If I were a betting man, I'd put money on seeing pigs fly before seeing Sony reduce their proprietary ways. Alas, there are no winged pork outside my window, but there is a new player from Sony that doesn't use ATRAC, nor require SonicStage (I'll just assume Hell is freezing over). That new DAP is the B100, a flash player with a built-in USB. The freshly released NW-E010 series is one of the nicest looking players in its range. The B100 doesn't disappoint its older sibling, having a similar style.

Features Capacity: 1 and 2GB Audio; MP3, and WMA FM Tuner and Recorder Voice Recorder 6-mode EQ (including Custom) Battery life: 12 hours Dimensions: 25.0 × 88.5 × 14.1 mm (30g)

While the player doesn't come with SonicStage, Sony still felt the need to include software. This time, it's actually built into the player itself. When you connect the player to your computer, the (optional) software can automatically fill your player up with supported files from your music folder. Details are still fuzzy on whether the player is truly a UMS device or not. The 1GB version will retail for 44.99 GBP and the 2GB for 54.99 GBP, or around $93, and $113US respectively.

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