Walkman Circ
The Walkman Circ is a circular MP3 player about the size of a circular bar of soap. It was released in 2001.
Producer
The Sony Circ Audio Walkman comes from the walkman division of Sony.
Colour
The walkman comes in a variety of colours: green, silver, blue, and black. Each is actually a combination of two colours; the main body is one colour, and the screen is usually a complementary colour, except on the silver model. The silver model has a reflective screen. The included earphones reflect the colour of the device.
Capacity
The Walkman Circ is available in capacities of 1 GB, 512 MB, and 256 MB. The 256 MB can hold approximately 100 songs, the 512 MB 240 songs, and the 1 GB can hold 480 songs, dependent on song length. It has been speculated you could use this device as a USB stick, but it may damage software if you are not experienced.
Battery
The device runs off 1 AAA battery, and can last up to 70 hours with backlight and no power save, or 100 hours with no backlight and power save.
Operation
The device is operated by "tilting the screen" in different directions. It also has volume control on the side, as well as a "hold", "file" and "song" toggle mode. In "file", you can choose what playlist you want to play. In "song" mode, you chose individual songs. In "hold" mode, no buttons work, only the toggle switch. On the rear of the device are two small buttons labeled "menu" and "repeat/equalizer". The equalizer is a program that differentiates the treble, delay and pitch of the music. The repeat button allows you to select different repeat options.
Menu
Also, the device's internal menu allows you to change date and time settings, backlight settings, tone settings, repeat settings, and equalizer settings.
Software
As well as an internal program, the walkman comes standard with a music program called Sonic Stage. This program is similar to Windows Media Player, or QuickTime. It works with all Sony Walkmans, and is upgradable through the internet. The program has been a deterrent for consumers debating between the iPod and Circ due to the complexity involved in Sony's program when transferring music from the computer onto the Circ.