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The offer is open to owners of Walkman MP3 players, though not phones, and will include promotions including free track and album downloads.

The move follows Sony's decision in August to ditch ATRAC and support Windows Media formats.

"These exclusive

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partnerships confirm Sony's commitment to supporting an open standard with Windows Media Technology", says Jeffry van Ede, vice president Sony Audio Marketing Europe.

"We are continuously striving to provide our customers with greater choice and flexibility for managing their digital music content. We are confident that these audio partnerships benefit our customers' desire for an open standard and further enhance the versatility of our Walkman products."

The realignment of the Walkman brand coincides with Microsoft's decision to abandon its PlaysForSure branding for devices compatible with Windows Media DRM in favour of the altogether more vague Certified for Windows Vista.

Sony Walkmans were among the first music players to receive the new badge, though Sony appears not to have noticed, describing the latest Walkmans as PlaysForSure-certified.