The Walkman Blog

Sony names Kazuo Hirai as President and CEO

2012-02-01T14:47:00.000+01:00

This was inevitable, therefore it comes as no surprise that Kazuo Hirai has been named the new President and CEO of Sony. Howard Stringer will become the Chairman of the Board of Directors. According to GSMArena, he oversaw the Walkman brand, so hopefully with Hirai at the helm, the Walkman brand will not die out in the near future and perhaps will have now a more global centric development rather than just some things for Japan only and then later on globally. Press release after the break.

Sony names Kazuo Hirai as President and CEO; Sir Howard Stringer to become Chairman of the Board of Directors

TOKYO, Japan - Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today announced that Kazuo Hirai has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2012. Sir Howard Stringer, currently Chairman, CEO and President, will become Chairman of the Board of Directors in June, 2012.

Mr. Stringer recommended to the Sony Board of Directors that Mr. Hirai, currently Executive Deputy President, be his successor as President and CEO. Mr. Stringer will continue as Chairman of Sony Corporation until his ascension to the Board Chairmanship, which will become effective upon Board approval following the annual meeting of shareholders in June, when the current Chairman, Yotaro Kobayashi, will retire. Mr. Hirai is also expected to be appointed to the Board at the June shareholders meeting.

Comment from Sir Howard Stringer

“Three years ago, I started to work with the Board on succession plans, and in February, 2009 we named a new generation of leaders to be my management team. Among them was Kaz Hirai, who had distinguished himself through his work in the PlayStation® and networked entertainment businesses. Kaz is a globally focused executive for whom technology and the cloud are familiar territory, content is highly valued, and digital transformation is second nature. I believe his tough-mindedness and leadership skills will be of great benefit to the company and its customers in the months and years ahead. I look forward to helping Kaz in every way I can so that succession leads inevitably to success. It was my honor to recommend him to the Board for the positions of President and CEO, because he is ready to lead, and the time to make this change is now.”

Comment from Kazuo Hirai

“As challenging as times are for Sony now, were it not for the strong leadership of Sir Howard Stringer these past seven years, we would have been in a much more difficult position. I am grateful to Sir Howard and to the Board for their confidence in me, and I look forward to working with everyone at Sony more closely than ever before to build a strong future for our customers, shareholders, partners and employees. The path we must take is clear: to drive the growth of our core electronics businesses - primarily digital imaging, smart mobile and game; to turn around the television business; and to accelerate the innovation that enables us to create new business domains. The foundations are now firmly in place for the new management team and me to fully leverage Sony’s diverse electronics product portfolio, in conjunction with our rich entertainment assets and growing array of networked services, to engage with our customers around the world in new and exciting ways.”

Comment from Yotaro Kobayashi, Chairman of the Board

“The Board is grateful to Sir Howard Stringer for all he has done to help Sony travel such a long and vital way down the road from an analogue to a digital company. He has clearly recognized the importance of connecting our tremendous products with networks and content so that our devices come fully alive in the hands of consumers. We agree with Sir Howard that Kazuo Hirai is the right man at the right time to lead Sony. He has a unique capacity to inspire people, to build teams, to make the tough decisions, and to think with clarity and foresight about the challenges we face and how to surmount them. We are also pleased that Sir Howard has accepted our request to remain with Sony after June as Chairman of the Board of Directors. His leadership and experience will be of immeasurable assistance to us all.”

Walkman Z-Series Video from Sony

2012-01-31T16:11:00.000+01:00

Sony has a quick promotional video of the new Z-Series Walkman, check it out above.

Both Sony Canada and USA will be offering the new Z-Series. In Canada, only the 16 and 32GB models will be available on February 13th for $299 and $349 CDN respectively, and in the US there will be 3 capacities, and vailable on March 1st in 8, 16 and 32GB priced at $249, $279, and $329 USD respectively.

I think the Z has a chance to sell well but MWC is starting in late February with a lot of new phones and tablets which if priced right could make the Z not that attractive.

