[Gordy @ Jul 18th 2007 8:41AM]

Typical Sony. No wonder they failed in the iPod era. Could that thing HAVE any more buttons? I still like the Xtremac Luna. Clean, simple, and powerful, just like the iPod.

[andi @ Jul 18th 2007 9:21AM]

Oh, buttons! OMG need braincells to use buttons...

you're a proud member of the iPod generation... why have more function and quality when i can have a simple device that can blare out trendy, funky tunes in glorious lo-fi?...

and by the way... Sony's players are better than Apple's... they are just very greedy and are trying to squeeze money out of everything

[Gordy @ Jul 18th 2007 9:32AM]

A plethora of buttons usually highlights design flaws. Considering the Luna has more features with far fewer physical buttons, I'd say that point is proven here.

[Grant @ Jul 18th 2007 9:35AM]

please, buttons?
everyone knows sony likes to dig it's own grave by using its own proprietary everything.
not being able to load it via mass storage, crappy software, having to CONVERT EVERY FILE TO ATRAC before it was loaded on the player(that could take easily over 2 hours for like 2GB)

sure, everyone likes the ipod because its easy to use, but itunes is the other half of the winning combo, and Sony never actually figured that out and was too busy making CDs with rootkits on them.
Good job Sony!

[andi @ Jul 18th 2007 10:07AM]

After a piece-by-piece count, the Luna has MORE buttons than this, and with a serious margin... they're just located on the remote and not on the device itself

[tekdroid @ Jul 18th 2007 11:17AM]

Grant @ Jul 18th 2007 9:35AM sez:
not being able to load it via mass storage, crappy software, having to CONVERT EVERY FILE TO ATRAC before it was loaded on the player(that could take easily over 2 hours for like 2GB)
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not being able to load it (MUSIC, i assume) via mass storage:
Apple & Sony. Data can be done fine.

Proprietary software:
Apple & Sony

Crappy software:
I think both are, but it would be safe to say Sony's is crappier on the usability.

Every file to ATRAC:
plain and simply wrong there. Tho software is required to get music on Sony Walkman devices (just like iPod), but nothing is converted to Atrac if the device itself can natively play the format (MP3, AAC, etc). Sony devices released in the last few years can do it no problem. It's just that they are wrapped up in SonicStage much the same way that iTunes does.


sure, everyone likes the ipod because its easy to use...
-----------
I find them hideous to use. I much prefer native drag-n-drop, mass-storage mode for music. Which neither Apple nor Sony do (nor Zune, etc). Cowon, Meizu and many others do, tho.


On topic:
It always amuses me to see competitors cashing in on docks for the iPod. There's no clearer sign of defeat, yet combined with the practical need to make money :) Half sad (for someone with the heritage of Sony, in particular) and half funny.