Sony OLED Walkman on sale now
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted Jun 30th 2009 5:18PM
posted Jun 30th 2009 5:18PM
Well, we can think of at least one 13-year-old kid who'll welcome this next bit of gadget news: it looks like Sony's OLED Walkman is now on sale over at the Sony Style site. As previously guesstimated, the 16GB model is moving for a cool $299.99, and the 32GB model is priced at $399.99. Order today from Sony and it ships tomorrow, or order from Amazon and it ships on July 3rd. Either way, it's time to start counting out your pennies.
No way Sony!
Why not just combine a PSP into a phone. It'll sell
Wow, imagine the premium on that.
Dear Sony,
The world has alternatives when it comes to music players (the same way it did when it came to gaming devices). Learn a lesson. Lower prices. Lose less $$.
derX
I can see that Sony still thinks the world is on crack. "Its a Sony!"
Damn, I thought this was a phone. :(
people complain about Sony prices. Yet they'll pay $10 for an update for the ipod touch/iphone , that should be free. considering how much you pay for them. plus Sony is also including noise cancelling headphones which aren't cheap. if you dont want the products Sony offers just dont buy them.
Has any of you even SEEN the X1000? I have.
The granite texture is not a print on,it's actually CHISELED out of the metal frame. it feels heavy and the tolerances are millimeter perfect. It's quite simply the best built electronic gizmo i've seen in some time and I urge you to try one out before refuting that.
The interface is pretty amazing too and the touchscreen is actually more responsive than that of the iPod Touch. Of course, sound quality is among the very best and the bundled earphones alone would cost you close to three figures. In built noise canceling actually works and get this: The player supports drag and drop.
The only complaint I have for the device is that the browser sucks balls. Which is fine because I use my MP3 player to play MP3s and little else. Crazy, I know.
Do you call this a SALE?
It's selling.
on sale as in a new product. not price reductions.
that's an AWFUL lot of pennies.
Its called the "Sony Premium."
I disliked them more when they said that.
dont forget the OLED premium
its not on sale in that sense, its 'for sale' or 'now selling'
engadget: can u clarify whether or not this has bluetooth or not? i originally was under the impression it did, but see no mention of it on sony's site
It doesn't have bluetooth. It's not listed in the specs on the Sony website.
100 free downloads is a nice offer.
What they don't mention is that its 100 downloads of the same thing, and that thing is a pink unicorn wallpaper.
Pink unicorn wallpaper..... that is a great deal!
I don't have an Apple product but for that price I might as well get an iPod Touch. OLED doesn't justify the price for me.
What about exceptional sound quality, built-in noise cancellation, a nice mix of physical and touch controls, *plus* OLED? No? Still doesn't do it for you? OK, are you sure you're looking for a PMP? Maybe you ought to check out a smartphone.
Or maybe the ipod touch is just the right choice for him? Imagine that, eh?!
Then he might as well get an iPhone. Imagine that, eh?
An iphone? Uhhh, why? We're talking about PMPs here, kid.
@redcard if he isn't happy with the listed inclusions of the sony walkman then why settle for an ipod touch? If you are talking about a pmp/dap then this is more than capable.
@ redcard
A little slow on the uptake, are we?
iPhones come with a service agreement............
I'm hoping that between this and the Zune HD that there will be a nice refresh for the new Touch come September.. I'll be waiting!
You ARE aware that the ipod touch 32gb goes for the EXACT same price, aren't you? Check out the Apple store.
Plus the additional 3 hours of video playback is nothing to be ignored. Not to mention, the sound quality is infinitely better. By way of the software, and the headphones.
@Poke - Why settle for an ipod touch? Ask the millions who have paid a premium for one already. You think this Sony is going to sell at the same rate? Fat chance. The market decides, and the market has decided that the ipod touch kicks ass.
Have you used this Sony player? Thought not. So how can you even reccommend it over the touch? Idiot.
@ Gad Get - Slow on the uptake? Not quite sure where you pulled that comment from. You reccommended an iphone, after giving a bunch of reasons not to get one; the touch and the iphone have pretty similar hardware. How can you justify buying an iphone + contract, but not a touch? Especially when the guy never even mentioned he wanted an iphone.
So you're obviously just pulling comments out of your ass cos you've got nothing to say.
Another pair of idiots who think they're clever dismissing Apple products cos they're free-thinkers! (yeah, right). Another pair of idiots who can't afford Apple, or they've already spent their pocket money for this year on an inferior product
@redcard - seriously chill out. No one has insulted you. Do you feel big calling people idiots over the internet? No one is bashing Apple here least not me. I have an iPod.
