Next month will see Sony go head to head with Apple, as it unveils its first full touchscreen Walkman at CES. The battle’s on, and word is Sony’s got a killer product to stop Apple trampling on it again. Is this the second coming of Walkman?
According to SonyInsider, the Walkman will make a triumphant return to form in January, as Sony shows off a fullscreen music and video player at the CES show, using a jaw-dropping three inch OLED screen.
It’ll put the iPod Touch’s LCD-powered visuals in the dark, but it’s not simply taking Apple to task in the display stakes. Inside there’ll be Wi-Fi and a full web browser. The new Walkman will also download podcasts and music on the go, as well as videos through YouTube and Crackle.com.
There’ll be an FM radio inside too, and search capabilities to let owners find out more about artists, and even buy CDs through Amazon, direct from the MP3 player. Whether it’ll also allow MP3 downloads from Amazon is unknown.
According to reports, the design will be incredibly slim, and although it can be controlled using the touchscreen there’ll also be hardware buttons for controlling tracks and volume, so it can be used without looking at the display.
And Sony’s prepping a knock-out punch against the iPod’s audio too. Word is the new Walkman will feature a beefy S-Master digital amplifier, and noise-cancelling technology, so it’ll block out external hubbub.
If Sony can pull this off, it could give Apple a real challenge. Jobs and Co have been busilly promoting the iPod Touch as an app platform and a games machine of late. It seems Sony’s ready to remind them how important sound and vision really are.
TBC | £TBC | Sony (via SonyInsider)
