NWZ-X1050

The NWZ-X1050 is a premium X Series Network Walkman focused on high-resolution audio and connectivity. It carries forward the series' advanced display and feature set in the 2009 refresh. It includes 16 GB storage for MP3, AAC-LC (non-DRM), WMA (non-DRM), and Linear PCM files. The WQVGA OLED display, Li-Ion battery with 33/9-hour life, touchscreen, Wi-Fi, noise cancellation, direct USB, WM-PORT, video/photo playback, S-Master amplifier, and DSEE defined its operation, along with OneSeg TV and browser apps.

The globally branded counterpart to the X1050 carries the same bigger significance: this was Sony making one of its clearest attempts to turn the Walkman into a modern touchscreen premium object instead of a refined continuation of the older flash hierarchy. You can feel the company trying to future-proof the category in real time here, even if the answer was still a little unresolved.