I've been using a Rio Cali for about 6 or 7 years for running, and it was indestructible. The only thing that stopped it was lack of support for a 64-bit operating system. That and the fact that it had all of 256MB (plus a 500MB SD card that brought the capacity to nearly a gig).
I did a ton of research, and I leaned toward Creative (I'm not an Apple fan). I have the older Creative Zen W 60 GB, but that's hard-drive-based and not good for exercise. And I'm not happy with the direction some of the newer flash-based Creative models have taken. I noticed this new Sony was getting good reviews, after mediocre reviews for some of its predecessors, so I checked it out and bought it.
This thing is very easy to use, and the screen is nice--perfect for viewing the album playing and title, but not SO nice that I'm afraid to scratch it while exercising. So far, I've been running a few times with it, and the battery indicator hasn't gone down at all. It puts out good sound, even with the included earbuds, which aren't bad (I like the Creative EP-630 In-Ear Noise-Isolating Headphones at work). At first I thought the sound was muddy, but then I had the sound settings on fake surround "studio," along with an equalizer set to pop. Since I listen to bands like REM and Radiohead, I didn't think of using the equalizer setting "heavy." When I took off the fake surround and set the equalizer to heavy, everything suddenly popped. I was listening to REM's New Adventures in Hi Fi (heavy on the guitars) and Vampire Weekend's Contra. Both sounded superb. Vocals and guitars were clear, and there was just enough bass to fill out but not overpower the sound. The Creative headphones add an extra level of bass, if you're looking for that.
For the price, you can't beat it. And it syncs FAST. I had 8GB loaded in no time--which brings me to one of only 2 complaints. I really wish they made a 16GB version. I didn't want the Sony S-series with its speakers, so I went with this model. Because it's for exercise, I can fill it with stuff that I'm likely to listen to while running and leave off the 6-CD classical collections, so I'm good. It's just that 16GB would give a little breathing room. The only other complaint is the volume buttons. It's kind of hard to feel exactly where the up vs down are, since they're almost flush with the player and give no tactile feedback. Oh, and if you don't put it on "hold," I've found it's VERY easy to accidentally turn back on.
It's easy to find what you want, even during exercise (by artist, genre, album, whatever), and the "tempo" feature is a great idea to help mix things up. I probably won't ever use the video features on this (with its 2" screen), but it's perfect for displaying functions and the currently playing album. The button position and overall user experience is great--you just pick it up and know what things are for. There's an on/off button, a back button, and a "wheel" in the middle that's a combination of pause, play, forward, reverse, and a way to navigate functions. Not the cutting edge in a user interface, but I'll take excellent sound, long battery life, and easy integration with Windows Media and other programs any day.
Great product for the money. Sony Walkman NWZ-E354BLK Series 8GB Video Mp3 Player (Black)
I really enjoy my Sony. It is small and user friendly. The cost of the product makes it a fantastic value. The drag and drop features make transfering music and videos a breeze! My son had to have an IPOD. He paid twice the money and did not get the FM turner. I use mine daily at the gym. and find it allows me to enjoy the workout with the music of my choice.
This is an awesome mp3 player! It is easy to operate. The sound is truly amazing. It sounds very rich. Sony lives up to its name. The screen is crystal clear and shows beautiful, crisp pictures. I would suggest this mp3 player to any one. You will love it.
Got this as an early Christmas present to replace my 4 GB Creative Zen Mozaic (another great MP3 player BTW!) and I LOVE it! It's very easy to use and loads super fast as some other reviewers have said. A good thing about it, too, is that the installation software is actually INSIDE the player, so all you have to do is plug it in and open up the folder, rather than insert a disk (my hard drive is a vertical disc loader, so inserting a tiny CD would have been near impossible!). I didn't even use the installation software, just dragged and dropped via Windows Media Player, and I haven't noticed any difference...although if you want to be able to create playlists or use the SensMe feature, I think you'd need to have the software installed...Loading movies was the same way - copy your DVDs, convert them to .mp4 and just drag and drop!
I actually got the 16 GB one of this model and I'm so glad I did. Already, I have over 500 songs, 13 audiobooks, AND 4 FULL movies on it! PLUS, I still have over 6GB left ^_^ I would highly recommend that you get it even if you don't think you'd need that much space.
Overall, this player is everything I was looking for and I can't recommend it enough! - 8gb - Sony Walkman Mp3 Player - Walkman - Mp3 Player'
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