Also owner of new Sony Video Walkman 8GB (NWZ-A818). Very impressed. Nicely engineered. Some observations: * supports H.264 so you can download many video podcasts and transfer over, including those on iTunes (as long as max resolution is 320x240) * fast boot up times, and resume - nice! * remembers your position in video with resume * beautifully engineered device; small touches like small bump on play button and volume (+) aids in blind use * excellent sound quality (I've compared vs. Cowon D2 and it holds its own!) * love the small thumbnails of album art -> good interface (not quite to Zune standards, my favorite, but very good and FAST) * works seamlessly with WMP 11 * also drag and drop works fine; album art also works this way as long as art is embedded into file * volume seems fine to me * video quality superb, if even only 2" (i compared to ARCHOS 405, granted a larger screen 3.5" but was not nearly as good as the Sony) * intelligent shuffle = fun * where is the Media Manager for Walkman software? still waiting for the release * I have a Creative ZEN on order, and will also do comparison (so far the Sony beats the Cowon D2, Cowon I7, Archos 405 and the new Apple Nano) * don't like proprietary USB cable, but I do like that the connector has very tiny cover; again nice attention to detail Sony * I wish it would support 640x480 resolution files and also XVID or DIVX * Does not work with Amazon Unbox, iTunes (but you can drag and drop iTunes podcasts files) * I received $34 credit from Sony after they dropped price a la iPhone * it's MADE IN CHINA (Designed in Japan!)... sound familiar... Apple... (Designed in California...) Let me know any questions!!