Sony Introduces New Speaker Docks for Walkman

2012-01-24T20:37:00.001+01:00

Apart from an updated E-Series, Sony also introduced 2 new speaker docks for Walkman, the RDP-NWG400 and RDP-NWM7. The new speaker docks will be released on February 11th, with retail pricing of around $100 for the RDP-NWM7 and around $170 for the RDP-NWG400. Both will be available in black and white and will unfortunately be only sold in Japan. I do hope Sony decides to introduce more speaker docks internationally.

More information and photos after the break.

RDP-NWG400
The new RDP-NWG400 is targeted towards the A, S, and Z-Series crowd due to the Bluetooth functionality of the devices. Output is 20W with a Bass Boost feature and the dock comes with a remote and a USB port to charge a Bluetooth headset for the S-Series. Other Bluetooth enabled devices will work with the dock like any tablets or smartphones.

Click on the photos for a larger view

RDP-NWM7
The smaller sized RDP-NWM7 is aimed at a much younger crowd with a S or E-Series Walkman. The NWM7 is a much more portable device able to run off AC power or 4 AAA batteries and a handle to make carrying easier. Unlike the NWG400, the NVM7 lacks Bluetooth and the USB port but also comes with a remote to control the Walkman.

Click on the photos for a larger view

Source: AV-Watch, Sony

Tiny E-Series Walkman Lives on in Japan

2012-01-24T19:43:00.001+01:00

Sony Japan has updated the NW-E050 Walkman lineup for 2012, the NW-E060. The updated E will be released on February 11th for $90 for 2GB and $110 for 4GB. This seems expensive but when you factor in the headphones and the added Noise Cancellation it is a good deal. The bundled headphones are the MDR-NC33, which shipped with other NC Walkman in the past The updated E will come in 4 colours (red, black, pink, and blue) and compared to the previous E is smaller and lighter. Supported file formats are MP3/WMA (non-DRM) / ATRAC / ATRAC Advanced Lossless / Linear PCM / AAC (Non DRM) / HE-AAC.

Like the previous generation, the new E also comes with a small speaker dock which thankfully looks a lot better than before. The E060K comes with a 0.5W colour-coded speaker that is powered by the Walkman itself, attachment is via a WM-Port. Unfortunately only the E will fit since the speaker insert is molded to it.

Personally I would love to see this on sale in Europe and would definitely grab one to supplement my X-Series.

More photos and hands-on from AV-Watch after the break.

Click on the photos for a larger size

E060 (Left) vs E050 (right)

Source: AV-Watch, Sony

New Sony B-Series Walkman Unveiled

2012-01-20T14:26:00.000+01:00

For some odd reason I never seem to receive the Sony Press emails when the information goes up onto the press site, it is always a few afters. Anyways, Sony is introducing an update the the B-Series, the new B170. The design is actually different this time around, with the styling matching the current line up of Walkmans. I was hoping Sony would have thrown in some decent headphones but it appears they have not and it seems the USB is still 2.0, but there seems to be no mention of that in the press releases. Perhaps the next gen will have USB 3.0.

Feel the bass with new Walkman B170

Light, colourful MP3 player with quick-charge battery

Pumping beats with Bass Boost button
Quick 3 minutes battery charge gives 90 minutes playback
Clip attaches Walkman to belt or clothes
Easy drag and drop music transfers
Built-in USB connects Walkman® to PC, hi-fi or car stereo

Rest of the press release and more photos after the break.

Get ready to really feel the music with the colourful Walkman B170 Series of MP3 players from Sony.

Weighing just 28g, new Walkman B Series is small and light enough to take anywhere: but don’t be deceived by its tiny size. Press the Bass Boost button and you’ll be blown away by rich, pumping low-end. And to show where you’re coming from, there’s a colour-matched LED that pulses in time with the music.

When you’re in a hurry, 3 minutes charging time gives enough battery power for 90 minutes listening. Fully charged, Walkman B Series lets you listen non-stop for 18 hours – plenty for the longest commute or an overnight break.

You won’t want to keep other people in the dark about your favourite MP3 player. Walkman® B Series features a chunky clip that attaches to a belt, bag strap or clothing to show off your style.

