Walkman Z Series Features Tegra 2, Gingerbread
Sony is launching a full frontal attack on Apple's iPod Touch with the upcoming release of its Android-powered Walkman Z1000 series.
DigInfo TV reports that Sony has introduced the Z1000 Series Walkman which features Android 2.3 and Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core SoC clocked to 1 GHz. The device is slated to hit Japan first in December, ranging from the $360 16 GB model to the $550 64 GB model. And no, it doesn't sport any telephony features.
As seen in the video below, this new Walkman may focus on music, but it's also capable of full HD video playback, gaming and Internet surfing, thus making it more like a fierce iPod Touch contender rather than a enhanced music player. But, like the iPod Touch, it's a music machine at heart, offering additional multimedia capabilities and applications as an extension to its high-fidelity musical roots.
"The Z Series models have been developed to give music lovers new ways to enjoy their music," said Kouichi Tokuda, General Manager of Sony Marketing. "Nowadays, music can mean music with video, or music in Android applications. So we've used the Android platform to help people really enjoy music. These Walkmans have extremely low noise, whether the sound has a wide range, bass notes, or low volume. Because sound just can't be described in words, we really hope people will try these models for themselves."
Additional reports indicate that the device will offer Google's standard Android services (Maps, Docs, Android Market etc), support for DLNA media streaming, 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth connectivity. Other hardware specs include 512 MB of RAM, a 4.3-inch WVGA display, HDMI-out, the company's Clear Audio Technology, and its S-Master MX full digital amp "for high fidelity audio reproduction and reduced noise."
"Because people watch video with the screen horizontal, we've designed these models to be held firmly in the horizontal position," Tokuda said. "Also, when the rear speaker is placed on a flat surface, we've enabled the sound to travel by reverberating from the floor using the curvature of the body."
Although the company doesn't specify, it wouldn't be surprising to see Sony's PlayStation Suite on the device this December. Previously Nvidia indicated that the emulator would eventually arrive on Tegra 2 devices, and this iPod Touch-killer seems like the appropriate platform.
The Sony Walkman Z1000 series will make its debut in Japan on December 11, 2011 in black and red. Capacities will include 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Stay tuned for North American release dates and (official) prices.
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'a fierce iPod Touch contender'
This is something Google really needs to kick Apple in the teeth
Shame they stuck with tegra 2 when tegra 3 is round the corner
a fierce ipod contender with double the apple tax.... 550 for the 64gb model? why not buy a tablet of some sort?
Careful on how thin it is, you will get sued
"Shame they stuck with tegra 2 when tegra 3 is round the corner
"
eeeh...it's MUSIC player...I'm sure Tegra 2 is more than enough for a music player...
and if Sony and Google worked out to include Google Music, then it would be an instant hit!!!
Might as well pay less and buy an ipod touch.
I was excited to read the headline thinking that was finally an alternative to an ipod touch, but the price? wtf? Since when is the apple version cheaper?
This product will be a dud unless they drop the price of the 16GB model to $220-230 to compete with the 8GB ipod. Judging by the $360 projected price, I don't think that is going to happen.
Sony FAIL.
"Shame they stuck with tegra 2 when tegra 3 is round the corner "eeeh...it's MUSIC player...I'm sure Tegra 2 is more than enough for a music player...and if Sony and Google worked out to include Google Music, then it would be an instant hit!!!
Right. Kill innovation already please?
These companies have no clue when it comes to making a competitive product.
Too expensive Sony, get a clue! Why would you think anyone would buy this over the wel established iPod touch?
The trend seems to be, copy something Apple does 2-3 years after the fact and expect people to pay more for less. This is what we've seen with tablets, phones, and now a music player.
Bad luck,the walkman z doen't support any telephony features or it would be a hit with me. I usually buy sony products,because they make quite a good quality,infact excellent quality products.
So far in all the posts, we agree that the cost of the unit is projected to be set a bit high. If the intent is to be a market contender (and actually sell units), then the price definitely needs to be substantially less than the iPod, and also far less than a tablet. The one thing that would definitely set itself apart from and cannibalize Apple sales would be the ability to play PlayStation games. What a great combo unit that would be… every kid in the world would want one…
These companies have no clue when it comes to making a competitive product. Too expensive Sony, get a clue! Why would you think anyone would buy this over the wel established iPod touch? The trend seems to be, copy something Apple does 2-3 years after the fact and expect people to pay more for less. This is what we've seen with tablets, phones, and now a music player.
Agreed. And Apple is innovating with old technology, yet charging premiums for it. Apple has vision that everyone failed to bring to the market. Everyone is trying to catch up, rather than innovate themselves.
Dear Sony, you have the resources to be a "first time to market" company... you have always been in the past (thanks for the walkman way back in the late 70's, early 80's)... now bring something to the market that Apple would have to catch up and copy from you, not the other way around - maybe for starters, make this product part of your PlayStation suite of products.
rofl... how much tech do they think people carry with them on any given day? I guess I need to get to work on my own personal Batman Utility belt to carry all this stuff.
"high-fidelity"? Until I see a 24/96 DAC and a dedicated headphone amp, I don't see any high-fidelity in this small media player compare to the others.
Right. Kill innovation already please?
Using a slightly older processor instead of the new one is killing innovation? By that same argument, PC games that can be adjusted to play on a weaker system are killing innovation...
Hay sony,add telephony features and this will be a hit.
This is awesome - I can pay so much more for similar size (memory) hardware and for something that doesn't have the established software/ecosystem of the iPod Touch - and which has the potential of being orphaned (like all the other iPod/iPad contenders)...cool.
Sometimes I wonder what this mf'ers are thinking.
This is something the Android camp needed 3 years ago. Honestly, I can't believe it took companies 3 years to analyze the formula of Apple's success.
A smartphone does everything this thing does, and makes phone calls. It's the same concept of buying an ipod touch or ipod of any kind over an iphone.....why the hell would you do that when you can just get the same thing but have the ability to make a phone call also? This just baffles my mind.
A smartphone does everything this thing does, and makes phone calls. It's the same concept of buying an ipod touch or ipod of any kind over an iphone.....why the hell would you do that when you can just get the same thing but have the ability to make a phone call also? This just baffles my mind.
Maybe those that buy the iPod touch want all the features of the iPhone without being tied to a carrier for phone calls.
I remembered when I was trying sony walkman X-1050 for the first time, the sound is quite amazing. While the other sony walkman series such as A or S series didn't really get my attention because they don't have touch screen. Unfortunately, Sony recalled the X-series before I could get my hand on it. I hope this new Z series will fullfil my expectation as the X series did. Top-notch sound quality, touch screen, active noise cancelling feature, friendly GUI, and so on.
I don't know about the sound quality of ipod touch, but since I have iphone 4 which is more superior in term of hardware, the only think you can get its decent sound quality is by using high-end in-ear or closed-type cans.
It's so pricey because the US dollar is virtually worthless against the yen right now.
I believe it's pricey because Sony uses better audio technology than Apple. Apple is more worried about making products that are user-friendly for your average American consumer that cares more about quantity than quality, whereas Sony makes products that are for tech-savvy consumers that care more about quality than quantity. I've seen reviews for three separate devices that have a higher rating for performance over the Ipods, but the Ipods always get a higher overall rating solely because of features. Personally, I'd rather pay for quality than features any day. And for me, Sony's quality is always good.
I bought iPod Classic 160 Gigger for less than 299 and the sound quality IMO, is better than sony.
Sony sound is more bassy that sucks