Jillako

Zizone, can you reveal the source of your information? I'd like to know if this is supported for the NWZ series before I buy one.

Yup, my thoughts exactly! I never understood why they did not advertise this feature, as it lets users get by without using SonicStage.

I don't have a A80x walkman unfortunately. I had been regularly transferring MP3 & AAC files to my NW-S705F, and I am fairly sure I transferred ATRAC at least on one occasion. I used the PS3 to rip the CD to ATRAC and transferred it.

I can't be the only person using my PS3 with my ATRAC Walkman devices! I have a 60GB PS3 that I've been using to play/rip/store music files. I really appreciated the feature where you could connect your Walkman devices (tried with NW-S205F, NW-E005F and NW-S705F) and copy music from the PS3 to your Walkman without having to use a PC. In fact, this was the only way I could get my father to use the NW-E005F that I gifted him. Somehow, this feature has abruptly stopped working. I don't remember when, but I am guessing that it was the last PS3 Firmware upgrade. Now, the music gets copied to the Walkman and you can play it from the PS3, however the Walkman itself cannot see the music that was copied from the PS3. Any other forum members run into the same issue?

How true and unfortunate! Another point for the PSP!

My fellow PSP owners, With the new slimmer PSP close to release and price competitive with the just announced non-ATRAC Walkman devices, how many of you are planning to buy any of the new Walkman devices and what are your reasons? As for myself, I find the SQ of the PSP pretty good. With the still available ATRAC support and drag and drop ability for MP3, WMA and AAC (I cannot imagine why Sony did not carry this approach forward to their Video Walkman devices), I find that the PSP Slim is superior to all other Walkman models available. The screen is unmatched for video and in addition to all of these features, you get Games, UMD Movies, Browser and RSS!! For only $170 US!! Yes, you will need to buy a 4GB Memory Stick Duo, which runs about $70. Still a great deal. Along with the in-line remote control, I use the PSP while on a train or at work. I can see that active use (gym, etc.) would be a problem. That is where I use my NW-S205F. I bought a spare, just in case. If my second NW-S205F fails, I might think about buying the new B series. However, I am skipping all the new models and saving for a PSP Slim! And the new video cable for the PSP Chime in!

This flickr user has photos of the new devices. http://www.flickr.com/photos/5th_avenue/1253074312/

That's quite an offer. I'd jump on it in a second if I was in the UK!

Looking forward to it.

Ditto. There is a line between too many buttons and no buttons. I think Apple stays on the minimalist side at the expense of usability for power users; Sony usually manages to find the line.

I'm very happy with my Walkman devices, thank you! I don't think I'll ever say bye to the Sony devices, although I already have an iPod in addition to my 4 MD units and 3 Network Walkman devices. The iPod is perfect for the car - I have a 20GB model and it can hold a lot of music that I listen to when I am on the road. Thanks to the popularity of the iPod, finding connectivity in the car is not a problem. I use the line out of the iPod where the SQ is a lot better than the headphone output's SQ. In all other respects I like the Walkman devices. I love the MD units for the SQ and the ability to record. The sheer variety of devices is hard for many manufacturers to match. Sony's hardware designs are elegant and the company is pretty prolific at bringing new designs to the market. Look at the iPod for comparison, no significant changes to the device in years!! Meanwhile we've had the NW-E000 series, NW-S700 series, NW-S200 series etc. to just name a few (I just picked the ones I bought into ). The options available make it great for power users - do I want FM in my walkman or not, what color, size etc. Mind you, these same qualities have led me to vow that I will never buy a Sony-made computer again. They are just too prolific at introducing new models and invariably I find that there is no support within a couple of years of a computer being bought. The model numbers etc. are too confusing and the support for new Operating Systems that come out after a VAIO has been bought is virtually non-existant. No updated drivers etc..

Thank you, Jim. I stand corrected. It is an LCD then. The specs are nice, however I won't be buying one. The battery life with WMA is quoted at 9 hours, which is pretty bad for a Sony player. I too would miss the 3 hours charge in 3 minutes feature. Also, I think this device needs AAC playback. Cheers!

I think I'll wait for Sony to release the official specifications before making comments on the features. There are too many unknowns right now - this device is supposed to have recording too.. Btw, that screen is no LCD - it's OLED and does not appear color at that.

I received the demo disc for the new Syphon Filter game in the mail and I thought it looked pretty cool. Coming out in a few months..

Very nice! I was interested in the PMX-MX79 (8 GB) version It seems to be pretty expensive though.. coming in at just over $350 US in China. I wonder if that is an attractive price point in China - it certainly would not be attractive in the US given the dominant position enjoyed by the iPod. Anyway, I hope the price comes down in some time - by the time units make their way onto eBay maybe?