tekdroid

Which version did you use? I'm using the last free version, 1.4.0. Not the new trial version 2.1 (which I have never tried yet, but see no reason to). I haven't had it crash on a file/folder delete (as far as I remember...at least not in the last year). Keep in mind when deleting files in the app, they go to Recycle Bin (unless your Windows settings are different and are telling deleted files to really get deleted when you delete). So doing a Reload in the app to monitor space changes won't reflect any space savings unless they're really deleted. Aside from that, I don't know what to tell you except I've had no troubles.

Well, for lots of people, it comes down to hype not matching products. The market leader (and also many that aren't market leaders) will always get bashed, so get used to it In any case, all can improve in some way. Sony really needs to go back to school on the software side. Usability; they've heard of it. Look into the Cowon U3. About the only things it's missing is gapless and removable batts/flash, IMO. Wide choice of open formats. Excellent sound, by all accounts. Native drag n drop. What's not to like? You bought a Shuffle which stopped working, so I dunno why you'd want to buy it again (aside from the slightly smaller size, I guess).

hate to say this, but that ship has sailed. MD is still slower than a Zip disc. Sony tried with MD Data. It didn't fly against the Zip disc, LS-120 or competition from SyQuest at the time, and it won't now. How would the masses take to the low speeds? Plus the average user can't appreciate the advantages of magneto-optical mediums, longevity and so on. They can definitely appreciate drag-n-drop tho. But they get that with so many other devices these days, not the least of which are their tiny flash-based walkmans. I don't see it catching on unless drives were around 20 bux and (Hi-MD) media a lot cheaper - and even then it would be an uphill battle against the more universal compatibility and rock-botton prices of CD/DVD recorders and USB sticks (which definitely have the size advantage, let alone speed). Regular MD blanks seem to be priced reasonably tho (and are certainly far easier to find than Hi-MD, even though finding them can be difficult, too), and may be enough space for many tasks, but MD is still far slower. That also prohibits their use in any modern higher-megapixel digital cam. Saves are stoo slow, MD media makes cam too big and 1GB flash is routine and has had massive price drops recently. Anyhooo, Low-cost CD/DVD and USB drives completely killed the 'floppy replacement' market. The floppy has essentially been replaced, but reliance on it has not totally faded (unfortunately). DVD-RAM has all the goods to be a low-cost, faster speed, modern drag-n-drop successor, but most are ignorant of the format's strengths, and it's just too bad nobody but Panasonic seems to make the superior cartridge-based drives, and even then they are hard to get (or hideously overpriced), unless you're in Japan. And of course they are not as small as MD or USB sticks. Drives that write to the bare discs have become very common now, though. Unfortunately, Matsushita (Panasonic) are the only ones making a decent UDF driver (to format the discs with the superior UDF, not crappy FAT). Perrsonally? I wouldn't risk my mangement job at Sony saying the public needs another Hi-MD data drive or Hi-MD Photo camera. The products may be cool, but they don't offer anything really compelling to the average person (unless offered at the Right Price . The Hi-MD Walkmans have faaaaar broader appeal, and if they're not selling well enough, wellllll.... it speaks volumes about other niches. Even though I think it would be interesting to see how low they could price an internal data drive without display/mic/optical/headphone/remote/miniaturisation constraints (but with cool, convenient, fast motorised insert/eject)

Especially with accessories bundled. Bargain of 2005/2006, IMO. Another vote for the (dirt cheap) MZ-NH700 Hi-MD recorder and wedding vows recorded in linear PCM (as god intended, surelllyyy). micro_sound on Ebay is yet another option for mics, too.

A great app I often use to determine what's eating space visually. I'd be lost without it. Run it from anywhere, no bloated install needed.

Well said. The product is (was?) an Average Joe product with copious overspill into decent recording territory. It should be on both sites. It's a damn shame that since most of the restrictions have been lifted, the format is hidden like this. The good news: http://www.sony.com.au/walkman/category.jsp?id=21995 Sony Australia has it back where it belongs, after its mysterious disappearance. Not too keen on the price, but nobody's forcing a gun to my head to buy it here.

exactly, I know what you're saying. It's like most companies don't care about high quality portable (affordable, MD-like) recording. Even though we have more 'format' alternatives now than ever. I'm waiting for the day this changes, but until then, MD seems like a stayer.

