Sony’s X-Series Walkman fares well in a straightforward spec war, but PMP hardware is becoming less important than software and apps, such that Sony—and others—may have to change their tack. Some analysts say they’ve already started—with Android.
The reports comes from Impress Watch, who says the company is working on an Android PMP, and possibly satnav, but offers few details beyond that. They sound fairly confident, describing Sony’s interest in Android for non-phone devices as an “open secret.”
The possibility is compelling: Android is free, customisable, and already has media playing capabilities built in. It’s suited to touchscreens, and has a fantastic web browser. Most importantly, it’s got a decent app store—a feature that has propelled Apple’s iPod Touch miles ahead from its competition over the past year. For now, though, it’s not clear how much of this report is based on actual inside information, and how much is based on some analyst’s theory that if he just keeps saying Sony will make intelligent decisions, they eventually will. [Impress Watch]
Gregory Opera
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at 8:09 PMIt’s no secret that Sony already make the best digital audio players (particularly with regards to build and audio quality), but these days, quality means very little amongst most shoppers (as is evident by a particularly fruit company’s products).
Combining the Walkman range with the Open Source (“free”, for those not in the know about Open Source…) Android operating system not only offers more functionality, but has loads of potential that is bound to give the competition a run for their money…
I’ll take two!