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Rabu, 27 April 2011

Sony Tablet PCs S1 & S2 with WiFi, 3G & 4G Features Launched in India

Sony Corp. announced its plans to join the Tablet PC bandwagon as it looks to cash in the on the rising popularity of the device globally.

The Japanese electronics giant's tablet device will run on the Android platform, Kunimasa Suzuki, deputy president of Sony told reporters in Tokyo today.

S1 & S2 Features & Specifications:

The S1 model will feature a 9.4-inch liquid-crystal display (LCD), as well as front and rear cameras. The S2 laptop-shaped model will have dual 5.5-inch screens and feature cameras, Sony said.

Sales of tablet devices are expected to quadruple to about 294 million units between 2011 and 2015, with Android-based products capturing half of the market, according to research firm Gartner.

Sony's rivals, including Samsung, LG, Motorola and HTC have already launched or are in the process of introducing their tablets running on Android operating system.

Canada's Research IN Motion (RIM), which makes the BlackBerry smartphones, recently unveiled its Playbook tablet in the US.

Tablet sales surged to more than 10.3 million units last year from 90,000 in 2009, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

Apple sold a total of 14.8 million iPads through December 2010, generating US$9.6bn in sales since its introduction in April.

"Sony Tablet", equipped with the latest Android 3.0, will become available in the global market starting in fall 2011.

Both tablets are WiFi and WAN (3G/4G) compatible.

Source: Sony

Sony Tablet PCs S1 & S2 with WiFi, 3G & 4G Features Launched in India

Sony Corp. announced its plans to join the Tablet PC bandwagon as it looks to cash in the on the rising popularity of the device globally.

The Japanese electronics giant's tablet device will run on the Android platform, Kunimasa Suzuki, deputy president of Sony told reporters in Tokyo today.

S1 & S2 Features & Specifications:

The S1 model will feature a 9.4-inch liquid-crystal display (LCD), as well as front and rear cameras. The S2 laptop-shaped model will have dual 5.5-inch screens and feature cameras, Sony said.

Sales of tablet devices are expected to quadruple to about 294 million units between 2011 and 2015, with Android-based products capturing half of the market, according to research firm Gartner.

Sony's rivals, including Samsung, LG, Motorola and HTC have already launched or are in the process of introducing their tablets running on Android operating system.

Canada's Research IN Motion (RIM), which makes the BlackBerry smartphones, recently unveiled its Playbook tablet in the US.

Tablet sales surged to more than 10.3 million units last year from 90,000 in 2009, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

Apple sold a total of 14.8 million iPads through December 2010, generating US$9.6bn in sales since its introduction in April.

"Sony Tablet", equipped with the latest Android 3.0, will become available in the global market starting in fall 2011.

Both tablets are WiFi and WAN (3G/4G) compatible.

Source: Sony

Selasa, 22 Maret 2011

KILLZONE 3 review

Remember the original Killzone on PlayStation 2, the game that was hyped up by the gaming-press, as a Halo-killer? Well upon released it was quickly put in its place. Killzone 2 was similarly hyped, this time by Sony with the infamous target-render E3 video, but at least the game delivered. Gamers and critics loved it with equal measure. Can Guerrilla continue the momentum they started with Killzone 2?

As a review that focuses extensively on the single player campaign of Killzone 3, I will be forced to focus on the story. Story hasn't been the strongest point of developers of first person shooter games. Well with the help of Wikipedia, I am caught up with the world of Killzone and how the Helghan forces were wronged by the ISA at first, then decided to get revenge by invading a planet that was rightfully theirs only to be repelled and invaded by the ISA. Killzone 3 is a continuation of the story left from Killzone 2.

