Sony's X-series OLED Walkman now priced in real American dollars, ships mid-June
By Thomas Ricker 
posted May 13th 2009 4:51AM
posted May 13th 2009 4:51AM
Update: And just like that, it's official. Sony's 16GB NWZ- X1051 with 32GB NWZ- X1061 will be priced $299 and $399, respectively, when they go on sale nationwide Stateside in mid-June. As a surprise, they'll also feature embedded apps for YouTube and Slacker Radio for all the free video and audio you can consume over WiFi.
[Via OLED-Info]
just a tip: never say first.
ehh no thx k bye
Dammit i was hoping that they would keep it priced in monopoly dollars then maybe i could afford one.
Interesting... Amazon UK have the price of the 32GB to £250, and $400 is just over £260. There's a first.
*have cut the price.
And in the UK it includes 15% tax
I'm no apple fan, but i highly doubt there are going to be any applications or games to be released onto this. This clearly puts the itouch way ahead of the game. As much as i love sony and their products I don't think noise cancellations is compensate.
Fair enough but i dont think you can really criticise them for make a music player whos primary function is...to play music. Not only that but it appears to be geared towards high quality playback at that, something apple seems to be less focussed on, but i guess the fart applications make up for that
If they really are gearing to push the audio quaity factor of this, they really are aiming at a small target audience. The general consumer won't be able to tell the difference and would be too distracted at the nice touch screen and tech-demo games (just like the wii and the ps3).
That's because the people looking to buy this won't be buying it for apps, they will be buying it for the audio quality. If ipods/iphones could match the audio quality then yes, you would have a point.
@Superhands: For a device that you claim has the primary function of playing music, can it playback MP3/AAC music properly as intended by the artist, aka gapless playback? Does it support lossless formats?
indeed it's a music player not a game console. otherwise you have to buy a psp, nintento dsi, ... ?
the DAC transformer in the apple products are indeed not so great, if you compare them to other brands.
If you specifically compare the touch against the walkman X which I tested both. You will argee with me that the sony has better music quality.
Although are minds are so focus on Apple's ipod's that we hardly look the other way... to what really counts sound quality and that's something you find on other (cowon, sony, etc.) music players ...
@pika2000: I dont know, im gonna go with no? Isn't wma lossless anyway? I dont really care, as far as i can see its a pretty well rounded package with some nice new features. Im not even in the market for an MP3 player anyway so it doesnt really matter
Hey, at least Sony might release free firmware updates.
Sony Walkman was there long before Apple made iPods, what makes you think their flagship products are worse than Apple's? I seriously doubt it. And I have listen to both Walkman and the iPod's music quality... I'll have to go with the Walkman.
I really hate Apple for brainwashing everybody into thinking that a music player is worthless unless it has a billion non-music apps for it. It has good audio quality, a web browser, a youtube app, and an internet radio app. What the hell else do you need for a good PMP, seriously? It's not a Game Boy or a PDA, it's a music player.
@Superhands: So, first you're claiming that the Sony's primary function is a music player. I pointed out the important features of a music player, now you don't care?
@Xentro: Maybe you could answer my question. If the Sony is the better music player, does it do gapless MP3/AAC playback (play music as intended by the artist) and support lossless formats?
@chefgon_ign: Apple doesn't brainwash anybody. They simply redefine what people would expect for that price points. Sony is the one that brainwash people into thinking that anything with their brand, premium price, and bass focused sound = better sound quality.
pika2000: It doesn't necessarily need to be able to play gapless or lossless in order to be a better portable audio player than an iPod. That's how bad iPod's audio quality is. Capice?
Check this out! The Slacker app can actually buffer 3 stations so you don't have to be in a hotspot to use it, unlike the iPhone app. And really 3 stations is more than enough.
@pika,
We know you hate this player, you make the same angry comments on every walkman post like a typical fanboy (except I think you are a cowon fanboy....). I am sorry this does not come with the standard formats of lossless that you prefer, however it does have lossless functionality. On top of that, there is the possibility of firmware updates to allow formats such as FLAC, just like the S9 had updates (major OS updates if I am correct). All in all, this player has a lot of functionality, including noise cancellation, that makes if appealing to many people. On top of that, most artists intended their music to be played on records, and not transferred to mp3s, for example the Beatles and Pink Floyd, to groups whose music actually utilizes lossless.
