The Register has reviewed (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/09/28/review_sony_vaio_pocket/print.html) the Sony Vaio Pocket VGF-AP1L digital music player. Final Verdict (from a generally Sony-hostile newspaper) is surprising:

I came to the VGF-AP1L with some hostility - I'm pro iPod, anti Sony's stance on MP3 - but it won me over. I found it far more pleasant to use than I had been anticipating, less bulky and better designed. It's compact, well-built and its audio quality is superb. I liked it.

Pros: Superb audio quality, well-designed and constructed, nice colour screen with album cover art support

Cons: no native MP3 support (possibly... we'll see), expensive even compared to iPod, screen too small to make the photo feature worthwhile

I am really curious to see when Sony will support MP3. Today I read somewhere that Sony is also going to ditch its copy-protected audio cds. What is happening inside the Sony circle? So many drastic changes - in the right direction!