AfterDawn: Tech news

Sony unveils two new 24-bit/196 KHz audio capable Walkman portable media players running on Android

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 29 Sep 2013 11:46 User comments (7)

Sony unveils two new 24-bit/196 KHz audio capable Walkman portable media players running on Android It appears the Walkman brand is not dead just yet.
Sony has unveiled new Walkman devices, the high-end ZX1 and the F880 series.

Both media players have 1GHz dual-core processors, 854 × 480 touchscreens, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, and "S-Master HX" digital amp along with HQ audio playback (192kHz/24bit) in AIFF, ALAC, FLAC and WAV. Both players run on slightly modified Android 4.1 bases and have access to the Google Play Store.

The ZX1, with its 4-inch screen, has 128GB internal storage and will be priced out of this world at 75,000 yen ($750 USD) when it launches in December.



A more budget-conscious option, the F880 has a 3.5-inch screen and 16,32,64GB options priced between 27,000 and 40,000 yen ($270-$400).


Previous Next  

7 user comments

129.9.2013 12:42

This is total fail. With those prices you could just get a high end (or low end for the second one) android smartphone and be able to make calls with the thing too. No one in their right mind would pay 750 bucks for what is essentially an android tablet (only smaller).

These devices are about 6 years too late (ipod touch is still alive and kicking).

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 29 Sep 2013 @ 12:42

229.9.2013 15:14

I completely agree. The more expensive model is about $100 more than an unsubsidized Galaxy S4, FFS. The ONLY upside is the large internal storage.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 29 Sep 2013 @ 3:15

329.9.2013 15:24

All about the high quality audio with these devices.

429.9.2013 17:37

meh

529.9.2013 18:42

Originally posted by DVDBack23:
All about the high quality audio with these devices.
Bah.

There are already several Android media players out there that can play all of these formats at high bitrates; there's nothing groundbreaking at all about these "Walkmen". Hell, since 4.1 (ICS), Android natively supports FLAC!

Even if you bought every damn (non-free) Android player out there + a decent phone, it wouldn't approach the cost of one of these devices.

Damn, Sony gets dumber by the minute.

630.9.2013 04:34

Originally posted by Bozobub:
Hell, since 4.1 (ICS), Android natively supports FLAC!

agree. android mobiles (phones/tabs) are now capable of even playing DTS/AC3/AAC with high bitrates along with high bitrate MKV videos, let alone FLAC/WAV.

730.9.2013 10:45

Ah sweet exactly what I've been after for the last 1 year+

This should be able to output a decent amount of sound out to a stereo system, the Samsung phones are crap for outputting sound they barely output any sort of sound at full volume and need an EQ to boost the sound up so that you can hear it via a stereo system.

A iphone will blow away any Samsung phone at half volume and the HTC phones will do the same I'm not sure about the SOny phones main reason why I've held off just in case they can't complete against the iphone or HTC.

And having access to the store will allow spotify and tunes to stream radio from around the world I'm not overly fussed about the media storage but could be handy.

I have a Galaxy S and it cooks when charging all the time, I play around 8 to 10 hours worth of streamed music from the US and Australia and sometimes the UK even streamed some of the philippines radio stations they are a laugh at times with the oddball music they have like play flash dance then have black eye peas then play a filipino song then back to some real old songs.


I even got some gold batteries 2480 just to make the phone last longer on a charge, which seem to be good if anyone is wondering, phone still cooks but at least I can do 1 or 2 charges of a few hours rather than have it charging for 7 hours straight.

STD Samsung batteries won't last and will lose their charge over time as they have been cooked out. my STD battery usually only charges to 80% and will only keep the charge here and there for about 1-3 hours with light usage like a phone call can fully drain it in 1/2 hour from full.

This would output much higher than any mobile phone would output.

Comments have been disabled for this article.

Latest news

VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads VLC hits milestone: over 5 billion downloads (16 Mar 2024 4:31)
VLC Media Player, the versatile video-software powerhouse, has achieved a remarkable feat: it has been downloaded over 5 billion times.
2 user comments
Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit Sideloading apps to Android gets easier, as Google settles its lawsuit (19 Dec 2023 11:09)
Google settled its lawsuit in September 2023, and one of the settlement terms was that the way applications are installed on Android from outside the Google Play Store must become simpler. In the future, installing APK files will be easier.
8 user comments
Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets (06 Jun 2023 9:19)
Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.
Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations Neato, the robot vacuum company, ends its operations (02 May 2023 3:38)
Neato Robotics has ceased its operations. American robot vacuum pioneer founded in 2005 has finally called it quits and company will cease its operations and sales. Only a skeleton crew will remain who will keep the servers running until 2028.
5 user comments
How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp How to Send Messages to Yourself on WhatsApp (20 Mar 2023 1:25)
The world's most popular messaging platform, Meta-owned WhatsApp has enabled sending messages to yourself. While at first, this might seem like an odd feature, it can be very useful in a lot of situations. ....
18 user comments

News archive