Sony Electronics  

I’m here in Las Vegas (yet again) for Sony’s annual product line show for our dealers from all over the country.  And one of the areas creating some buzz (believe it or not) is our new Walkman lineup. A lot of the focus in the new models is on noise cancelling integration, bigger video displays and wireless Bluetooth capability. By the way, a recent check of U.S. market share data showed Sony moving up into third position for digital music players among American consumers. It’s been a tough road in this category these past few years, but the rebound has begun. I invite you to read and comment on Mitch Li’s guest post below. He’s a senior product manager in our Digital Imaging and Audio Division responsible for the Walkman, Reader and Rolly product lines.

There’s nothing like listening to your favorite music and hearing every note – the sound of fingers hitting the strings of a bass, the strumming of a guitar, every note sung by the singer. The clearer and crisper the sound, the better the experience- it’s like you’re in the studio with the musicians themselves. But as we all know, somewhere between the recording studio and a digital music file, that crispness can get lost. When this is lost, part of recording experience and artist’s performance is diminished. We at Sony are well aware of this, as we both make music and the devices to play it back. To minimize this loss, Walkman players have incorporated technology to make digital music sound more like it did in the studio. As part of this evolving process, we believe we have integrated “relevant” technological improvements in the latest line of Walkman players to deliver an amazing out of box experience to the consumer.

First there is S710F series. Similar to the S610F launched in the fall, this device builds on the benefits of this device and takes it to the next level by integrating active noise cancellation into the device, and it also includes noise canceling EX series headphones in the box. With up to 33 hours of audio playback without noise cancellation and well over 20 hours of audio playback while using noise cancellation, you can enjoy every note of a song without having to turn up the volume to block out the noise around you. This player will come in both 4GB and 8GB capacities.

Next, for consumers who want an even better viewing experience, the A720 series incorporates a bright, vivid 2.4” screen. With a bigger display, it is easier for people who like to watch video clips or viewing photos on a portable device. But, the key thing to remember is that even with an improved viewing experience, we haven’t forgotten about the importance of the audio experience. Integrating the same clear audio technologies found in the A810 series from the fall, we have also included the same EX series earbuds in the box. Out of box experience is important; to that end, there are different sized earbud tips to optimize fit and even a detachable kick stand that attaches to the back of the device to prop up the walkman as you view videos. These models come in 4, 8 and 16 GB versions.

Finally, for that discerning consumer who hates wires, we are introducing the A820 series. This series takes the A720 series and integrates Bluetooth technology. Now, streaming your music to Bluetooth stereo headphones, in the high quality you’d expect from Sony products is now possible. By “cutting the cord” we believe that there will be consumers who find this only helps improve their workout experience. This series will come in either an 8GB bundle where a pair of Bluetooth stereo headphones are included, or as a standalone 16GB version.

From easy convenience of no chords, to a bigger screen to noise cancellation, we feel our spring lineup continues to focus on you the customer as we try to improve on the user experience. By staying true to the music and by continuing to improve the product experience out of the box, we hope that we continue to deliver value to consumers.