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The v1.5 gen readers are now out but in limited supply. I am interested in the Sony Reader product but they're hard to find around and the +$300 price is still a big lump to swallow. One real saving grace is that I can now pack a lot more reference material in an easily searchable format without having to power up my notebook. Or even as a side reference without stealing screen space on my notebook or desktop.

I'm just now going through my collect pile of trade paperbacks and I have over 500+ of them. I'm finally going to sell them off to a used bookstore to save space. Well almost all of them. The really good ones are going to stay...

$3k for a video camera!? This isn't the 1980s anymore. My camcorder was $300 and it takes fantastic videos in that resolution and it's 4 years old.

Try this.

I guarantee your $300 camera is not of this quality and, while it might look good to you, does not come remotely close to what is considered broadcast quality. Quality still comes at a premium.

You can get a decent optical drive in an ultraportable. I'd recommend it... otherwise how do you re-install the OS?

Otherwise, an ultraportable 11" widescreen powerbook would be great. Like Sony's TX line, but not constantly breaking.

Another consideration is contract law. Sony has contracts with Best Buy, Circuit Shitty, Target, you name the company, to supply them with items. I suppose that each of those contracts has a clause that prohibits Sony from by-passing them and selling direct to the consumer. I could be wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised to find out that such a clause was standard.

Apple pushed on the Newton for quite some time. It did OK, but they were a little too expensive for the time, and a little too bulky for a normal pants pocket.

Unfortunately, things really took off with the Palm Pilot... which dumped functionality for a form that was actually convenient and fit in a pocket. Sound familiar? I say unfortunately, because 3Com / Palm clearly hasn't had the legs to keep running with it. Now the pure PDA are has the Palm Pilot on the low end, MS's Pocket PC on the high end, and a gamut of random stuff like Psions in the middle. And it looks like the market is shrinking.

Personally, I've had many PDA's, and liked them all. They were replaced by a Treo, until the shoddy build quality dragged that phone into nothingness. Since the Treo, I've used a standard phone with a unlimited use network plan. Now when I need to make an appointment, I just go to calendar.yahoo.com. Text input with the phone pad is worse than with the Treo's excellent keyboard, but typing in appointments at my normal computer works perfectly.

I suspect that apple is working on something WRT the iPhone. It would make perfect sense for an iPhone to sync automatically with iCal. It could be more of an Apple Communicator or something like that, with phone functionality relegated the same status as text messaging, calendar functions, and purchasing music from iTunes.

There isn't a lot of room left in the space between a dedicated PDA and an ultralight computer. Apple would need to go a different direction.

...stupid "get a Mac if you want curves" comments, and many being modded as insightful. Granted, there have been very few Intel based PCs that have been contenders to win design awards but I've seen a few that are easily as good looking as many believe the Mac to be. Dell's M2010 is far better looking than then notebooks being sold by Apple. The Sony RS Series and LS Series are great looking desktops, the LS being the all-in-one like the iMac. The Sony Digital Living System is a great looking media center PC. It's all a matter of taste.

One of my favorite comments was this one, "Hopefully we get some different options from this, but speaking generally, how much can you do different?" Ummm, perhaps you are a) not the target for PCs like this and b) are not creative enough to design an elegant, stylish PC case. I'm always amazed with this attitude from geeks given that they'd be extremely passionate if one we re to say something equally as inane as, "why spend billions of dollars to go to the Moon or Mars? They're just lifeless rocks with no interest to anyone."

...stupid "get a Mac if you want curves" comments, and many being modded as insightful. Granted, there have been very few Intel based PCs that have been contenders to win design awards but I've seen a few that are easily as good looking as many believe the Mac to be. Dell's M2010 is far better looking than then notebooks being sold by Apple. The Sony RS Series and LS Series are great looking desktops, the LS being the all-in-one like the iMac. The Sony Digital Living System is a great looking media center PC. It's all a matter of taste.

One of my favorite comments was this one, "Hopefully we get some different options from this, but speaking generally, how much can you do different?" Ummm, perhaps you are a) not the target for PCs like this and b) are not creative enough to design an elegant, stylish PC case. I'm always amazed with this attitude from geeks given that they'd be extremely passionate if one we re to say something equally as inane as, "why spend billions of dollars to go to the Moon or Mars? They're just lifeless rocks with no interest to anyone."

