Head to head: Sony Walkman X-series vs Apple iPod

By Dave Oliver

It can't have been easy for Sony to have watched its iconic Walkman brand of portable music players so completely overtaken by Apple's all-conquering iPod. But like John Connor standing up to the Terminators, Sony has finally come up with a device capable of fighting back. We took a close look at both devices to see which is worthy of your hard-earned.

Style
The iPod Touch is slimmer but bigger at 110x62x9mm and 115g compared to the X-series' 97x53x11mm and 98g, though the Touch's angled sides make it appear slimmer than it actually is. The Touch does look sleeker, though the Walkman's rugged stone-effect sides and compact dimensions have a certain appeal. It also has hard buttons on the top and sides which allow you to control playback when it's in your pocket.
Sony X-series Walkman: 8
Apple iPod Touch: 8

Overview
Price: £209 (16GB), £279 (32GB)
More info: Sony
Size: 97x53x11mm, 98g
Formats: Audio - MP3, AAC, PCM, WMA, Video - MPEG4, WMV, H.264
Computer interface: Sony Media Manager
Extras: Web browser, FM radio
Battery life: 33hrs (audio), 9hrs (video)

Screen
The Sony X-series' trump card is its 3in OLED screen, which makes the iPod's LCD look positively dowdy by comparison, though it is slightly bigger at 3.5in. This newish technology is just beginning to appear in TV screens and has the advantage of offering sharper resolution, faster rendering speed and a wider viewing angle, as well as being less demanding on the battery, due to its lack of a backlight. All good stuff, though the benefits aren't quite so obvious on the very small screen as it is on larger models. Nevertheless, Sony's screen is clearly a breed apart, with sharper edges, clearer detail and more vibrant colours.

The capacitive touch aspect of both screens is about the same, with just the right amount of pressure required to brush through menus and activate on-screen buttons.
Sony X-series Walkman: 9
Apple iPod Touch: 8

Sound quality
The Walkman has a range of audio effects that it wears very proudly on its sleeve (or at least its menu options). The iPod on the other hand offers the best sound it can manage as standard. The Walkman has Clear Audio and Clear Bass, plus DSEE (which tries to replicate elements which may have been lost in compression). The sound is always better with these options engaged, so you'll never want to switch them off. Which begs the question - why make them an option?

The Walkman also has a five-band graphic equaliser with five presets and two programmable settings so you can set your own balance. The Touch has 22 EQ presets, which doesn't offer the same flexibility.

The Walkman has a built-in noise cancellation option, which blocks out ambient noise such as traffic and trains. It only works with Sony's supplied headphones, which are pretty good, and clearly ahead of the Touch's for sound quality, though they're lacking a little in the bass. Switching to our preferred Sennheisers on both devices however easily confirmed that the Walkman has the edge for sound quality, with fuller, more controlled bass, crystal clear midrange and additional sensitivity in the treble.

If for some reason you feel the need to play your music in public via loudspeaker, you'll be disappointed with the Sony - it doesn't have one. That said, it's debatable whether the tinny speaker on the Apple device is preferable to none at all.

For audio flexibility and for overall sound quality, it has to be the Sony.

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Report: Steve Jobs recovered, set for timely return to Apple

By Jacqui Cheng

It appears as if Steve Jobs will indeed return to Apple by the end of June after taking a six-month leave from the company. The world is watching to see whether he'll make a surprise appearance at WWDC next week, though many believe he's saving that surprise for another time.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is reportedly on track to return to Apple full-time later this month, right on schedule. Insiders speaking to The Wall Street Journal claim that Jobs' recovery is "coming along" and that Apple's directors have been receiving weekly updates since Jobs took leave in January. Whether or not we'll see him at next week's WWDC keynote, however, remains up in the air.

"He was one real sick guy,'' one of the WSJ's sources said. "Fundamentally he was starving to death over a nine-month period. He couldn't digest protein. [But] he took corrective action.''

The iconic CEO has been on medical leave for the last five months after endless speculation about his weight and overall health. Indeed, Jobs was looking a little frail during Apple's iPod and notebook events in the fall of 2008, and he first tried to address the issue by publicly acknowledging a "hormonal imbalance" in early January. At that time, Jobs said that he had no plans to step aside as CEO of the company and that he had already begun treatment.

Just nine days later, however, Jobs sent out another public letter saying that his health issues were "more complex" than he originally thought and that he would be on medical leave from Apple until June. In his place would be Apple COO Tim Cook, though Jobs said he would remain involved in major strategic decisions while on leave. Needless to say, this announcement sent the entire tech community into a flurry of rumors and speculation about whether Jobs would ever return to Apple and what it would mean for the company.

Since then, we have heard relatively little about Jobs' progress except for some brief acknowledgments by Cook during two of the company's quarterly financial calls. Both times, Apple emphasized that Jobs still expected to return in June. A number of Apple employees also relayed last week that Jobs had been spotted around campus, bolstering confidence that he was indeed preparing to return soon. So, the WSJ's report isn't exactly shocking.

What is up for debate is whether Jobs will pop in during Monday's keynote at WWDC, to be delivered by Phil Schiller and gang. Apple fans are dying for this to happen, though numerous analysts have expressed doubt that such a spectacle will come to pass.

For the record, we agree with the analysts—a Jobs appearance at Monday's keynote would be welcome but almost too expected, not to mention early. A better theory would be that Jobs will make a surprise appearance near the launch of the as-yet-unannounced next-gen iPhone (admittedly, we jacked this theory from former Apple PR guru Anuj Nayar, but it truly is the best one). Either way, it's clear at this point that Jobs will definitely be making a comeback to the company, and he undoubtedly has "one more thing" up his sleeve.

