 RAM, 1GB ROM) and says the screen  is in the range of 3.7 to 4.1 inches. Apparently, the silver area in the middle is a multitouch touchpad and there’s the usual Sony shoulder buttons.

It doesn’t look like Engadget has actually seen the device in the flesh, but these pictures are quiet impressive. The release date was previously rumoured to be 2010 but Engadget reckons a 2011 date is more reasonable.

I can’t say it’s the prettiest gadget ever made, but it is a prototype so I’ll give them a break on the looks. There’s no UMD drive (obviously) so there’s clearly a continuation of the PSP go’s lack of physical hardware. Most of all it’ll be interesting to see where this fits inside Sony’s product family – will it fit in with other PSPs or be totally separate? There’s also the question of what platform it’ll use; presumably the current store that’s on the PSP?

I’m sure we’ll get more answers soon, but for now, the PlayStation Phone is a thing. Nearly.

Check out the galleries here and here.