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Sony to Release Digital Walkman 60

Posted by Hemos from the joining-the-fray dept.
ari{Dal} writes "Sony has revealed plans for a new digital walkman for the Japanese market. " Not quite a Rio or Nomad, it will take Sony's Memory Flash Stiks, like the Vaio and Aibo. It can play the Sony proprietary musical format, as well as encrypt and play MP3s or Wavs.
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Sony to Release Digital Walkman More

Sony to Release Digital Walkman

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  • Re:Laptop Harddrives (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Every dropped a hard drive onto the floor? They never work properly again after being dropped, no matter how laptop like. Ever dropped a walkman? I have... at least once or twice (well, perhaps I'm just clumsy). Well built walkmans, like the sony sports walkmans, still work. Media like casettes easily survive drops, and CDs are very good at this too (as long as they don't land on their edge). I wouldn't want my $430 mp3 on an HD player to bust the minute I drop it... ;-)

  • It does NOT play MP3s (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Read the fine print. Upon transfering the MP3 into the Sony player, the translation software actually converts and saves the file as an ATRAC3.

  • encrypt mp3s? (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    did someone mean to say encode but it came out encrypt, or does this thing actually do some sort of 'security'?
  • Sony is trying to come out with some brand new fad, just like the mini disk. The reason mini disks havn't caught on is because its crazy, a good idea, but anything that can't be reverted to a computer isn't gonna happen. I mean.. you have to buy the portible player, the recorder/player, and the disks, sorry but Ill go out and buy a CD before I do all that, with the plus of being able to burn it onto a disk with a CD-RW. Basically what Im trying to say is until a format comes out that can hold more than a CD that is used like a minidisk(naming capabilities, ect.) and can be used in a CD player, no one is gonna spend all the extra money for something as exclusive as a minidisk because everyone already has their money tied up in CDs, port. and home CD players and stereo systems. Why can't they just make a DVD type CD with compressed info that is on a compression level low enough so that standard CD players can read it?

  • MiniDisc + MP3 support (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    MiniDisc with MP3 support would be interesting. If there were a better data adapter for it. That or some sort of DVD based, MiniDisc sized player / media combination that's USB or firewire capable. Ah well. It'll never happen.
  • I think what they mean by "encrypt and play" is that it'll convert from MP3 or WAV to it's own format. Therefore, I don't believe the hardware will play MP3 files directly, only via "conversion" with what will likely be a Windows-only supplied software package.
  • Man, I want a cheep portable mp3 player.

    I remember about the time the RIO was going to be released a bunch of people were talking about designs that would build a portable mp3 player based on CDRs for less than $70. Where'd they go?


    I just think $100 (cheep-o Rio) is too much to pay for a mp3 player when it seems that the parts involved should cost significantly less, and when the $100 model sucks.



    ~Chris

  • Try to get a CD player to fit in your jacket pocket. Try to take your CD-R to a concert/lecture/meeting and record notes. Ever make a "bad" CD? That's $$ wasted. Minidisc overcomes all this. They're small, recordable, and re-recordable. Plus you can't scratch MD's unless you really try.

    <tim><
  • I still like the idea of the discman like mp3 player posted a while ago

    I expect it to be released the day after they release the car that runs on plant oil.

  • I still like the idea of the discman like mp3 player posted a while ago. This goes back tot he point that the competition isn't between Mp3 and cds because mp3 is a file format, cd is a media format. The competition is between mp3 and cdda, and cd with tape, lp, 8-track, DAT, and whatever else comes along, aka memory sticks......Give me a portable mp3 player that reads cds, and some mozarella cheese sticks.......
  • Sony music is deeply involved in RIAA(aren't they?). Guess we all know the true purpose of the RIO-lawsuit then: Get a competing product off the market.

    LINUX stands for: Linux Inux Nux Ux X
  • Yes thats right. The plan is that you can't use the sony thingie for distribution. It's a SDMI [sdmi.org] sortha solution(hey you can sing this! mmmm... free music).


