Looks like a bar of soap. I bet it smells good too.

I think sonys on the right track.

I would just like to see more integration with AM/FM Radio.

I keep forgetting there is such a thing these days. Then again considering the garbage the RIAA plays on it perhaps it's best forgotten. :)

very explosive, will like 2 ve one

How many ipod killers has Sony released now? 5? 6? *ahem*

Oh yes that is why iPod still has a market share of over 75%. So many iPod killers out there, please i beg you Sony, stop killing the iPods *NOT*

From a looks point of view the Sony makes the ipod look like its 10 years out of date. This MP3 player looks AMAZING! Seemless intergration with the screen and body of the unit. I was in the market for a new mp3 player and this player is where im going. This MP3 player will make one stand out. Much like having a normal cell phone and a motorola razor.

Nice on-screen text going on there aswell!

!!!SONY ARE THE KINGS!!!
The Walkman still stands strong!

I think I'll go with whichever one costs the least.

About the only thing Apple has over other companies is that it broke into the market first. And I can sit here and give them props for that - they are innovators, pure and simple. They come up or at least REALIZE ideas where other companies stand back to watch before jumping in. And that's why I don't sit here and bash Apple; because if THEY didn't go head first, who knows if anyone would. Their fans however, ugh - they REALLY scare me.
Apple has made a bunch of zombie fans and now, it's dominating because those same stupid people are willing to buy buy buy - even when it breaks breaks breaks. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Apple. But I have a buddy with an Ipod Mini and another with a Creative Zen. Within 2 years my frien'ds mini broke 2 times. Luckily, he has a Compusa plan. My other friend's Zen just keeps on ticking. You listen to both and there is SUCH a difference..the ipod sounds very, shallow and tinny. The Zen sounds deep and full. Tried difference headsets on both since the ipod ones are notorious for sucking.
But you compare 2 players, 1 evidently superior to the Ipod, and you listen to the stuff they come up with and you say, OMG - he's crazy now. My friend defended his Ipod to the last drop - "the zen looks like a box", "the zen is ugly", "I don't like white" LOL...seriously. I came up with stuff too - I don't like the buttons, I dont like that you can't change the battery and it sounds like sh$t. I think I sounded a little more coherent in reasoning. In any case, I'm guessing when his warranty is up - and it breaks - or when he's ready to upgrade, he'll be getting another Mini, an Ipod or maybe the Nano. I went ahead and got the Zen. After all, that's what the comparison was about.
Those of us who AREN'T Appleite zombies can realize the value of all products. I like this walkman, I think it's sleek. It has a nice look and since everything is covered with clear plastic, the button names/graphics don't rub off. Sony products also make excellent sound. I'm curious to see the pricetag because that's where sony stuff falls back - the price. I'm least concerned with craftsmanship. Sony has been making walkmans and cd players forever - they've gotten it right. I expect the same quality in their digital players.
Lets see what the price is like.

Creative with superior sound-quality? Well that would be a shock. The same can be said for some Sony items... but then again, they do make some kick-ass audio gear too, if you've got thousands of dollars to spend (tens of thousands? :P).

Apple has a few advantages over all the competition: appealing design, good price, innovative & market leading ideas. And now people ask for iPods, not MP3 players. Kudos to Apple.

For those who are after superior sound quality though, might I suggest you try plugging yourself into an iRiver one day? You'll be thoroughly impressed, IMHO.

I would have to agree with you for the most part. I also have nothing against Apple, but their iPods are nothing to e-mail home about. They're stylish and all, but when it comes to functionality, they're seriously lacking. No FM tuner, no voice recording, and they're overpriced. What are they up to now, 6th or 7th generation iPods? And they're STILL lacking these key features other players have had for years. Oh and don't forget the proprietary battery you can only buy from Apple, and the price of it is nothing short of anal rape. Don't even get me started on the iPod Shuffle, the worst idea ever conceived by Apple. It doesn't even have an LCD screen for crying out loud! There are far better players made by Creative, Sony and even iRiver. I ended up buying the Creative MuVo, which is very small, has an LCD screen, uses a single AAA battery, comes with ALL the accessories (this is yet another anal rape from Apple, you get _nothing_ with the iPods and have to shell out ridiculous amounts for every accessory) such as arm/wrist band and protective sleeve, has voice recoring, in-line recording, FM Tuner, FM recording, direct encoding and who knows what else I may have forgotten. Every Apple player lacks most or all of those features. My 1GB MuVo cost the same as an iPod Shuffle, but has all those great features. It boggles the mind to think anyone would choose an iPod Shuffle or any other Apple player over players packed with features and extras. Sorry Apple, I will never buy a product where I have to spend a fortune on extras and still not get certain basic functionality found elsewhere.

