matty84

I guess (once again) we all need to have some patience and wait and see. I still stand by the fact that a Sony rep called me and another member on this board specifically to confirm a firmware upgrade for the device. I sincerely doubt this would ever happen unless it was 100%. Put all the negative responses down to the fact sony's inside communications network is shot or the fact they just don;t know where to go for answers....

You can actually get one of the new sony players a lot cheaper than the old 808's. I mean my A808 was 169.99£ after a month or so from the release. New sony is debuting at 129.99£ and the old A808's are still being sold for £150!!! What's going on??!!

I'm still positive there will be a firmware update after the phone call I received from Sony. I too got a negative response via email to one of my enquiries but I was assured of an update over the phone. Maybe its time we just wait and see! What's pretty obvious is this firmware update isn't a priority of sony...

Hey, I got a phone call following an email assuring me of a firmware update. Its unlikely sony would go out of their way for something like that unless there was truth in it so just relax and give it some time until the new player's release is a distant memory

Firstly....relax!! A sony representative called me following my query assuring me of a firmware update int he "near future" to allow WMP11 etc functionality. i would imagine your email did not end up at the right place and you got fed wrong information. Now breathe again

A lot of people seem disappointed there older players won't receive updates but surely only A800 users should really have ever expected such an update as a new model had basically been introduced which was effectively the same device with new firmware. Any calls for updates for any other players are dubious at best.

ditto

Yep. I just got a phone call in response to an email I sent last week informing me that there will be a firmware upgrade for the A800 series to allow it to be used with WMP11 and other softwares in the "near future".

I echo your sentiment. i run Itunes on Vista and it has destroyed my library once losing all my ratings can't say I was best please especially as I had smart playlists I would regularly export into sonicstage to get the music I wanted onto my A808!

As above, all items in mint condidion. The mp3 player is boxed as is the leather case. PM me with an offer or if you would like mor einformation or pictures Matt

Tony, I would definately give it a shot! my guess is "officially" they won't as the deal is a ploy to get rid of the generally poorly received wi-fi speakers and the now defunct 800 series.

I didn;t see the no stock thing....I guess it depends how badly sony want to unload any stock it has left over....although my guess is they have had the new model in the bag for a while so there won't be a huge amount of old 800s...

John Lewis are also offering the deal - http://www.johnlewis.com/Technology/Periph...86/Product.aspx

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronic...4/2-/Promo.html - available in a number of flavours in the UK

I have taken the same escape route! Took a small hit on selling my 800 and opting for something more open. I am leaning towards the new zen due to its divx support and expandability....

I'm not sure about WMP11 but I know when you get album art automatically in iTunes it saves it in a database type thing. I was wondering if WMP11 did something similar or added the album art as a JPEG in the album folder. It is possible to embed album art inside a track as a tag. I was wondering if tracks embedded with album art would display the album art on the device when dragged and dropped. Cheers!

I really like the controls on this player taking up the remainder of the device as opposed to the smaller directional pad on my 800...

Great review! Does album art work when drag and dropped if it is embedded in the file rather than as folder.jpg or album.jpg? Cheers, Matt

I think sony are a bit off the mark with this player. The Creative Zen is coming and the price is a lot better (hardly surprising) and is packed with way more stuff than the sony.....

I don't think it does. i'm pretty certain the new models use the WM port.

On the other hand Sony could have released the product under a new model number and campaign to highlight the more universal nature of the device. A firmware upgrade wouldn't have had the same effect as a new product line....so you never know they might quietly provide a firmware upgrade and pretend the A800 never existed....

Although if you go to the official flash site for the new a81x series you get sent to some old pages for the a800 series like those for downloading videos from the net. This lack of separation between the products could suggest two things.: 1) sony are lazy 2) the products are being treated as the 'same' (perhaps this means a firmware upgrade isn't out of the question or am I clutching at straws?)

Hey I was browsing the Sony Style Uk site when I came accross some interesting special offers. A808 and A806 are now £5 cheaper and come with a free wireless sony speaker and cradle set worth 200£. Anyone not too fussed about WMP11 support and likes ATRAC could steal themselves quite a deal here!! Links don't seem to work when I post them but here's a print screen of the 4gb offer, same as 8gb offer only that is 165£.

I wouldn't agree totally I really liked the ability to convert files when transferring across to a portable device to save space and the quality of 64kbps Atrac wasn't bad from my perspective for listening on a portable device. My files too are mp3 but I have a converted library in atrac format and i dont think mp3 at such bitrates can touch atrac...

yep on the sony style uk site it says uses the WM port for the a81x series