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    Sony Android Walkman release date and price official: launches December 10th for 28,000 yen

    Sony Android Walkman release date and price official: launches December 10th for 28,000 yen

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    The Walkman Z Series has today been announced as the official name of Sony's Android PMP prototype we witnessed at IFA just a few days ago. The Japanese company has taken the beta stickers off its 4.3-inch Gingerbread media player and intends to start retailing it in its home market of Japan on December 10th.

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    The Walkman Z Series has today been announced as the official name of Sony's Android PMP prototype we witnessed at IFA just a few days ago. The Japanese company has taken the beta stickers off its 4.3-inch Gingerbread media player and intends to start retailing it in its home market of Japan on December 10th. Storage options span 16GB (NW-Z1050), 32GB (NW-Z1060) and 64GB (NW-Z1070), with Sony providing estimated prices of ¥28,000, ¥33,000, and ¥43,000, respectively. That's between $362 and $556 when translated into US currency, but let's not forget that these numbers are somewhat inflated by the yen's current strength against the dollar.

    For the money spent, buyers will receive Android 2.3 software (with access to the Android Market) running on an 800 x 480 LCD screen, which will benefit from a litany of connectivity options: DLNA, Micro-HDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an FM radio are all included. Media and application processing is handled by a 1GHz dual-core Tegra 2 chip from Nvidia, which gets access to 512MB of RAM and is rated to handle 1080p video playback at a bitrate of up to 10Mbps.

    There's no camera to speak of on the NW-Z1000 series, which Sony will argue is a justified omission given that this PMP's focus is firmly fixed on media playback. A number of sound-enhancing technologies are bundled in, including active noise cancellation that works with the newly announced MDR-NWNC200 set of over-the-ear headphones. Those will cost around ¥18,000 and will launch at the same time as the Z Series. For the fully detailed spec sheet, hit the links below.