I think it's more about milking MD infrastructure (getting most out of their investment/factories/patents). Hi-MD was an extension to build upon what they already had worked their butts off creating for MD, IMO. It allowed them to make a new product with minimal expense, really - a product that builds on the back of what they have the infrastructure and know-how for. Look at their PCM-D1, it's their (artifically expensive) version of what they can do, but I doubt they wanna kill sales of Hi-MD. Track division on the unit, but no combining. Date/time used for naming of WAVs. No horrible SonicStage. They could easily bring the price down on these without including the mics, esoteric case materials, etc. But I doubt they want to. What baffles me is the apparent lack of competition (by Panasonic, etc) for reasonably-priced, truly portable high quality recorders. Again, I guess it eats into revenue from higher-end products

If you store your audio in FLAC format (or whatever), converting to WAV is necessary to losslessly transfer your audio to Hi-MD (linear PCM). Because Sony still hasn't woken up and decided to support some file formats natively in its hardware, like its competitors have. So that's one reason. For archival, it's not the best because it doesn't allow proper tagging and consumes the most space. But it's a good "lowest common denominator" format that just about every piece of audio software will accept - and it's far easier to work with when editing compared to compressed formats.

...if anything, 90s were the decade of earphones. Just speaking up against the misrepresentation of the nineties Only in (relatively) recent times have headphones even had a chance to be worn without being laughed off the street. Ahh, trends...fascinating things.

Cowon do many models that play FLAC, ogg, mp3, etc natively. Might be time to give Sony the finger. http://global.cowon.com/

Confirmed real Popular a coupla years ago, eh. Hello Sennheiser. Wake up. Edit Just noticed the PX100 are available in (iPod ) white, too: http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/produ...?transid=500426 BTW, I bought the (much-riduculed, by me) infamous behind-the-neck checked PMX100. Certainly far better sound than the Sony MDR-G72 my sister used. Just as ugly in person (if not, more) than in the product literature. Basics Fine sound for portable phones. Fit and ergonomics needs work (knew this going in). Might put up a separate review if I ever stop being so lazy.

Yes, in fact I think it would be hard to avoid in normal use/storage, unless you are particularly careful about dust and scratches and things like that. I haven't but would love an illustrated dissection from an eager guinea pig not sure.

I would pay to take the paint off. All of it. And reveal that 'ugly' plastic base (which I would love a million times more than painted silver).

I would say lack of compelling feature-set, especially given the prices they were asking. to be fair, the MZ-RH10 is discontinued to make way for another model. Hi-MD Photo. I doubt there will be another. I guess it will be a collector's item, of sorts. Of course I would love Sony to surprise me and actually make a MIC-input recording walkman with photo-taking capabilities (and basics like a tripod mount...) but I'm not holding my breath.

1) define your needs 2) investigate Hi-MD weaknesses and strengths 3) ascertain whether the Hi-MD format meets your needs and/or budget 4) don't worry about anything else Stopping production of a product in no way influences your product's usefulness, or its ability to meet your needs (unless you can't find Hi-MD/MD blanks (or can't find them cheaply enough). Nothing lasts forever. Nothing. On top of that, every year the market is flooded with new models of this and that. Some better, some worse. But overall going in a direction some call progress (or not). With the interoperability of USB devices (or at least, limited interoperability) and 'physical' format abstraction (coming from the fact that every man and his dog is making USB devices with embedded non-user-replaceable batteries and flash/HDs - which can break down and need replacement like any other physical product in this world), I would think these are the most important things to worry about: Avoiding UnFairPlay DRM Avoiding Plays For Sure DRM Avoiding ALL DRM. If you're anal (and don't care for this 'save-storage/bandwidth-and-butcher-the-audio' let's-go-backwards-to-save-space-philosophy) Avoid all lossy compression. Avoid all lossy transcoding operations (...do I hear a collective 'ewwwwww'?) Last but not least Backing up your music/ sounds/ whatever library on CD/DVD/whatever. No matter which device you own or care to own in future (and the almost-certain fact is that it's just a matter of time before you upgrade) - you will always have your music no matter what device comes out - assuming you make good decisions about file formats - so who cares, right? Hi-MD? iPod? Cowon iAudio? Samsung? Creative? May the best portable(s) (that meets your needs) win - now and in the future.

