z-iron

Yes, the Asia-Pacific SS 4.3 is in English, and it supports atrac encoded files. I didn't install this on XP, but on Vista... but if it works on Vista, it should work on XP.

update: gapless works if you use the atrac codec.

the supplied earphones can cancel noise; there is a switch (like the hold button) on top of the player that can turn noise cancelling on / off. very similar to the nw-a9xx series in japan. one very curious thing about the supplied headphones: the plug is the same size of any other one, except there is a bit jutting out the side, so if you try to plug it into any other mp3 player / computer / etc, it won't work. the nw-a829 accomodates the little part jutting out... (think of it as a key fitting into lock type A (nw-a829)... if you try to put the key into lock type B (pretty much any other headphone plug, it will not fit)). i just noticed it now when i went to plug it into my computer. an annoying tactic by sony. the player is capable of bluetooth as well, but I have not had the opportunity to test it.

It won't let me use those tag things when I go to edit it... ??? If someone can fix it, go ahead. The software supplied was a Japanese version of Sonicstage... I installed the SS 4.3 Asia-Pacific version. I am guessing gapless works, but I don't have any atrac3plus format songs.

So I bought an a829 in Japan to replace some old 2gb sony one where the headphone jack gave out after I accidentally dropped it a few too many times. Here are a bunch of pictures (some of them are blurry): http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/41/img0320jh2.jpg http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/9048/img0321ar7.jpg Shot of the supplied equipment... there are headphones (S / M / L size tips), a wm-port / usb cable, and some stand http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7112/img0324uv5.jpg The menus are Japanese-only, but text can appear in English http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5025/img0329rs1.jpg A little bit thicker than a pencil. http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/9608/img0330oi0.jpg http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/3258/img0333ij8.jpg http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/9316/img0334gq9.jpg http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3065/img0335mr9.jpg This is the leather case accessory. http://img363.imageshack.us/img363/7085/img0337tu3.jpg Some instructions http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6678/img0339zl2.jpg Picture of the player with the case on http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/2203/img0341tf9.jpg There is a sort of keychain.. Notes: the supplied headphones are very good, on the go playlists are there, the menu is easy to navigate, it doesn't feel as solid as the nw-hd5 (the case material is probably different), lots of customization available with the equalizers / noise cancelling / etc If there are any questions, ask away.

http://www.atraclife.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4442 This might help. aznized said the Asia-Pacific Sonicstage version (can be found here) works.. he didn't mention anything about the English version though.

Thank you aznized. If it isn't too much trouble, could you write a brief summary of what is good / what is bad about the player? Although this new A82X player in the other thread? Makes me wonder if I should buy this thing.

I wish for... gapless time changeable battery more codec support.. especially video line-out!!! longer battery life (even though it is good already) Can anyone guess how long it will be before this comes out?

I still plan on buying this thing... for those interested I'll write a review, but that'll still be in a 2-3 months. I can speak a little Japanese, so the menu might not be *too* big of a problem... maybe I'll get lucky and find out that it is indeed possible to switch it to English. But nobody has answered my original question, and I kindly ask for a reply: will using the English version of Sonicstage 4.3 work on a Japanese product like this?

For those interested, apparently this guy is selling them on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ROMOBOX:NEWLIST I have never used ebay, and don't know if this is a scam or not. I am going to Japan in a few months, and figured I would buy it then. Hopefully the prices will drop a little bit...

If I were to buy a nw-a919 in Japan, and bring it back home, would it work on a Canadian / American computer? I'm thinking there might be a problem with Sonicstage, so would I simply download the english version of whatever version is supplied? Also, are there any other potential risks in doing such a thing? Thank you.

But doesn't those minidisc players have moving parts? I thought it wasn't good to be running around with those...

Nothing ridiculously expensive (not over $300 CAD) decent battery life, and fairly small. Actually, any suggestions about good flash players would be nice, since I don't want to go running with the HD5... preferrably 2 GB or higher.

OK the only music player I've got is an HD5.. and I'm wondering if upgrading to a newer model would make any sense? I'm up for minidisc options as well. Any help appreciated! It doesn't have to be a Sony model either, if there's a good one out there.

lol, you got owned... $90?! I got mine for about the equivalent of $45.00!! (of course, buying them in Japan really helps) I think you can buy some of those EX71's or EX81's at A&B sound... for less than $90 (i saw these awhile ago)