Sony's long awaited touchscreen Walkman finally revealed?

Sony's Walkman series of media players has done its best to keep stride, stuffing in new features and design refinements over the years, but touchscreen-dominated players are clearly in vogue, and it looks like the company is finally ready to break down and get touchable. According to the Sony stalkers over at Sony Insider, there will be 16 and 32GB touchscreen Walkman players at CES 2009 this coming January. The literal and figurative centerpiece is to be a 3-inch OLED display (possibly that 3.3-inch panel making the rounds, or something more Sony specific), running a touch interface with many similarities to the current Walkman players. Also slated for inclusion is WiFi, enabling a YouTube app, over the air podcast downloads, built-in access to Amazon's MP3 store and an unspecified web browser. The shots of the player above are obviously mockups, and the real hardware is supposed to have physical music control buttons -- and hopefully hold to some sort of reality-based conception of scale. All this info is exclusive to the Sony Insider ninjas, so we can't vouch for its veracity, but it's an obvious and welcome move from Sony, so we won't look a gift rumor in the mouth.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Dec 12th 2008 12:38PM]

that looks really small based on the lower hand.

[charles willis @ Dec 12th 2008 1:23PM]

All this proves is that APPLE is the standard. Apple has been the standard since the launch of the first IPODS and is not setting the standards for computers. Sony in my opinion will create a product that will be comparable to Apple, but It wont hurt IPOD Tounch sales at all.



http://www.rockandreview.com

[Goatee Man @ Dec 12th 2008 1:32PM]

Blah blah blah Apple blah blah blah Microsoft blah blah innovation blah blah evil corporation blah blah blah iPhone blah blah blah fanboys.

There, I did it for you all. Now you all don't have to.

[ArcticFox @ Dec 12th 2008 1:32PM]

So Apple set the standard on rectangular screens that have touch capability?

What about every other device that has an LCD screen, or the plethora of other touchscreen PDAs that came out years before Apple shat out the iphone/ipod touch.

Get a clue seriously.

[prateeko @ Dec 12th 2008 1:38PM]

I REALLY want a good Walkman and something small, sleek and with 32GB is more than I expected (but what I dream of)!

While I use and love the iPod for it's ease of use and interface (on both the player and iTunes), I really miss the audio fidelity and quality Sony's Walkmans (and MiniDisc mans for those of you 4 others who used them) had. The iPod, especially when you use the EQs, leaves much to be desired in terms of audio fidelity and quality.

[Steve D. @ Dec 12th 2008 2:25PM]

@Charles:

No, Apple is not the standard. It's just a marketing hype. I am an audio/recording engineer and I use Apple products too. I just returned my iPod for a Sony Walkman despite I have purchased a lot of music from iTunes Store. The reason? AUDIO QUALITY.

Ever noticed that when you crank up the volume on an iPod the audio gets all distorted even though the source never hit 0db to begin with? And no matter HOW you adjust the EQ it's not going to help.

Let's face it, Apple has failed in terms of audio quality and signal processing. Crank the volume (gain) up high and it starts the distortion; totally useless and pointless equalizer that will cause the distortion at first place, let along the customization.

It simply sickens me when I walk by and get blasted with completely distorted waveform they call "music" that comes out of the crappy headphones they wear. Sony includes a high quality set of in-ear buds that produces great audio, compare to the standard ear buds Apple included in their products, Sony's earbuds simply out performs Apple's "trash" if you will.

On the other hand, Sony's signal processing is way superior. Dynamic normalizer (compressor/limiter/expender, or the "Dynamic Trio"); fully customizable equalizer that will not produce a SINGLE distortion no matter how high you crank the gain up with the same source file compare to iPod; among with many other audio signal processing. It is simply superior.

If Apple fixes and enhances the audio quality and signal processing with their iPod and includes at least better headphones, then I will go back to iPod so I don't have to strip the DRMs off the tracks I bought.

[Lars @ Dec 12th 2008 2:24PM]

I like the form factor. But I hope they kept the XMB interface. I love that more than any other interface I've used. I'd rather have XMB and no touch, over touch with no XMB... though both together would be win. Can't stand the iPhone-style, Windows-inspired interface (just a desktop with icons). I freakin' hate that setup. Give me a nicely organized categorical list.

[iphonerulez @ Dec 12th 2008 2:34PM]

Yeh, it is small. Small to match it's future total sales and the brains of those that buy it. If it's not an Apple iPod, what's the point. It might as well be a Zune. Only some anti-iPod dork would buy it just BECAUSE it's not an iPod. Rather buy sh*t, than be called a sheep. Am I right? I recommend you buy the Walkman and keep it for yourself, because if you give it as a gift next Christmas, someone is going to be mighty disappointed it isn't a real iPod, but instead a pseudo, knock-off wannabe music player with a name that used to be popular in the 1980's.