...stupid "get a Mac if you want curves" comments, and many being modded as insightful. Granted, there have been very few Intel based PCs that have been contenders to win design awards but I've seen a few that are easily as good looking as many believe the Mac to be. Dell's M2010 is far better looking than then notebooks being sold by Apple. The Sony RS Series and LS Series are great looking desktops, the LS being the all-in-one like the iMac. The Sony Digital Living System is a great looking media center PC. It's all a matter of taste.

One of my favorite comments was this one, "Hopefully we get some different options from this, but speaking generally, how much can you do different?" Ummm, perhaps you are a) not the target for PCs like this and b) are not creative enough to design an elegant, stylish PC case. I'm always amazed with this attitude from geeks given that they'd be extremely passionate if one we re to say something equally as inane as, "why spend billions of dollars to go to the Moon or Mars? They're just lifeless rocks with no interest to anyone."

Here.

Media Formats Supported
Unsecured Text: BBeB Book, Adobe® PDF, TXT, RTF, Microsoft® Word (Conversion to the Reader-requires Word installed on your PC)
DRM Text: BBeB Book (Marlin)
Unsecured Audio: MP3 and AAC7
Image: JPEG, GIF, PNG, and BMP

I can see this as a possibility.

Interesting timing. Pricing article just popped up over at GameSpot and Ars Technice confirming the $60 pricing of PS3 games for pre-order at the Sony Style store.

There's also some speculation that MS will be reducing game prices for the 360 to offer a competitive edge over the PS3.

Unfortunately, the images disappear whenever the is unit shaken

"Operating System: Windows® XP (Home Edition/Professional, Media Center Edition, Media Center Edition 2004, Media Center Edition 2005)" from Sonystyle.com

Shame - I was seriously considering one of those as well!

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity /eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?Categor yName=games_ps3&Dept=moviesmusic#

Any article that says other than $60 is outright lying.

O RLY?

I have a Sony KDSR60XBR2 which does full 1080P. I have a game cube connected to it now. My next gaming system purchase will be in part influenced by whether or not a system supports 1080P.

The only problem is that a 1080p CRT doesn't exist; unless you go for rear projection kind of stuff..

However Sony make some bloody nice ones that do 1080i;

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity /eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-S tart?ProductSKU=KD34XBR970&Dept=tvvideo&CategoryNa me=tv_34to36TVs

So when you click on the link here, the text that says "Resolution: 1920x1080" is a lie? Or perhaps when I go to Samsung's website and click here and it says "HD-grade 1920(H) x 1080(V) pixel resolution", it that also a lie? I ask because I'm in the market for a 1080p television... and I thought I could take these companies at their word.

This receiver from Sony has two, and I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they have more...

This is one of the many reasons why I haven't drop the boatload of cash to buy these TVs. In fact is this is probably the number 1 reason on the list. Here's one of the TVs that is on my short list for an HDTV set. I'm still leaning towards the CRT TVs. Honestly, I would like to watch the content in HD, but let's face it a lot of the stuff is still in SD and I want that to look good. The Daily Show and The Colbert Report don't gain anything by broadcasting in HD.

I've tried making a 'media center' for the living room with stock PC and components, and here's where I had problems:

Controls. I still had a mouse and keyboard attached to it, and while I could have gotten a wireless set, it still would have been clunky. Someone needs to make a remote with a trackpoint and a treo- or sidekick-sized keyboard, and the regular remote features. Everthing should be controllable through a remote, without a separate KB/mouse.

Interface. Sure, I had a bunch of videos on the compuer, but it was a PITA going through explorer to find and organize things. Something like iTunes for video would have helped. This was on Windows, and I have heard good things about MythTV, though. Oh, and the resolution difference between TV and PC monitors meant everything looked unreadable or ugly on the TV.

Recording Quality. The video recording from either my Hauppage card or my ATI card were really not that impressive. I could have cranked up the resolution to DVD levels, but the motion compression still kinda sucked.

Aeshetics. Okay, this is my fault, but I had a really big beige box that was really loud next to my TV. That's wat happens when you use an old P4 tower to be your 'Media PC'. If I were to do it today, I would use the lowest-power proc I could find and one of those mini ATX cases. Most of the PC market just isn't designed to be in your living room.

