I guess this qualifies as Gear…not sure, sorry if it’s in the wrong catagory.

Anyway, I saw this, thought i’d pass it along.

“Sony Portable DVD-ROM/CD-RW Drive with Stand-Alone Audio CD and MP3 Playback Model: MPD-AP20U”

“Innovative, multifaceted design — operates as an external DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive when connected to a computer, and also stands alone as a portable CD player and portable audio player with support for MP3 and WAV files”

Kinda cool if your Vaio (not the TR) doesn’t have a DVD or CD-RW drive or you need a portable drive…it also has a MS Slot.

$142.99 - $50 Mail In Rebate = $92 free shipping

I think thats a steal for what it does…

Very tempted to pick this up…anyone own one and care to comment?

Thanks,
Erik

I’ve got this device..
I’m selling it the second I get my tr3..
I bought it for my sr33 last year, so I could watch some dvds and burn some cds..

Works great.

I had the AP20U for about a week, but returned it before the trial period expired.  I liked the way it could play MP3s off DVD+R media, but the tiny LCD on the remote control made it very painful to find the folders I wanted.  Also, the remote was a pain to use in the car.  Still, it was the start of a very good idea. 

The LCD would be my only concern when using it as an MP3 player.  You can put a lot of music on a DVD-R, so the menu trees could get confusing on such a small screen.

Another issue with this device..
Is that all the controls are on the cable that you plug into the player..
You lose this cable..or if it becomes damaged…then you can no longer operate it…

Ouch, that’s a big downside!  Good luck to your Ebay buyers.

Thanks. I agree thats a big downside, especially with a portable device, cables can be misplaced easily.

Oh well, it sounded a bit too good for the price.

Thanks,
Erik

these things used to be horendously expensive when they first came out.
I remember seeing one in the store for $650 AU.
They were $400 plus US online. I think they are a great idea because you can use it as a walkman and a drive. And get a years worth of mps on a dvd.

Initially the only thing I though it was lacking is RCA out so it can be used as a stand alone portable DVD player…

Erik

[quote author=“tmkt”]Another issue with this device..
Is that all the controls are on the cable that you plug into the player..
You lose this cable..or if it becomes damaged…then you can no longer operate it…

I think the AP20U uses a standard MiniDisc remote, so it shouldn’t be that hard to replace.  I had the capricious thought that you could upgrade to a remote with a larger LCD, but the protocol isn’t that reflexible IIRC.

How convenient for most electronics…