By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Sony today unveiled the latest additions to its digital music player lineup at the Sydney Home Show – the colourful Walkman E Series flash mp3 players available in 1GB and 2GB capacities and priced aggressively against competitor models.
The Walkman E Series will be launched next month in five colours including pink, violet, blue, silver, black and lime green, starting at RRP $159 for the 1GB NWE003 and RRP $199 for the 2GB NWE005.
The E Series players are the first Sony digital music players to feature a built-in FM tuner and AAC file playback. AAC is the native file format in Apple’s iTunes program, although Sony’s E Series players only support unprotected AAC – not the digital rights managed (DRM) ‘Fairplay’ AAC files available through the iTunes Music Store.
Other features include an integrated USB connector, rechargeable lithium-ion battery for 28 hours playback, mp3 and WMA playback, clock, sports timer and Sonic Stage 3.4 software.
“Those with an active lifestyle demand entertainment to keep up with them, combining features to make everyday activities easier. By fusing superior technologies with a functional and unique design, the latest E Series Walkman makes the ideal personal audio device,” said Sony Australia personal audio product manager, Suzanna Gan.
“Looking to the future, the Walkman range will be compatible with a wider range of formats, extend beyond music, and continue to support existing hardware.”
The colourful E Series Walkmans are part of Sony’s product showcase at the Sydney Home Show, which opened this morning. The company’s stand has been decked out in bold colours in the theme of its Bravia TV commercial, in which a barrage of multi-coloured bouncy balls careers down a San Francisco street.
Sony’s latest display products including Bravia and Grand Wega TVs are featured on the stand, as well as some of the company’s new home theatre products.
Sony was recently judged best supplier in the audio category by a panel of over 60 retailers from around the country at the inaugural Electrical Retailing Awards (ERAs) in Sydney.