On a brighter note, this is what I wish I could afford: Sony Type X Living - 1.5TB HDD, wireless and wired file server, 2 video tuners, DVD-RW, TV web browsing, scheduling software, HDTV compatible... If only Sony would just dump their 'media' division and have the hardware guys take over again, we could see a really good competitor to Apple in digital integration :(

Look at the new Sony KDS-xxA2000 line just starting to roll out ( http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity /eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-S tart?ProductSKU=KDS50A2000 ). They'll be sold in 50", 55", and 60" versions. Or, if you've got the dough to blow, you can look at the XBR2 sets that will have 60" and 70" screens.

They are all 1080p 3 chip rear projection lcos based displays with a 10,000:1 contrast ratio. They all have an HDMI input will actually accept a 1080p signal (all you need is a DVI->HDMI cable or adapter).

They are among the better displays on the market, though they certainly aren't the cheapest (the KDS-50A2000 MSRP is $2700).

another technology out there that you didn't mention was LCOS. it's similar to a DLP in size. sony is just about to release thier a2000 series which will sport 1080p resolution and 1080p inputs (thereby satisfying your request for more than 768 vertical resolution). there are tons of input types, so you shouldn't have to worry about getting the video to it.

the 50" should be available in the next week or so. they have a 55 and 60 inch projected to launch in the near future. there are a few reviews available with a quick google search, but for the most part, people are waiting (and anxious) to see this new model.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/+INTERSHOP.enfinit y/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?Catego ryName=pa_DigitalMusicPlayers_MiniDisc&Dept=audio

Maybe you should do a little research first.
Hi-MD does have more storage and quality, it also is able to be used as a usb drive for standard storage. They can also play back MP3s as well as the standard Atrac3.
Hell, Sony is now shipping one with a built in 1.3megapixel camera.

their formats, such as Memory Sticks, tend to be compatible only with their hardware,

they don't like other formats,... If I put music in an unsupported format on a Minidisc, I would have to re-encode, losing quality even more.

In addition to playback, each 1GB disc can record 1h 34m of Linear PCM (lossless) and about 8-33 hours in the various ATRAC formats. Unlike the old MiniDisc format, Hi-MD can now digitally tranfer these recordings to a PC via USB. The MiniDisc's high-quality recording capabilities are why MiniDisc have found a niche among people recording live performances.

I purchased an iAudio U2, which cost only a hundred and gets me MP3, WAV, and even Vorbis support (something I'll never see from Sony).

their formats, such as Memory Sticks, tend to be compatible only with their hardware,

they don't like other formats,... If I put music in an unsupported format on a Minidisc, I would have to re-encode, losing quality even more.

In addition to playback, each 1GB disc can record 1h 34m of Linear PCM (lossless) and about 8-33 hours in the various ATRAC formats. Unlike the old MiniDisc format, Hi-MD can now digitally tranfer these recordings to a PC via USB. The MiniDisc's high-quality recording capabilities are why MiniDisc have found a niche among people recording live performances.

I purchased an iAudio U2, which cost only a hundred and gets me MP3, WAV, and even Vorbis support (something I'll never see from Sony).

How about this one? http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity /eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-S tart?ProductSKU=NWE107SILVER/BSTOCK&CategoryName=p a_outlet_PortableAudioPlayersI&DCMP=Froogle&HQS=PA _NWE107SILVER/BSTOCK#

I have to say that your arguments are totally bogus.

1. [Other players exist that are] Smaller.

Of course there are. However, size in itself is not an accurate benchmark. You have to compare capacity and functionality in relation to size. Here are the dimension specs from the Apple website (imperial and metric):

iPod Shuffle (512MB to 1GB)
3.3 x 0.98 x 0.33in (84 x 25 x 8.4mm) .78oz (22g)

iPod Nano (1GB to 4GB)
3.5 x 1.6 x 0.27in (90 x 40 x 6.9mm)
1.5oz (42g)

iPod Video (30GB)
4.1 x 2.4 x 0.43in (103.5 x 61.8 x 11mm)
4.8oz (136g)

iPod Video (60GB)
4.1 x 2.4 x 0.55in (103.5 x 61.8 x 14mm)
5.5oz (157g)

As an example, in comparison, the 1GB Sony Walkman Core is 3 1/3 x 1 2/15 x 6/11in (84.9 x 28.8 x 13.9mm) and weighs 1.66 oz (47g). It is bigger than both the Shuffle and the Nano, and the Nano can have up to four times as much music-storing capacity. The Walkman does have an FM radio, but the Nano displays pictures and has a larger screen, so in my mind the extra features come out to about equal.

