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It's a solution to a problem that's already dying away. I have no doubt it's probably well-implemented, but it won't catch on. It would be an excellent thing for old people who want an alternative to tape that's very simple, but because you're not only locked into a format but locked into a *title*, it won't work. Almost anybody younger or less afraid of technology will see this as a backward step, because swapping Playaway titles (on ebay, with friends, at the library) depends on the product being extremely successful, and there's nothing to suggest it will be.

I'd actually consider this for classic audiobooks that I'd listen to a number of times, but it has one big, big flaw the way they're doing it with popular bestsellers: to be any use at all, there need to be quite a lot of titles easily available. It's a small American company, not Sony or iTunes, so it'll probably have a few sales over a couple of years and then sink without trace, leaving behind a hardcore of devoted listeners who swap titles over the Internet.

It's useless for libraries because it's too big a risk of exactly this 'the-format-won't-take-off' variety. Most public libraries are still doing audiobooks on tape/cd, with a small number doing modern digital formats with DRM. They know how to shelve tapes and CDs, there is shelving of the right size, and there is a huge selection of titles in a format which won't disappear without trace in a year or two. In order to make the Playaway work for libraries, the market would have to take it up in a big way so they wouldn't be investing in numbers of titles in an unsuccessful format (only available from one company), and I can't see any way this would happen.

As a long-time subscriber to Audible, I was interested in this new audiobook format, and I can see the point even if you already have a small portable device. I run my audiobooks off my Treo (I can use AudibleAir to download books on the go) and my Nano...both substantially smaller than the new format, and the titles are less expensive through Audible. I can see this as a good way to go if you are on the road somewhere and need to get an audiobook and don't have access to a computer to download Audible content. Books on tape still cost a fortune, and ebooks for PDA's now cost more than their bookstore analogue...but digital audiobooks are less expensive than their physical bretheren. It's an interesting idea, and if it catches on, might be a decent replacement for the audiobook download while on the road. Thanks for the review!

Although I agree with woofb that Playaway won't succeed, I'm still rooting for them the same way I supported Palm all these years even though I knew the non-smartphone PDA was old technology. I have a difficult time believing that hardcover buyers will fork over $50 for a book-on-a-chip. Playaway's audience is mostly current audio book listeners, not hardcover book fans. I have a half dozen e-books loaded on my Tungsten C right now (as well as one Audible title) and none cost me more than $15. I can't actually recall the last time I spent more than $20 on a book that wasn't a university class text...

An Audible book on a Shuffle beats this for my own use. Plus the Audible format is re-downloadable.

I can see it as a novelty gift for up to $20. I think libraries can make better use of their funds. Still it's fun to see the gadget world at work!