Sony Walkman 16GB MP3 Player Review - Intro
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By Mark Brezinski
Published on September 16, 2008
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 Nostalgia freaks will remember the Walkman brand; Sony launched one of the first portable tape players under the brand in the 1980s. They pretty much owned the portable audio market for years, but that all changed when portable audio went digital a few years ago. The company has been struggling to catch up since, and the Sony Walkman NWZ-A729 represents their attempt to carve back some of the space taken by small players like the iPod Nano. It does a pretty decent job; the screen is big and bright, and the device is easy to use. But there are a number of quirks that give us pause in recommending it over the Nano, such as the low audio output power and appallingly bad syncing software.
| Section |
The Good |
The Bad |
| Tour & Design |
Small, sleek design is scratch proof
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Buttons are small and awkwardly placed
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| Hardware |
Big, bright screen that dominates the front of the device
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Proprietary port means you have to buy cables from Sony
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| Media Interface |
Controls are basic, but adequate
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No dedicated buttons for features like fast forward and rewind
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| Media Management |
Controlling playback is straightforward
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Search is awkward, and limited playlist support; Windows Media playlists only |
| Other Media Software |
Basic photo album features
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Podcast support only available in the horrible Sony software |
| Performance |
Decent overall audio quality
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Not much power to drive bigger headphones
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| Internet & Wireless |
N/A: No Internet or wireless features
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N/A: No Internet or wireless features
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| Synchronization |
Can work with Windows Media Player 11
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Sony's own syncing software is appalling.
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| Other Software |
N/A: No other software; no games, contact management or other fun stuff
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N/A: No other software; no games, contact management or other fun stuff |
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