@WickedEast: So, reproduction of music as intended by the artist is not an important feature for a portable audio player? Sad. But hey, I guess you're Sony's target market.
@JohnWesleyHarding: I don't hate this player. I simply dislike Sony fanboys that think this Sony player is the holy grail, failing to acknowledge the obvious shortcomings. Firmware updates? Show me any recent Sony NWZ series that receive a firmware update adding significant additional features like gapless. None. The last time Sony did this was on the HD1 and Vaio Pocket (adding MP3 support, gapless for Atrac). Support for lossless? PCM is uncompressed, not lossless, unless you're confused with the Japanese NW model that support AAL. A lot of artists intended their music to be played gaplessly. Older technologies like AudioCD and Sony's own MD and Atrac players can do this. A 2009 Sony player can't? Pathetic. I will be happy to be proven wrong.
Are "first" posts getting deleted now or something?
FIRST
I hope so
Typical Sony, put premium price on their products, and ship it AFTER well-known BIG gadget(s) announcements/releases. Talk about the worst marketing decision ever. By June, every news/tech blogs will cover you-know-what. Sony USA just never learn. Oh well, at least they don't release this in September like the last Walkman lineup.
which mp3 player would you buy than ?
@pika2000
hmmmm... its interesting how you compare this to the itouch in EVERY SINGLE post about this player, and comment multiple times in each thread...
its pretty clear from other comments here that everyone agrees that the sony's strong point is its sound quality and screen, whereas the itouch has its strength in the beautiful environment that apple has created for it. maybe you should just accept the beauty of each device rather than having such a prejudiced outlook.
or maybe you could just turn down the fanboyism a bit so that everyone else can have some constructive discussion.
@Amrit: Who's talking about the Touch, except you? Maybe you are the one that should stop you raging fanboyism so you don't talk nonsense, and accept Sony's stupidity and silly business decisions.
@pika2000
thanks for proving my point... :)
@Amrit: Thanks for showing everybody your un-"constructive" unrelated point. =)
The man is right, pika. You are consistently down ranked and speak like a massive tool. Chill.
no use arguing with pika... the dude's mind is lost.
dammit, that's just too high...I have been anticipating this for months but Sony needs to price more competitively to take business away from Apple.
If they had priced this like a nano they would be onto a winner.
If they had priced it like a nano they would be losing money.
The phone seems like a solid music player. I would like to watch to a movie on that beautiful OLED screen. 299 for 16gb isn't bad at all. If it gets picked up by a carrier we should see this around 149 price range or less with a contract. Again not a bad price for newer technology.
It's not a phone
*facepalm*
there go my hopes of buying this. Sorry, will till 2010 till the prices drop.
As a Person Living in Japan with Hands on Experience:
Price -
1) You WILL see a price-drop after launch at Amazon etc. In Japan over the last 2 weeks the price has dropped over $60 at online retailers.
2) Price = iTouch = Pretty good value. The stock headphones are about a $50 buck value. Sure if you own a pair of nice cans that doesnt matter. But if your purchasing an apple product, you have to put down some extra dollars straight away for new headphones. Secondly once you see the screen, touch it, and hear it you will fall in-love :)
Reviews:
Many sony mp3 products rank pretty well with their owners due to their sound quality, and build quality. All the personal reviews I have seen for this have been great, not a single negative (although I wouldnt get your hopes up over the web-browser, though i havnt tried it). Its currently ranked top on Japans #1 internet sales for owner satisfaction.
X series merits:
* Truely Portable, it will go in your pocket. its easy to hold one handed.
* Screen - Bright, colouful, and althoguh it has a lower resolution, the videos look superb!
* Sound - Amazing, with loads of equaliser settings. Highly configurable. I compared it to the previous S series and its even better (using my Shure 310 headphones). Clarity is amazing, No hiss at low volumes (background noice), Volume rocker has small steps (good for listening to in quiet environments too, bass is really punchy and clear.
* Menues are responsive and eqs are modifyable while listening from the now playing screen (as most are today).
* If you use your device to show friends pictures, they will look amazing on this, and the picture viewer is fast and easy to use.
