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11/11:We've kept quiet too long -- Sony's Digital Rights Mania finally lands them in court: Slashdot reports that a class action suit against Sony in California alleges that Sony's copy-protected audio CDs violate several California statutes, including the "Consumer Legal Remedies Act" and the "Consumer Protection against Computer Spyware Act," which prohibits -- among other things -- software that takes control over the user's computer or misrepresents the user's ability or right to uninstall the program. Earlier, Mark Russinovich investigated Sony's self-installing CD protection software and found it to be akin to spyware, intentionally hiding itself and providing no means of removal. Sony later released an uninstaller, but Mark has has looked at it and finds "Without exaggeration I can say I've analyzed virulent forms of spyware/adware that provide more straightforward means of uninstall".
Attention Sony Electronics -- would anything bad actually happen if you just jettisoned Sony Entertainment? (Discuss...)
10/26:Inqoo posts good photos of the Onkyo FR-N9 bookshelf system. The ¥88,000 ($800) HiMD/std-MD compatible unit has digital optical I/O (but sadly no USB port). Onkyo's FR-N9 Japanese page and mech. trans.
10/22:Jake Hazelip points out a site selling refurbished Sony MZ-NE410s (with some cheeky commentary) for $45 w/shipping.
10/20:It's Fall, new gear season: Peter Ravn discovers Sony's 40GB HD based NAS-M7HD "NetJuke" (mech. trans) CD/std-MD/MemoryStick/MP3/AM/FM/USB bookshelf HiFi system. The unit can record to HD from a variety of sources, including CD (8x) and MD (realtime, analog).