It’s easy to load up with your favourite songs. Walkman® connects directly to any Windows PC via its built-in USB port with no extra cables required. Copying files is a simple drag-and-drop process, with no need to install any file transfer software. You can also connect Walkman® to a compatible hi-fi or car stereo and enjoy direct playback.

Looking for the right song to fit your mood? ZAPPIN™ search technology scans through your music collection, previewing a snatch of each track without menus or playlists. Hear a track you like and press the ‘ZAP’ button again to hear the whole song.

Extra refinements include an on-board equalizer to sculpt your sound, plus a voice recorder that’s perfect for grabbing spontaneous thoughts, notes and ideas.

The new Walkman B170 Series of MP3 players by Sony are available in a choice of 2GB or 4GB capacities from January 2012.

Click on the photos for a larger size.

Sony Walkman Z-Series Debuts at CES 2012

2012-01-12T19:23:00.000+01:00

So this was not a surprise, posted about a possible debut after the FCC filing was made back in December, plus of course the teaser from Sony Austra/Switzerland. Checking out various Sony websites, it appears the new Z will be available soon in Europe, like Germany (32, 16GB), Poland (16GB), UK (32GB), France (16GB), Italy (32. 16GB) with Music Unlimited being available on the device in the selected countries that have the service. Availability will be from Late February which is a step forward compared to the X-Series release a few years back. The new Z is nice but it is no different in the end from any other Android Smart phone except for the music quality which I am sure if much better than any regular Android Smart phone. But if I was to get anything, it would be a tablet with WiFi rather than another phone like Android device with WiFi.

Press release and more photos after the break.

The first Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player from Sony - powered by Android™

Premium in-ear sound, with S-Master MX Digital Amplifier and 5 Clear Audio technologies
Get more from your music, with Sony-unique apps and access to Android Market™
Discover and stream millions of songs with Music Unlimited1
Share your passion, with the xLOUDTM speaker system and ergonomic body design
Expanded connectivity, with DLNA, HDMI and Bluetooth®
Quick response, low reflection 10.9cm (4.3") multi-touch LCD
Easy transfers from iTunes2 or Windows® Explorer

Designed for music lovers, by music lovers: Walkman Z Series is the first-ever Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player from Sony, powered by Android™.

Supreme personal audio experience

First and foremost, Walkman Z Series is about premium sound. Originally developed for Sony’s home cinema systems, the integrated S-Master MX digital amplifier technology by Sony greatly reduces noise levels and distortion, enhancing all your favourite tunes.

You’re also in for a treat with the best-ever Walkman in-ear experience, thanks to the full range of 5 Clear Audio Technologies –S-Master MX, Clear Bass, Clear Stereo, DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), and EX headphones.

Exploring your music collection is beautifully intuitive. Touch the distinctive W.BUTTON to launch the unique W.Control app. Flick through your music collection, browse cover art or enjoy eye-catching on-screen visualizations. Walkman Z Series even sorts your music collection using SensMe™ - just pick from a choice of 14 mood-themed channels to suit the time of day or the way you feel.

Boundless discovery

You don’t need a PC to discover a new world of music experiences. With Wi-Fi built in, Walkman Z Series connects you directly with millions of songs1 and dozens of channels brought to you by Music Unlimited, the cloud-based streaming service from Sony Entertainment Network.

Walkman Z Series is also the first mobile entertainment player from Sony that’s powered by Android™. Enjoy a generous choice of preinstalled apps, and get more from the ever-growing range at Android Market™.

Share your musical passions

Enhanced by Z Series’ unique ergonomic body design, the xLOUDTM speaker system offers ‘phones-free’ sharing of music – no speaker dock needed.

And as it’s much more than just a music player, Walkman Z Series helps you share all your content at home and on the move.

Hook up wirelessly and simply with other DNLA-enabled devices – then touch the screen and ‘Throw’ music, pictures and videos from Walkman direct to TVs, PCs, or home audio system.

Connect Walkman with your TV for super-size enjoyment of videos, games and photos – with micro HDMI out for high definition fun. Or connect effortlessly to Bluetooth® speakers, headphones, hi-fi systems or car stereos – with no fiddly wires needed.

