Battery life is better than the nano -- Sony claims 30 hours of audio playback, which isn't too far off the 27 hours we got from our continuous MP3 playback test from a full charge. What's really good, though, is that the battery can be fully recharged in just 3 hours. Video played for an impressive 7 continuous hours in our test.
Transferring our 1.5GB test library of MP3s to the A808 took 22 minutes. This isn't too bad when compared to the 26 minutes it took to transfer the same files to our Creative Zen V Plus, but is vastly more time consuming than the Samsung YP-K3, which took a mere 12 minutes and 30 seconds.
Sadly, the supplied SonicStage software is still not as good as those provided by rival manufacturers. SonicStage has had a rough history and we were disappointed to see no noticeable advancement has been made to accompany the superb hardware. However, once you get used to the interface and its clunky methods of operation, managing a library and transferring it to your device isn't backbreaking. You're able to re-encode tracks, rip CDs, buy music from Sony's Connect store and manage both your computer's library and your device's library from one screen.
Conclusion
The Sony NW-A808 is the most stunning flash MP3 player we've seen since the iPod nano -- if anything, it's better in many significant areas. It's one of the only MP3 players around to make music sound great out of the box -- plus video clips look lush and the battery life is superb.
The only drawbacks are the SonicStage software, as ever, and the relatively high recommended price. You'll have to learn to live with the awkward software, but the nice people at Advanced MP3 Players tell us they're planning to sell the NW-A808 for less than the price of a nano -- if this happens, it's well worth snapping up.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Nick Hide
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User reviews10
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John Kam 21 October 2009
Good: Sound quality, that's all i need
Bad: Not to this product
Comment: i bought this unit from a local dealer, as display unit.. it's cheap and functional, along with superb musicality. i don't use it to watch movie or whatsoever... to me..it fit perfectly for my daily audio needs...
Eunice Ridge 4 September 2007
Good: Convenient to use the buttons
Bad: The headphones... (won't stay in )
Comment: I only wish that I had bought the larger GB instead of the 2GB that I was talked into by the assistant... but nevertheless it is pure magic.
My previous player was a 20GB Samsung quite good but larger and heavier.
I am 80 years old and use it when I take the dogs for walkies... but have better headphones (Sennheiser PX100) since I don't like the ones with the product.
Emmanuel Runes 31 July 2007
Good: The interface, the video & sound quality
Bad: Sonic Stage
Comment: As soon as I set my eyes on it, I knew that this was the perfect one for me. This player really does the job if you don't need a lot of features; the sound, video, and photo quality are all stunning, and you can listen for 4 hours a day and not have to recharge it for a week. However Sonic Stage can get pretty annoying sometimes. If you're not keen on all those other features, the Sony NW-A800 is just right.
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