NW-E052

The NW-E052 is the first E Series Network Walkman built on Linux. It belonged to the eleventh-generation family and introduced a plate-type body with new connector and audio-processing features. It features 2 GB storage supporting MP3, WMA, and AAC playback. An LCD display and lithium-ion battery for 30 hours were standard, with WM-PORT, DSEE, Omakase Channel, and Lyric Pita.

This Walkman model was a lower-capacity late E Series model from the point when Sony had largely left behind the old Network Walkman awkwardness and settled into a much simpler drag-and-transfer idea of what an entry-level player should be. By now the E line was no longer trying to be clever or overdesigned. It was trying to be direct. After years of format politics, software baggage, and design overcorrection, the E Series had become refreshingly plain in the best possible way.