Sony unveil new Walkman models

Walkman makers Sony have announced the next incarnation of their MP3 players at the IFA exhibition in Berlin.

Three new series have been unveiled, each with a feature set designed to appeal to different markets.

The B series is the new entry point for the brand and includes an FM radio plus an eye-catching illuminator that pulses in time with the music when the new Bass button is pressed.

Also present is a voice recorder for capturing memos, shopping lists or random thoughts while you’re on the move.

The more feature-rich E series is a video MP3 player with a 2-inch screen that can be ‘flipped’ horizontally or vertically for comfortable viewing of your favourite photos and video clips.

As with the S series (below) all E series models are ‘format friendly’, playing back most of your ripped tracks, music store downloads and rights-managed video clips without fuss and non-DRM files can be transferred by drag & drop from iTunes.

Sony claim the S series (pictured above) offers the best-ever Walkman sound quality and includes compatibility for WMV with DRM, letting you enjoy rights-protected movies and video clips on the move.

To help build your video collection, S series models will come pre-loaded with 8 video tracks from hot Sony BMG artists including Chris Brown, Sandi Thom and The Ting Tings.

The colourful new interface can be personalised with your choice from ten pre-installed wallpaper images or your favourite digital photo and, in a first for Walkman, podcasts are now conveniently grouped together under a single icon on the home menu for quick access.