Sony intros S-, E-, and B-Series Walkmans

Remember those new Walkmans we saw recently? Well the folks at Sony have decided to get all fancy and official with them. The electronics-maker is introducing S-, E-, and B-Series PMPs, all featuring MP3 and WMA playback, drag-and-drop file management, and a variety of storage capacities. The 4GB NWZ-S736F and 8GB NWZ-S738F sport Sony's "Open Platform" which allows AAC, Linear PCM, and other codec support, 40 hours of battery life, in-flight noise cancellation, and SensMe -- which creates song shuffles based on user listening habits. The 4GB NWZ-E436F and 8GB NWZ-E438F come in a handful of colors and deliver up to 45 hours of playback, while the low-end 1GB NWZ-B133F and 2GB NWZ-B135F add an FM tuner and voice recording functionality. The players will be available come September, ranging in price from around $45 to $180.

[YpoCaramel @ Aug 28th 2008 7:18AM]

Is another rectangular flash player really necessary in Sony's lineup?

The A829 series works great for me but I don't see any holes in the Sony lineup that couldn't be filled with a bit of price switching... At least, for rectangular flash players.

[gad get @ Aug 28th 2008 7:22AM]

Tell Sony they'll get my business when they offer more than 8 gigs of flash. That's the only thing holding me back from buying one of the best sounding players around, especially with that awesome battery life.

[trev @ Aug 28th 2008 8:04AM]

Sony have offered 16 GB players for quite some time, check out the A829.

[grillface @ Aug 28th 2008 8:18AM]

Actually, the a729 and a829 are 16GB players, and I think they have a bigger screen.
Not sure how these new ones fit in... maybe to replace the other s-series walkmans?

[ScooterDe @ Aug 28th 2008 4:23PM]

could use an expansion port, if only for sony sticks

[Tonicboy @ Aug 28th 2008 7:26AM]

I don't get it. Why would someone buy an MP3 that looks to be about the same size, similar capacity, with about the same screen as a cellphone, for not much cheaper? It's almost like they repurposed one of their Walkmen phones, through out a couple chips and rebranded it. And what's up with "in-flight noise cancellation"? If they have some sort of noise-cancellation, why would it only be available when you fly? Sony is like a dog whose head doesn't know what its tail is doing, their efforts make no sense and speak to no overall strategy.

[Richard @ Aug 28th 2008 7:48AM]

In-flight noise cancellation can be easier to achieve as the in-flight noise from a commercial aircrafts engines and wind-noise is a fairly constant frequency and amplitude. It's likely any system would be much less effective across all frequencies and amplitudes. Maybe just Sony not wanting to over-market this feature?

[icepop4who @ Aug 28th 2008 9:39AM]

you don't have to pay a monthly fee? fyi, cellphone cost is subsidized because of the ridiculously long contract you have to sign.

[Andreas @ Aug 28th 2008 9:41AM]

At least this Walkman has a 3.5mm plug, something I miss in my SE Walkman phone.

[konshuss @ Aug 28th 2008 10:04AM]

i would be hard-pressed to give up my creative zen for this... if i had neither the choice would come down to codec support, which isn't very clear from this article. give me DivX/Xvid with some semblance of support for updating codecs and i'm sold.

can anyone explain why so few players offer divx support? is it licensing cost? the perception that divx is used mainly for pir8'd movies?

[pechorin @ Aug 28th 2008 7:38AM]

@Tonicboy are you comparing the cellphone sound quality with these mp3s? if you do, of course you wouldnt buy this

i only would like a software and interface update, they have been too long with the same one

[Metamorphic @ Aug 28th 2008 7:59AM]

I had a Sony NWZ-A815 and it has been the best sounding MP3 player I've ever had and the slimmest. Only problem is that it was only 2GB and the max that they offer is 8GB. My music library is full of 256 kbps songs and higher only which takes a lot of space. So I gave mine to my little brother and bought my self an iPod Touch 32GB which sounds okay compared to the Sony. But the iPod Touch has a lot of features which makes it more than just a music device. But if you want pure awesome audio get a Creative or Sony. The day that Sony launches an flash MP3 player with 64 GB, for a reasonable price, would be a great day.

