The Walkman might have lost its crown to the iPod, but it doesn't mean the original maker of the portable music player is giving up.
The new Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000 series is clearly targeting the same market segment as Apple's sensation.
The X1000 now features a 3-inch touch screen that, while smaller than the iPod Touch, incorporates Oled (organic light emitting diode) technology, which the company says reproduces 100 per cent of colours and offers a contrast ratio of 10000:1 and viewing angles of up to 180 degrees. Maximum resolution is WQVGA 432x240 pixels with support for 262K colours.
Another iPod Touch feature, Wi-fi, is also included, allowing internet access.
Coming from the inventor of the Walkman, you can expect some impressive audio features, including noise cancellation, which apparently can suppress up to 98 per cent of external ambient noise. This means you can still enjoy your music inside a crowded bus or train. Also included are an S-Master Digital Amplifier and something called DSEE, which restores sound quality lost during file compression.
In addition, you get FM radio, wallpaper and theme settings. Unfortunately, however, the media-manager software does not allow the download of applications as Apple devices do - the iPod Touch, or Apple's multi-touch user interface.