Of course the iPod Video models are larger than the Walkman. But they have thirty to sixty times the capacity, plus the ability to play back video. They're hardly in the same ballpark.

There are probably one or two mp3 players out there that are smaller and have comparable capacity and functionality, but they're hard to find. Not saying that they don't exist, but one of the reasons that the iPod is so popular is that it's easy to buy off the shelf and get the capacity, functionality, and size that you want.

2. Dont attempt to lock users into Apples music format and the iTunes store.

I think that the key word here is attempt. Most companies want you to stay with them for all of your needs -- this isn't a new strategy. However, there's no reason why you can't buy music from other mp3 stores, record your own music, or rip CDs to mp3 format and load them on your iPod. If you choose to buy music from a store that supplies it in a DRM-ed proprietary format that won't play in another company's mp3 player, that's nobody's fault but your own.

3. Have battery lives that match vendors claims.

Speaking from personal experience, I have yet to have problems with the battery life of my 1+-year-old 30GB iPod Photo. I have not had to replace the battery, and it still gets more than the predicted 15 hours of battery life. Like any other battery, performance does depend somewhat on temperature -- leave your iPod in the car at +30C or -40C, and it will affect your battery life. Common sense would predict that if you use the backlight on the screen all the time, it will drain the battery faster. Additionally, iPods with screens have a standby feature, which does decrease the power of your battery over time, even when the device is "off". However, all this included, I still get 15+ hours of playback time for every full charge of my iPod!

4. Don't cost $50 to replace the failing battery.

If you want the size of an mp3 player to go down (see point 1), then you're going to have to use a proprietary battery, or at the very least an expensive non-proprietary battery. Anyone who's had to replace the battery on an ultra-thin portable CD or minidisc player will also have encountered this. If you want everything to be powered by a cheap AA or AAA battery, you will have to accept an increase in size of the player and a decrease in battery life.

If the size of the player wasn't a comparison point, then perhaps AA or AAA batteries, which are usually the cheapest to purchase, could be used. Good alkaline AA non-rechargable batter

I would love it if I can buy a brand new [...] sony walkman

That's one thing I like about Sony's Bean player. The ergonomic design is amazing once you get used to it. I just wished they would up the sapacity to 4GB, or better, include support for a sony stick. Between my PSP, T7 digi cam, and history of purchasing Sony portable electronics.. I'm amassing quite a collection of these sticks. Not to mention a quick pop into my card reader of my laptop is alot easier than digging out usb cables and connecting the device.

So I think the Sony Bean would have a shot against the iPod if Sony:

1. Bumped up the internal memory
2. Included support for their removable media

I'm not a big fan of the ultra-large, hold an entire year's worth of music storage capacity with the spinning disks nd large form factor.. but 4 GBs is not only within Sony's current ability, but near an ideal capacity. I think 8GB would be perfect, and possible if they supported the removable memory cards as well.

That said, I can kind of see the marketing problems that Nintendo will have to overcome, but I don't think it'll be that bad. One TV, one Revolution hooked up to the Internet, one or two controllers. Demo three launch games that make the most use of the fact that the controller is the way it is (I dunno, Pilotwings, Zelda and Super Duper Duck Hunt come to mind) and demo 10 downloadable games from past generations. Then stick a sign next to it saying you can play all 2,000 Nintendo games... ever.

Then make it look pretty. Can't be that hard, but you are relying on the open-mindedness of the consumer to this whole concept. Alternatively, open up Nintendo Stores, a la the Apple Store concept of three (or so) years ago... (keeping in mind that Sony has already done it, to less effect)

Sony Makes an interesting VAIO now--it's called Sony® VAIO® VGX-XL1 Digital Living System(TM)VGX-XL1.

I don't have $2000 floating around, so I can't exactly test it out for ya, but there are mixed reviews out on the net...

