Walkman gets a facelift

Sony has expanded its Walkman collection with the launch of the new Walkman NWZ-E450 video MP3 player.

Available in gold, pink, blue, red and black ‚ the E450 delivers 50 hours of continuous music playback. In addition, Sony’s proprietary sound technologies deliver a richer audio performance with clarity and precision, as well as an improved user interface that helps users navigate their music quickly and effortlessly.

Music and movies are transferred easily from Windows Media Player or iTunes, and new SensMe channels let the Walkman act as a personal DJ, analysing the music library to find songs that go well together and then categorizing them into various SensMe channels, so users can listen to music that matches their mood.

‚Sony strives to deliver innovative products that combine fun, form and function to enrich the music listening experience of our customers,‚ says Mr. Sydney Lee, Assistant General Manager, Personal Audio Division, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific. ‚Besides new SensMe channels, the new Walkman E450 has a new user interface with features such as Album Scroll and Scene Search, that lets users easily navigate their music and videos. ‚

Extended Battery Life, Easy Content Transfers

With the Walkman E450 series, users will be constantly entertained as the player offers up to 50 hours of audio and 10 hours of video playback time on a single charge. The Walkman also lets users conveniently drag and drop music and movies from a computer’s media folder to the player. The supplied Content Transfer Software makes transferring media files from Windows Media Player or iTunes 9.0 directly to the Walkman simple as well.

New SensMe channels automatically analyse and categorise the music library of the NWZ-E450 with Sony’s 12 Tone Analysis technology, creating a series of themed play lists. With this feature, users can simply pick a music channel to suit his current mood, be it upbeat or mellow. Chic music lovers will also instantly stand out from the crowd with any of the fun and vivid colours the Walkman NWZ-E450 is available in ‚ pink, blue, red and black.

Superior Audio Experience, Effortless Music Navigation

Five of Sony’s proprietary sound technologies have been included in the NWZ-E450, for crisp and clear sound quality. Newly integrated is Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), an audio bandwidth enhancement technology that restores high frequencies that is usually lost when original CD-quality audio tracks are compressed in MP3 format. This creates more natural tones that stay true to the original recording. In addition, the new Virtual Phones Technology (VPT) engine adds the acoustic effect of varying spaces, from an intimate studio setting to that of a large arena, allowing users to enjoy the raw, acoustic effects in their music with finer audio detail. The new Walkman is also equipped with Clear Audio Technologies (Clear Bass and Clear Stereo), as well as Dynamic Normalizer, delivering true-to-recording audio quality.

The new Walkman E450 sports an improved user interface, making it easier for users to navigate and enjoy music and videos. Scroll through music albums simply with large views of album artwork on its clear 2.0-inch QVGA LCD screen. Users can also customise the background wallpaper on the E450 with their personal photos or a selection of pre-installed designs. Scene Search allows users to search and playback a particular moment in their favourite videos by scrolling through a series of thumbnail images. The NWZ-E450 also comes with a handy Bookmark function which lets users create, add to or edit up to five personalized play lists on the Walkman itself.

Synchronised Lyrics Display, Karaoke Mode and Language Learning feature

The new synchronised lyrics display automatically syncs lyrics with the current song played, so users can sing along to their favourite songs anytime and anywhere. Complementing this feature is the Karaoke Mode which automatically reduces the volume of original performer’s vocals, allowing users to hear the backing audio easily. The key of the song can also be adjusted to match their natural pitch without affecting playback speed.

Not just a jukebox, the Walkman NWZ-E450 is also a helpful tool for students to learn a language on the move. The popular Language Learning function is included in the Walkman, and allows audio clips to be played at slower speeds without affecting audio tonality, letting users easily learn the proper enunciation of a foreign language. The voice recorder function is also ideal for recording lectures, meetings or interviews.

Compatible with popular music, photo and video file formats such as MP3, WMA, AAC-LC, Linear PCM, JPEG, AVC (H.264), MPEG4 and WMV9, the new Walkman features enhanced compatibility with Windows 7. An easy-to-use media management function allows users to browse files stored on Walkman in Windows Explorer and export media files from the PC directly into the player. DivX and AVCHD video files stored on users’ hard drive are also easily converted to playable formats for viewing on the Walkman NWZ-E450.

Available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities, the new Walkman®NWZ-E450 is now available in South Africa at a RRP of R899,99.