Sony unveils a new Android-based Walkman

By Phil Nickinson  | Jul 18 2012 | 8:53 am  | 39 Comments

Sony Walkman F800

Sony today announced the new Android-based F800 Series Walkman, with "an extreme on-the-go entertainment experience." OK, then.

There are three devices in the range, spanning 8-, 16- and 32-gigabyte models.  The F800's got a 3.5-inch LCD display and, uh, plays music and videos and has access to the Google Play store. Playback time is listed at 20 hours for audio and 4.5 hours for video.

Missing, however, is the all-important pricing. Let's hope it's not too extreme. And it's priced at $269 in the states. Next.

Source: Sony

Phil Nickinson Editor in Chief

"Phil is a recovering print journalist, editor of Android Central, subtitles and street signs."

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There are 39 comments. Add yours.

SparkyXI says:

Nice - it all comes full circle. I used to completely wear Walkmans (Walkmen?) out in high school. I would totally rock one again, especially with Android onboard.

Elrohir says:

But now the big question, who uses walkmans nowaday. Nearly every phone has a 3.5 headphone jack and enough storage. So WHY would you need it.(Especially if the playpack time of 20 hours is not that much longer than on phones)

manu_up says:

And now the big answer. Who uses iPods thought there is iPhone with the same capability? Millions.. so I guess Sony is trying to get a play into that market. After all they are the creators of the walkman n Apple just innovated on the same idea n made it a ground breaking product..

briankurtz79 says:

Yeah but nobody has an iPhone and an iPod touch. Maybe a nano for running but 2 devices with big touch screens doing the same thing is pointless. (Said the guy with a gnex,e4gt,kindle fire, gtab 10.1, and soon nexus 7)

Xandroid says:

I would. I mean, I currently have all my music on my phone and I do play it all day long, but not only does that drain a good portion of my juice box (battery), the ten thousand some tracks take up valuable real estate on the storage. IMO, a separate music device would be handy.

IceDree says:

My friend have an iphone 4S (32GB) , iphone 3G S (32GB) , iPod touch (32GB) , iPad2 & an iPod Nano :)

Mitch Stein says:

you forgot to add "and wears REEEEEALLY skinny jeans and lives inside an Ikea, 'cause he just that cool."

m_leflore says:

I have a Sony Walkman that I keep connected to my car's usb input. Having Android and a touchscreen would be a win-win for me. However, I really don't want to spend $300 for another mp3 player.

icebike says:

Why not just plug a USB stick into the car's usb input?

Any car with a USB input also knows how to manage the music on one.

Jack in NC says:

I have an Android-based music player, too. And, it too can store up to 32 of the G-B's and can access the Play Store.

It's called "my wife's old Droid X."

Lancer033 says:

my thoughts exactly. Better yet, what can this do that a smart phone can't do that would justify carrying a 2nd device?

cinnamontoast says:

kids whose parents don't want to pay for a data plan

Lancer033 says:

so why not give them your old phone? My Droid 1 and Droid X work fine as WiFi only devices.

urabob says:

Good. Now I can finally replace my Zune. :D

coinmanmat says:

Never fully understood the point behind Android based media players, but then again whats the point of the iPod Touch.

CeluGeek says:

It's called early indoctrination. Many parents aren't willing to give their 10 - 12 years old children a smartphone. They give them iPods instead. The kid learns to live in the Apple ecosystem and when he's finally ready for his/her smartphone, an iPhone is what he/she will want. Then comes an iPad for college...

This is something Android users haven't realized. If you can get your kids hooked up with apps, games and music on an Android-based player, there's a bigger chance they'll be stronger than the peer pressure and avoid becoming sheeple when the time comes for them to get a smartphone and tablet.

Nev says:

+1

Jack in NC says:

Yep, that's true. Just like I was indoctrinated when I was a kid and will never leave the platform I grew up with which was... wait a minute... it was the Sony Walkman! (see how I did that?)

I think you're giving 10-12 year olds too much credit. Methinks they are generally platform agnostic, despite what they may tell us. They won't be any more loyal to Apple or Google than they will be to Hannah Montana or Justin Bieber.

raindog469 says:

Unless you're still a teenager now or you were one of the 5 kids whose parents bought into Minidisc, the "platform" you grew up with was "cassette". "Walkman" was just a brand, and cassettes that played in them played in every other portable cassette player out there.

