NEWS: Bigger screen, better battery life and Bluetooth - Sony's new NWZ-A820 MP3 players

On the way from Sony is a range of video MP3 players combining a large 2.4in screen, extended battery life and Bluetooth connectivity.

The NWZ-A820 range comes in models from 4GB to 16GB, and in a range of colours including the now-mandatory pink, and models are available with conventional wired headphones or complete with Sony's own Bluetooth headsets, for entirely wire-free operation.

The series will be available from April and comprises the 4GB NWZ-A826, 8GBNWZ-A828 and 16GB NWZ-A829. All the models have Bluetooth capability, allowing them to be used with Bluetooth headphones, some Sony in-car units and systems and receivers using the company's DM Port system with its Bluetooth adapter.

In addition, two models will come with Sony's DR-BT21G Bluetooth headphones as standard - the 4GB NWZ-A826K and 8GB NWZ-A828K. All models are available in black, gold, silver and pink.

The players support WMA with DRM, AAC, MP3 and Linear PCM audio formats, JPEG for pictures and H.264/AVC and MPEG-4 video files.

Up to 15 hours of video or 925 songs can be stored on the 4GB models, and 62 hours of video or 3800 songs on the 16GB variant.

In addition, the players have reduced power consumption to give 10 hours of video playback or 36 hours of music, or 7 hours of video and 15 of music with Bluetooth on.

Technorati Tags: AAC, Bluetooth, MP3, MP4, Sony, Walkman

Andrew has written about audio and video products for the past 20+ years, and been a consumer journalist for more than 30 years, starting his career on camera magazines. Andrew has contributed to titles including What Hi-Fi?, GramophoneJazzwise and Hi-Fi CriticHi-Fi News & Record Review and Hi-Fi Choice. I’ve also written for a number of non-specialist and overseas magazines.