Killzone 3 has flying pests this time round

You play a character called Sev who bears much resemblance to a typical clichéd version of a video gaming marine, with a ridiculous haircut. This Sev person is accompanied by his marine grunt called Rico who swears a lot like a kid who just learnt cussing. Sev and Rico are kinda interchangeable in that both talks tough and prefer to shoot first ask questions later. Both are on the side of the ISA. While you control Sev during the entire campaign, Rico is almost always by your side if only to give you the medical help you sometimes need. Perhaps rather worryingly and annoyingly, you can't kill Rico off permanently, though you can injure him enough so he would not interfere.

Killzone 3's storyline is only there to serve the gameplay. The story is plain ridiculous and character development almost none existent. Despite six hours of pretty average story telling, the developers has even managed to reward the player with an abrupt and most unsatisfactory ending. Even the voice acting is bad, though perhaps this is also the fault of such an average script. Killzone 3 is one of those video games that makes me think why some developers even bother trying to tell a story. If developers like Valve and Naughty Dog (yeah, I know they don't make FPS games) can mix good stories with good gameplay, why can't Guerrilla?

Swap assault rifles for a rampaging mech? Don't mind if I do

As a friend of mine said, first person shooters aren't about the story. I disagree - I think they can have a good story - it's just that most mainstream gamers do not expect them any more. But moving on from story, has Killzone 3 changed my mind about console FPS gaming in terms of gameplay? Yes indeed it has. Controls were fluid, aiming was simple and while they were moments of inaccuracy, for much of the game I felt in total control. The only issue I have is the cover system, which isn't at all helpful. The game also supports Six Axis motion controller, but fortunately are only limited to a very small portion of unnecessary gameplay. Sony's PlayStation Move controller is also supported, but I've no such peripheral to test the game with.

There are plenty of weapon to choose from. You can only carry three weapons, a pistol, rifle and some special really awesome big ones like the WASPS rocket launcher which secondary fire can destroy tanks, or if you want to, bombard a large group a Helghast enemies together. Each weapon is as satisfying to fire as the next. My highlight is probably the bolt gun. Hit an enemy with one and they fly away and get stuck to a wall, blood splattered all around the body. Killzone 3 is an incredibly violent and visceral game. The brutal melee system in particular provides the player with a gruesome detail on how to kill an enemy combatant.

There is plenty of satisfaction in firing a WASPS rocket launcher

I found the A.I. of the enemies to be impressive. They hide whenever they spot you. If you do not time your grenade throw properly, they will scatter away to safety. During gun battles, they will attempt to sneak up behind you if there is a route, or flee to a better cover spot. Shoot that cover spot away and they will find another one. Your war buddies are equally clever, though they sometimes charge up at enemies without thinking ahead. However for most of the campaign they hold back, take cover measure and will even attempt to revive you if there is a chance. Some NCPs can not be killed, but you can always delay reviving them especially if you decide they are getting in the way rather than helping.

Despite the mediocre storyline, it keeps the pacing well in checked. Levels are divided into chapters with a suitable variety of locations to keep the average gamer interested. You get to play as a gunner of a tank, hover ship and space fighter (all on-rails); and control Exos, a mech exoskeleton. In one level Sev also gets hold of a Helghast jetpack. While the jetpack created some interesting set pieces, it was slow and I was glad to be rid of it. The jetpack is also available in a multiplayer map. There are no boss levels in Killzone 3, apart from perhaps the one with the gigantic MAWR. In one level the gameplay pace changes to that of stealth, though there is no stopping you if you wish to charge in.

Environment is stunningly detailed

Visually Killzone 3 is easily one of the most stunning games I've played on the PS3. Despite the environmental effect, hundreds of bullets wheezing by and explosions, the game hardly stutters. Frame rate is consistent apart from the few odd moments. Locations from nuclear wasteland, to the arctic landscape and alien jungle were all beautifully rendered. Cover areas can be shot at and thus exposed, and the tiles and plasters on pillars stripped away but as a whole Killzone 3 does not feature destructible environment. Despite the attention to detail, there is hardly any time admire the fantastic artwork when shooting at wave and wave of enemy troops.

