[MiG(TM)]

So my first impressions at least, is that it looks a lot like my current NW-A3000, but squarer, and purple... its gonna get released in a good few colours, but i'm rather liking this player, its confirmed to be available in black, and the same size as the nano...

The Text at the source is just confirming the earlier article posted..

Quote:

According to previously credible sources, Sony is readying a 2, 4, and 8gb video Walkman which is smaller than the Apple iPod Nano. It will have the appearance of the NW-A3000/1000 units of old but in a more flat and rectangular form like its Apple counterpart. The big ticket with this device is that it will feature supposedly 8 to 10 hours of video playback, although we all know that those figures can be manipulated by low brightness, low volume, video/audio codec quality, etc. However, we must admit that Sony has been able to pull impressive battery life figures in the past with a variety of interesting technologies. The hardware interface should feature similar buttons to the A3000 series, but don’t expect to see an Artist Link button. A superslim profile ( 6.5mm thick ) and a gorgeous screen of a larger size than the Nano for optimal rotated viewing is expected. The GUI is still the 3×3 menu layout similiar to the A3000, but with updated icons and better overall menu functionality. Four colors will be introduced: violet, black, blue, pink (various regions may only get certain colors). Pricing should be equivalent or slightly higher than the Nano. An early March announcement is expected. This could be a huge release for Sony, or possibly just a shadow in the upcoming presence of the next generation iPod.

There we have it... once the real life pics come in, in black, and i get some UI shots, im gonna be thinking of buying one of these..

 

[3X0]

I don't like the blue.

I think it'd be a fine player in black.

 

[LFC_SL]

As I said on dapreview, ugly. Same company that brought the PSP and SE phones out? I must commend the specs, such as the video battery life, but people we live in a materialistic world. You may not care, but plainly a lot of people do

 

[biermagnaat]

am I the only one who thinks the thing is SUPER HOT!

I LIKE IT!

 

[mrflip69]

Does Sony support UMS yet, or do you still have to patch the player to get past that nasty bundled software...?

 

[rockin_amigo14]

uglier than the DAP's its based on. plus it still uses Sonicstage. therefore, no chance.

 

[db597]

Think it will be DRM infected?

 

[vulc4n]

Could this thing be uglier?

Even in black, that button layout will look horrendous.

 

[nsjong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vulc4n /img/forum/go_quote.gif Could this thing be uglier? Even in black, that button layout will look horrendous.

The Zune looks just as ugly. Especially that ugly brown.
But what I wonder is if that is a mock up picture or an official picture?

Anywho, I think SS will be the downfall, yet again.

 

[hYdrociTy]

big "option" and "back" buttons? huuuge turnoff..

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockin_amigo14 /img/forum/go_quote.gif uglier than the DAP's its based on. plus it still uses Sonicstage. therefore, no chance.

Where did you find that this DAP will also use SonicStage? I can't find that anywhere, and I think that if this player supports video playback, either Sony will come up with a new software suite with video support or improve on a new version of SonicStage. While not without its flaws, SonicStage has only gotten better and better with each implementation.

That being said, this looks like an interesting player. I'd like to see what the battery life for audio files will be as it seems like Sony DAP's are dropping in battery life with each new model. The design seems a bit iffy, but most Sony DAP designs are easy to adapt to in a couple of days. This player has definite promise

 

[apnk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hYdrociTy /img/forum/go_quote.gif big "option" and "back" buttons? huuuge turnoff..

I agree, first thing I thought of when I saw this player.

 

[Sparky191]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...SonicStage. While not without its flaws, SonicStage has only gotten better and better with each implementation....

I use SS 4x and don't have problems with it. But in fairness the best you can say about it, is that it is now stable. Its still a very poorly built and designed application. By better you mean they fixed the obvious bugs, made it stable and built in the minimum of features, many of which should have been in it from the start. Its taken them 6 yrs to get that far. Its a disgrace to be honest.

See they've releases 4.3 for Vista.

 

[Leonard]

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leonard /img/forum/go_quote.gif Here's the CNET review: http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/digitalmus...9288721,00.htm "Audio playback is stunning and, miracle of miracles, the bundled headphones are excellent. All ranges in the audible spectrum are reproduced well, but especially bass. We were particularly impressed when listening to Slam by Pendulum -- a bass-driven dance track that pounded clearly through even the stock headphones. Mid-ranges and highs performed equally well. Audiophiles will still probably want to invest in a superior pair of 'phones, but the supplied set will perform well for the majority of people. We've been waiting for this day to arrive for a long time!"

The earbuds sure look like MDR-EX85. Which are an all-plastic version of the MDR-EX90 (common driver and tips).