    LINUX stands for: Linux Inux Nux Ux X
  • It's kinda a middle thing: the size of a flash card, stores 340MB(more later).
    LINUX stands for: Linux Inux Nux Ux X
  • You mean besides nearly *all* Digital 8mm cameras on the market currently? Check Crutchfield's catalog.
  • where are you gonna keep those other mp3s? On a laptop?
    That's what I do. Sharp Ultralight - usually 1-2Gig of MP3s on the hard drive plus I've burnt five CDs of MP3s.

    I've also spent quite a bit on MP3 players - I've bought the Rio Special Edition, plus a 32MB card - so I've got 90 minutes of 128k/s music. This will easily do for 2-3 days, before I feel compelled to load a new set on.

    CJ.

  • The main reasons are skip protection and size. It is very hard to get a minidisc player to skip; you can shake it as hard as you can, and it'll be fine. They are also much smaller than CD players, and therefore much more portable, especially when you combine them with the added skip protection...
    ----------
  • I'm still waiting for mini discs to get to the level cd players were a few years back (when i picked up my sony after prices began to drop). I think a mini disc recorder will be a great choice for myself as it provides me with enough room for a full length album, gives me the ability to record, is small as hell, and comes in nice colors. you can get a cheap one nowadays for near $150, though i'm hoping the higher end models come down a bit around to the range of $200 from the $300-350 mark they are at now (esp the sharp 831). I think for someone who wants a portable mp3 player, this is a good choice (if you can stand having a limited amount of space for the audio). moving mp3s to mini discs is supposedly easy (esp if you have a digital out on your sound card). titling can be done, which seems a nice addition. i'm strongly considering the pine mp3/cd player, but as it stands, for portable needs a mini disc seems much more appealing (also considering it would be better for someone on the go, say running). mini discs have caught on in japan, and from what i hear in other parts of the world. mini discs in america might not explode until the price becomes competitive with cd players and the portable mp3 players (though they too are overpriced). but i'm here eagerly waiting till that day arrives.
  • As one of the previous posters mentioned mp3 is a data format and CD ( or CD-R or CD-RW or whatever ) is a media format. I wonder why didn't some electronics company try to put together minidisk and mp3 technologies. Meaning make an mp3 player that uses MDs as storage. Think, MD is small enough to be comparable with all the flash based mp3 players out there. Storage would become vast and cheap ( I don't know MD storage capacity, but I am pretty sure it is more then 64 MB ). Still, nobody seems to do it. Are there any known problems with this?
  • I've never dropped one on the floor... but I did drop one in a lake once. :)
  • I'd heard about using these as storage devices ages ago. They would work wouldn't they? large storage, reasonable durable, small, low power usage... they'd fill the niche well. Who needs some proprietary sony product?
  • yeah, but the minidisc isn't solid state.
  • CD-RWs can't be played on most CD players. And the blank media are really expensive. MDs are smaller and far cooler. I'm getting one next week :)
  • MP3 discman can appear on the market in the next second. But wait..

    I found a VCD player which can play the MP3 file, you can buy the MP3 CD from the vendor, or play MP3 CD-R burnt from your own PC. The price is a little bit higher than a VCD player. As far as I know, no one have interest in that machine, because it is a not a famous brand, and people want portable.

    If the manufacturer want, it can make it into a portable MP3 player. But I don't think it would be successful, because CD is a media which is too big, shaking, and not portable friendly.

    Customer want something which is small and easier to be carried.

    Sony's memory stick is not too late. Please, don't tell me that CompactFlash or SmartMedia is very popular. No flash card is currently domaining the market.
  • i was thinking when the rio and the memory stick came out, that it would just make sense to use them in combonation. i even had some computer eng. friends pull apart a rio and see if it was possible as a retro-fit. no luck, tho.
  • Sigh, guess I read too much variety. When I said series, I meant tv series, as in half-hour cartoon/live-action series. The video go movie/tv routine is always bomb horribly. Like Street Fighter the movie, Mortal Kombat the movie wing commander, the movie and Super Mario Brothers the movie!

