Sony unveils unique Walkman speaker docks with Wi-Fi
updated 09:10 am EDT, Fri April 9, 2010
Sony Walkman docks stream Shoutcast radio
Sony late Thursday put out a slew of new Walkman speaker docks in its native country that each achieve something rare. The NAS-V5 and NAS-V7M both have Wi-Fi built-in and will stream Internet radio either from 9,000 pre-programmed vTuner stations or any Shoutcast MP3 broadcast. They both have CD players and can even rip CDs directly to a Walkman while it's attached; the V7M can also rip music directly to 16GB of built-in storage.
The two range leaders have AM/FM radios and put out about 15W of total power.
An unusual portable entry, the RDP-NWV500, is meant for the cupholder of a car and uses a cone-shaped design that is said to put out its 16W of sound as effectively as a regular speaker system while providing conveniences for drivers. A ring-shaped volume controller lets the driver boost sound without having to look, Sony has explained. It has its own cradle for use at home and can be run off of a car's 12V port in addition to the usual wall outlet.
Rounding out the line, the RDP-NW1 is an adaptation of the popular iPod dock for the Walkman and still has the same AM/FM radio and controls as the earlier device.
The two Internet-capable radios will be available June 26th for the equivalents of $428 for the V5 and $535 for the V7M. The NWV500 and NW1 should be available April 24th and will respectively cost about $214 and $139.
Top to bottom: NAS-V5/V7M, RDP-NWV500, RDP-NW1
