6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Great for the Computer Challenged
Date of Review: Jun 9, 2008
The Bottom Line: I would highly recommend this product as an introduction into the world of the MP3 player.
I had narrowed my choices down to either the Zune or the Sony Walkman because I wanted an MP3 player that also had FM radio. I chose the Sony Walkman because it had bass boost and unlike the Zune, if you want to buy music on-line (I haven't yet), you're not hooked into one website. With the Zune, you can only buy music from the Zune website (as far as I know).
PROS:
1. Excellent sound quality.
2. Easy to see display.
3. Easy to download and erase music via your computer.
4. FM Radio with pre-set stations.
5. I use the Intelligent Shuffle feature frequently. It plays all the music you've downloaded in random order, so it's like having commercial free radio. And when you get tired of listening to what you've downloaded, you can always switch over to the FM radio with settings you can pre-set.
6. If you order your mp3 player directly from Sony, you can have it engraved at no extra charge.
CONS:
1. I live in a big city but I haven't been able to find a carrying case for the Walkman. I'm going to have to order the arm-strap from Sony.
2. BEWARE THE WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER AUTO SYNC: If you don't turn off the auto sync on your Windows Media Player, your Sony Walkman will mirror your music library. In other words, if you delete music from your computer's library, when you plug your Walkman into your computer, your computer will also delete the music from your Walkman, whether you want it to or not!
My plan was to first download my CDs onto my computer, transfer the music to the Walkman, and then delete the music from my computer. I was not happy when I realized the Auto Sync had also delete the music from my Walkman. Imagine my surprise when I tried to play Barry Manilow's "Swing Street" only to find he had moved away from the avenue.
3. I was also shocked to see that wedding pictures that were on my computer downloaded onto my Walkman without my knowledge, so once again beware of the auto sync function on your computer.
4. You don't really get 4 GB of storage. You actually get about 3.5 GB, the other .5 is used by the Walkman's computer.
5. According to advertising, the device can store up to 2,500 songs. I've loaded about 400 songs and I have about 2.2 GB of space available so I doubt the Walkman will actually hold 2,500 songs.
6. On the left side of the device you'll find the hold button. I didn't see this in the instruction manual so it took me a long time trying to figure out how to turn the thing on.
7. The video screen is small so I don't think I'll be using my Walkman to watch movies. I haven't tried to download any video so I can't comment on this function.
8. You can only add or erase music to the Walkman by hooking the device up to your computer.
