Downfall
Lost amid all the iPod hoopla, curiously, is Sony, which started the portable audio craze in the late 1970s with its seminal Walkman cassette-based device. Sony eventually expanded its Walkman line to include CD-based devices and controlled the market it invented for over 20 years. But Sony stumbled badly in the digital age. The problem was that Sony owned both content (movie and music businesses) and delivery (Walkman) systems. Sony's content-creation businesses wanted Sony's electronics division to make sure that none of their content was being stolen with Sony devices. Thus, Sony's first digital Walkman products were sad jokes, limited to a proprietary Sony audio format called ATRAC.

The end result was that Apple was able to waltz into a market it didn't even fully understand at first and walk away with the crown, thanks to great design and customer research. Sony, the one-time king, could only watch in horror as Apple sold millions and millions of iPods, and as its own digital Walkman products faltered in the market.

Uprising?
With the ouster of its CEO and a corporate reorganization now complete, Sony is ready to try again. Its first effort is the horribly named Network Walkman Digital Music Player NW-E500 series (yes, seriously). There are currently two versions—the E507 (which offers 1GB of flash memory) and the E505 (which offers 512MB). These products were designed in Japan before Sony's corporate upheaval, and it shows: They’re too small for large American hands, and they sport the same confusing array of buttons that seem to adorn every Sony product. In some ways, they’re vastly superior to Apple's flash-based player, the iPod shuffle. But in some ways, crucially, they fall short.

First, the good news. The one outstanding feature on the Sony device is its organic electroluminescence display, which appears to float below the surface of the device and offers three lines of text. The display is an excellent and welcome feature. (By comparison, the iPod shuffle doesn’t feature a display, although competing flash-based players, such as the Creative MuVo series, do.) The Sony device's display elicits a surprised exclamation from all who see it. It's just really well done.

The Sony device also gets killer battery life. I didn't get to test Sony's claims of 50 hours of playback time, but I did use the device extensively during a week in Vermont recently, and I didn't have to charge the battery even once. The iPod shuffle, by comparison, is rated at just 12 hours of playback time, which is about accurate.

Unlike the Apple product, Sony's Network Walkman also features an FM tuner and a nice time/calendar display (and some other goofy displays that can best be described as the MP3-player equivalent of a PC screensaver). The bundled earbuds also include a nice short cord and a separate cord extender, which I much prefer to a long dedicated cord.

All that sounds pretty good, right? Hold on a second.

Into the Muck
Everything else I have to say about this device is negative. First, the price is exorbitant. Sony charges $199 for the 1GB model (compared to $129 for the 1GB iPod shuffle) and $149 for the 512GB model (compared to $99 for the 512MB iPod shuffle). You might argue that the display, FM tuner, and other unique features justify the price difference, but you would be wrong: You can get a 1GB Creative MuVo—with a screen and FM tuner—for the same price as the iPod shuffle. Even if you're after a screen, the Sony is too expensive.

Sony's software and hardware—as always—are horrible. I've used many Sony products over the years, ranging from PCs and laptops to digital cameras, camcorders, and the PlayStation Portable (PSP). And although all these products have offered stunning designs, they’ve also suffered from horrible UIs. Sony products are besieged by an unusual number of buttons, and the Network Walkman is no different: There’s a horrible pullable Jog Dial that serves numerous purposes and a weird assortment of small, almost unpressable buttons. The software is even worse: Sony's insanely slow and overly complicated music-management software is just woefully bad—and please, don't get me started on the ineptitude of its Connect online music service. With an iPod shuffle, you set up a playlist in iTunes, plug in the device, and you're done.

While we're talking about hardware, I’ll highlight the most frustrating aspect of the Sony device. Whereas the iPod shuffle sports a full-sized male USB port on one end, letting you plug it into any industry-standard USB port for charging and synchronization (and, let's not forget, even line-in music output), the Sony device features only a small, digital-camera-sized female USB port. Therefore, if you want to transfer music to the device or charge it, you’ll need to cart around a USB cable. The insanity of this decision comes to full light when you realize that the port has a difficult-to-remove rubber port cover. After all, this is Sony we’re talking about.

