Walkman F Series Explained

Walkman F series
Manufacturer:Sony Corporation
Type:Portable media player
Lifespan:2012 – 2014
Display:3.5inches (NW-F800)
4inches (NW-F880)
Connectivity:WM-PORT
USB 2.0 compliant
Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n)
Bluetooth
Os:Android Jelly Bean
Storage:8–64 gigabyte flash memory
Predecessor:Walkman Z series
Successor:Walkman A series
Related:Walkman

The Walkman F series is a discontinued portable media player manufactured as a part of Sony's Walkman line of music players, through two generations. They are high-res compatible players and run the Android operating system.

History and features

The first generation, series NW-F800, was introduced in July 2012 as the replacement of the similar looking Walkman Z series[1] and by extension effectively of the A series. The F800 was the first ever Walkman to support the playback of FLAC audio files. It runs version 4.0 of Android (ICS).[2] The F800 is both smaller and lighter than its predecing Walkman Z1000.

The second generation, the NW-F880, was released in October 2013. It was the first Walkman player to support high-resolution audio sources (192 kHz/24-bit).[3] The F880 adds NFC support allowing for easy pairing with NFC compatible devices like speakers.[4] It also adds a built-in FM transmitter in some regions.[5] It ran version 4.1 of Android (Jelly Bean).

Through a software update, the F880 players also gain support for DSD format playback, and the DSEE technology is upscaled to DSEE HX.[6] [7]

The F series was eventually discontinued as its place in the market was taken over by the A series's NW-A10.

Reception

In its review for the NWZ-F886, Trusted Reviews gave praise for "superb" hi-res audio quality, display and battery life, but criticised the provided headphones and that its 32 GB storage could be quickly filled with hi-res files.[8]

Specifications and comparison

SeriesModelCapacityRelease DateDisplayRated battery lifeAudio formatsWireless connectivityCPUPhysical sizeWeight
F800NWZ-F8048 GBOctober 20123.5" LCD800x480 (WVGA)20 hoursMP3, WMA, ATRAC (Japanese market), ATRAC Advanced Lossless (Japanese market), WAV, AAC, HE-AAC, FLAC[9] IEEE 802.11 a/b/g, Bluetooth 3.0NVIDIA Tegra 2 1 GHz[10] 114.5 mm
57 mm
8.9 mm
100 g
(3.53 oz)
NWZ-F80516 GB
NWZ-F80632 GB
NWZ-F80764 GB
F880NW-F88516 GBOctober 20134" LCD854x480 (WQVGA)17–35 hoursMP3, WMA, ATRAC (Japanese market), ATRAC Advanced Lossless (Japanese market), WAV, AAC, HE-AAC, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, DSD (through update)[11] IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, FM transmitter (some regions)Texas Instruments OMAP4430 1 GHz[12] 116 mm
58 mm
8 mm
103 g
(3.63 oz)
NW-F88632 GB
NW-F88764 GB

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sony's latest Walkman lineup sizzles.
  2. Web site: Sony launches Android Walkman with FLAC. 18 July 2012.
  3. Web site: Sony unveils bevy of Walkman devices, puts premium on hi-res audio playback.
  4. Web site: Sony adds NFC to latest Walkman. 9 September 2013.
  5. Web site: Sony Walkman NW-F880 Announced with Four Colors. 11 October 2013.
  6. Web site: NWZ-F886/F887 System Software Update | Sony NZ.
  7. Web site: Walkman F880 アップデートで「Dsee Hx」に対応。アップデートレポートだ!. 12 December 2013.
  8. Web site: Sony NWZ-F886. 20 December 2013 .
  9. Web site: NWZ-F806 Specifications | Sony UK.
  10. Web site: Sony Announces Walkman F800 with Android 4.0, We Have Specs. 20 July 2012.
  11. Web site: NWZ-F886 Specifications | Sony AP.
  12. Web site: Sony представила новые плееры Walkman ZX1, F880, M, S и W. 25 September 2013 .