Sony OLED Walkman NWZ-X1000 eyes-on

We've been trying to get a legitimate hands-on with Sony's OLED-infused Walkman since we first caught the device on Wednesday, but security's been super tight in the Sony booth and we couldn't distract anyone long enough to unscrew the casing. So we can't get an actual hands-on with the Walkman, but we don't need to touch it to know that the OLED is seriously gorgeous and the UI looks super crisp. Sony's reluctance to pull this out of its casing seems to show the player's not ready for primetime, but we'll keep trying to get something a bit more gratifying.

Update: Engadget Spanish got a video of the device in action, so check after the jump if you wanna see more and learn a little español.

Gallery: Sony OLED Walkman NWZ-X1000 eyes-on

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

[ropeburn @ Jan 10th 2009 4:49PM]

report back once they let you play with it....
it' looks good, but we expected OLED to be dripping with the hotness.
price? if oled makes a tv/monitor like 4x the price is it the same
factor for a pmp?

[Cookie @ Jan 10th 2009 4:53PM]

I'm confused..Didn't Gizmodo get a hands-on with this thing? Yet, you guys can't? O.o Anyways, I'm hoping the price on this thing isn't 400+ just because its oled :[

[Dave Chappelle @ Jan 10th 2009 10:29PM]

Probably because Engadget have bashed many Sony products in the past.. they are getting better though maybe if they start visiting more Sony events and sacrifice just 1 or 2 out of the 1000 Apple events they attend every year they will get some R. E. S. P. E. C. T.

[MaxSMoke @ Jan 10th 2009 5:16PM]

That is a lovely screen, but how can it compare to the Widget-ee goodness of the Samsung P3. Also, no OGG support. I'll take a slightly less amazing screen for the fist full of features the P3 has. So sweet!

[helloUser @ Jan 10th 2009 5:40PM]

Does anyone know what the battery life on this thing is? Its really the only peice of info i cant seem to find on it, and also one of the most important for any major player. I have a feeling, as mentioned by the blogger here that if sony is reluctant to pull it out of its casing because its not ready for prime time, and the canadian release date is may as stated by sony.ca, then battery life times may change.

Heres to hoping it lasts 30 hours more, a very good amount for a portable digital audio player.

[Shugg @ Jan 10th 2009 6:08PM]

wow ,.not sure what to get Sony or touch,.??I want something that will allow car integration thru steering wheel controls,remote control docks etc,.,.what should I get,.???

[Edinator @ Jan 10th 2009 5:48PM]

It said $299 for a 16GB and $399 for the 32 GB. I'll buy one when the price comes down a bit. My main concern is the software. If it is drag and drop then i'm buying one for sure.

[helloUser @ Jan 10th 2009 5:51PM]

It most likely is and will be, for the past couple (or more) years all of Sony's Walkman branded mp3 players have been drag and drop. I too will be all over it, I'm on a Mac and can't stand iPods + iTunes.

[Temple @ Jan 10th 2009 6:09PM]

All recent Walkmans have been drag-and-drop. So it'll be compatible with WMP, WinAmp, or whatever else you like.

[Edinator @ Jan 10th 2009 6:18PM]

Well I have one of the walkmans with the drag and drop. I was just hoping they wouldn't revert back to that crappy sonicstage...

[xValentine @ Jan 11th 2009 1:28AM]

That's what I like about Walkmans, the drag and drop.

I own an iPod and hate the iPod+iTunes combination to add music/videos. And so the Zune+Zune Software. (Which is much worst, so I sold my Zune).

[Mobius_1 @ Jan 10th 2009 6:16PM]

"security's been super tight"

I though Ryan Block was secretly a ninja? Can't he possibly do something about the security? :)

[Shugg @ Jan 10th 2009 6:43PM]

I'm a dee dee deee,.what to get touch or Sony ,.?I just want something I can dock withremote controll thru my yamaha surround sound ,.n that will play videos thru my 7" pioneer car stereo, steering wheel control , that's it,.

[JamesDean @ Jan 10th 2009 6:49PM]

Looking good, really good. OLED is stunning. I have a CLIX2 with OLED and its ridiculous how black black is and how high actions clips look sooo good.

I have an older Sony mp3 player, the S2, which required sonic stage. It wasn't terrible, but the drm nature of I could live without. The newer models all support MTP, so you could drag and drop. Though you can't truly drag and drop just any files (only supported media files), since it's not MSC (think usb flash drive, any files possible).

Sony mp3 players are by far some of the best sounding off the shelf players. But judging by the current popular players, you can tell sounds quality takes a back seat.

If it supports Vorbis, FLAC, xvid, i'm sold. But judging by Sony history, slim change...

[tekdroid @ Jan 10th 2009 7:03PM]

*Interesting texture / colour.
*OLED should mean great screen with less power draw
*no removable battery or storage, that I can tell (rather use my PSP, despite size of unit and lesser screen (and quite likely less battery life); at least these things can be replaced and upgraded for long-term use. It also plays games and unit costs is lower, too (albeit with burden of zero storage and less brilliant screen).
*AAC, MP3, WMA and WAV codec support (still no FLAC http://flac.sourceforge.net and Ogg Vorbis http://www.vorbis.com . It's 2009, Sony. Tired codec support in a 'premium' product? Your competitors are doing better.)
*edges a bit harsh (not rounded enough for easier pocket slippage), otherwise, OK.
*touch panel and buttons (good; better than just touch panel)
*Sony digital amp (this thing will probably sound good)
*noise cancelling (sounds useful)

Non-removable storage and battery (unless I'm mistaken) is very disappointing. What is Sony's out-of-warranty price on replacement batteries after they have reached 300-500 charge cycles and can no longer hold suitable charge?

At least Apple gives us this information (far be it for me to promote them but credit where it's due):
http://www.apple.com/batteries/replacements.html

[Dave Chappelle @ Jan 10th 2009 10:31PM]

Ye Apple does give us the information BUT APPLES PRODUCT IS ALREADY ON THE MARKET.

[Jim @ Jan 11th 2009 1:03AM]

I thought it was possible to do drag and drop on an iPod if you had iTunes installed and the device attached to the computer.

(I use third party software to load music on my iPod so I wouldn't know for sure)

[ramracer @ Jan 10th 2009 8:09PM]

Between the 3 pmp's i've seen: the memorex TouchMP, the P3, and this, why is memorex the only one to have expandable storage?

[PorkChopExpress @ Jan 11th 2009 9:32PM]

Consider me sold if....
Sony finally gives the Walkman the ability to do on-the-fly playlists! Not sure why it's so hard to add this feature. I hate having to plug my Walkman into my computer and make playlists ahead of time. Nice to be able to queue up albums/songs when you're out and about.

[Ackbar @ Jan 14th 2009 12:36AM]

At last! I hope Sony makes this PMP a real contender of the iPod. I really like my Sony mp3 and for what I'ved heard it sounds way better than the Zune and iPod.