Walt Mossberg has correctly and definitively erased Sony’s chances of regaining the top mobile music player spot. His scathing preview (on wsj.com) leaves one in little doubt as to the inferior nature of the new Sony iPod killer wannabe.

Cons:
Sony stubbornly took the stupid path and allows only for ATRAC3 format songs to be moved to the player, and no reverse transfer to Audio CD or MP3. Also, the UI stinks and too much space that could be used for a bigger LCD is wasted on metallic gloss. Bundling in a cradle-only connectivity solution just kills the notion of portable player (in terms of aircrafts, hotel rooms and vacation homes).
Pros:
Battery life. All metallic body looks sturdy.

What they should have added:
Now what would have been interesting is if this player actually had some sort of bluetooth connectivity and came with a USB bluetooth dongle for desktop/laptops. Thats one less cable during sync’ing. And of course, if a power-mat was an option, then u leave it on the powermat, within 30 feet of the laptop and it gets charged and sync’d at the same time!!!

Alas, lets get back to the real world. We won’t get these anytime soon, unless either a startup (Archos) or Apple takes it into their hands for this sort of creativity.

Sure, I’m a Mossberg fan, I love the man, he takes the technical bull-S aside and gives you a clear picture of what will and won’t work. he isn’t always right, but you just don’t want him to criticize you/your product.

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