new products

Walkman for swimmers

9 Comments
By Philip Kendall

If you’re of the sporty persuasion and wish that you could take your tunes to the pool without having a funny-looking contraption strapped to your goggles or having your earphones fall out every other stroke, Sony’s newest addition to the Walkman series will definitely be of interest.

Scheduled for a Feb 16 release in Japan, the new NWD-W270 series features a compact, lightweight design and boasts 4GB of onboard storage space.

Waterproof headphones and MP3 players have existed for some time now, but few rival Sony’s streamlined, no-nonsense design which does away with long wires than can become tangled, and keeps all of the technological wizardry in earphones themselves, meaning that swimmers don’t have to find somewhere to clip their waterproof player.

The NWD-W273 is water resistant to a depth of two meters, so while you won’t be doing any deep-sea diving with it any time soon, you’ll have no problems powering up and down the pool with your favorite tracks blasting out. And of course, with this being Sony, there are three colors to choose from: sleek black, Hatsune Miku-style blue, and clean white

While comparing the new Walkman with Sony’s existing W263 model, Japanese tech site AV Watch remarked how light it is, weighing in at just 29 grams and being 30% smaller than the old model. Thanks to this sleeker design, swimmers are able to glide through the water with less resistance than before, and, with a new adjustable neck-band, the unit is sure to stay firmly in place no matter how large your movements in and out of the water are.

The W273 is compatible with both Mac and Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8, and – especially for those who aren’t fond of iTunes – offers a very simple drag and drop UI. The Walkman connects to a computer via a standard USB cable for both charging and data transfer, with just three minutes of charging providing up to 60 minutes of playback time.

Sony also plans to launch a dedicated Walkman case alongside its new swim-friendly earphones, which will go on sale at around the 2,000 yen mark. We don’t usually go for extras and add-ons, but we have to admit that this case looks pretty snappy and would no doubt look perfectly at home nestling among the contents of even the trendiest fitness fan’s sports bag.

Sony has not fixed an official price for the new Walkman itself, but has suggested that it go on sale for “close to 10,000 yen.”

Source: AV Watch

Read more stories on RocketNews24. -- Hatsune Miku Limited Edition Walkman Sold at Auction for Insane Price -- Cassette to iPod Converter Helps ‘80s Kids Keep Their Tape Collection Alive -- Intricately Detailed Dog-Sized Hatsune Miku Outfit Wows Internet Users

© RocketNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.


9 Comments
Login to comment

Cool product and am going to buy one as soon as they are released. Should be a winner for Sony. But my guess is that the anally retentive life guards at the public pools in Japan won't let you use them as you won't be able to hear their inane announcements and warnings. But it will also be good for running.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Excellent! I am gonna get one too. Can't wait to go snorkleing with it in Okinawa and listening to Pink Floyd.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Well, I heard there's an underwater post office in Vanuatu... But seriously, do we really need this???

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Excellent. These will be great for people like me doing HIIT outside in the summer. I'm usually as wet as if I'd just stepped out of a pool after it's over.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

That's weird. I bought this thing (with 4GB storage) through Amazon Japan last year in June & love it. Warning: people do stare at you because it looks quite different than an iPod but I love it (I run in the rain with it but haven't used it in the pool... yet)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

if I have a return on the purchase of a larger growth than if I buy a consumable product?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Enough with the multi-tasking though I imagine some would wish they were octupuses.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'd definitely like one but Sasukene's right.Will the authorities running the pools allow them.I can't see them being approved at any of the pools I go to.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Swimman? Crawlman? I want one too. Exercise to music is so much more painless.

@Mikemiro. Thanks! I see that there are several products already out.

And I see that the same products are also available direct from China (dx) even cheaper (20usd) free postage. Sorry Sony, you are too expensive and late. With China next door I think that the the only way to stay in business is to go B2B like Panny.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites