The Sony X Series walkman is now available to order on Amazon. The NWZX1060B 32GB version is currently listed at £229.99. The NWZX1050B 16GB version is available for £179.99
Over the past year or so I have found the MP3 Player/PMP market a little boring. There is just not a device out there that appeals to me. I currently have a fifth gen 80Gb iPod, and I have a 2Gb Sansa Fuze (provided from a review). I wouldn't say either device really meets my needs, I just cant be arsed with using iTunes to transfer my music, so I basically transferred 80Gb worth of tunes when I first got it and since then nothing. While the Sansa is a good little player it is a little basic for a nerd like myself.
I have also been very tempted to buy a Archos 5 as they do seem fantastic though maybe a little large or a Sony NWZ as they are not too expensive (£95 on amazon) and I have heard nothing but good reviews about them.
Well Sony have now announced the Sony X Series Walkman, and I must say it certainly looks impressive. The NWZ rage is well known for offering better sound quality and battery life than the iPod. Sony have now improved on this by adding a 3-inch OLED touchscreen with Cover Flow-style navigation which should offer higher quality images and I think better batter life compared to the old QVGA LCD screen.
Another very impressive addition to the Walkman is the built in noise reduction feature which means you can dispense with battery powered headphones. I think this is a brilliant addition as noise reduction headphones can be expensive and look awkward.
The Walkman will also have direct video-recording from SONY Bravia TV’s
The X-series is will be available in 16GB and 32GB versions and will come in at just 50mm thick.
It is also believed to come bundled with some high quality headphones which I think should be a standard practice from expensive players but Apple keeps using cheap headphones which if you replace them can add anything from £20-100+ to the price of the player. I suspect the headphones will be the
Sony MDR-EX85LP (or similar) which retail at £30
Unfortunately there is no working on price, though if it is the flagship model I would image it will be priced similar to the iPod touch which currently retails at £262.00 for the 32Gb version on Amazon.
If they could undercut Apple significantly and maybe offer it for £150-180 I would buy one without hesitation.
Tags: Apple, MP3/MP4, Noice Cancelling, NWZX1060B, Sony, Walkman, X-Series