An Apple product with a good price? Well that would also be a shock. Yes, Apple does have one advantage and that is appealing design, but that's all. Just because something happens to be the most popular does not automatically make it the best product out there, far from it.

I own a 7 year old walkman that still plays... my ipod broke after about 6 months (tried formatting with ipod software tons of stuff wont recognize it at all alwaytsa freezes) I am hoping the same quality will be in their mp3 players. PLus the violet looks slick as hell.

My ipod is a couple years old now and stil works fine. If your hard drive froze in 6 months why didnt you take advantage of the warrenty...I smell a sony fanboy. You dont have an ipod...its ok, I forgive you.

I had walkmans break all the time.

and on top of that if you look at the actual product held by people and not the sony fan art which obviously isnt real you'll see that this isnt even the production model what they're selling. the "circle" you click on is heinous and the screen is very visibile in oposition to what is shown in these screen shots where you cant tell where the screen ends and the case begins.

You have no clue what you're talking about...the new Sony Walkmans do not technically HAVE a screen...they use bio-luminescent text that appears on a transparent part of the case...and what the heck does that mean, "the circle you click on is heinous"...how exactly do you make a circle "heinous"?? Not circular enough? Too circular...? Your post is just another in a long line of Sony bashing posts...and, for all those interested...I am neutral...I favor neither Sony, nor Apple...I just want an MP3 player that is stylish, affordable, works well, and is well supported...that's all...:-P

This looks like a very nice, attractive player that I think looks much better than the iPod. I like how the display appears to be right on the surface. I'm sure the sound quality is a hell of a lot better than iPod as well. However, there is still one, major, drawback to Sony's players: no WMA-DRM compatability. Give up the ATRAC Sony! If you really want a store, make it WMA and then make your players WMA compatable. That would open up a world of buyers for Sony. That's the only reason I don't have a Sony player already.

I will buy the sony walkman just to deprive Appl the money. It just happens that I like the design too. Anything to hasten the death of an inflexible computer hardware and software maker, I hate supporting Macs... with 65 PC's and 35 Mac's I spend more time fixing Mac's than PC's now. New Mac's and New PC's if you want to know. And I am an AppleCare Certified Technician, A+ Certified, Microsoft, and SUSE Linux Certified. It ain't like I don't know what I am doing.

You sound like a very nasty person. You'll buy Sony's MP3 just because you don't like Apple Macs? That seems very shortsighed!!! Remember - "Cut off your nose to spite your face!"

Maybe you should have a bite to eat, then take a nap. When you wake up maybe you'll be refreshed, feel better and be more pleasant. I have an ipod and I love Microsoft. (YES!!) But I buy a product because I like it, not to get back at anyone else.

well you are referring to macs
not ipod and you don't know anything about ipod so dont downplay it

Ipod is too far ahead. SONY will never catch up in the portable music market. And XBOX 360 looks like its gonna put a hurtin' on their console market share in the next generation. It looks like the tables have turned and SONY will be the one playing catch up. I'm not an xbox only fanatic, and I had my PS2 for almost 2 years before I bought an xbox. I also plan on owning all of the next gen consoles, but it is going to be interesting how the next round plays out.

technically the ps3 should be faster with its 2 processors apposed to the xbox360's 2 and the ipod is behind most other mp3 players but its just more popular.

If the iPod is behind most players it wouldn't be so popular. A lot of other players just have way too much now. Apple brought it back to the basics. Its music, Do we really need a bunch of crap you are never going to use? I also think the sony player looks simpler than others but the iPod is so easy to use, they don't need to write all the button names and everything. I am not a fanboy, but believe that Apple is doing stuff really smart lately!

I agree, what people don't seem to understand is that it's all about simplicity. Sure, I could have an mp3 player that looks like a texas instrument calculator that does everything from controlling my television to making phone calls, but I don't want it to do that, I want an mp3 player that can hold "all" of my music.

I don't consider myself an "Appleite," I don't own a mac and don't plan on it, but this player is just so freakin' good. And as far as the sound quality, what are you talking about? I have files in all kinds of formats (ogg, shn, flac, wma, mp3, acc) and I haven't noticed any lack of quality on my ipod vs any other player. In fact I think the headphones that come with the apple are fantastic (if they would stay in my ears!). I bought some Shure E2c's, and while they did sound better, I got tired of pulling on my ear every time I wanted to put them on.

Anyway, the iPod is awesome...It's all about the click-wheel baby yeah!

Any idea if these will have standard replaceable batteries?

Are you kidding? No way in hell Apple would ever release a player that uses standard batteries. They make HUGE money off their overpriced proprietary batteries.

It looks like sony is headed in the right direction (simplification) but we'll have to see how they do on all the other competitive factors...

Any pricing info?