It's an interesting system, actually. In theory, it's a capable media center pc with a 200 disc CD/DVD changer. The specs aren't too bad, although for a PVR, 200 GB seems low. And at that price... seems a whee expensive, but VAIOs usually are...

Anyway, this is probably your best bet, if you're looking to spend a bit of money.

In a word, Yes. Just like when the first iMac came out and PC makers released clones, you can find LCDs with embedded PCs.

Here's one from Sony. I know it's $2,000, but it looks like it's a lot more than the iMac as features go.

Here's another one: http://www.boldata.com/html/unique.cfm

Here's one that came up on Google ads that I couldn't get to load from work: http://www.lcdpc.com/ I don't have a clue what's on it right now, but judging from the URL I think it's relevant :)

That's all I hit on three Google searches, but seeing as I had no clue what terms to search, I think it's a fair start.

I'm currently using a pair of these (Sony MDR-V250V). Picked them up for $40CND and they work well both at work and at home. Loud enough that I can hear alerts and music, quiet enough that I can hear it when a coworker needs me. (For some reason I can't hear the wife with them on, or so she claims).

These things are comfortable to wear compared to the mid-range ($60) earbuds I was using before, and they sound better.

Well, Sony has FE notebooks out that are half the price but if you are talking equivalent hardware then only about $800 off.

I know you're joking, but really, it wouldn't work - because they already have kickass PVRs. That Sony beast has 11 tuners (1 sat, 10 analog broadcast), 1 Gig RAM, 1 TB HDD, built-in streaming server (WLANa/g, LAN), DVD+-R/RW/RAM - all for 27,9800 yen, or $2,421.88. Oh, and it has an Intel Pent-D 820 and GeForce 6200(256MB).

Or This thing, which I think is a pure PVR with no PC, 8 tuners, (Cable and broadcast), up to 2 TB HDD, $776.95.

Somehow, I doubt they need to import giant jerry-rigged American PVRs.

oh, and why is it that Japan makes products that are *so* much more attractive looking than American ones? Only Apple seems to match them in aesthetics...

I know you're joking, but really, it wouldn't work - because they already have kickass PVRs. That Sony beast has 11 tuners (1 sat, 10 analog broadcast), 1 Gig RAM, 1 TB HDD, built-in streaming server (WLANa/g, LAN), DVD+-R/RW/RAM - all for 27,9800 yen, or $2,421.88. Oh, and it has an Intel Pent-D 820 and GeForce 6200(256MB).

Or This thing, which I think is a pure PVR with no PC, 8 tuners, (Cable and broadcast), up to 2 TB HDD, $776.95.

Somehow, I doubt they need to import giant jerry-rigged American PVRs.

oh, and why is it that Japan makes products that are *so* much more attractive looking than American ones? Only Apple seems to match them in aesthetics...

They mount as a regular USB FAT drive, and you can just copy files over like anything.

I recently got a Cannon SD450 (5mp) and not does the picture quality suck compared my old DSC-V1 (also 5mp, but a much larger body) I can't even copy the files to my old machine the way I could with the V1.

OTOH, the V1 was just too bulky to cary around with me all the time, while the SD450 is, and it uses a standard memory type -- no more memory sticks for me :P. I plan on getting one of these goofy things at some point, which can use CF. I might look at other brands, though. I still want something nice and small.

Just so you know.... Sony _has_ released Walkman MP3 players:

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity /eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_BrowseCatalog-Start?Categor yName=pa_mp3players&Dept=audio

But personally they don't do much for me...

Friedmud

Actually, I'm quite fond of this little guy.

I won't buy anything from Sony on principle, though.

This reader, unlike the Librie, can display formats other than BBeB. Supported formats are BBeB Book, PDF, JPEG, MP3. According to Gizmodo the reader will also support syncing to RSS feeds with images.

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/+INTERSHOP.enfinit y/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation- Start?CategoryName=&ProductSKU=KDE42XBR950&TabName =specs&var2=#

Right, "HDTV" 42" plasma with 1024 x 768 -- I looked at that TV in person and smaller text in HD content was very hard to read. On my 24" monitor with 1600x1200 resolution it was very sharp and far more detailed. If I want a bigger screen, the non HDTV stuff is going for far cheaper and has identical picture quality, just requires a different input source.

