MP3 Players & Accessories
Not having used Bluetooth headphones before (I think) it kind of felt a bit weird at first having no wire running to my phone but I soon got used to the concept and now much prefer things this way.
The Sony Smart Headset Pro offers much more than just your average set of Bluetooth headphones. It has a whole host of features and the combination of these rolled into one neat package is awesome.
Read on to see if these are a worth while purchase.
As with many others Archos is a name I am very familiar with in the world of MP3/4 players however these days it seems manufacturers really must go above and beyond the norm. In order to stand out from the ever-dominant fruit based market.
Archos have very kindly upgraded their firmware for the Archos 5 Internet Tablet to cater for the incoming wave of 3D games Android is now sporting. Utilising OpenGL these games are running very, very, smoothly. Check my little video after the break:
By the time I get back, and effectively use my Gen 7 Archos the 8th should be out. Wasting no time to perfect it’s previous efforts, Archos is throwing another iPad special out to do battle. Here is an article from French site ArchosLounge translated by Google.
In fact 6 new Internet Tablet Android should be launched for the generation 8. The screens would begin 3 inches to 10 inches. These tablets boarded Android. Coté technical features: speaking of the ARM Cortex processor at 800MHZ 1GHZ that we know well at Archos, the 3G OpenGL (3D acceleration) and even multitouch what would be a great first for Archos!
Price 100 dollars to 350 dollars.
Let there be no doubt that the players displayed on the slide will not all be appointed in this way (a single image shrunk) and also all these players will probably not have the same amount of involvement R & D Archos.Understand then, that some players will like it became a habit of Chinese Archos players have been using the strategy of "turnkey". Finally we shall see, the presence of ARM Cortex processor may augur good things …
Photos: Via ITnews
Can the SanDisk Sansa Clip+ really compete with the bigger manufacturers such as Apple with their iPod range?
This is the next in a line of smaller MP3 players created by SanDisk; this is an updated version of the previous version which was the Sansa Clip.
SanDisk as a company have been producing various types of memory product for many years and are synonymous with memory cards and USB storage devices. Ever since their first attempt at an MP3 player they have improved on design and quality and here at tracyandmatt.co.uk we’ve reviewed every model in the Sansa range in the past and have been generally impressed with what they have to offer and their value for money. Each new model and version has provided more features and has been a light improvement over the previous.
So does the Clip+ continue this tradition or can it no longer compete? Read on to find out.
The Archos 5 PMP was undoubtedly the star of the French company’s launch event yesterday, but they couldn’t help but tease with another new device. The Archos Phone Tablet is, as the name suggests, a PMP/cellphone hybrid; in this case, it runs Android on a 1GHz ARM Cortex CPU, with integrated 3.5G for voice and data access.
Nitrogen makes audio playback a bit of a doddle on Windows Mobile. Having used Nitrogen for the last few months I feel it appropriate to hail it possibly the finest music playing software on Windows Mobile. It’s stable, finger friendly, developed by people who know what is wanted and … what’s that? Free!?!
Sony Walkman W Series NWZ-W202
Sony Walkman NWZ-W202 MP3 Player
GENERAL
What do washing the car, cutting the grass and exercising, all have in common? Everyone tries to find ways of making them more enjoyable, I prefer to listen to music. Before MP3 players I would put my car stereo on or turn the radio in the kitchen up. Then an MP3 player came along that would fit in your pocket and my neighbours where happy, although I found whether I was cleaning the wheels on my car or lifting weights in the gym the headphones wire would always get in the way. So when I was offered the chance to review this MP3 player with built in headphones I jumped at the chance.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Choice of colours
- Software stored on the MP3
- ZAPPIN™ Technology
- Quick 3 minute charge
- Does not fall our during workout
- Simple to use
LOWLIGHTS:
- Uncomfortable for long periods
- Cannot remove songs using the content transfer software
- Limited 2GB memory
Sony Walkman W202 TECHNICAL SPECS
Connectivity
- High speed data transfer: YES
- USB connection: YES
Memory
- Memory size: 2GB
Playback & display
- Music Searching Methods: ZAPPIN™ (Short / Long)
- Music Play Mode: Repeat / Shuffle & repeat
- Drag and drop: YES
- mp3: YES
- WMA (Non-DRM): YES
- Power Illuminator: YES
- Repeat: YES
- Shuffle: YES
General data
- Weight: 35g
- Battery life – continuous playback music: 12 hours
- Charging time (full charge): 1.5 hours
- Capacity (audio files): 500 (at 128kbps)
Supplied accessories
- Headphones: YES (Built-in)
- Quick Start guide: YES
- Rechargeable battery: YES
- Stand: YES (with USB cable 1m)
- Case: YES
REVIEW
After receiving my green Sony Walkman W Series I put it on charge straight away, the colours available are black, white, pink, green and purple. They charge from a standard mini USB connection or you can put them on the desk stand (included), I went for the desk stand. Although a full charge takes about 1.5 hours and will last roughly 12 hours you also have a option for a quick charge. You leave them charging for 3 minutes and they last for 90, which is excellent if you forget to charge them before heading to the gym.
