As of tomorrow, there will finally be another touchscreen MP3 device to choose from as Sony has announced it is due to release the X series Walkman.
This MP3 player immediately brings up an initial comparison with Apple’s iPod Touch as they’re in the same market and, well, they look pretty alike.
In a similar vein to the iPod Touch, the X Series Walkman offers the basic music, picture, video and internet functions that we’ve come to expect as standard in an MP3 player. This is where the similarities end though.
Sony have opted for an OLED 3-inch wide touchscreen which makes for sharper pictures and video playback.
Another bonus with OLED technology, is that it uses less power than other screens, giving you a longer battery life. You can reportedly get up 50 per cent more video playback time than on other similar devices.
The X Series Walkman also comes with digital noise cancelling technology, that eliminates 98 per cent of ambient outside sound, including the incessant chatter of school kids on the train. Nice move.
Another difference between the X Series Walkman and the iPod Touch is that the Walkman comes with an FM radio. This may not sound all that exciting, but is actually quite a handy additional function as you have access to news, weather, traffic reports (woo hoo! I hear you cry) but most importantly of all, new music when listening to your Madonna CD for the 87th time just won’t cut it.
Tech website and magazine T3 have gotten their hands on a model early on and have said that, ‘The Walkman X-Series isn't just an iPod rival. It's a Walkman saviour.”
“It sucker punches the iPod from the off with cracking sonics. Most Sony players boast superior audio, but here it's beefed up by both digital noise cancelling and an advanced digital sound processor.”
Seeing as these two touch screen MP3 players are ultimately going up against each other, let’s take a look at how they actually compare:
|
|
Apple iPod Touch 16GB |
Sony X Series Walkman 16GB |
|
Price |
£214 |
£200 |
|
Weight |
115g |
98g |
|
Height/ Width/ Depth (mm) |
110 / 61.8 / 8.5 |
97.4 / 52.5 / 10.5 |
|
Display |
3.5 inch touchscreen |
3 inch OLED |
|
Music |
3,500 songs |
4,000 songs |
|
Video |
20 hours |
60 hours |
|
Music Playback |
36 hours |
33 hours |
|
Video Playback |
6 hours |
9 hours |
|
FM radio |
Nope |
Boo-yah |
If you quite fancy getting off the Apple bandwagon, the 16GB X Series Walkman will cost £209, while the 32GB version, for those of you with more music than EMI Group, will set you back £279.
For more info, check out the Sony site.
Source: Daily Mail
4 thoughts on “Sony X Series Walkman In Stores Tomorrow. An iPod Touch Killer?”
This MP3 player immediately brings up an initial comparison with Apple’s iPod touch the X Series Walkman offers the basic music, picture, video and internet functions
Why would you compare only the music and video functions? The iPod Touch is a full-on computer, with email, web-browsing, and a growing pallet of over 40,000 apps! How do you compare?
SONY is much ahead of apple as usual . a real music lover will always buy SONY not apple bcoz we know how much better a walkman sounds as compared to apple.
long live WALKMAN!!!!!!!
It’s always surprising how people (and even tech sites like this) compare “features”. Bare bones. I mean, it’s the interface along with the features that makes the magic. All Apple competition still focus on “features”. So let’s get a screen that’s bigger. Or 30% more memory. And still, try to navigate and do something little more complex on any Sony (or a Windows, LG, Samsung, or even worse – Motorola) device: you’re put off with a designed-by-comitee user interface. As always, their usability sucks. Big time. Oh, sucks big time in a screen 30% bigger.