Sony W Series Walkman (NWZ-W262)

If you're going to build an MP3 player directly into earphones, those earphones better sound excellent, or the product is flawed in concept. Sony's latest W Series Walkman is a product built on this very premise: The $59.99 (direct) NWZ-W262 is arguably a better pair of earphones than it is a player. At this price, sound this good and fit this secure are rarities?to have 2GB of storage for music files only sweetens the deal. Water and sweat-resistant, the all-in-one NWZ-W262 can be a minor pain to operate?since you can't see the controls while wearing it?but after memorizing the button placement, this ceases to be an issue. The NWZ-W262 is a stronger, better-sounding MP3 player than Apple's iPod shuffle ($49, 3.5 stars), and it wins our Editors' Choice for budget-price gym-friendly players.

Design
The Sony W Series W262 weighs 1.2 ounces and features a simple, wearable design. It's not for everyone, but chances are, if you're looking for a workout MP3 player, it'll fit your needs well. The player is built into two earpieces, both black plastic emblazoned with the Walkman "W" logo on the outer panels. The lower panels on the right ear house the Play/Pause and Track Forward/Backward buttons. A snap-open compartment protects the micro USB connection when it's not in use. On the inside of the right earpiece, there's a Power On/Off switch. The left earpiece houses the Volume and Playlist/Shuffle controls and the earphones themselves are in-canal, not flat earbuds, which means they create a seal. This, combined with the over-the-ear cable design, creates a very secure fit and strong bass response. The cable, which is hardwired to the earphones, is fairly rigid and thicker than most earphone cables; it goes around the back of your head and offers very little slack so it won't get tangled.

The NWZ-W262 ships with a holster that holds both earpieces so the player can be easily stored, as well as?three pairs of black rubber-silicon eartips in different sizes and?a USB-to-micro USB sync cable for charging and file transfer. It only holds 2GB of music?not a whole lot. A 4GB version of the W Series Walkman, the NWZ-W263, is also available for $79.99.

Performance and Conclusions
There's no real user interface to discuss here?this is a simple device. It connects to your computer?Mac or PC?via USB. You can simply drag and drop files onto its icon on your desktop, or use a music file-management program like Windows Media Player if you wish to load playlists or sync with a library. iTunes is not an option, obviously, but even with Windows being the preferred operating system for the NWZ-W262, I had no issue dragging and dropping files out of iTunes and onto the player on my Apple MacBook.?

The most annoying aspect of the NWZ-W262, despite the simplicity of the design and its functions, is that you can't see the buttons on the left and right earpieces while you're wearing the player, so controlling it requires some trial and error. I won't go into the nuances of controlling the device here, but a simple rule will give you the basic idea: For volume controls, use the left earpiece and for Playback controls, use the right earpiece. Once you have a handle on how to skip tracks, navigation is pretty straightforward. You can also choose to shuffle your tracks with the tap of a button. Like the iPod shuffle, you'll hear a robotic female voice tell you what navigational choices you've made (like "All" or "Shuffle"), but the voice is fairly limited in the information it provides.

There's also a feature called Zappin, which can best be described as an audition for your music. You hold down the Play button for an extended period and your music will play in either 4 second or 15 second snippets depending on how long you hold down the button. The songs play sequentially, and once you hear a track you want to listen to, just tap the Playback button quickly to switch out of Zappin mode and listen to the song. It's not a game-changing feature, but useful in the absence of a screen.

Aside from the secure-fit and water-resistant design, the reason the NWZ-W262 is such a steal at this price is its audio performance. Simply put, earphones that sound this good often cost about this much, if not more. They do not distort on deep bass, even at maximum volume, and the general clarity of the earphones in the mids and highs is matched by a strong, though not overpowering, bass response. Basically, as an earphone pair alone, the NWZ-W262 is worth its price. The added features make it an exceedingly good deal for anyone who wants a great workout MP3 player.

The NWZ-W262 charges fairly quickly?only a few minutes of charging will net you about an hour's worth of battery life. (That's one advantage of having no screen.) Sony rates the NWZ-W262's battery life at about 8 hours on a full charge.

The realm of sub-$100 MP3 and portable media players is thin on quality and thinner on features. Besides the NWZ-W262, the?SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip ($49.99, 4 stars) is a very good budget player. If you want more storage?4GB or 8GB?or you must have a screen, it's your best current budget option. The iPod shuffle features a similar-but-more-helpful robot voice that tells you what tracks or playlists you're listening to. Unfortunately, the included earbuds are dreadful, so it's hard to make an argument for it over the NWZ-W262, which sounds better than its price and only costs about $10 more than the shuffle. If you're married to iTunes and really want a player with a screen, the Apple iPod nano ($129, 3 stars) is tiny with more storage, but it's far more expensive than the other options discussed here. If you're looking for a budget MP3 player that can handle the movement?and sweat?of your workout, Sony's W Series Walkman is the best thing out there in terms of design, and the great earphones increase its value so much, it's hard to recommend another player for the gym.

More MP3 Player Reviews:
??? Sony W Series Walkman (NWZ-W262)
??? Apple iPod touch (2011)
??? Apple iPod nano (2011)
??? SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip
??? Archos 28 Internet Tablet
?? more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/fiShrSo-jdw/0,2817,2394970,00.asp

real housewives of new york justified mildred pierce cam newton emmy awards philadelphia eagles nick collins