"Two and a half years after Apple launched its iPod and began to steal thunder from Sony, which had ruled the portable music market since the Walkman appeared in the 1980s, the company unveiled the first hard-disk drive based music player to bear its name on Monday," Martyn Williams reports for Digit Magazine. "The Vaio Pocket VGF-AP1 has a 20GB hard disk drive and a 2.2-inch colour LCD screen with 320-x-256 pixel resolution. In addition to acting as the main user interface, the screen displays track information when songs are being played and displays, if available, album art." 
"On the right-hand side of the display is a touch-sensitive panel dubbed ‘G-sense’ that is used to control the player. Users can navigate a series of on-screen menus by running their fingers over the panel in the appropriate direction," Williams reports. "The player is compatible with Sony’s ATRAC3 and ATRAC3 plus digital music formats, both of which include digital rights management (DRM)."
Williams reports, "By using Sony’s Sonic Stage or Music Move software, both of which are bundled with the player, tracks in MP3, Windows Media Audio or WAV audio file formats can be converted into ATRAC and uploaded to the player. The software is compatible with Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP Home and XP Professional operating systems."
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: The “G-Sense” is obvously a response to the fact that Apple is pursuing a patent on the iPod scroll-wheel. Sony can’t use the best solution, the scroll wheel, so this is what they’ve decided to try. Apple decision to patent the iPod scroll wheel is playing out in their favor. In the end, Apple could end up with a patent that would be nearly as significant as holding a patent for the computer mouse as input device. The Sony player goes on sale in Japan on June 5th and will retail for 53,000 yen (US$479). Too much for too little.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Apple iTunes Music Store vs. Sony Connect is no contest, Apple wins with ease – May 09, 2004
NY Times pans Sony Connect debut: ‘maybe they ought to call it Sony Disconnect’ – May 05, 2004
I live in Osaka in Japan and 53,000 yen is too expensive ! The ipod (while still expensive) is alittle cheaper…The problem is Sony is king in Japan and the japanese like to buy from Japanese companies…not many people here know how to use a computer and most of my english (Im an English teacher) students don’t have one.
Oh, finally an mp3 player for pets!
it doesn’t have itunes…. can’t play MP3s or WAV or WMV natively, UI will probably suck seeing the keypad, nice screen but, yeah, seeing cover art won’t win me over…..
the thing wreaks of wannabe-ness…. but the “hi res” color screen is still a good idea…. and i don’t see why apple shouldn’t do the same (only cooler)….
ipod killer? nah… next
Mac Beth has made me speechless. I’ll go now. =)
sony you are total dimwits if you want to kill ipod you have to use your dimwit head just a little bit and make the sonicstage attrac 3 software compatible with a mac operating system and not just pc you thick heads
as it goes my pc laptop has packed in which i use to convert
so i have a mac g4 indoors and im now of to buy an ipod as your dimwited sonicstage attrac 3 software is not compatible with a mac operating system
” ipod is a sony killer ” and deserve to be
SONY ARE JELLOUS OF THIS
The “G-Sense” is obvously a response to the fact that Apple is pursuing a patent on the iPod scroll-wheel. Sony can’t use the best solution, the scroll wheel, so this is what they’ve decided to try. Apple decision to patent the iPod scroll wheel is playing out in their favor. In the end, Apple could end up with a patent that would be nearly as significant as holding a patent for the computer mouse as input device. The Sony player goes on sale in Japan on June 5th and will retail for 53,000 yen (US$479). Too much for too little.
THAT IS WHY SONY MADE
sonicstage attrac 3 software not compatible with a mac operating system
” ipod is a sony killer ” and they deserve to be
to be honest… all of you are mad. apple make computers, hence they lack the general capabilities of making a music player sound good. iMac’s rule the computer world, however Sony rule the portable audio market. ipods are the ford focus of the music industry. Sony however are the elite, knowledgable in how to make a good music product. My only grip is that sonic stage does not work on mac. However ive googled a working safe re-written prog of it for my beautifull NWHD1. Sony rules music. apple rule computers… they should stay in their own corners.
u guys ipod lovers all suck. SONY IS THE BEST FOREVER. see how suck the ipods have been thru generations. they keep the same design and add bigger screen, slimmer the device. ==> Totally lack of design and color diversification. SUCKS. While us SONY have different cool devices in different colors and shapes and add taste to the boring world, not like u guys whiile ipod, same shit every time every year. hahahahahah.