    P.S. Final Fantasy the movie is coming, it's got great voice cast back it up, you can hope in your lifetime there's a good video game movie.


    CY, who is not hitting the preview button, so you can nitpick more.
  • Do you know the Pokemon is the most successful video game-series, if not the only successful videogame-turn-tv series in US. Please get your facts straight. US consumers are as clusless as Japanese consumers.

    Can't talk, got to check out my beanie baby portal update and UPS status of my WNBA barbies doll shipment...


    CY
  • this one you have to convert all your music to their proprietery format first....

    but.. didn't the article say that it supported mp3?
    Note this from the Wired article:
    "Music in MP3 or CD audio can be stored on a hard disk using the OMG application which encrypts the data. Content can then be transferred to the Memory Stick via the USB port. "

    Still, as others have noted, I think the whole Memory Stick thing is a joke.. come on, what's the point? They're going to have to invent something pretty darned revolutionary (that can only use memory sticks) if they want these things to catch on...
    ..makes me think of pretzel sticks every time I hear "memory stick"... sheesh!
  • Yes, some people will NEVER learn. They still repeat the old proprietary format again... even worse, they lunch a new one that offers nothing more than the already well established competition. Some marketing guys are way overpaid !
  • Well, this is the late 1990s, and "encrypt" is the trendy buzzword of the day. Soon we will see encrypted everything to keep those hackers out. Encrypted music on your personal digital walkman, encrypted Solitaire for windows(so nobody hacks your Solitare game!), encrypted dogs & cats, phone numbers, etc. Soon we'll be encrypting all sorts of things for no reason.
  • Well the trouble with that though is that there's too much shuffling of CD's in and out of PC CDROM drives, then you have to capture the tracks you want, store them, etc etc and then finally burn them. On the other hand, all I have to do with my minidisc recorder is hook it up to my stereo receiver and the rest is history (an extra convenience is a 200 disc CD changer here :)
    So it is a question of laziness, no doubt you are quite right about the CD-R's though.
    However, I am aware that Philips and several other companies are now making stereo component CD-R's. Anybody know anything about these? Like do you have to program your cd changer to play everything you want and do it all in a linear fashion so that the recorder never stops? Or can it start and stop like a minidisc recorder, or even a cassette recorder?
  • but that would defeat the main advantage of a flash-based mp3 player, namely the lack of moving parts...
  • Why do we need these things? What is the advantage over a CD or cassette Walkman?
  • Why do minidisc when you can do CD-R and CD-RW and be compatible with the millions of audio CD players out there? Especially now, when CD-R rack components are available for home stereos at prices competing with MiniDisc? MiniDisc and DAT are cool for mastering, but are they really a general public technology?
  • Minidisc could have been a success. Why? Because when it came out there wasn't an affordable CD burner, and MP3's didn't exist. I bought one of the early ones, which I have used for things like a zero-effort dance (I set up a bunch of Minidiscs with a proper set of songs on each, and just let them play an hour at a time; when there was a request, I put in the disc that had that song). Obviously no longer needed, but it was a good idea back then. But it still has a huge advantage: stability. Many (most?) radio stations now use Minidisc on the air, because, unlike a CD, it never fails. If I ever do another dance, I'll probably use Minidisc again to ensure nothing stupid happens.

    Why did they fail? Because they were proprietary. That's the only reason. Other companies came out with them, but by then it was far too late. Like with home Beta, Sony needed other companies on board _before_ launching. Memory sticks will fail for the same cause (besides the fact that they're a dumb idea!).
  • They're one of the few companies that spans all areas affected by Mp3. They have a record company, they make audio hardware, and they make digital equipment. I love the vaioaogh;x, I wish I had the cash.

