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[acklame]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/01/sony_hd_walkman/

The NW-HD1 is a "credit card-sized" 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.4cm unit fitted with a 20GB 1.8in hard drive. There's enough RAM on board to provide 25 minutes of skip-free playback. There's a seven-line LCD for track information and player status data.

The 20GB device, called the NW-HD1, weighs less than 4 ounces, prompting Sony to claim that it is the smallest recording device built around a 1.8-inch drive. The NW-HD1 has a USB 2.0 digital interface.

At the same time Wednesday, Sony unveiled a flash media-based Walkman with a 256 MB memory that is expected to retail for about $60.

 

[Joe]

sexy.

 

[IJoel]

HAWT!

 

[Fallopian Tube]

$400...too expensive.

 

[Midas]

The NW-HD1's primary format is Sony's own ATRAC 3 Plus - other formats are converted to that mode when they're transferred over to the player.

Sony... WTF!

 

[Semjaza Azazel]

There is no price listed for the NW-HD1 (just the Vaio one on another page... not the same unit).

Looks cool, but I want to know what they will be using to copy files over to it. I'm kind of tired of their crappy programs I've been using with my MD player. ATRAC is a big turn off, so I'll probably ignore this.

 

[acklame]

 

[xsarien]

Sony... WTF!

What the hell did you expect?

 

[Escape Goat]

25 minutes?

 

[fart]

sony software is a crime against humanity

 

[Midas]

What the hell did you expect?

Maybe a change for once?

 

[nitewulf]

ipod and iriver say: welcome to the new millenium sony! well done!

 

[Hitman]

See even Sony is starting to see the light. The future is in Hard Drive based players not crappy MD's

 

[Defensor]

SEXY!

 

[God's Hand]

Does it support MP3, AAC, etc. or do you have to convert all your media formats to Sony's terrible audio codec? It looks ugly and doesn't have the same appeal as iPod. This will fail.

 

[AlphaSnake]

400? That's it?!

I'm so getting one.

 

[Fallopian Tube]

"It is expected to sell for around 53,000 yen ($487) in Japan and less than $400 in the United States, Sony said"

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....NNOWKQCRBAEZSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=5563227

 

[Semjaza Azazel]

"It is expected to sell for around 53,000 yen ($487) in Japan and less than $400 in the United States, Sony said"

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....NNOWKQCRBAEZSFFA?type=topNews&storyID=5563227

Ah. Thank you.

 

[acklame]

The Japanese consumer electronics maker said the 20-gigabyte device, which is its second hard-disk drive gadget aimed at unseating Apple and can store 13,000 songs, will be launched on July 10 in Japan, by mid-August in the United States and in September in Europe.

It is expected to sell for around 53,000 yen ($487) in Japan and less than $400 in the United States, Sony said, undercutting Apple's 40-gigabyte device, which sells for $499 and can hold up to 10,000 songs.

The battery lasts 30 hours, at least three times longer than the iPod's -- a selling point that Sony plans to play up in promoting the device.

why can't they use that battery for the psp

 

[COCKLES]

I like it. But the green screen has to go.

Replace it with the white on black LCD that some of the I-Rivers have and we'll be talking...

 

[Defensor]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....FEY?type=topNews&storyID=5563227&pageNumber=1

The NW-HD1 also employs shock-resistant technology that protects the hard drive if is dropped.

"We couldn't come up with something using the Walkman brand until it survived the 1 meter (3 ft 3.37 in) drop test," said Ashcroft.

Buy a Bigmac, get a free song still.

 

[Cauliflower of Love]

25 minutes?

25 minutes of skip free buffer time(not play time). So if you're gonna be shaking for 1501 seconds, better find something else.

 

[Mairu]

I like the design, but fuck Sony enforcing their own formats... I'll stick with my IHP-120

 

[Outdoor Miner]

OMG that's too sweet!!! Dammit, i was gonna get a super nice high-end HiMD player this month.

*paces back and forth*

 

[aoi tsuki]

Does it support MP3, AAC, etc. or do you have to convert all your media formats to Sony's terrible audio codec? It looks ugly and doesn't have the same appeal as iPod. This will fail.

Support is the only issue i have with ATRAC3. If i could take my Winamp playlist and drop it into the device without using Sonic Stage, i'd jump on this.

Another downside of the player is that you can't use it as a hard drive. i don't know how Sony managed that one, especially seeing as how the new HiMDs can be used as hard drives.

 

[Deku Tree]

why doesn't Sony bite the bullet and embrace the mp3-mp4 format?
i'd totally dump my ipod for one of those if it played mp3's!

 

[SteveMeister]

ATRAC only. It's even more restrictive than the iPod, and no cheaper.