Killzone 3's multiplayer support includes local splitscreen co-op (which I was unable to test) and typical traditional multiplayer components. These includes Guerilla Warfare (classic team death match), Warzone (objective based such as capture, search and assassination) and Operations (defend and assault). Players can choose from five classes: Engineer, Tactician, Infiltrator , Marksman and Field Medic, all of which have their own abilities. For example Medics can treat team members who are close to death while Engineers will come in handy in repairing broken turrets. Infiltrators on the other hand has the ability to disguise themselves as so on. You get to unlock new weapons for the class of your choice using skill points earned while fighting in the said class.

I've not played a game with such intensity and epicness as Killzone 3 in a long time. If you are a first person shooter fan and is willing to excuse the forgettable plot, this may just be the game for you. With local co-op and extensive multiplayer component, Killzone 3 represents great value for those looking for pure action and fun.

7/10 (single player score) 8/10 (overall)

Killzone 3 is available now for PlayStation 3. Buy it from Amazon UK or Amazon.com and you will be supporting this blog.

Thanks to Sony Computers Entertainment Europe for providing us with a copy of Killzone 3

KILLZONE 3 review

Killzone 3 has flying pests this time round

Swap assault rifles for a rampaging mech? Don't mind if I do

There is plenty of satisfaction in firing a WASPS rocket launcher

Environment is stunningly detailed

Selasa, 01 Maret 2011

Killzone 3 Ultimate Recruit

Killzone 3 was released in the UK last week. The PS3 exclusive game, developed internally by Gureilla, has been gathering rave reviews. I've played the demo, and if you are a PS3 gamer I am sure you have. Based on the demo, I honestly believe this may be the most polished console first person shooter game out there - and I don't normally play console FPS games.

In any case, as part of Sony Computer Entertainment's grand Killzone 3 launch, they have opened a competition called the Killzone 3 Ultimate Recruit. Those who pass the Ultimate Recruit Training Program are being given the chance to fire a real life Helghast weapon over a live range remotely and win a couple of cool prices.

For a chance to take part to shoot the real Helghast weapon, you will need head there and sign up, then complete all the training missions. The first 500 to do so will earn the right to remotely control the weapon. Be the highest scoring recruit and you will win a paid trip this this year's E3 in LA!

I've bagged a pass to fire one of this bad ass weapon, and will report here once I am done.

Killzone 3 Ultimate Recruit

Kamis, 17 Februari 2011

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play first impression

Yesterday evening I had a hands-on with Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play (the "PlayStation" phone) at the London #XperiaMWC event.

The Xperia Play is the only new Xperia not to share the same DNA as the Pro, Arc and Neo. It doesn't have a Bravia reality engine, nor does it have the cracking 8MP Exmor R backlit sensor that graces the back of the other Xperia phones.

As a gaming device, the Xperia Play houses a slider that contains the gamepad, not too dissimilar to Sony's PSP Go. Here you will find the four directional pad, dual touchpad (to simulate dual-analog on PS1 games), four action buttons (with classic none-coloured PlayStation shapes), start/select buttons and a another button that I assume emulates the analog button of the original PlayStation Dual Analog controller.

I found the buttons to be small. In fact smaller even than those you find on the original DS Lite. Tactile feedback isn't particularly good, particularly the shoulder trigger buttons. It isn't the most comfortable portable console out there, though I do have to stress that it is the only modern (and small) smartphone with a built-in gamepad.

The body was mainly made of plastic (in fact all the Xperias were mainly made of plastic). This was likely a design decision to not only keep costs down, but also to keep the weight down. Fortunately while it felt cheap, the built quality was great. The slider was solid and did not wobble or creak. How long will it last is another matter.

