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Ice Cream Sandwich coming to full Xperia lineup, Sony Ericsson confirms
Last month, Sony Ericsson hinted, via Facebook, that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich would soon be making its way to its entire lineup of Xperia handsets. Today, this forthcoming upgrade has become officially official, though details remain equally fuzzy. "We can today confirm that we plan to upgrade the entire 2011 Xperia portfolio to the next version of Android known as Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich," the company wrote in a blog post this morning. "We are working on merging our current Xperia experience with the new features in Android 4.0." The update will encompass all Xperia Arc, Play and Pro handsets, as well as the company's Live with Walkman device, though we'll have to wait a little longer for details on release and availability. As always, we'll be sure to keep you up to date.
Sony announces Walkman Z PMP: 4.3 inches, Tegra 2, Gingerbread and 'Throw'
We already got some brief hands-on time with this Gingerbread-sporting PMP at IFA, where it went by the name of "Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player." Now it's just been announced as the Sony Walkman Z, which rolls off the tongue a whole lot easier. Beneath that 4.3-inch WVGA display lurks a 1GHz Tegra 2, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and a battery rated for 20 hours of music and 5 hours of video. There's HDMI out as well as Sony's Throw feature for pushing media wirelessly to a Bravia TV. Pricing remains "open" apparently, but Sony does commit to availability in Japan from December 10th. You'll get a choice of 16, 32 or 64GB models in either red/black or black/blue, or you can wait for a limited edition white version in early 2012. If you're planning on sending it our way, Sony, then you should know we'll be utterly broke by then. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sony's new A, E, and S series Walkmans to get Music Unlimited freebie
For those that haven't yet gone down the iFaithful portable media player route, there's always the Walkman. Sony officially unveiled updates to its A, S and E series line of players just last month, and now plans to dole out a free trial of Music Unlimited to owners of the NWZ-A860, S760BT and E460 when they go on sale this September. The streaming service, formerly known as Qriocity, brings with it a catalog of over 10 million songs and will be available gratis for 180 days, after which it'll run you $3.99/mo for basic service and $9.99/mo for the premium offering. It might be too late in the game for the company to wrestle back the portable audio crown but, hey, you can't fault it for trying to sweeten the MP3-playing pot. Official PR awaits you after the break.
Sony Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player hands-on (video)
You may well have missed it in today's deluge of Sony product announcements, but the company showed off the latest device to carry its age-old Walkman brand. The 4.3-inch handset device runs Android Gingerbread, and is still in its early stages at the moment, carrying the fairly uninspired Walkman Mobile Entertainment Player moniker. The device has an HDMI port that can be used to play things like mobile games on an HDTV. Sony seemed far less interested in that functionality than its Throw feature, however, which offers up wireless transfers to devices like the company's Bravia TV line. We gave it a whirl, and the whole thing was rather painless, even in a setting like Sony's booth, where the place is lousy with Bravia sets. The device, it seems, isn't quite ready for primetime, so we don't have any word on pricing or available yet. Check out a video of the Walkman in action, after the break.%Gallery-132199%
Sony Ericsson unveils Live with Walkman handset for music-loving Android users
Four months after unveiling the relatively bare bones W8, Sony Ericsson has now taken the wraps off yet another Walkman phone, known as the Live with Walkman. Powered by a 1GHz processor, this Android handset features a 3.2 inch, capacitive touchscreen (with somewhat disappointing HVGA resolution), a five megapixel AF shooter with 8x digital zoom, and a front-facing VGA camera capable of capturing HD video in 720p. The petite, Gingerbread-equipped device also packs a lackluster 320MB of RAM, provides up to 32GB of microSD storage, and offers either tri-band 3G support (HSPA+) at 850, 1900 and 2100MHZ, or dual-band 3G at 900 and 2100MHz, depending on the model. And, as you'd expect, Sony Ericsson has placed a special emphasis on the music phone's media capabilities, beefing it up with enhanced audio and Qriocity integration. The specs may not sound earth shattering, but we'll wait until we get pricing information before casting judgment. The Live with Walkman is slated to hit "selected markets" by Q4 of this year, but you can find more information in the full PR, after the break.
