Typical price: £160
What is it: Flash-based MP3 and video player with Bluetooth
What we think: Probably the best MP3 player we've seen in 2008, despite a number of annoyances
Average user rating
9.5
spectacular
Average user rating from 2 users
Agree? Disagree? Write your own review of the Sony Walkman NWZ-A828
Sony Walkman NWZ-A828 user reviews
September 12, 2008
Posted by: MikeBuck_1
"Pricey but worth every penny"
What I like:
Ease of use, music quality
What I don't like:
Could be cheaper, PC software is still rubbish!
Review:
Had this now for about 3 months, and i'm amazed with it, i'm not one of these, MP3 player means ipod people, personally I put quality of music playback ahead of it looking pretty, but this is as good looking as any ipod, the buttons are easy to use, and are well placed, the music playback is brilliant, either through the in-ear speakers or the bluetooth ones you get with it, the bluetooth ones are a bit chucky, but hey!
One thing that they need to resolve is the PC software, now called Media Manager, its still exremely average, and as much as it pains me to say this, itunes is in a different league compared to it. Media Manager doesn't cache changes to send them all at once, this means every time you add an album it send it to the player there and then and you have to wait for it to finish! But do what I did, and don't use it, the Walkman installs itself as a plug n play device on your PC so you can just drag and drop anything onto it! The software is better than it was, but thats not saying much. The other option is to use Microsoft's Media Player to do it.
Even so I'm still gunna score this on it music playing abilities cos thats why i bought it! and its brilliant. The battery lasts for ages, obviously if you use it with the bluetooth headphones, or a bluetooth speaker then it doesn't last as long but its still impressive. The menu is easy to use and the screen is clear. Its thin and light, sure it longer then the G3 nano, but its narrower.
So in conclusion, if you someone that wants an MP3 player as a music player and not as a fashion accessory, then this is the one for you! sure it costs a bit more, but i'll pay for quality.
Just remember, just cos more ipods are sold doesn't make them the best!
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