Has Sony Finally Got it? - The Walkman A1000

Sony has been trying to attack the iPod for some time now and all attempts have failed dismally. Now they say that they have a legitimate competitor to the iPod Nano.

The Sony Walkman NW-A1000 comes housed in a metallic purple box; it certainly catches your eye. The actual device is no different, we got a purple one! It looks very slick and has a minimalist look and feel to it. The screen is nice and bright, pity it isn’t color though. True to Sony the sides of the Walkman and the surrounds of the buttons are chrome. Altogether it is a very visually appealing package. The software that comes with it is a bit unstable, freezing at times but is easy to use. It automatically syncs with the Walkman when you connect it. A very irritating problem which the Walkman displays is that you can only sync with the program that came with it.

Is it easy to use?

Sony did a good job when it came to the actual software on the device. It is very easy to navigate. It also has a very cleaver search function which its competitors lack. One very original feature which is quite useful is the artist link button which displays all the artist and songs in the playing songs genre. The one big fault that I’m surprised that Sony did not pick up on was that it is incredibly slow, you do get used to it but it is extremely annoying.

Does it deliver on its promise?

The sound quality is better than that of the iPod but that is mainly due to the Sony headphones which are vastly better than that of Apples. To hold the walkman fits snugly in your hands until you try to change songs using only one hand the buttons are positioned to low so it tends to slip out of your palm every time you press a button.

Is it innovative?

With its unique design it is one of the most original MP3 HD devices that have entered the market for a long time, it is not just another iPod rip off.

Overall I do believe that it is a viable competitor in the portable audio market, it may not be as seamless as its rivals but it makes the grade.

Steven Ambrose