The Sony Bean!

[comfortablyNUMB]

http://www.dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.1981

http://www.dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.1985

http://www.dapreview.net/e107_images/newspost_images/sony_bean_pics1.jpg

http://www.dapreview.net/pics/sony/sony_bean.jpg

This is really being called the Sony Walkman Bean. Tiny, but the prices are steep (look at the second link). Interesting...

[skauff83]

That's the worst name I've ever heard. It looks ok I guess, but for $178 for 1 gig....that's a little much.

[comfortablyNUMB]

The same way I was thinking...

[skauff83]

for $2 more you could get 5 gigs with the pocket dj :approve:

[comfortablyNUMB]

And a player that isn't shaped like a turd...

[skauff83]

well there's that...

[Mr.Spock]

Wouldn't buy it
#1 Looks gay
#2 To freakin expensive

[dino]

Yeah, I don't like it's designed. I'm kind of surprised, Sony usually knows how to make at least good-looking designs.

[DM.]

Another pic from Sony's site:
http://www.sony-europe.com/content/images/Four-set_A_section.jpg

One thing it sure looks like a bean.... But I like Sony's current flash players. The Psyc is cool and so is the other 'normal' shaped flash player (forgot the model number).

[skauff83]

How big is it? It looks really bulky too...at least we can play mp3's and they aren't restricting people to some cockamimie sound format.

[hoob]

Well, it's got a built-in USB plug, so it can't be that big, right? I kind of imagine a tiny bean shaped thing when I look at it. Like a garbonzo bean, or something, with a screen.

[TheBigNewt]

Another 1gb flash player with an FM tuner.......zzzzzzzzzzzzz (wake me up when it's over). What's next, The Pickle? The Squash? The Tiny Cumumber? One with a built-in vibrator (THAT might sell!).

[skauff83]

There was a cellphone made by a British company that was meant to be used as a vibrator....just so ya' know...

[Grant]

.....just another player....yawn...and yes, I don't want a giant bean shaped DAP...

[comfortablyNUMB]

I'm suprised Sony would come out with something like this..I liked their last couples of flash models (the Psyc and the flask-shaped one)...but the Bean?

By the way, it's significantly shorter than the Shuffle and about the same width, but it's really thick..

[MystkLp]

eeek. not for me. i prefer their other current flash players like a few said here earlier

[comfortablyNUMB]

And by the way I saw this on Cnet...the one-line LCD becomes pointless because you're supposed to hold it like a lighter when controlling it, but then your hand blocks the screen.

[Choirguy]

You have to think of who they're going to marketing the thing to...certainly not people that own DJ's or iPods...they're going after teenagers, and with the "bean," I'd guess that female teenagers are the main target--and maybe not even American teenagers. A friend of mine recently posted this link in his blog

http://www.pewinternet.org/images/main-header-family.gif

The link talks about trends with adolescent computing habits...amazingly, 87% of teenage girls are active computer users (boys were only at 84%).

So the bean, certainly named correctly, may very well appeal to those female users...and who knows...perhaps the bean is ergonomic in the hand?

[gilmour25]

I think it looks pretty cool. But, then again, I usually think weird stuff looks good :lol:



However, the price?.... NO :mad:

[getthecatdj15]

it seems a little weird that someone in design said "lets make our new player shaped like a bean so we can name it that"
once again, i too really liked the Psyc-but this looks like its going to be a flop.