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PS Vita 2.0 firmware update adds email client, better browser and more

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Sony has just started dishing out perhaps the biggest firmware update for its handheld PS Vita console to date.

Version 2.0 brings in a host of demanded features, fixes and improvements across the whole system, but perhaps the biggest feature is a new email client. A way to natively receive and send emails is something we – and many other Vita owners – would have liked from the start, so it’s good to finally see Sony add it into the mix.

Being primarily a games console, we doubt there are many people out there who will religiously use the email app nor demand it to be feature packed. If you’re in that boat then you won’t be disappointed, as the Email client is pretty basic and it isn’t going to compare to the one you most probably use on your smartphone or tablet.

You can easily automatically add Gmail and Yahoo accounts using the wizard, but other accounts will require manual setup with POP or IMAP settings. While you can set the app to run in the background and check for new emails as often as every 15 minutes, it won’t give you push notifications – you’ll need to go check manually. There’s also no support for threaded conversations, so emailing somebody back and forth will result in your inbox filling up with separate emails pretty quickly. It does however feature support for multiple email accounts and it’s pretty easy to navigate – much easier than logging in through the browser anyhow.

The Vita’s browser has also received a makeover, with an overall performance upgrade making it speedier and more responsive, although it’s still not a touch on something like Chrome for Android. From our quick tests it seems that pages and content will load faster, although there’s still no support for HTML5 videos unfortunately. The browser will also now finally run in the background alongside your game, which could prove useful for flicking back and forth between the two for guides and tips.

Near has also been given a sprucing up with a much nicer interface, notifications have been improved overall and you’ll now be able to sync over Wi-Fi with Sony’s PC Content Manager software. There’s plenty more to be found, so update your console and see what you can find.

To update over the air, go into Settings > System Update > Update Using Wi-Fi.

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