New Walkman pumps up the volume
Against a backdrop of much razzmatazz and fanfare last night, Sony Ericsson unveiled its new weapon in the Walkman arsenal: a speaker. If you're anyt
Against a backdrop of much razzmatazz and fanfare last night, Sony Ericsson unveiled its new weapon in the Walkman arsenal: a speaker.
If you’re anything like us, your cynical side will be wondering exactly what’s so special about a tiny Toblerone-shaped, mains-powered stereo speaker. So were we – until we heard several demos of the MDS-70 at the W900i Walkman phone’s launch bash [story here].
As well as going extremely loud – it’s easily capable of filling your average pub with Bloc Party – the sound quality also seems spot-on. We’re not talking hi-fi here, but it’s certainly on a par with a £100 micro hi-fi.
The secret is partly Sony’s digital amplification tech and partly the milk botttle-sized subwoofer that you don’t see in the photo.
All the Walkman phones – the W900i, W800i and W550i – connect directly onto the speaker’s dock for playback and recharging, though you can also plug any MP3 player in via a line-in socket.
The MDS-70’s expected on sale in January for a price that’s not yet announced. It’ll be available in Sony stores as well as mobile phone shops.
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Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
