Sony's Network Walkman NW-HD1 - the world's smallest 20GB MP3 player

So late last night the news crossed the wires that Sony was not only bringing their 40GB VAIO Pocket VGF-AP1L
digital audio player to the States, but they're taking direct aim at the iPod (for once) with the Network Walkman NW-HD1, which they claim will be the smallest 20GB MP3 player you can buy (and yes it'll actually play MP3s — er, no we're getting conflicting reports) when it comes out in mid-August. It's not much to look at, but the Network Walkman is supposed to be able to get an astounding thirty hours of battery life on a single charge and have a retail price of $400. The press release is a little thin on details about the Network Walkman making it hard to say whether this'll be enough to pull Sony out of their tailspin, but all we'll say is that this might have been the best MP3 player of 2001.