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Sony debuts new NWZ-270 Walkman Sports MP3 player

The new 'wire-free' Walkman sports a lighter, improved design and better waterproofing. It's set to ship in March for $99.99.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
David Carnoy

The NWZ-270 is set to ship in March for $99.99. David Carnoy/CNET

LAS VEGAS--Sony isn't showing off a ton of new portable audio products at the show, but one new product it's officially launching here is a new Walkman Sports MP3 player (NWZ-270), a $99.99 waterproof, all-in-one digital music player.

This model is the successor to the W-Series NWZ-W262 Walkman, and it's been upgraded with a lighter design, more intuitive controls, as well as total waterproofing -- yes, you can actually take this one underwater and swim with it.

The new Sports Walkman comes in multiple colors. David Carnoy/CNET

The NWZ-270 includes 4GB of integrated memory and offers drag-drop DRM-free music file transfers from iTunes for Mac or PC, Windows Media Player, or Windows Explorer.

There's no FM radio or anything like that; this one's an MP3 player only, and is obviously designed for sporting types who don't like to deal with dangling headphone wires or Bluetooth streaming.

As far as battery life goes, the player is rated at 8 hours, and Sony says it has a quick-charge function. If the battery dies, all you have to do is charge the device for 3 minutes and you'll get enough juice for 60 minutes of playback. That's a nice feature.

The NWZ-270 will be available in March in blue, pink, white, and black.

Like other earphones, these come with different sized silicone eartips. David Carnoy/CNET