    If anyone can bring this all together, and I know SDMI can't, I think it will be Sony.
  • No mention of capacity? Features?

    They just seem to be announcing another portable mp3 player except with this one you have to convert all your music to their proprietery format first....

    Anyone have a clue how much storage space one of these might be able to support?

    Josh
  • I don't see where the 'big stack of CDSs' comes in. A CD certainly will fit more mp3s than a memory stick. And if you're thinking, 'But I can unload/reload different mp3s onto the memory sticks.', that's great, but if you're away from your computer for a while, where are you gonna keep those other mp3s? On a laptop?

  • Digital 8mm is another proprietary sony idea, I think it will fail like beta did back in the 80's. Of course it won't matter because its just a camcorder format, but why get digital8 when DV is about the same price and the industry standard.

  • >I bet a huge marketing campaign for Memory Sticks
    >is now under way in Japan,...
    >I would appreciate if any fellow Japanese Slashdot
    >reader is kind enough to write anything about
    >this...

    The Memory Stick & Handicam TV commericals started a few months ago, and are still going strong.

    One shows how easy it is to take pictures of your loved ones on your Handicam, store them on a Memory Stick, and then show collegues at work by sticking the.. errr... Stick into your Viao. Very practical! ;-)
  • If you're really hurting for a cd player that plays MP3s, netdrives [netdrives.com] is supposed to be shipping their player in a week. Plays standard ISO9660 discs. Too bad they don't have a portable version to try yet. Also, the specs are pretty lacking; they don't even give the unit's SNR...

    Back to Sony: if history is any guide, this thing will be only as popular as minidisc. MP3 is out of the bottle and here to stay, like it or not. But remember that Sony is a HUGE company that is not only a consumer electronics giant but also a big ol' recording label as well, so of course they're going to come up with a proprietary, copy-protected-up-Uranus, crippled format.

  • www.disksdirect.com [disksdirect.com] has cdrw blanks for $2 each...
  • Key words: its own format. Sony LOVES to make its fun stuff unduplicatable (PSX, anyone?). Up side: maybe it will catch on as well as MiniDisc. Ha ha ha.... ;o)

    ----

  • Hmm. If it gets stolen nobody can listen to your stuff without a code? Or erase it and reuse it, maybe. So all he's got is a useless piece of hardware. Hmm. Not bad. - dom
    - dom
  • The trouble with CF though is that it's so small you can lose it under the fluff in your pocket.

  • Memory Sticks (Score:2)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I've seen a 64mb module memory stick. The things are tiny. This is what I've been waiting for to jump into the portable MP3 player arena. Can't wait to get one.

    From:

    http://www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/dimaging/br owse_the_products/memory_stick/memory_stic k_models/msa_16a/index.html

    General Specifications

    Memory Type: Flash memory (MSA-32A: 32MB) Connector: 10-pin Interface: Serial
    Operating Voltage: 2.7V to 3.6V
    Power Consumption: Average: Approx. 45mA;
    Standby: Approx. 130A
    Access Speed: Writing: Maximum 1.5MB/second;
    Standby: Maximum 2.45MB/sec
    Operating Environment: 0C - 60C (non-condensing)
    Dimensions (LxWxH): Approx. 21.5 x 50 x 2.8mm
    Weight: Approx. 4g (0.14 oz.)
    Supplied Accessories: Memory Stick Storage Case, label, operating instructions.
  • There already is a good video game movie. It's called Tron. Has anyone here seen Tron?
  • According to what I've read on minidisc.org, ATRAC3 is an updated version of the ATRAC1 compression that minidiscs use which is able to store the same audio quality at 128kbps instead of 292. It can "easily be transcoded into ATRAC1".

