Somewhat frustrating (iTunes)...

I bought this for my daughter (11) as she was keen on it. Despite the 'glamour' of iTunes and Apple itself (and being PC literate), we find navigating transfers (music and movies) really quite frustrating, with required 'ejections' etc and songs not synching properly in an intuitive sense. It is surprisingly much less intuitive than I expected (-iRiver's Drag and Drop is SO much simpler and effective). After several days, we still find video transfers erratic and had to do manual transferring to get it onto the iPod (then we lost what was already synced, though warned somewhere). Moreover, I got Apple's"white screen of death" at the very beginning and had to reset the iPod to solve the defect (losing our first data). There is a measly manual with the packaging so you have to get onto the web to sort out your problems.

The much promoted iTunes Store (which seems to be much easier to access from within iTunes than our own iPod) goes through the purchase procedures before telling me that downloads are not possible for my country (Sri Lanka)... waste of time! It also asks for credit card details (though I did not purchase anything) which was unexpected; I only wanted to set up an account to try out the Store for my child without entering card data or having this as default in case she accidentally ordered something.

The hardware is definitely"sexy", and it is a neat player. But it is a pain that it can only be charged when your PC is switched on - we did not know that at purchase or installation. Battery power is also poor, a few hours on audio (many MP3 players do much better).

Overall, not impressed despite the lovely looks (and fragility) of this well known gadget. There does not appear to be any continuing defect as such on the machine; our frustration seems more on the software. I would prefer iRiver in most respects (which is also much more 'open' - less proprietory limitations - in what it reads and transfers), much as I would like to like this device.

Do not buy !!

I have had the displeasure of buying 2 of these ipod radio remotes now and both have broken within 6 months, the radio is rubbish and the wires connecting the remote to the ipod have formed a loose connection in the same place in both remotes i have had and the sound keeps cutting out.
Do not buy this remote it will not last very long and is expensive compared to the rest and definitely do not buy for the radio.

Who needs an iPod?

I have purchased a number of Sony items over the years, including other Atrac CD/MD/ Network Walkman products, and had no reservations about buying this particular model. For the price, it is a superb performer, with a very clear and detailed sound, which belies the Atrac compression. To be able to get 30+ CD's worth of music on to one blank CD-R is a major bonus, particularly for motorists- obviously without the need to keep changing discs every few hours. It's far better than a CD auto changer in that respect. Coupled with a cassette adaptor kit and cigar lighter connection (or even using rechargable batteries) it couldn't be simpler to install and use.
Although many people have criticised Sony for the way that the Sonic Stage software works, I have to say that I have had no problems with it, ever since Version 1 came out and including subsequent updated versions. Yes, it can be a pain uploading all the original CD's to start with, but the Library soon fills up with albums and from there any number of compilations can be put together. I can't recommend this model enough and am well pleased with it. Excellent value for money and another winner from the Sony stable.

Portable, yes, but convenient, no.

This CD player is certainly portable, but not very convenient because there is no belt clip or means of attachment to clothing. In other words, you can be stationery with it on a surface near you or moving provided you hold it!

Unfortunately, this deficiency cannot be seen without cutting open the firm plastic packaging, which then voids the conditions for return to Amazon.

The sound quality is satisfactory but the"mega bass" does not do much for my hearing.

Little know record function

Having used this machine for over 1 year without complaints,let me tell you
about a feature which to my mind is worth all of £200 and that is the ability of this impeccable cd recorder to Super Bit Map the recording.
Using an external source preferably cd this machine is able to produce a Digital Remaster of the original.
They sound incredible to the point of transforming some discs ,making these your most listened to and your reference disc.
To date i have not tried this on older classical recordings but will begin the excercise with mouth watering anticipation.
Well done Sony!

A great little unit

A great little unit comes with a remote controller which is not always mentioned but very useful. Controls are well placed and easy to use. I could have wished for a slightly better tone but mega bass is available which makes a lot of difference. I really congratulate Sony for using re-cyled cardboard packing instead of that ghastly plastic foam which gets everywhere these days. Just missed giving it 5 stars because the price is just a tad high for the speaker quality which one gets.

