PSP-HUD version 1.31 Review

PSP-HUD v1.31 was created by Darko for 3.80 M33-4 and is a "Heads-Up Display" plugin showing cpu speed, battery life percentage remaining, and the current time. You install it in the "seplugins" folder and enable in the recovery menu like all other plugins. Here is the readme file which has all the details:

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PSP-HUD v1.31 - January, 18th 2008.
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This is a plugin for PSP CWF 3.80M33-4 (update 4 is required) that displays some basic info on screen:
- CPU speed and CPU usage
- BUS speed
- battery status (percent and time left)
- local time

Installation:
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Put hud.prx and hud.lang in seplugins directory on your PSP memory stick
and append ms0:/seplugins/hud.prx to vsh.txt and game.txt files.

Usage:
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Default configuration is to show CPU speed, battery percent left and local time in bottom right corner.
Default button setup is:
- NOTE+LTRIG to access configuration menu.
- NOTE+RTRIG to turn HUD completely ON/OFF.
When you exit menu configuration will be automatically saved in ms0:/seplugins/hud.cfg
If button configuration is changed and you can't enter menu anymore (or can't rembember) delete hud.cfg and restart PSP.

Known problems:
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Display is not perfect and is usualy best shown in bottom left or right corners but it really depends on program or game running.


Version History:
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January, 18th 2008. v1.31
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- updated for 3.80M33-4 (actually droped previously used NIDs for 3.71 and now using NIDs from pspsdk)
- new translations: german (two translations), dutch, italian, spanish, polish and turkish

I won't be accepting any more translations and I'm planing to drop translations for future versions (it's easier for me).

January, 10th 2008. v1.3
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- added language menu option
- added serbian and french language (thanks to Mizou93 for french translation)

January, 7th 2008. v1.22
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- fixed cpu usage display

January, 6th 2008. v1.21
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- slightly improved display

January, 5th 2008. v1.2
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- buttons for menu and HUD are configurable within configuration menu
- add custom alignment (adjust with analog)

January, 4th 2008. v1.1
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- added cpu usage and bus speed
- menu is now accessed with NOTE+LTRIG
- toggle HUD with NOTE+RTRIG
- redesigned menu selection (looks nice now)

January, 4th 2008. v1.0
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- initial version

You can see the HUD in the lower right corner of this screen shot. I play games for review in short spurts because I have limited time. I often wonder what time it is but while in game you can't see the time or battery life left so this plugin comes in very handy.



I haven't had any comflicts with games, apps, or other plugins so I feel confident recommending PSP-HUD. It works well, does what is supposed to do, and takes up very little screen space. Well done Darko.

PSP Internet Radio Alternative: FreeRadio

FreeRadio 1.7 is a serverless internet radio portal for Official and CFW 3.80. Due to the use of Javascript inside the PSP's browser/internet radio player this is able to run on official Sony firmware, as well as custom firmware.

Features include:

• Shoutcast playback
• Streaming MP3/AAC playback
• Podcast browsing/playback
• Remote playlist streaming
• Web browsing
• Links to both official Sony radio players
• Customizable lists of Shoutcast stations, podcasts, and raw audio streams
• Support for custom plugins

This is an impressive internet radio player which FreePlay has created. FreeRadio allows you to consistently and accurately pick the exact radio station you want to listen to, unlike Sony's players which have you pick a genre and then you have to scan the dial to find what you want. FreeRadio also allows you to add your favorite Shoutcast stations, podcasts, or streams. Open the "radio/personalize" folder and find the "MyShoutcast.js", "MyPodcasts.js", and "MyStreams,js" files. Use notepad or another text editor to open these Javascript files to see the lists of the Shoutcast stations, podcasts, and the raw streams displayed in the portal. Instructions for adding your favorites are included (look for my guide to adding Shoutcast stations coming soon).

I can't wait to see some of the plugins that users create. I wish I knew more Javascript.

This is an excellent piece of homebrew and is the only way I will use the new Internet Radio option on my PSP.

Targus Wireless IR Keyboard PA87OU

I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the box containing my Targus Wireless IR Keyboard PA87ou. This thing is small. As you can see it is about the same size as the PSP and only a little thicker. This is a full Qwerty keyboard minus the F1-12 keys. There are some special PDA function keys on the right hand side that won't be used with the PSP. It is amazing how Targus packed a keyboard together in such a small package and still made it very comfortable to use. The keyboard itself is smaller than my laptop keyboard but the keys are larger. That doesn't sound possible does it? Targus was able to make the letter keys larger by making the less important keys like brackets, curly brackets, caps lock, tabs, etc. smaller. Obviously this makes it very easy to type on (if you are used to typing on a laptop keyboard). I am very pleased with this purchase (only $24 plus shipping).

I have a few complaints: The cradle that holds the PSP/PDA seems a little flimsy. The "loops" that the PSP sits on are plastic and could be stronger. Also, the infrared arm that swivels up and down could get snapped off if you aren't careful. There isn't much that could be changed about the arm since this keyboard is supposed to be generic enough to be used on almost any PDA with an ir port. My last complaint is the one that really bothers me. I wish there were arrow keys. There is a silver oval on the bottom right corner of the keyboard which is the arrow keys' replacement. This oval is functional but a poor substitute for the real thing. Often I found myself moving the cursor up when I meant to go right. The oval takes up less room than four more keys, I get it, but at least make it square so that it is easier to use. Don't get me wrong this is not a deal breaker, I love this keyboard. I use the arrow keys quite a bit and I just wish they were better implemented. I would recommend it to any PSP homebrew user that wants an easier way to input text. Now I need to find a homebrew browser or app that supports the ir keyboard, for the web, because Sony's text input is a joke.

UPDATE:

I had heard about πkey (pikey) before but didn't know exactly what is was. Well it is the holy grail of ir keyboard support. Fanjita has developed a standalone and plugin which will allow you to use an ir keyboard in the xmb, games, browser, etc. Here is Fanjita's site (Noobz) and info on pikey. I will do a review of pikey once I have enough experience with it.