Sony readies A820-series Walkmen
updated 03:50 pm EST, Tue February 19, 2008
Sony A820-series Walkmen
Representatives at Sony Europe have announced a new series of Walkman media players, the NWZ-A820s (not pictured). Each is equipped with a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, capable of displaying video at up to 30fps; for more comfortable viewing, orientation on images can be switched between left, right or vertical. Supported video types include MPEG-4 and H.264/AVC, although photos are limited to the JPEG format.
Compatible audio codecs include MP3, WMA and unprotected AAC. The players have additionally been armed with stereo Bluetooth transmitters, enabling audio streaming to external speakers, using track display where available. Models are being divided into 4, 8 and 16GB sizes; in each case battery life extends up to 10 hours of video or 36 hours of music, but only with Bluetooth off. When it is on, life shrinks to 7 hours of video or 15 hours of music. The A820s should go on sale in April.
