The iPod can download music only from iTunes, while the Network Walkman can take songs from the Sony Connect service, but not from iTunes.

ECONOMIST: The race to catch the iPod | The

The thing we find tedious about the whole deal is that it seems you can only stream music to the stereo over a home LAN from one of Sony's Vaio PCs, and that you can only check out music to portable players via MemorySticks or NetMD.

ENGADGET: Sony's assault on the download market

Microsoft's strategy differs from Sony - the entire online service for Xbox is available only through Microsoft while Sony is allowing game developers to set up their own online services.

BBC: The Xbox

Sony only had the demo configured to pull live video from the left portion of the feed, but eventually the entire capture will be enabled, giving producers access to an entire football field, as you'll see in the hands-on video after the break.

ENGADGET: Sony Stitch merges footage from two 4K F65 cameras to create zoomable panoramic with HD output (video)

But Hotz is playing innocent, claiming that his only intention was to restore a lost feature that Sony illegally stripped away from its paying customers.

FORBES: Sony Hacker Geohot Looking to Raise Funds for Legal Battle

In what can only be interpreted as a pre-emptive strike against the upcoming consoles from Sony and Microsoft, NVIDIA has announced GeForce Experience.

FORBES: NVIDIA Announces GeForce Experience: 'Console Simplicity, PC Performance'

Currently its locker accepts content only from the Web sites of customers that include Fox Music, Fox Sports Mobile, Sony BMG, TVT Records and Walt Disney .

FORBES: The Mobile Locker

Microsoft ranked second with 18% but according to research director Arash Amel, if one had only looked at the last six weeks of the year, Wal-Mart could have snagged third place from Sony which accounted for 7% of sales through its PlayStation consoles.

FORBES: ITunes is Top Online Movie Seller

Of course, later we learned that it only amounted to Sony paying for an endcap -- since then they've also shifted some shelf space away from HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray.

ENGADGET: Target finally deploys Blu-ray "endcap" HD