Those are the major problems, but let's pick some nits. Whereas the iPod shuffle features a wonderful lanyard, the Sony comes with a clip-on plastic clip that appears to be just waiting for the first chance to unclip and deprive you of your $200 investment forever. It does, however, come with a velvety bag, which is good for ... what? That’s unclear. Even the Sony packaging is lousy. The device comes in an impossible-to-open blisterpack that's sure to slice open your fingers.

Resist the Temptation
Without understanding the limitations of the Sony Network Walkman, you might see its razzle-dazzle display and assume the iPod had finally met its match. Don't be confused. The overall user experience of the Sony Network Walkman is abysmal. For the time being, at least, Apple has nothing to fear. My advice is to stick with the surprisingly affordable iPod shuffle—which is near perfect, in my opinion—or check out a Creative MuVo if you absolutely must have a screen.

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Reader Comments
The ipod shuffle is a nicer looking, easier to use product but it could benefit from a small display similar to the sony & creative product in this lineup. I'm assuming an ipod shuffle with display is in the works and will be released soon. I agree with the author's comments about the sony's digital product lineup except with regards to sony's digital camera's. I feel that my sony digital camera is an exceptional product that isn't "beseiged by an unusual number of buttons and horrible UI" as the author puts it. It works great, has just the right amount of buttons, the UI is clear & intuitive and offers superior performance to camera's in the same performance segment. This isn't a biased opinion that I'm offering, it's based on fact & experience when comparing the style, features & usability of my digital camera with multiple different brand camera's that friends & peers use. The network walkman may be a bit of loser in this lineup, but sony's digital camera's are head & shoulders above the competition (Canon, Kodak, Fuji, Olympus, HP, etc.) Just my 0.02 cents cdn, feel free to agree or disagree. unclerob -July 27, 2005 I like my Sony home theater equipment, but they certainly fall short everywhere else. Why can't they ever get it right? I'll never give up my iPod, and I'm not even an Apple fan! Jim -July 27, 2005 Creative did a good job with its muvos and other mp3 gear it designed. the plus is the changeable battery and the comfortable UI. apple? sony? pay for the name and have some so-so-features (batteries or proprietary connectors, etc... ;-) just my 2 euro-cents Thomas P. -July 27, 2005 Nor the shuffle or the Sony would beat the MoVo. Shuffle is just a marketing gimmick to avoid features, bringing cost down. You can't do anything with it! You don't know what's plaiying, what do you have loaded, etc. The Movo is fully load of features, has FM, is a thumb drive (to share files), is nicely designed for people that do sports (as opposed to the shuffle). Don't get fooled, the shuffle is not that great. Moises -July 27, 2005 I have tried all three, and I must say that the shuffle wins this match easily. Those that want a gadget, have at it! The shuffle has the interface and the software to back it up. A screen could be nice, but it most definitely is not a necessity as has been proven time and again on a device this small and the fact that people listen to their music randomly; why do you need a screen for random?! FM tuner, no thanks, that is why I bought the shuffle, to listen to my music, if I wanted a radio tuner, I would not even be looking at an MP3 player. I am tired of gadgets, and just want something that works well and easily. It just doesn't get any easier than Apple's solution. John -July 27, 2005 Don't be fooled with the MoVo. Bad connection, lost songs, won't load songs, blah, blah, don't get me wrong, it was great for a day, then WHAM! The only thing that worked well was the tuner, and who wants to pay over a 100 bucks for a radio! Go with the shuffle, if you need to know the song that is on, well, put in the ear plugs, plus the price is just right. MoVo Move Over -July 27, 2005 I have never read such a biased anti Sony review in my life. So you love Apple products, no need to kick Sony around to prove how sychophantic you are. Sorry, but your normal standard of impartial reviews has been compromised with this one. Richard -July 28, 2005 The Sony Walkman looks cooler than the white piece of