Sony 8GB Walkman Video/MP3 Player / B001F50UIQ
My old dinosaur-era MP3 player died and I needed a new player. I wanted something that could play MP3s, video, and radio and pretty much nothing else - I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg for fancy extras when all I want is to listen to something pleasant while I work. This player fits the bill perfectly, and I'm only sorry I didn't buy it sooner.
1. Music: I haven't had an MP3 yet that this player hasn't played perfectly. The sound is crisp and clear and clean, and I absolutely love it. A few people have noted that the player isn't "loud enough", but I've found that this is a consequence of the headphones more than anything else - with my comfy Sennheiser earbuds, I do keep the volume at about 20-25 (out of 30), but with my fiance's headphones I keep the volume at a measly 10 or less. So, basically, if you buy this player, you might end up wanting a different set of headphones, customized to your comfort level - that' going to depend on personal taste.
2. Video: This MP3 doesn't support .FLV formats (i.e. the format used commonly on Youtube and other video sites), but it DOES support MP4 videos, and there are quite a few free MP4 converters out there (or, as many of them are called, 'iPod converters' since MP4 is also supported by the iPods). You can choose to view the videos in landscape or portrait mode, and when you view them in landscape (i.e, with the player on its side to have more viewing real-estate), the rewind/fast-forward buttons automatically resign to the up/down buttons instead of the left/right, which is extremely cool and intuitive.
3. Radio: Works beautifully. I haven't listened to radio in years because I got tired of poor reception and fussy tuners, but this MP3 player has none of those problems. It's easy to cycle through stations, and even easier to set 'favorites' and cycle through them.
4. Menu System: I love simplicity - I hate having to learn new systems, and particularly new, complicated systems. This MP3 player has the most simple menu system - the main screen has 9 icons, all clearly marked. Cycle to the music note and it lights up - press the button and there is your music library list of categories. You can either pick "All Songs", or drill down further by album, artist, genre, release year, or folder. The 'Back' button will always cycle you back to the previous screen; the 'Option' button will allow you to customize views, preferences, or drill directly to the current song - in case you backed out to go look at some stored pictures and want to return to the song screen without having to re-navigate there. It's so intuitive that I was using it straight out of the box, with no need for a manual - that's simplicity.
5. Compatibility: This MP3 player works perfectly with my Vista laptop and my fiance's XP desktop. It doesn't, for some odd reason, work with *my* XP desktop, but that seems to be a fault in my individual computer, and not with the operating system or the MP3 player itself. Plug the USB cord in, and drag-and-drop your music into the removable drive. You can either drop everything in directly, or use folders to organize everything. The transfer is fast and easy, just the way I like it. I understand you can also interface with various programs to move your music onto the device, but I prefer drag-and-drop, so I haven't tested that aspect.
6. Size and Usage: Perfect. The player is incredibly slim (hence the need for the proprietary USB plug) and fits perfectly in any jeans pocket or jacket. The length of the player is precisely from the bottom of my palm to the top where my fingers start - a perfect hand-held size, allowing for videos to still be easily viewed. The front buttons are simple and easy to use (Back, Option, Up/Down/Left/Right, Play/Pause) and the side volume buttons are easy to press without being accidentally bumped frequently.
7. Battery life: No complaints here. I can get at least nine hours of straight video usage out of this player and probably more - nine hours is the point at which I had home for the day and plug the charger in for the night. Music usage takes even less power than video usage, so I can imagine you could get at least two full days out of this device before needing to charge it again. Charged overnight, the battery is completely full in the morning, and the internal indicator is clear enough to read at a pinch.
8. Complaints: It would be nice to be able to delete songs directly from the device, in case I hear something and think, "Ugh, why did I put that on here?" Just open Option and hit delete - no need to hook up to the computer and dig through folders. Still, that's a small thing. It would also be nice to be able to build play lists on the device - they have to be loaded from your loading program and since I don't bother with all that, that means no play lists for me. And since you can't tell the videos to just play one-after-the-other, you have to keep selecting the next one in the list to listen to, which is kind of annoying when your hands are full. And that's pretty much it as far as quibbles go.
9. Extras: Definitely get the accessories pack for this device - 13 Items Bundle Accessory for Sony Walkman - as it is worth every penny. The screen protector and rubber sheath will protect your investment, the external speakers are just plain nice to have, and the wall-charger is WONDERFUL to use - not only does it charge more conveniently (for me, anyway) than via the USB-to-computer connection, the player can ALSO play music/video/etc. *while* it's charging via the wall charger, something you can't do when it's hooked up to the computer because then the player is in "data transfer" mode.
In short, I love this player and will use it for as long as I can. When, god forbid, it reaches the end of its natural life, I'll probably buy another one of the exact same brand. I love it *that* much.
~ Ana Mardoll
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Never let down
I love this Sony Walkman. I've been having it for 6 or 8 years and it still works. The quality is amazing and I love how you can listen in to the radio as well. :)
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