Sony’s E And B Series Walkman For Entry Level Listening
We’ve been talking about retro Walkman players quite a bit during out Gizmodo ‘79 coverage, so it is only fitting that Sony Europe unveils two new devices aimed at the entry level market. The Walkman E-Series and B-Series.
If OLED is too rich for your blood, the E-Series comes with the following features:
WALKMAN® E Series Video MP3 players
• Slim, light Digital Media Player in choice of Black or Red
• Clear Stereo and Clear Bass technologies for superb sound quality
• High resolution QVGA 2″ colour LCD screen
• Support for video file format conversion (If users have decoder software, other video formats can be converted)
• Long battery life up to 30 hrs (Music : MP3 128kbps) audio / 6 hrs (Video : MPEG-4 Simple Profile 384kbps) video
The B-Series, a compact model for more active lifestyles”, has the following features:
• Small, Ultra-light player in choice of four colors
• Easy operation with drag-and-drop file transfers
• ZAPPIN™ for quick, easy song searches
• Bass button for powerful low frequency enhancement
• 18 hr music playback and Quick Charge battery
• FM tuner with recording facility
Both are touted as entry level, so the assumption is that these models should be fairly affordable, but there are no specifics on or availability in the States just yet. [Sony Europe and CrunchGear]
- Next Post: What’s The Deal With 240Hz HDTVs? »
- « Previous Post: Ballmer Goes Nuts Again, Confused As To What Type Of Venue He’s At
Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
I don’t see mention of A2DP. Will it stream music via bluetooth?
I don't find the styling of the E series "Mickey Mouse" at all. In fact, I think the E series styling is beautiful. If the capacity and price (sans Sony tax) are competitive, they'll sell quite well.
sharkync
@Bigbadbikernerd: I can't stop staring at the Mickey Mouse ears. Apple, errr, Disney should sue them.
bitgod
I like the B-series, but I already have a little Coby that looks similar, runs off a AA battery and probably supports formats (like FLAC) that neither of these do. Now, if they make the B-series ones in 32GB capacities...
isn't "High resolution QVGA" an oxymoron?
like saying how my honda has a high-displacement 1.6 liter engine?
bet they'll still be more expensive thinking people will still pay more for the sony brand.
AlphaUltima
@Bigbadbikernerd:
Original Zune had a circle and the new one has Micky mouse ear buttons like these, so throw disney ripoff in there while you're at it.
deftonesboy360
How many GBs? Does entry level mean their lacking in the GB department?
@bosskev: I'm assuming you have those at your desktop, right next to your USB rocket launchers?
tok3ninja; is the best non-star commenter
The featureset is nice, but the look is too early 2000 for both sets
@OMG! Ponies!: It seems Sony gave up a few years ago in the innovation department (bluray aside).
If you look closely, the Sony label is peeling off.
tok3ninja; is the best non-star commenter
@OMG! Ponies!: Hey...the Zune has a Squircle, not a circle.
@bosskev: Now the speakers finish it off quite nicely...I'll take 2.
I liked the design until people pointed out the Mickey Mouse-ness of it. Everything except that looks good which makes it all the more disappointing.
@Bigbadbikernerd: That's only because you don't have the right speakers to go with these players.
I see a Disney trademark suit coming...
meske
What's better than ripping off the iPod?
Ripping off the iPod and the Zune.
The Mickey Mouse styling just doesn't work for me.
Why does Sony even try?
Shadowhunter72
Does the E Series control area look like a familiar mouse to anyone else? I thought this was some sort of Disney release (such as the Asus netbook mentioned a while back) when I first saw the picture.
donabin
quite good looking for an entry level model!