25 July 2006
The new compact, portable and colourful range of direct USB Walkman plays 3 hours of non-stop music with only 3 minutes of charging

25 Dubai, July 2006 - Integrating cutting-edge style with essential functionalities, Sony Gulf FZE announced the latest Walkman E series.  Presenting Sony's super quick charge battery that requires only three minutes of charge time for three hours of non-stop playback music in ATRAC at 132Kbps[1], it is one of the fastest battery recharges in the market. In addition, the Walkman E series serves 28 hours[2] of music in ATRAC3 format and 27 hours[3] in MP3 format with Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. This series enhances the existing range of Walkman digital music players, providing unsurpassed sound quality in an easy-to-use and stylish design.

Encased in a slim and compact size measuring a mere 79mm in height and weighing only 25g, the light and portable Walkman E series can be slipped into any pocket for quick music on the go anywhere, anytime. With a selection of 512MB, 1GB and 2GB in flash memory, listeners can choose one that fits their requirements. Available in four different colours consisting of pink, violet, black and green, the new Walkman E series pampers music lovers with choices for a more customized look and feel in today's digital music players.  For quick and easy sharing of music, the direct USB connector offers speedy download from the computer without any messy wires.

"Sony once again combines fashion and essential functionalities in Walkman E series, providing ease of use for music lovers who enjoy long hours of music without the frustration of interruption due to short battery life and long charging hours. With Sony's pioneering quick charge technology, music lovers can now have three hours of music enjoyment on the go in the same time it takes to play one track. Also, the four exciting colours make owning a digital music player more personalized and fun to have," says Mr. Masaru Tamagawa, Managing Director, Sony Gulf FZE.

The Walkman E series is compatible with popular digital music codec such as MP3, ATRAC and WMA[4]. This handy digital music player comes supplied with SonicStage 3.4 to give users ease of music management and effortless transfer of songs from the computer directly to the digital music player. Users can log on to www.css.ap.sony.com and upgrade the latest version Sonicstage CP ver 4.0. Using this they can directly import and playback AAC (.3gp, .mp4, m4a) music formats and upgrade their firmware version as well.

The new Walkman E series delivers high-speed transfer capability directly from the computer. Sony's unique ATRAC compression technology provides an enhanced capacity of up to 90CDs[5] for the 2GB model, 45 CDs[6] for the 1GB model and 22CDs[7] for the 512MB. For even wider music options, all three models are also equipped with FM tuner.

Available from July 2006, these Walkman E series models will be available at the following prices:

NW-E002 (512MB) - 399 DIRHAMS
NW-E003 (1GB) - 499 DIRHAMS
NW-E005 (2GB) - 599 DIRHAMS 

Key product features include:

- Exceptionally slim, compact and lightweight body measuring 79mm and weighing 25g

- Rechargeable battery with stamina of 28 hours during continuous playback in ATRAC @ 132kbps at Super power save mode when equaliser is not in use.

- Quick-charge feature: 3 hours battery life with just 3 minutes charging during continuous playback in ATRAC @ 132kbps at Super power save mode when equaliser is not in use.

- Direct USB plug with high-speed transfer

- Bright and clear 1 line dot matrix organic LED

- ATRAC, MP3 and WMA (non DRM) compatible

- Attractive range of colours (pink, violet, black and green)

-Ends- 

"Walkman" is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.

Specifications Sheet for Walkman E series

Model

NW-E002F

NW-E003F

NW-E005F

Memory Capacity

512MB

1GB

2GB

Supported Audio Formats

MP3 / ATRAC / WMA*

MP3 CBR& VBR32/40/48/56/64/80/96/112/128/160/192/ 224/256/320 kbps

ATRAC
ATRAC3: 66/105/132 kbps
ATRAC3plus: 48/64/96/128/160/192/256/320/352 kbps

WMA*  48/64/96/128/160/192 kbps

*WMA file with DRM protection is not supported.

Maximum Recordable
Song Number*1

*1: 4 Minutes Per Song.
*2: Only in ATRAC3.
*3: Only in ATRAC.

48kbps

340 Songs

685 Songs

1350 Songs

64kbps

255 Songs

515 Songs

1000 Songs

96kbps

170 Songs

345 Songs

690 Songs

128kbps

125 Songs

260 Songs

520 Songs

132kbps*2

120 Songs

250 Songs

500 Songs

160kbps

100 Songs

205 Songs

415 Songs

192kbps

85 Songs

170 Songs

345 Songs

256kbps

64 Songs

130 Songs

260 Songs

320kbps

51 Songs

100 Songs

205 Songs

352kbps*3

46 Songs

94 Songs

185 Songs

Display

1-line Organic EL

PC Connection

Hi-Speed USB
Direct USB

Recognized Memory Capacity
In Windows

482MB
505,724,928Byte

968MB
1,015,726,080Byte

1.89GB
2,035,974,144Byte

Searching Methods

All Song/Artist/Album

Play Mode

Normal / Folder / All Repeat / Folder Repeat / 1Song Repeat / All Song Shuffle Repeat /
Folder Shuffle Repeat / Sports Timer

Menu Language

English

Sound Setting

5-band Equalizer
Heavy / Pop / Jazz / Custom

FM Tuner

Frequency Band : 87.5 To 108.0 MHz

Firmware

Upgradeable

Power Source

Built-in Li-ion Rechargeable Battery

Recharging Method

USB

Recharge Time

Approx. 1 Hours

Continuous Playback Time

28*

Input / Output Terminals

Headphones / USB

Headphones

MDR-E808LP(105cm)

Dimensions (mm)

24.879.013.6mm

Maximum Dimensions(mm)

24.879.013.6mm

Weight(g)

25

Accessories

"SonicStage" CD-ROM, Headphones, Quick Start Guide

* During continuous playback in ATRAC @ 132kbps at power save mode "Super" when equalizer is not in use.

-Ends-

About Sony Gulf FZE
Sony Gulf FZE is a 100% subsidiary of Sony Corporation and is the regional headquarters for the Middle East and Africa regions. The company is engaged in the business of Sony Consumer Electronics, VAIO laptop computers, Computer Peripherals, Data media, Recording Media and Energy (Batteries), Mobile Electronics (Car Audio) and Computer Entertainment (PlayStation) products in more than 40 countries in the region.

Apart from stock operations in the Jebel Ali Free Zone Establishment in Dubai, Sony Gulf FZE leads execution of various logistics, sales, marketing, advertising and customer services activities through its business partners and representative offices. A network of representative offices in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Kenya along with a multiple of service centres reinforces Sony's presence in key markets in the region.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Neil D'Sylva,
Sony Gulf FZE,
Tel: (971)-4-8815488,
Fax: (971)-4-8817808
Email: Neil.Dsylva@ap.sony.com

Elizabeth Sen/Lynette Almeida,
Promoseven Weber Shandwick,
T: +971 4 321 00 77,
F: +971 4 321 17 11,
Email: lynette.almeida@promoseven.com

[1],  2, 3 Super power save mode when equalizer is not in use

[4] Supports unsecured WMA files only

[5], 6, 7 @48kbps

© Press Release 2006