Sony eMarker

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3 x 1 x 5 inches ; 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004WIMW
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,442 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

While driving or jogging and listening to the radio, you'll never again have to ask, "What's that song?" or "Who's that artist?" Thanks to the Sony eMarker--which is small enough to hang on your key chain--you can bookmark the song and look it up at your leisure on your PC.

To set up the eMarker, we inserted the included CR2025 battery into the unit, connected its USB cradle to our PC, and visited the eMarker.com Web site to download and install the driver software. Then we inserted the eMarker into its cradle and followed the onscreen instructions to register the unit for the free eMarker service (a process that included checking local coverage and listing our favorite radio stations). The entire setup process took only a couple of minutes.

This sounds rather complicated, until you remind yourself that the eMarker is little more than a digital clock. When you press the eMarker's button--the only control on the unit--you aren't actually saving information from the radio, just recording a timestamp. To determine the song information, you'll need to insert the eMarker into its cradle and connect to the eMarker Web site (a process very much analogous to PDA synchronization). The eMarker site then displays playlist information from the available radio stations in your area. (Playlist information is provided by Broadcast Data Systems, which covers about 1,100 radio stations across the country. To check whether stations in your area are covered, visit www.emarker.com/coverage/index.jhtml.)

In our tests of the eMarker, we listened to a variety of pop, rock, and country stations (classical, jazz, college radio, and AM stations are not yet included) and pressed the bookmark button upon hearing songs of interest. (Unfortunately, you can only bookmark up to 10 songs at a time.) Later, we connected to our PC and the eMarker Web site, and our PC displayed various choices on screen that intelligently corresponded to songs we might have bookmarked. Thanks to eMarker's well-designed Web site, with a few mouse clicks we were able to listen to audio clips, view information about the songs' artists, and even visit online retailers where we could purchase the CD. Note that the eMarker now works with both Windows-based PCs and Macs with USB connectivity.

If you enjoy pop music and would like some help in recognizing the songs and artists that rock your world, the small, easy-to-use Sony eMarker is an inexpensive and fun gadget to connect you to your music.

Pros:

• One-button operation
• Very easy to set up and use
• Free Web-based service

Cons:

• Not available in all areas
• Does not include jazz and classical station

Product Description

Do you remember the last time you heard a great song on the radio, but you couldn't figure out what the name of the song was? With the Sony eMarker, you can bookmark songs with a simple press of a button (the eMarker remembers the time the song was playing). After plugging your eMarker into your PC, visit the eMarker Web site to find out what song you were listening to. You can also listen to a preview of the song, find out more about the artist, or even buy the album directly from an online music retailer. The eMarker's small size and ultracompact design (0.9 ounces, about the size of a key chain) enable you to take it with you anywhere you go. To get started, install the desktop software (for Windows 98 or 2000), connect the eMarker to your PC via a USB cradle, then visit the eMarker Web site to register your favorite radio stations. When you've bookmarked songs, return to the eMarker Web site to see a list of all songs that played on your selected stations at the time you made your bookmark. The eMarker service covers about 85 percent of the U.S. radio markets (coverage gaps are principally in remote and rural areas). The following metropolitan areas receive updated song playlists every ten minutes: New York/Long Island, Los Angeles/Riverside-San Bernadino, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco/San Jose, Boston, Atlanta, Seattle, San Diego, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and Miami. Other large and medium metropolitan areas update their playlists every 24 hours. To check coverage, visit emarker.com, click "Check Coverage," and enter your ZIP code to get a list of stations in your area. At present, no classical, jazz, or National Public Radio stations are included in any city. The eMarker comes with a USB docking cradle, a CR2025 lithium battery (with an average battery life of 6 months), and operating instructions.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not ready for Prime Time, November 6, 2000

By 

CCG (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony eMarker (Personal Computers)

I'm a gadget nut and this sounded like a great idea. Unfortunately, the execution of the idea was less than what I would have expected from Sony. Here's why the eMarker only gets one star:

1. Windows 98 only. No Windows 2000/ME/95/Mac support. What were you thinking Sony? Why is it so difficult? USB support is there?

2. Only a handful of "big" cities are available real-time. Even though I'm in the 7th biggest city in the country, I guess we don't count. The rest of the "100+ cities" require that you wait for 24 hours before you can get the song info.

3. You can only store 10 songs at once. Considering the fact that I have to go home to use the thing (no Windows 98 at the office) and I have to wait 24 hours to get the 10 songs this is a horrible limitation. This device is doing nothing more than storing date and time stamps. Why limit it to 10? That's ridiculous.

4. The website where you get the info is "pretty" but from a usability perspective it sure leaves a lot to be desired.

Bottom line.... Wait until they get it right.

153 of 164 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't do it! It's still in beta..., October 12, 2000

By 

"dak747" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony eMarker (Personal Computers)

Don't let the sleek look of the emarker fool you, it's got bugs a-plenty and some serious design flaws. Here's what the other reviews (written by Sony employees?) and the literature don't say:

* E-marker doesn't seem to work with AOL; you have to not only use another browser, but also set that browser as the default.

* When you plug the emarker into your computer, it "automatically" loads your marks into the site...or at least that's what it's supposed to do. On 3 browsers and 2 different computers, I haven't quite gotten this to happen.

* Sony seems to be more concerned about being cool than functional - to top off all the emarkers' inadequacies, they (over)designed a Flash interface to get your songs that doesn't quite work either. Simple HTML would have been fine, guys.

...Spare yourself the agony and wait for version 2.0.

...this is the first time I've been irate enough about something to write a review and I assure you everything above is true...

60 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Idea, but needs work, December 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sony eMarker (Personal Computers)

It's not perfect, but it's worth the money. I'm having fun with mine, and I've scored some songs I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Pros: 1. Simple to operate hardware and software. There is only one button on the device. When you plug it into the USB port, it starts your web browser, logs you in to the Sony site, and uploads your time stamps. 2. All 6-7 local (K.C.) radio stations that I listen to are covered. Cons: 1. It takes too long for for radio station data to appear on the web site. They say 24 hours, but I've currently got stuff out there longer than that that I'm still waiting on. 2. Large device for a keychain. Considering the hardware is just a time/date stamp, it should be smaller. 3. The device only stores 10 songs, and there is no way to delete entries without uploading them on your computer. 4. Sony has gone through too much effort to make the website cool, and not enough effort in making it fast. It can take a little while to scroll through your local radio stations to find the song that you e-marked.