The Creative NOMAD MuVo combines cutting-edge high capacity 1″ hard disk drive storage, high-speed loading and superb sound quality in a remarkably compact, easy to use package. Load up to 2100 songs (based on 3.5 min per song, WMA / 64kbps with 4GB storage) with simple plug-and-play, drag-and-drop functionality. Transfer any music or data files in a flash with super fast USB2.0. Enjoy high fidelity sound with specifications unmatched by other MP3 and WMA players. The NOMAD MuVo is a perfect blend of capacity, style, versatility and ease of use in a tiny player for the active music lover. Grab it, load it, clip it on your belt and you’re all set to go! HP Hewlett Packard

Handy and Compact Player with Exceptional Sound

The MUV02 has a good 14-hour battery life and has exceptional sound quality. You might want to change the earplugs that come with the player for something better though, but other than that there are no complaints when it comes to sound quality. The drawbacks are the small buttons that make it hard to navigate the playlists, and the small LCD screen. It may not be an iPod but it still is a good option to buy among small, light and compact MP3 players.

High-Capacity, High-Fidelity MP3 and WMA Players

• Store up to 128 hours of WMA or 64 hours of MP3 tracks
• Up to 9 8dB signal-to-noise ratio–as good as expensive hi-fi systems
• 4-band custom equalizer and 4 equalizer presets
• Up to 14 hours continuous play
• Li-ion rechargeable battery is removable–carry a spare for extra-long playtime
• Supports playlists created on your PC
• Full play mode control including Shuffle modes and Resume feature
• Easy folder navigation
• Compact, fast, and amazingly simple to use
• USB 2.0 for super-fast file transfer–load a song a second!
• Works as a USB flash drive with any PC
• Drag-and-drop simplicity for easy music or data-file loading
• Store up to 1,000 floppy disks of documents, photos, and presentations
• Charge through USB connection or with power adapter

Software Bundle: Creative MediaSource
New to digital music? Creative MediaSource converts your CDs to MP3s or WMAs at the touch of a button. Get started in minutes making your music collection into a portable digital music library.

THE Sony Walkman has gone through many changes to fit in with the technological advances that come with the advent of time.

This year, Sony has made some changes to its flagship product that can be considered as a huge milestone for the Sony Walkman: Support for native MP3 playback.

Spearheading the inclusion of this format support is Sony’s recently launched MP3 player, the Sony NW-E105 (Network Walkman).

With such a big step forward (and also due to the size of the box that it came in), I expected the NW-E105 to be larger but that was not the case. The NW-E105 turned out to be just a tiny round-shaped device.

Despite this, the NW-E105 provided quite a kick in the audio department, which came as no surprise to me as it’s a Sony product.

The round shape of the player caused many to mistake it for a stopwatch. I had no problems with the design as it was lightweight and had good ergonomics for easy handling.

The control and function buttons on the NW-E105 are all located within easy reach on the “rocking” faceplate (play/stop, next track and scan), the sides (volume control and folder/track/hold mode selection) and at the back of the casing (menu and repeat/shuffle/ equaliser modes).

The NW-E105 performed really well with a variety of songs and instrumental music. Even with the volume set to low, the music sounded just like how it would sound coming from a mini hi-fi system.

It can also handle whatever music you’re playing at high volume and still sound good with minimal audio distortion. The trick here is to find the best audio setting since you wouldn’t want to leave your ears ringing.

Here is where some of the features such as the pre-equaliser modes and the AVLS (Automatic Volume Limiter System) come into play.

Both the features help enhance the sound of the music and limits the maximum volume to prevent hearing-loss respectively.

There are two pre-equaliser modes, one of which boosts the treble while the other does the same for the bass, giving music some added range and depth.

The bass boost gives that extra dynamic sound, which is something many want to hear in their music.

The player has 512MB of built-in memory, which can hold quite a large number of songs (up to 200 for MP3s and up to 345 for ATRAC3plus files).

To keep track of such a large amount of files, the NW-E105 has a multiple folder option that allows users to categorise songs according to artiste, title or genre. This is done via the bundled Sony SonicStage program.

