Sony NW-E407
The Sony Network Walkman Digital Music Player NW-E407. Another gadget I’d love to get my hands on. This is a 1 GB flash based MP3 player, priced at US$ 180. There is a NW-E507 which comes with an additional FM Tuner. That costs US$ 200. This is supposed to threaten Apple’s iPod Shuffle. Here are the reasons why I’d go for Sony’s NW-E407:
1. The first and the absolute winner, while the Shuffle boasts(!) of a maximum of 12 hours of battery life with a quick charge to 80% in 2 hours, Sony’s NW-E407 has just upto 50 hours, (No, not a typo. You got that right. FIFTY FREAKING HOURS) of playback time. In tests (by third party reviewers), this was actually found to be 52 hours, better than what the company claims it to be. And about the quick charge feature, seems like 3 minutes of charge time can deliver a backup of 3 hours!! Need I say more?
2. The design of the NW-E407 looks a lot better than the Shuffle.
3. I’ve personally hated white color(and all light shades) on gadgets ‘coz it gets dirty too soon.
4. Did I mention that the NW-E407 comes with a really cool OLED screen?
Sony has 512 MB and 1 GB versions, the same as Apple’s two versions of Shuffle.
For US$ 30 more, you could get all these features. So, go ahead, make your choice. (And let me know how it is)
A note of warning, though. I’ve never personally used the Shuffle or the NW-E407. But I’ve always had faith in Sony’s products. My Sony CD Walkman has taken quite a beating, and I carry it anywhere and everywhere I go in my backpack. I’ve dropped it (of course, by mistake) quite a good number of times. I can’t say I’ve used it very carefully, but I am happy with the way it has withstood my abuse. 
Also worth mentioning is the amazing battery consumption, or rather the really low battery consumption, of almost all Sony products. My CD Walkman lasts for almost 4 months, average of 1 hours a day (1 * 4 * 30 = 120 HOURS!!!) on Duracell batteries. I get a life of 2-3 months if I use standard batteries.
I guess it’s not going to be very long before I get my hands on one of these. The only thing that’s making me wait is when I heard that Sony is planning to launch Walkman Mobile phones. That, would be a definite buy.
Good work again, Sony.
