It has been over a month since Sony introduced the new E-Series and I am puzzled as why I am unable to purchase one here in Poland or even in Germany. The device seems to be in stock at amazon.co.uk and sony.co.uk but is not available for purchase on either amazon.de or sony.de.
On amazon.de it states " Dieser Artikel ist noch nicht verfügbar." which means "this item is not yet available" and on Sony.de it states "Verfügbar ab Ende August' or "available from end of August. This is unacceptable, Sony stated in the press release as follows
The new Walkman® NWZ-E580 and NWZ-E380 video MP3 players from Sony are available in Europe from July.
Last time I checked, both Germany and Poland were in Europe and July has long gone passed. I checked some other European Sony sites and the end of August seems to be a universal date of availability. At times it feels is if Sony has set the Walkman brand aside as a separate entity and would rather it be absorbed into its smartphone lineup. With the new Honami smartphone debuting at IFA and supposedly sporting a S-master amp but who knows if it will be as good as the one on the Z and F series.
If no new walkmans debut at IFA, be it android or the stock walkman OS, then perhaps the hopes of a stand alone walkman brand may be history.
An extra month doesn't seems that bad, considering you are getting it before the rest of the world. But I'm counting on at least a new A series announced in September.
ReplyDeleteThis is true but my next walkman might not be a walkman at all, but the new honami smartphone with the s-master amp. Would also love a new A series with NFC that could link to a Sony smartphone where I could exchange songs or playlists or download new songs to it.
ReplyDeleteAfter having finally made the switch from a "dumbphone" to a smartphone, I have to say that I still prefer to have a separate, standalone, high-end, dedicated PMP. I know there are very few of us left, but I wish Sony would still cater to this small niche (it shouldn't be too expensive in terms of development, since they produce audio technology anyway, and can free-ride on their phones division for OS and stuff). I don't like my phone's battery drained by intensive use as a PMP. Moreover, I don't like to carry around a large screen (4.3'' in my current Z walkman is too big for a telephone, for me), but I frequently like to watch youtube videos when I'm relaxing, and a large screen is good for that. I would also purchase a smaller, non-Android PMP for occasions when I need a more portable set up. And -perhaps a very minor, idiosyncratic issue- I don't like that my leisure device receives calls. I don't like being interrupted in my listening by calls. So if Sony stops supporting the Walkman brand (outside Japan, at least; in Japan it looks very healthy, if one's to judge by the wealth of accessories and models available), then I'll have to switch to Cowon, or even to some more expensive audio specialist (iBasso and the like). Ascariss, thanks for the blog. It's awesome. I hope that you don't give up on it if you switch to Hogami or whatever is called the latest smartphone. Cheers.
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