plastic called ipod. lonney -July 28, 2005 The one thing that is limiting me from buying the Apple iPod is the fact that now I have to replace my aged but working well Windows Me Desktop. At least with the Sony it will connect and is usable with Windows 98 and beyond, don't have to worry about service packs, etc... Mary -July 28, 2005 It's cool that you have a job were you can diss Sony all you want. You probably hate the PS2 and the Wega line of televisions too. By the way, are the computers garbage? Yeah, that Sonicstage software is too hard to figure out alright... It's just like Itunes, you buy music, rip music, and transfer music. Really hard to figure that one out. Please explain to me how 149.99 for 1GB is too expensive. Honestly you shouldn't be comparing the E507 to the shuffle. You should be comparing the 1GB NWE107 to the shuffle. Hey look they're the same price and the E507 gives you 70hrs of battery life on a single AAA. Oh, I almost forgot it has a screen too. I'm glad you finally got your opportunity to take a cheap shot at Sony. Maybe next time you will actually compare like products and not two things in two different classes. Very unbiased there Mr.Review Guy. Justin -July 28, 2005 Where do I start? What a biased review! If you took sometime to research you would read all the awesome reviews on the walkmans. Like cnet for instance(because they tested the battery life on it and it surpassed the 50 hours) Ipods do suck and I mean it. I am tired of all the blind people saying that its the best in the whole world. Its not and there is proof that in places like Japan Sony is the king. Sony makes so many digital music players. Like the 1gb minidisc recoders that have mic and optical jacks. They don't have built in batteries. Even the new Sony Hd walkman has a removeable one. Did you forget that 2 million consumers have sued Apple on their batteries???Itunes is not the best program out there and the only reason why Apple is where they are at is because of their marketing. For heavens sake when you delete a song in Itunes off your playlist (thats right I am a Mac user as well) the moment you sync your Ipod it deletes the music off it. Sonicstage is to slow?? You say that because you can't understand simple drag and drop software. Oh and by the way did you mention in your biased review that 3 minutes of charging the walkman gets you 3 hours of playback? Yeah Apple makes great products...Ipod isn't one of them. JJ -July 28, 2005 Hey Mr. review Guy how did you type this review? Obviously the software used to publish reviews to the web is harder to use than the sonicstage software. Sonicstage 3.1 is now easier to use... Or just as easy to use as Itunes or Musicmatch. Maybe you should compare the HD5 to a like ipod. Sound quality is much better and the buttons and menu screen is easier to use. Let's not even talk about battery life... What do think? Rodney -July 28, 2005 Your Comments (required): hungi -July 28, 2005 I have to disagree with the reviewer regarding the Sony Network Walkman. My daughter has an iPod - the main reason is that it is cool with the high school crowd. Apple's marketing has been a winner in this area. I had been holding off on purchasing a portable music player, as nothing in the marketplace had met my criteria. I wanted something small, had a display, held a lot of music, long battery life, was stylish and could fit in my pocket without looking like it was in my pocket. I recently bought the Sony Walkman E507, it has surpassed my expectations. The battery life on the E507 has been fabulous; the style is pure Sony and the transfer of music from my (multiple) computers to the Walkman has been easy. All your purchased music is stored online and can be downloaded to other computers registered with your Sonic Stage program - not complicated at all. Of course, now who wants to use my Sony Network Walkman - my daughter! She thinks it is so cute and lasts much longer than her iPod - she just has to listen to my music :) Bev -July 28, 2005 WOW!!! Could you be any more biased? Don't answer that..... I would hate to think that you could be. If you want to do a comparison why not do a caomparison of like products. I fully believe you did absolutely no research on the products or of the other reviews from "REAL" internet journalists. Sony is making in-roads into the iPOd market and that bothers a ... no journalist isn't the word i am lookin for.. oh yeah iPOD/APPLE SCHILL such as yourself Disgusted -July 29, 2005 "Even