S2 Sports Walkman Kills Nike + iPod

S2 Sports Walkman Kills Nike + iPod - August 25, 2006

Only a month after the launch of the all new thumbdrive-like ‘E’ Series, Sony plans to release the new tiny S2 Sports Walkman for consumers by Setepmber 15, 2006. The S2 walkman will be available in 1/2GB models, which both include a FM Tuner, 1-line OLED display, and ~18hrs of playback.

Sony “NW-S2″ Sport Walkman Breakdown:

NW-S203F - 1GB - $119
NW-S205F - 2GB - $149

Today a 2GB iPod Nano ($199) plus the Nike equipment ($29) will cost a whopping ~$230. However the 2GB S2 Walkman, with all necessary equipment, costs $150. The S2 includes the standard features offered by the Nike+iPod including the pedometer, stopwatch, and calorie counter, but for a bonus the S2 features a FM Tuner and auto Walking/Running Playlists. The S2 is also more compact, tops the nano’s battery life by 4hrs, and is water-resistant (not water-proof).

Similar to the ‘E’ series the S2 Sport Walkman will support playback of Mp3 and non-DRM WMA/AAC plus Sony’s ATRAC3 format. Unfortunately the only DRM enabled songs the S2 supports must be purchased on the Connect Music Store. Another drawback is the fact that music can only be transferred to the S2 using Sony’s Sonic Stage application. Other than the faulty software, the S2 has amazing features in its tiny shell such as the quick charge technology meaning 1min of charge equals 1hr of playback. Overall I would recommend this over the iPod+Nike combo for runners since it is cheaper, has plenty more features, and its hard keys make navigation easier when jogging than touch-sensitive iPods. (click thumbnails for larger pics)

Links: SonyStyle.com | Sony Press Release
Related: Sony ‘E’ Series Walkman | iPod Nano