For those of you who were envious of Europeans for getting the NW-A800 series a few months ago, Sony has now officially announced it for US markets. For the rest of us who thought that player looked sub-par, there's a brand new model that looks much better. It's called the NWZ-S610, and will have many of the same features of its older brother

Features

• Capacity: 2, 4, and 8GB's
• Display: 1.8" QVGA LCD (320 x 240)
• Audio: MP3, , WMA (and WMA-DRM), AAC (non-DRM)
• Video: MPEG-4 and AVC Baseline (aka H.264) at 30fps
• FM tuner
• Battery Life: 33 hours for audio, 9.5 hours for video
• Colors: Black, Silver, Red, and Pink

While the screen is a little smaller than the A800 (2.0" vs 1.8"), there are some added benefits in this new model. First and foremost, the S610 does not require you to use SonicStage. You can use WMP11 among other programs (it's an MTP device). Secondly, the player has removed support for ATRAC. I personally don't see the removal of a codec as a good thing, but maybe its absence will put Sony in a better light. Finally, they've added an FM tuner, and a bump in battery life for video (8 vs 9.5). The S610 will available in September at the following estimated prices: $120 for the 2GB, $160 for the 4GB, and $210 for the 8GB. The A810 will retail for approximately $20 more respectively.

LINK (via, engadget)

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Cnet Reviews the S610

Jasmine France over at Cnet already got her hands on this new Sony player and seemed thoroughly impressed. Here's the summary for her review:

The Good: The Sony NWZ-S610 series features a compact design with a high-quality feel and an ample screen. The user interface is intuitive, and there are plenty of features to choose from, such as an FM radio and photo and video playback. No more awful SonicStage software: this Walkman is a PlaysForSure device supporting subscription tracks as well as unprotected WMA, MP3, and even AAC files. The player offers good sound quality and an excellent rated battery life.

The Bad: The Sony NWZ-S610 doesn't offer any exceptional new technology, and there are cheaper competitors that offer the same features.

The Bottom line: The Sony NWZ-S610 series Walkman doesn't bring anything striking or new to the table, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a quality MP3 player with nice extras and a killer battery life. Plus, Sony got rid of SonicStage--the best news ever.

Score: 7.7/10

LINK

Thanks zip22