the Sony packaging is lousy. The device comes in an impossible-to-open blisterpack that's sure to slice open your fingers." This is when I stopped reading the review. Chris -July 29, 2005 So... How does it sound compared to the Shuffle? DMG -July 29, 2005 Nice to see all the Sony people pop in here and pretend to be shocked -- shocked! -- by the "biased" review. Compared to competitive products, the Network Walkan line really does stink. Where you want to like the Network Walkman -- the HD5, for example -- your desire is compromised by the awful SonicStage software. To suggest that v3.1 is even remotely comparable to iTunes is just laughable, and could only mean that you haven't used iTunes. The best feature of SS v3.1? Your hard drive Walkman is now sorted by artist when viewed in SonicStage! Yea! But the player still doesn't synch with the tracks on your hard drive -- it's unidirectional only. In fact, the software and the terrible hardware UI of the NW line is what's so disappointing. Would it be so hard for Sony to come up with something like smart playlists? If you haven't used iTunes and smart playlists, you don't understand how powerful the attraction is. And the packaging ... okay, maybe it's over the top to complain about it the way the reviewer did, but it says something that Sony chose to package their $300 player in plastic, just like their $100 player. Compare this to Apple, where the iPod packaging is an experience in itself. Sony.just.doesn't.get.it. Qyd -July 30, 2005 I can't speak for the walkman, but I own an iPod Shuffle, and I'm glad I do. My digital camera doubles as an MP3 player, but it doesn't do random, and I really missed that. The Shuffle does exactly what it should, at a much better price than a walkman of the same size. If I had wanted a display I would have looked at an iPod Mini, or something like that, but since it is filled with my music, I know what's there, or I can look it up in iTunes on my PC. Oh, and please don't forget, the Shuffle doesn't have to be on shuffle mode - you can go sequential as well if you want. And it is _tiny_. Mike -August 2, 2005 I have a sony nw-e107 player and it satisfies me a lot. firsly it has a screen unlike ipod shuffle. the battery life is huge, 70 hours with a AAA battery. it also got a shuffle mode and cheaper than ipod. also it can play attrac files so by converting mp3s to attrac files you can put up to 600 songs to a 1 gb player without loss of quality. onur -August 14, 2005 i got the NW-HD5 for quality sound in a small file size, display, and the rechargable battery. I use it for studying (mostly) classical music from my own CDs, so being able to pick from a playlist is essential. Main disappointment is neither I or Sony (non)support are able to get SonicStage 3.1 to successfully install on W2K, SP3, even though it's a supported platform. I had to switch to another computer to use it at all. It also transfers tracks in a fairly arbitrary manner, so to put together a piece with multiple movements I've got to jump around when I create the playlist. I haven't used an ipod, so won't try to compare. music -August 17, 2005 The iPod shuffle is simple to use, and is the only flash player compatible with Apple iTMS tracks. For some people, that is enough, and the price is right. However, I need 1 simple feature, gapless. Can any of the iPods do gapless? No. Sony players are gapless with Atrac. The choice is no-brainer here. Sure, I might "cut myself due to the dangerous blister packaging," but at least I can listen my music as intended. :P abc -August 19, 2005 hey u people - u dont have to use SSv3.1 anymore u can go to sony support - download Firmware v2 that fixes bugs. Vaio music tras. or MP3 trans. both alts to SS 3.2 Ps. new itunes is a ******* pile of crap Dazil -August 20, 2005 While I haven't owned this Sony item, or even the Shuffle, I do have an iPod mini and I find it extremely reliable and easy to use. My parents both have the Shuffle and neither complain about it at all. After all, you buy an mp3 player to play MUSIC. Whether or not it has a screen or pretty buttons really shouldn't matter, as long as it does the job. So I don't see what the big deal is >.