Sony is close to announcing its first direct competitor to the iPod nano, details and photos leaked to the Internet have revealed. Though the company's only official acknowledgement is a teaser page with a timer set to elapse on March 1st, sources have indicated that the mystery device known as the A800 will effectively be sold as a video-capable alternative to Apple's flash-based player, sporting a profile just as thin as the 0.26-inch nano while carrying a larger screen for viewing movies titled on its side. The use of flash and Sony's custom battery work would let videos run for as much as 8-10 hours.

More details and a gallery follow after the break.

The A800 should also closely resemble its California parallel through sheer variety, according to tipsters. Black, blue, pink, and violet editions of the player are expected along with nano-matching capacities ranging between 2GB and 8GB. Precise release information is unknown but should involve prices close to those of iPod nano. [via ATRACLife]