Beautiful low reflection LCD screen for maximum visual entertainment

Music, videos, games and apps come alive on the unique low-reflection 10.9cm (4.3") multi-touch LCD screen. Its high responsiveness combined with a speedy 1GHz NVIDIA® Tegra® 2 dual-core processor keep things snappy whether you’re browsing web pages, movies or apps.

Available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities, the new Walkman Z1000 Mobile Entertainment Player from Sony is available from late February 2012.

Technical Specifications

New Walkman Z-Series Teaser

2012-01-05T16:07:00.000+01:00

Sony Switzerland & Austria have a new teaser for a new Sony Product which is clearly the new Z-Series. This can be seen when comparing these teaser shots with the new Z-Series.

This could mean that the new Z will be at CES and will finally have its global launch. I am still wondering though if the Z will be updated to ICS or remain on Gingerbread.

CES 2012

2012-01-03T01:05:00.000+01:00

In a few days CES will be upon us again, almost scary how fast the time has passed since the last CES. The Sony US media site is down for maintenance, so can't check if there is any prelim information about CES. Nothing is present on the European Sony press site as of the time I am writing this, so perhaps more will be updates next week.

According to The Verge's CES website, Sony will be hosting their press conference on January 9th at 17:00 local time, which is 02:00 CET, so I won't be covering the conference live this year like I did last year. So unfortunately any information that is released will be posted the next day in the morning. I am expecting the new Z-Series to debut with information about a North American release and possibly for Europe as well. One thing I would like to see is a new OLED based Walkman but I doubt it.

AV Watch Review of Z-Series

2011-12-17T21:21:00.000+01:00

AV Watch has done a review of the new Z-Series which is available for purchase in Japan. You can find the translated version of the post from AV Watch here. It appears that the new Z ships with NC headphones (MDR-NWNC33) and a WM-post to USB cable for transfers. The 4.3 inch screen has a resolution of 480x800 which is said to offer a good viewing experience. Supported video formats are MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 (.Mp4, .M4v), MPEG-4 (. Mp4,. M4v) and WMV. The new Z does feature a micro HDMI port which is handy when connecting to a TV but it appears that AV Watch had some issues with this.

Applications from the Android market will work with no problems and with a NVIDIA Tegra 2 1GHz CPU and memory at 512MB, the new Z should have no issues with Tegra games.
The new Z is more expensive than the equivalent Ipod touch but it does feature a larger screen, faster cpu, noise cancellation and of course Android instead of iOS. The main competition may actually come from Sony itself, the PlayStation Vita with its gorgeous 5-inch 16:9 OLED display with a resolution of 960 x 544.

So should one wait for the new Z-Series to hit your local area? At this moment it is not looking too enticing for me personally, since my X-Series provides me with plenty of storage and noise cancellation and I have my phone for everything else. And if you like playing games on a mobile device, I would definitely wait for the PlayStation Vita.

Original Article

Music Unlimited Now Available for the Walkman

2011-12-17T12:49:00.001+01:00

Sony's Unlimited music service is now available for the Walkman Line. Before it was initially only limited to Android devices, gaming devices and Sony's Tablets. There are 2 pricing categories, 3.99 and 9.99 but in order to use it on a Walkman, the 9.99 plan has to be purchased. Unfortunately service availability is limited, with users only from Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States being able to access the new function on their Walkman.

This is an intriguing new function on the new Walkman if you are into streaming music and if you are in the areas where it is available this might be a nice incentive to get one of the new Walkmans as a gift for someone or yourself. List of compatible devices and link to the Sony site after the break.

Instructions on how to Sync Channels on your Walkman can be found here

Source

Sony Z-Series graces the FCC

2011-12-15T21:29:00.000+01:00

I had a feeling that Sony would possibly debut the Z-Series at CES, so it comes as no surprise to see the new player hit the FCC.

I do wonder if Sony will be using Ice Cream Sandwich for the OS or will stick with a customized Gingerbread setup. Who knows, 3 models, possibly 16, 32 and 64 GB. Link to the FCC site and 2 more images after the break.

