Sony today unveiled a new line of flash based walkman audio players to battle alongside Apple’s new iPod Shuffle product. Sony’s new players include everything the Shuffle does’t.

“Up to 70 hours of battery life! Gorgeous displays, increased functionality and ultra-compact designs. Our new line of flash-based players let them have it all,” said Allan Jason, vice president for portable audio products at Sony Electronics.

The Network Walkman players include the ability to play back ATRAC3/3plus, MP3, WMA and WAV formats. In addition, it is fully compatible with Sony’s Connect online music store.

Three series are available. The 100 series includes up to 70 hours of battery life on 1 AAA battery, backlit LCD, USB connectivity, and are available in, 256MB, 512MB or 1GB configurations. These models retail for approx $90USD, $100USD and $150USD respectively.

The 400 and 500 series players include up to 50 hours of battery life, backlit LCD, USB connectivity and are available in 512MB and 1GB configurations. The 400 series models will be available in May for approx. $130USD and $180USD respectively, while the 500 series will be available later this year for approx. $150USD and $200USD respectively.






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