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8-track Walkman makes the 70's portable, more funky
The evolution of portable music players toward greater storage in physically smaller dimensions is well known. Cassette tapes are now seen as a quaint anachronism from an era gone by, but what about the history that didn't happen? What about, specifically, the 8-track-playing Sony Walkman? Such are the questions that plagued the mind of one XenonJohn, who has spliced together the chunky beast you see above. Looking like something Maggie Thatcher might have used in her private moments, the portable (compared to, say, a fridge) device is composed of an audio amplifier from an old cassette tape Walkman and a dismantled car 8-track player. Another snap of the exposed components after the break, but if you must know how to recreate this great feat, or are just curious about the lengths people will go to in the pursuit of retro-glorious ideas, hit up the read link.[Via Make]
Revamped Sony S-Series Walkman pops up in leaked press photos
The well-connected chaps at Sony Insider have it on very good word that the above press shot is showing what'll be a new addition to Sony's Walkman lineup, likely a revision to its popular S Series. Hard to tell scale, but looks like either the screen's gotten bigger or the device smaller. In addition to the four color options -- red, blue, pink, and just peeking in on the right, black -- there's also that perforated grill on the front, which we figure is a good sign of some speaker. Excited? Hold that thought -- according to the mysterious source, this PMP isn't scheduled for arrival anytime soon.
Sony Ericsson's 8.1MP C905a and W518a Walkman on sale at AT&T
Don't act surprised -- AT&T already told you that these two would go on sale this fine Sunday in July, and lo and behold, the carrier looks to have kept its promise. Starting today (officially, anyway), customers looking for a camera that doubles as a cellphone or a Walkman that occasionally makes calls can bring home the C905a or W518a, respectively. As expected, the C905a (which is available in silver only) will run you $179.99 after rebate and two-year agreement, while the W518a (which arrives in any color you like, so long as it's black) goes for $49.99 under the same conditions. Any takers? Or are all you SE fanboys waiting to court Rachael?[Thanks, Jazzdoc]
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXVI: Soniphone C908 takes a little o' this, a little o' that
Well, what do we have here? The Soniphone C908 is just a confused mishmash of branded signals -- Sony Ericsson is plainly visible across the top of the LCD, but a little Walkman branding was thrown in under it just for added fun. And, just in case you needed another, completely different reason to have your interest piqued, they threw in a wheel that is suspiciously iPod-like. This classy baby is undoubtedly worth every penny (it'll run you about $117 to grab one), if you decide you can't live without one. One more shot after the break.[Via PMP Today]
Sony Ericsson hand delivers 8.1MP C905a and W518a Walkman to AT&T
While one could argue that Sony Ericsson should really be focusing its efforts on getting a Rachael / Android-based handset out on the double, it's evidently content with digging up a year-old phone, slapping an "a" on the end of it and passing it along to AT&T. The 8.1 megapixel C905 that we were so jazzed about in June of 2008 has indeed been certified for AT&T as the C905a Cyber-shot (left and center), offering the same 8.1 megapixel sensor, face detection, AutoFocus, Xenon flash, GPS tagging and 3G support. In related news, SE is also offering up the 518a Walkman (shown right) on the same carrier, which features a 3.2 megapixel camera, an obsession with Facebook, Shake Control and OTA music downloads from Napster and eMusic via AT&T Music. Both sets will be available on July 19th for $179.99 and $49.99 (respectively) after mail-in rebate and a two-year agreement, which sounds "way too high" and "too high" to us (also respectively).
Sony Europe announces E-Series Video Walkman
Sure, dog -- after seeing that OLED Walkman do its thing, anything less from Sony is kind of a let down. But if you're a music lover and not on an OLED budget, this new device might have to do the trick. Just announced for Europe, the Walkman E-Series Video MP3 players come in your choice of either Black or Red, and sport a five band EQ, support for rights-managed WMA and WMV files, and an FM radio tuner (with one-touch recording). This bad boy will be available overseas from the end July. No word yet on price or Stateside availability, but you'll know as soon as we do. In the meantime, peep that gallery below. Tiffany Giardina won't mind.
How would you change Sony's OLED Walkman?
Sony's OLED Walkman is something else. Literally. In many ways, it's Sony's first formidable iPod rival to emerge in quite some time, and with its striking OLED panel, tastefully appointed graphite casing and absolutely amazing audio quality, it's certainly worth a look. For those of you around the world that have picked one up, we're curious to see if you think you made the right decision. For many, anything sans an Apple logo is the right choice, but we're wondering if the UI, design and value here were up to snuff in your mind. Are you digging the overall look and feel? Do you mind not having an App Store? Are you floored with audio / video performance? Have at it in comments below -- don't hold back now, okay?
Sony OLED Walkman on sale now
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.
