Sony NW-A808 MP3 Player Review
Sony have produced a marvel in the shape of the NW-A808 as it stands with major competition such as the Apple iPod Nano and the Samsung YP-K3. Three models are available with a memory capacity of 2GB, 4GB and 8GB, the choice is yours as over 5000 tracks can be stored on the larger memory model. The only problem we have found is the price, which is nearly twice that of the iPod Nano, so it is nearly twice as good?
Design |
| Sony has pulled out all the stops with the design of the NW-A808 Walkman as it is sleek and trendy and very mobile phone like. Available in bodacious black or wicked white the A808 has a generous 2” 240x320 pixel colour QVGA LCD screen so perfect for watching videos. The NW-A808 is just smaller than the Nano and very slightly heavier and has controls within easy reach for single handed operation. The control dial is not as sensitive as the Nano’s, which suits us better. |
| Features |
The main feature that sets the A808 apart from its rivals, is its ability to play videos. The screen may be a little on the small side to watch a full blown movie, but music videos or film trailers can be played with ease and the 2” screen displays them perfectly. The menu system is displayed very simply and clearly and is set out in a 3x3 icon format which we found very easy to navigate and reminded us of the Apple iPhone menu. Tracks are stored similarly to the iPod, by Artist, Album, Genre etc and you also get the option to find tracks by the year it was released. You are able to choose from your 100 most listed to tracks as these are stored for ease of retrieval and maybe the only list you need to refer to. Searching for tracks is also simple by clicking on the alphabet letter that it starts with and all tracks starting with that letter will be displayed.
The Sony Walkman NW-A808 puts the Apple iPod Nano in the shade |
| Performance |
| Firstly, we must mention our disappointment in the SonicStage software that is included as it has no real direction for the user and can make for hard work when downloading etc. This software does get easier to use as you become more familiar with it, but we’re sure Sony could do better for future models. The battery life was impressive and we managed to squeeze just less than 28 hours of continuous music playback and just over 7 hours of video playback from a full charge, taking only 3 hours to fully charge. (Better than the Nano, we must add). Sound is just fantastic and the bundled earphones show this brilliantly. The ClearBass and ClearStereo options available made significant differences to the sound without losing any of the quality at all. |
| Overall Opinion |
| The Sony Walkman NW-A808 is an excellent MP3 player with superb sound and a very user-friendly menu system. Shame about the software included and the high price, but we hope Sony ensure future models have these flaws corrected. Check out the Sony KDL32EX301 |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent features Superb sound User-friendly menu Battery Life | High price Poor software package |
| Factor | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of Use | 3/5 |
| Durability | 3/5 |
| Style | 3/5 |
| Service & Support | 3/5 |
| Value for Money | 3/5 |
| Recommend | 1/5 |
| Overall | 5/5 |