Engineering:Walkman X Series

Sony Walkman X Series

Manufacturer	Sony Corporation
Type	Portable Media Player
Operating system	Sony Proprietary OS
Storage	16 GB (NWZ-X1051) 32 GB (NWZ-X1061)
Display	3" OLED Touch Screen 432x240 262,144 Colors
Connectivity	WM-PORT USB 2.0 Compliant Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b/g)
Power	Li-Ion Battery non user replaceable
Dimensions	2.13 x 3.87 x 0.38 inches
Mass	3.5 oz.
Predecessor	Sony Walkman A Series
Successor	Sony Walkman Z Series
Related articles	Walkman

The Walkman X series is a portable music player designed by Sony Inc. It is the flagship model in the Walkman digital player family as of 2009. The model debuted in Japan in April 2009, and then became available in North America, Europe, China and other places. The X series is available in 16 GB and 32 GB versions (USA model:NWZ-X1051 and NWZ-X1061). A limited version of Walkman X series was released in Japan only with slightly different design and higher price. Walkman X series is the first Sony flash memory based Walkman that features OLED display, touch screen and S-Master digital amplifier technologies.

Design

The design features a glass front screen cover (as opposed to the more usual plastic). The side has a granite-like texture supposedly to improve grip. It measures 3.8 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.4 inch and weighs 98g. Although primarily designed for touch screen operation, it has play/pause and track shuttle buttons on the top side, and a volume rocker on the right edge. The bottom contains the proprietary WM-Port-to-USB connector and the hold switch is on the back.

Control and Navigation

The player uses a tilted scrolling effect for video and album art. The user navigates through the items stored on the Walkman by sliding the fingers over the screen and tapping to select an item. The separate buttons for volume, play and track navigation allow use in a pocket or by the visually impaired. The main functions are laid out as icons on the main screen. 'Music Menu' lists songs, artists, albums and genres. A soft key that at the bottom of all music screens allows selection of various sub-menus, including a folder browser option.

Sound Quality

Sony claims that the audio and video quality of the X series is the best ever in the history of Walkman models. It has an S-Master amplifier which is a form of Switching amplifier (also known as Class D). It also features some proprietary Sony technologies including DSEE (to predict and restore high frequencies lost during audio compression), Clear Bass (to enhance bass levels while minimizing distortion at high volume) and Clear Stereo (to provide improved channel separation with open type headphones). There is also a built in ambient-noise cancelling feature which cancels noise picked up from small microphones on the outside of the supplied earphones. These technologies are forms of Digital Signal Processing.

Internet Browser

The Walkman X player is the first Sony Walkman to have an internet browser; the only other Sony portable device with an internet browser is the Sony PSP. The device doesn't support flash video, although it has a separate application for YouTube video playback. The browser is based on NetFront. The user can search on the web for a song in the player with YouTube or Yahoo! search directly via the "Related Links" feature.

Specifications

• 3.0 inch OLED screen, 432x240 pixels resolution, 262.000 colors.
• Battery life: up to 33 hours on music playback or 9 hours on video playback. Battery fully charged in three hours.
• FM Radio.
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g.
• Music files: MP3, WMA, AAC up to 320kbit/s, WAV, and VBR files.
• Video files: H.264, MPEG-4 (.mp4), WMV.
• Image files: JPEG.
• Sound systems: S-Master amplifier, DSEE, Noice Cancelling System, Clear Stereo.
• Features: Web browser, Related section, wallpaper customization, RSS reader, Podcasts support, Noise Cancelling system.
• Capacity: 16 or 32GB flash memory.
• Design and colors: Granite imitation pattern in black and silver (buttons and details)