Category: mp3 player

Sony NWZ-A15 Walkman high-res player hands-on

Kevin Bruce Francisco Leave a comment

We’re currently at Singapore where Sony introduces a wide array of new high-res audio devices. Among these is the NWZ-A15 which is a handy dedicated music player that carries the classic Walkman branding. Here’s our hands-on experience with it.

First of all, a high-res audio file is a sound format different from MP3 which is the common format for songs today. The reason MP3 is popular is because it’s relatively small in size so it easily sends, streams, and is supported by almost all music players available today. A high-res audio file, like a FLAC file for example, has higher bitrate compared to MP3 and is considered a lossless file – meaning that although compressed, it is able to be fully reconstructed to its original data without loss of quality.

Sony_A15_4

With that said, let’s take a look at the Sony A15 that is specially-made to deliver lossless audio.

The Sony A15 and A17 are variants in the A10 series. The only difference from the two is storage space. The A15 has 16GB of internal memory, while the A17 has 64GB of space. The 16GB version A15 will be the one available in the Philippines.

Sony_A15_2

My first encounter with a Walkman device is their cassette tape player (yes, I’m a 90’s kid). From there, Sony has come a long way leading to this slim, remote control-like device. At only 109mm tall, the A15 sits perfectly on the hands for browsing though your songs. Its navigation controls are isolated inside a diamond-shaped design that represents up, down, left, right, with a confirm button at the center. It also has two buttons on its face for Back and Option which doubles as Home and Power Off functions.

Sony_A15_1

On its right side, we first have the flap that covers the slot for expandable memory. According to Sony, it could support up to 128GB. Also seen here are the Hold function that locks the buttons so you don’t accidentally press anything as well as the device’s volume rocker. The A-15’s slim form factor makes it possible to slide in and out of the pocket with extreme ease.

On the bottom right, we can see the classic Walkman logo. It's nice to see this logo come a long way from casette tape players.

On the bottom right, we can see the classic Walkman logo. It’s nice to see it come a long way from cassette tape players.

According to the engineer of this Walkman device that we had the privilege to interview, the A-10 series of high-res audio player went through a series of upgrades and refinements to achieve high quality and crystal clear music reproduction. We tried playing a couple of FLAC tracks and it delivered exactly what it claims. It provided sound that is distinctive and powerful, without the slight trace of hiss and distortion.

Sony_A15_5

The A-15 in silver.

So far, the Sony A-15 is a promising music player that will surely put a smile on both audiophiles and Walkman fans alike. An added feature worth mentioning is upscaling of MP3 tracks to enhance its quality which, unfortunately, we haven’t tried. This is why we’re excited to get our hands on it for review and determine how it fares on a daily usage (with battery performance and all). Stay tuned.

Sony NWZ-A15 specs:
2.2-inch TFT QVGA display @ 320 x 240 resolution
Support for FLAC, Apple lossless, MP3, AAC, HE-AAC, WMA, WAV, and AIFF
Support for MPEG-4, AVC (H.264/AVC), and WMV 9 for video playback
Bluetooth, NFC
FM radio
43.6 x 109 x 8.7mm
66 grams
Linux OS
Available colors: Black and silver
Availability in Philippines: October 2014

The post Sony NWZ-A15 Walkman high-res player hands-on appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

TBT: My first MP3 player

Louie Diangson Leave a comment

Lazada Philippines

Last week, Apple quietly dropped the iPod Classic from its online store which marks then end of an era for MP3 players. To some, the Classic was probably their first MP3 player or their first MP3 player they absolutely loved. For me, it made me remember my first MP3 player which I received almost 10 years ago.

I received my first MP3 player when I was still in college around 2004 or 2005. It wasn’t a shiny new iPod though (Apple has probably introduced the 4th or 5th gen iPod Classic during that time) but a Taiwanese-made Clicker Pocki 5-in-1 MP3 player.

clicker_1

Heavily influenced by the iPod’s signature white color, my Clicker also came in white. The design has more affinity towards the flash drive and only has 128MB capacity with 117MB usable, which equates to around 20 songs give or take. It uses a USB 1.1 interface and powered by a AAA battery, which is costly if you don’t use rechargeable batteries. Aside from that, it also doubles as a USB drive, voice recorder, and supports SD cards which I believe is up to 1GB. The Clicker also became my go-to SD card reader for my desktop back then.

clicker_2

It was light years away from what the iPod can offer but it was affordable. Times were tough and college wasn’t exactly cheap so the Clicker became my constant companion. To add to its value, it was a gift from my mom so I’m not complaining. And yes, I still have it and here’s what it looks like now:

clicker_3

It’s pretty banged up. The rubber grip is gone, the player doesn’t work anymore, but the flash drive still does.