Best on the market? Even in Japan, they'd rather carry an iPod than a Walkman. OMFGWTFROFL. A Walkman, puhleeeese and photoshopped, at that. No wonder Sony sales are dropping. Walkman =ごみ

[Xerxes @ Dec 12th 2008 3:00PM]

Ha Ha Ha! Yet another dream of iPod killing?!! Another trash, another toy and another scandal? WHEN WILL YOU UNDERSTAND YOU CAN NOT COMPETE WITH APPLE? DO NOT FOLLOW APPLE LIKE A LITTLE PIG sony. Go and fix your battery problems, BD player problems and big trouble of falling PS3 and tens of other f**king rubbish products.

[who? @ Dec 12th 2008 3:36PM]

This is what I always wished the iPod Touch would look like, so I won't rip on the design, but the feature list is a total copy of the Touch's.

Just replace "Amazon's Mp3" with "iTunes' AAC" and that list would be word for word what was available on the Touch exactly over one year ago. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so, but it could use a touch of originality (forgive the pun).

[SITEiNK @ Dec 12th 2008 11:33PM]

CJ, your just obsolete.
your comments are just stupid and not needed.
why don't you go join that traveling homo circus?
i guess it's because your neither gay nor hos enough to do it.
your a loser.

as for the sony product, i know from actually using it at a demo it is a solid piece of gear.
that being said, it will indeed forever be a me-too product with a couple of new features.

everyone knows iPod set the standard for MP3 players, just as iPhone set the standard for smart-ish, touch-screen phones.
that's does not mean others can't or wont follow suit, but does indeed prove Charles' point.

so, CJ go suck on yourself or do you need a teet to cry on?

[Kris120890 @ Dec 12th 2008 12:39PM]

Looks small.

[Menos @ Dec 12th 2008 1:00PM]

thats what she said

[joe23521 @ Dec 12th 2008 1:14PM]

It maybe small, but it's very user-friendly.

[AJ in the East Bay @ Dec 12th 2008 1:45PM]

"It maybe small, but it's very user-friendly."

That's was she also said.

[Sean @ Dec 12th 2008 1:58PM]

That's because it's fake. Photoshopped. Clearly.

[Yarly @ Dec 12th 2008 2:13PM]

That's what she said too? O.o

[KilgoreTrout @ Dec 12th 2008 2:12PM]

Goatee man you are an obnoxious pratt

[Goatee Man @ Dec 12th 2008 2:17PM]

Kilgore, I have no absolutely idea who you are or what you're on about, but you may want to re-read your comment and the only other one I left on this page. You have me confused with someone else, perhaps? So it goes, I suppose.

[Jason @ Dec 12th 2008 7:07PM]

I really doubt she had that much to say.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Dec 12th 2008 12:44PM]

maybe a giant is holding it.

[IK @ Dec 12th 2008 12:44PM]

please build a walkman that i can pirate media on through the wifi

bittorrent, gnutella, and other p2p

who needs itunes store when you have everything-free store

[fanman @ Dec 12th 2008 1:53PM]

How ironic that you failed to spell Pâté.

[projekt84 @ Dec 12th 2008 12:48PM]

MUSIC POLICE NOTIFIED:

IP and home address logged. A patty wagon will soon arrive are your residence, please do not leave while we attempt to arrest you. Thank you.

[tom @ Dec 12th 2008 12:57PM]

DRM free- pleeeeease

[Uninformed idgit @ Dec 12th 2008 1:18PM]

Wait. Patty-wagon? When it gets to your place, can you grab me a bouble burger with cheese, no onion?

Mobile beef service, now that's the wave of the future.

Why in the hell didn't anyone tell me there were patty-wagons? now i never have to leave my cubicle!!

[zioncat @ Dec 12th 2008 12:45PM]

Wow those things are really small plus a touch screen. I'm not big on mp3 players but that actually looks intresting enough to buy. But I'm sure the price will make consumers mad.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Dec 12th 2008 1:27PM]

I'm happy to see something new like this for once. If only iRiver or Cowon went at it with DAPs again like in 2003 then that'd be even sweeter.

[ilh @ Dec 12th 2008 2:08PM]

Um, Cowon S9?

[Skazer @ Dec 12th 2008 4:41PM]

Sony can really make this a winner though, unless the price is much higher than the ipod touch.

"The literal and figurative centerpiece is to be a 3-inch OLED display (possibly that 3.3-inch panel making the rounds, or something more Sony specific), running a touch interface with many similarities to the current Walkman players. Also slated for inclusion is WiFi, enabling a YouTube app, over the air podcast downloads, built-in access to Amazon's MP3 store and an unspecified web browser."

