Shinji Ikeda

I read the review closer after noticing that Mossberg is an Apple fanboy. Despite these downsides, the Touch is a great media player, and the iPod remains the best end-to-end portable solution for playing and purchasing music and video. A true statement from an Apple fanatic. He could have at least hid the fact by writing Despite these downsides, I feel the Touch is a media player, and the iPod with iTunes still remains the most popular end-to-end portable media product for playing and purchasing music and video. Unfortunately, he is a senior review for a respected journal and I am not. Something I am very happy about (me not being him).

And here I was thinking that Apple had the best programmers and engineers in the world (sarcasm). Apple's computers and other products have the same problems as other manufacturer's products. Some times it is a user error other it just cause because it is not possible to predict all likely problems. Apple has a tendency to down play possible problems, bury it or blame someone else. Earlier Apple blamed Microsoft for a problem relating to iPod or iTunes. I can not remember with. Relating to securities issue Apple denies everything. There are many good things about Apple, however the same could be said about other companies including Sony. You will be able to resolve many of the issues that you are encountering. Remember 80-90% of American DAP owners have iPod. This creates a significant demography that most wants to hear good things about the product they purchased. Hey, we are all same way, since I do not want to spend all my money on the latest and greatest products.

You do not need to transcode to ATRAC. However, is it correct to assume that you are reducing the tracks to smaller files. You may need to ensure that the files for the tracks that you are transferring exist in the correct directory. You can do this by using Explorer and in SonicStage under properties/file info. Cross reference the files to ensure that SonicStage is pointing to the correct directory and file.

The review that was written was not a technical review, as you could tell from the publication. He answers the questions that the audience that he is writing to wants to know. Does it do the job it was designed for? Are there any difficulties associated with the use of the device? Actually, the review seems more refreshing as opposed to those that seem that they were written by someone regurgitating the Apple line. Most people who purchase the iPod do not care about things such as codec, fps or Sound Quality. Trust me. When people say "I am going to buy an iPod" with a smile on their face, always make one wonder. Have these same people considered the technical features or if they just want the status of having the iPod. I found nothing strange about his review. However, it is definitely lacking in the technical aspect.

I do not recall that Sony had made an official announcement about a firmware upgrade, to allow drag-and-drop for the NW-A800 series. Sony has given Europe and North American a player that these markets have been demanding for a long time. There were constant hints that Sony would be changing something relating to their media players. First, I do not know the differences and or the similarities between the hardware of NW-A800 series and the NWZ-A810 series. The is no possibility that Sony could release a firmware update as quickly as some people seem to be requesting. This is not the changing of a couple lines of code and releasing the upgrade. The methods for transferring music to the players of the NW-A800 and the NWZ-A810 series is significantly different. To the average computer user it may seem simple. I do not know how poorly the NW-A800 series was doing in other regions, but it was doing poorly enough that Sony US never released the product. The are many user of the NW-A800 series that are happy with SonicStage. Sony has never announced that they would be abandoning SonicStage or ATRAC. The media came to that conclusion when the NWZ-B100 was announced. Sony seems as though they will continue to sell their Network Walkmans in Japan with SonicStage, as presented by the fact that there are no NWZ models being sold in Japan. Sony may release a firmware upgrade and they may not. I understand how those people feel after they purchased an NW-A800 series Walkman to later discover that the NWZ-A810 series will be released. However, if Sony does it will take time to design and test. Additional, Sony will have to resolve the issue related to those that want to extract tracks out of SonicStage.

The stand adds audio out and AC charging to the S600/S700/A800 series Network Walkmans. I would suspect that it would work with the new S610/S710/A810 and the S510 series. To utilize the audio out you need to connect using the AC adapter. Yes, it uses a mini plug, but of course it uses an mini-RCA cable. I use mine as a charge stand for both my players while connected via USB. The stand utilizes all the supported features of the player. The could be the reason that the spec are lacking.

I have never seen a review be critical on the iPod. Actually, there have been few that have been critical, but most have been glowing reviews of the iPod. The funny thing that I find is that some reviews go as far as to state the Apple with their iPod revolutionized the way we listened to our music (Naspter and other DAP had more of an influence on this). Which make me at least realize that this reviewer is not being objective.

I find the PSP just to bulky in comparison to the dedicated music players. With the improvements to the firmware for the PSP Sony has made the video playback far superior on the PSP than on the NW-A808. I agree with Akai Kenshi on the form factor and battery life of the NW-A800 series.

I seriously doubt that there will be a backlash against Apple. There will be some disgruntle customers. However, Apple has a tendency of using there PR machine to quickly and effectively change that. Also, the iPod community will nullify any 'resistance'. In other words this current dissatisfaction will amount to nothing. look here -> http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/2007/09/more...e-backlash.html If the 8GB Network Walkman are not big enough then just wait. The Christmas buying season is not yet, and hopefully Sony can come out with a 16GB plus player just in time.

I would agree with you. I was very impressed by how well it works. Sony has also include guides on the screen that give the user instructions on what each button does.

I have a question. What do you mean sorta off centre? I know that sometimes manufacturers may place something off centre because of some specific reason. In other words, is this a minor error in putting the device together?