Sony officially outs new A, E, and S series Walkmans
When a company sends a boatload of media players through the FCC, specs and all, it kinds of takes the punch out any official announcement, ya know? Still, it's nice to finally see Sony's spate of new Walkman players that we've been reading so much about. The company just announced updates to its A, S, and E series of players, all of which have a karaoke mode, language learning function, voice recording, and Sony's station-creating SensMe feature. At the high-end, you've got the stereo Bluetooth-enabled A860, whose 2.8-inch touchscreen has already been splashed across the internets. The more diminutive S760BT has a 2-inch display and also gets Bluetooth, though it claims longer battery life -- up to 50 hours of audio playback and up to ten for videos. Rounding out the low end, there's the E460, which has the same 2-inch screen, but lacks Bluetooth and instead comes in five colors. All three models will go on sale in September, with the A series fetching $179 or $219 for the 8GB and 16GB models, the 8GB S series costing $149, and the E series ranging in price from $79 to $109 for 8GB to 16GB. Full PR after the break. %Gallery-129325%
New Sony Walkman pops up on UK retail site
The portable cassette players once nearly universally identified as the Walkman may have seen better days, but their spirit is still alive, so far as Sony is concerned. The company is apparently set to release the latest entry in the line, the slick-looking NWZA865B, a 16GB portable media player with wireless file sharing and music streaming capabilities. CNET points out that the device likely won't have built-in WiFi, due to evidence from the FCC, which does seem to limit the aforementioned streaming options. The 16GB model is also likely one of a number of capacities to be offered, ranging from 8GB to 64GB. The device is available for viewing on UK retailer Play.com with a £150 ($246) price tag and a July 31st release date.
Sony outs water-resistant Walkman NWZ-W260, is about to launch new high-end models
As far as unusual designs go, Sony's been having one productive week. First the tablet team showed off the funky S1 (and funkier S2) and today Walkman's managed to grab our attention. The outfit just announced the NWZ-W260 series, a music player baked directly into a pair of lightweight headphones -- all told, a bolder setup than this. In case it wasn't already obvious, Sony has its eyes set on the sweaty, gym-going type, and to sweeten the deal it's coated the player in a water-resistant finish. It's rated for up to eight hours of battery life, and also packs a quick charging technology that would allow you to rebound to an hour's capacity after just three minutes. The included software, meanwhile, allows you to drag and drop tracks from Windows Media Player and iTunes for Windows -- so long as they're not DRM-protected, 'o course. It'll go on sale next month, with a 2GB version (the NWZ-W262) fetching $59.99 and a 4GB number (NWZ-W263) going for $79.99. Meanwhile, it's clear Sony's got some more players coming at the higher end of its lineup. The company just pushed four A860 series Walkmans through the FCC, with capacities ranging from 8GB to 64GB -- a new high for Sony. CNET has also been chatting up sources who say the player will have a large OLED screen, noise-canceling technology, and Bluetooth 2.0. Meanwhile, FCC documents also show Sony is prepping a pair of S760 series players with either 8GB or 16GB of storage, an LCD screen for video playback, and Bluetooth. As CNET notes, Amazon jumped the gun and listed them in Europe with converted prices of $225 to $494 for the A series and $182 to $211 for the S series. How much will they actually cost once they arrive stateside? Looks like we'll find out soon.
Sony MiniDisc Walkman to stop spinning in September (video)
Aside from with a handful of stateside early adopters (and a few million others in Japan) eager to embrace any new technology, Sony's rather extensive line of MiniDisc Walkmans never had a chance to dominate the portable audio market. But for one reason or another, the company kept up production of the optical player / recorder combos for nearly 20 years, after the first Sony MZ1 launched in Japan in September of '92. With a countless selection of more affordable solid-state alternatives available today, however, it's certainly not shocking to see good ole MD go the way of the laserdisc and the cassette. Now, only one question remains: How long until we see the compact disc suffer a similar fate?
