The Sony Walkman NWZ-A17 is a beast of a device. 50 hours of music playback with native High-Resolution audio make it MP3 player of choice for music lovers. However, not all of us are that and there are still plenty of situations where that device just doesn’t seen appropriately, namely, when working out. Luckily for us and athletes, Sony has another solution in mind. The Walkman WS610, also announced at IFA takes everything you’d expect an portable MP3 player like the iPod Shuffle has to offer and wraps it in a more wearable design that’s waterproof with a neat Bluetooth trick up its sleeve.

Lets talk details shall we?

The Sony Walkman WS610 is a wearable MP3 player with 4GB or 16GB of onboard storage. Supporting MP3, WMA, AAC, and Linear-PCM, the Walkman WS610 can deliver 8 hours of music playback on a single charge. Even if you’re in a hurry, the WS610 can give you 60 minutes of playback with just a three minute charge. Seeing how Sony is targeting athletes, the WS610 provides a waterproof housing that allows you to sweat all you want on it. That’s perfect, seeing how this Walkman is designed to sit around your head like a headset and that’s actually where the neat trick comes in.

Seeing how the WS610 already sits around your head and goes into your ears like a headset, Sony also incorporated Bluetooth that turns the unit into a headset. That means once connected, the Walkman WS610 can act as a Bluetooth headset. This is perfect for those who don’t want to miss a phone call while exercising or for those who want more functionality and bang out of the device. Thanks to Bluetooth and NFC, connecting the Walkman WS610 is an easy affair and if you’re tired of the music stored on your Walkman, Sony has a solution. Seeing how the Walkman already acts as Bluetooth headset, Sony has also enabled stereo music streaming from Bluetooth devices like your smartphone.

In addition to two different storage sizes, the Sony Walkman WS610 will also be available in black, blue, and lime green. The WS610 will release in Early October in Europe and Asia for $160. No word yet if we’ll see the MP3 player on this side of the pond.

Discuss:

What do you think about the Sony Walkman WS610?

[Via Sony]