Free Republic

Sony takes on iPod shuffle with new flash playersMarch 8, 2005 - 12:35 EST   Sony has announced nine new flash-based MP3 players to compete with Apple's iPod shuffle. "The lineup includes a set of cigarette lighter-sized models, a bit more expensive than the iPod Shuffle but with a much longer advertised battery life--50 hours of playback time with a rechargeable battery compared to Apple's 12 hours. And unlike the Shuffle, the Sony players have bright, 3-line screens to display song information. A 512MB model costs $130 and a 1GB model costs $180. Models with an FM tuner each cost $20...