Mobile
Sony Walkman Z1000 Android PMP Headed to U.S.
After announcing that it would absorb Ericsson’s interest in Sony Ericsson and bring smartphones in-house, Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony has announced at the Consumer Electronics Show that its portable media player, the Walkman Z1000, will be headed to the U.S. market. Essentially, the PMP is a connected media player that runs Android Gingerbread and comes without phone functionality, similar to the iPod Touch or the Android-powered Galaxy Player.
The device comes with a 4.3-inch anti-reflective LCD touchscreen and will come in three different capacities. An 8 GB version will retail for $250, the 16 GB will be $280, and the 32 GB model will be sold for $320.
Sony’s pushing enhanced audio with an MX digital amplifier to reduce noise and distortion on its music player.
The device does come with Android Market so additional content and apps can be purchased. Users can also sign up for Sony’s Music Unlimited Service to discover and find new music. The device can also synchronize DRM-free music from iTunes and Windows Media Player.
For watching movies and content on a larger HDTV, users can either use the micro HDMI connection on the Walkman Z1000 or use DLNA to stream content.
Press release:
SONY INTRODUCES THE FIRST WALKMAN® MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT PLAYER POWERED BY ANDROID™
LAS VEGAS (CES Booth #14200), January 9, 2012 – Sony today revealed the new Walkman® Mobile Entertainment Player. The new Z1000 Series, designed for music lovers, by music lovers, combines stylish hardware design with outstanding audio for the ultimate mobile entertainment experience. Featuring a gorgeous quick response and anti-reflective 4.3-inch multi-touch LCD touch screen, the Walkman® Z Player display is perfect for enjoying music, video and games on a large screen.
Superior Audio Experience
With legendary premium sound, the Walkman® Z Player features the integrated S-Master MX digital amplifier to greatly reduce noise levels and distortion along with additional audio technologies to create an enriched music experience.
By touching the W.button, users can effortlessly launch the music player application for full playback control and intuitively browse their music collection or enjoy on-screen visualizations. Imagine being able to play music based on your mood. With SenseMeTM, users keep their music in tune with their mood by automatically categorizing music tracks into different channels.
Rich Entertainment
The new Walkman® Z Player serves as a portal to mobile entertainment. Tailored for music lovers, by music lovers, the Walkman® Z Player is the first MP3 player from Sony powered by AndroidTM 2.3 (Gingerbread). With WiFi® built in, users can access the Android MarketTM place, browse the Internet, check e-mail and enjoy a variety of digital content.
Music lovers will have access to over 10 million songs with Sony Entertainment Network’s cloud-based Music Unlimited Service1. Users are able to discover new music, sync their own library to the cloud and even enjoy channels synched for off-line use. Walkman® Z offers easy transfer from iTunes®2 for Windows® or Windows® Media Player.
Share your Content
The Walkman® Z Player is more than just a music player. Users can throw personal content from the Walkman® screen direct to their DLNA enabled TV’s, PC’s and speakers. In addition, users can experience expanded connectivity by hooking their Walkman® up to the TV via a micro HDMI video output port for enjoyment of videos, games and photos. The ability to connect to Bluetooth® speakers, headphones, hi-fi systems or car stereos is also useful at home or on the go.
Pricing and Availability
The new Walkman® Mobile Entertainment Player will be displayed in U.S. for the first time at Sony Electronics Inc.’s booth at 2012 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, booth #14200 and will be available beginning spring 2012 at Sony Stores, participating retailers and online at www.sony.com/walkman. The 8G Z Series will retail for about $249.99, the 16G for about $279.99 and the 32G for about $329.99.
Gadgeteer
01/11/2012 at 12:16 pm
There were many amazing new products announced at this year’s CES but only two made my wish list, the Hopper and the Walkman Z. The Hopper is from my employer, DISH, and has a massive amount of storage space so it would be great for me since I like to keep my recordings forever. It’s also great that I’d be able to access all of the same content from all four rooms. Sony made the Walkman Z and I love that it runs off an Android UI but I’m more a fan of the storage space on it. My phone and my iPod don’t have that much put together!