    As per ATRAC compression itself, it does sound a bit better than MP3 as per audio quality (using my minidisc units as a reference, an Aiwa AM-F7 - Sony ATRAC1 v3.5, and a Sharp 821 - Sharp ATRAC 6.0)

    However, the amount of audio that can be encoded on a single stick is too little. If we used ATRAC3 on minidisc players then that would be 160MB on a 74:58 disc, which at 128kbps would be around 171 minutes... not bad...
  • Considering the Sony track records, it will just make a player so samll than make all you cd-r zealots SICK. If you think carrying a cd-r/mp player and a big stack of CD is cool, then you might as well get a Newton instead of a Visor.

    Memory stick size: 5X2.15X.28 cm (1.97 X .85 X .11 in.), storage: 4m-16m, Speed: 1.5m/s

    Note that I'm not preaching memory stick, but it does has its advantage, size. And Sony can easily make a player as small as my aiwa am/fm receiver, which is about 1 X 3 X 5 cm, and run weeks on a AAA battery.


    CY
  • Granted, I am biased, because I own a digital camera which uses them, but smart media cards are impressive.

    I also don't understand the appeal of memory sticks. They look dumb (OK, that's not a technical reason, but its what my aesthetics are screaming); they're no 'better' a shape than Smart Media (though perhaps a little thinner than CompactFlash); and IIRC, are not available in denominations as high as those available in CF and SM ... (at least not yet).

    I hope SM sticks around, for all these reasons. Or perhaps even better, if it goes down the tubes and I can buy some large pieces for cheap ...

    timothy
  • Well CD's I agree with, but cassettes? I am a big fan of minidiscs. I don't understand why they never caught on. I mean they're great, it's like a digital cassette on which you can record over and over again, move tracks around, name the tracks, etc. It has all the features compilation making ppl like myself always missed with cassettes (random access play, etc.) And it's pretty inexpensive, considering. You can get a portable recorder for under $200 and blank minidiscs are like $2 a pop.
  • I would agree that Memory Sticks are a terrible idea, but keep in mind that the Japanese market is big enough for any electronics company to justify putting a proprietary product with even the slightest chance of becoming a fad.

    Japanese consumer behavior is very peculiar, and relies on fads. A new, totally incompatible, proprietary product may become an overnight success just because it has a flashy name, or a cute design. Just think about the usefulness of Tamagotchi(how many people remember it now?), or more recently the Pokemon cards. Now if Sony can start a digital memory stick walkman fad among Japanese teenagers or enthusiasts, they should be able to drive down the manufacturing costs of the memory stick with the help of economies of scale. Then they can start thinking about what it is really good for.

    I bet a huge marketing campaign for Memory Sticks is now under way in Japan, complete with flashy billboard ads and a cute-sounding pseudo-Japanese spelling of "memory stick" using Katakana. I would appreciate if any fellow Japanese Slashdot reader is kind enough to write anything about this...
  • Smaller player and rewritable media.

    Oh and Sony needs something to use their memory sticks in.

  • Price Tag (Score:3)

    by Hacksworth ( 81145 ) on Thursday September 23, 1999 @05:34AM (#1664618) Homepage
    It debuts at a retail price of $430, with flash cards ranging from $60-100? Not to mention that it is a Sony product (not known for the greatest quality) and it is using the lastest unknown and unsupported proprietary compression format. How many of these from how many different companies do we need? I suppose if the lawyers recognize them as a good thing, they might forget that mp3 is still free and available to everyone, which is better for us.
    Anyway, I'm still waiting for pine to hurry up and release their mp3/cd player (if it's not vaporware). 650MB of storage; I've yet to see anything else come close.

  • Too-bad (Score:4)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Thursday September 23, 1999 @05:21AM (#1664619) Homepage
    It looks like sony is looking for a product to use their memory sticks cince noone else will use them. I'm waiting for a mp3 player that uses a pcmcia slot so I can slap my Clik drive in there (Ok a CF slot will work, as they have an adaptor for that now.)

    What would be great is a device that will record in stereo mp3... that way I can compress all meeting thoughts into nice snippets that I can play on the computer.

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