Press Release

October 12, 2006

SONY LAUNCHES WALKMAN® DIGITAL MUSIC PLAYER WITH BUILT-IN NOISE CANCELING TECHNOLOGY

Toronto, Ontario - Sony of Canada Ltd. today announced the launch of their newly developed portable digital music player with integrated noise canceling technology. The Walkman® NW-S700F series puts high quality sound at the heart of enjoying music on the go.

Perfect for everyday commuters, for frequent flyers and for those who enjoy peace and quiet in their portable listening, the NW-S700F series provides clear sound quality on a bustling street, a full airplane or a noisy commuter train without the need to increase volume, which may damage hearing. 

Integrated Noise Canceling and Clear Sound Features:

The original noise canceling and clear audio technologies have been developed to work in harmony with Sony's unique 13.5?EX headphones. These headphones feature built-in microphones to capture, examine and neutralize surrounding noise, allowing listeners to enjoying their music without interruption. Ambient noise is reduced to ¼ of the perceived sound level to let you travel in peace and quiet while enjoying the full quality and dimension of your music without constant background sound*1. Boasting clear stereo and clear bass technologies to increase sound clarity, the Sony NWS700F Walkman digital music player treats music fans to a listening experience like never before -- one that's true to the original recording.

Stylish design:

Sony does it with a flourish. Stylish and sleek, the piano finish gives the NWS700F Walkman® digital music player a look all its own and, with two colours to choose from, you can match it to your style. Sony even offers a high-tech 3-line OEL (organic electroluminescent) display in full colour that can display CD jackets as they're played.

Stamina playback & quick charging function:

Long flight? Killer commute? This Sony Walkman digital music player has stamina!  It can playback up to 50 hours on a single charge*2. And with speed charging, a quick 3 minute USB charge through PC will give you 3 hours of playback.

Direct encoding:

For vintage music collectors, this feature lets you enjoy analogue formats, like cassette, CD, MD and vinyl, by recording audio signals directly from your audio player. With the optional cradle or cable for recording, Sony's latest digital music player records without using a PC for high sound quality in digital ATRAC or Linear PCM format.

"With the NW-S700F series, Sony has created a whole new category of digital music player. It is an extremely exciting proposition to offer listeners on the move the very best in portable music playback, even in the noisiest of environments.  At Sony, we are always looking at new and improved ways to maximize the consumer's listening experience – we are confident that this latest model, the first of its kind, will produce the highest sound quality that a digital music player has to offer" commented  Gabrielle Holmes, Senior Marketing Manager, Portable Audio and Connect products, Sony of Canada Ltd.

A range of stylish accessories including a high quality leather case, neckstrap for portable use or convenient armband for workouts will be available to ensure that the NW-S700F Walkman digital music player will always look its best. 

This high quality digital music player is also available in the NW-S600 Walkman series which features clear stereo / clear bass quality, 13.5?EX headphones, up to 50 hours of battery life and 3 minutes charge for 3 hours playback function. It comes in 3 colours; black, blue and pink.

The Walkman® NW-S700F series and NW-S600 series will be available throughout Canada from November 2006 and available to pre-order at www.sonystyle.ca

Walkman® NW-S700F series key features:

• Built-in Noise Canceling function*1
• Clear Stereo / Clear Bass / 5 band Equalizer / Virtual Phone Technology
• 13.5?EX Headphones for wide dynamic range playback
• 3 Line Colour OEL Display with CD jacket display
• 3 Minute Charge for 3 Hour Playback quick charging function
• Up to 50 hours battery life stamina playback *2
• Direct Encoding (with optional cradle or cable)
• JOG Shuttle operation
• Multi Codec (MP3 / ATRAC / ATRAC Advanced Lossless /  WMA*3 / AAC*3  /  Linear-PCM)
• Built-in FM tuner
• SonicStage music management software included

Walkman® NW-S600 series features:

• Clear Stereo / Clear Bass / 5 band Equalizer / Virtual Phone Technology
• 13.5?EX Headphones for wide dynamic ranging playback
• 3 Line Colour OEL Display with CD jacket display
• 3 Minute Charge for 3 Hour Playback quick charging function
• Up to 50 hours battery life stamina playback *2
• Direct Encoding (with optional cradle or cable)
• JOG Shuttle operation
• Multi Codec (MP3 / ATRAC / ATRAC Advanced Lossless / WMA*3 / AAC*3  /  Linear-PCM)
• SonicStage music management software included

About Sony of Canada Ltd.
 
Established in 1955, Sony of Canada Ltd. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of Tokyo, Japan, a world leader in the manufacture and marketing of electronic and computer products for consumer, business, electronics publishing and multimedia applications on a global scale. With headquarters in Toronto, sales offices in Vancouver and Montreal and distribution centres in Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Whitby, Ontario, approximately 1,000 employees support about 78 Sony stores and a network of more than 500 authorized dealers across Canada.

For further information, please visit us at www.sony.ca/walkman, www.thesonystore.ca or www.sonystyle.ca, Sony's product information and e-commerce Web site, or contact:

Tony Smith    
General Manager   
Marketing Communications   
Sony of Canada Ltd.   
(416) 495-3707    
tony_smith@sony.ca

Michelle Cowan Lefler
Counsellor
Technology Practice
Silverhammer Public Relations
(416) 324-2024
michelle_cowan_lefler@ca.cohnwolfe.com

*1: Our system reduces the ambient noise to 1/4 of perceived sound level. It does not cancel all ambient noise.
*2: *50 hours of playback with built in lithium ion rechargeable battery in ATRAC 132kbps at power save mode "Super", Noise canceling/clear stereo/equalizer/VPT are not in use.
*3: Supports non-copy right protected file only

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