http://www.notpopular.com/blog/comments.php?blogID=63 According to the comments on this thread, HD 'failure' seems high. But there's a good technique to bring it back to life. Hilarious stuff. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried, but it seems to work, apparently. The technique involves domestic violence A comment: "I too am a believer in smacking. I was putting my ear up to the ipod and could hear my hd spining and then dying every 10 seconds. I plugged it in and it was only transfering about 1 songs every 20 seconds. I held it in my hand, hit is as hard as I could about 3 times, and boom now it is loading songs like its new. Maybe the new hd is a long term fix but I thought mine was dead. Great blog." Har! Smacking. Is there anything it can't do?

The days of a new format not interfacing with a PC are over. Not to say you can't do that if you want (and in many cases, not relying on a PC simply makes sense) - but the option to upload, edit, share, send away online (etc) must be there; to be a successful format, you must let it interface with common computers with very few restrictions, IMO. Computers are too versatile and useful to be ignored. Anyway, my vote is ditching SonicStage. Imagine seeing raw audio files on your disc, and for them to be natively playable. I would wet my pants with excitement. Or then again, I could just go ahead and buy the Cowon U3, and get FLAC and drag-n-drop and 30mW+30mW headphone outputs (but of course, no match in the recording stakes, or removable storage stakes, or removable batteries...)

excellent. http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/icm_eng.nsf/root/500501 Not sure what to make of the pic here. Initial thought was "Photoshop mistake?". They can't have a checked design on the PMX 100, can they? Seems to be a good phone for the price, tho.

Nice pics. It's a shame these can't be worn with a helmet when riding a bike. Must look at Sennheiser's behind-the-neck models, if they have any.

Sweeeet. The more shots the better, IMO. Nice size perspective. Just curious what you used as your surface/background in these pics. Nice texture. I don't mind the MZ-NH900's 'phatness'. A little fatness never bothered me. But I do mind the MZ-RH1's extra length/width more. Still, that's being picky. I also notice the MZ-NH900's Track Mark button is in an ideal place for easy access when put in Sony's Hi-MD case (included in the bargain bundles here). Good for those that bother with track marking on-site. Oh, I'm supposed to be talking about the RH1, you say? Yes yes, nice unit Can't say I'm a fan of the display(s), but it seems a nice enough unit that brings something new to the table.

For me, remotes are essential tools for on-the-go'ness (but I can live with a very simple remote when moving about), but they're less-than-ideal for "sitting at the desk" control of the Hi-MD unit. They move easily, the buttons are all over the place and not conducive to easy access when stationary. They are simply awkward to control on the desk, in comparison to easier, stationary unit access with nice wide jog wheel (think MZ-NH700, MZ-NHF800, etc) I like visual display of Bookmarked tracks, too. Seems obvious to me not to omit them. All that space on the unit's display and not enough for a bookmark icon? Hmmm Hmm. The MZ-RH1 seems to follow MZ-NH1's approach. Make sleek minimalistic unit. Some remote-exclusive functionality. Albeit with a (good) recording focus. The scroll wheel/jog dial is an absolute must for me. When sitting at the desk, I like to manipulate my Hi-MD direct with the scroll wheel and buttons on the unit itself with maximum ease, not an easily-moved remote control. I like to have a solid unit that sits there giving me 3-line display as a minimum. The jog dial is an absolute must. After getting an MZ-NH700, I relegated my MZ-NH1 to recording duties because of the display and wheel alone; they make a tremendous difference. I only listen to linear PCM so there aren't normally a lot of tracks (except on my own recordings), yet it's SO much easier to switch to what I want (and see where I'm going). My playback style can best be described as generally linear + odd randomness. Random changes are simply so much easier with a wheel and 3-line track display. Bare minimums, if you ask me. I can live with a simple remote most of the time for playback when moving, though. So, for my needs the new unit doesn't satisfy me on the 'stationary playback at the desk or sitting-on-the-bus' scenario - only on the recording front, much like the MZ-NH1. Still, I would buy one when/if the price drops enough for the recording features/form factor alone (and perhaps the increased bass response the developers talked about). No single unit can be, IMO. Some have expressed their disapponment in the lack of playback focus of the new model, and it's for this reason we can argue (or not) that another 3rd generation Hi-MD model is sorely needed (I believe it is), but who knows what the market is like now? Only Sony. So all you early adopters, buy up. Make Sony release another one

