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Sony Walkman reborn in 6, 20 GB capacities (nope, no more tapes)
comment: 4 | Wednesday, September 07 (2005) 09:26PM | Posted by Lone
Way to go Sony, announce your newest digital audio revolution on the same day as Apple releases an iPod. You've got them right where you want them...er, wait.

Well, it's the new Sony Walkman, in 20 GB(NW-A3000) and 6 GB(NW-A1000) models. So you ask, what sets it apart from the NW-HD5 (or the HD1 and 3 for that matter)? Well, it's got an OLED screen for starters (2 inches on the 20 gigger, 1.5 inches on its little brother) and...also two new shuffle functions, 'My Favorite Shuffle', which shuffles the 100 most played tracks on the device, and 'Time Machine Shuffle', which randomnly chooses a year and plays all tracks from that period. The 20 GB player comes in violet and silver; the 6 GB in those colors plus pink and blue. Sony is making a push with accessories this time, as various docks/speaker docks, cases, and remotes will be available for the new Walkmans.

So did these new shuffle 'features' warrant a whole new product? Well, the Walkman looks nice and all with its cell-phone-esque style, but the NW-HD series wasn't exactly lacking in cool design either. Eh, it's Sony - make it look sleek, throw in Sonicstage, and ship it.

LINK (ATRAClife)
More Sony stuff: A 2 GB flash player was introduced (the NW-A608, looks like NW-E507, probably just a capacity bump), as well as new 'Connect' management software (no more Sonicstage?).

AV Watch
Press Release (Sony)

Thanks nsx280ps
Comments

Kovno

Comments: 110
Sep 07 (2005) 09:31PM  

Looks fantastic, but like you said, looks isn't the problem with Sony...




Michael
Location: New York City
Comments: 2802
Sep 07 (2005) 09:32PM  

That's a very nice looking player! It would feel perfect in the palm of my hand.




Steve

Comments: 1197
Sep 07 (2005) 09:43PM  

It looks like the Carbon. Which is good.
How come it says it comes in violet silver pink and blue
but the pictures are violet blue gold and black?

Does it have OTF playlisting, gapless, long battery life, great sound quality, good price, etc?




carsncars

Comments: 18
Sep 07 (2005) 11:10PM  

I'm sure the battery life is up there-- 30-40++, Sony SQ is excellent (although some people are bugged by a slight hiss), their pricing is coming down-- and it does gapless WHEN encoded in ATRAC3. Now all Sony needs is a better marketing department-- snazzier ads.

Is this a replacement for the HD5, or meant to sell alongside it? The only thing I miss with the OELD screens is:

1) Can't be viewed well outside.
2) Turns off. Although, with 40hr battery life it still'd be good if I leave it on..




carsncars

Comments: 18
Sep 07 (2005) 11:19PM  

Ah. Here are the main differences:

FM Tuner
50 Hour Battery Life (!!!)
Intelligent Shuffle
Matching Headphones
OELD Screen (20Gb; 2", 6Gb; 1.5")

It looks like this is replacing the HD5, placed at the same price point.. but hell-- 300USD for a 6Gb player? That sounds a little steep. From what AVWatch posts, the 6Gb is the same physical size as the 20Gb.

I'm not sure how well this'll fare to wear-and-tear though..




rbilsbor

Comments: 37
Sep 07 (2005) 11:24PM  

This would seem a new feature as well:

Sony WALKMAN is a true extension of the user’s personal taste and musical preferences. At the press of a button, the ‘Artist Link’ function will search every artist, album and song stored on the device and offer suggestions of artists and bands closely linked to the genre of music being played at the time.




carsncars

Comments: 18
Sep 08 (2005) 01:09AM  

Ah.. on closer reading, that's the new feature on the E600 as well. And.. I think it is supposed to paly back WMA, but I'm not certain. A correction-- the 6Gb is smaller than the 20Gb. Here's a comparison picture of the A3000/A1000/E600.

[Linky]

The E600 is also available in 'Ocean Blue' and Gold as a special edition. Man, I want the whole set... That A3000 dock looks pretty sweet.




watergrave

Comments: 287
Sep 08 (2005) 02:24AM  

i have to be honest... i am a proug x5l owner but this baby can tempt you to commit adultery...
fm radio, line-in and voice recording, would certainly make this beauty another object of affection... looks sexier than the Ipod Nano....





Roach

Comments: 48
Sep 08 (2005) 02:38AM  

erm, am i the only one who noticed how big this player is compared with the HD5?
it's 21mm wide (that's much more then the HD5 and iPod) it's 65mm compared to 60mm (ipod) and 105 compared to 100 (ipod) so all in all this is a larger player... this is a big surprise to me since the HD5 was such a small bastard :-o




sumguy_

Comments: 293
Sep 08 (2005) 02:55AM  

\Roach... yeah I did... wtf?




Flid

Comments: 262
Sep 08 (2005) 06:02AM  

21mm??? Gahhh!!! Another fatty. Boo @ Sony.
How on earth have they managed to make their players progressively bigger.
NWHD1 = Tiny, probably the smallest volume 20GB player on the market when released.
NWHD3 = Fraction larger and slightly more plasticy
NWHD5 = Complete reshape, but a nice size nonetheless (although somewhat basic)
AW3000 = Gahhh!

Looking at the pictures... it may not be feel as big though. It looks like it bulges on the front and back. I'll have to have a fiddle when it's released.

(ps. Apologies for my size-ist attitude).




Flid

Comments: 262
Sep 08 (2005) 06:05AM  

(Forgot to mention.... sorry for double posting)

At least they're homogenising their range. I hadn't immediately noticed the similarity with the NWA608 flash player range.




hexjones

Comments: 40
Sep 08 (2005) 07:11AM  

I love this kind of design. The one-piece looking shell. The d-pad and it's position. The sceen.

Why won't the designers start making 40gb standard at this day-and-age? 20 just isn't enough.

All I care about are (in order of importance):
sound quality
storage space
size
looks





orange

Comments: 8
Sep 08 (2005) 07:18AM  

Can anyone explain to me why Sony's MP3 players keep getting bigger?

This one is more than 0.8" thick...the NW-HD1 is like 33% the weight with metal casing.




orange

Comments: 8
Sep 08 (2005) 07:18AM  

Sorry, 33% less weight.




Fluidity

Comments: 190
Sep 08 (2005) 07:42AM  

I don't like the design, looks a bit plasticy to me, the Hd5 looks cool, this just looks a bit cheap. The'd be better off sticking with one design and improving the features rather than changing it completely for each new model.




FenderP

Comments: 46
Sep 08 (2005) 08:13AM  

I like it ... what I also like is that according to one of the links in the new article, it supports the new 320k bitrate. I love my Vaio Pocket, but may have to get this.




JrezIN

Comments: 70
Sep 08 (2005) 08:43AM  

Very nice looking... If it's MSC (and standard USB connection), it's getting better.

Also, Sony has to consider Ogg Vorbis if they want more of the Asian market...




Zeni
Location: Canada
Comments: 51
Sep 08 (2005) 09:30AM  

Sony, market leaders in form over function... c'mon, add some proper formats already will ya? -_-;




chicubs

Comments: 915
Sep 08 (2005) 03:06PM  

sony is clueless.




YpoCaramel

Comments: 169
Sep 08 (2005) 03:26PM  

What percentage of the market uses ogg and FLAC combined anyways?




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