Walkman

4 Sony Devices Find Their Place on the ’50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time’ List

by Sohrab Osati | May 9, 2016 | 2 comments

From TIME:

Think of the gear you can’t live without: The smartphone you constantly check. The camera that goes with you on every vacation. The TV that serves as a portal to binge-watching and -gaming. Each owes its influence to one model that changed the course of technology for good.

This list couldn’t have come at a better time as Sony celebrated its 70th birthday on Saturday and what a 70 years it’s been. I don’t say this lightly when I say Sony is the closest any company has come to matching and perhaps even exceeding the influence that Apple has had on our lives. While the last two decades might be dominated mostly by Apple, Sony’s influence throughout the years cannot be ignored.

From changing how we watch TV with the Trinitron to how we entertain ourselves with Walkman and PlayStation – Sony has forever altered our lives with their rich products. Even today Sony is challenging the notion of how we view photography by being a champion of E-mount cameras and taking on once dominant competitors Nikon and Canon.

Some of these, like Sony’s Walkman, were the first of their kind. Others, such as the iPod, propelled an existing idea into the mainstream. Some were unsuccessful commercially, but influential nonetheless. And a few represent exciting but unproven new concepts (looking at you, Oculus Rift).

After the jump, the four Sony products that made the 50 most influential gadgets of all time list.

With Walkman Update (9.0.0.A.0.1) Sony Officially Renames App to ‘Music’

by Sohrab Osati | May 14, 2015 | 1 comment

We’ve already talked fairly extensively about why Sony is renaming the Walkman app to Music, a far simpler naming scheme. For anyone purchasing a new Sony device like the Xperia Z4 Tablet, Xperia Z4, Xperia A4, or Xperia M4 Aqua, the new naming scheme will be in place from day one. All Sony devices shipping with Android 5.0 or upgraded to Android 5.0 will have the app renamed as part of the process. For those with older devices that won’t be receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop, or have yet to receive the new OS, you’ll soon see the Walkman app renamed after a new update is released.

Explained – Why Sony Renamed ‘Walkman’ App to ‘Music’

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 27, 2015 | 3 comments

Nearly two months ago, we reported on Sony renaming the Walkman app on their mobile fleet to Music. As expected, while some fans shrugged and only hoped that improvements would come to the app alongside the name change, others were more up in arms about it as Walkman has a certain nostalgic factor among Sony fans. Since that time, Sony has had an aggressive rollout of Android 5.0 Lollipop and even launched two new devices, the Xperia Z4 Tablet and Xperia M4 Aqua, both shipping with the new Music app.

Now, Sony has finally explained the reasoning behind the shift in their app naming.

Sony Sums Up Their Own Lost Decade Without Realizing It

by Sohrab Osati | Apr 2, 2015 | 6 comments

Just the other day, we reported on the Sony Premium Sound memory card for the upcoming Walkman NW-ZX2. Part of their 2015 fleet of products, the latest Walkman, priced at $1,200, is designed to offer premium sound with support for lossless music, including Hi-Res audio and noise cancelation among other premium features. Having had a chance to use one at CES 2015, I can certainly attest to its premium finish and lavish features but that on its own means little as I, like most people, could never afford such a product.

Alongside the new Walkman, Sony will also release their Premium Sound micro SDXC memory card along side the new Walkman which fetches a price of $160 for a 64GB card. For comparison, you can purchase the Sony 64GB SDXC Class 10 UHS-1 R40 Memory Card for $28 on Amazon while more premium SDXC cards fetch a higher price tag of $60. Clearly targeting the premium market, surely Sony has specific consumers in mind and is anticipating some form of demand – right?

As it turns out, not really, as even they don’t know if anybody will want them. Sony’s comment and my take on the matter after the jump.

Sony Announces ‘Premium Sound’ Memory Card

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 31, 2015 | 4 comments

Sony has announced a $160 ‘Premium Sound’ memory card because, well, f*ck it, why not. (The sheer number of headlines that have gone through my mind for this headline and the rage and problems that this represents at Sony are beyond comical). Designed to be used with the new premium Walkman NW-ZX2, which by itself fetches a $1,200 price tag and offers oodles of features like noise cancelation and native support for Hi-Res Audio, the new lossless audio format, these latest Premium Sound micro SDXC memory cards will be sold in Japan for around $160. Best part, they cost roughly 5 times the normal price of an SDXC card but surely we can expect a sound difference right?

Yes, Sony is Ditching the ‘Walkman’ Name on Mobile

by Sohrab Osati | Mar 2, 2015 | 14 comments

Eagle-eyed readers will have likely spotted that, on all promotional materials for the just-announced Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet and Xperia M4 Aqua, a certain branding is missing. Specifically, the music app is no longer called Walkman and is instead referred to simply as ‘Music.’ Alongside Music, you’ll find other media related apps like Albums, Video, PlayStation, and Lifelog. This has caused quite a bit of debate among Sony fans and what it could mean. Some have wondered if it had to do with the end of Music Unlimited or if it’s more related to Sony closing down or spinning off parts of the company that are no longer working.

