This is a very small MP3 player by Sony. It is actually called a Sony Walkman.

What it comes with.
The unit itself.
A black pouch.
USB cable.
1/8 inch headphone cable, male and female ends.
1/8 inch headphones.
Installation CD.

How it works.
First thing you need to do is plug in the unit. This will start to recharge the unit as well as connect to the computer as an external drive. You can use this external drive as a portable hard drive if you wanted.
After that you will need to load the Sony SonicStage software. This will allow you to move music file to and from the Walkman. Once you load the music you unplug it and use it like you would any MP3 player.

The controls
The controls are relatively small due to the players size so if will take a little getting used to. There also is not a whole lot of buttons.
The top have a round knob. This can be pulled out and twisted. If it is pushed all the way in it will “hold” all of the buttons. One click out and it can be used to cycle through songs or ff/rewind through songs. Two click out and it cycles through your folders.
Disp/FM- This turns on the display (turns off automatically to conserve battery life), cycles through the displays (you can set what displays you want access to), or if you hold it down you can listen to FM radio.
Search/menu- Allows you to search by Artist, Album, Group. If you hold it down you get some customizable menu settings.
Volume- 2 buttons that control volume
Repeat/sound- This sets repeat options or if you hold it down you can select the preset equalizer settings. You have two options and both treble and bass can go from נ to 3. There is no mid range equalizer option.

A word about volume
The Sony Walkman has a menu setting that can be turned off. This option keeps the user from have the volume set to potentially damaging levels. You can turn it off (which I do) and go to higher volumes. I do this because I listen through sound systems and you need the higher volume setting for plugging into these type of devices.

Menu options
-Sound- This sets the 2 preset equalizer customizable settings.
-Volume- set between manual volume and preset volume. Preset volume just cycles through different preset volume levels more easily.
-AVLS- This controls the maximum volume setting you can have.
-Beep- Turns on and off beeping noises.
-Power save mode- Turns on or off power save mode.

Slow download
It becomes fairly obvious that they do not want you swapping songs around easily. They say it is USB 2.0 but because you have to use SonicStage, which apparently converts the MP3’s, it takes a lot longer. It took 38 minutes to fill the MP3 player with 974MB of songs. You have to use Sony’s SonicStage in order to load the songs. I have not found a work around to this.

Battery & charging.
The battery life is great on this thing. They claim it will last 50 hours and that is about what I am getting. You can also charge it for 3 minutes and get 3 hours of play out of it. The charging time is very short. It was empty when I got it and it took less then 40 minutes to charge it the first time.
The one thing I do not like is you can only charge it by using a USB cable. So when I go camping or take a vacation, I only have 50 hours and then it becomes useless because I have to find a computer with USB to charge it. But they do have an AC-to-USB power adapter available.

Ergonomics and ease of use.
The ergonomics are both great and suck at the same time. The reason they suck is because the unit is so small. Some of the buttons are a little difficult to push and are not intuitive. It isn’t easy to scroll down lists or change the equalizer quickly.
Now if you take into account how small this is then their design makes perfect sense. Other than having an analog turn wheel, there really isn’t anything I would change. This is because any change to make it easier to use will enlarge the unit and the placement of the buttons is almost perfect. One of the advantages of this unit is the small size and I wouldn’t sacrifice that for better ergonomics.

Sound quality.
I am very pleased with the sound quality. While not perfect it does a great job in transmitting a good sound signal, if you take size into consideration then it does an outstanding job. This was the one part I was worried about before buying it and I can say I am not disappointed.
The signal is even powerful enough to power my outdoors Bose speakers (N24AW). But the sound is low so if you want to use this in a party scenario you will want to run it through some sort of amplifier. I use an old shelf style sound system to boost the sound level when I want higher volume music on my patio.

FM receiver quality
I was not expecting much out of this feature but I was pleasantly surprised. We have horrible reception in our home due to some hills but the reception was outstanding. Much better than I expected. Under normal circumstances, the FM receiver option will not disappoint.
Keep in mind that not every walkman in this series has an FM receiver, incase you don’t go with the NW-E507

About the software, SonicStage.
I have found the software to be very easy to use. All I do is drop and drag the files I want into the appropriate directories. But keep in mind that you have to recreate all of your folders, it doesn’t do that automatically for you.
One important thing to keep in mind is this MP3 player does not have the capability of deleting songs itself. You must use the SonicStage software and a computer to do that. You can’t go on a friends computer and download an MP3 and expect it to play immediately. But you can use this as a USB drive if you wanted to.

What I like.
-Small size.
-Battery life.
-Easy to use.
-Drop and drag capable for SonicStage.
-Can be used as a USB drive.
-Did I mention that this is small?
-Capable of having multiple folders for different styles of music.

What I do not like.
-Minimal equalizer settings.
-No option for memory sticks.
-Random goes through all folders, not just the one you are on.
-Volume buttons are not recessed enough.
-Can’t delete songs without a computer handy.
-Does not have a build in FM transmitter.
-Requires USB powered connection in order to charge the battery.

Weight and dimensions
Weight: 1 5/8 oz
Length:
Width:
Height:

Main features Listed on Bestbuy.com
-1GB* internal flash memory stores up to 695 songs
-Ultracompact player measures just 0.5" thin and weighs only 1.7 ounces
-Supports MP3, ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus and unsecured WMA and WAV audio formats
-Jog Dial operation lets you easily access information and navigate the player with one hand
-3-line organic electroluminescent display offers a high-quality, wide viewing angle and indicates information about the music, settings and time/calendar
-Built-in FM tuner with 30 presets
-Bass and treble equalizer
-High-speed USB 2.0 interface for blazing transfer speeds
-Skip-proof design for continuous music
-Compatible with Connect Music Store; Moodmix and Connect Sets features let you customize each listening experience
-Quick battery charge provides up to 3 hours of playback from a 3-minute charge
-Smart Clip lets you attach the player to belts, bags or other surfaces, so you don't misplace it
-Rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to 50 hours of playback (calculated on 4 minutes per song in ATRAC3plus at 48 Kbps)
-SonicStage music management software included
-PC compatible

Other electronics.
Monster wireless FM transmitter, what I use while driving.
Panasonic portable CD audio and CD MP3 player.
Sony surround sound system.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 130
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym