Last month I did some serious shopping - check out my new reviews!
Last month I did some serious shopping - check out my new reviews!
Member since:16.01.2005
Reviews:21
Members who trust:1
This gizmo is Steve Job's worst nightmare. No stock shortages, expensive ad campaigns or celebrity endorsements are going to hoodwink the consumer into believing that Apple's iPod is the only toy in town. This is shiny...
I've loved my previous Sony MP3 player but not so much I wouldn't lend it to my Aunty who was going on a long coach journey. The dear old girl was off to buy a CD walkman and cart the 9 CD's of her unabridged audiobook with her.
"No Aunty!" Han crys. "Technologically not savvy - in just a few minutes the entire audiobook can be in this tiny little machine." So my Aunty leaves with my NW-HD5 20 GB MP3 player and doesn't want to part with it. We strike a deal and I am left to log on to amazon.co.uk to find a new toy for the daily commute...
Mine cost £153.80 from Amazon (using ipoints.com etc). I also purchased a silicon skin for it which I would recommend. However, if you are generally hard on gadgets you might prefer the soft shell case (which I also purchased...) because that way the screen of the player is also protected.
This model has an 18GB memory and a large display. The screen is not full colour but is very bright and easier to read than the display on the NW-HD5 . The machine processes your requests faster too - which is great because you can do so much more from the gadget itself.
You can push tracks to the recycle bin, re-order playlists and use intelligent shuffle functions. The menu is cool - set out with nine icons much like most mobile phones. This represents real progress for those of us used such gadgets but I am sure Aunty is much happier with the straightforward controls on the NW-HD5.
When I loaded the new Connect software (a much more user friendly interface than the old Sonic Stage) it required an immediate internet update. I have no idea what the bug was that Sony needed to correct but would not recommend buying this gadget to someone without easy access to the internet.
The Connect software managed to find all the music in Sonic Stage and transfer it across. It then allowed me to upload CD's into Connect whilst simultaneously transfering songs to the player itself. (The terminology for music transfer has also been standardised so that transfer is referred to as 'sync'ing).
This MP3 player is quite chunky. I find this reassuring but I am sure other people would find the much thinner iPod offerings more to their taste. (Or more suitable for their briefcase/handbag - you definately would not want this in your shirt top pocket).
It is available in black, violet or silver. PROS
Good battery life
Fabulous Design
Not as common as any sort of iPod
Lightweight
Bright, easy to navigate screen
Quick navigation of internal software
Cons
Quite chunky
Neither the range nor the availability of accessories that exist *for fruity alternative
Very useful - I've seen these in the shops but wanted to kno how they were to use and I think I've got a sense of that...
My old walkman only cost a £15 though so I am not sure I am really ready to push the boat out yet!!!
Advantages: Looks Good, Good Sound, Large Memory, Sony (Reputable), Range of Features Disadvantages: Initially quiet, Can turn on in pocket, Sunlight makes text invisible, Software.
Jan 19th, 2006
exceptional by (6%):
very helpful by (61%):
helpful by (33%):
