When we saw the Slacker executives at happy hour they made no mention of this impending announcement. With the addition of Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, and EMI Music to their existing relationship with SONY BMG, Slacker has nailed partnerships with the big four.

They also announced that users will be able to transfer the personalized stations on the current desktop application to the new player with one click, and refresh them via the USB port on the Wi-Fi connection. There’s some net buzz about the lack of mention of satellite capability. That feature may not be totally available in mid-October when the devices start shipping, but should be available shortly after that.

The Slacker is going to become the "it" device for the holiday season.