e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

[Tenderloin]

Sony unveils first hard disk audio player

Mini musical magic
by Martyn Williams

Sony took the wraps off its first hard disk drive based audio player today, saying the gadget, which will be sold under its Aiwa brand-name, will be available worldwide from April.
The Giga Pavit is based on a 2GB drive from Cornice. The Colorado company's "storage element" drives are already used in several other digital music players. Its 2GB capacity version was launched at CES (the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas last week.

The drive provides enough storage space to accommodate around 500 songs, with the device's USB 2.0 interface able to transfer an hour's worth of CD-quality audio in about 18 seconds, according to Sony. It supports MP3 format files at fixed or variable bit rate.

Two versions of the player are available: the HZ-WS2000, which has an in-line remote control in the headphone cable; and the HZ-DS2000 in which all the components are built into the main case. The WS2000 measures 91x56mm, or about the same size as a business card, and is just over a centimetre thick, while the DS2000 is slightly taller and wider and a good deal thicker at 94.5x60x18.4mm.

The Giga Pavit's launch a week after Apple announced its iPod Mini music player, which has a similar storage capacity, makes comparisons between the two almost inevitable.

In a press release, Sony took the first stab and claimed, without naming the iPod Mini, that the Giga Pavit is both the world's thinnest and lightest hard disk based audio player. On face value, that appears correct, however a closer look reveals at least grounds for an appeal from the iPod's legions of fans.

Sony's comparison is based on the HZ-WS2000 remote-control version of the Giga Pavit in which the main display and controls are separate from the body of the player, compared to the all-in-one iPod Mini.

A more meaningful comparison might be between the bulkier HZ-DS2000 all-in-one version of the Giga Pavit and the iPod Mini. In that case, the Apple device comes out on top, being lighter and occupying almost half the volume of the Aiwa player.

Added together, the 18 gram remote-control unit takes the total weight of the HZ-WS2000 to 86g, which is lighter than the iPod Mini.

The Giga Pavit is due on sale in Japan and major international markets in April and will cost around ¥35,000 (£200), said Sony.

A PC running Windows XP, 2000 or Me with USB interface is required. The device won't work with Apple Macs, according to the company


Sony Announces Portable Hard Disk Player "USB Audio" Under AIWA Brand

Tokyo, Japan, Jan 14, 2004 18:26 (JST) - (JCN Newswire) - Sony Corporation (TSE: 6758) today announced "USB Audio", a core product lineup which will newly define the AIWA brand. Sony will energetically promote these products which will be progressively launched on a global basis from February 2004.

In our personal life space such as private rooms, more and more people are utilizing PCs not just for information gathering or communication but also to enjoy music, video and game entertainment. As the first wave of products enabling a fuller entertainment lifestyle utilizing PCs, Sony will launch the "USB Audio" product line-up under the AIWA brand, targeted at music-loving PC users.

USB Audio is a new category of portable audio devices that connect via the USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, installed on most PCs as a default. This allows for easy connections without troublesome and complex set-ups. A wide range of audio products that fit the lifestyle of PC users will be introduced including audio players using the USB storage media "Pavit"; an ultra-thin and light card-sized HDD player; and a high quality PC peripheral speaker that fits in the back of a PC display. In USB audio products, PC-user-friendly functions are adopted, for example the high data transmission speed that allows one hour of music data to be transferred in only 18 seconds by connecting to a USB port (USB2.0).*

* In the case of transferring music data (MP3 format/128kbps) from a PC to Pavit media in a USB 2.0 compliant device.

The core customer segment for "USB Audio" is the "digital generation" who use the internet for recreation, carry their music with them and who value their personal time and tastes. To reach the digital generation worldwide, a web-centric marketing campaign centered on the renewed websites "www.aiwa.com" (global portal) and "www.jp.aiwa.com" (Japanese portal) will be implemented. They will incorporate the following new communication tools for customers.

1. Introduction of intuitive design and messaging
In order to reach out to the digital generation worldwide beyond language borders, AIWA will introduce unconventional design and intuitive messages as its communication tools. "aiwacon"(Fig. A) is an icon that embodies the concept and enjoyment of the products that can be used with the PC. And "sonics" (Fig. B) is the logo-character presenting AIWA's "groove" on the website and in the street with nine kinds of image and music varying from rock, reggae, hip-hop to country and Hawaiian.

2. Enrichment of interactive content
The website will be updated with enriched music and creative content to complement its existing highly interactive product information website. There will be a number of collaborations with up-and-coming musicians and creators on related projects. Through premium content such as original video clips, tunes and games, AIWA will attract viewers to the website and build up a hip and sophisticated website community.

3.Enhancement and expansion of online sales
The website is also positioned as a sales channel to PC users. In Japan, the flagship store 'AIWA SHOP' will open on 'SonyStyle', Sony's e-commerce site, and will carry the USB audio product line-up from January 14 (URL: http://www.jp.sonystyle.com). We plan to enhance and expand online sales through broad partnerships and will not limit our activities to websites run by Sony.