Looking like a mobile than an MP3 player, the new player has a mobile phone-like interface and menu.

Powered by a Lithium-ion rechargeable battery, Sony says the player is capable of playing 30 hours for music and 8 hours for video off a single charge.

Video footage can be viewed on the 2-inch colour-rich LCD screen both horizontally and vertically and Sony says transferring new content to the player is a drag and drop system rather than having to rely on its Connect software as with previous models. Video playback supports the widely used MPEG-4 and high quality codec of AVC (H.264/AVC) Baseline profile formats.

In addition to this, Sony is announcing the launch of the WALKMAN NW-E010 series. Available in black and pink the player sports a Direct USB connection that charges the WALKMAN while you transfer your tracks in a similar way to Apple's 1st generation iPod Shuffle. As with previous models it has a convenient quick charge function with 3 minutes charge delivering 3 hours of music playback, with a full hour charge providing up to 30 hours of your favourite tunes.