Sony Selling Waterproof MP3 Player Inside Bottles of Water

[Steven Bogos]

Sony Selling Waterproof MP3 Player Inside Bottles of Water

Well, that's one way to convince your customers that your product is genuinely "waterproof".

We've all been burned by "waterproof" products in the past, that turned out to be about as resistant to water as they are to lava, so, when Sony decided to market its new waterproof MP3 player in New Zealand, it needed a way to prove to its customers that it was genuinely, actually waterproof. Cue "The Bottled Walkman," a collaboration between Sony and ad agency DraftFCB to sell the new NWZ-W270 Walkman immersed inside bottles of water.

While the device first hit American stores in January, 2013, for its New Zealand debut it will be available not from electronics shops, but from vending machines, in gyms and other places. It does, after all, come with a free bottle of water. You can check out the official ad that is running in New Zealand in the video above.

The NWZ-W270 is specifically designed to be an exercise companion, able to accompany you anywhere in the gym - even into the pool! It has 4GB of inbuilt storage and features inbuilt headphones for ease of use and an unobtrusive fit. It boasts eight hours of battery life, and for those of you who often forget to charge before going out, a three minute charge will apparently give it an hour of life.

It's certainly a very novel way to advertise a waterproof product, and this product certainly has a market for swimmers and snowsports enthusiasts alike.

Source: The Next Web [http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2014/02/11/sony-sells-waterproof-mp3-player-inside-bottle-water/#!vmhh4]

Permalink

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

Well, that's one way to drive the transport costs up...

On a serious note, 4GB in 2014 is just pathetic. I can get 32 GB micro SD cards for a couple of bucks, and that in retail. Any word on what that thing costs?

This, I wanted a new Sony walkman so I don't have to carry my big and yet quiet on the volume nexus 7 but that size is so piddly small compared to what a Micro can offer.

Come on Sony ramp up the storage space so we can fit so much more on there for value.

 

[FogHornG36]

Well, that's one way to drive the transport costs up...

On a serious note, 4GB in 2014 is just pathetic. I can get 32 GB micro SD cards for a couple of bucks, and that in retail. Any word on what that thing costs?

would you really want that much music on an mp3 player with no screen? It looks like it has no screen but i haven't really checked...

 

[VladG]

Meh. It's been done.

What really surprised me is the storage size. 4gb? Really? That's just NOT enough. Shame, too. I'd have loved a waterproof wireless headset/mp3 player. My Nokia BH505 (which are supposed to be water resistant with an Ingress Protection rating of 54) short out if you as much as cough at them.

 

[newwiseman]

4GB is a bit sad, that said I use an old 8GB nano to workout with and my gym playlist is less than 4GB.

How hard would a waterproof micro sd port be? Not like water will harm the card, just need a slot and contacts...

 

[Dogstile]

4gb should be plenty for a gym playlist, I have no idea what you guys are on about when you think its not enough. For me that's what, a couple hours worth of songs?

 

[Ninmecu]

4gb should be plenty for a gym playlist, I have no idea what you guys are on about when you think its not enough. For me that's what, a couple hours worth of songs?

My 4gig has about 200 songs, 5 or 6 audiobooks and a few playlists set up and it's not even using 2 gigs. I don't know what people are complaining about, it's more than adequate since, y'know, all it does is play music.

On another topic, I wonder if the water is any good.

 

[Grabehn]

It's a Waterproof thing to listen to music while you're at the gym or whatever, which is more than a couple of hours which seems like more than enough... depending on the cost though, I doubt that someone at the the creative team thought "lets have people dump ALL their music on it".

 

[Waaghpowa]

Lol @ people whining about 4 gigs. It's for the gym, as others have already said. 4 gigs is huge if only for that purpose. On top of that I can get a 32 gig sd blah blah. Sure you could, but would the device you put it in be waterproof?

 

[Megacherv]

Sony seem to be on a waterproof craze recently, what with the Xperia Z phones and tablet, any word on the Vita slim being waterproof?

 

[Crimsonmonkeywar]

My Zune library says is has about 1000 songs and is clocking at around 8gig, so ya, 4 is more than enough for a gym workout and then some. If they're selling it at around 30-40, preloaded with current 'workout' tunes, I could see this catching on(I loved my old Walkman before giving it away and upgrading to the ZuneHD, easily my favorite mp3 player).