The Xperia Play contains an ageing Adreno 205 GPU and 1Ghz Scorpion processor. While no slouch by itself, the effect of using such an outdated architecture was immediately felt when gaming. Games like Asphalt 6 was slow to boot and suffered from frame drop outs. Not only that but I took issue with how Gameloft did not optimise the interface to be used with the gamepad. At times I am required to use the d-pad to navigate and sometimes I am forced to use the touchscreen.

On the upside it was obvious how much the gamepad (however bad it is) improves upon mobile gaming. Touchscreen gaming gaining traction lately, but the lack of controls has always hindered gameplay. Even a simple Gameloft game (and people know how much I hate Gameloft games), was much more enjoyable because I do not have to resort to on-screen buttons to do tasks, or use the dreadful accelerometer to move. I see more of the screen as well as it isn't blocked by the large thumbs.

No doubt by the time the Xperia Play launches, games optimised for the Xperia Play's architecture and unique gamepad will appear. Only time will tell if gamers will be tempted to ditch their PSP and DS, or away from the 3DS and pending PSP2/NGP for the Xperia Play, but for everyone else - the lure of the PlayStation brand could sell them this device, or at least that is what Sony Ericsson are hoping.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Play first impression

Rabu, 26 Januari 2011

Sony PSP2 NGP unveiled

Sony today announced the PSP2 codenamed, Next Generation Portable (NPG). So far the following specs has been confirmed:

Quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor (clock speed not revealed)
SGX543MP4+ GPU
5" OLED display with 960x544 resolution (16:9 aspect ratio)
Dual analogue sticks
Front multi-touch touchscreen
Rear multi-touch touchpad
3G and WiFi 802.11b/g/n
Six-axis gyroscope and accelerometer
Three-axis electronic compass for geolocation games and services
Front and back camera for Augmented/Alternative Reality Games (ARG)

The PSP2 NGP will not accept PSP UMDs. Instead Sony has unveiled a new form of flash memory card designed for the PSP2 NGP. Save files will be stored onto these cards, not unlike the methods employed by Nintendo for their portable consoles. The PSP2 NGP is said to be capable of crunching visuals almost on par to that of the PS3.

So far games from the Uncharted, Killzone, Hot Shots Golf, LittleBigPlanet, WipEout, Resistance, Call of Duty franchise has been announced for the PSP2 NGP.

No price has been given, but I think it won't be cheap. It is due out Q4 2011.

Sony PSP2 NGP unveiled

Minggu, 13 Juni 2010

Sony Walkman NWZ-A840 review

The Walkman I am reviewing is the NWZ-A845, which features a rather limited 16GB of storage capacity. The new A-series should have been Sony's premier and flagship Walkman, but for whatever reason Sony decided that the flagship Walkman should remain the X-series, which has an in-vogue touchscreen display. It isn't even cheap (£140 for a 16GB DAP isn't what I would term as value for money these days). The review also applied to the 32GB A846 and 64GB A847 should Sony ever decide to release the damn things here.

If some of these sounds familiar, it is because I've copied and paste of my other Walkman reviews where the features overlapped.

Design

The A840 is solidly built. The front is dominated by a glossy scratch resistant glass with an OLED display beneath it. The rest of the DAP's case is made of some kind of metal, giving it an extremely premium look and feel. The A840's design is a natural progression to their popular S639/S739 DAPs and A820-series. It is also the thinnest Walkman ever built at just 7.2mm deep.

The A840 marks a return of the hardware buttons. This, in my opinion, is a welcomed move as I much prefer the tactile feels of buttons to touchscreen-only devices. You will find the usual volume controls on the side. The bottom contains both the WM-Port USB connector and 3.5mm headphone port. Unfortunately the buttons just aren't as good as the one found on previous Walkman DAPs. They just do not offer the same tactile feedback. But better to have them than none I guess.

Screen

The new A-series features a brilliant looking (better than the X-series in my eyes) 2.8-inch OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display with a resolution of 400x240. This isn't Sony's first OLED PMP (that honours belongs to the Clie VZ90 released way back in 2004), nor their first Walkman with one. The advantage of using OLED is its power requirement, or lack of. OLED works without backlight due to the way its pixels gives off light when electrical current flows through the panel. This negates the need of bulky and power hungry backlight.

