If you want to distinguish yourself from the iPod crowd, Sony's Walkman line of MP3 players could be well worth a perusal. The Sony Walkman NWZ-E453 isn't too expensive either, priced at around £60.
The E453 is one of three MP3 players in Sony's Walkman E series, differing mainly in terms of storage capacity. Whereas the E453 is a 4GB model, the E454 is an 8GB player and the E455 packs in 16GB of storage space.
Thin for the win
The E453 offers a pleasing design and is available in black, blue, green, pink and red versions. Measuring 44 by 95 by 10mm, it's slim, so it'll happily slide into your pocket, even if it's already stuffed full of mobile phones, cameras and other tech. It weighs a mere 58g too.
Around the edges, there's a port for connecting the E453 to your computer via USB, a headphones socket, a hold switch and volume keys. The screen measures 2 inches diagonally and has a 240x320-pixel resolution. It's bright enough so that you'll be able to see what's going on in the various menus easily.
Videos look sharp on the tiny display. But the small size of the screen means you probably wouldn't want to watch a full movie on this device.
Note that the screen isn't touch-sensitive -- you have to navigate the interface using physical buttons. We don't mind too much, though, because the controls are pretty simple. There's a four-way navigation button with a play/pause key in the centre, and 'back' and 'home' buttons to either side.
Play it again, Sam
Finding your way around the basic menus is easy enough, but it can be tricky to see what's going on once your tunes start playing -- the icons that show whether you've paused a track and so on are very small, and the playback bar is a slim green line that's quite hard to see. These are minor gripes, though -- you'll quickly get the hang of using this player.
If you fancy letting the Walkman take the reins, the SensMe feature plays songs based on whether they're classed as energetic, relaxed, upbeat or extreme. The E453 decides which songs fall into which category. Another option chooses tunes based on the time of day. SensMe is a worthwhile feature, but we can see many users ignoring it in favour of simply rattling through music themselves.
Another interesting feature is the 'karaoke mode'. Essentially, it uses some equaliser trickery to subdue the vocals of any song, so you can sing over the top. The E453 also supports LRC files, which show lyrics on the screen in time with the music.
The E453's sound quality is entirely acceptable. All of our favourite tunes were faithfully reproduced through this player. There's support for an impressive range of audio formats too, including MP3, WMA, AAC and WAV files. MPEG-4, H.264 and WMV videos are also supported.
Such a drag
Getting your tunes onto the E453 is really easy -- you can just plug it into your computer via USB and drag and drop the files. You can also organise your songs into folders on your computer and browse those folders on the player. That's handy for organising your own playlists.
Sony includes its own software for getting music onto the device, but we weren't able to test it out. Most people will probably prefer to drag and drop their tunes anyway.
Compared to using an iPod and iTunes, the process of getting music onto the E453 is simpler and allows you more freedom. But, unlike with the iPod touch, there's no way to download new music from the E453 directly, and, although there's a built-in FM radio, there's nothing else in the way of wireless connectivity. There are no apps either.
Conclusion
The Sony Walkman NWZ-E453 isn't as slick or pretty as an iPod, but it's dead easy to use, extremely slim and highly affordable. We reckon it's a worthy alternative to an iPod if the taste of Apple makes you gag.
Edited by Charles Kloet
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User reviews6
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shafahat 27 March 2013
Good: good battery,fun korake entertainment,super sound
Bad: in computer connectiojn
Comment: it is good cheap nice but while connecting to pc it will get connected sometime only
sonymad 14 March 2012
Good: Aside from the inclusion of a proprietary dock connector, we find little to dislike about the Sony Walkman NWZ-E443. Sound quality is excellent, easily besting the Apple iPod Nano, while the plastic construction is sturdy and the physical buttons let you switch tracks and pause easily without taking it out of your pocket.
Bad: screen isnt massive no camera like ipod nano
Comment: Key Features
H.264, mp4 and WMV video support
FM Tuner
Voice recording via mic
4/8/16GB models
2-inch, 240x320 pixel display
Sony Walkman NWZ-E443 4GB
Time was when a Walkman was literally your only choice of portable music player. Unfortunately it's not 1978 any more and while they have their detractors, Apple's iPods have become the de facto benchmark against which all other portable media players must compete. That the latest iPod nano differs from its predecessor only by the addition of a video camera (which, while cool, is a bit gimmicky) and a shiny exterior speaks volumes about how far ahead of the competition Apple is, in many respects.
Nonetheless, those not willing to be tied to iTunes, or who value sound quality over a very slick user interface will recognise the advantages Sony's Walkmans offer over their rival. And that's leaving aside the often massive price hike, capacity for capacity, with which Apple's products are encumbered.
The E Series, for example, which is now Sony's closest rival to the iPod nano as the S Series has lost its way somewhat (really Sony, speakers?) starts at around £65 for this 4GB NWZ-E443, with the 8GB NWZ-E444 and 16GB NWZ-E445 available for about £80 and £100 respectively. That beats the iPod in two respects. First, the entry point for the E Series is lower, if you don't mind the limited capacity and second for the same amount of storage, Sony is asking a lot less.
It's not like the E443 feels cheap. It might be made of plastic, but there's a solidity that inspires confidence, so that even if you're clumsy enough to drop the player, it should survive the experience unscathed. A metal finish would, of course, have been preferable, but savings have to be made somewhere.
I much prefer the physical controls to the touch-sensitive ones of the Samsung YP-Q2. Being able to reach into a pocket to pause a track, or change the player's volume, not to mention being sure each press is acknowledged as such, makes the E443 far less frustrating to use than Samsung's player.
Anyone who's used a Sony player - X Series excluded - in the last couple of years will be familiar with the E443's menu system, which is just as intuitive as ever. Annoyingly the player is as picky as ever when displaying album art, so if you've embedded a png, for example, you'll be left with a placeholder icon on the player. It's a minor criticism really, though, as despite being able to display images, the E443's 2in 240 x 320 pixel display is too small and too low resolution to make the feature worthwhile.
Shreerag Girish 12 August 2011
Good: Light weight, superb sound quality, vry slim, good battery life ,gr8 entertainment by sony anyway..
Bad: Navigation is a bit confusing...
Comment: This device is a worth for guys who dont look for an ipod. But device is truly awesome for its performance.. Vry good sound quality & light weighted. Karoake mode is full of fun. The videos are also sharp & crispy..
Overall tis device is affordable than the apple ipod's..
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