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Sony Network Walkman NW A3000 20GB MP3 PlayerReview of Sony Network Walkman NW-A3000 (20GB) MP3 Player
Sony MP3 Player Review Sony have generated yet another MP3 player (yawn, yawn) ¡V but this time the NW- A3000 20 GB really is the one to watch. Its sexy, curvaceous design, lengthy features list and awesome accessory options are enough to put this MP3 player forward as a good contender.
Design | | The first thing we noticed when we got our hands on the A3000 was how much it weighed. All 128grams are very noticeable ¡V especially in a linen trouser pocket, but the flirtatious design allowed us to overlook this setback. It comes in several colours; we had the grey number which was oozing with testosterone ¡V perfect for a man¡¦s man. The 2-inch screen is nice and easy on the eyes and looks in good proportion. The dimensions are 104.2mm height x 65mm width x 21.4mm depth making it quite a nice size, not too big and not too small. On the front you¡¦ll find a d-pad control which acts responsively to touch. We are so happy to see a MP3 player that hasn¡¦t tried their utmost to imitate iPod¡¦s signature clicker wheel. The power button is also on the front ¡V when we realised this we were glad to see the hold function. |
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Design That Comes To Life When You Switch It On. |
| Features | | Let¡¦s get the thumbs-down stuff out the way shall we? Firstly, like all things iPod, the A3000 hasn¡¦t got a radio or a voice recorder. Unfortunately it¡¦s only a hard drive player too, rather than flash, this means it still has moving parts inside (no good for sporting activities). Ok, that¡¦s the bad stuff out of the way now let¡¦s look at what the A3000 does do. It supports MP3, Wav and WMA as well as ALTRAC files too. The lower bit rate encoder increases your storage capacity, giving you about 42 hours playback time. Like all other MP3 players, it comes with a USB cable to connect to your computer for downloading. The battery is rechargeable Lithium-ion, (you get an AC adapter for charging in the box) it also charges when linked to a computer via the USB cable. We liked the quirky features such as sleep timer, battery level indicator and especially liked the unique artist link that finds new artists of your favourite genre. The shuffle options included favourite and time machine, you¡¦ll enjoy playing with them (we did). The CONNECT Player software is useful and quick, providing a high speed data transfer time. We wouldn¡¦t say that features are coming out of the A3000¡¦s ear holes and for this, it makes up for it with the wide variety of available accessories, including car kits, cases, remote controls, docking stations, speakers and headphones. | | Performance | | As far as MP3¡¦s go ¡V the A3000¡¦s performance was top notch. We got 31 hours of play out of the battery which is superb comparing to the Nano¡¦s measly 13. The menu is well designed with good options to enhance the performance. The sound wasn¡¦t as crisp as the Nano¡¦s but it wasn¡¦t far off. It provided good bass, even at very high volumes. We would recommend getting some new headphones, the ones that are included are ¡V let¡¦s just say ¡V no good. | | What's In The Box? |
„X USB cable
„X Ac adapter
„X Carrying pouch
„X CONNECT Player software
„X Headphones | | Overall Opinion | We think Sony feel that they have to keep blasting out new portable audio devices to reduce the risk of being forgotten (as if they ever would be). The A3000 MP3 player is not offering much more than the NW-E005 did (apart from size). It¡¦s still not got radio and it only offers average playback time alongside very average sound. However, we liked the above average battery life and we thought the cool accessory options were very attractive.
| | By Lisa Malyon |
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Pros
+ Good software
+ 31 hour battery life
+ Attractive accessories available
+ Supports MP3, WAV, WMA and ALTRAC
+ Nice Design
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Cons
- No radio
- Average playback time
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Appearance 8/10
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Songs Capacity 8/10
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Build Quality 8/10
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Ease Of Use 8/10
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Value For Money 8/10
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Overall Rating
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By Lisa Malyon
14/7/2006
at 2:14:21pm
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