 | |
 | |
| Developer(s) | Sony Corporation |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 2012 |
| Stable release | 9.4.12.A.0.6 / June 19, 2023 |
| Operating system | Android |
| Type | Audio player |
| License | Proprietary |
Music, formerly known as Walkman, is an audio player software for Android. Developed by Sony Corporation (and previously by Sony Mobile), it is the default music player on Xperia devices and comes preloaded on them.
A similar Walkman app continues to exist on Walkman digital audio players, including those that run on Android.
Music was launched as Walkman in 2012, debuting on Sony's first in-house smartphones the Xperia S, Xperia P and Xperia U. It replaced the previous Music Player app on Sony Ericsson devices. [1] Before this, the music player on the Sony Ericsson Zylo and Live with Walkman were also called Walkman.
The Walkman app included all the features that were found on the digital Walkman portable music players of the time. [2] It featured an interface similar to the 'Cover Flow' of the iPod. Features included SensMe channels and Music Unlimited integration. [3]
"Smart Playlists" was introduced in a version 8.0 update along with further TrackID integration. [4] There were some UI tweaks in version 8.4 in 2014. [5] Android Wear support was also soon added. [6]
In 2015 with Android 5.0 Lollipop, the Walkman app was renamed to Music. [7] [8] A 'Quick Play' feature was later added. [9] SensMe was removed in 2016. [10] Some later visual updates made the player styled like Material Design. [11]
Music also featured (on some models) DSEE HX sound processing. [12] DSEE Ultimate is featured starting with Xperia 1 II. [13]
The app became stripped down eventually with the equalizer and headphone settings disappearing.
As of version 9.4.7 (May 2020), the Gracenote metadata feature in the Music app was removed. [14]
Sony Mobile Communications Inc. was a multinational telecommunications company founded on October 1, 2001, as a joint venture between Sony Corporation and Ericsson. It was originally incorporated as Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, and headquartered in London, England, until Sony acquired Ericsson's share in the venture on February 16, 2012. On April 1, 2021, Sony integrated its electronics businesses including Sony Mobile into one company called Sony Corporation.
TrackID was a mobile music and audio search engine for Sony Ericsson feature phones, Android devices and some Sony television sets. TrackID was developed by Sony Mobile and allowed users to identify music using Gracenote's music database. Gracenote was acquired by Sony in 2008. The acquisition was completed on June 2, 2008. The revised Android application was released in March 2015.
The Walkman A810 series is a portable media player designed by Sony. It was a flagship model in the Walkman digital player family. The model debuted in Asia in 2007, and then became available in North America. This series updates the previous Walkman A800 of the Walkman A Series, with the same hardware but different on-PC music management program.
DSEE is a sound quality improvement technology for lossy compressed music files developed by Sony.
SensMe is a proprietary music mood and tempo detection system created by Sony Corporation, and employed in numerous Sony branded products, including in some Walkman digital music players, the Media Go application, the PlayStation Portable, and Sony Ericsson and Sony Xperia handsets. It is named Omakase Channel (おまかせチャンネル) in Japan.
Xperia is a series of and the sole brand name of smartphones marketed by Sony. It also includes various related mobile hardware such as tablets as well as software. Xperia was originally developed by Sony Ericsson before becoming Sony Mobile in 2012; it has been under Sony Corporation since 2021 following Sony Mobile's merger. The name Xperia is derived from the word "experience", and was first used in the Xperia X1 tagline of "I Xperia the best".
The Xperia Play is a smartphone with elements of a handheld game console produced by Sony Ericsson. With the marketshare for dedicated handheld game consoles diminishing into the 2010s due to the rapid expansion of smartphones with cheap downloadable games, Sony attempted to tackle the issue with two separate devices; a dedicated video game console with elements of a smartphone, called the PlayStation Vita, and a smartphone with elements of a handheld console, the Xperia Play. Originally rumored to be a "PlayStation Phone", the device shed the "PlayStation" branding in favor of the Xperia brand, running on the Android operating system.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo is an Android smartphone by Sony Ericsson, superseding the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, released in 2010 and preceding the Sony Xperia P, released in 2012. It was launched in early 2011. During its development it was codenamed Hallon.
