Two New Series to Sony's WALKMAN Family

NW-A800 series in the flesh

NW-A800 series in the flesh

Of the two new series joining the WALKMAN family, the NW-A800 is the one to keep your eyes peeled out for and the one that will give Apple and Creative a strong run for their money. At the official Singapore launch, attendees (including www.hardwarezone.com) had the opportunity to see, feel and experience first hand just how much attention Sony had invested. As you might have guessed, the NW-A800 was the star attraction, and for good reasons too. Available in capacities of 2, 4 and 8GB denoted by NW-A805, NW-A806 and NW-A808 respectively, music, video and photo playback are all standard features. At 53 grams regardless of capacity, the series is also rightfully portable � though it is still 10 grams heavier than the equivalent Apple iPod nano and Creative Zen V Plus. What the series has swinging for it are a larger 2.0-inch LCD for a better video playback experience and a long 30-hour music playback time, which the latter is six and fifteen hours more than the nano and Zen V Plus respectively.

When given a quick onsite test, we found the new WALKMAN to have excellent build and audio quality, which is to be expected, really, granted it is a Sony product. The screen, in particular, can display album art and up to three lines of text to provide more information to end-users. Backed by a comprehensive list of format support and Sony's infamous industrial design excellence, the new NW-A800 WALKMAN series is shaping up to be a strong contender for your money. Last but not least, it's available in five eye-catching colors.