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Sony to combat music market ‘maestro’ Apple Computer with ‘Walkman Beans’

Thursday, August 18, 2005 · 2:48 pm · 64 Comments

“Sony is getting curvy and colorful with its latest digital Walkman offering. The new NW-E300 series of kidney-shaped, flash-based devices–also known by the catchier name of Walkman Beans–is the latest in a string of music players from the company once synonymous with portable tunes. In recent years, like many other companies, Sony has been playing catch-up with the iPod from market maestro Apple Computer,” CNET News.com reports.

“Pricing is set at about $130 for the NW-E305, which has 512MB of storage, and about $180 for the NW-E307, with 1GB of storage,” CNET News.com reports. “The Beans play both MP3 and Atrac music files, and also support the WMA and WAV formats. They’re compatible with Sony’s Connect online music service. An FM tuner is built in.”

The players are due in October.

Full article with photos here.
Do not eat Walkman Beans?

Related articles:
Sony debuts US$199 1GB iPod shuffle killer, bills it ‘small as a pack of gum’ – July 06, 2005
Do not eat iPod shuffle – January 19, 2005

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Comment Feed

64 Comments

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DreamTheEndless

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 3:55 pm · Reply

Wait – they are going to be more expensive than the iPod shuffles they are competing with? Sony doesn’t get it at all, do they?
billydude

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 3:56 pm · Reply

$130 for 512 MB is kinda pricy, but it comes with FM.
it plays MP3 files so it’s a step in the right direction for sony. I don’t think Apple has anything to fear though.
As always iTunes + iPod is the key.
billydude

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 3:57 pm · Reply

.. and a screen.
ndelc

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 3:58 pm · Reply

They really hurt themselves entering this market with ATRAC only players. Now they’re playing some serious catch-up and it may be too late. These look like decent players I don’t think they’ll be able to compete with iPod.
Tommo_UK

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:00 pm · Reply

“Walkman Beans” – they’re kidding, surely? Is this the best they can do – swap unmemorable alphanumeric product names for .. “Beans?”

I just can’t see it:
“Hey I bought you a Sony Walkman Bean for your birthday” – not likely

“Wow – I LOVE my new Bean” – uh-huh…..

“This Bean from Sony is SO cool” – not

Come on… next they’ll tell me that Samsung have called their players something stupid like “Yepp” …

It is pitifull to see a once-great company like Sony fall so low. It is “beleagured” alright – just like Apple was in the mid-90′s. I doubt Sir Howard Stringer was the right choice to get them back on the beaten track either. They need a revolution, and that clapped out old record exec certainly isn’t it.

Beans indeed… rehashed and reheated.. same crap, different name.
M.X.N.T.4.1

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:01 pm · Reply

From the pictures, the way you are supposed to hold it means that the display is always vertical, you’re gonna have to twist your hand to get it horizontal or change your grip. Plus it still looks too techy with fiddly little buttons. As Douglas Adams once wrote – “We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works. How do you recognise something that is still technology? A good clue is if it comes with a manual.”
macman87

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:06 pm · Reply

sounds like the iPod flea. Incase you didn’t get the memo Sony, THAT WAS A JOKE!
hammer

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:09 pm · Reply

You plant them in the ground and it grows a giant beanstalk that has copy-protected CD’s as its leaves.
Winston

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:10 pm · Reply

Are they magic beans? I seriously doubt it. Don’t look for the Sony beanstalk to grow very high.
Artisticulated

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:15 pm · Reply

beans beans the magical fruit…
marko

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:16 pm · Reply

The screen is good, but pricy and those FM tuners are usually lousy.
I’ll stick with my Apple products, thanks anyway SONY
Dimplemonkey

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:18 pm · Reply

as they say in the south…

“Not worth a hill of beans.”
ian Kirkland

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:23 pm · Reply

The reason I got a Shuffle was because radio is such crap these days. I even listen to it while driving. and if I want non-musical programming, I can add a podcast or two.
Kassandra

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:24 pm · Reply

Normally I like most of Sony’s industrial design for their products. This new bean thing is just hideous though! Their previous flash backes net walkman’s were cool though, these ones: http://news.com.com/2300-1041_3-5838111-2.html

i dont know that theyll still be making those, but anyways I think they’re cool looking. Does it come close to an iPod? No way. But still, as I said I think MOST of Sony’s designs are apealing. However, this year, they’ve been TERRIBLE! Their new display lineup is ugly as hell, same goes for their desktop Viao’s.
John

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:25 pm · Reply

Bean? What a gas.
DakRoland

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:29 pm · Reply

Yeah, like this is going to amount to a hill of beans.
Don.

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:31 pm · Reply

Network beans, they’ll make ya toot!

or

They’ll toot yer horn!

even simpler.

You’ll toot!
me

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:37 pm · Reply

The bean looking one is very nice I think (not worth a 30% premium over an iPod Shuffle but still looks nice). The other two…the cyliner of Crack and the iMac “puck mouse” designed ones aren’t gonna fly IMHO.

I really think Apple missed something with radio though. An FM tuner is CHEAP, doesn’t dilute the brand, and if people don’t like it they don’t have to use it. Plus, an XM or Sirus deal would have been blockbuster.

Still, I think Apple’s whole strategy is get as many iTunes on the hard drives of as many people as possible. Anything that distracts from that (like radio) must be ignored. Once iTunes are all over hard drives, people have more incentive to STAY with iTunes than switch to WMA. It’s like buying new CDs when you already own the tape and the record.

mdn: gives
stabtheman (the surreal one)

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:38 pm · Reply

Beans? BEANS?

Of all the things to name your product.

The things associated with beans:

Bean counters
Not worth a hill of beans
Gas (not the petroleum product)
Beans, Beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot.
Ann Margaret in Tommy
Bean bag chairs (Oooh! Haut coutour!)
Lima beans
Franks & beans

Oh, there are just so many things I associate to the word beans that are just marvelous that I’ll run rought out and get one. Or a whole can of ‘em. Jeez. Someone should be fired.
Rod Moodie

Thursday, August 18, 2005 - 4:41 pm · Reply

Beans, beans.

They’re good for your heart.

Beans, beans.

They make you fart!