Playstation Network (PSN) Apps for Your Android Smartphone
Guess what? You can download and install Android phone apps to display your trophies and Playstation Network profile on your Android Smartphone just like your Xbox Live neighbors.
At this stage in the game, you cannot send and receive messages from friends because Playstation does not allow this from Android phone apps at this time. However, you can get notifications in "close to realtime" when friends sign on to the Playstation Network service.
The focus of Playstation phone apps seems to be centered on the trophy feature of the Playstation experience. You can see your games with small little summaries of trophies earned, you can get trophy achievement guides, and you can see all of the trophies you have yet to unlock right next to all of the colorful bright icon unlocked trophies.
PS3 Trophies Pro -$1.50
Click thumbnail to view full-sizePS3 Trophies Pro
PS3 Trophies Pro covers all of your Playstation gaming bases. You can see your profile, trophy count, a slide gallery of your games and their individual trophy summaries, and a slide gallery of "Latest Trophies".
At the top of the app screen are icon options for your friends' menu, games, community discussion, and a trophy dedicated menu.
All you need to get started with this app is your Playstation Network account login email and password, as well as your gamer tag "user ID".
If you want to take PS3 Trophies for a test drive, try the Light version first. I do not recommend the light version for longterm use, however, because the ads cut off the bottom of the screen's menu functionality.
Spark Trophies Preview
Click thumbnail to view full-sizeSparks Trophies
Spark Trophies is the Playstation Network wing of Akop Karapetyan Android app development work. The other wing is an app called Spark 360, covering the Xbox Live experience.
There is a preview version that includes the ability to view your played games, trophies, and your friends list. The preview version comes with the ability to use up to two PSN accounts from either the United States or the UK.
Spark Trophies -$1.25
The upgrade version, which costs $1.25 allows you to compare trophies between friends. You also get access to home screen widgets, designate favorite friends, and you can set a preference for real-time notifications of friends signing on to PSN.
The upgrade version will also allow you to sign on from an unlimited number of PSN accounts (although why you would have more than say, two, is beyond me).
Playstation Lifestyle
Click thumbnail to view full-sizePlaystation Lifestyle
Playstation Lifestyle is a news, reviews, and trophy guide resource for PlayStation gamers. The website features an interactive forum with over 18,000 members participating.
If you have never heard of Playstation Lifestyle, now is your chance to try them on for size.
playstationlifestyle.net
The app is free and includes news, reviews, trophy guides, a search option, a tag topic cloud, and a cool reporting feature where you can get involved by sending brief articles and photos to the site as a "reporter". The app does not include access to the forum feature available on the website, however.
Final Words
Android is an exciting frontier for the Playstation brand. Sony is bringing old school original Playstation games to the Android platform by releasing the Playstation Suite to Android developers.
Maybe you have heard about the new Playstation Phone, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. The Playstation phone will be based on the Android operating system much like your current Android smartphone is.
Moral of the story is that there are many exciting new Playstation and Android integrations on the horizon. However, you can start integrating your Android with the Playstation Network (PSN) RIGHT NOW! so you can manage your profile, friends, and trophies. We can keep looking forward to the future of Playstation and Android.
Let Us Know!
Which Playstation Network app do you prefer?
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