>; And maybe some people don't need 70 or whatever hours of battery life. Live and let live, people. Shadow Soldier -August 29, 2005 The electroluminescent display looks great--indoors. It's impossible to read in the daylight. After jogging with my device for three weeks, it started to crackle and by the fourth week it died completely. It appears to be inappropriate as an exercise companion. I'm still awaiting a decision from Sony as to whether this was ordinary use or abuse. Richard Cooper -September 2, 2005 Ha, great bit of objective journalism, not at all biased! Yeah, sonic stage is rubbish but it does function and is usable(just about) but the player itslf is great, time spent using sonic stage compared to time spent listening to music, not much. Think about mentioning sound quality?? NW-507 are not really compareable products, they have a different emphasis. No lanyard?!? Go buy one for 2.99 down at your local market. Criticising the packaging??? Can't say I really noticed it, just wanted to play with my toy. I'm not saying it's a perfect player, playlists would have been nice... but do you not recognise the fact that different people have different requirements? Basically telling people not to buy this makes you sound like you're being paid by Apple, I'm not saying your points are wrong but the way they're presented makes it sound more like a rant than a review. I spent a fair bit of time reviewing a number of products and this matched my requirements most closely (even with sonic stage). simon -September 22, 2005 *** u Mr reviewer tha sony nwe 105 is tha best pimp juice -October 8, 2005 fack u Mr reviewer tha sony nwe 105 is tha best pimp juice -October 8, 2005 Paul I can not believe you have written this piece of "Article". You have not tested the Sony - NW... You have not listen to music with the Sony - NW... Have you been paid to talk bad of the Sony - NW??? The quality of music is the best you can get, and i have tested several different MP3 players. You have problems with the 2 buttons??? are you blonde?? (sorry about this blondes) You have problems with the blister??? what are you?? I really am gona think twice before i read review made by you!!! See you, maybe RRS RRS -October 21, 2005 Training for the OC Marathon so I was in the market for a portable music player. Looked at several make and models comparing features and finally decided on the Sony NW-E507. Compared to the Ipod Shuffle it's a no brainer. The Sony is $30 MSRP more but justifies the incredible battery life, quick charge, OLED display and FM tuner. I found it easy to figure out all the main functions without even cracking up the manual. I've upgraded the firmware to v2.0 and am using FileManager, instead of SonicStage, to easily drag and drop files over. Unbiased Opinion -October 30, 2005 If you want to read a 'good' review of this product... http://www.siliconpopculture.com/review/109_0_2_0_M9/ Greg CT -November 13, 2005 The shuffle is a pile of crap, just look around on the web and you'll find thousands of threads and comments about problems with connectivity, battery life, software and the thing just locking up and refusing to play. Why do apple have such an efficient and organised returns system - because they get loads of them... Wagonwheel -November 14, 2005 Oh plzzzzzz! how biased is that piece of crap review. Mr Boom -November 21, 2005 Looks like the review was only hardware based, and still the hardware was not even comparible. Should of compared with the lower model without the fm radio. I had a hard time deciding between the sony E507, Ipod Nano, and many other flash players. But after reading about the battery life I had to get it right away, no other player has that kind of battery life. I've been using my Palm Zire 72 for mp3's in my car and commuting but found it bulky and the battery was dead after 4 hours. Yes I do listen to music a lot, and I really needed something to keep up with me. I haven't even had to charge my unit just for the purpose of charging. While uploading the songs, the unit charges to full under an hour. Oh and about the Sonic Stage, there is an option that you can set (not set by default) if you have a list of new songs in your list, once you plug in your player it will "sync" and upload all of your songs automatically. So isn't this basically like how iTunes operates but without the playlist? So it all depend on the users, whether they are novice, or their application for the player. I am loving my player all the way, especially when converting all my mp3's to atrac3, I'm at 233 songs and have 750mb's free left. That's my toonie (toonie=canadian 2 dollar coin) Just got a Sony Guy -November 23, 2005 I love the Sony MP3 Player. After using it, it is very easy to use and I love the batteries life. Not only it last very long