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Sony cranks out artsy new audio gear, VAIO laptops
Those itching for something off the beaten path should certainly look Sony's way, as the firm is offering up a few funky fresh items to celebrate its Canvas @ Sony art installation. Reportedly, the outfit will be selling a trio of stylish NW-A808 DAPs, MDR-KX70LW earbuds and VAIO VGN-CR90 laptops, all of which will boast unique, art-inspired enclosures. As for prices, the A808s will be ¥26,800 ($228) while the earbuds and laptops will ring up at ¥5,980 ($51) and ¥114,800 ($978), respectively. But you'd better get a move on, as each of the aforementioned items are limited in quantity to 100. Click on for more pictorial delight.[Via Impress]
Sony's NW-A800 launches
We were expecting the A800s March first, and with the ides of March marches in Sony's NW-A800 flash Network Walkman. Outfitted with up to 8GB of memory and a supposed 30 hour battery life (surely that's playing ATRAC files, as always), the A800 also has a 2-inch QVGA display -- not too bad, especially considering it plays back H.264 video. Audio codecs are the usual: AAC, WMA (sorry, no PlaysForSure support -- maybe Sony's being forward thinking here), MP3, and ATRAC. Models listed on Sony's Euro sites are A808 for the 8GB, A806 for the 4GB, and A805 for the 2GB -- what, was A808, A804, and A802 too hard to name 'em? Whatever their reasoning, we're a little baffled by the price: £199 for the 8GB, which is close to $400 US (that kind of pricing sound familiar?). Seriously. Granted, these will probably get a little cheaper when they head stateside, but we're definitely shaking our heads at you, Sony, on behalf of our European readership.[Via Engadget Japanese]