This little MP3 player can also list folders instead of individual tracks when the folder navigation mode is put to use. This is a plus since entire folders can be skipped to get to that one particular song that you suddenly have an urge to play.
Pros : LONG battery life, nice design
Cons : BAD software, no extra features like radio and voice recording
Great Product, with a excellent battery life a realistic useage of around 45hrs. sound quality.. well expect the best from sony. protability is ok, style is not too chunky , and not as slim as a piece of paper. A big negative, is the software: sonicstage, has a few problems, copyright issues, and almost compulsory conversion to atrac3 files is annoying. the price in my opinion, is a bit expenisive especially for a player that only plays music files (compare to iriver and creative flash players, contains a few extras functions like radioa and voice recording). Overall, the quality of the player outweighs the negative aspects.

The Sony NW-E505 looks like a very fancy cigarette lighter, but it’s actually a 512MB MP3 player with an integrated FM tuner. Although the device doesn’t pack extras such as voice-recording ability, and Sony’s SonicStage software still leaves a lot to be desired, it has one of the most attractive hardware designs we’ve seen. The sound quality is very good and the user interface is interesting, if not particularly intuitive. The most impressive feature, however, is the unbelievable battery life.

All in all, the sony nw e505 isnt a bad product, but it does have a few flaws. sonic stage, the program that comes with it, is easy enough. it really doesnt come with any accesories, only a belt clip that doesnt hold on too well, and an extension wire for the headphones, which are ridiculously short aslo a black pouch to carry it in. also, it doesnt display well at all under sunlight. but the sound quality, though, is excellent. the radio is good, but theres better. if ur interested in this product, make sure u get a good deal on the price, because it is a little on the exspensive side considering how low it is on features.

Features:

• 512MB1 Built-In Memory
  Stores 345 songs2 on the device.
  
• Built in FM Tuner
  Provides accurate drift-free tuning of FM stereo radio stations. Presets allow the user to skip directly to the most listened to stations.
  
• 3-Line Organic Electroluminescence Display (Displays Song Title, Length, Battery Indicator and much more)
  The 3-line display offers a wide viewing angle, high quality display with a unique look. View information about the music, settings or time/calendar in any lighting condition.
  
• Super Quick Battery Charge3
  A three minute charge will provide up to three hours of playback.
  
• Up to 50 Hours4 of Playback Life with Rechargeable Embedded Battery
  Internal battery provides up to 50 hours of continuous playback on each charge.
  
• Plays Back MP3/ATRAC3®/ATRAC3plus™ Audio Formats
  For customers who already have extensive music libraries, use the included software and hardware to store and play back their collection of MP3s. For the customer who is just getting into digital music and downloading, Sony’s ATRAC® format provides higher sound quality with smaller sizes than many competing formats. This enables the user to store more music and have longer listening times.
  
• Compatible with the Connect™ Music Store:
  Offers one of the most extensive music collections online. Unique features such as Moodmix, Connect™ Sets and live radio, make this a choice destination for customers looking to expand their music collection. It’s easy to discover, find and purchase single tracks or entire albums. Choose from top hits and tracks from independent artists. www.connect.com
  
• Time/Calendar Display
  View current time and date.
  
• Smart Clip Supplied
  The included multi-purpose clip will attach to both the music player and belts, bags, pockets and many other surfaces.
  
• One Handed Jog Dial® Operation
  Access your information on the fly with the easy-to-use Jog Dial navigator. One handed/finger operation allows the user to simply scroll and click. The information and operation is truly at their fingertips.
  
• Supports WMA, WAV Audio Formats5
  The Network Walkman player plays back ATRAC3®, ATRAC3plus™ format and MP3 files, and supports WMA and WAV.
  
• Transfer Personal Downloaded Music and CD Recordings
  Between your CDs and your PC, creating your own music mixes for on-the-go enjoyment.
  
• Skip Proof Design-No Moving Parts
  For uninterrupted playback even while carrying the Network Walkman player during active uses.
  
• Connects to USB Port for High Speed Data Transfer
  After mixes have been created in the jukebox, they are easily transferred at high speed to the device.
  
• Multi Language Display
  Displays encoded text data that can include the artist name, disc name, and/or track name.
  
• Music Management Software Supplied
  Import, manage and easily transfer your digital music collections with the supplied music management software.

You’ve got to hand it to Sony. The iPod may still be the portable music boss, but it’s still trying to take Apple’s baby out. That said, it was some time before it seriously plucked up the courage to try with the release of the NW-HD1. That was back in late 2004, which was followed only a few months after by the NW-HD3. Now yet again, Sony has produced another hard disk based unit, again skipping a number to produce the NW-HD5.