Link to FCC

Walkman Gift Ideas

2011-12-03T19:09:00.001+01:00

Some gift ideas for Christmas from Walkman.

The A-Series - The new Touchscreen A-Series with high end EX headphones and great sound quality. I was able to try this out for a few days and even though it is lacking noise-cancellation of my X-Series, it is still a great little device. The sound quality is great and the included headphones are a nice bonus. The LCD screen is bright and responsive. If you need noise-cancellation or use FLAC, this Walkman is not for your, since it lacks both. But it does come with Bluetooth and this could be a nice addition for some to use with Bluetooth earphones. Unlike some other touchscreen players, the A-Series features standalone buttons for play/pause, backwards, forwards and volume control. Such controls are a major benefit which can allow a person to use the player in their pocket without taking it out to change or pause songs. If you are willing to spend a little more for yourself or a gift, then I would highly recommend the A-Series.

The S-Series - The new S-Series with bundled Bluetooth headphones. Slightly smaller than the A-Series, the New S-Series is a nice evolution of the previous model. It offers the same great sound quality of the A-Series but at a slightly more affordable price. The only downside is the small screen, lack of codec support and small capacity but it makes this up with great headphones and amazing sound quality.

E-Series - If either the A-Series or S-Series are a bit too expensive then I would recommend the new E-Series which also offers amazing sound quality. With a 16GB model available it provides great bang for the buck since it ships with premium EX headphones. Limited codec support is the only downside, but if you need a good cheap player then I would recommend this to anyone that likes listening to music on the go.

I apologize for the lack of updates or news but there is not much happening in the world of the Walkman. Perhaps once CES 2012 rolls around there will be more news with possibly the introduction of the Z-Series to the international market. Perhaps Sony is waiting for Ice Cream Sandwich before it launches the Z-Series worldwide?

2011-10-31T15:49:00.002+01:00

A nice video on the new Z-Series from DigInfo News

AV Watch Hands on with new Walkmans

2011-09-13T17:21:00.000+02:00

AV Watch has a hands on from the Walkman event today, check it out at their site for tons of photos.

Hands on AV Watch Z-Series

Hands on AV Watch A-Series

Hands on AV Watch S-Series

Sony Japan Introduces New A-Series and S-Series Walkman

2011-09-13T08:48:00.000+02:00

This was no surprise, Sony Japan has decided to introduce the new Walkman A and S-Series to Japan. The mystery of what happened to the Noise Cancellation on the EU/US model is now solved, it is from the Japanese model. Even the new S-Series features noise cancellation.

The new A-Series will come in 3 capacities (16, 32, 64GB) and 3 colours (pink, white, black), although a photo of a blue A-Series is on the Walkman website, this is a Limited Edition model which will only be available exclusively via the Sony Store and only in 64 GB.

The standard non-bluetooth S-Serie will come in 3 capacities (8, 16, 32GB) and 8 colours (Blue / Vivid Pink / Green / Light /Purple / Gold / White / Black). The K model with the speaker stand also ships in the same 8 colours but only 8 anad 16 GB sizes. Finally the bluetooth equipped model ships only in 8 GB sizes and with 4 colours (Vivid pink / blue / white / black).

Finally one interesting note, the radio frequency is all the way up to 108Mhz. Release date is Early October with open pricing.

Link to S-Series Gallery http://www.sony.jp/walkman/photogallery/s760series/

Press release http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/201109/11-0913C/

Sony Introduces new Android Walkman Z-Series

2011-09-13T08:27:00.000+02:00

Sony Japan has unveiled the new Android Walkman dubbed the Z-Series. Slated for a December 10th debut, the new Z-Series comes in 3 different capacities (16, 32 and 64GB) and 2 different colours, red and black. The screen is a 4.3in LCD with a resolution of 480x800. Like the X-Series, the new Z-Series will ship with the S-Master MX Amp. Digital Noise Cancellation is also supplied to cut out 98% of outside noise.