That hasn't been the case for music on mobile phones until recently, and likely never will be the case with apps. If you have a few hundred bucks invested in iTunes apps, books, etc., you're going to resist moving to another platform, even if you're a teenager... maybe especially if you're a teenager.

dskwerl says:

The stand-alone music player market isn't very big anymore with the proliferation of smartphones. But this is more of a competitor to the iPod and standard MP3 players than to smartphones.

Like others have mentioned, if you already have a smartphone, you probably don't need this. But if you just want a music/video player, this is an option. If If the price is right, it could even be a decent option.

tllemmon says:

My HTC EVO 4G LTE is my walkman :-). If i wanted a second device for music I can blow the dusk off my Palm Pre and use it :-(. PALM why did you leave me!!!

wraith404 says:

We get to count these as android activations just like the ipod touch counts as an ios device right? :)

OmahaBrotha says:

I would certainly get this. It would make a perfect replacement for my 7 year old mp3 player I use for working out at the gym while my rather pricey phone stays secured in the locker.

Mr.sinister says:

Sony should make the PS4 with Android, I would buy it.

Mitch Stein says:

Sony should just get out of the business of making mobile devices altogether.

Mr.sinister says:

Sony should make the PS4 with Android, I would buy it.

minipot says:

U say who needs one but yet the appeal isnt to adults with smartphones its to kids whos parents think putting them with a proper smartphone is silly so get them a pmp instead the most popular tech device at my school is an ipod touch as it gives them all they wajt without paying for a contract and being obliged to it for at leat 2 yrs

BIGG13 says:

Thank you for understanding the point of this product. This is for those people who do not see their little brats responsible enough to own a phone.

BIGG13 says:

Double post

BIGG13 says:

Some of you guys are trying to destroy any idea just because YOU do not find it useful. There are teenagers and plenty of other people who do not have phones and would like to listen to music on the go without having to change CDs or cassettes.

DWR_31 says:

This is what you let your kid play with when they keep trying to use your phone for Facebook and games.
If a two year old can figure out Slide-to-Unlock, your phone is in trouble.

Lanhoj says:

Couldn't / Shouldn't they package this into an Xperia phone?!

Mitch Stein says:

If they did, then on top of the 17 or 18 people who would be this Android Walkman, they would sell 22 or maybe 23 Xperias. Honestly, do you know anyone who buys a current Sony smartphone, much less will actually go through with a purchase of this Walkman??

Finding someone with a new Sony smartphone is about as difficult as locating a literate Kardashian.

jmogha says:

If a Nexus 7 is $200, are products like these allowed to break $100?

leaponover says:

Best post EVER! Who in their right mind would pay $270 for this when they could get a Nexus 7.. I know what you are going to say, they are both different products all together. BUT, when you look at bang for your buck you start to realize that this Sony thing is WAAAY overpriced. In fact, there are a bunch of companies that are going to have a hard time rationalizing their pricing with the Fire and Nexus 7 out there. I know both the companies are looking to profit from software purchases and not the hardware, but honestly $270 for this thing?

Impulses says:

The Nexus 7 makes pricing for any high end touch screen device look flawed tho, because it's being sold at cost. A more apt comparison is the Galaxy Nexus, which is $80 more... Granted it's still a better value since you get a better display, faster hardware, and cellular connectivity, but anyway... A better buy is a used phone. Just don't activate it, and if you're a parent just get a used CDMA phone so your kid can't get and buy a SIM for it. You can easily score last year's flagship Sprint/Verizon phones for half the price.

Pauloi1 says:

I'm an adult and would still prefer a separate player and I'm sure I'm not alone. I need my phone for work and battery life is a commodity I can't afford to lose. I have a hard enough time keeping my phone charged as it is. I prefer to use a stand-alone player when I'm outside running and when I'm in my car driving with an FM transmitter. The other reason is for exercise. While jogging, I've had my mp3 player fall to the ground a 100 times. That's something I'm not willing to risk with a $600 off-contract phone.

dakidd says:

I for one..use all my old gadgets for these purposes....I'm using my old evo as a media player...my palm pre works in my car and bluetooths to my head unit...but this device has it uses...ie gym...and other active

IceDree says:

Walkman ... the good ol' days (I still got em cassettes)