Sony NWZA818 - 8GB Video MP3 Walkman - Upto 30hrs Battery Life - Black (Electronics)

A great player I won't repeat all the good things that have been said about the player but I agree with them all. A great player and a bargain for £75 (at Play!) - we've bought 3 of them. No problems with transferring files at all, not sure why some people are having problems with that. I just wish that the Sony played FLAC files but I guess you can't have everything!

Don't go out in the rain! Mine was great until I got caught in a rain shower with the player in my pocket. After this I was unable to switch it on, so sent it back to Sony UK. They said it was liquid contamination caused by customer abuse which is not covered by the guarantee and that the player was "beyond economical repair". To add insult to injury they then wanted to charge me a £34 inspection fee before they would return it to me, which I have refused to pay (wouldn't you). So I am now £100 down and without an mp3 player in less than 6 months. So the moral of the story is if you do buy it, don't take it it outside when it is raining or likely to rain (probably 95% of the time in the UK) and if you do kill it via death by rain then don't waste your time sending it back to Sony.

818 .v. NANO After using my iPOD shuffle for a while I realised I wanted to carry more music and choose what I wanted to listen to. The obvious choice was a Nano. I tried a mates for a bit. Good sound quality and I liked the menu system. However, at £130 I felt it is a bit pricey for casual use so I had a look at alternatives. I came across the Sony 818 in a sale for £70. I checked out the magazine and on-line reviews and whilst the Nano recieved positive reviews, some had issues with the sound quality and the headphones come in for some stick. The Sony reviews seemed more favourable including the headphones and with a £60 saving against the iPOD I took the plunge. Charging up first time took about 4 hours. Connected to Windows Media Player, it loaded a driver and away we go. You can auto sync and transfer all your music or drag and drop. Transfer is very quick. You have to use WMP 11 but a copy comes with the 818 if you don't have it. You also get an e-manual [you only get a quickstart guide in the box] plus a programme to convert ATRAC files as they are not compatible with this player. You can also download the Digital Media Manager which is a bit like iTunes and use that to handle the data. I use WMP and it sync's my music and photo's but not video? The menu system is easy to use and very intuitive. As easy as the Apple. Sound quality is excellent. It is richer and warmer than the crisp, clear sound from the Apple. It sounds more Hi Fi'ish. Turning on the various enhancements does improve the sound further. I usually play with the volume on 15 [half] and this is loud enough. The buttons are equally easy to use and i've never needed to use the hold button on the back. The device starts instantly and I particularly like the auto standby option which switches off the device [adjustable] when play stops. It saves you from leaving it on accidentaly and running down the battery. However, i'm not convinced that the battery will last 30 hours but i've never tested it as I charge it weekly. The device switches off completely after 24hrs of inactivity. I tried it through my Hi Fi USB and the sound is superb. It charges too. It also charges via the PS3 and you can copy from the console onto the device and vice versa. The headphones are an odd design but insert easily and the rubber gromit moulds to the ear canal. The quality is excellent. I find I never need to adjust them, something I had to do regularly with the Apple ones and they block out background noise much better. They don't eliminate it but it is muffled. I find that passing traffic drowns out the iPOD ones. The cord is short with an extension. Apparently the short length is for those who carry the device in a breast pocket. No excess cord flapping around but there is not a lot of play. You can add the extension which is more generous. The right earpiece is much longer than the left. I find it makes handling the earphones a bit of a fiddle but at least you can identify which is left and right. Photos are easy to view and you can do a slide show. Better in landscape mode though and the Spiderman demo illustrates how good video can be if you can get the files onto it that is! Criticisms? There is no remaining time on the track playing and you cannot tell how much memory is left on the device. You need to connect to WMP. You can't delete on the device either. Also, a mini USB would give more flexibility to recharge as you have to use the cable supplied. Minor issues I think. Overall, this is an excellent music player and I think I got value for money. I commend this to you if you are not one of iPOD fraternity. Enjoy.

I could sell this Please read the other positive reviews for a testament to the sound quality. This is my first MP3 player and, although not quite big enough for my entire music collection, has more than enough memory to last for a two-week holiday, and still have fresh tunes back at the office. I bought this after trying out in a Sony shop. It was instantly superior to the iPod that I tried previously with a friend, and the drag and drop loading method swung it for me. I regularly use mine on the road during the 18 hour drive between Germany and UK, and I've never got close to running out of battery. Alright, you can't get the trendy docking stations, but this is attractive in its own right. This thing is so good that, having tried mine, two colleagues in my office have been out and bought one, although they are jealous of mine, as neither could get a white one. If I have a negative comment, it's about the ear-piece cable. The cable to the right ear is too stiff. If you've had the thing in your bag or pocket, it won't hang clear of your chin in use, which can be irritating. Unless you want more than 1600 mp3 tracks in the memory, you will not be disappointed.

Excellent product This is a really nice player - sound quality is excellent and battery lasts a long time (though I don't get the claimed 33 hours). I've had this player for 6 months and am very happy with it. Previously I didn't like Sony players after I bought one without realising it was tied to Sony's truly awful SonicStage media manager software - thankfully, this now works with WMP11 and Windows Explorer and works with it very well. Pros: sound quality is excellent; simple to use; nice display Niggles: cannot create playlists on the player itself (they have to be synced from WMP); getting video on to the player is too difficult; it doesn't use a standard USB sync/charge cable (though to be fair, most MP3 players, incl iPods, don't either).