While Sony has played a silly “We could win if we wanted, but we don’t want to” game when it comes to digital music, pushing MiniDisc and CD players along with so-so music downloads (check out the dismal showing from their Sony Connect music service), it should come as a surprise to no one that they’ll be launching an iPod-fighter of their own. Looks like the Sony Vaio Pocket VGF-AP1 will be the first, then, with a 20GB hard drive and a 2.2-inch color display. At 195 grams, it weighs more than the iPod (158 grams) and is not designed to work with MacOS (not a big problem either way, I’d wager). It does have better battery life, though (and what doesn’t, really?), clocking in 20 hours instead of the iPods 8ish. Come the fifth of June you’ll be able to pick one up in Japan for around ¥53,300. (Thanks, Johan!)
Read [IDG (Swedish)]
