Sony's launch is planned for late July, with a strong marketing push that could include television, radio, print and online advertising for the eMarker, which will be sold online and possibly in stores. The product, which was tested in the United States earlier this year by Sony workers, will debut later in Japan. There are other differences, as well. For example, Sony's device hooks up to the Universal Serial Bus port, while the current iTag uses a serial connection. Sony has a deal with Broadcast Data Systems, which creates a database of roughly 1,000 radio stations' playlists, while Xenote is working with a similar company.
Radio is so transitory.
An open question is what people will do with that information once they get it. Whether that group is more likely to buy the music or listen to it online using Napster or another service is unclear. Eventually both Sony and Xenote hope to link to Web sites where users can legally download music. Because it also works directly with radio stations, Xenote says it has the big advantage of being able to link to advertisers. Kaufmann said about 20 percent of the links Xenote users upload are to advertisements, potentially allowing iTag-equipped stations to charge more for ads.