DRM-laden "playback only" DAP for Japan

Apparently acquiring music illegitimately is a huge fiasco in Japan, or at least that's the impression we get based on the newest "playback only private memory player" slated to hit the presumably scandalous Tokyo streets. Based loosely on the "digital disc" (DD) EZmax player already sold in Korea by Liztech, this device sports an unsightly black enclosure and enough DRM stipulations to make even the RIAA cringe (well, probably not). Thanks to two seemingly right-shunning companies (C4T and DRMS), the forthcoming DAP will purportedly come pre-loaded with tunes and will be sold directly by the record labels, and we can only assume the amount of CDs it carries will be determined by the capacity (32MB to 2GB) you choose to purchase. Moreover, since the files sport a proprietary file format and incorporate the "acuagraphy" watermarking technique, ripping / distributing this stuff will probably create some massive headaches. The unit itself also features a lonely headphone jack, a five-band equalizer, and gets power from a single AAA battery, and while we aren't sure how much these (near worthless) things will sell for with they land next year, we can't think of anyone in their right mind who'd even care.

[Via Impress]