IFA 2014 Preview

Link for Live Stream on September 3 @ 16:15 CET

We are at that time of the year again when tech is front and centre in the news. When I was posting the preview for 2013, I was not expecting much of anything from the Walkman but Sony threw a surprise and introduced the updated F-Series and the ZX1.

Budget Headphone Review: Sony MDR-V150 and Sony MDR-EX15

A family member needed a good cheap pair of headphones for a flight back home.  There was not much on offer at the Sony Centre but I decided to grab 2 different models, the MDR-V150 and MDR-EX15 in case the person would have wanted in ear or over the ear.  Prices were 19 Euros for the V150s, and 11 Euros for the EX15s.

Korean RRA Certification for Sony M-Series

Although Sony Europe has not officially released the M-Series, it is already present and ready to pre-order on the various EU Sony sites.  I have checked other Sony websites around the world and found nothing yet but the Korean RRA have certified the M-Series.

Sony Europe Introduces the M-Series, quietly (NWZ-M504)

Sony Europe has quietly introduced the M-Series Walkman that is already on sale in Japan.  Unlike the model in Japan which tops out at 16GB, the international model will only ship in 8 GB and black.  The international model is identical to the Japanese one, except no ATRAC support.

Korean RRA Certification for New Sony A-Series

The Korean FCC, the RRA, has certified the new A-Series (A10) this week.  Hopefully some images leak soon, but I doubt it.  I can't seem to find the new devices on any retailer sites as I write this, this could indicate a much later availability date, either late September or early October.

Sony WS-Series to come with a remote?

 

I stumbled upon a certification from a Russian website (link dead) for the new WS-Series and it seems there might be a remote for the new Walkman.

Sony to introduce cheaper MDR-ZX550BN headphones?

This past April, Sony introduced the new MDR-ZX750BN headphones with Bluetooth and built in noise cancellation.  At 149 euros, they are not that expensive but reviews have not been that stellar regarding the noise cancellation feature.

Sony Japan releases 'GazettE' edition S and F-Series Walkmans

Starting today, August 4th, Sony will begin accepting orders for the limited edition GazettE S and F-Series Walkmans.   The models will be available in Sony store retail locations starting August 5th, at Ginza, Osaka, and Nagoy.

Sony ZX1 Coming to Canada in Mid September

Good news for Walkman fans in Canada, it appears that the new ZX1 will soon be on sale and available in mid September, 16th September according to Sony.ca.  Unfortunately the price is also rather high as with other countries, at 749.99 CAD, it is not cheap but much less expensive than in Europe, where it retails at 689 euros, or slightly above 1000 CAD. The difference in price is around 200 CAD, but this is rather significant and either means the European model is overpriced or the Canadian model is underpriced.

Sony B-Series on sale in Canada

 

It looks like Sony Canada introduced the new B-Series recently since it is on sale and available in red or black, at 2 GB for $39.99.  A quiet introduction follows the European launch as well.  Not sure why only 2GB, guess the larger capacity models did not sell that well in the past.