Because of the way OLED pixels directly emit light, they show a greater range of colour saturation, higher contrast and has a quicker refresh rate. Even when viewed at a 90 degree angle, the OLED display on the A-series remains equally as stunning as when viewed from the front. Black remains true black, unlike that of a normal LCD display (even one equipped with LED backlight). They also have a faster response time than a standard LCD screen, ideal for watching video. They work okay under the sunlight, no better or worse than most of their modern contemporaries.

UI & Controls

With the A840, Sony has decided to finally updated their none-touch UI to greatly resemble the the X-series. When you first switch it on you will be greeted with the familiar grid layout. It is as intuitive to use as the UI that graced their older none-touchscreen Walkmans.

The previous 'now playing' shortcut that can be toggled anywhere within the system by pressing the 'Options' button has been replaced by 'to playback' shortcut that isn't available everywhere, but a whole a bit more useful than the previous incarnation as it presents more shortcuts depending on where in the system you are on. Tracks can also be added to a 'wish list', which is useful for people with a subscription based music service. For people who likes to purchase CDs (like me), the feature is kinda redundant, but it is there for those who wishes to use it.

The system as a whole felt slightly slower, but I didn't find this a major issue for day to day usage. We are also still cursed with only two custom EQ slots, and the lack of quick find (the table with alphabets is missing) is also irritating, particularly if one is planning on installing hundreds of albums. On the other hand fans of podcasts (fancy word for pre-recorded radio) will be happy that the A840 supports them out of the box.

Bundles

Sony is well known for bundling good sets of headphones with their mid to high end Walkmans, and they did not stop with A840. The headphone bundled here features a design similar to Sony's EX500 and EX700 IEMs with dynamic transducers. This is a hybrid canal earbud that is designed to work with Sony's noise cancelling system. The way the A840's noise cancelling engine works is by analysing the waveform of ambient noise collected via the microphone, and generate a reversed waveform that cancels out the noise. With the A840, you not only have a stock headphone that works pretty good (but not perfect) at cancelling out background noise, but also offers excellent sound quality (in comparison to the majority of bundled headphones).

Features

The A840, unlike the X-series, has almost no extra features really worth mentioning. It is as it is - a no frills music player. Sure there's video support but nobody I knows buy a Walkman for the video. As such there's no silly stuff like YouTube or web browsing support (might as well, there's no WiFi here). There's also a FM radio for those still listening to such things and a folder for your Podcast (amateur radio).

You can't create, edit or delete playlists on the device itself (it must be done on a PC, which isn't really difficult). This is something that irritates many, but to me isn't a huge deal as I don't tend to use playlists a lot. But what I do wish is for Sony to bring back SenseMe, the auto-playlist generator that I loved so much on the S630/S730. It was a brilliant piece of innovation. Another thing I would like Sony to support is last.fm integration.

There is also a TV-out function, but this requires the purchase of a separate cable. The output isn't in HD, so I honestly think this feature is a mere token inclusion and should not be a factor in getting this.

Content

It isn't really that amazing how far Sony has opened up when it comes to their newest and (not so) greatest Walkman. I swear the next person who complains about Sony and SonicStage I would personally... well, I can't slap them through the internet but I would if I could! They have ditched SonicStage for years!

Transferring content is a doodle. The player is MTP compliant, meaning you can just plug it in and immediately start dragging and dropping content into their appropriate folder (up to eight level deep). No proprietary and bloated nonsense like SonicStage or iTunes to worry about. For those who prefer some form of music management software, the A840 supports a hold host of applications including Windows Media Player, Sony Media Manager, iTunes and my personal favourite, MediaMonkey. And you can force it into UMSC mode if you desire. Connecting Walkman DAPs to Windows and Linux machine has never been easier.

