Sony NWZ-A810

Launched in 2007, this is the direct competitor of the 2G iPod Shuffle and the then 3G iPod Nano. And it didn’t fall short at all. It comes in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB versions for prices that actually range from $39 to $99. You can pick the color of the metallic case, be it pink, black, white or silver.

The design is discrete but functional, contrary to some flashier and complicated designs that try to reinvent the wheel. The display has a great QVGA 320×240 quality that can be used in landscape orientation. The videos and photos can be seen in a crisp condition, as they’re seen in good detail and saturation.

Sony Walkman NWZ-A810 features

As for the interface, the menus are simple yet well organized; the icons highlight themselves as you scroll through them, using the three main circular buttons that represent the play/pause; the power/option and the back/home buttons. There’s also a volume rocker on one edge of the device and even a screensaver setting that displays time and date. The dock connection and the hold switch are located in the back of the device.

The player supports WMA, WMP, JPEG, MPEG4, MP3 and AAC formats as well as Rhapsody. There’s no FM tuner or voice recorder, and no memory expansion on these Sony Walkman models as of yet, going along with the basic but functional mentality. You get a pair of DR-EX082 headphones instead, saving you the time and money on getting a pair of better quality ones. But there’s a little problem. They’re extremely short and that forces you to keep it near you at all times.

Sony Walkman NWZ-A810 issues

You have also plenty of equalizer options, and special enhancement implements. You can set it on the Time Machine Shuffle mode to play all songs randomly from the playlist by year. The battery lasts a good 36 hours for songs and 8 hours for video.

Overall, the performance is great, especially regarding the sound. It doesn’t miss the bass and mid levels as other MP3 players today that completely miss the mark.