time, but it is extremely fast charge time. The software isn't the greatest in the world, it got the job done. While ipod shuffle has huge problem with connectivity. Converting mp3 to atract3 is slow but it used almost half of the size of mp3. Overall, 8/10 for the Sony Network Player. Media -December 9, 2005 I don't even know what the word "biased" means(from finland), but here's some facts from sony wm_E505(getting it as a christmas present btw ;) ) you can choose from 3 different screen modes. it transfers the mp3 files to atrac3 or atrac3plus files, so the 512 mb walkman is as good as 1 gb normal mp3 player. well everyone knows about THE battery life... it can store whatever files you want(mpg, word files, powerpoint, jpg, etc. ) ok the velvety back and clip-on thingy are pretty useless, but no-one would be complaining if they'd be missing from the package.. and I don't think that the female usb-port is such a bad solution...afterall creatives new mp3 player zen nano plus has the same thing... ok the buttons are small, but so is shuffles alltogether...(and I'm from finland, talk about big hands eh? :) ) If I'd do a review from this subject ipod nano and this network walkman would be the ones to compare... and the prize...you get 2 times the capasite in it(1 gb in 512 mt player) and all the "gadget-stuff", can't even be compared to creatives similar models... everyone has their opinions, but the review shouldn't be just about the pc programs and transmission of the files...using this walkman is an mind blowing experience, and gets your heart pumping every time you take it out of your pocker ;) Predah -December 17, 2005 sorry about the bad language in mu comment :/...15 yrs old and all :)... Predah -December 17, 2005 since I took a particular interest in this review I had to come back here, now that I own the player... the transmission from your computer to the player is very slow if you transport one song at a time, BUT if you transfer whole albums etc. the speed is very tolerable... I learned how to use the buttons and the knob in about 5 minutes so they really aren't that difficult. the clip-on isn't bad at all...it stays in the player so firmly that it's even pretty hard to take it off of it... the headphones are lousy, and too short if you don't use the extra cort... when used with creasy or dirty hands they leave a really annoying print to the player.. phh...there would be lots more that I'd like to write down but I'm too lazy for it...hope this helps in summones decision Predah -December 25, 2005 I am sad that my highly anticipated NW e507 is not working as well as i would have liked. The firmware ( version 2) seems to freeze up the NWE507 once it starts to copy on my player. Very dissapointing. Sony has no resolution. Will need to send it out to Texas and hope to get it back in a fair amount of time. The tech told me that i would have to wait 14 business days. I hope they dont give me a refubished one either. I will try the return and hope it solves the problems. If you do buy this product, make sure the store you buy it from will allow you to return it and get a replacement. I bought mine from Sonystyle.com and they wont let me exchange from a locl Sony store- go figure! Has anyone else had this problem w/ your mp3 player freezing once your Firmware version 2 is transfering??? 1 more chance Sony! Chuck -December 25, 2005 Here is the firmware that will fix your problem, but only if you have not already sent, your E507 to Texas. http://www.css.ap.sony.com/downloads/electronics/SW/NW-E50X_V2_0C.exe Yes, looks like all the other versions from all other Sony sites, but the firmware image inside this package is named "NW-E50X_V2_0C\MSFWUPGR_NW-E50X_201C.UPG" - notice, it's version 2.01C, not 2.00C and is reported to work around this exact issue with your player. Good luck. TheReaper -January 8, 2006 Well! I like my sony player and my past ipod mini... but I like more the sony... the plastic is better I've seen how the plastic of the nano goes really ugly... sound is good on sony... really ... shuffle is not comparable with sony Arturo -March 6, 2006 My last player was an IPOD MINI. Sits broken on my desktop, many many many problems with the mini, really. Nice design, but it's really far from the superb product the "propaganda" tell us. Got today an E507, good first impression. Sonic stage really sucks, MP3 file manager really sucks too. And by the way, ITUNES really really sucks too! Don't know where they get these lousy