Sony HMP-A1 HD Multiplayer
A few weeks ago, Sony released a supposed iPod killer in their VAIO Pocket unit. I originally intended to put this on the droolworthy list but despite it’s cool design and cool features (like direct connection to digital cameras and the color screen) its proprietary nature turned me off. The fact that the device could not play MP3s without being converted to ATRAC basically made the device useless to most people. The need to transcode already heavily compressed music only makes for bad sounding music.
Oddly enough, Sony has released a new product which i think is the “real” iPod killer. Enter the Sony HMP-A1 Hard Disk Multiplayer. I am baffled by this as it basically competes against their VAIO Pocket device even though it’s considerably more expensive. It’s classic Sony…different companies within the company competing against each other. If it’s not an iPod killer it certainly seems like a VAIO Pocket killer.
To be fair, it’s marketed more of a video player as it has the following specifications:
- 20GB Hard Disk
- 3.5” Color LCD @ 320x240 resolution
- MPEG-4, MPEG-2, MPEG-1, MP3, WAV, JPEG (Stills)
- 129.6 x 75.6 x 22 mm (L x W x D) or (5.1 x 3 x 0.86 inches)
- 250g (8.8 oz)
The unit can be charged via an AC Adapter (2.5 hours charge time) AND it can be charged via USB bus power (7 hours charge time). The device can also be used as a portable USB storage device. The battery life depends on what type of media your using. The following shows the approximate battery life when viewing different kinds of media:
- MPEG-2 content : 4 hours
- MPEG-4 content : 6 hours
- MP3 (128kbps) : 8 hours
So, it’s actually comparable to the iPod in terms of MP3 playback time but it has the snazzy color screen. It also has AV output so you can share the movies on a TV. The device comes with an AC adapter, a 1.5m AV cable and USB2 cable, headphone, remote control, hand strap, carrying case, manual and software disk.
The device is scheduled to be released June 27th, 2004 in Japan and will retail for 62,790 YEN (~$566).
It’s pricey and much more expensive than the VAIO Pocket unit but at least it supports known standards and it’s a competent video player. The 4-6 hour life for watching video is more than adequate. At half a pound, it is a little on the big side but it’s a decent size for a portable media unit. I’ll be sure to keep my eye on this item on my wishlist and hopefully have a review when I can get my hands on one.