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Apple iPod shuffle (3rd Gen)

By Jonathan Bray


Verdict: Achingly gorgeous and with some intriguing features, but it's not the most practical of designs

The shuffle has always generated heated debate over the merits of the design. But you could never accuse Apple of resting on its design laurels, and its third generation iPod shuffle is the sexiest yet.

Small enough to pass as a hair clip or over-sized earring, there's no denying that this little MP3 player has a huge amount of charm.

Apple claims it's the smallest MP3 player in the world and we wouldn't quibble: we've no idea how the designers managed to squeeze 4GB of memory and a battery big enough to offer ten hours of playback into a package this tiny.

To compensate for the lack of screen, this Shuffle has another trick up its sleeve: VoiceOver. It's the first MP3 player that can talk to you. It will tell you what track is playing and who the artist is, talk its way through your playlists and conscientiously let you know when your battery is running low.

It's no substitute for a screen - there's no way of browsing by album, song title, genre or year for instance - but if you're sold on the no-screen approach then it's certainly an improvement.

As before, the shuffle comes with a spring-loaded clip on the rear to attach it to your clothing and the casing feels very solid indeed - there's a free engraving service too, if you order one through Apple's website. But we think that Apple has taken things too far here.

In order to keep the size down, there are no controls on the player itself, aside from a small three-way power switch that lets you swap between play-in-order and shuffle modes. Instead, volume and track-skipping duties have been offloaded to an inline remote that sits on the cord running to the right-hand earbud.

It's so slim you hardly notice it's there, but it's fiddly to use and feels flimsy. The worse thing about it, though, is that in order to use anything other than the bundled earbuds (best described as mediocre) you have to buy either a compatible set of alternatives (the in-ear Apple headphones work and a limited number of third party manufacturers sell them too), or splash out on a special adapter.

There are undoubtedly irritations and annoyances then, not least over those outboard controls, but with a player this small and beautifully-crafted the foibles are easy to overlook.

It's not a player for the audiophile and doesn't aim to be, nor are there many features, but there's plenty of storage space here for the money and if you're the kind of person who goes for style over substance there's very little out there to compete with it.

SPECIFICATIONS:

4GB flash memory; USB 2 interface; fixed lithium-polymer battery; 10-hour claimed battery life; bundled earbuds and remote control; supports MP3, AAC, Audible, Apple Lossless, WAV and AIFF; 45.7 x 17.5 x 8mm (WDH), 10.7g

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Ultimate iPod Touch Question: Should I Buy an Apple iPod Touch?

by Palluxo

A lot of people have been posting questions and asking for suggestions whether or not they should buy an iPod Touch for themselves. Clearly, the existence of the iPod Touch, which is yet another revolutionary creation of Apple Inc., has buzzed up a lot of consumers today. It has become a hype, a hit, and a statement saying that when you have it, you simply belong.

Now, before deciding whether you should buy an iPod Touch or just settle for something less like iPod Nano or the Sony PSP, you have to be aware what really an iPod Touch is and what this innovative technology can offer you.

The Emergence of the iPod Touch

Designed and manufactured by Apple Inc. as an upgraded addition to the iPod family, the iPod Touch is a portable digital media player and mobile Wi-fi platform. Unlike the previous models of iPods including the Shuffle, Nano, and Classic, the iPod Touch makes use of the multi-touch graphical user-interface. It comes in 8, 16, and 32 GB sizes of flash memory.

This ground-breaking product of Apple was launched during the event The Beat Goes On on September 5, 2007. Now, it’s available in all Apple stores and Apple retail stores everywhere!

What the iPod Touch Looks Like

If you think that “slim” and “sexy” are only gives definition to people, then you would probably think again if you get a hold of the Apple iPod Touch.

The iPod Touch is designed with a slim factor for convenient hold. Its large touchscreen display covers most of the top surface of the unit. A physical home button is located at the bottom and off the touchscreen. The touchscreen display uses the same system as that of Apple’s current line of laptop computers. So, if you are familiar with the multi-touch trackpad system being implemented on most Apple laptop computers, then you wouldn’t find it difficult to work your way through the iPod Touch.

Features of the iPod Touch

Everybody already knows this, but just in case one might forget, with the iPod Touch, you can play thousands of songs, watch hours of videos, load up several games, run multiple applications, and even browse the web. Yes, you heard it right! You can access the Internet and go online with simply the iPod Touch on hand.

Designed like a mini and portable Apple computer, the iPod Touch includes a Wi-fi technology and Safari web browser that will allow you to browse the web as long a net connection is available. It is the first iPod unit that can connect to and access the iTunes Store and Apple’s App Store because of its wireless capability.

The second generation iPod Touch is designed with a contoured back and comes with a built-in speaker, external volume control, and Bluetooth support.

Getting Inside the iPod Touch

The home screen of the iPod Touch is different from that of the iPod Classic and other iPod models. It features icon list of available applications including, but are not limited to, Photos, Music, Videos, iTunes, Safari, YouTube, Clock, Contacts, Calendar, Calculator, and Settings. Later models added Mail, Maps, Notes, Weather, and Stocks.

For more applications, users are advised to download from Apple’s App Store using the device. That is why the iPod Touch simply offers almost endless possibilities.

Buying the iPod Touch

You could never really go wrong in buying an iPod Touch as it provides more than what its worth. So, no more thinking twice! Head out to the Apple retail stores near you and get your own iPod Touch that will forever touch your (technology-driven) life.

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