Ok, everyone repeat after me:

It's not the product, it's the marketing*.

Phatnoise worked to get into the Automotive OEM market and succeeded. SonicBlue did not. Who has the best product is moot. Phatnoise made a viable company out of the automotive product line and SonicBlue/Rio did not.

(* Note: Marketing a good product is easier)

I'm sorry for my snarkiness, it's just that the 'build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door' myth needs to be taken out back and beaten repeatedly on the head with a shovel.

I love my empeg dearly. Was it before its time? Perhaps, but (in my opinion) it never had a chance with the level of marketing support it received (Slashdot/Linux Journal articles don't count as marketing) from either Rio or SonicBlue.

-Zeke