The original posted mentioned that he wouldn't pay that much for the Sony walkman and would rather get the iPod touch. Looking at the logically and not a mindless drone you would see that as a PMP/DAP the sony is better than the iPod touch and for a very similar price. The iPod touch out does the Sony due to the fact it has tons of apps available. So therefore the point is compare PMPs/DAPs on this feature? You might as well consider smartphones such as the iPhone as I guess he uses a phone.
"Have you used this Sony player? Thought not. So how can you even reccommend it over the touch? Idiot"
It is clear the the original poster doesn't own either product - and as you pointed out we are talking about PMPs here - so at the same price why would you choose the ipod touch over this? Is it because of the super apps or because the market has spoken and it has sold millions. The former would suggest you are not really interested in PMP/DAP functions and the latter just makes you a sheep.
It is simple really - all reviews suggest sony's player has better playback, better screen, long playback. These are typically things that you look for in a product of this type.
There were no attacks against Apple - just questioning the reasoning of the original poster.
Next time you feel the need to call someone an idiot and righteously defend Apple try it in the real world and see how far you get.
@redcard
I bought the Sony OLED Walkman last month (UK).
I bought it from John Lewis's (promo on release) and the iPod Touch and Sony Walkman OLED were right next to eachother. I was torn between the two at first. I had considered other devices but it came down to these two.
The iPod Touch has the most gorgeous UI, it's absolutely fantastic. But then, I tried the Walkman. Sorry, but if your'e buying a device for music then the Walkman stamps all over the iPod. There is no contest when it comes to audio.
I just thought that apps on the iPod were gimmicky. Great at first, but I know I would'nt use them after half an hour.
Your point about the millions of people owning iPods? Well, people buy what's 'in' or what's perceived as 'cool' at the time. Wii anyone?
My best friend is a total Apple/iPod nut. I really like their stuff too.
However, if we're talking about a PMP that plays music with the added bonus of internet, YouTube, photo and video on a frickin' OLED screen (which is smaller buy WAY sharper than the iPod) the Walkman was the obvious choice after seeing through the fog that is apps.
Just my opinion though! :)
Frankly I'll rather get this than Zune....
Frankly I don't think anyone really gives a rats ass what your getting.
But, what you did manage to accomplish showing how little you know about PMPs. It shows that you care more about a name then what the thing your buying actually does.
Oh well, enjoy your new SONY gadget!
...Tegra + Cheaper = Still buy the SONY anyway?
Shut up.
Damn, you Zune fanboys are so sensitive! All the man said was he would rather get the Sony than the Zune. This kind of shit makes me ashamed to use a Zune.
Uwaga, he was being an instigating prick. So shut the fuck up. You make me embarrassed to be a human.
How was he instigating? By stating his opinion? Even if he was instigating, you little girls made it too easy for him.
Wow, I didn't realize Zune owners were all angst-ridden, insecure teenagers who go ape-shit when someone prefers something else over their beloved Zune.
I'm so glad I bought my iPod touch.
So are we, apocalypo. So are we. Thanks for letting us know. =)
Any reasoning behind this?
why dont they put some diamond on it, sell it in shane co stores for $3999.99 instead?
Because no one with that much dough would be caught dead with their Apple.
good lord!!!!
If this had PSN Music & Video Downloads I might would pay $299 for it but damn sure not $399!!!
IDIOTS!!!!!
"Chris D.(PSN: Aggie_CEO | XBL:The Aggie CEO | Steam: Aggie_CEO"
Are you a lonely person?
bit harsh - sounds like you are interested in making a friend
I've been using one for weeks. Is this perhaps the US release?
can u clarify bluetooth inclusion or not?
@ Jman8
I have the same one (UK version), sorry my man... no BT =[
It's at work, I can check tomorrow. I can only really look for the icon on it, because the UI is all in Japanese and I can't really search it effectively.
OLED makes my eyes bleed.
In the UK, the 32GB is £230 on amazon, which is around $380. And that includes UK vat of 15%.
This price can't be right, these things are normally way cheaper in the US.
I would rather buy the best buy "amazing" bundle than pay for that walkman. no thanks!
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/29/best-buy-selling-80gb-ps3-with-littlebigplanet-and-wall-e/
Yes because the same person who is planning to buy an mp3 players is going to instead buy a PS3.
Those two things are completely equivalent.
If I didn't have an HTC TouchPro with a 16GB MicroSD, I would so rather buy this than an iPod...
