First thoughts. I had this very model for Xmas, 6gb, purple. It comes in a rather nice box, i can compare it to a cadbrys milk tray box in a beautiful shiny purple colour, inside is located another nice box, black with the Sony logo embossed on the front, i love those little touches!
Further inside is the Mp3 player itself, it really is a treat opening this, it looks great, feels great. The player is about the size of a deck of cards and has a nice weight about it, very comfortable in the palm of my hand.
When you turn on the mp3 player first time, you get 3 tracks of music on it so you can play straight away ( after 10 mins or so charging). Although these tracks are a touch naff!. A nice touch none the less, Sony have really thought about the small details.
Features included.
Sony NWA1000V 6 GB HDD Walkman Headphones USB Cable Rechargeable Battery AC Adaptor Carrying Pouch CONNECT Player Software Instructions. Included is a Free CD Album download via sony connect store.
The Sony NWA-1000, a real alternative.
Also another design that the ipod doesn't have, and this player is a real alternative, is the possibility of battery replacement, although my player has lasted a good 15 hours or so before going flat, but should the battery wear out , more than likely after years of use, you can replace it completely, something that users are unaware of.
User Friendly.
Powering up this natty metal ( It has a Aluminum side with almost glass like face, very nice!) player you see a welcome screen. The screen itself is simple, its just text and small icons, they are bright and accessible and it is very user friendly. The text 'floats' on top the surface, very pretty. It's rather natty!.
Durability.
Also the screen doesn't seem prone to scratching, i have had it on me for 5 months now and still looks new, now that cant be said for the ipod, i like my gadgets to last!.
Capacity.
I now have about 500 songs on my player and its only under half-full, its very easy to navigate and user-friendly.
Connect player software
Now here lies the problem - the software, the dreaded connect player. In my naivety i thought that this wouldn't be a problem,but this software is quite bad, it is slow and sluggish and seems to have a mind of its own, it can crash and on low spec PCs it might be very v-e-r-y slow, to Sony's credit they are working on this and supply regular updates via their webpage.
There is a solution - Sony Sonicstage - build for the Sony mini disk, sure its a more simple program but it does work, and works well, if your having problems with connect i would recommend using this. It isn't applesi-tunes (come on Sony look at i-tunes - simple, beautiful, elegant!) but it works. This is Sony, and i suspect they will sort the software out soon, so i would be aware of this problem, but don't let it put you off.
Volume Limit.
This player does come with a volume limit on it, now this isn't a Sony venture but a EU one (don't ask why). It is possible to turn this off however.
The NWA-1000 also comes with a docking cradle (which i also brought), which is handy and looks great on my desk, speakers and various other accessories, including a in-line remote volume control.
Summary.
This is a great little player and feels great, looks amazing, and has a great price. I brought it over the ipod because of its massive storage, for the price and by the fact that it has the Sony 'Walkman' branding. Regardless of the software faults this is a really well designed player, it's an object of beauty! enjoy!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Great features, plenty of room for your fave music! Disadvantages: Disapointing software, not great for slow computers (may not even work).
Advantages: Looks pretty, Different sound options, fits in pocket Disadvantages: Battery gets worse, difficult to delete songs, difficult to get songs onto mp3
Apr 4th, 2006
(Apr 5th, 2006)
very helpful by (64%):
helpful by (36%):
