Sony Releases Hard Drive Music Player

In the eighties the fashionable walkman straddled hips world-wide. It was the device that allowed millions across the world to bop to their own pre-recorded beat anyway, anytime. In time with the 25th anniversary of the much loved walkman Sony has highlighted the remarkable advancements in technology with the release of a new hard drive walkman.

The NWHD1 (HD1) is a digital music player with 20GB of capacity and can store up to 13,000 songs. Australia will be the first country in the Asia Pacific area to benefit from this latest release under Sony's Network Walkman brand. With advanced features it could also prove to be a competitor to Apple's i-pod.

Comparable to the size of a credit card, the silver HD1 model weighs around 110 grams, making it the smallest portable audio device in the world. It has a built in 1.8-inch, 20GB hard drive. Sony's ATRAC3plus audio compression technology lets you record a massive amount of music with high quality sound - up to 13,000 songs (or 900 albums), accessible wherever you go. The use of a highly durable magnesium alloy in the HD1's body achieves a thin and light, yet extremely sturdy form. Walkman's legacy for stability and endurance is continued with support for up to 30 hours of continuous playback from the HD1 with its internal rechargeable battery.

Chips Pang, Product Manager, Portable Audio, Sony Australia said, "This product has been launched with massive success in the US and Europe and has rapidly become an extremely sought after item. We're so excited to be able to make Australia the first country in Asia Pacific to get a hold of this hot product. We have a great range of digital music players available in the Australian market, and the HD1 complements this choice and adds a new dimension to our line-up."

In a move bound to appeal to even the toughest of consumers, the HD1 comes packed with G-Sensor shock protection, safeguarding the player's internal mechanisms to protect against impact and help prevent loss of data. Sony's skip-free G-Protection technology is also incorporated to help eliminate missing any notes during active uses, as well as to provide quick recovery from horizontal and vertical shock.

The device hooks up to a PC via a USB 2.0 digital interface for high-speed music transfers. A USB cradle is supplied to enable simple PC connection and battery charge.

It comes bundled with SonicStage version 2.1 software, which makes it easy to import, manage and transfer music collections. With SonicStage software, playlists or track information created can be automatically transferred to the device. SonicStage comfortably supports and seamlessly converts many audio formats, include MP3, WMA and WAV files.

As with Sony's recently launched range of Hi-MD MiniDisc devices, the HD1 can also be operated as an external storage device. Content other than music, such as images, text or other PC data, can be transported with ease.

The first ever Sony Walkman was introduced on July 1, 1979 and defined what a compact, portable audio player should be. Over the years, Sony has continued to improve and enhance the Walkman and offer customers a diverse array of Walkman models compatible with a wide variety of media (cassette tape, CD, MD and flash memory). In total, Sony has created over 1,100 different Walkman models and from 1979 to the end of FY03, globally Sony's shipped units are estimated to total some 340 million.

Visit www.sony.com.au