First look at Sony's all new Android-based Walkman prototype

What's new

The phone continues the legacy of the Walkman series with awesome sound quality. It is an out and out music phone for the had core music lovers who have been left wanting by the iTunes of the iPods and the not so good music level of other Androids in the market. The phone comes with an all new feature of having a dedicated and odd shaped Walkman button on the side of the device that you can operate even when the phone is locked, to cater to your musical cravings even without looking at the mobile. Using this button you can navigate through your audio tracks without hindrance and enjoy seamless music on the run. It seems to be a lot better than the traditional double and triple click and watch controls of iPods and other Androids.

What’s been refreshed

The phone has an improvised 4.3" LCD that is non reflective and better than other Androids in the market by simply reducing the spacing between the screen and the outer covering of the screen. the resolution of the screen is an impressive 800 x 640 pixels. Even an HDMI port has been introduced in the phone for direct Hi-definition inputs and outputs. The android platform is used in the phone to add enhanced visuals in the tracks for creating a better effect.

Features walkthrough

There are a host of advanced features introduced in this prototype:

1. It has a dedicated one touch Walkman button for uninterrupted music flow even when the phone is locked.
2. The music on the phone can be managed by a unique Walkman Application that allows you to search libraries of music and find the tracks that you are looking for, whether it is any form of music. The unique Sense-me technology can classify songs according to their genre. Even the lyrics can be obtained on screen, if fed, while the song is running.
3. You can use this device to browse through more than 10 million tracks in the Sony's Music Unlimited, a cloud based music service. But there are subscription charges that need to be paid for the service ($4 basic to $10 premium).
4. The S Master MX technology suit enhances the sound quality of the audio tracks and even improves performance of the loudspeakers, by reducing noise and clarifying stereo and bass.
5. There is provision to have graphical visualizations for the music you play using the android platform.

There are lots of great features that have been incorporated in this prototype to make it popular among the music lovers and continue the legacy of the Walkman series. Hence, it has a host of features that can create stiff competition for the iPods, especially the facility to play much better music in multiple formats and not just the iTunes.

You can also play a host of games and also easily surf the web through the phone, thus creating multiple utility for you.The image quality of the LCD screen is one of the very best due to various measures taken by Sony. You can also connect it to a number of other devices including Bluetooth stereo headsets, TVs and Hi definition devices via the HDMI port or DLNA wireless network.

What’s not so good

There are lots many great features in this prototype, but it has a very major flaw, it comes without a camera. A good camera is a great asset to any modern phone and yet Sony decided to create this prototype without one seems a little absurd. The Android PMP might not function unless the phone is equipped with 3G radio and a no contract plan.

Price and availability

Sony Corp has not yet divulged the details regarding the price and availability of the gadget.

Wrap-up

The new prototype seems to be a promising candidate as a future member of the Walkman series and the features showed a great promise, yet it has many a hurdles to face. While Sony has not yet divulged any details regarding its processor power, memory storage capacity, price and availability, it is difficult to access the true potential of the phone. While the prototype presented a nice sleek look with the typical back logo of the Walkman series, it is the features that need to match up to the rest of the options available in the market and it is too early to pass a judgment regarding the capacity and uniqueness of the phone till it is actually released in the market. Just hope that all other features of the phone would also live up to the quality of music it is capable of.