 

[Defensor]

Another downside of the player is that you can't use it as a hard drive. i don't know how Sony managed that one, especially seeing as how the new HiMDs can be used as hard drives.

Same here, I hope they address that issue.

 

[nitewulf]

why doesn't Sony bite the bullet and embrace the mp3-mp4 format?
i'd totally dump my ipod for one of those if it played mp3's!

why??

 

[miyuru]

Yeah, I'm sick of this BS. It's actually a really nice portable, but the support for other formats just isn't there.

Why the fuck can't anyone release such a nice portable that acts as an external HD??

 

[Outdoor Miner]

God why is everyone acting suprised??? Sony is thinking ONE format for all their audio purposes, and it's ATRAC all the way. That's certainly been the trend since oh i don't know just about the last several years.

Aside from just having to convert the mp3's to Atrac as it's being dumped onto your portable, what else is the problem? The mp3's still remain just that, mp3's on your HD.

If you have a problem w/ the audio quality then I can certainly understand, but w/ the new update to the format i'm able to convert mp3's to ATRAC 256k, and it sounds fine

::WARNING: Sal is not an audiophile, hell not even an audiophile-wannabe::

 

[Sagitario]

ATRAC only. It's even more restrictive than the iPod, and no cheaper.

Sony -1... =| .

 

[SteveMeister]

God why is everyone acting suprised??? Sony is thinking ONE format for all their audio purposes, and it's ATRAC all the way. That's certainly been the trend since oh i don't know just about the last several years.[/b]

Nah, I'm not surprised. Haven't been surprised by Sony going their own route since, oh, Betamax

 

[norinrad21]

A weak answer to the Ipod

 

[sprsk]

THE WALKMAN OF THE 20th CENTURY!!!11..1.....

 

[dynamitejim]

How long would it take to convert 20GB of MP3s to ATRAC3?

 

[Outdoor Miner]

I xfer mp3's to my HiMD unit and the ATRAC (256k) transfer is not even noticeable, it adds about an extra 5 seconds per song.

 

[Deku Tree]

why??

cause it looks sweet!

 

[golem]

Yeah, I'm sick of this BS. It's actually a really nice portable, but the support for other formats just isn't there.

Why the fuck can't anyone release such a nice portable that acts as an external HD??

i believe teh dell dj's drivers allow that... but it wont work if you plug it into a comp without drivers

 

[wandering goat]

The hdd based player sounds good in all respects but the mandatory ATRAC conversions. One of the benefits of HDD players is not having to bother with any conversions (even if you're only doing it once). The flash player (or it's price) sounds nice though.

[edit] I forgot to think. If the flash based player will have to convert to ATRAC (which seems like it based on Sony's record), it'll be a big inconvenience.

 

[Dagless M.D.]

I think its best to wait until other companys come out with as small/smaller devices, sony tend to overprice for the brand name

 

[Mustang]

Looks great but I have a feeling the UI blows huge chunks though.

 

[Pochacco]

Looks pretty cool I guess...

I'd still rather get an iPod (and, btw, by the time this comes out there'll probably be new iPods).

 

[Comfort_Eagle]

Pretty damn slick but that whole ATRAC thing still sucks. I think Ill still end up with an iPOD or Zen touch.

 

[DCharlie]

"It is expected to sell for around 53,000 yen (270 pounds) in Japan and less than $400 (220 pounds)in the United States, Sony said, undercutting Apple's 40-gigabyte device, which sells for $499 and can hold up to 10,000 songs."

Um... stop me if i'm being stupid but how about comparing the price of the 20 gig Sony device to the price of the 20-gig Ipod?? or do they not exist ? or am i totally missing something?!?

53,000 yen - OUCH! the Creative Zen 60 gig player is in the 30,000 range, so no thanks.

 

[Fallopian Tube]

20 GB iPods are also $400.

 

[Memles]

Um... stop me if i'm being stupid but how about comparing the price of the 20 gig Sony device to the price of the 20-gig Ipod?? or do they not exist ? or am i totally missing something?!?

I think it's because they're promoting that their 20 GB model actually holds more songs than the 40 GB iPod, thanks to compression.

 

[GG-Duo]

ATRAC3

 

[p_xavier]

ATRAC3

Why do you guys hate the format so much? ATRAC3+ at 256kbps sounds better than any MP3 or AAC I've heard. And SonicStage 2 is a great software for once.

 

[SKluck]

What the fuck is Sony's problem? They won't use a format unless they had a hand in developing it or have massive control over it.

This stupid minidisc bullshit, no one else uses. MEMORY STICK. BETAMAX. Atrac. Blueray (Only decent one out of the bunch).

How about just accepting the industry standards, damnit.