The Sony Network Walkman NW-HD5 is the successor to the NW-HD1, NW-HD2, and NW-HD3. (Sony skipped the NW-HD4 because in Japanese the number four sounds like the word for “death”.) This particular model is a 20GB, and they have yet to release the 30GB version to the United States. The player weighs 4.06 oz (115g), measures 2.36″x 3.49″ x .56″ (59.9 x 88.7 x 14.2mm) and comes in silver, red, and black. It includes SonicStage® software, headphones (MDR-E931LP), carrying pouch, USB cable, and AC power adaptor. It accepts MP3, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and will convert WAV and WMA files. They claim a battery time of 40 hours. Continue reading for the full review.

So what does this one bring to the table and has it done enough to really put the boot into the iPod? Well, yes and no. Sony has revamped the design once again and come up with a device with a distinctive look that might not appeal to all. As far as specifications go it’s another 20GB player and while the dimensions have shrunk very slightly since the HD3, it’s actually 5g heavier at 135g. It’s still not as svelte as the 112g HD1 however. Even so, it’s a lot leaner that the iPod, which since the demise of the mono-screened version is only available at a relatively portly 167g. With its brushed metal finish, the NW-5 does feel quite solid in the hand though some may balk at the thin flap covering the USB and AC power connectors at the top. There’s also a space for a Sony remote control but there isn’t one included in the box. Nor is there a cradle, Sony having dispensed with it after the HD1. A small fabric cover is provided but there’s no belt clip holder included.

Release date: July 1, 2005
Category: Hard Drive Player
Manufacturer: Sony
Capacity: 20 GB
Weight: 5 oz
Audio formats: ATRAC3, MP3, WMA, WAV
Works with: eMusic, LiveDownloads, AudioLunchbox
Storage Type: Hard Drive

Sony’s 20GB NW-HD5 and the iPod are both dead simple to use, but the HD5 is smaller, and its removable battery lasts much longer.

Sony’s 20GB NW-HD5 and the iPod are both dead simple to use, but the HD5 is smaller, and its removable battery lasts much longer. [-] Hide

Sony has struck back with its NW-E70 (256MB) model that doesn’t require batteries when connected to a PC for downloading. Sony says that the product can run for up to 70 hours with a single AAA battery. It will retail for around W200,000.

For a flash player without expandability, the lack of an FM tuner is tantamount to content heresy unless the user does not mind listening to 256MB worth of songs on perpetual repeat. However, for those who like to cram in as much MP3s as possible without a sacrifice in audio quality, Sony’s ATRAC3plus format (with an ATRAC3plus file encoded at 64kbps sounding virtually similar to the same MP3 track encoded at 128kbps), has the virtue of stuffing everything into a smaller file size. But the task of re-converting your entire downloads to another format can be quite a stinker, especially if all your mates are still swearing by MP3.

Sony’s Sonic Stage software ranks right up there with Apple’s iTunes in terms of ease of usage. Conversion, playback, burn and rip options are easily accessed and, if playlists are your intention, multiple groups can be created to store songs which will also be displayed in groups on the player itself.

Song navigation and playback can be conducted either in their entirety or in groups, though there is no provision for the user to create new groups within the player itself. Although there is now MP3 support for this Sony, we were not impressed by the fact that we had to upload MP3s through the separate MP3 manager software rather than Sonic Stage. So if you have the intention of uploading songs in both formats (MP3 and ATRAC3plus) to the NW-E70, you would have to do it via both software and this rather dampens the user convenience stakes as there is no unified interface to keep track of your tracks. And if you have the intention of sharing songs with a friend, hard luck, MP3 and ATRAC3plus files are not viewable on Windows Explorer. To transfer songs from the NW-E70 to another computer, you will have to save under a separate folder. Plus, given the memory size of 256MB, that does not make for a lot of songs, either.

Unlike other MP3 players that carry the gamut of preset equalizer settings e.g. Pop, Jazz, the NW-E70 allows the user to set his own bass/treble levels and save them as two different sound modes in the player itself. Although a five-band equalizer control would have sat better for most portable audiophiles, we were satisfied with the user-defined bass and treble controls even if there was no way for us to tweak the mids.

Sony’s decision to throw in the MDR-EX051 earphones as part of the package is certainly generous. Though this cannot compare with Shure’s e3c earbuds in terms of sound isolation, it is still miles ahead of the inferior earphones that most manufacturers package with their MP3 players.