Other features like DSEE, clear bass and clear stereo also come standard. The new W button will allow the user to operate the player and bring up controls even when the player is locked. I would think this is for playback control since there are no physical play/stop buttons.

When playing back music, the user has a choice of 3 different visualizations which they can choose to display while playing back music. The new Z-Series ships with Android Market which will allow for installation of hundreds of different applications and games. Connectivity is also very rich with bluetooth, hdmi out and DLNA support. Sadly codec support is not the greatest but hopefully this can be fixed with other applications from the market place which can play more codecs.

Specifications and link to photo gallery after the break.

Photo Gallery

Android 2.3
Tegra 2 (1 Ghz)
512 MB ram
MP3/ATRAC/ATRAC Advanced lossless / AAC / HE-AAC / WMA / Linear PCM
4.3-, TFT color LCD, WVGA (480 × 800 dots)
Standard Bluetooth Ver 2.1 + EDR AVRCP/A2DP/OPP
WiFi (IEEE 802.11b/g/n)
About 20 hours music, about 5 hours video
Hi-Speed USB / WM-PORT
70.5 × 134.2 × 11.1mm about (the thinnest part: 9.6mm)
Approximately 156g
Google Apps (Calculator Recorder / Audio / Clock / Gmail / talk / maps / YouTube / Market / Browser / Mail / Calendar / Search)

Press release can be found here http://www.sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/201109/11-0913B/

Sony Walkman Event 9/13 (Japan)

2011-09-12T13:13:00.001+02:00

According to AV Watch and The Walkman "Play You" Facebook page, it appears that there will be a Walkman Event in Japan tomorrow on the 13th of September at 13:00 local time.

I am not sure if it is a new product launch, the translation from Google is rather confusing. But from what I can gather it should be a new player, but it is unknown at this moment if it will be the new A-Series that will be launching or something else. The debut is supposed to occur on YouTube.

If anyone has anymore information or can translate the 2 pages (AV Watch and Facebook more precisely, please leave a comment on this post or contact me via the contact page.

Source (AV Watch), Source (Facebook)

Sony Walkman MEP Hands on Videos

2011-09-01T12:41:00.002+02:00

Here is another hands on of the new Walkman prototype, which I will be dubbing the Walkman MEP for short.

So as visible on the screen, the device ships with Android 2.3.4 and WM port 1.2. I would imagine that Sony would choose to release this during Christmas to take advantage of the shopping season and the fact that Ice Cream Sandwich will be released by then. I personally hope Sony does not add a camera to the back of this and instead adds large premium speakers.

Sony Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player hands-on (Engadget)

2011-08-31T21:48:00.000+02:00

Engadget has a hands on video of the new Android Walkman, check it out

Hands on Video

Hands on Gallery

I am sure this player/prototype has much better sound than my Galaxy S2, but I doubt the screen can match the super AMOLED plus or even the codec support. Still this all remains to be seen.

Source

New Walkman Flagship Announced (prototype)

2011-08-31T16:35:00.009+02:00

Sony has just announced a new flagship Walkman at IFA 2011, running you guessed it, Android!!. :D More as the story develops. Image source Engadget from the press conference.

Here is a link to CNET and their information about the new prototype, but basically it is an android powered Walkman which is being dubbed the "Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player". The device ships with S-Master AMP along with noise cancellation. It can also tap into Sony's Music unlimited service which means it probably has WiFi.

No details on pricing or availability but Nagashima from Sony said, "We are working hard for early introduction of this product." Hopefully this means soon and this year. No information on CPU but it comes with a 4.3 inch screen at 800x640 resolution with a non-reflective LCD tech (according to CNET) but the resolution is probably 800x480 and not 640.

Personally, I hope it ships this year along with an OLED screen and not LCD, but it will probably be LCD to reduce costs. As for the screen size, 4.3 is a bit big, and I would have liked a 4 inch screen instead.

More images after the break courtesy of CNET.

NWZ-S760 Manual (updated)

2011-08-31T15:55:00.001+02:00

Hey everyone here, is a link to the manual for the new S-Series. Apart from the normal instructions, the manual mentions 3 different models, NWZ-S763BT (4 GB) and NWZ-S764BT (8 GB) with supplied Bluetooth headphones, and the NWZ-S765 (16 GB) which ships with regular headphones.

