Sony NWZ A829 16 GB - Expert Reviews

Review summary: -200-odd for Sony's NWZ-A829 music/video player isn't cheap, so does Jon think it's money well spent-

Verdict: Sony's latest Walkman is, then, clearly a very capable player. It's light, good looking, and competes with any for sound quality. It's easy to use too, has fantastic battery life, and with Bluetooth now in the mix, its appeal has been expanded to those wh

Review summary: It might not have the simple lines of the iPod, but Sony's new Walkman is every bit as stylish as the manufacturer's TVs and hi-fi components. The black brushed-metal back is as resilient as it is attractive, and the glossy screen is wonderfully vivid.

Verdict: The player itself is stylish and thin, but the major innovation is let down by shoddy design.

Pros: The Sony NWZ-A820 Walkman MP3 player series offers high-quality music, photo, and video playback, along with built-in Bluetooth audio streaming, EX-style earphones, and phenomenal battery life.

Cons: The Sony NWZ-A820 series doesn't come cheap, and it lacks an FM radio, voice recording, memory expansion, and a standard USB connection.

Verdict: The Sony NWZ-A820 is the best sounding, best-looking Walkman series yet, and the inclusion of Bluetooth audio makes it a top choice for cable-hating audio enthusiasts.

Review summary: Sony is moving on. It long ago conceded defeat in an unpopular war against Apple's iPod, a war Sony lost because it adhered to a silly proprietary format (ATRAC), listened too hard to the needs of its music and movie stablemates instead of its customers,

Pros: Punt music wirelessly to any compatible device, Excellent in-ear headphones, Dynamic Normaliser

Cons: Can't really use the device single handed, Video Orientation, Lack of attention to detail for the UI

Verdict: Not as good as Apple's infinitely more capable and innovative iPod touch

Review summary: The Sony Walkman NW-A829 may be small, but it packs 16GB of storage - enough for over 10,000 songs

Pros: Great headphones Sounds better than the iPod Small and slim with decent build quality Bluetooth - if that's your bag

Cons: Counter-intuitive controls Iffy user interface Screen is too small for watching anything other than short clips No Bluetooth headphones It still can't beat the iPod

Verdict: It's no accident either that the NW-A829 also shares stylistic queues with Sony Ericsson mobile phones - a familiar combination of gloss black metal, plastic, glass and silver piping that echoes the Sony Ericsson K series, for example