Also, take HD and compress it with xvid or any modern codec (i.e. not format), keeping the resolution the same and a high enough bitrate and you can get indistinguishable quality from just 10GB per movie that is playable on even the most basic computers (1ghz plays just fine).

As for hard drive, 400GB for around $170 now capable of storing 40 HD movies per drive - thats just over $4 per movie and 40 movies in a single drive take up less space than 40 disks and if there is a raid package of say 1tb-4tb that these days costs a mere $500-$1000 on raid5, you also dont have to worry about disk scratching (those things are fragile) and just get a housecall when raid is critical to replace a drive (well or fix yourself).

You can also buy external hard drives and prices are dropping everyday. Storage is cheap, everyone knows that.

How cheap do you need them to be? Sony makes excellent ones for only $40 retail.

TFA describes the in-ear headphones as being less capable at blocking ambient noise than the "earmuff" style phones. That leads me to believe they're actually talking about the old school in-ear phones, the kind that just sort of hang in your ears. Newer ones, like the Sony Fontopia in-ear designs, actually fit all the way into your ear canal. These actually are pretty good at blocking out exterior noises -- in fact, they take some getting used to. If they're going to lead to hearing loss, it's probably because of the amazing bass response for such small phones. I don't work for Sony -- there are other, similar brands on the market, but the Sonys are the only ones I've used.

You linked to linux-laptop: Just so you know, VAIO is a line of desktops as well as laptops, not just laptops.
Linky

Well, Kleenex started up in 1924, and you have to admit that the term "Kleenex" as opposed to "facial tissue" is still in use... Band-Aid first came on the market in 1920; these days, it's rare to hear someone ask where they can find the "adhesive bandages".

So yes, anything that was the first of its kind to become popular often will stand the test of time. "Walkman" and "rollerblades" have also become popularly used to replace "portable cassette deck" and "in-line skates," but they haven't been around long enough to pass the 50-year test. Although, from what I have observed, it really depends on the level of technology with regards to how long a name sticks around. With the invention of CD's, and now mp3 players, nobody really uses the traditional Walkman anymore (although Sony has also labelled their mp3 players "Walkmans", the term still seems to apply to portable cassette players in popular jargon). Rollerblades, too, while less techy than a walkman, aren't nearly as popular as at their first inception. However, terms like Kleenex and Band-Aids stick around for a long time because they have evolved very little since the product was first marketed.

As an aside, I would personally hope that the term blogosphere does not stand the test of time. It's possibly one of the silliest terms I have ever heard. But with my luck, it will stick around forever, or perhaps be replaced by something much worse...

I have a flash based walkman that plays MP3 natively.

The latest harddrive player released in Europe and Japan also plays WMA natively. (It'll hit the US in the spring.)

Software is required because of some stupid song database shit the players require. SonicStage makes it pretty clear when it is transcoding and when it is just copying. (If for no other reason than that the transcoding takes fucking forever.)

Where are you looking? I've got three different players from three different product lines that all play MP3s.

Pretty much every player after the HD-1 has supported MP3 as internally many in Sony blamed its failure on lack of MP3 support.

yeah, I tried some of the HP Bluetooth headphones, which are the same as the ones Logitech and others sell. Apparently there's really only one manufacturer making them. Anyway, the sound quality was ok but they were horribly uncomfortable. I have a rather large head and the one-piece non-adjustable headband sucked. The "behind the head" design sucks as well because the way the earpieces connect to the headband is not very accomodating. It was not comfortable to have my ears pinched between two pieces of hard plastic. I guess I'm spoiled by my Sony Fontopia MDR-EX51LP earbuds- super comfortable, great isolation and sound quality.

Someday someone will make some Bluetooth stereo earbuds. Oh how they will rock. Especially if that someone is cool enough to make a bluetooth watch as well. I'd love to be able to read song titles and caller ID info on my wrist and select tracks, adjust volume, etc, by turning the bezel on my watch...

Just call the nearest Sony Style retail store and ask. Let them know your concerns.

infected with DRM

infected wtih DRM

infected wtih DRM

infected wtih DRM

not to mention infected with flash

Brilliant! Because Sony doesn't sell media PC's.

Actually I think the custom HW solution is Apple's business plan, not Sony's.

Sony Music has little to do with their consumer electronics divisions.