Ian Morris
Ian Morris loves televisions so much he's been banned from wedding chapels in Las Vegas for trying to marry them. When he's not romancing technology, he can be found watching American TV. Ian likes roast potatoes, but he doesn't like digital rights management.
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Friday 27 April 2007, 4:56pm
When a gadget earns a place in your heart
I'm sure everyone has a gadget they love more than any other. A lot of people fall in love with their phones, some might have a soft spot for their TV, for me, it's my mp3 player, a Sony HD5.
The HD5 was the third model Sony released and was preceded by the HD1 and HD3, no one knows what happened to the HD2. I bought mine a couple of years back after considering an iRiver H10 but opted for the Sony because of its superior storage space and battery life.
When people first saw it, they were amazed by how small and light it was. It easily beat the iPod of the same generation in its size and styling. Of course, fashion being what it is, no one bought one because it wasn't an iPod. And that's a shame, because it really is a wonderful device.
Over time, it wormed its way into my heart. At first I wondered if I'd done the right thing buying a player that needed some spectacularly rubbish software to make it work. Then I remembered how utterly horrid iTunes is and felt a lot better about the decision. Despite the criticism SonicStage gets, I actually find it easy to use, and if you use playlists rather than just importing a huge library of individual songs, it works really well.
These days I have my HD5 with me most of the time. It's scratched, dented in places, there is dust under the screen and the buttons are all cracked. But these cosmetic trivialities stopped mattering to me ages ago, because it's a tool to do a job and the dents don't stop it from doing that.
The main reason I love my HD5 is the sound quality, it's stunning. Even with the headphones Sony supplied with it, the plucky HD5 sounds brilliant. There's plenty of bass, but everything is well balanced. I also love the fact that it's all beaten up-- after all, what's the point of keeping it looking nice, it's not like I'll ever try and sell my beloved MP3 player.
Articles by Ian Morris
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