MP3 and Charging Desk Stand
As soon as they where connected to the PC they where recognised and the contents of the 2GB storage was displayed, a few files and folders. I selected to install the software as this enabled ZAPPIN™ which I will attempt to explain later. The software is actually held on the Sony W Series memory, which I think is a great idea as it cuts down on the amount of packaging needed and also means that if you get a new computer you do not have to worry about finding the CD again. It was a very quick installation and the ‘Content Transfer’ window appeared. The manual listed three ways to transfer music to the NWZ-W202, you can use the content transfer software, Windows Media Player 11 or just the manual method of dragging and dropping using Windows Explorer. I thought I would try out the content transfer software and Windows Explorer. I transferred 319 MP3 tracks (1.51GB) using the included software and it took around 45 minutes, I then tried the drag and drop method and it only took 13 minutes. Just as a side note you can drag and drop your songs from iTunes, but it will not play any DRM songs. The W Series supports most popular formats, including MP3, AAC and WMA.
You are probably wondering why you would use the included software at all as it takes 3.5 times longer. Well it’s called ZAPPIN™, while the content transfer software is coping your music over it ‘listens’ to the tracks and picks out the most used melody which is normally the chorus, then during playback you can switch to ZAPPIN™ mode. This then plays the selection it picked as a 3 or 10 second clip allowing you to skip through songs. Then when you find the song you where looking for you can take it out of ZAPPIN mode and it plays the full song. This is obviously to make up for the lack of screen, I found it to be a nice feature and it also works with the 10 or so tracks I listened to it got the chorus on all of them.
After all my songs had copied over and I had given the W Series a nice long charge it was time to test them out. What to do first? Should I take a quick ride round town or should I lift some weights. I went for the obvious choice of washing the car, I thought this would be nice and easy just to get used to them. Once I’d had fitted them properly I set about washing the car, the controls where very easy to get used to and after a while I forgot I had them on. I didn’t think they sounded quite right though, so after I had finish washing the car I went to read through the manual to see if I could adjust the base level. I was very surprised to find that you could not, I tried a few different tracks and in the end decided that they had a great sound quality but not enough base for my liking. I then thought I’d try and see if I could make them fall out, I will not give you the entire list but after star jumps, squats, press ups, sit ups and some running they sat firmly in my ears. I have to admit at this point I had been wearing them for about two hours and it had started to hurt my ears, I do not know if this is due to the fact that they are heavier than normal headphones or whether I am not used to inner ear headphones!
CONCLUSION
Would I buy a pair? Yes, although the 2GB version is still small and my current MP3 player is great. I do not feel that you need anymore than 319 MP3 tracks for going to the gym and all the slight disadvantages are still not enough to put me off not getting wires caught in the gym equipment. If you do a lot of jogging or cycling I definitely recommend this MP3 player, or if you just want an MP3 player for housework and gym visits I recommend that you take a look at these.
Review by: Russell
We don’t normally cover portable music players on MTA but we are interested in the just announced Zune HD mainly because it may give us some pointers to how Windows Mobile 7 may look. Well if it does it is going to look pretty sweet, especially with the multi-touch and capacitive goodness added to the screen.
Gizmodo have got some brief hands on time with a pre-release Zune HD and we have the video after the break.
Microsoft Corp. today announced the evolution of Zune, the company’s end-to-end music and entertainment service, to a new platform and new markets. Zune will extend its video service to Xbox LIVE internationally this fall. This marks an important development in the Zune strategy and brings the Zune brand to more than 17 million international Xbox LIVE subscribers. In addition, Microsoft confirmed the next generation of the Zune portable media player, Zune HD. Available in the U.S. this fall, Zune HD is the first portable media player that combines a built-in HD Radio receiver, high-definition (HD) video output capabilities, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen, Wi-Fi and an Internet browser. Full details after the break.
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