Yahoo, is it really an Ipod killer though?
if it were $150 cheaper AND they put PSN behind it with music?? then yea it could be. I mean Walkman DOES have name recognition....
It probably sounds better than the rest of the PMP's, so if that's important to you (It is to a lot of my friends) then this may be worth looking into.
Problem is it's still hard to justify the purchase vs the touch when you consider the power of the App store and Itunes.
Also, the Zune is on the horizon and that looks like it could be more competitive with the touch. Might be worth waiting for that one. Zune could be the best of both worlds. Sony's quality vs Apples media/apps.
I think you perfectly described the difference between people who would buy this versus the iPod touch.
No wonder Sony has gone downhill from the glory days of the original walkman.
Why would any sane person buy this if it has limited functionality as compared to an ipod touch (with apps) and upcoming zune HD?
yup... because the old geezers sitting on the board are all fattened and are unwilling to step down or cut their pocket money.
Does this thing come with BT connectivity? If not, this is way too expensive.
Maybe because it does the one thing it's supposed to do exceptionally well: play music.
What use is a POS browser on an iTouch or any other PMP when I've got a more capable one on my phone?
LOL this is the price for an MP3 player? What does it do? PLAY MUSIC?
You are paying for the fancy OLED screen really, and of course the Sony tax.
are they nuckin futs? zune hd is gonna go for 249...and the tegra plus oled multitouch will kick this thing into oblivion
I just hope that Microsoft cares to give us the same incredible sound quality that the Walkman has.
Does anybody know how that works with Tegra? I presume that Tegra has its own digital audio processor built in. If that's indeed the case, what's the quality of the output? And could the audio processing theoretically be sourced to a higher-quality digital audio processor, without sacrificing that amazing 25-days of battery life that Tegra promises?
100 free downloads=100+ dollars off. thats not such a bad deal. if they had an app store i would look into it, even though i am intrigued by the oled
I'm intrigued enough by the OLED to check it out, but i highly doubt it's worth the price plus the lack of apps. They have a pretty sweet SonyStyle store next to my office building(Comcast Center in Philly), so i'll check it out this week (assuming they're available).
I wonder how many 13 year olds have any brand loyalty to Sony? Seems like the only people who might, are those in their late 20s or 30s, who can remember when Sony actually made quality products - other than gaming devices. They've sucked for so long, that I don't know any Sony fans that aren't gamers.
400 bucks? that's insane...
correct me if im wrong but wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a pspgo which also plays games???
I got mine 4 days ago, OLED is cool, sound is awesome, but the thing is slow navigating through folders
I would still buy it because it's not an iPod.
/s
Than your a dumb fanboy, i love Sony but only if it better than the competition. I still would get this over and ipod only because i don't care about apps and Sony Walkman and phones sounds better for music and looks nicer, but the price is not helping it.Fix that Sony.
dang... your username really fits you....
Pricing in Oz, $550 for 16Gb, $699 for 32Gb. You can almost buy an iphone 3Gs without a contract for that price.
The pricing isn't a surprise. SONY put out a press release about a year ago when things stored to get REALLY bad and stated that due to the economic downturn resulting in less (unit) sales they were going to be rolling through several rounds of price increases above typical margin to make up for lower sales (units) and try and gain back sales (dollars). We've already seen it with the new PSP and some of the other A/V released in prior months. Not to mention the Vaio P and other products.
Interesting since Apple is doing the opposite along with other manufacturers and lowering pricing to try and take margin share away from other venders.
Note to manufacturers. There is no growing NEW market share in this economy, only taking it from other manufacturers. TRY and play nice.
I'm pretty sure everyone agrees sales will be low with this one. Price is ridiculous and the advantages it offers are too high-techy for the average consumer.
cowon s9
my iphone is for phone
and the sony is overpriced
This must be the Sony bleeding ass series.
i guess they haven't learned from the ps3, mylo, tube tech, below avg. handsets, ect
You can get an OLED player from cowon for atleast 100 less. Sony tax is just not justified anymore especially with these batch of products and this eco downturn
So, that translates to 'bout 600 quid once Sony decide to release this in the UK.
Nice.
Erm, it's already out in the UK.
Bought mine last month for £270 :)
where do you get your currency exchanged?
Ha - we've had these in stock at work for about 6 weeks!
Sony, love ya, but $400 for a 32GB PMP is a slap on the face.
If you enjoy nice sounding music i recommend getting a older generation sony player untl the price of this comes down on Amazon etc.