would you mind mentioning the store? You're in Melbourne, right?

If extracting ZIP files or opening up a command prompt scares and/or confuses you, look away now. All files need to be unzipped first (obviously) and installed in the right order. I recommend http://www.7-zip.org (freeware) Or use Windows XP's built-in ZIP extraction capabilities. Microsoft components (probably already on your system, but doesn't hurt to run them again) http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...er/instmsia.zip http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...nstaller/dx.zip http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...staller/wmf.zip http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...aller/wmf95.zip http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...taller/mdac.zip http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...staller/msc.zip Sony components: http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...er/setupreg.zip execution = setupreg.exe http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...openmgsetup.zip exec.English = setup.exe /v"OMGCOREINI=OmgCore_GA.ini" http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...er/omgaddon.zip execution = setup.exe http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...aller/omglp.zip execution = OMGLP-06-05-12-01.exe /# /NOMESSAGE http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat.../ss_english.zip execution = setup.exe /NoUI http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...add_english.zip execution = setup.exe /NoUI http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...r/pa_driver.zip execution = setup.exe /NOAMI http://dl1.aii.co.jp/contents/connect/_dat...r/pasupport.zip execution = pacaddon.exe /fGA.ini Assuming English language / Asia-Pacific SonicStage CP 4.0 Open a Command Prompt to run additional switches on the files you extracted - if needed. Otherwise just double-click their setup files. Done and done. Download only once. Never download again for additional installs. Archive to your heart's content.

Example: Disc is playing (or even stopped). You want to play specific track/artist/whatever. Press Navi/Menu button shortly. You are presented with: Normal Group Artist Album Bookmark (a list which is easily scrolled up or down with jog wheel) Press Play/Enter button in centre of jog dial after you've chosen your option. Now you are presented with tracks in that Group, by that Artist, etc. depending on what you chose. Now, you scroll through this list with the wheel. Press Play/Enter on the track you want to play. Done. http://www.css.ap.sony.com/consumer/Fn/IMS...ersonal%20Audio MZ-NH700 manual. Useful as a reference for all your answers. The MZ-NHF800 is the same model, just with a different remote. The MZ-NH700 (and MZ-NHF800) remotes also have dedicated Group buttons. You can switch to the next or previous Group (folder) instantly with that button. Suddenly find yourself driving? Switch to the Driving group you created with the remote (instead of switching through a hundred tracks in a group to get to the next one). 3 groups should be very easy to switch through without listening to a whole bunch and without looking at the display. Search feature Hold down NAVI/MENU button for 1 second. Select Useful with the wheel. Hit PLAY/Enter. Search is now blinking. Hit PLAY/Enter to select it. A new menu appears: by Track by Group by Artist by Album Hit Play/Enter for whatever option you want. A list of tracks will come up alphabetically (if by Track is selected). Otherwise, you'll be presented with a nice sorted list of Groups, Artists or Albums, depending on your choice. Selecting your choice from there will nail down the track you want pretty quickly. Select the one you want by scrolling with the wheel again. Hit PLAY/Enter. Done. Check out pages 38-40 and 42 of the MZ-NH700 manual, in particular.