Prefer it not, Apple has lengthy set the bar for MP3 gamers; the enduring iPod, the smaller iPod Mini after which the brand new iPod Shuffle. Throughout the trade firms try to repeat, emulate and outdo the pc firms efforts.
Sony, not content material with its problem to the iPod with its NW-HD3 onerous drive based mostly participant (reviewed right here) has introduced at CeBIT 2005 a flash based mostly participant to tackle the iPod Shuffle. Referred to as the NW-E500, the brand new vary of flash based mostly gamers – starting from 256Mb to 1Gb. The gamers promise a far superior battery life, FM radio and extra importantly in comparison with the iPod Shuffle a display to view your photos on. However is all of this sufficient? Pocket-lint.co.uk travelled to Germany to have a primary look of the brand new participant and see if it actually does stand an opportunity at turning into king of the flash gamers.
The place the Shuffle is the pack of gum within the MP3 world, the NW-E500 is lipstick. Shorter in size than the Shuffle the NW-E507 thanks principally to the dearth of a USB socket on the system has a extra rounded really feel to it. At one finish the participant encompasses a cylindrical toggle stick discovered on different Sony MP3 gamers previously most notably the NW-E75. The casing itself is shiny, and whereas Sony guarantees that it has made it from sturdy supplies comparable to acrylic and metallic zinc the top result’s a reasonably plastically and considerably low cost one.
Beneath the casing is the Natural ED three-line display that runs the size of the participant on one facet. The display affords the standard array of data; track time, observe, quantity and many others. and the person characters are clear and crisp. As a result of Sony has opted for the Natural ED know-how you received’t get a clean display when it’s off and this does look lots higher than an empty LCD.
The selection of an Natural ED display has additionally been chosen to the rise the battery efficiency. Sadly on this first look we have been unable to validate this declare. Nonetheless even when it’s solely half of Sony’s promised 50-hour battery life from a chargeable battery you may’t assist however be very impressed. If the participant does dwell as much as this declare and also you solely used the unit for 2 hours a day, you may count on the battery to final nearly a month. Examine this to the iPod Shuffle whose battery life is simply 12 hours and you may see why Sony’s excited.
Controls, as we’ve touched on, are dealt with utilizing a toggle on the finish of the unit. This lets you twist and choose, twist a method and you choose the following track, twist the opposite approach and also you get the earlier one. Pulling the toggle out additional provides you totally different controls particularly album reasonably than track choice and total the unit is simple to grasp and use.
The just about non-existent menu interface is like different Sony gamers and the songs are damaged down into artist and albums however nothing else. There is no such thing as a playlist help or the flexibility to create playlists on the fly both – just like the Shuffle we’re speaking the fundamentals right here.
Our fast take
Fancy toggles and screens solely get you up to now within the transportable MP3 participant world. Nonetheless, on our preliminary first look we have been in a position to take a look at the sound high quality of the unit with some pre-loaded content material from Usher and Future’s Baby. In each instances, the sound high quality was excellent with the participant having the ability to deal with each the pop of Future’s Baby and the ballads of Usher.
So it’s an iPod Shuffle killer? Nicely the providing is definitely higher; you’ve got obtained a smaller unit albeit utilizing the identical storage choices, and higher battery energy. Add to that the ATRAC compression capabilities and you will get round 700 tracks (45 albums) on the 1Gb unit. With the NW-E500 mannequin you even get a radio.
What is the catch? You have to use the terrible Sony Join software program. If solely Sony may get this sorted or revert to one thing like MusicMatch jukebox, which was once shipped with its MP3 Discman ranges, this participant would really be a power to be reckoned with.
Sony NW-E507 Flash mp3 participant – 4.0 / 5
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To recap
If Sony get the software program mounted this would really be a power to be reckoned with.