Sony Ericsson introduces Mix Walkman and txt pro feature phones, available in Q3
Congratulations -- you spent the last two weeks earning points on the latest 'ville, when you could've used your time on Facebook to win phones instead. That's what Sony Ericsson was offering, anyways, giving fans the chance to review and win one of two mystery devices. Now that these reviews are live, the manufacturer is ready to lift the curtain and show off the WiFi-enabled Mix Walkman and txt pro feature phones. The former, as you could probably derive from the name, is a music-centric handset that doubles as a karaoke player; the latter, in contrast, is focused on messaging, implementing a full slide-out QWERTY and 3-inch touchscreen display with 400 x 240 resolution. Let's be honest here -- you can't really hate a phone that plays karaoke, right? Unfortunately, these are feature phones only; no trace of Android can be found on either phone, but rather use an interface "inspired" from the Xperia Mini series. Aside from being available in select markets in Q3, we have no word on pricing or individual carrier availability. In the meantime, you have at least a few months to get prepared for it by belting out Dancing Queen in the car several times a day -- as if that's any departure from your usual routine. Full press release after the break.
Sony Ericsson Facebook competition outs two upcoming feature phones
We know it's hard to imagine, but an interesting competition is taking place in Facebook that doesn't involve Cityville. Sony Ericsson has unveiled two upcoming feature phones for the first time by announcing a contest on the social network. Twelve finalists will get the chance to review one of the phones, and the winner will receive ten of that model to dole out to friends and family. The contest forces you to guess the names of the new devices, but speculation is pointing to txt pro and Mix Walkman. We know one is Walkman-branded and the other is a smaller slider phone geared toward messaging; they appear to be the CK15i and ST18a we saw leaked a few days ago, although both are eerily similar to the Xperia Mini and Mini Pro. Since these handsets are being considered "feature phones", we're unsure if they'll actually be shipped with Gingerbread or a watered-down variant. We'll find out all the details no later than June 7th when the selected videos go live. If you're hoping to be the brains behind one of them, submit your entry by visiting the source below before May 26th. [Thanks, Jacky]
Sony Ericsson slaps Walkman logo on X8, renames it W8
Take one Xperia X8, add a dash of color, paint a "W" on it and, voilà, you have the first Walkman phone running Android -- the W8. We're not seeing it on the US Sony Ericsson site yet, but a quick visit to the company's German page reveals the decidedly low-end specs: a 3-inch, 320 x 480 touchscreen, a 600MHz processor, 168MB of RAM and Android 2.1. The W8 may not recapture the luster the Walkman brand enjoyed in its TPS-L2 heyday, but at least it'll update your Twitter status. Gallery below. %Gallery-122011% [Thanks, Rich]
Sony Ericsson Yendo delayed right into a fiery pit of irrelevance
Look, we'll be honest: the idea of an X10 mini running dumbphone software never really appealed to us from the start, so the news that it's apparently been delayed into 2011 doesn't elicit much of a reaction from anyone here at Engadget HQ. The Walkman-branded Yendo is currently targeting February to be specific, which would put it well past CES and pit it against what is likely to be a strong lineup of announcements at Mobile World Congress in the middle of the month, so we're thinking there isn't much retail traction in its future. And hey, in this cutesy, diminutive form factor, the keyboard-equipped X10 mini pro is where it's at anyway.
Sony pulls the plug on cassette Walkmans in Japan, makes epic mixtape
A cassette Walkman may now be nothing more than a puzzling artifact to some, but for those of a certain age it was the gadget of the day. Alas, it has long since been surpassed by other, more portable audio players that have replaced the fine art of the mixtape with "playlists," and it looks like even Sony has now accepted the inevitable. The company has reportedly ceased production of all cassette Walkmans and will stop selling them in Japan as soon as the current inventory runs out (expected to happen sometime in April). There will apparently still be Sony-branded Walkmans manufactured in China, however, although it's not clear how widely available they'll be. But let's not worry about that right now -- head on past the break for a brief look back at the Walkman in its heyday.
Sony's boom beverage speaker now available as American cup holder surrogate
Were you jealous of Japanese commuters getting to ignore their car's multichannel audio system in favor of a bright, 16-watt thermos of beats in their cup holder? Then today's your lucky day, because Audiocubes.com has brought Sony Japan's SRS-V500IP -- which is the iPod friendly version of the RDP-NWV500 sound mug -- state-side. Like the NWV500, it's also available in colors of black, orange, and happiness-inspiring pink, and packs the same Circle Sound Stage speaker system for a full 360 degrees of tuneage. If you don't own an iPod, a 3.5mm audio jack is thrown in to connect other devices like Sony's S740 Walkmen -- double the imported Japanese audio gear, double the Cool Person Points, right? Currently priced at $240, its U.S. availability still doesn't really clarify its practicality. Especially when you consider that your new shiny iPod Nano's color scheme won't even match!
