NWZ-B173

The NWZ-B173 is an entry-level model in Sony's B Series of Network Walkman. It offers 4 GB of built-in flash storage and supports MP3 and WMA playback. An LCD screen displayed track and playback information while a lithium-ion battery delivers up to 18 hours of use. Direct USB connection handled file transfers and ZAPPIN allowed quick sampling of tracks.

This player is part of the late budget B era, but by then the line feels noticeably more stylized than its earliest ancestors. It is still a very simple Walkman, but Sony was clearly trying to make these later B models feel a little more contemporary and less of anonymous utility devices. Budget players have a tendency to disappear into sameness if the company does not give them at least some visual or emotional identity.