The continuous playback is something that is current in the 800 series Walkman (no wishing for a firmware upgrade). Additionally, video playback will start at the point that playback was stopped. This is something many has wanted in the NW-A800 series for audio playback. About the screen brightness of the NW-A800, it can be adjusted. The default setting is 2 with 5 being the brightest, which is excellent under bright sunlight. The NW-A800 screen is orientated vertically, while the nano is horizontally. This means that you need to re-orientate the NW-A800 for wide screen videos, but can view videos at either orientation. Both have a Quad-VGA 320x240 screen. Unfortunately, the NW-A800 does not have a flashy name, or is manufactured by Apple.

It all comes down to perference. The battery life is sub par on the nano. Make your choice on what you want. Remember Sony has delievered on drag-and-drop, something many people have been waiting for.

4 new models. With Sony seeming to converge the design their Network Walkman is interesting. I wonder what Sony what will be next. Anyways, I am considering a new PSP2000.

Actually, These are the 510 series Walkman not the 610 series. It seems as though Sony UK will be sell in NWZ-S515L models with do not include FM and the ability to play videos. Checking the link was the first time that I heard of these models. I have not been able to locate any models for the NWZ-S610 series on Amazon UK or Sony UK.

There have been more negative reviews for the iPod Touch, however most are glowingly positive. Apple has improved the interface across their entire iPod line, and has incorporated the album view feature on every model. It is cool how it works. However, I have one main issue with the iPod interface. With most DAP when you reach an end of a list, you return to the beginning. The iPod interface does not allow this at all. It makes me think that apple designed the functionality based on 8-track tapes. That is my opinion. My advice is to do some research on the pros and cons of your new media player. This include price, features, compatibility and other issue that are important to you. Then make your purchase. The iPod may be the best of John-Q public, but it is not the best. My next computer should have between 80 and 120 GB of hard-drive space, so it is correct to assume that the 160 GB iPod is definitely over kill. aob, I would agree that the iPod is over-rated, however they do provide a entrancing experience. I also watched the getting to know iPod touch video. The first thought was cult. Anyways, thanks for the heads up.

I would agree, but still believe that Sony could release a 16gig model. I do not know what enhancements that Sony could offer, other that (the obvious drag-and-drop). It seems that they have already been released in some regions. Sony, may be having a supply issue.

What? Is it correct that when playing a track that no album infomation being displayed?

Unfortunately, I will have to strongly rebut your statement about the iPhone being innovative. The iPhone has some innovative features, but these features together does not make the iPhone an innovative product. It could be agree that Apple has implemented certain technologies better that other companies. Implementing technology better that others does not make a product innovative. Apple has successfully, scaled down features found in OSX so that it would work with the iPhone. However, shifting features from one platform or device to another does not make a product innovative. Scaling software is nothing new. Innovative means new. Nothing more, nothing less. If a manufacture makes a car with an innovative fuel system, that car does not automatically become innovative. There is no real scientific or other method to determine when some is innovative. Stating that it is innovate is a good method for people to purchase products. It is hard to understand what is innovative about the interface. The touch screen, the GUI, the orientation sensor, what.

Exceptional review. I personally do not mind proprietary USB cables. I have a various array of size, and I also have several that are identical. I do know in Japan there are several accessories that can be used with the NWZ-A810 series. This is what Sony has designed the WM-PORT. All I want is a 16GB model then I would be happy. 160GB is just overkill. Thanks again.

Remember this Apple invented everything. If you search hard enough it is possible to find balanced reviews of Apples products. ComputerWorld wrote an article title It's official, Apple is the new Microsoft. However, Dan Frakes from MacWorld wrote a quick rebuttal. Mr. Frakes erroneously tried to sum it up with "You buy an iPhone because its touchscreen, its hardware, and its technology work together the way no other phone ever has." It could be agreed that the integration of the product is very unified. However, this was the same logic used for people to line-up for days to over pay for a cellphone that few has used. Being honest or critical of the iPhone or any other Apple product would cause Apple fanatics to rain down on you. Dan Frakes states "I could spend time picking apart some of the other statements in the article". This is not how you build an argument. It is effective as a rebuttal, but ignores the fact that the original author was writing to a specific audience, which has a certain knowledge. There is very little innovation in the iPhone. Apple is not Alexander Bell or Thomas Watson. However, Apple is an innovative company like many other is the DAP and cellphone industries. please read: http://www.kansascity.com/business/story/265922.html

Should, Sony have released the NW-S710 series to the European and American market? Sony Europe and Sony America may still release the NWZ-S710, but those living in those regions will have to wait. The Japanese get very well taken care of by Sony. Relating to Hong Kong and Korean those are very competitive markets with very demanding customers. Something Sony is used to with the Japanese market. Sony got trounced by Apple in both Europe and America, thus it can be suspected that they are reconsidering those markets. Hey, Sony still manufacturers MD and other technologies for the Japanese market. Yes, these products seem to still sell in Hong Kong, Korean, and Taiwan. About China, it is an opening market and Sony most likely does not want to happen them in China, what happened in America. I hope that Sony does release the NWZ-S710 in other markets. I was a little disappointed when the NWZ-S610 and NWZ-A810 were announce with neither supporting Noise Cancellation. Anyways, I agree with you.

Thank you for the review. I wonder if Sony will release a tool to enable the conversion from ATRAC to one of the NWZ-A810 series supported formats.

Good for them. So it seems the release of the pod has one good effect on your wallet.

I think the NWZ-A810 series is what is being referred to. This product is a dramatic move for Sony based on there previous Network Walkmans. The NWZ Walkmans support drag and drop, which is something that most people have been requesting that Sony does. With the NW Walkmans you get different features, and functionality.