We would suggest a moment of silence if we werenâ€t too busy wondering if we were the only ones who had assumed the Walkman was already out of production. Apparently Sony has still been making Walkmans, though they have become mostly obsolete with the advent of Mp3 players – namely, the Apple iPod, which was introduced around this time of year in 2001.

Dying, but not dead yet

Sony will continue producing Walkman devices in China and distributing them in the United States, Europe and some Asian countries, and the more updated (but still relatively old news) Discman is still made by Sony. Digital Walkmans that display lyrics and have improved digital noise-canceling technology are also available, though we wonder why Sony doesn’t just pull the proverbial plug. The LA Times spoke to an unnamed source at Sony who claims that someone out there is providing a “consistent but small demand.”

The Walkman, which saw its first model launched 31 years ago in 1979 at a retail price of $200, is largely regarded as the first big step in portable music – the ground work on which the Discman and iPod were created and thus an incredibly important gadget in the music biz. About 220 million have been sold worldwide to date. {The Washington Post}

Though the Walkman will likely be remembered most for making music widely portable, the fact that the device marked the beginning of customized music lists is equally as important. The Washington Post calls the Walkman the “father of the mix tape.” In this case, the Walkmanâ€s reach has far exceeded the boundaries of music and entertainment, as these days you can customize nearly anything – including chocolate bars.

Now letâ€s take that moment of silence for the Walkman.

Competition for eReading consumers†affection sizzled on Monday as Barnes and Noble dropped the price of its well received Nook e-book reader 23 percent to $199 and introduced the Nook WiFi at an even bigger bargain $149, though the latter device can only be used in a WiFi environment. Amazon, whose $259 price tag for their Kindle eReader (which comes with 3G technology by default) previously matched the Nookâ€s cost exactly, responded by dropping the price of the Kindle to $189, and they aren’t stopping their competitive advances there. Amazon.com plans to introduce a thinner Kindle with an upgraded screen this August. Sonyâ€s cheapest eReader is still $169. {Fortune}

Get yourself a price gun: the war for th eReader market is on

At this rate, eReaders will be cheaper than the actual books in their stores in no time.

In addition, Apple updated the iPhone and iPod Touch today to include available iBook software. The iPadâ€s price tag for the entry-level model remains near $500, though the additional tablet computer functionality give it an advantage over single purpose eReaders. It would be difficult to justify a $500 eReader purchase, but when that device doubles as a place to play games, browse the web and check on email, it’s a lot easier to rationalize.
“Their sales have obviously been impacted by the iPad,” Charlie Wolf, a senior analyst at Needham & Co. in New York, said. “These price cuts are almost an act of desperation.” {Bloomberg Businessweek}

Meanwhile, Kobo, the e-book retailer that offers eReading software for an array of devices, released free software on Monday that is available through the Android marketplace and allows eReaders to be used on Smartphones with the Android operating system. The e-book retailer already produces software for other Smartphones, iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Palm WebOS and the newly released Kobo reading device.

Users who buy Kobo e-books with one device can read their purchase on any of the devices for which Kobo offers software.

“We’ve adapted the features our customers love and expect from Kobo to ensure that we provide the best reading experience for Android-enabled smartphones,” Kobo CEO Michael Serbinis said. {Publishers Weekly}

Borders is also holding steady with eReaders that began selling for $119.99-$149.99 in May. {Bloomberg Businessweek}

Need to catch your breath? We sure do! We canâ€t wait to see which devices prove most popular among consumers and how low the prices will need to go to woo customers who are interested in an e-reading device but not its expense.