The answer is, however, much less exciting, though it’s reflective of where Sony is today and a change that will be coming to other Xperia devices.

Meet the Wearable Bluetooth Sony Walkman WS610

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 10, 2014 | 0 comments

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?

Sony Announces Walkman (NWZ-A17) With High-Res Audio

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 8, 2014 | 3 comments

In the past year, Sony has been focusing on High-Resolution audio. For those unfamiliar, High-Res audio is part of a movement that involves artists, labels, and device makers that want to move beyond MP3 and provide better sounding music. In the battle for High-Resolution audio supremacy, Sony finds itself in a unique position by owning a record label and producing devices capable of playing back the higher quality files. One such device is the new Walkman NWZ-A17. Announced at IFA, the new Walkman A17 is the world’s smallest and lightest High-Resolution Audio digital music player that packs a 64GB drive that can deliver 50 hours of music playback.

Interested? Let’s talk details.

Sony Walkman 8.4.A.1.4 App Update Now Live

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 11, 2014 | 0 comments

If you’ve been enjoying the Sony Walkman app on your Android phone then listen up. Sony is rolling out the Walkman 8.4.A.1.4 update which brings with it some good UI tweaks and the inevitable “bug fixes” that tend to come with all software and firmware updates. Those looking to get their hands on the latest Walkman app update need Android 4.2 or higher on their smartphone and can download the small in size Walkman 8.4.A.1.4 update over the air (OTA).

After the jump, let’s talk details and device compatibility for the new Walkman app.

CES 2014: Sony Delivers the Hi-Res Audio to Match 4K Video

by Jonathan Nolan | Jan 9, 2014 | 2 comments

4K video resolution might be getting all the attention at the moment but a new level of sonic brilliance is needed to accompany it. A new wave of updates to our portable media players, our HDTVs, and our home entertainment systems is incoming, and it promises to blow our socks off.

For over a year now Sony has been gathering support to raise the baseline of audio standards, particularly with the quality of music. This is more than simply rejuvenating the Walkman brand through Xperia smartphones however. It’s time that our ears enjoyed better, they tell us. Enter: high-resolution audio.

What’s hi-res audio about? Read on to find out.

Sony Invites You to Hear High-Resolution Audio

by Jonathan Nolan | Oct 21, 2013 | 2 comments

You may remember our previous coverage of Sony’s portable media players featuring high-resolution audio. High-resolution audio promises to do for audio what high-definition did for video. If you haven’t yet graced your ears with this, then prepare to hear a lot more from your favourite music than you’ve heard before. Sony has been busy organizing industry efforts behind the scenes to help stimulate the up-take of high-resolution audio. Why bother with dedicated media devices any more? Sony presents: ‘bringing audio quality back’.

Sony at IFA – New High-Resolution Walkman F886 Announced

by Jonathan Nolan | Sep 9, 2013 | 4 comments

You might question the need for a single device when smartphones are made to be capable music players. But the Walkman F886 is the latest Sony media player that wishes to provide the audio dream that typical smartphones just can’t provide. Audiophiles will want to look beyond a multi-tasking device like a smartphone and instead find a device that is dedicated to providing a personalised audio experience with accurate sound reproduction. Enter: Walkman F886, with high-resolution audio better than CD quality, Sony says.

Sony Updates its Walkman, Movies, and Album Apps for Android (video)

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 7, 2013 | 3 comments

It’s only been a few days since Sony rolled out a new update for their Socialife app for Android and Windows 8 with a free new look and functionality and the company is already rolling out another series of updates. This time, exclusive to their Android fleet, Sony is updating their Walkman, Movies, and Album apps with better integration of your media that resides in the cloud. Lets talk details.

Sony Announces Two New E-series Walkman

by Sohrab Osati | Jul 12, 2013 | 0 comments

The MP3 player market race is heating up, if this was 2005. None the less, Sony feels like it’s time to update their Walkman line with two new E-series models. Choosing to keep things simple, the entry level E380 offers a 1.77-inch display which can be manipulated with the scroll wheel like button beneath it. While not a lot is new this time around, battery life has been greatly improved to 30 hours of continues music playback from the internal 8GB drive with no expandable memory option. Music should also sound better than ever due to its five-band EQ which provides technologies like Clear Bass and Clear Stereo. Despite a design difference, it should be noted that the E-series is designed to compete with the iPod Nano line and not the iPod Touch line which offers access to the App Store and is far more feature rich.

Sony Mobile Updates ‘Album’, ‘Movies’, ‘Camera’ and ‘WALKMAN’ apps for Xperia Z

by A Glitch | Jan 31, 2013 | 1 comment

With the release of the Sony Xperia Z looming in the near future, Sony has made some pretty significant changes to three of the phones main apps. After the jump, you can check out the latest promo from Sony Mobile, highlighting their new series of Apps which include Album, Camera, Walkman, and Movies with many supporting Throw, Sony’s DLNA based tech for wirelessly transmitting your content to a DLNA television.