Sony Widescreen Walkman NWZ-X1000 w/ Built-in Noise Canceling

We've to give Sony some credit for persistence in staying in the MP3 player market after taking some beating from American and Korean rivals. Its latest Walkman NWZ-X1000 however seems to be a year too late, especially when iPod touch is heavily armed with gaming capability, WiFi music purchase, and a proven mobile browser. That's not to say the innovations stop here. Sony Walkman X-series has a few edges over the multi-talented iPod and the new Samsung P3.

The widescreen Walkman features a 3" OLED with multi-touch capability, so the display should technically be brighter and exhibit better color contrast than iPod touch's LED. Sony also likes to emphasize on the Clear Audio, S-Master Digital Amplifier, built-in noise canceling (no need to shell out for $300 Bose headphones), and dedicated music player controls; after all, the new Walkman is touted as a 'Certified for Windows Vista' MP3 player. Wi-Fi connectivity found on the NWZ-X1000 is intended for YouTube, PC-less Podcast downloads, and Internet browsing. Don't expect to find 10,000-strong ocean of apps, and you should be fine. The X-series will hit retail store during Spring 2009 with pricing for 32GB and 16GB to be announced. Video demo after jump.