Sony Walkman Bean NW-E305 (512 MB) MP3 Player

I bought the bean about 2 months ago. I was originally interested in the ipod, but i tend to lose things and wanted something less expensive, but a good brand. I own lots of sony products so i checked out reviews on the bean. I was concerned that the storage wouldnt be enough for what i need- i like lots of music. But so far i am pleased. officially they say can hold up to 345 songs. Ive got about 150 on their right now and its pretty full but, some songs are longer so that can make a big difference.

pros:

sound quality is fabulous. I use a pair of sony headphones instead of the buds they give you, and it makes a difference. I once borrowed some cheapos from my kids and i couldnt figure out what was wrong with the sound. It was the headphones.

no battery charger or battery to replace! unique usb built in to the player plugs right into your computers usb port, charges while you switch/update player. 3 minute charge works for 3 hours of playback. I actually wanted to test it to see how long a full battery would last. I left it on all night, and the battery was still at 3/4 full. I usually only have to charge once a week or so. I love love love this feature. No chargers to buy and lose.

can buy cheap downloads from ebay. I bought lots of download cards off folks on ebay for dirt cheap compared to the .99 they charge on the sony connect site. theyve always worked well.

sonic stage software easy to use. I enjoy using the sonic stage program that came with the player. It combines the sony connect online music store with the file transferring program. Its simple to buy any music then, it will automatically transferr it to your player if you want. you can also download your cds, mp3s wavs to the program and creat playlists, etc. if you arent that computer savvy its not technical to use.

screen. although its got a small long screen, you can easily scroll through to find what you want. there are several screen savers to choose from.

fm radio. this was a plus for me-for the gym. a really powerful tuner auto

presets to find you what you want.

cons: There isnt any strap or case included , in fact i looked on the sony store website and they only make one kind of arm band case that is back ordered to next year, this is mostly a pain at the gym where you dont usually have a pocket. Ive dropped it a few times and it scratched a bit. its dissapointing to look at all the ipod accessories theyve got and absolutly nothing will fit the bean.

i highly recommend this product to anyone who is thinking they might need lots of music but doesnt want to buy an ipod. I am very pleased with this item.

It is a great size for working out! The ipods are just to big to put on your arm and go running. Plus this MP3 player has a FM radio. This is much better than the ipod, without the price.