Posted by This MP3 is the size of a USB memory stick but with a stainless steel shiny wrapper it’s not just smart to look at but also very useful for reapplying lipstick. It has a massive two gigabytes of memory on which you can store about 500 songs on it and is much neater and smaller than the now defunct ipod mini.
Charging time takes about an hour the first time but after that fifteen minutes or so pulled into your PC will ensure it remains charged for several hours. Three minutes recharging will keep you going for three hours.
Along with the sleek look, the buttons to shuffle through songs and the small interface are minimalist and only take a couple of minutes to learn. Play and Stop use the same button and there is a back and forward. What more could you need?
As a user replacing an older MP3 the only downside I found so far is using SonicStage software to manage my music. The latest version (version 4.0) has an integrated Connect music store so that I can download songs from the Sony store but it is not the easiest piece of software to use compared to Windows Explorer. It is a shame that I can’t transfer music onto the device using Windows Explorer — as it stands, I can only store my songs in the Windows library which are then transferred to SonicStage. A minor irritation which may become major.
The Sony NW-E002 costs £69.99. It stylish and affordable especially as very little can go wrong with it.