The Tablet S is a tablet computer released by Sony in September 2011. Featuring a "unique asymmetric design", the Tablet S runs Google's Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system and features a 9.4 in (240 mm) multitouch display, 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 dual core processor, Wi-Fi ability, front- and rear-facing cameras, Bluetooth, and an infrared sensor. It is also configured with access to the Sony Entertainment Network and is PlayStation Certified and DLNA compatible. Tablet S was Sony's first modern tablet computer. It was succeeded by the Xperia Tablet S, which would be created by Sony's new subsidiary Sony Mobile.
The Sony Xperia S is an Android smartphone from Sony launched at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. It was first released in February 2012 as the Sony Ericsson Xperia NX in Japan, while the Sony Xperia S was released in March 2012 as a restyled version of the Sony Ericsson Xperia NX in more than 160 countries. It is the first Sony-only branded smartphone after Sony acquired Ericsson's stake in Sony Ericsson in January 2012. The Xperia S has a 4.3 in (110 mm) touch-screen with the mobile BRAVIA engine which optimizes the picture, a 1.5 GHz dual core processor, a 12.0-megapixel rear camera, HDMI-out, 1 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of internal storage.
The Sony Xperia U ST25i, codenamed Kumquat during its development, is an Android smartphone from Sony. It was launched at the 2012 Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, and is the second Sony-only branded smartphone after Sony acquired Ericsson's stake in Sony Ericsson in January 2012. The Xperia U has a 3.5-inch (88.9 mm) touch-screen with the mobile BRAVIA engine which optimises the picture, a 1 GHz dual core processor, a 5 mega-pixel rear camera, 0.3 mega-pixel front camera, 512 MB of RAM, and 8 GB of internal storage. The cap at the bottom of the phone is interchangeable. The phone is shipped with four caps: pink, white, yellow and black.
Sony Xperia T is an Android smartphone manufactured by Sony Mobile. Introduced on 29 August 2012, it is Sony Mobile's last device ever introduced to feature the Sony Ericsson liquid energy logo after Sony acquired Ericsson's stake in Sony Ericsson in January 2012. It was released in October 2012.
The Sony Xperia sola is an Android smartphone from Sony released in 2012. It runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and is upgradeable to Android 4.0. The Xperia sola features a 1 GHz dual-core processor, 512 MB RAM and a 3.7" Reality Display touch-screen with Sony's Mobile Bravia Engine. It is the earliest known smartphone to feature a touch screen able to detect a floating finger, which Sony branded as "Floating Touch".
Sony Xperia TX is an Android high-end smartphone from Sony Mobile Communications introduced on 29 August 2012, the Xperia TX is a version of the Sony Xperia GX SO-04D which was launched in May 2012, in Japan. It is Sony's first smartphone built on Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 (MSM8260A) platform. The Xperia TX was officially released in October 2012 in three colors: Black, White and Pink.
The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman is an Android smartphone from Sony Ericsson. It is a music-focused smart phone running Android 2.3, powered by a 1 GHz processor. The screen is 3.2" TFT with HVGA resolution and scratch-resistant coating. The phone measures 56.5 x 106 x 14.2 mm and weighs 115g, making it slightly taller and heavier than the Xperia mini but its specs are similar.
The Sony Xperia Z is an Android smartphone, announced by Sony at CES 2013. It was released on 9 February 2013 in Japan and 1 March 2013 in Singapore and the UK. The Xperia Z was initially shipped with the Android 4.1.2 operating system. The smartphone has Ingress Protection Ratings of IP55 and IP57. It also contains a 13.1 MP Exmor RS camera sensor, and the screen of the phone consists of a TFT 1920x1080 display, with 441 ppi.
The Sony Xperia neo L is a mid-range Android smartphone designed, developed and manufactured by Sony Mobile Communications. The Xperia neo L as first announced in March 2012 and was released in June 2012. The Xperia neo L was first made available in China and was later on released globally.
Sony Xperia E3 is an Android smartphone manufactured by Sony. It was launched to the market on September 3, 2014 in the frame of IFA 2014 like a mobile telephone in the entry to mid-range level, being the successor of the Sony Xperia E1.
The Walkman A Series is a flagship line of mid-range digital audio players (DAP) by Sony as part of its Walkman range. The A Series has been marketed since 2005, initially as the top spec Walkman players and since 2014 as a mid-range following the introduction of the ZX Series. The "A" originally stood for "All in one, Advanced, and Attractive".