PS: The battery life is just awesome and they do last as long as they say or close to.

[w90 @ Dec 31st 2008 8:57AM]

I'm very disappointed of the repetitive and uncreative things.

[wo0ty @ Aug 28th 2008 9:45AM]

like the new iPod nano you mean?

[chilko @ Aug 28th 2008 9:11AM]

and the details

http://presscentre.sony.eu/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=262&NewsAreaID=2

[AJ in the East Bay @ Aug 28th 2008 9:22AM]

Dear Sony,

I love this PMP design, but for f**k's sake can you give me at least 32GB? I really want to give you my money but the capacity doesn't cut it for me.

[helloUser @ Aug 28th 2008 12:08PM]

If it had more than 16gb (as in, 32gb) or 16gb + expansion slot, I'd buy it.

But 8gb is a joke, and my 100gb music collection is constantly growing. I dont need 100gb on a portable, but at a decent chunk of it should be with me at all times. Battery life on this is phenomenal though. One of the main reasons why I still use my Sony NW-HD5 (and it still lasts longer than any current ipod, lulz)

[eiki @ Aug 28th 2008 12:10PM]

not buying if I have to have the curse of mickey! the brushed alu effect is nice tho

[bdsound @ Aug 28th 2008 1:17PM]

it would great if they offered a version without any flash memory (cheap) but a memory card slot. they could even use it as a way to sell their own memory cards.

right now on amazon, $68 will buy you an 8GB sony memory stick. so take the entry level $45 walkman here and add $68 to get the 8GB version for $113 and not $180... oh wait, i just broke their business model. $137 buys you the 16GB memory stick, so that would be $182 for a 16GB version of this. It's a bargain even if you pay full retail for the 8GB stick = $99, then add $45 for the player and you're at $144. Oh well, I still think it's a good idea and a way for them to bank on selling memory cards. There aren't enough residual sales around a product like this.

lastly, i think there is a void in the market for customizable pmp's. sure you can "tattoo" your zune or choose a bunch of cases for your ipod or iphone, but look at the cell phone market. you can buy all sorts of different shells for popular phones and there are tons of ways to customize it from background pics to cases to light-up buttons. i'm not saying that all of that should be implemented, but let the consumer pick and choose.

[Nugent @ Aug 28th 2008 1:36PM]

While 8 Gb might be low for Engadget readers, its more than enough for most people. I know a lot of people with 4 and 8 Gb Nanos that haven't filled them up yet.

I have an 8 Gb A818, and its one of the best MP3 players I've owned. It sounds great, has a nice screen, and has a well designed menu. My two biggest complaints about it are the lack of noise cancellation and stupid placement of the hold switch on the back. These new models address those issues, so I'm tempted to "accidentally" break my A818 so that I have to buy a replacement.

[ScooterDe @ Aug 28th 2008 4:30PM]

sell it please; don't trash old gadgets.

[AA @ Aug 28th 2008 4:18PM]

I love the sound quality of my A815-and Sony does put in a EX85 like set of earphones-the EX082.

Works with drag and dropped from iTunes music that's non-DRM and Macs just fine.

The b130 is already out in Australia, bet we miss out on the S730 series.

[Carl Vitullo @ Aug 28th 2008 4:33PM]

Sony needs to stop labeling the "pwr off" button like that. I think "off" is sufficient.

[Lamerz @ Aug 28th 2008 5:38PM]

Hey, look ... it's a Zune!

[Lamerz @ Aug 28th 2008 6:00PM]

Hey look, it's a Zune!!

[Jared Wolfhope @ Aug 29th 2008 2:23AM]

4 GB is good for me