New Walkmans break cover, S640, S740, A840

• A-Series available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB
• S-Sereies available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB
• S740 and A840 feature noise-cancellation
• 2.8in OLED screen on A-Series
• TV-out on all models

Some more photos and links to all the information in Japanese and prelim info from Sonyinsider in English after the break.

Creating playlists using Windows Explorer

I usually created my playlists using Windows Media Player 11 in the beginning and then moved onto WalkmanMTP, but have since abandoned playlists all together due to not having the program installed on my laptop. Javajeff from the ABI forums provided me with this tip on creating playlists using windows explorer in Vista or XP.

Le Journal du Geek's Brief hands on with the Sony S-Series

Le Journal du Geek has a hands on video of the Sony S-Series. The menus are in french but they do go through most of the options and features.

Photo Update of new Sony S-Series (S74x)

Last day, a new S-Series Walkman was spotted at a dealer show in Japan. AV Watch has updated their site with more photos of the new S74x with a plethora of colours.

Sony lowers the price of the W-Series

With the introduction of the 4th generation Shuffle, it seems that Sony has quietly lowered the price on their W-Series. The price in Canada has dropped by $20 to $79.99 CAD with models available in orange, black, pink, white and violet; in the US the price has gone down from $69.99 to $59.95 USD and models come only in black and pink. Links after the break.

New Walkman spotted at a Sony Dealer Convention

An unknown Sony Walkman model has been spotted at a Sony Dealer convention being held from September 9 to 11. Could this be the new S-Series with noise-cancellation? Looks like it.

Everytime you buy an iPod, a Walkman dies

You aree probably thinking, “why is an Apple event getting coverage on The Walkman Blog?” Well 2 reasons:

1. new iPods usually mean lower pricing for the entire industry,
2. I got to make an awesome image for the post

How to disable the touchscreen on the X-Series while keeping the buttons operational

This information can actually be found in the operation manual on page 123. Instructions with images after the break.

Thanks Soozieq (Juli)

Sony S-Series available for Order on Sony Style Canada and Bestbuy.ca

Well it seems that the 16GB version of the new S-Series can be ordered from the Sony Style Canada website. Three models are available for ordering, 8GB black, and 8GB and 16GB violet. More after the break.

K-Bench Review of the NWZ-E443 (in Korean)

The Korean site K-bench has a review up of the new E-Series. Unfortunately I cannot read Korean so I used a translator to see what I could get out of the review. The reviewer does make a mention that the sound reminded them of the minidisc days and from the video, it appears the new E-Series seems to work just fine with Windows 7. If anyone does read Korean and wishes to provide a quick translation of the main points please do email me. Two videos and photos after the break. (btw, both videos are in Korean).

S-Series demonstration Video from Sony Europe

Sony Europe has a quick video of the new S-Series up on their Youtube channel. The preview does not go into much detail but it does give a nice sense of the size of the new S-Series. Video after the break.

Walkman Clinches Top Spot in Japanese PMP sales

Marketing research firm BCN conducted a survey on the sales of Portable media players in Japan last week and it appears that the Walkman is back on top after 4 years of ipod reign. Unfortunately the margin is slim, 43% for the Walkman and 42.1% for the ipod. Link to the article after break.

Hmm nothing, well this sucks....

Well I was hoping for something to appear at the press conference, but no Walkman, nada. I waited and refreshed Engadget’s IFA page and sure the Xperia X2 debuted (699 euros, ouch) and of course the new Vaio X series. Perhaps Sony has something saved up for Friday but I am doubtful now, since why not release the information today?

Furthermore Creative just announced their new Zen X-Fi2 PMP.

Check it out at Engadget

32GB at $229.99 and microSD expansion slot. Oh Sony when will you get with the program and release something competitive at the top end of the market?

New A-Series to debut at IFA 2009?

According to Sony Insider, another Walkman is supposed to debut at IFA 2009. Could this be the new A-Series? More after the break.

CNET Asia’s Review of the NWZ-S545

Kelvin Low from CNET Asia has a nice review of the new NWZ-S545 up on CNET's website. Here is a quick recap of the review:

• Screen not always readable
• Battery life averaging around 30 hours
• Built in speakers are impressive but lack bass
• Unfortunately speakers are located in the back and not front
• Forced into MTP mode in windows
• Lack of on-device playlist creation

Rest of the recap and the link to the review after the break.