13-year-old trades iPod for Walkman, reports on mysterious ancient artifact
If you want to get an idea of just how fast technology moves, a brilliant piece from the BBC should help light the way. The setup is simple enough: 13-year-old Scott Campbell is given a Walkman and told by his dad that it was "the iPod of his day" -- and that's when the fun begins. Having never used or even seen the device, the young man proceeds to experience the kind of equilibrium-destroying confusion which we can only imagine the elderly first felt when attempting to set a VCR timer (you do remember what VCRs are, right?). We've collected a few of the choicest bits from the teen's observations, but we highly suggest you read the full article... you won't be sorry. Our favorite picks (direct quotes): When I wore it walking down the street or going into shops, I got strange looks, a mixture of surprise and curiosity, that made me a little embarrassed. It took me three days to figure out that there was another side to the tape. That was not the only naive mistake that I made; I mistook the metal/normal switch on the Walkman for a genre-specific equaliser, but later I discovered that it was in fact used to switch between two different types of cassette. I managed to create an impromptu shuffle feature simply by holding down "rewind" and releasing it randomly - effective, if a little laboured. When playing, it is clearly evident that the music sounds significantly different than when played on an MP3 player, mainly because of the hissy backtrack and odd warbly noises on the Walkman. [Via Richard Lai]
Sony recalls some NWZ-W202 Walkman headphones over sweat-related issues (update: no recall, 'limited number of units' affected)
Sony's NWZ-W202 Walkman headphones may be great for folks looking for an all-in-one device to use while going for a run or working out -- just so long as they don't work out too hard, that is. Apparently, they have a little issue with not working if you sweat on them too much, which has now prompted Sony to recall all of the affected models. That includes both the black and pink versions, but only those within a certain serial number range. Hit up the link below to check to see if if that includes yours and, in the meantime, stay cool.Update: Sony's dropped us a line to clarify that the original Sony Insider report is incorrect and that the issue is only affecting a few number of units -- hence, no recall. Here's the statement: "The intention of our announcement and support site was to facilitate voluntary customer exchanges for the limited number of units affected by moisture. To be clear, this is not a recall."[Via Sony Insider]
Sony's Walkman B-series zaps your tunes into submission
No, it doesn't have a big, beautiful OLED on the front, isn't running a trendy OS, and lacks any need for Morse code. It's a pretty standard USB-based MP3 player, with a few niceties. For one, it sports 18 hours of battery life, and three minutes of charging will keep you rocking for an hour and a half. For another, it'll do voice recording and tune FM. But, Sony's really talking up its ZAPPIN function, which helps you find music by playing five-second clips from the middle of tracks, a little like the scan mode your car's radio -- you know, the thing with dials and buttons that you plug your MP3 player into. We've seen this mode on Sony's screenless players in the past, where it makes sense, but we're not sure why anyone wouldn't just look down and use the LCD here. It's only three lines, but with 2GB of storage on tap there won't be that many tunes to scroll through. No price or availability have yet been set.[Via Akihabara News]
Sony building Android-based Walkman and PND for 2010 launch?
We'll admit it, we expected to be knee-deep in Android gear by now. However, it seems like the consumer electronics industry wanted to build more mature products around versions 1.5 and 2.0 of Google's open source OS instead. Regardless, we're in the thick of it now having just witnessed a deluge of Android-based smartbooks / netbooks (expected before October) at Computex and Google's own announcement that at least 18 new Android handsets will launch this year. Building upon Sony Ericsson's plan to launch its first handset based on Android 2.0, we're now hearing that Android will play a prominent role across Sony's portable devices starting with an Android-based Walkman and personal navigation device (PND) launching sometime in 2010. Engadget Japanese says that Sony's affection for Android is an "open secret" in Japan. In fact, an analyst speaking to Japan's Nikkan simply states the development of an Android Walkman and PND as fact. Not that we're too surprised by this; as demonstrated by its XMB interface now extended to a variety of devices other than the PS3, Sony is clearly trying to unify the user experience across its consumer electronics portfolio. And opting for open-source software across the board should keep costs low while increasing speed to market. Oh Android, is there anything you can't do...in Google fanboy theory?Read -- Android Walkman (Nikkan)Read -- Android Walkman (Impress)
Sony Ericsson W995a hands-on!
We've been toying with the North American version of Sony Ericsson's W995 slider recently, and we don't want to spoil anything for you, but here's a teaser: this could definitely be the best Walkman phone to date. Curiosity sufficiently piqued? Head on over to Engadget Mobile for the full story!
