Sony, Bring This Android-Powered Walkman Over Here
By Harry McCracken | Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 12:13 pm
One of the ongoing mysteries of consumer electronics is why the enormously popular iPod Touch has its market–touch-screen media players that can run apps–pretty much all to itself. (I still think you could make a nice Windows Phone-powered Touch competitor; Microsoft apparently isn’t interested.) But at Sony’s booth at CEATEC in Tokyo last week, there was a row of Walkman devices–and one of them, the NW-Z1000, is the Touch alternative I’ve been wondering about.
It’s got a 4.3″ display and runs Android–and while the user interface is in Japanese, limiting my ability to judge it, it looks quite nice. It’s coming out in December in Tokyo, but Sony apparently doesn’t have any plans to bring it to the U.S. I’d love to see see it get here, if only to see how it would fare against the iPod Touch.
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8 Comments For This Post
October 12th, 2011 at 1:37 pm
I own the Walkman X-Series and absolutely love it, so would definitely get one these if they come to Europe!
October 13th, 2011 at 6:23 am
I'm not surprised that there is not more of a market for Ipod style devices here – Smartphones have all the functionality of an Ipod but add the ability to use a mobile network and make calls/texts. I'm surprised Ipods still have a niche at all.
October 13th, 2011 at 4:42 pm
You sound awfully surprised parents are buying their kids and teens iPod Touches rather than expensive iPhones. There's a very good market for these devices as they're cheap and you don't need a mobile phone carrier. I strongly disagree on it being niche market on the grounds that it seems to belittle people who for whatever reason don't require call, GPS or texting functionality.
October 14th, 2011 at 2:01 am
I strongly agree here!!! One advantage of technology is that it can be modified according to needs. So people who require a swanky technology fully dedicated to music, I think their first buy would be iPod Touches. And let me iterate, the staggering number of peopele who need it might surprise all.
October 14th, 2011 at 4:39 am
@Android Dave
I have an iPod Touch and a feature phone. I use the Touch for music, apps, etc. I use my phone for calls. To combine the two means a much more expensive mobile calling plan.
I had used Palm devices, including Sony Clies, for years, but Palm undermined that whole ecosystem. The iPod Touch was the only alternative available. If Sony had offered an Android-powered Walkman Touch, I might have done that instead.
Maybe I’m unusual, but I doubt I’m alone. Maybe that doesn’t mean Sony would find a sufficiently large market in the US, but then again, it might.
October 15th, 2011 at 10:24 am
Even if Sony released it here, they would shoot themselves in the foot by requiring proprietary Sony software to add music to the player. Their old ATRAC software not only was buggy, but ran at a snail's pace and made me want to shoot myself.
November 29th, 2011 at 8:39 am
I’m creating a new blog about literature ( what I’ve read, what I’m reading), but I’m having trouble thinking of a title. I like the idea of something having to do with an obsession with literature but I think bookophilia is on the average side. What do you think of Litophilia? Is it too similar to “lithophilia” Which means the love of stones? Any ideas? Thanks!
February 5th, 2012 at 5:01 am
Is there anyway i can hide the apps that i have installed on my T-mobile pulse mini? I just want certain apps hidden from my menu.