* Analog buttons
* Biggest one - build quality. Not a creak in the chassis.
Compared to Cowon S9:
+ Slightly more compact
+ More solid in the hand - by a long way, this is what lets the cowon down for me (cowon feels like it will break within a year)
+ Screen slightly more vibrant, but not much in it
+ Better responsiveness, better touch input
= Sound is very similar using regular formats
- Less customisation
- Less format support
- Vid conversion required more
- Price
Compared to the Spin:
+ Better interface
+ Better screen
+ Better analog controlls
+ Better touch responce
+ More storage
+ Better portability
+ Better sound
= Build Quality
- More expence
- No subway maps
Comared to itouch:
General feeling is, if you are OK with itouch's size, poor sound, poor earphones, complexity, and requirement for itunes then this should be your choice. if you will use the apps, use it as a calander etc then go for the itouch. If you do that on your cellphone and use media player as a media player then the sony is better.
+ MUCH better portability
+ Better build quality
+ Dramatically better sound
+ More intuitive intervace (out of the box)
+ Much improved screen
+ Much better included earphones
+ Its not apple
= Price
- Cant use it as gaming device / calender / etc etc.
In the perfect world I would:
- Have my blackberry for Business
- Have a sony X series for audio needs & movies
=== best of both worlds
Thanks for the comparison - those headphones do look fantastic.
Apps and the more advanced Apple software aren't completely irrelevant to the core functionality of an mp3/video player. Downloading or streaming podcasts directly from the player is very convenient. Purchasing music directly from the itouch from any wi-fi zone is incredibly useful. Apps like Pandora, the TV.com and internet radio apps (not to mention scores of even more advanced apps in development - Hulu.com and Lala.com have teams working on a/v apps) open up even more high quality content. The fact that reviews criticize the Sony browser (http://whathifi.com/Review/Sony-NWZ-X1060B/) are also worrying because a lot of web content (espn.com highlights, for example) streams beautifully from the Touch.
Audio and video consumption revolve around the internet in 2009. I don't think you can shrug off the Apple's software advantage as "meh, who needs games and fart apps anyway".
Nice review.
I've been trying to decide if I want the 32gb Cowon for $299 or wait a while for the Sony to go down in price. What do you think?
@EJ
I agree on that, but IMO that's what a phone is for. If I'm not on AT&T then I don't have the luxury of both worlds so I'd pick whatever gave me the most sound and video quality. I use my phone now for browsing, email, calendar, etc. and use the mp3 player (I actually have a nano that was given to me) for when I just want to listen to music.
I'm looking at the Cowon though because it's far cheaper and as I said the wireless aspect isn't a big deal when my phone can do all of that too. I guess it really depends on what you're looking for.
Assuming it's the same model - http://whathifi.com/Review/Sony-NWZ-X1060B/
Reading through the comments section here, I just feel the need to point this out.
There is no such thing as an "itouch"
Please stop saying it. Thank you.
So I'm NOT the only person who realizes that.
Yeah it's not a huge deal so I don't want to be extremely anal about it, but I don't think Apple has EVER used the term "iTouch."
That's like saying "iNano" or "iClassic."
Yes there is
http://www.diytrade.com/china/4/products/3529260/Itouch_2_8_TFT_PMP.html
too much.
I don't really like Sony products, they tend to be more expensive for no real reason. I'm sorry, but if you're listening to music on the go and you think sounds quality of these players depends on the player itself more so than headphones, you're a snob. That being said, I will never purchase a flash based player until their storage is 64+ GB. I have a huge collection, of legit albums 400+, and I don't even have it all on my computer yet and I still have almost double the current storage rate for flash based players. To me, capacity, is the #1 factor I look at when purchasing an mp3 player.
Then you clearly haven't used a decent MP3 player. The headphones are a major part but the unit itself is where the awesome happens, and Sony MP3 players pack a lot of awesome.
When I was younger, I switched from a portable CD player to a 3rd gen iPod but kept the same headphones. I was so crushed by how crappy mp3 quality was that I was tempted to go back to my CD player. Then my friend jacked my headphones into his old Creative Zen Xtra and I realized that it had nothing to with the format, and everything to do with the device. I got a Zen Micro soon after and have been happy with every MP3 player that i've owned since then.
