After initially only letting their players use the proprietary Atrac format, Sony has announced that it will make future players compatible with MP3.
"Currently, to play an MP3 file on a Sony music player, the user must use Sony software to covert the song into Sony's ATRAC format, a cumbersome procedure that tends to reduce the sound quality of the newly formatted file," report Reuters.
"Having a digital music player that's open to multiple formats is seen as a must-have feature if Sony is to woo back customers who have switched to the iPod."
Comment: Our gadget guru Ashley Norris is highly impressed by Sony's new player hardware, although converting tracks to the Atrac format - even on the fly - was its biggest downfall.
Sony's got a legion of devoted brand supporters and a good reputation among high street consumers - could its decision to support MP3 be the first move in a serious attempt to take on the iPod?
(I just wish they'd all dump DRM formats. Locking consumers into hardware patterns might be a common technology industry ploy, but if you're looking to break into the wider music market, it stinks. People should be able to play any tracks they own on any player they have.)