programers. Anyway, pros and cons in both products, bigotry and fundamentalism only shows the IPOD zealots in their splendor. Regards. guille -March 12, 2006 I came here with high hope of seeing some intelligent reviews and ended up witnesssing some of the most disgusting brand bashing in my life. I happen to sell all of these products and frequently browse various sites to see other peoples responses and opinions. I like taking a real world approach when making a sale and go beyond my personal experiences. Unfortunately this had no basis on reality, and frankly I find your blatant Sony bashing abhorrent. I hope no one reading this believes you have any credibility whatsoever. Take my word for it, all of these products have something to offer, and the Sony is definitely a smart purchase for those without an irrational fear of new software. Tim -March 24, 2006 Sonicstage? Easy to use, but then I'm not a idiot. You install, You import, You transfer, You play. Just like anything else. Wow, that was hard. Steve -March 24, 2006 Sonicstage? Easy to use, but then I'm not a idiot. You install, You import, You transfer, You play. Just like anything else. Wow, that was hard. Steve -March 24, 2006 Sonicstage? Easy to use, but then I'm not a idiot. You install, You import, You transfer, You play. Just like anything else. Wow, that was hard. Steve -March 24, 2006 Thanks SOOO much for the firmware link. Seems like it's working. I talked to some indian tech and he also told me to send it in. My player would go blank on 39%. The computer progress bar will keep moving to 99%, and then crash. THANKSSSS! You are awsome Derek -April 28, 2006 Although the screen you report on the NW-E500 looks good coming from 'beneath' the player it is almost impossible to see in normal daylight. Which makes it pretty god damn useless. ****** off Sony customer Josh -May 29, 2006 The IPod Shuffle Is The Worst IPod ever The Creative MuVo Is good but SONY IS THE BEST Dbnfxcghvk -June 28, 2006 i like the shuffle don -September 24, 2006 Help Needed! Why can I not transfer my music files from Sony SonicStage to my Ipod. Is this intentional, or am I missing something????? Simon -November 19, 2006 Well, I just read this non-objective review and all the comments searching for just one thing - comparsion between sound quality between ipod shuffle and sony NW-E507. Found nothing. I don't care how does it look like or how compicated are controls. The one think I really care about is the SOUND QUALITY! Because that is what I want! Many people say, that shuffle sounds great! Others think, that all ipods sound quality sucks. Why isn't there some server with sound quality reviews on all the mp3 players. I always thought, that sound quality is at first place... Dunst -November 30, 2006 Your Comments (required): Name (required): -December 6, 2006 as far as im concerned ipods are rubbish. its got me buggered why they are so popular. especially the shuffle and nano models. even the cheaper name brands and takeoffs have more functions and similar biuld quality. no way would i pay a $100 for a 512mb shuffle. or $200 for a 2gb nano. you can get a 2-4gb nano lookalike mp4 player with extra features for less than the price of a shuffle. and it will probably last as long. i have a cheap 1 gb jnc mp3 player that has lasted 3 times as long as the nano (i received as a gift) did. clever marketing is all i can put it down to. b.lawrence -April 2, 2007 Your Comments (required): Name (required): -April 11, 2007 I have a question. If I had a network walkman, which I do, could I use the same outlet charger as an ipod nano? Sam -July 9, 2007 No body here have compared the quality of sound of sony with ipod or else which is also considered to be an important quality. rvin -August 22, 2007 i format my sony walkman n now its showing no data tell me what can i d? kashif -November 13, 2007 i formatted the NW E505 mp3 walman and now it shows always no data what can i do??? romy -February 11, 2008 Your Comments (required): Name (required): -March 8, 2008 Your Comments (required): Name (required): -August 3, 2008 my device do not respond, is diet mario -March 6, 2009 READER COMMENTS: We want to hear what you have to say about this article!     Acceptable Use Policy Your Comments (required): Your email is only used if our editors need to contact you. It is not used or stored for any other purpose, nor posted with your comments. Enter the text from the image below Please refresh the page if you have trouble reading this text.