New Sony Walkman revealed - time to ditch the iPod?
Although more and more people are switching to their phones for music on the move, lots of us still love the idea of a dedicated music player, with the extra battery life alone proving a great excuse for one more gadget. With that in mind, Sony is set to release the sleek looking NWZ-A865B Walkman, a 16GB portable media player that’s taking the fight to Apple’s iPod Touch.
The Sony NWZ-A865B may have a dull name, but if past Walkman MP3 players are anything to go by, it’ll be more than a match for Apple’s iPod Touch when it comes to music playback.
The Touch will also have a fight on its metaphorical hands when it comes to watching movies, thanks to a 3.4-inch OLED touchscreen display on the new Sony Walkman. Build quality should be as impressive as the design, with aluminium used for the body.
Sony isn’t looking to take on Apple when it comes to web browsing or apps, however, and has omitted Wi-Fi. You will still get Bluetooth though, letting you stream or transfer music or video files.
Although the 16GB Sony NWZ-A865B looks like being the first media player in the refreshed Walkman range, it’ll soon be joined by 8GB, 32GB and 64GB versions.
We love the idea of a new and improved Sony Walkman – previous versions have proved stylish, well made and have offered decent bundled earphones (something that can’t be said about the awful earphones offered with Apple’s iPod).
We’d like to know what you think, however. Do you still use a dedicated MP3 player – so your don’t end up without a phone when the battery dies, or are you happy to ditch another gadget and stick with your new smartphone? Leave a comment and let us know.
User comments (17)
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Alex27 July 2011
I still use my iPod for listening to music and I only have a song on my phone because it's better than the generic ringtones you get for the alarms.
Report as inappropriateDylan owens27 July 2011
I think the new walkman looks very sleek but i think people will stick with what they know with the ipod but if it proves to be better i could be proved wrong.....
Report as inappropriateJonathan Hardwick27 July 2011
I have an iPhone loaded with my latest tunes and an iPod Classic 160gb loaded with all the music on my iTunes library as an archive.
Report as inappropriateChristopher27 July 2011
I usually just listen to music on my iPhone, but i have my whole iTunes library backed up on my 32GB iPod Touch (which i had from before i got my iPhone) And for me personally, the apple earphones work fine, as i don't paticularly care about increased quality, noise reduction, neither do i want a louder sound. i also don't think that this will do that well, as Apple clearly has a majority share of the portable music player market. (well at least in ireland anyway)
Report as inappropriateAngella~Dee27 July 2011
The headphones on ipod dont fit in yer ears! I also find music ripped by iTunes a little quite. Hope the sony system is better than this. Keep yer music separate to your phone. People carry their phones rather like a blanket baby.
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Corey27 July 2011
It's just not big enough. I would love not to use any Apple products but need at least 120gb for music.
Report as inappropriateBradWalk27 July 2011
In my opinion not many people use their handset for music, Many have both a handset and a music player mainly a Ipod,zen or others alike as Alex said mainly people put music on phone to just replace the simple 8-bit sound ringtones. I'm glad that they are making a 64gb version of this as then they will definitely be able to compete with Apple devices. I like both Sony and Apple technology. I think that's mainly all I will have in my flat aha
Report as inappropriateChristopher27 July 2011
i think the price will be a big thing though, because if it is close to the iPod Touch, people might as well buy it instead of this new Walkman because they get the App Store with the most available apps worldwide, plus they get Safari.. etc etc
Report as inappropriateAllex27 July 2011
I've used Sony MP3 players for years now and I wouldn't go back to anything else. I've listened to friends Ipods and Iphones and other makes of MP3 player and can honestly say that the sound quality you get from Sony blows every other make away. Added to that the battery life of the majority of Sony's players being more than any other player on the market and you can't go wrong. Even Sony's bundled earphones which you can buy separately for approx £15 are 10 times better than the Ipod/Iphone earphones!
Report as inappropriateSunnu28 July 2011
I currently use the Sony X Series Walkman which unfortunately is no longer available here in the UK. The sound quality is absolutely brilliant, even with standard headphones. This Walkman does have Wi-Fi capabilities, although the browser is not a patch on that offered on the iPod. Unless they improve this function (note its absence on this new model) and also have App capabilities, I don't see Apple worrying anytime soon. It's a shame as Sony have put so much effort in producing quality products with extended battery life and sound quality that has to be heard to really appreciate it.
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ilovesgadgets29 July 2011
Although i just got spotify free on my mobile for 2 moths, i do still use my ipod. I'm not saying i never use spotify but it's just for things like travelling on the tube there is no signal so i cannot access any of the music on my phone so that is when my ipod comes to the rescue. Also i guess i do like the whole ipod thing, a gadget dedicated to just music. :)
Report as inappropriateIan G08 August 2011
I love my sony walkman, great sound and bundled headphones.If your serious about music then Sony it is otherwise buy an Ipod. Ps if you have a 120g filled with music, ask yourself how much of it do you really listen too.
Report as inappropriateNigel Craig18 August 2011
I have an X series i need to replace as ive broken it. The sound and headphones are simply the best on an mp3 player. I bought an A series a few weeks ago but sent it back due to the volume limiter that the EU slapped on it,, the volume is halved!! Has this new modle shackled with the same restriction? If so i will be checking out e-bay looking to buy anothet X1060
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Trevor Hunter06 October 2011
Having such a large CD collection I couldn't live without my iPod Classic, it saves me having to keep changing playlists dependant on my mood! |\saying that though I do have my favourite albums loaded on my Galaxy S so I can assign ringtones, etc and also so I have something to listen to if I get caught out longer than I thought, without my iPod.
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