By Matthew Henry
SYDNEY: Sony has launched a portable stereo system which plays digital music steamed wirelessly over a home network, the Vaio VGF-WA1 Digital Music Streamer, which will retail for $499.
Shaped like a sleek, black retro toaster, the compact Vaio WA1 incorporates stereo speakers and a Wi-Fi receiver allowing users to listen to music streamed from a PC or over the internet anywhere in the house for up to four hours on the built-in battery.
The WA1 is compatible with popular digital audio formats including mp3, wma and aac as well as Sony’s proprietary atrac compression codec and can be managed through PC programs including iTunes, Windows Media Player and Sony’s SonicStage.
The units also has a 3.5mm stereo jack input for connecting a digital audio player and analogue and digital output for playing music streamed to the WA1 unit through a home audio system.
“When it comes to entertainment content, and specifically music, people are moving quickly to a digital and PC-centric environment,” said Sony Australia senior product manager – Vaio, Hiro Ishikawa, in a statement released this morning.
“The Vaio WA1 offers a tech-savvy, stylish way to listen to your digital music collection, while ensuring you don’t compromise on the sound quality Sony is known for.”
The WA1 also features a remote control, touchscreen controls and an alarm clock function so users can wake up to their own music.