Walkman Z Series Features Tegra 2, Gingerbread

Sony is launching a full frontal attack on Apple's iPod Touch with the upcoming release of its Android-powered Walkman Z1000 series.

ZoomDigInfo TV reports that Sony has introduced the Z1000 Series Walkman which features Android 2.3 and Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual-core SoC clocked to 1 GHz. The device is slated to hit Japan first in December, ranging from the $360 16 GB model to the $550 64 GB model. And no, it doesn't sport any telephony features.

As seen in the video below, this new Walkman may focus on music, but it's also capable of full HD video playback, gaming and Internet surfing, thus making it more like a fierce iPod Touch contender rather than a enhanced music player. But, like the iPod Touch, it's a music machine at heart, offering additional multimedia capabilities and applications as an extension to its high-fidelity musical roots.

"The Z Series models have been developed to give music lovers new ways to enjoy their music," said Kouichi Tokuda, General Manager of Sony Marketing. "Nowadays, music can mean music with video, or music in Android applications. So we've used the Android platform to help people really enjoy music. These Walkmans have extremely low noise, whether the sound has a wide range, bass notes, or low volume. Because sound just can't be described in words, we really hope people will try these models for themselves."

Additional reports indicate that the device will offer Google's standard Android services (Maps, Docs, Android Market etc), support for DLNA media streaming, 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth connectivity. Other hardware specs include 512 MB of RAM, a 4.3-inch WVGA display, HDMI-out, the company's Clear Audio Technology, and its S-Master MX full digital amp "for high fidelity audio reproduction and reduced noise."

"Because people watch video with the screen horizontal, we've designed these models to be held firmly in the horizontal position," Tokuda said. "Also, when the rear speaker is placed on a flat surface, we've enabled the sound to travel by reverberating from the floor using the curvature of the body."

Although the company doesn't specify, it wouldn't be surprising to see Sony's PlayStation Suite on the device this December. Previously Nvidia indicated that the emulator would eventually arrive on Tegra 2 devices, and this iPod Touch-killer seems like the appropriate platform.

The Sony Walkman Z1000 series will make its debut in Japan on December 11, 2011 in black and red. Capacities will include 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Stay tuned for North American release dates and (official) prices.