I was bought this MP3 walkman as a birthday gift a few months ago, so have had a little while to test it out.
The unit itself is extremely compact and is a similar size to the USB flash memory sticks you see on the market. For those who have not used or seen one of these, it's about the size of a disposable cigarette lighter. As such it will fit easily into any pocket, but it also has a small hole at the top so a strap can be fitted (not included), allowing it to be hung round your neck.
The unit charges from the USB drive on your computer. Just pull off the cap at the bottom and plug it in and the display on the front tells you it is charging. This MP3 player boasts up to 30 hours playback time from a full charge and if your in a hurry, a 3 minute "quick charge" will give you 3 hours of playback time. I've found this really useful because it takes a few minutes to copy tracks onto it with the included software and by the time you've finished adding new tracks it's charged enough for you to go. I've never yet had this player run out of battery.
Visually, the unit looks good. The single line display along the front is compact, yet useful, showing all necessary information including current equalizer setting, track name and a position bar. The only problem I've experienced is it's practically impossible to read the screen in any sort of sunlight which can be somewhat annoying.
I had to play around with the unit for a while to discover all of the features available, i.e. equalizer presets, display settings, how to set the "custom" equalizer and the ability to "seek" into tracks by holding the skip button. None of these features were documented very well in the accompanying manual. For the most part anything above basic operation I had to discover myself.
The sound quality of this unit is very good, even with the headphones that come with it. With a small tweak of the equalizer I've always been able to attain a good sound. My only criticism would be the volume level; on older, quieter tracks, when walking next to a busy road the unit just doesn't go loud enough.
The unit I have is the 1gb version. How much music you get on here depends on the format and bitrate quality of your tracks. The unit will play MP3's as well as Sony's ALTRAC format. At bitrates varying from 192-320kbps MP3 I've been able to get about 20 albums worth on here. Sony reckon that if you use their ALTRAC format at 64kbps you can get up to 45 albums on here. I haven't used their format so I can't comment on the sound quality here.
To transfer music onto this player you have to use Sony's Sonicstage software, you cannot just drag & drop your files from Windows Explorer. The more tech savvy and those who are unkeen to install extra software may find this quite annoying but once the program is installed it runs quite smoothly and I haven't had any hitches with it yet. The software automatically recognizes when your MP3 player is plugged in and starts itself up. From there on it's quite simple to transfer files and the program itself is fairly well documented. To sum up quickly:
Good points:
Excellent battery life. Quick charge facility. Small, compact player. Lightweight. Good sound quality. Easy operation.
Bad points:
Display impossible to read in sunlight. Enforced use of Sony Sonicstage software.
Overall this is a good buy for those wanting a small, compact MP3 player with excellent battery life.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Forget everything you know or have ever heard about FM Transmitters! Gomadics new FM ... more
Transmitter with TipExchange will change the way you listen while on the road. Imagine having easy access to Walkman NW-E003 ... now imagine doing this with crystal cl...
Postage & Packaging: £4.09 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Forget everything you know or have ever heard about FM Transmitters! Gomadics new FM ... more
Transmitter with TipExchange will change the way you listen while on the road. Imagine having easy access to Walkman NW-E003F ... now imagine doing this with crystal c...
Postage & Packaging: £4.09 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery with great Stamina of 30 hours High speed battery ... more
charge: 3 minutes charging will give you 3 hours playback time Transfer up to 45 CD's onto the internal memory thanks to ATRAC3plus compression technology Direct USB ...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 2-3 business days...
No more scoping out airport waiting rooms for AC plugs. No more sweating in the parking ... more
lot waiting for your Sony Walkman NW-E003F to charge. Keep the family plugged in on camping trips or the office wondering how you so utterly available. Small; Lig...
Postage & Packaging: £4.09 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
No more scoping out airport waiting rooms for AC plugs. No more sweating in the parking ... more
lot waiting for your Sony Walkman NW-E003 to charge. Keep the family plugged in on camping trips or the office wondering how you so utterly available. Small; Ligh...
Postage & Packaging: £4.09 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
very helpful by (22%):
helpful by (78%):
