it was just some joke I picked up from some place. Basically, most men in Afghanistan have beards so someone just made up some joke like Save the World, S(h)ave Afghanistan. I guess it also had something to do with the 9/11 attacks…Osama in Afghanistan, etc.
Too bad the T1 doesn’t fit in the same cradle (I’m assuming it doesn’t). I like the black better than that strange beige color cradle that came with the T1…maybe some silver spray paint…JUST KIDDING.
Well, the first post more or less summarizes and translates all of the necessary information. Also, the price is closer to $460 USD. It’s nearly 53,000 YEN…so I’m not sure where you’re getting your figures from.
Also, it’s not necessarily a good iPod alternative in the fact that it only plays ATRAC encoded music. I’ve finally verified that. It’s “compatible” with WAV, MP3, and WMA only in the fact that Sony’s software will convert those three formats into ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus first before transferring it over. Ideally, they should let you play both ATRAC3 and MP3 directly from the device. That’s still the advantage that iPod has. It can play MP3s that you’ve just dragged and dropped over.
[quote author=“gr00vy0ne”]Well, the first post more or less summarizes and translates all of the necessary information. Also, the price is closer to $460 USD. It’s nearly 53,000 YEN…so I’m not sure where you’re getting your figures from.
Also, it’s not necessarily a good iPod alternative in the fact that it only plays ATRAC encoded music. I’ve finally verified that. It’s “compatible” with WAV, MP3, and WMA only in the fact that Sony’s software will convert those three formats into ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus first before transferring it over. Ideally, they should let you play both ATRAC3 and MP3 directly from the device. That’s still the advantage that iPod has. It can play MP3s that you’ve just dragged and dropped over.
Sony won’t let go of ATRAC which IMO is keeping them from going mainstream. That being said, it’s more expensive then an iPod because it has the LCD screen. Considering both Apple and Sony are higher end electronics companies with very local fans, it would be interesting to see how well this does. IMO it will flop, but I will still pick one up.
I actually don’t buy anything from US… just from Japan… :D
ATRAC3plus rocks… but yes it does suck how you gotta use SonicStage to transfer… also a dragged in ATRAC3 can’t play anyway… :? it must go through SonicStage as well
Yeah, if Sony decided to open up the ATRAC format to developers or at least license it affordably to others then they could make a huge impact. Of course they won’t which is a shame. Personally, I find quality ATRAC codec (especially the newer versions) to be very good and superior to MP3. Yeah, we’ll see how they do…I think they’re doomed if they continue to keep it so tight.
I think the price is reasonable when you consider it’s competition is fairly close in price. $399 iPod vs. $460 VAIO Pocket. The $60 premium gets you a color LCD screen that can display album covers, a device that can directly store and display images from your (Sony) digital camera, and gives you 20 hours of battery life (more than double iPod). And possibly, it could have better electronics for better sound quality. I also believe it has a true line out (which iPod doesn’t have) which is a must for audiophiles. I think that’s more than worth it. Imagine the amount of money you’d have to spend on iPod accessories to match VAIO Pocket’s out of the box functionality.
Of course, I too will probably get one anyways especially because of the extra features and because it looks so cool. Hard disk space is cheap…I can buy another hard disk just for mirrored version of my MP3 collection encoded to ATRAC.
Extra note to your point in price… iPod doesn’t come with a remote you have to buy it seperatly… costing like $40USD?... ($75AUD was my most recent hearing about it… being careful with price off the top of my head)
[quote author=“Shihiko”]Extra note to your point in price… iPod doesn’t come with a remote you have to buy it seperatly… costing like $40USD?... ($75AUD was my most recent hearing about it… being careful with price off the top of my head)
Only the 15 GB doesn’t come with a remote, the 30 and 40 do.
gr00vy0ne, I agree with you on ATRAC…if Sony doesn’t change something, they will just lose more marketshare opportunity. I think they might be fine with MS, though. Who knows.
Why does everything have to be so darned proprietary. :evil:
mlouie, nice link. Yeah, Sony looks like they wanna shake things up a bit with such an overhaul. Ya gotta love technology. :D
it was just some joke I picked up from some place. Basically, most men in Afghanistan have beards so someone just made up some joke like Save the World, S(h)ave Afghanistan. I guess it also had something to do with the 9/11 attacks…Osama in Afghanistan, etc.
