Tag: Walkman
iPod obsolete, Walkman device will rule, says boss of Sony-owned record label
Rick Rubin, co-chairman of Columbia Records, has publicly stated that the iPod and iTunes models are doomed, with the way to go being subscription-based, music-anywhere, services.
In fact, he thinks the whole music business will only be saved by going to a subscription model, but he’s quick to pick on the iPod. “The iPod will be obsolete, but there would be a Walkman-like device you could plug into speakers at home,” he said.
Rubin’s motivation is that adopting cheap music subscription services will curb illegal downloads, believing that “If music is easily available at a price of five or six dollars a month, then nobody will steal it.”
I’m not convinced.
First video of Sony's Rolly MP3 player hits YouTube
Can Sony ever seize back even a fraction of its former dominance of the portable music market? Apple has done a good job of turning Walkman into a duff brand (well, at least until Sony Ericsson's successful music phones), but Sony is looking to get its MP3 mojo back with Rolly, an innovative new player.
Innovative how? Well, er, it rolls around in time to your music, like a little breakdancing robot. I'd be more sold on the idea if I had a decent coffee table. Nevertheless, Rolly has been creating a stir online with a drip-feed of internetweb leaks. The latest is a video showing it in action – feast your eyes below:
Get an early look at the new Sony Rolly Walkman
Well, you might not be able to any more, since the site in question appears to have stopped working – on my browsers at least. But earlier today, Sony appeared to have launched a new microsite for its Rolly Walkman, which we wrote about last week.
Digital World Tokyo has a screengrab of the site and info, including the appearance on the site of words like ‘shuffle’ and ‘small’, which implies Rolly might be taking on the iPod Shuffle, rather than the full-blown iPod.
Shiny Preview: Sony Ericsson W910i, soon to be on 3
More 3 goodness, this time in the form of the Sony Ericsson W910i. It’s the latest of the Walkman branded phones, and this time, comes with Wii-like fun in the form of ShakeIt. Have a look at the vid for more deets….
Interview – Sony Ericsson: "Digital audio players won't exist in two years"
Okay, so a big mobile manufacturer saying that MP3 players will soon be toast isn't entirely surprising – they're keen to push their handsets' music capabilities after all. But Victor Fredell, Sony Ericsson's content acquisition manager for music, is still…
Most Wanted: Top 5 mobile phones coming later in 2007
It’s all about the upgrades, innit. Your mum might still be clinging on to the mobile phone she bought six years ago, but if you’re a proper geek like us, you’ll get itchy fingers when your phone’s approaching its first birthday.
Opinion: Why I DON'T want an iPhone
Jonathan Weinberg writes…
So, Apple’s “must-have” mobile phone has now finally launched. Well, I say launch. That’s obviously true if you’re reading this from America, but for the rest of us it’s tough luck. After all, it’s not as if anyone in Britain has ever put their hard-earned cash into Steve Jobs’ coffers.
What devices can play iTunes Plus downloads?
So, Apple launched its iTunes Plus DRM-free downloads yesterday, and the company is already catching flak for embedding users’ names and email addresses in the files they download. The big idea is that you’ll be able to play the files on devices other than iPods. So what do they work on?
Video review: Sony NW-A805 Walkman
Shiny Shiny's Susi and Abi feel the love for the Sony Walkman A805 2GB.
Video review: Sony Ericsson W880i walkman phone
Sony Ericsson's new W880i is the latest Walkman phone, and it's pretty damn slinky. It's the slimmest music phone they've released yet, has a lovely big memory card bundled with it, and features the company's own Track ID service to identify tunes.
