willykyu Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 Hi everybody! new topic from France! The mz-nh1 is available in stores here (not everywhere though), and some new French owners on the net of this brand new Hi-MD Player say that the usb plug on the charging cradle is missing!!! I read some topics in different forums, and some people say there is indeed no USB on the cradle, and some others say there is, 'cause they saw it in demo in the US at a sonystyle store in NY! I called a store selling the nh1, they checked and were also very surpised not to find the small hole at the back of the cradle to plug the usb cable in. I was about to buy one, but if this very useful usb plug doesn't exist on the dock, I'd be bloody dissapointed. I like the idea of leaving the dock next to the PC and just click my nh1 into it to transfer my music instead of "click" it out , and then directly plug the usb cable , etc. Very annoying (at this price) after all sony promises... Could some owners tell me more about it? I sent an email to SONY to ask them, 'cause they write on their european sonystyle site "Unique Charging & USB (recording) cradle" in the specification review!!! It would be a BIG lie! WORST, still in the specs review they say there's also an "External battery case"! It's a crazy world I tell you. Well, it's still a shame, but I don't care about the external case anymore, because I knew from the beginning there wouldn't be any, but about the USB CRADLE, it would really piss me off!!! Thanx for your answers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaver Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 My NH1 is bought in Japan,so it is a Japanese Version.And there is no usb plug in cradle,no external battery,too. Since NH1 supports USB base power transforing files,I don't think the design of adding an usb plug on cradle is very important for me now. About the external battery case,my NH1 supports approx 10H playing, I charg it almost everyday.Althoug it is not convenient,the player is 111g,heavy enough,put on a heavy external battery,it would be crazy for me to put into my pocket all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrZhivago Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 This has already been discussed. Only early prototypes (or mockups) of the unit had usb port on charging stand. Meanwhile ,shortly before unit went into production, Sony had announced revised specs,with cradle/USB port gone. 'All' early NH1 promo material had small print comment saying that specs are still in flux, and can change prior to the release. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willykyu Posted August 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 I think it's a scandal, because every site selling the product still DO tell there is! It is also one of there main selling point! Indeed it has already been discuused, but I really wanted to confirm it once for all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qwakrz Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 Ok, time to clear a few things up It is IMPOSSIBLE to change a disc while the unit is in the cradle, hence why I think sony dropped the USB feature on it. The external battery case is simply a case to carry a spare Li-ion battery around in, it does not connect to the unit in any way. There is NO external battery case that plugs into the unit. Li-ion is the only power source away from the cradle & USB port. The only (current) way to charge the unit is to place it into the cradle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willykyu Posted August 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 Sure! In the French specs review, battery is translated as it was a simple AA battery external cas. It is very easy to be wrong about it! I guess they messed up with the translation. It is IMPOSSIBLE to change a disc while the unit is in the cradle, hence why I think sony dropped the USB feature on it.I suppose so. But it's seems quite stupid to me: it would have been far better than nothing! the "click in/click out" of the dock was a very convinient way of transfer music! very stylish! Well, anyway, thank you for your answers, I dicided not to buy the nh1, and wait for a while for the ultimate Hi-md device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichM Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 A few points - Surely information on retailers websites is the responsiblity of the respective retailers, including SonyStyle. I've seen a few copy and paste jobs where a retailer has just copied the spec of the N10 or another MD unit onto the spec of the NH1. This is perhaps laziness, or poor communication between Sony and the retailers. The battery case is indeed a small semi-transparent plastic case for storing a Li-ion battery in, rather than an (ugly) attaching case for an auxillery AA battery like the N10, there's no screw hole to attach one either. You can quickly and easily swap the Li-ion battery unlike the N10 though. I know you're very disappointed, but don't you think you're blowing this out of proportion. Instead of dropping it in the cradle, you just plug the USB connecter in and it'll 'leach' power off your PC. It also means the cradle doesn't need to be near the PC. So it's a rather inelegant solution, but it's not that bad either. 'Sony promises' - that's the thing about prototypes, they aren't the final version, and are subject to change until the design has been finalized. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willykyu Posted August 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 Of course I kind of overact. It's not very important, it's just electronics we're dealing, with, not people life! sure! What I hate is, we're not talking about prototypes, but real available devices! They ARE selling a promise, they are selling a usb cradle, it's written. I was very interested in that feature, and I wanted to buy mine because of the ease of use! I know the NH1 has the power supplied by the usb cable (wich is good) though. Retailers are not the ones to blame, sony is! They know this for a month now, they have sold some nh1 by now, I guess some people told them, and they still haven't change the specs on their site! Hi-md isn't as attractive than ipod for example, and their "high-end" model is expensive. Why minimise their chance to sell to people who aren't too sure to buy one! I am convinced that this feature is an important selling point compared to the older or cheaper MD or Hi-MD models. I remember reading some posts where people where fond of this cradle because of its usb capability! It's not just about disappointment, but a bit of anger to realise once again the dishonesty of big companies. I know you're gonna say "welcome to the real world" but well, it still was 400$ I was gonna waste in a feature I wouldn't have, otherwise I would have bought a H900! Excuse me again for blowing out of proportion! :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichM Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 I honesty don't think whether the cradle has an USB port or not is that a big a deal to most people. I personally have a desk covered in various cradles for various products that need to be close to my PC. You appear to be arguing that Sony misinformed the consumer by proxy (the retailer) about the USB port on the cradle, no? If you can prove this I will concede this argument to you, however I think it's poor communication to retailers and to the SonyStyle direct sales division, rather than dishonesty. They really don't have anything to gain, but this based on my opinon from the first paragraph. Then again it all comes down to how much of an issue or a selling point the cradle USB port is. If that port is a big deal to a large proportion of the target purchasers as you argue then your dishonesty argument certainly holds more water, but a few tech-savvy users on a forum doesn't sound like this to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeriyn Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 I don't think he's getting mad because of the lack of a USB connector on the NH1's dock. I believe he is upset because Sony's France website still displays the NH1 as having a "USB dock" and an "external battery case." He is mad, it seems to me, because of false advertisement and the impression that Sony is trying to fool its customers, rather than the actual practicality of the design. It's the principle of the thing, here, I believe. Even though the whole thing is probably just a translation error, and Sony probably doesn't even know about it. Btw, the NH1 seems to work better without the USB port on the charge cradle. Having to click and unclick the NH1 every time you wanted to swap discs would've been annoying. Willykyu, why dont'cha just get an iPod? :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willykyu Posted August 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 yes that's it! But Ipod does'nt record from external source like a mic and has poor battery life unfortunately (i like design very much) and you spend more time playing with control than listening to music! Hi-md new pcm feature is excellent. I make sound for animation movies, and hi-md seems to be perfect for that use. I'm not looking for a walkman, I'm looking for the machine I need and that could also be used as a correct walkman. Otherwise, I'd by the pretty lookin Rio Carbon! 1rst proof: http://shop.sonystyle-europe.com/SonyStyle...ss=show&id=S1VP in english:http://shop.sonystyle-europe.com/SonyStyle...?shop=SST_GB_EN There. If the links don't work, just go to european sonystyle website and see for yourself. I think the "false advertisement " term is correct here. But well let's leave it like that... It doesn't matter anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadeclaw Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 NH900 or if you want to save a few pounds, the NH700. Sounds good and does its job. Btw, the data behind these links IS correct... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeriyn Posted August 30, 2004 Report Share Posted August 30, 2004 Otherwise, I'd by the pretty lookin Rio Carbon!The Carbon has buggy firmware. :whatever: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichM Posted August 31, 2004 Report Share Posted August 31, 2004 Sorry, my mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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