Amidst the blanket coverage that surrounds a flurry of new releases from Apple it's sometimes the case that other very brilliant gadgetry gets left behind. This is certainly the case with Sony's new WALKMAN models, which were unveiled recently with a fanfare of celebrity and music industry approval in a hip corner of London's Hackney.
The new WALKMAN NWZ-A has a raft of technical capabilities that leave its Apple rivals out in the cold not least the 33 hours playback, which means enough battery power to take you on the world's longest flight and get you through customs at both ends.
The new model works with Windows Media player, meaning far greater ease of upload than Sony's previous offerings, and the 2-inch LCD screen (not as impressive as the iPod touch) can be used horizontally or vertically, to view videos and movies.
In the looks department, the NWZ-A is both sleek and compact (available in silver, black, white or pink), and the functionality is simple and straightforward. In fact the only thing that irks slightly is Sony's continued use of the term WALKMAN to describe their MP3 players.
Though an understandable part of the brand's audio identity, to us a WALKMAN means a clunky cassette player of old and not a byword for any portable music device. But don't let this put you off. In a market so dominated by one brand, Sony's A series is a case in point for finding excellent alternatives if you're somewhat willing to buck the trend.
