Tag: Walkman
Sony S-Series Walkmans to get limited edition Disney branding
Hmm, not so sure about this lot, Sony. I've always quietly coveted your S640 and S740 S-Series Walkmans with their 2-inch LCDs, 720×480 TV-out and quality MDR-EX300SL earbuds with noise cancellation tech. But these Japan-only Mickey and Minnie mouse engraved…
CES 2010: Final Thoughts
The Consumer Electronics show, the behemoth of tech, the Valhalla of gadgetry, has come and gone for yet another year. But this time, rather than arriving with a bang, it slinked into sight with something more like a whimper. CES…
CES 2010: Day 1 Round-Up
With CES 2010 now well under way, it can be pretty tough keeping track of all the latest announcements. Here's Tech Digest's round-up of the of best Day 1 at CES 2010 so far, including all the news from the…
CES 2010: Sony NW-A845 Walkman finally gets European release
Sony's super-slim, super sexy NW-A845 Walkman has been wowing music lovers in Japan for some time now, and now Sony are finally unleashing the flagship PMP upon European audiences. Measuring just 7.2mm thick, the music player features a 2.8 inch…
Convert cassettes to MP3 with the Tape Express
The Tape Express works like a regular portable cassette player, but also plugs into your computer via USB ready to make digital copies of all your old favourites.
Griffin to save kids from going deaf with MyPhones
Since the invention of the Walkman and its offspring the iPod, several generations of teenagers have blasted their ears with music that is way too loud for them and are subsequently well on the road to going deaf. So anyone who invents a hearing aid that doesn't look like a Bluetooth headset for the terminally unfashionable is sure to hit pay dirt.
Sony Walkman x2! B Series & E Series MP3 players
The Sony Walkman B140 is very nearly a true MP3 player, except it plays WMA files as well. There’s no poncey video screen on this 26g device, just a 3-line LCD that tells you what music’s playing. What it does do, though, it appears to do very well.
It takes just 3 minutes of USB charging to get 90 minutes of listening time but, if you’re not in any hurry, it’ll offer 18 hours of playback after a 70 min’s wait. They come in 2GB and 4GB models, in pink, orange, red and black, and even with an FM radio too.
Features-wise there’s a very early 90s sounding Bass Boost but, best of all, I’m just glad to see small MP3 players sticking to the USB roots for both charging and music transfers. Cables are so two Tuesday’s ago.
The Sony Walkman E440 is a slightly larger creature with much more to play with and back. It comes in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB sizes and adds H.264, MPEG-4 and WMV video codecs to the party which you can watch on the 2-inch QVGA LCD. A full recharge takes 2 hours and offers 30 back in music or 6 in video. There is a 45 minute 80% quick charge but, frankly, that’s not that quick.
Black and red are the colour choices, as you can see in the rather nice image below, and this 54g player has a five-band EQ along with a volume normaliser which makes sure your tracks are all at the same level. There’s also some sound technologies in the shape of Clear Stereo and Clear Bass to control sound leakage and low-end frequency distortion respectively.
Sadly, I can’t tell you how much they’ll cost. For some legal reasons, to which I’m not sure I wish to hear the explanation, Sony is no longer allowed to give out its RRPs. However, I’m expecting around the £69 mark for the B160 and maybe £80/90 for the E series. Just a guess. We’ll find out when they pop up in stores in the next couple of weeks.
Sony Press Release
Zappin – the mini Sony Walkman
Sony has announced a range of mini USB-based MP3 players that should more than rival the iPod shuffle in the gym bunny market.
The Zappin name comes from its functionality which allows users to listen to a five second clip of a song before deciding whether or not to play it. Handy if you’re working on your guns and you need to find the exact tune to pump you up and you’re unable to move your head to look at the LCD screen.
The players have 2GB of storage, can play WMA as well as MP3 and also have a built in FM radio. The battery life is an astonishing 18 hours from a single charge and the Zappin’s only weigh 26g. Drag and drop is supported so no need to install any software.
No price has been confirmed by Sony. Sorry about that.
(via Akihabara)
RUMOUR: Sony working on Android based Walkman and PND?
Reports from Japan indicate that Sony are looking at more than just mobile phone handsets in terms of utilising Google’s open source operating system, Android.
Rumours of an Android based Walkman and also a personal navigation device (PND) are true, according to an analyst speaking to Japan’s Nikkan and should hit the market next year.
The thought of two of the biggest tech institutions teaming up may seem terrifying for some but it could be great news for consumers. With Sony already attempting to connect the user experience between its existing products, the possibilities when you throw Android into that mix could be monumental.
(via Engadget)
