Sony's WALKMAN Bean flash player

Sony's opted to try a bit of novelty value with its latest player. The new flash players are bean-shaped - hence the name - and come in black, white, pink or blue. Capacities are 512MB and 1GB and you'll be able to transfer tracks onto the player using the same Sonic Stage software all the Walkman's use (ie. the one that runs so slowly and causes my laptop to over-heat and die every time I try to use it). There's no cable involved - like the iPod shuffle it has a USB connector built in, which will pop up when you need it. Oh, and they've squeezed on a 1-line Organic LED display, which is nice. Battery life is quoted ambitiously at 50 hours, and they're both set to be in stores from September. No pricing details as yet.

Sony