The included headphones in this are pretty lovely, and the eq is excellent ( i dont know how you can listen to music without a manual eq).
Comparing this to the Cowon S9, the cowon s9 starts to feel very light and cheap (well it is cheap).
You notie the build quality differences quickly.
Sony isnt aiming to gain a massive market share with this product. its obvious...
But if you enjoy nice sounding music more than you enjoy apps... your not a 13 year old kid posting on engadget, and you like well made products $299 isnt such a bad price.
Exactly, I am willing to pay 300 to 400 dollars for my next pmp, but it must have three things above all else in order for me to do so:
1. Excellent sound quality, even better than the Sansa clip.
2. FLAC support, preferably up to 96kHz/16bit
3. KLEER wireless built in. I only use my pmp at work and having a cord is annoying and sometimes potentially dangerous. BT is NOT acceptable for wireless listening, but fine for file transfer.
Sadly, I do not know of a touch mp3 player that meets all of your specifications (if I did, I would be all over it).
The Cowon S9 has amazing sound quality (once you buy proper headphones) and FLAC support, however it do not have wireless (only BT)
The Walkman has amazing sound quality (along with nice headphones) and has wireless, but does not have FLAC support.
I am waiting for some combination of the two.
i still dont' get why people say that the s9 feels cheap just because it's light. it feels perfect to me, i wouldn't want it any heavier. and the build quality is top notch like any cowon, sony is good too, but likely made in china or indonesia. my experience with cowon over the years gives me confidence in the koreans ability to build a quality product, second only to the japanese.
Unlike the ipod or Zune, MP3 players from Sony, Samsung, Sansa, iriver (and the rest) reflect market prices. Just wait a few months and the price will drop on Amazon and Best Buy.
And wait till the end of the year when Apple announces the next generation ipod.. The "first" with an OLED screen. LULZ.
It's been for sale since last week, I ordered Saturday with next day shipping, Fedex delivered my 16GB today. At this moment still charging, I can't wait to start using the thing already. It comes with some kind of voucher to download 100 free songs from Sony Music. :)
Overpriced like the PSP Go! At least Sony is consistent.
to be fair, it's one of the few players aside from the ITouch that offers Wi-fi. I know one of the Creative Zen players has a wi-fi player, as does the Mintpad (not out in the US yet), but Creative has pretty much lost whatever share it used to have in North America to Sandisk and increasingly, the Zune.
Of course, Wi-fi alone doesn't justify the price.
Drop $100 and I'll consider. Sony needs to realize they're not Apple to overcharge their customers that much. Nor should they want to.
It's also interesting to note that the PSP, although not OLED, has a higher resolution screen and other obvious abilities already mentioned.
If one is needing a PMP, and not necessarily a tuck and hide MP3 player, then the PSP is probably the better option.
I just got the 32GB model and it is very nice. The sound quality, premium noise cancel earbuds, OLED touchscreen, and cached Slacker content had made this one an easy choice for me. The UI is very nice and OS is snappy. I give it knocks for it's minimal browser( works well for mobile enabled sites) though. Not an issue though if you have a computer at arms length all the time anyway. If you can live without millions of pointless apps and just want a quality touchscreen player this one is worth looking at. The price will come down just like all other recent Sony MP3 players. The 100 free downloads is nice too.
I love my Sony products, from the PSP to my two Minidisc players that I use daily. Nothing like being able to record PCM in concerts. My two minidisc players have OLED and it's quite cool. I can't imagine what a color OLED would look like, probably more cool. I'm sure the $100 included headphones, $100 song credit, OLED, and the noise cancellation is a deal with the new MP3 player. That said, I think I might break camp and go for the MS Zune HD if it works as advertised. For the same price I'd get the cool OLED, internet browsing, and HD radio(!).
Of course I need to see the side-by-side comparisons before making my decision. In the meantime, I'll still use my "old" technology minidisc players. At least thieves don't want it. Two break-ins on my car and both time they left the player on top of the broken glass. They probably didn't know what it was.
Funny because that's the price of the PS3 ;-) looks like Sony love's to price their products at high prices doesn't surprise me i mean look at the original PS3 price! look at the PSP Go's price... and now this OLED Walkman! will anyone be purchasing this? i wont until i see a significant price drop. They certainly are trying hard to get back market share from Apple & Microsoft with that price ;-)
Good for the 5 out of 7 people that want this. One already imported the Japanese version. The other one is skipping this to put money on Sony's $1500 netbook.
BTW, this Walkman is already short-lived. Sony already said they're going to go android for next year's Walkmen. Expect this on clearance soon.