I bought a Cowon D2 recently after using a Sony S series for a while because I wanted to try out the touch interface. I still miss the Sony interface a lot though. It just had so many useful design features that made it such an awesome UI. I just hope they implement the web browser well. I've been looking for an ipod alternative in terms of a good media player with wifi, and this just might be the answer.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Dec 12th 2008 6:03PM]

Talking about DAPs that people actually *care* about.

[superhobo @ Dec 13th 2008 2:51PM]

Please Sony Ericsson, add a phone to it and make it just a little bit bigger.

[Samboini @ Dec 12th 2008 12:45PM]

Do Sony mp3 players still use horrible software, or do they now support drag and drop?

[Kherka @ Dec 12th 2008 12:52PM]

They are now drag and drop. But still tied to SonicStage in Japan!

[Samboini @ Dec 12th 2008 1:02PM]

Ouch. SonicStage was the reason I stopped buying Sony. Good to see they have (mainly) moved on.

[KIFF @ Dec 12th 2008 1:05PM]

Has been drag & drop for two generations now (S61x, A81x and now A82x, E4xx and S63x)

[JerkfacedFed @ Dec 12th 2008 1:12PM]

in the us, their latest players dropped sonicstage and are compatible with windows media player

[Boarderwoot @ Dec 12th 2008 12:46PM]

Isn't the term Walkman a little dated? When I hear that phrase I think of my big stack of ace of base casett tapes and cheap sony headphones.

[VeganFreak @ Dec 12th 2008 12:51PM]

Yes, changing the name to iWalk or something would totally make the name awesome.

/sarcasm

[MattBD @ Dec 12th 2008 12:51PM]

These days, Walkman is just used as a brand name. I had a Sony Walkman CD player about 6 years ago, and a Walkman HD-based mp3 player a couple of years ago.
The MP3 player was great, actually. It had a feature like Genius long before Apple had it, and it looked nicer than any iPod. It's just the iTunes-equivalent software (known as CONNECT Player), really sucked big time. From what I hear, Sony have dumped it and gone to just drag-and-drop.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 12th 2008 12:52PM]

So does everybody, I think that's one of the many reasons why Sony's MP3 players have such a small market. They need to give up on the Walkman branding, it is permanently burned onto the public's subconscious as a synonym for "Cassette Tape Player"

If they're making the above device as a direct iPod Touch competitor, which is what it sounds like from the description, the timing is ripe to invent a new product name.

[Nugent @ Dec 12th 2008 12:57PM]

Yeah, Walkman is Sony's brand name for portable music players. They started with the casette players and managed to transfer the brand to CD players, but so far haven't done a very good job getting people to recognize their MP3 players as part of the Walkman brand. As with so many other Sony products *cough* PS3 *cough* Sony fails to really advertise their MP3 players.

Its too bad too, because their MP3 players are some of the best on the market IMO. Now that they've ditched SonicStage and lowered their prices, they should be doing a lot better than they are. However, per Sony's usual MO, the touch screen Walkman will probably be awesome, but double the price of an iPod touch, guaranteeing that no one but die-hard Sony fans will buy it.

[CJ @ Dec 12th 2008 1:28PM]

What I want to see from sony is the Walkman 20th Anniversary Edition; A fully capable touchscreen player, with all the latest technology, just really thick and with big clunky playback buttons!

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 12th 2008 2:01PM]

Aren't the names Windows, Mac, Mustang, Challenger, Camaro etc a little dated then? When I hear Walkman I do think of cassettes etc but also in general just music on the go, which is a good image to invoke.

[KIFF @ Dec 12th 2008 2:13PM]

@Nugent,

Why do you think this will cost double the price of their competitor. I have a S639 16GB which is easily the most value for money DAP. £88 for 16GB S639. On the other hand the iPod Nano 16GB costs £145 here.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 12th 2008 6:34PM]

"Aren't the names Windows, Mac, Mustang, Challenger, Camaro etc a little dated then?"


Those names have all been in continuous use with regular product updates every year or so since they came out. Sony ditched the Walkman brand in the 90's in favor of "Discman," which immediately made everybody think of Walkman as outdated technology. It feels old because it skipped a generation.

[chefgon_ign @ Dec 12th 2008 12:48PM]

Touchscreen, YouTube, AmazonMP3, and an unnamed Web Browser? Could this be Sony's first Android device?

[Daniel @ Dec 12th 2008 2:19PM]

Slap a sim card slot in there. I'd use that as a phone in a heartbeat. A touchscreen phone that doesn't take up my entire pocket? Sold!

[pika2000 @ Dec 12th 2008 3:02PM]

You know, you might be on something here. With the inclusion of a web browser, Amazon MP3 store, etc, it's like the prefect description of Android. However, it could be Sony's own web browser that they use in PSP/mylo/

[Lowest Ranked @ Dec 12th 2008 12:50PM]

How do you put your casettes in it though? This is an imposter Walkman.