Hosted the file on deposit files.

http://depositfiles.com/files/jrbu6bjua

Sony Japan Releases New W-Series Walkman

2011-08-30T16:43:00.000+02:00

Sony has announced that the new updated W-Series will be coming to Japan. The Walkman will ship only in 4 GB capacities and 4 colours, blue, black, pink and white. Like the previous model the new W is waterproof but it is 25% lighter this time around at 32g versus 43g previously. Suggested retail price is 10,000 yen with an availability date of September 10th.

In addition, there will be an optional carrying case, the CKS-NWW260 with a suggested price of 2000 yen. More photos and link to press release after the break.

Source: Sony Press, AV Watch

Three of A Kind, of Walkman that is

2011-07-31T12:41:00.000+02:00

It's been less than a week since Sony announced the new Walkman lineup and the opinions in the Walkman community are mixed. One obvious problem is Sony US's decision to only offer the 16GB A-Series while the competition is at 64GB. This clearly demonstrates how much confidence Sony has for the US market, unless Sony has another higher capacity Walkman in the works to replace the 32GB X-Series? So are the new Walkmans worth their price? My thoughts after the break.

Design

The design of the new Walkmans is an evolution of the older generations with little departure from the "Mickey Mouse head" button design. This button design is not a favourite of mine, but it is slowly growing on me and one cohesive design is better than a plethora of button layouts in different models.

The new A-Series appears to be a direct replacement for the X-Series with a large touchscreen (LCD, 400x240), a single Home button and physical controls for playback control. Unfortunately the X-Series' OLED screen did not make the transition to the new A-Series even though it was initially rumoured that an OLED would be used. What boggles my mind is that the previous A-Series had an OLED screen albeit not touchscreen, but an OLED nonetheless. The absence of the OLED could be a sign that there is room for another higher end model with an OLED touchscreen but that remains to be seen.

The continued addition of physical controls is a major advantage on a touch device since blind use is possible in one's pocket. Personally I like the look of the new A-Series, I swear I saw some website stating the body was aluminum but no such information exists in the press release. The lack of an OLED screen is a shame but in the end I won't be using the device for video or photos so it is not a major loss. My initial reaction when I saw LCD and not OLED was disappointment but the X-Series is experimental and the A-Series is more mainstream but higher end, so perhaps this is Sony's reasoning.

The new S-Series' design departs from the previous model with a one piece body and an addition of chrome surrounds around the main controls. The entire body has a glossy look and feel with an overall design almost eerily similar to the E050 Walkman. Interesting enough in some press photos the chrome around the controls is not as evident and on the gold colour model the surround appears more gold like in colour than chrome. Overall I like the new S-Series, it is a much better design than the previous S750 model and on par with the S740 model. It is unfortunate that noise cancellation was removed since the S-Series is meant to be specialized and most of the higher end S-Series models featured NC.

Finally the humble E-Series with it's plethora of colours and patterns. Like the previous E-Series, the new E460 features a similar 2-inch LCD and slightly if just updated body design. The only thing the new E-Series offers is upgraded headphones, MDR-EX083 vs MDR-E804 on the old E-Series. If prices remain the same, upgrading to a higher capacity E-Series might just be worth it. I use the EX083s daily for my Vaio and would definitely recommend the new E-Series against similarly priced competitors just for the upgraded headphones.

Bluetooth

Instead of WiFi, Sony has opted for Bluetooth on the new A and S-Series. This is a feature that some users have been asking for and it appears Sony has listened or it is just a coincidence. Sony has included Bluetooth 2.1+EDR instead of version 3.0 but perhaps this was cost issue. Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) permits streaming of audio to Bluetooth headphones and AVRCP or Audio/Video Remote Control Profile which permits the devices to be used as a single controller for TVs, Hi-fi equipment which I have no real idea what it will be used for. Finally there is Object Push Profile (OPP) which is what permits the sending of images to the devices. Other than streaming to headphones, the new A and S will be able to stream to other Bluetooth enabled devices which means any speaker dock with Bluetooth will now work with the new A and S. Hopefully Sony will decide to release some more Bluetooth speaker docks or micro systems which can be used with Walkmans.

