Synchronization Ease of Use (7.34)
Let's get this out there immediately: the proprietary software is garbage. It takes forever to do anything, whether it be simply booting up, loading songs, or even transferring songs. Part of this score is derived from a timing test, where we measure the time from when we hit "Start Sync" until the sync finishes. With the proprietary software, it took 5 minutes, 30 seconds to sync 50 songs; with Windows Media Player it took 3 minutes, 44 seconds. If this time descrepency remains roughly constant, synchronizing over a whole library, say 1800+ songs, the Walkman sync software would take over an hour longer than Windows Media Player.
Given that Windows Media Player is included in the package, we scored this system based on its functionality rather than that of the proprietary software. With WMP, you can choose to synchronize songs based on the following criteria: artist, album, genre, year, rating, contributing artist, composer, parental rating, online stores, folder. You can also sync over playlists, your entire library, or songs that have been recently added to your library. Windows Media Player is intuitive if a bit limited. Compared to the proprietary software, however, it's amazing.
Synchronization Features & Support (4.00)
When we connected the Walkman 16GB, it installed a few drivers automatically, at which point we were able to view it like an external hard drive. Once songs are synced over, the library will automatically update. You can't schedule a sync, although if you're using Windows Media Player, the device should automatically sync up when it's connected. Unfortunately, WMP can't synchronize any files besides music and video. The device doesn't support Bluetooth, wifi, or over-the-air synchronization, partially because it doesn't support any such wireless connectivity.
Other Synchronization Software Features (5.00)
We score this section based on how the sync software functions as a media player and media organizer, among other things. Obviously, Windows Media Player is meant as a media player first and a synchronization tool second, so it's fairly robust in terms of playback options. It also helps you organize your media to the extent that you can quickly and easily change tag data.
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