An icon of what technology and design should be all about

I did not rush out and buy an ipod because I simply did not think I needed it - I don't have a Walkman and I don't need to listen to music in odd places. My route to the nano started with my migration to a PowerBook. I started to use the Mac to collect and archive lots of music CD's, and in particular select those tracks I wanted to keep from a mass of old compilations. I could even throw away the discs, boxes and all - I finally still have the discs, but I did manage to throw away the boxes. I then bought a JBL The Encounter for my home office, and started to consider getting an ipod - and low and behold the nano appeared. What I wanted, and what I use the nano for is to collect and carry my music collection when I go to our second home in Spain. There I have an Altec Lansing iM7 portable speaker/docking system for the ipod - and it works perfect with the nano as well. The nano is ideal in that it carries a really useful collection of music and that includes my entire Spanish language course. I can plug it in to my iM7 in Spain and get a great listening experience, and I can use it the flight there and back. Esthetically speaking the nano is a perfectly designed artifact and fits with my idea of good-looking technology (thin, white, light-weight, easy interface and bright display, great storage capacity, total portability, robust and great quality and attention to detail). And I have never needed to read the user manual. So far I have had no problems at all with it (e.g. screen scratching) and long battery life is not a major consideration for my particular purpose. So for me it is a perfect device, and (as long as it does not break down on me in the next couple of years) I would wholeheartedly recommended it (or more precisely the one with the biggest storage capacity available at the time of purchase).

GREAT GADGET

THIS RECIEVED VERY GOOD REVIEWS IN MAGS AND OVER THE NET SO I BOUGHT IT.

I HAVE BEEN USING THIS FOR OVER A WEEK NOW AND AM VERY IMPRESSED. ITS A SLEEK LOVELY LOOKING PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AND IT PERFORMS REALLY WELL TO BOOT.
AT THE MOMENT I HAVE THE AUX PLUGGED AND USING IT AS THE SPEAKER EYSTEM FOR MY PC, IT SOUNDS THAT GOOD!

i RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT, YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

Sony Good Job

Something I was looking for. It have all the features one can wish for from a 100£ small boom box. USB feature is the best one as I just have 22 different albums in it and still tons of space left in 2GB sony usb memory device. It plays it on and on with you need to interfere. Good sound quality.

bad points
1) it only plays sony usb ( as usual)
2) only supports mp3.( still any format can be converted to mp3 but if you are techi )

Overall I would recommend

Awesome! Great Value!

This is possibly the best piece of music equipment out there! Its very cheap for its unquestionable quality. You dont need an ipod or other expensive mp3 players. You just need to carry a couple of cd's with you and you've got unlimited playing time!
The amount of music you can get onto one cd is way above my expectations. On 1x copying speed, you can get hundreds of tracks. This item is great, no doubt whatsoever. Its very thin and fits neatly almost anywhere. It takes about 1 hour to make a whole cd on the fastest copying time. You may believe this to be long, but set it up at night, and in the morning voila, ther's your new cd. This item is quality and very cheap for its value. Buy it as soon as you can!!!!!!!!!!!

You know it makes sense...

This is so small and light.......the sound is superb.
All you need to do is dump the headphones and replace them with Shure E2c earphones ( which are actually better than the more expensive E3s ..and dont fall apart like some of the more expensive sony upgrades.)
Also dont bother with Attrac ..just rip to MP3 and enjoy .
Also if you dont mind lugging a few cds around with you.......you will have even better sound. But for standard MP3s
with 700 mb of music on a disc that you can buy for 15p this is a cheaper and much more flexible alternative to an ipod
or anything else at the moment.
Quality ,flexibility, and fantastic sound.

Sony Walkman.

Was disappointed with the original packaging of the Walkman, it looked extremely old and tatty.Walkman inside was obviously new. Apart from this the service was excellent.