Steve-

I know exactly what you mean, I'm a big Sony fan as well and worried about my future portable music options. Yesterday I decided to rerip all my CD's to WMV (day by day...) and start getting used to WMP11. I'll wait for the firmware update for my NWA-808 (I really hope it will actually come!!). In the meanwhile I'll continue using SS, by importing the reripped WMV into SS and put it on my NWA 808. If the firmware comes I'm ready to go over at once! If it doesn't come, I'll wait for a year or so and then get another (Sony!) walkman (who know what kind of DAPs they'll have by that time!) which will of course support WMV (I cannot imagine them ditching that again....then again, I never imagined them ditching Atrac...) Regarding my bought Connect DRM ATRAC files, I think I will eventually burn them onto a CD and rip them into WMV. But I'll just postpone that as long as possible. The worst problem I have now is that I'm very limited in buying tracks online at this moment. But I'll get over that...

This is excellent news! It makes me very happy! Let's wait and see when it comes!

You are right, we should be active. I'm very interested in the progress that you will make. I myself bought the NW-A808 a couple of months ago and before that I had the NW A1000. I have a lot of ATRAC DRM track that I've bought with Connect. I'm just wondering what to do next, and much depends on the question what Sony will do for people like me with NW-A808s and bought ATRAC DRM tracks. Can I switch to Windows Media Player 11 or not? Will the DRM tracks be freed in some way (or can they be converted tot WMV DRM?). Shall I stick with the NW-A808 or will I buy another player (Sony? Apple? Other?). Where will I get new music from that I can use now with my NW-A808 and later with the player that I will use then? Should I start looking for an alternative for SS? Just a lot of questions, and I hope that Sony will soon answer some...