 

[weirdee]

so wait, are the earbuds waterproof too, or what?

 

[Kyrdra]

so wait, are the earbuds waterproof too, or what?

The earbuds are the mp3 player

This, I wanted a new Sony walkman so I don't have to carry my big and yet quiet on the volume nexus 7 but that size is so piddly small compared to what a Micro can offer.

Come on Sony ramp up the storage space so we can fit so much more on there for value.

At least they havent designed extra cards for that that cost up to 100$

Well, that's one way to drive the transport costs up...

On a serious note, 4GB in 2014 is just pathetic. I can get 32 GB micro SD cards for a couple of bucks, and that in retail. Any word on what that thing costs?

100$ [http://store.sony.com/black-4gb-walkman-sports-mp3-player-zid27-NWZW273//cat-27-catid-All-Players-Docks]

4GB is a bit sad, that said I use an old 8GB nano to workout with and my gym playlist is less than 4GB.

How hard would a waterproof micro sd port be? Not like water will harm the card, just need a slot and contacts...

You need to waterproof the contacts so you need the whole card enclosed. That said it is possible else my waterproof smartphone woudnt hold out in the water

 

[LittleMikey]

My question is who carries around $100 in coins to buy one of these things :/

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

I guess I'll be the only one here to complain that the player is probably contaminating the water. Sure the storage is small, but who wants to drink the water its been sitting in for who knows how long?

Unless of course you aren't supposed to drink it, to which I say STOP WASTING WATER! j/k

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

And if you get a dud that actually wasn't as waterproof as sony thought, well there's really not much you can do since you bought it FROM A FUCKING VENDING MACHINE and therefore have nowhere to return it. Seriously, does anyone actually buy electronics from vending machines, and if so WHY?!

 

[Strazdas]

Meanwhile i had no trouble carrying my regular MP3 player durign the rain because youk now its not like i go bathing with it!

On a serious note, 4GB in 2014 is just pathetic. I can get 32 GB micro SD cards for a couple of bucks, and that in retail. Any word on what that thing costs?

wow, 4GB on an mp3 player is something i got when i bought one 5 years ago. heck, a 4 gb usb stick is way too small nowadays. it should be minimum of 16 gb there.

4gb should be plenty for a gym playlist, I have no idea what you guys are on about when you think its not enough. For me that's what, a couple hours worth of songs?

Erm when did 4 gbs became enough? heck, when did 2 hours of playlist became enough.
And its not like you use MP3s only for gym now is it.

My 4gig has about 200 songs, 5 or 6 audiobooks and a few playlists set up and it's not even using 2 gigs. I don't know what people are complaining about, it's more than adequate since, y'know, all it does is play music.

you have ONLY 200 songs, and judging form audiobooks either they are very short or are in abysmal audio quality. my old mp3 player is 4 gb and i could easily have enough stuff to store in 8 gb already, and thats NOT counting the audiobooks.

It's a Waterproof thing to listen to music while you're at the gym or whatever, which is more than a couple of hours which seems like more than enough... depending on the cost though, I doubt that someone at the the creative team thought "lets have people dump ALL their music on it".

implying all our music would fit in a 32 gb card....

Lol @ people whining about 4 gigs. It's for the gym, as others have already said.

mp3 players are only for gym? since when? or for that matter, how does that matter about space size at all?

 

[barbzilla]

Sony seem to be on a waterproof craze recently, what with the Xperia Z phones and tablet, any word on the Vita slim being waterproof?

The water proof phone thing has to do with people in Japan using their phones in the bath. As for the Vita, no, they are not planning on setting it up with waterproofing anytime soon.

OT: So, they gave away a bunch of them first? Will they be sold in bottles of water on store shelves? I'm really confused as to what that Ad was getting at.

 

[putowtin]

My question is who carries around $100 in coins to buy one of these things :/

We have a winner! I was wondering who'd be the first to notice this!
And imagine been next in line in the queue for the vending machine... all you want is a bottle of water and theres some guy pumping in all the loose change he has for a mp3 player!