more screens (2) Sony's PSP was always billed as more than a gaming machine. The multimedia device can play MP3s and MPEG videos, and it can serve as a viewer for digital photos and other files. Try sticking a few albums' worth of MP3s or a short video clip on the standard 32MB memory stick, and one will immediately notice that more storage is needed.

　　Analyst Paul Gikas of Piper Jaffrey has predicted that Sony will release a hard-drive-equipped PSP sometime in the future. "If it really is going to be a multidimensional entertainment device," Gikas said, "it's going to need a hard drive, so you can store greater amounts of data in it."

　　However, Gikas does not expect the new PSP to arrive until 2006.

　　2006 seems a bit too far away for peripheral manufacturer Datel. According to reports across the Internet, Datel will be giving the multifunction portable a new gig--four in fact. According to multiple online retailers, a 4GB hard drive is currently in production by Datel, creator of the Action Replay Max systems. Instead of being a memory stick, the drive will apparently be a module that uses the memory slot.

　　The bundle will reportedly include Datel's X2 PSP battery, which doubles the battery life of the handheld, as well as a USB cable to connect PSPs to PCs.

　　Datel hasn't officially announced anything yet, but speculation puts the unit around the $249 mark, with a release date sometime this year. Inquiries to Datel went unanswered as of press time.