Sony bumps out E, S, and A series Walkmens, and no, you probably can't have one
Sony Japan has just outed 12 new Walkmen models in the E, S, and A series. First up, the entry-level E series devices include the NW-E050, which includes a choice of 2GB or 4GB of storage, and the similar NW-E050K which boasts an external speaker. The five models of the S Series include the 8GB NW-S754, the 16GB NW-S755, the 32GB NW-S756, and the NW-S750K which comes with a cradle additionally. Finally, the high end A Series models include the 16GB NW-A855, the 32GB NW-A856, and the 64GB NW-A857, and all of them boast a 2.8-inch OLED screen with a 240 x 400 resolution. The E Series start at $95 and the S Series will start at $160, and both will be available in the beginning of October, while the A Series will be available at the beginning of November and start at $280. Unfortunately, there's no word of availability of these bad boys anywhere outside of Japan for now. Sony's promotional video is below.
Sony Ericsson Yendo renamed Yizo?
We're not sure if this is a regional variation or a last-minute global decision, but a device known as the "Yizo" from Sony Ericsson has recently garnered the FCC's blessing -- and it looks suspiciously like the Yendo that was announced back in June. Of course, it's not unusual for Sony Ericsson to create both Walkman- and non-Walkman-branded versions of essentially the same device, but in this case, they both bear the trademark Walkman logo in their lower right corner and seem to be identical in every notable way, making this something of a non-Android remix of the X10 mini with a music slant. Interestingly, SE's got product pages up for both devices, and they're definitely showing the same phone, at least from the front -- though the Yizo's page seems to be a little screwed up, suggesting they might still be in the process of making the transition over from the Yendo name. More on this one as it develops.
Unannounced Sony Walkman NWZ-S754 unearthed at IFA
The Walkman section of Sony's booth at IFA this week has an automatic information system that pops up specs on a central display for each model as you pull it away from its base, but there was one unknown model chilling out that popped up nothing more than a "coming soon" message when you yanked it out. What gives, Sony? Why the mystery and suspense? Why are you doing this to us? Well, a little digging through the menu system reveals that it's the NWZ-S754, presumably the follow-on to last year's S745. Given the lack of specs we weren't able to glean much, but both the black and silver units on display were 8GB models; naturally, we'd assume larger capacities are also in the cards when it launches. The display was contrasty enough so that we're thinking it could be OLED, which would make sense -- they do OLED on a number of other Walkmen models already -- and the "Mickey Mouse effect" of the button layout has been diminished a bit. That's good or bad, we suppose, depending on just how hardcore of a Disney fan you are. More details when we have 'em. %Gallery-101363%
Sony outs NWZ-E350 Walkman
Sony's just announced a new E-Series Walkman, the E350. Available in blue, red or black, these bad boys come in both 4GB and 8GB varieties. Simple players, they offer up to 50 hours of music playback, and up to ten hours of video, and support a variety of formats. Other than that -- well, there's not much more than that. If you can't wait to get your hands on one, well you'll have to wait until next month, but it'll cost you $70 for the 4GB and $80 for the 8GB version once available at Sony Style. Full press release is below.
Sony Walkman NWZ-E450 does karaoke, we go hands-on (video)
If you need any sort of self-confidence therapy, then consider this the poor man's portable solution. Sony's new NWZ-E450 entry-level Walkman may look rather ordinary on the outside, but it's got something unique wrapped underneath -- karaoke mode. Here's how it works: not only can you throw in .lrc files to get auto-scrolling lyrics for your songs, but the device can also automagically reduce the lead vocals and let you be the rock star. Of course, the latter feature may not work as well with your occasional dose of Slipknot, but as you can see in our hands-on video after the break, Leona Lewis' gorgeous voice is good to go. The rest of the spec sheet doesn't look too bad either: MP3 / WMA / AAC / MP4 / WMV playback, up to 50 hours of music battery juice, 2-inch QVGA LCD, voice recorder, FM radio, 4GB to 16GB of memory, and it comes in black, red, blue, pink and green. Available in August starting from £70 ($108).%Gallery-97610%