I'm not a music snob. I don't listen to true lossless sound files or invest hundreds of dollars on my headphones (though I have a nice set of Sennheiser HD477s). But I like music to sound good enough to not be distracting. My CD player did it. My Creative MP3 player did. The Cowons and Sonys I've tried over the years did as well. My iPod did not. Lesson learned.
i'd rather buy a netbook at that price and lug that around with me as my mp3/video player.
I dont understand why this would have the same pricing as the Ipod Touch (there you go chefgon_ign). I am not an Apple fanboy by any means, but this device does not have the same capabilities as the ipod touch. The applications and games are a whole different set of features. i agree that Sony does have excellent build quality and sound quality (own the nwz a816). I do not see a whole lot of benefit of this over the Samsung P3 though. The OLED screen and wifi...seriously? The wifi abilities are cool, but in reality doesn't stereo bluetooth make sense? I don't need to see the latest viral of some ass making an ass of themselves on you tube while at a coffee shop for that much more money- as other readers have said I can use my phone for that. The Zune has wifi (limited benefits) but still allows for wireless sync and podcasting. I am just saying that the P3 with very usable features and a touch screen (not oled granted) and the Zune (sans web browser and touch screen) has a much more friendly pricing point than this. Most players have excellent sound quality when you pair a decent set of headphones with them. This device really was exciting when Engadget presented it to us after CES, but the pricing point will need to be reduced to gain much more attention from me.
Ok so if I buy iPod touch for $200 over a Sony , am I considered apple fanboy or idiot?
Or what would I be called say if I don't own apple pc.
You'd be called someone who values certain features that the iPod offers over other features which the Sony offers. No harm in that as long as you don't think people with reversed value sets are somehow inferior.
you would be one who favors a multi-functional music player over a supreme audio quality music player.
its really up to what you use it for because these are apples and oranges.
Anyone knows if this has Audio-Out? Or an accessory that would give us Audio-Out?
That would be a selling point for me!
Sony sells a dock that have a line-out.
I think this would be a great product at a lower price point. The OLED screen is nice but not worth the extra cost if that is padding the price, especially since it is somewhat small and video support seems middling at best. For pure audio quality I would definitely lean towards a Sansa Fuze than this.
This will of course have better build quality, etc. But this is very much a niche product at this price, I assume Sony knows this.
I doubt will even make a dent in iPod touch sales here in USA ,guaranteed.
Touch $229 or Sony $300-400,.fail
Missing 40000 apps
The real failure is your comparison of the 8GB iPod Touch pricing to the 16-32GB Sony pricing.
The only thing is, regular consumers won't notice the difference. They just look at the lowest price they can get something for. And personally 16GB is too much for me. I'm perfectly fine with my 4GB 2G Nano.
I hate to compare it to an iPod but wow...that's expensive...even if it were to drop $60 that's still pricey.
Sorry, but with no app store, I don't think I'll bite.
More importantly... Buy that Lura album. Great Cape Verdean singer. She deserves the recognition.
Too much. -$100 Each please
I am the happy owner of a S639F and was considering an upgrade but this is freakin' expensive and I have a feeling the internet browser won't be as great as on the iT
Well both are webkit-based.
I just ordered the 32 GB from Amazon, and I can't wait to get it. All I want from a DAP is great sound quality and a good interface. And yes, I can tell the difference. I have 5 iPods, one Zune, one Sansa, and one iRiver H340. I also have $499 Shure E530 ear buds. All my mp3s are encoded at 320 kbps. The only player that really sounds good is my 6 year old iRiver - by a lot. All the others sound only good, but not great. The iPod is the worst. I wish it were 64 GB, but I just can't wait any longer. I don't need the fart aps, just fantastic sound quality!
You my friend are one of the 50,000 "edge" customers ;)
i intend to sell my Touch and accessories to get one of these.
At first I wasn't too interested in the X-Series. But I think the Slacker Radio integration makes it a key seller. I like Slacker Radio, but their hardware players are beyond ugly.
Slacker Radio, FM tuner, YouTube, large capacity.. I think this new Walkman would be quite handy for people that travel a lot and may not have the time to always be near a computer to sync up their music.