The Sony Walkman has an advantage over the Apple iPod in size and battery life. However, it falls short in other areas. Its user interface is confusing, its software for the PC is weak, and its music format is odd. Also, it offers less music than the iTunes Music Store. If you’re not a fan of streaming music, consider a Sony Walkman instead.
Walkman Z
If you’re looking for a good mobile media player to complement your Sony iPod, you should consider the Walkman Z. This Android-powered device runs a customized version of Android and includes all the wares you’d find on a standard Android device, including Android Market, Gmail, Maps, and Google Books. It also has built-in GPS and FM radio.
The sound quality on this device is outstanding. The rear speaker is among the best on any PMP or smartphone, and its software enhancements make bass and other sound elements come through more clearly. It isn’t overly loud, but it sounds well-put-together and solid. However, this device is thicker than many Android smartphones, which may be a factor in its battery life.
The Walkman Z isn’t for everyone, but it’s a nice piece of technology. It has the polish of Sony and feels solid in your hand. It even has a legit headphone amplifier. Plus, it is more than twice as thick as a standard iPod Touch from two years ago.
The Walkman brand is an audio device that was introduced in the early 1980s. It began as a portable cassette player and branched out into a broader market. Later, it became an unofficial term for personal stereos. The Walkman brand has since expanded to include many other portable devices by Sony, including transistor radios and digital audio/media players.
The Walkman Z for Sony iPod offers a lot of features for a relatively inexpensive price. Its 16GB model is priced at just $360, whereas the 32GB iPod Touch will set you back $430. With these features, the Walkman Z is an ideal PMP for anyone who wants to use music as a tool for work or play.
The Walkman Z can play MP4 and WMV files. Its battery provides up to 5 hours of playback. It can connect to a TV or monitor via its HDMI cable. Its screen is anti-reflective, which makes it a great handheld gaming device.
Sony’s Cradle Audio for iPod
Sony is introducing a new audio system for the iPod. The CPF-iP001, a 2.1-channel system with 2.1-channel speakers and a remote control, has been listed for sale on SonyStyle’s website. The system is expected to ship in March for $250. Users will place their iPods in the cradle to play music through the docking station’s built-in speakers.
The Cradle Audio System is designed to provide maximum performance from your iPod. It features a compact design and an S-Master digital power amplifier and digital signal processor with surround mode for immersive sound. It also includes a subwoofer. Another great feature of this system is its convenient remote control and additional line-in jack.
The Cradle Audio for iPod comes with a remote control for connecting and muting the music on your iPod. The remote has buttons to play and pause the music and controls the volume and bass of the audio output. The unit also has a button for switching off equalization or artificial surround sound.
The Cradle Audio system’s speakers produced decent sound right out of the box. It didn’t sound as good as the more expensive Spot and Spyro systems, but it was more than adequate. The system has a subwoofer and individual full-range audio drivers. In contrast to JBL’s fabric-cabled satellites, Sony’s drivers are situated next to the iPod dock at a fixed distance.
In addition to the main unit, the Sony TDM-iP50 adapter allows you to maximize the benefits of your Sony home audio system with your iPod. With this adapter, you can view iPod videos on your TV screen, control your iPod using the remote control on the main unit, and even charge the main unit. The TDM-IP50 adapter allows great compatibility with all dockable iPod models.
Apple’s iTunes Music Store
Apple has been dominating the digital music industry for years, but Sony has decided to get into the action. The company has launched an online music store, which allows users to buy and download songs. Sony is hoping that the new music service will compete with its iPod, which has become a worldwide phenomenon. However, Sony could complicate the situation for consumers by selling its music in a copy-protected format that cannot be used by other services.
Apple’s iTunes Music Store features more than 200,000 songs from major recording labels. The music catalog includes songs from BMG, EMI, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal, Warner, and more. iTunes allows users to browse the entire catalog, and can even let them listen to free 30-second high-quality previews of any song. Users can also buy songs and complete albums within one click.
The music in Apple’s iTunes Music Store is encoded in an industry-standard AAC audio format. This means that the files are smaller and can be downloaded faster. Additionally, the sound quality is comparable to CD quality. The format was originally developed by Dolby and adopted by Apple to provide audio encoding for the MPEG-4 video format.
Sony has also been heavily marketing its new MiniDisc Hi-MD Walkman, which can hold 45 hours of music. Sony’s Walkman is expected to be sold for $499. The Vaio division also makes computers. Officials at Sony say that the Walkman is the priority for the company, but the company also has a new music service called Sony Connect that will compete with Apple’s iTunes Music Store. However, Sony Connect is only compatible with Windows computers.
Apple has also made the iTunes store fully integrated into its iTunes 4 music jukebox software. This software lets users purchase and download music, organize their music library, and organize playlists. In addition, it features Rendezvous music sharing between Apple devices. This eliminates the hassle of copying files between different computers.
In July 2004, Apple launched a promotion that offered a free iPod to the person who bought the hundred millionth song. Every one hundred thousandth song would be given away as an iPod Mini, while the next fifty thousand would get a 50-song gift card. The grand prize was a grand prize of 10 iPods and four tickets to Coldplay’s world tour. The winner of the promotion was Mississippi Girl by Faith Hill.
Sony’s new online music service
Sony has entered the online music space with its new Sony Connect service, aimed at consumers looking for music for their portable music players. While Sony is lagging behind Apple in the subscription-based and pay-per-download market, its long-standing experience in consumer electronics and its vast retail network give the company a leg up on competitors. Sony also offers a different music format – ATRAC3 – than most other formats, which makes it a unique option for music lovers.
Sony has a large library of music tracks that could be accessed through its online service. Users of the Network Walkman, iPod, and PlayStation 3 can stream songs and albums from their mobile devices. However, Sony is still in negotiations with music labels for the content that will be available in the online service.
Sony’s new online music service for the iPhone has a few differences from Connect. It will allow subscribers to stream unlimited music from their own music libraries and from Sony’s catalog. Users will also be able to cache songs for offline listening. The new service will also work with the PlayStation 4 console and Xperia smartphones and tablets.
Sony’s new online music service for the iPhone is a direct competitor to Apple’s iTunes. But unlike the iTunes service, Sony will allow independent software developers to create applications for the service. It plans to market the new service to the widest possible audience. This means that Sony will likely compete on price.
Sony’s new online music service for the iPhone will launch globally on May 25, 2012. It will be available on iPhone, iPod touch, Android(tm) smartphone and tablet users. The service includes a global catalog of millions of tracks. Despite the growing popularity of the Apple device, Sony says that it is not trying to steal customers from the legitimate services.
As for the service’s pricing and availability, Sony is yet to release details. Schmidt-Holtz said that the company is in talks with other music distributors but didn’t specify which ones. The company is also talking to mobile phone operators about providing unlimited music rentals.