Sony Ericsson W995a hits US stores July 6 for around $600
It's not every day that Sony Ericsson custom crafts a model just for North American store shelves, so it's pretty exciting to see that the W995a -- a phone mentioned in passing back in February alongside the announcement of its W995 brother -- is very, very real and imminently destined for SonyStyle shops across the colonies. Following the company's typical naming conventions (well, "typical" prior to the Satio / Aino / Yari, anyway), the W995a is simply a W995 that's had its 900 / 2100MHz HSDPA radio gutted and replaced with an 850 / 1900 / 2100MHz version, making it ripe for 3.5G use both in the States and abroad. Features include a 2.6-inch QVGA display, Bluetooth, Memory Stick Micro slot, 3.5mm audio jack, WiFi, FM radio, AGPS, and an 8.1 megapixel camera with face detection, image stabilization, and autofocus -- in other words, it's packed to the gills with pretty much every feature this side of a smartphone operating system. Sony Ericsson says that it's a perfect match for "unlocked purists and phone junkies" -- language we like to hear -- and will be available to all comers from SonyStyle on starting July 6 for "about $600."
Sony's GIGA Juke gets storage upgrade, Walkman dock, and hits stores in Europe this month
Sony's certainly not letting up with its GIGA Juke line of home audio equipment. It's been nary a month since we heard from the company and now it's back with two more devices destined for Europe. Not much to get excited about here, but for an overall spec bump -- the NAS-SC500PK now pushes 100W and sports 160GB storage, support for up to five client players, a redesigned woofer (Terminator X & The Valley of Jeep Beets never sounded so raw, at least not in a basement rec room). The GIGA Juke NAS-E300HD holds steady at 60W with a more modest 80GB of storage. In addition, both feature a WM-PORT dock for that OLED Sony Walkman you've been lusting after. Look for the Juke in stores across Europe starting mid-June.
Sony Ericsson's "Bruce" and "Tobey" C905a pictured with AT&T in mind
Here are a couple Sony Ericssons we've known AT&T is planning on releasing, but it's always good to see some more confirmation. The "Bruce" appears to be the W518a, which is a North American tweak of the W508a -- nothing mind-blowing, but it's got a 3.2 megapixel camera, QVGA display, external music controls, and HSDPA on board; maybe the coolest thing here (and something we didn't know before) is that AT&T intends to let buyers design their own custom covers for the phone online. The Tobey is really where it's at, though. This is the C905a, the big shooter -- literally -- that should do battle with T-Mobile's CS8. It's got an 8.1 megapixel camera with xenon flash in a slider form factor, accompanied by a 2.4-inch QVGA display, Video Share, TV-out, and HTML browsing. Disturbingly, both of these devices have already missed their target availability dates -- and anyone still reeling from the K850 disaster has to be a little concerned that one or both of these could be delayed indefinitely or canceled.
Sony's OLED X-series Walkman torn apart, stripped of its dignity
Well, well, well... what do we have here? Oh, it's Sony's anxiously awaited (in the States, that is) OLED X-series Walkman, all ripped to shreds before most of us have even held one in our tiny hands. Yes, a Holmesian sleuth over at Sony Insider has trolled the FCC for the internal shots of this dude, and discovered a few tidbits of heretofore unknown info, namely that the PMP boasts a 250MHz NEC MP201 ARM processor. There's one more shot after the break, and be sure to hit up the read link for all the pertinent, discernable specs.
Sony's X-series OLED Walkman now priced in real American dollars, ships mid-June
Sony has yet to offer us official US pricing or availability on its eagerly awaited X-series of OLED Walkmans. As such, we have to grasp at whatever bits of desperate information we can as this 3-inch Walkman with built-in noise cancellation makes its way West following the Japanese launch. Amazon lists the little guy at $399.95 (32GB) and $299.95 (16GB) which just happens to be the same pricing as Apple's iPod touch, for whatever that's worth. It's not in stock but you can pre-order now if dare. 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]
Sony X-series OLED Walkman priced, hitting UK tomorrow
We don't see an official press release yet but Pocket-lint and other UK sites are claiming that Sony's OLED Walkman will hit the UK high streets starting tomorrow. The hotly anticipated X-series Walkman will be priced at £209 for the 16GB model or £279 for the 32GB model. We'd translate those numbers to US dollars but we don't want to scare the natives with the UK markup for consumer electronics. We'll update you with official US numbers just as soon as they're out.
Sony's OLED Walkman priced in the US... sort of
We wouldn't carve this in stone quite yet, but we'd say that points-to-dollars conversion from Sony's official 'Rewards' site is pretty legitimate. The outfit's highly anticipated OLED Walkman, which we had the pleasure of toying with earlier this week, is now listed in 16GB and 32GB forms at SonyRewards. While no ship date is given, we are told that the smaller of the two will run members 29,995 points, while the larger one demands an extra 10,000. For those who only speak real currency (you know, like Schrute Bucks), that translates to $299.95 and $399.95, respectively. Furthermore, the first official OLED Walkman accessories have popped up, proving that a leather case / kickstand, clear screen protector and a hard plastic shell will be made available. Oh, and Sony -- any moment now would be great for a confirmation.[Via SonyInsider]Read - 16GB OLED WalkmanRead - 32GB OLED Walkman