"A quarter century after Sony Corp. first shipped the legendary Walkman personal stereo, the electronics giant is launching a high-tech model that aims to topple Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod as the leading digital music player and status symbol.



For now, Apple has nothing to fear.



Sony's Network Walkman NW-HD1 is as clunky as its name. The gadget looks great, but it's ruined by a bizarre insistence on a proprietary file format, a confusing navigation scheme and software that tries to be flashy but is incredibly frustrating.



And the Sony, which works only with a Windows PC, costs $399. That's $100 more than an iPod, which can run on either a Windows or Macintosh machine while providing the same 20-gigabyte music capacity. A 40-gigabyte iPod runs $399." [Via DETROIT FREE PRESS]



The MethodShop Spin: Sony needs to take a page from HP's book and license the iPod, not try to kill it.