Tag: walkman

Sony has announced a new version of its Network Walkman in three new iPod mini-like colors. “They changed the name a bit (it’s now the NW-HD2 rather than the NW-HD1), switched the backlight color to blue, and added three new colors (pink, blue, and silver), but Sony’s new version of their 20GB Network Walkman digital audio is just as craptacular as it was when it first came out, i.e. it still doesn’t play MP3s unless you convert them into Sony’s proprietary ATRAC3 format first,” reports Engadget.

The German inventor behind the Sony Walkman has been offered a multi-million dollar settlement after a 25-year-long dispute with the consumer electronics company. Andreas Pavel may now set his sights on Apple, threatening to to sue over the iPod. He applied for a patent in 1977 for a “portable small component for the hi-fidelity reproduction of recorded sound.” However, it is unclear whether Pavel’s patent is still valid because patents are normally valid for 20 years from the date of application.