Audio

The Walkman supports basic audio codecs such as MP3 up to 320kbps (as well as those encoded in VBR) and WMA. Lossless fans will be disappointed by the lack FLAC, WMA Lossless or even ATRAC3 Lossless. Gapless is also sorely missing, which in the case of this blogger, is more of an irritant than something crucial. The only way to play full CD quality music (including gapless) is through Linear PCM (not a problem with 64GB, but dear Sony release the darn thing already!). A couple of sound effects are present for those who likes to tinker around including the 5-band equalisers (four presets and two user definable, and great as ever), VTP Surround setting (which I advice to ignore), DSEE (this is only useful for low bitrate files), Clear Stereo and Dynamic Normalizer.

Sound quality

Out of the box, the A840 is one of the best sounding DAP on the market. This is because of the bundled ANC headphones which surpasses many (if not all) usual bundled headphones. You will need to set aside at least £30-40 to gain any sort of improvements, and even then it would only be slightly.

Now, the most important bit: how it sounds with a high quality headphone (in this case the reference headphone I used here would be my old and trusty Sennheiser IE 8). With the X-series, there was a very very slight hiss compared to the S630/S730 series. With the A840 the hiss has gone. Yes gone. I have never been bothered by the hiss on the X-series, but it is nice to know that it isn't audible on the new A840.

Sound signature is similar to the X-series and it should, they share the same S-master technology.

Like the X-series, the sound signature isn't neutral (based on my limited knowledge on what actually defines neutral...). Again it is pleasantly warm, unlike how you would expect from a 'digital amp', and exactly like how you would expect a Sony to sound. The amp here isn't as powerful (or it may be a bureaucratic decision) as the one that powered the X-series or S730/S630. With the old X-series I rarely ever go above 12/30 (max 15 before it gets too loud), but with the A830 I would need go increase it to 20s to get to a comparable loudness. Not a problem with my IE 8, but this may be an issue with people with more demanding headphones.

Clarity wise there is nothing wrong with the A840. Everything is tight and clean and the bass is powerful (at the sufficient volume). Bass head will be pleased to find that the Clear Bass setting is ever present (3 notches). Two user customisable EQ slots are available, in addition to the presets. The EQ is unsurprisingly effective and scales well. I know some audiophiles may scoff at the use of EQ, but whatever the EQ here does not distort the sound at all. On the other hand I suggest steering clear of other audio enhancements like DSEE and Clear Stereo, especially if you have good quality rips. Sound quality is good, but not on par with the X-series.

Sony has set the bar very high with the X-series, so the A840 always had plenty to prove. Unfortunately whilst the A840 is very good, it just isn't quite as good as the X-series. The headphone-out quality is still brilliant but because the amp is comparatively weaker, you wouldn't want to use it with a more demanding headphone.

Battery

I've never had a problem with any Walkman when it comes to their respective battery life. From their classic Walkman to MiniDisc players, it just isn't an issue. With the A840 series, Sony claims a battery life of 30 hours for audio playback. This will be sufficient for most people. Based on my experiences with other Walkmans (and I had many) I've no reason to doubt the claim.

Conclusion

The NWZ-A840 is a pretty darn looking Walkman. It has style and it delivers where it should - the sound quality. But in typical Sony fashion, they had to remove the one other feature which would have made this a hit - the higher capacity models.

The A840-series was supposed to be a strong follow up to the immensely brilliant X-series, a potentially great product that could help Sony gain back market share. But by not releasing the 32GB and 64GB options here, Sony has given owners of 32GB X-series and 16GB S-series no legitimate reasons to upgrading. Great sound quality isn't enough. The X-series sounds just as good, is more powerful and comes with more features and finally - is available at a larger capacity.

It is a good player, trust me on this, but there are better alternatives out there by Sony. I honestly do not understand Sony. They are made up of some of the best engineers in the world (when it comes to consumer electronics at least) and come up with a great sounding product, but decide to cripple their products with arbitrary limitations like volume and limited storage.

