Sony lost the portable media player battle to Apple and the iPod some time ago, but its latest Walkman, launched in the US on Wednesday, does suggest the Japanese company can still occupy a significant niche.
The X-Series Walkman does not try to match the App-tastic iPhone and iPod touch, apart from one significant US-only application, but instead attacks the audio and video Achilles’ heel of those devices.
(This review was originally published on May 14 2009)
While the quality of the sound and video from Apple will satisfy most people, audiophiles know that far better performance is possible. Sony’s strategy is to take its Walkman to the next level for discerning listeners and viewers, who do not care whether their device can be used as a phone, games console and mini-computer.
The Sony X-series has a quality feel to it from the heft of its chocolate-bar shape to the rough-hewn stone-like edging to the device.
It has a three-inch OLED touch screen, which means faster response times, greater contrast and excellent viewing in bright conditions.
It is also the first player of its kind to offer integrated digital noise-cancelling software, with accompanying headphones that house microphones to help calculate an optimal inverted sound wave.
The one significant app is Slacker Personal Radio, customised for the Walkman so that hundreds of songs can be cached on the device when the Wi-Fi enabled player is in range of a hotspot, allowing them to be played even when a Slacker internet connection is unavailable.
Promiscuous app collectors may ask why Slacker and why not Last.fm and Pandora or other services as well, but Sony says it has no intention of opening an App store at this stage. There is no option to download songs online either since last year’s closure of the Sony Connect store and music has to be transferred from a PC, Macs are not covered.
But the first Wi-Fi Walkman does mean users can access a browser and download podcasts on the go or play YouTube content. The Slacker service also provides full artist information and discographies over the web as songs are played.
The Walkman can be pre-ordered now and will be available in stores in mid-June at $299 for a 16 gigabyte version and $399 for a 32Gb one. That matches the prices of those versions of the iPod touch, making it a clear comparision of features, rather than a price differentiation, that will make up consumers’ minds.