After the Clicker, I shifted to Nokia phones to be my dedicated music player, starting with their XpressMusic line. I had the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic, then upgraded to a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic for its touchscreen display.

xpressmusic_1

I received my first Apple product in 2009 in the form of the iPod nano 4th gen. I fell in love with Apple’s design and simple interface that it encouraged me to upgrade to its iPod touch lineup. I bought the iPod touch 3rd gen in 2010 followed by the iPod touch 4th gen a year later. Both have been handed down in the family.

ipods_1

Fast forward to the present, dedicated music players are quickly being replaced by smartphones. Looking at my Clicker now, it amazes me how much technology has improved over the years. Right now my smartphone handles all my music needs and I don’t think I’d be needing a dedicated player anytime soon unless something remarkable comes along that will make me go back.

mp3 player_1

With this article I’m officially putting my first MP3 player to rest. I have no plans of throwing this away though. I would probably keep this for a few more years then show it to my son and tell him how we listened to digital music back then.

How about you? Do you still remember your first MP3 player? :)

The post TBT: My first MP3 player appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

TBT: My first MP3 player

Louie Diangson Leave a comment

Lazada Philippines

Last week, Apple quietly dropped the iPod Classic from its online store which marks then end of an era for MP3 players. To some, the Classic was probably their first MP3 player or their first MP3 player they absolutely loved. For me, it made me remember my first MP3 player which I received almost 10 years ago.

I received my first MP3 player when I was still in college around 2004 or 2005. It wasn’t a shiny new iPod though (Apple has probably introduced the 4th or 5th gen iPod Classic during that time) but a Taiwanese-made Clicker Pocki 5-in-1 MP3 player.

clicker_1

Heavily influenced by the iPod’s signature white color, my Clicker also came in white. The design has more affinity towards the flash drive and only has 128MB capacity with 117MB usable, which equates to around 20 songs give or take. It uses a USB 1.1 interface and powered by a AAA battery, which is costly if you don’t use rechargeable batteries. Aside from that, it also doubles as a USB drive, voice recorder, and supports SD cards which I believe is up to 1GB. The Clicker also became my go-to SD card reader for my desktop back then.

clicker_2

It was light years away from what the iPod can offer but it was affordable. Times were tough and college wasn’t exactly cheap so the Clicker became my constant companion. To add to its value, it was a gift from my mom so I’m not complaining. And yes, I still have it and here’s what it looks like now:

clicker_3

It’s pretty banged up. The rubber grip is gone, the player doesn’t work anymore, but the flash drive still does.

After the Clicker, I shifted to Nokia phones to be my dedicated music player, starting with their XpressMusic line. I had the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic, then upgraded to a Nokia 5800 XpressMusic for its touchscreen display.

xpressmusic_1

I received my first Apple product in 2009 in the form of the iPod nano 4th gen. I fell in love with Apple’s design and simple interface that it encouraged me to upgrade to its iPod touch lineup. I bought the iPod touch 3rd gen in 2010 followed by the iPod touch 4th gen a year later. Both have been handed down in the family.

ipods_1

Fast forward to the present, dedicated music players are quickly being replaced by smartphones. Looking at my Clicker now, it amazes me how much technology has improved over the years. Right now my smartphone handles all my music needs and I don’t think I’d be needing a dedicated player anytime soon unless something remarkable comes along that will make me go back.

mp3 player_1

With this article I’m officially putting my first MP3 player to rest. I have no plans of throwing this away though. I would probably keep this for a few more years then show it to my son and tell him how we listened to digital music back then.

How about you? Do you still remember your first MP3 player? :)

The post TBT: My first MP3 player appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.