The limited volume should not be a problem if you are using a IEM, and I can recommend the A845 if you are fine with 16GB and do not mind the fiddly buttons. Otherwise spring more for the X1060 32GB.

+ Fantastic sound quality
+ Fantastic OLED screen
+ Amazing build quality
+ Good ANC bundled headphones
+ Good battery life
+ Drag and drop
+ Quick navigation and UI
- No gapless for MP3/AAC/WMA files
- No compressed lossless playback (in NWZ versions)
- Some functionalities not brought over from previous A/S-series
- Accessories a bit hard to come by
- None replaceable battery
- No 32/64GB available

Sony Walkman NWZ-A840 review

Rabu, 19 Mei 2010

Sony Walkman NWZ-A840 UI demo

Here's a quick video I recorded earlier, demonstrating the new Walkman NWZ-A840 series's UI. The UI is heavily borrowed from the touchscreen based X-series DAP, features a couple of downgrades when compared to the basic looking but highly intuitive one found previously on the A810, S630, S730 and others.

The previous 'now playing' shortcut that can be toggled anywhere within the system by pressing the 'Options' button has been replaced by 'to playback' shortcut that isn't available everywhere, but a whole a bit more useful than the previous incarnation as it presents more shortcuts depending on where in the system you are on. Tracks can also be added to a 'wishlist', which is useful for people with a subscription based music service. For people who likes to purchase CDs (like me), the feature is kinda redundant, but it is there for those who wishes to use it.

The system as a whole felt slightly slower, but I didn't find this a major issue for day to day usage. We are also still cursed with only two custom EQ slots, and the lack of quick find (the table with alphabets is missing) is also irritating, particularly if one is planning on installing hundreds of albums. On the other hand fans of podcasts (fancy word for pre-recorded radio) will be happy that the A840 supports them out of the box.

You can't create, edit or delete playlists on the device itself (it must be done on a PC, which isn't really difficult). This is something that irritates many, but to me isn't a huge deal as I don't tend to use playlists a lot. But what I do wish is for Sony to bring back SenseMe, the auto-playlist generator that I loved on the S630/S730. It was a brilliant piece of application.

So one step forward, but two steps backwards. Not good Sony.

Sony Walkman NWZ-A840 UI demo

Sabtu, 15 Mei 2010

Sony Walkman NWZ-A840 first impressions

I've only been listening to the Sony Walkman NWZ-A840 series for a couple of hours and has so far I've been impressed by it. The sound quality is pretty good, but I'll give it two weeks of intense listening and comparison with other DAPs before I comment further.

The amp here isn't as powerful (or it may be a bureaucratic decision) as the one that powered the X-series or S730/S630 that much is true. With the old X-series I rarely need to go above volume 15/30, but with the A830 I would need go increase it to 20s to get a comparable loudness. Not a problem with my IE 8, but this may be an issue with people with more demanding headphones. I haven't touched the bundled headphones yet, but they look good and should sound better than most bundled headphones. I still suggest investing in an aftermarket higher end headphone.

Build quality wise, the A840 passes with flying colours. The OLED screen is dominated by a visible glass layer that gives it an extra class though I worry about the durability (plastic is generally more crash-proof than glass). The buttons on the front are nicely build but do not provide enough feedback. It should have been raised so as to provide a better tactile experience for people who want to control it 'blindly'.

Transferring music is quick! Despite being connected via MTP, it is so much quicker to move music onto the A840 compared to the X1060. More later!

Just a note on Sony's confusing way of naming products: NW means it is for Japan and NWZ is the international version. A840 is the series as a whole and the last digit represents the storage capacity. So A845 is for 16GB, A846 for 32GB (so far only available in Asia Pacific and Japan) and A847 is for 64GB (which does not exist outside of Japan).

hot gadget review and price

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