There was some discussion about the different versions of Sony PS3 and the included accessories and features. For example the 20GB hard drive sounds a bit modest by today’s standards. There were even rumors that the economy 20GB model would not be compatible with the wireless controllers and limited by 20GB capacity. Now it appears that these presumptions are false. The only non-upgradeable feature is the HDMI support, and the HD can be freely replaced with a larger capacity unit.

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Apple is bombarded with lawsuits. Now Creative, another major player in mobile music player market, has sued Apple for the interface. According to Creative the Apple iPod products infringe the patent that Creative has for their Zen media player.

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Sonic Solution, broke new ground today shipping its Roxio BD software with the first commercially available Blu-ray Disc drive from Pioneer Electronics. The release is making possible for the first time the backup of up to 25GB of data on a single layer BD-R (recordable) or BD-RE (rewritable) disc, as well as image-to-disc recording and the archive and playback of hours of high-definition video content. The software and hardware combination will enable a range of applications including professional pre-mastering, high-definition authoring and high-capacity storage.

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The main architect of Blu-ray is slowly pushing the first generation of Blu-ray enabled products. Today Sony announced a Blu-ray enabled Vaio laptop. However, this baby does not come cheap. This premium model has a mighty price tag of $3500! Of course there are plenty of features for the money…

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CMC Magnetics obtained certification from international vendors for 4x DVD-R DL discs, the first among Taiwanese makers and the second in the world next only to Japan-based Mitsubishi Kagaku Media (MKM), according to DigiTimes.

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Vanguard Disc, a second-tier maker of optical discs in Taiwan, is set to close, according to DigiTimes. Vanguard originally produced CD-R discs, with a monthly capacity of 8-10 million discs. About two years ago, the company began to switch to DVD-R production. They could’nt compete against the low prices offered by CD-R makers in China and India. Now they are seeking buyers for their manufacturing equipment.

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No wonder the HD-DVD camp made it early to the stores with the first generation players - it is quite a bit easier to make your product based on mature PC technology and software. Lorin Thwaits has done the world a favour and diassebled his brand new Toshiba HD-A1 into pieces. Inside he discovered a NEC IDE-connected HD-DVD drive and basically a mini-PC system based on Red Hat Linux.

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There has been a lot of talk about the High Definition DVD formats, now as Sony announced the release date and price for the PS3. The fate of PS3 and Blu-ray seem to go hand in hand. While the PlayStation 3 pricey, the fact that it is a genuine HD video player does give it an edge - especially because the first High Definition players are expected to be priced even more expensive than the capable gaming device.

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Sony announced Tuesday a symbolic concession to Apple on digital audio technology. Sony will make its latest music management software compatible with the AAC data compression technology used by Apple. “If you can’t beat them, join them” seems to be Sony’s motto. In April, Apple controlled 52 percent of the nation’s portable digital music player market, Sony is a distant second with a 15 percent share.

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Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) announced today that it would launch PS3 in “Clear Black” in North America on November 17, 2006, as part of a worldwide simultaneous launch. Sony also announced the PS3 will come in two different configurations, similar to the XBOX 360 approach. One version will come with a 20GB hard drive and cost $499. The 60GB hard drive version will cost $599.

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