In the US, the new S-Series will come with both the wireless headphones and a standard set. The included wireless set is the MDR-NWBT10 which permits up to 4 hours of listening on one charge. But if one already owns a pair of Bluetooth headphones, they will function with the new A and S without a problem.

(Click for larger view)

In Europe and possibly elsewhere, the standard S-Series will not ship with the wireless headphones but will be offered as a separate model, the NWZ-S763BT. The model number is a bit odd, since it would mean the capacity is 4GB but no such model exists, perhaps it is a typo and it will be either 8 or 16 GB. In the US market only the 8 GB S-Series will be offered for the time being.

Bluetooth is a nice addition, unfortunately not a replacement for WiFi, but it is a start. It would have been nice to be able to transfer music files to the devices using Bluetooth but I have no idea if sending large files would be feasible but it exists for cell phones so why not a mp3 player?

Capacity

4GB? 16GB? 32GB? 64GB? How much is enough? It all depends on the individual of course. Personally I have yet to even fill half of my X's 32GB of storage, so 32GB would be enough for me but then sometimes more is better as they say. Sony has not "cheaped out" on capacity this time around, offering the 64GB A-Series right from the start, so far only Germany has the 64GB model and the rest of the countries in the EU feature a mix of 8, 16 and 32 GB models.

As I state at the beginning, the US is slated to only receive the 16GB A-Series for the time being with anyone wanted the 64GB model will have to either wait or import it from Europe or elsewhere. Perhaps if demand for the new Walkman is high enough, Sony might introduce a higher capacity model. But if someone just wants a high capacity Walkman and no gimmicks, then the 16GB E-Series (NWZ-E465) will be offered in the US, but not in Europe.

Final Thoughts

The new Walkman generation is a nice step forward with the return of Blueooth and great design, but the lack of OLED and noise cancellation from either the A or S-Series is a shame. The FCC filings for the A-Series clearly showed a noise cancellation emblem on the back so it is unknown what happened here, perhaps it was removed or will be featured in another A-Series, perhaps the A960? Personally I don't foresee that occuring any time soon, but I from my own use, I will vouche for noise cancellation it is a great feature to have on a Walkman.

Lack of WiFi is not a major issue for me, since I never use it on my X, but if Sony somehow figured out a way to transfer files to & from the Walkmans using WiFi from a PC/Laptop, then this would be a great feature. The issue of copyrighted material crops up of course, but then the Walkman line is already open and easily accessible using Windows explorer so sharing can be done this way as well. WiFi transfer exists on the Samsung Galaxy S2 and I would imagine it would not be too difficult in implementing it on a Sony Walkman.

Perhaps there is something to look forward to, with the A-Series taking the place of the X, a new X-Series could be coming down the line in the next 3-6 months. Clearly IFA would be too early, unless a concept Walkman is shown, but my bet is for a CES 2011 debut, perhaps similar to the original X, concept first, and production a few months later. Let's just hope that the production model arrives faster than the X did.

So where does this update leave the Walkman brand? It is definitely a good start but with more and more cell phones offering better sound and more rich features, the standalone MP3 player is slowly becoming endangered and if sales become too low, then perhaps the Walkman brand as a standalone MP3 player will fade away only to continue as a sub brand of the Sony Ericsson brand. I just hope it does not come to that.

Pocket-lint hands with New Walkmans

2011-07-27T23:04:00.000+02:00

Pocket-lint has some live photos of the new Walkmans and I have to admit some of the photos are not that flattering and make some of the Walkmans appear "cheap". Check out the photos in the link below.

Pocket-Lint Article and Gallery

(Gallery) New Walkmans 2

2011-07-27T12:12:00.001+02:00

More glorious photos of the new Walkman range. Of course rest of the photos after the break.

Click on the photos for high resolution images

Enjoy.