-
CNET editors' rating:
3.5
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 4 reviews
- See all user reviews
Product summary
The
good: The Sony NW-A1200 has a stylish and futuristic design; excellent sound quality; is compatible with MP3, unprotected AAC, unprotected WMA, and ATRAC3; includes useful, intelligent playlist and artist link features; replaceable battery; decent value.
The
bad: The Sony NW-A1200 uses a hard drive that's not as durable as flash; has no extra features such as FM, recording, and photo viewing; its monochrome screen is impossible to see in daylight and is easy to scratch; must use the imperfect SonicStage management software.
The
bottom
line: It has finally arrived in the States. The NW-A1200 is a one-dimensional player with subpar software integration, but the device looks good, sounds great, and includes innovative music search and playlist features.
Specifications: Device type: Digital player ; Digital player supported digital audio standards: WMA , ATRAC3 , MP3 , AAC , ATRAC3plus ; Digital storage media capacity: 8 GB ; ; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 07/20/2006
- Released on: 07/18/2006
The A1200 measures 2.25 by 3.5 by 0.76 inches, weighs 3.9 ounces, and has a strikingly sexy design with a glossy plastic front and a scratch-proof metallic backside. It's a visual gem. Though the international versions include a rainbow of colors, the A1200 comes only in pink and violet.
Inspired by the flash-based E505 series, the A1200's 1.5-inch display hides below the surface of the reflective plastic exterior; it shines through when powered on and creates a cool effect. The monochrome screen is bright and generally easy to read, though text is pixelated, and it's nearly impossible to read the display in daylight, where the A1200 makes a better mirror than a display. Dazzling start-up graphics and rhythmically pulsating lights add to the A1200's appeal. However, the plastic scratches easily and is a veritable smudge magnet. Find a case for it, since Sony doesn't bundle one (Sony does bundle an AC adapter, a proprietary USB cable, headphones, and the SonicStage CP software).
Keep in mind that this is a hard drive device, so you'll get more capacity for your buck ($200 vs. the $250 4GB iPod Nano) in exchange for a larger form factor and potential hard drive-related problems (though Sony does employ its G-Sensor protection, which disengages the hard drive when the unit is dropped). Also keep in mind that $100 or less will get you a slightly larger 30GB iPod or 30GB Toshiba Gigabeat S. Value is relative.
The player is comfortable to handle and operate, more so because the A1200 doesn't have extra features such as FM, recording, or photo/video support. It is purely a playback device and can handle a variety of formats natively, including MP3, ATRAC3 (plus), and unprotected AAC and WMA files. If you're looking to purchase music, you can do this only by using the relatively unused Connect music store or any MP3 store, such as eMusic. And forget about subscriptions.
While the primary, tactile five-way controller is located slightly lower than we'd like, it's no chore to navigate through menus. However, the controller is no match for the iPod Click Wheel when browsing through thousands of tracks, despite some fancy shortcuts such as initial-based search (Creative's Zen Vision:M does this much better). Option and Back buttons lie to the right of the controller. A proprietary dock connector is located on the bottom. A somewhat difficult to use volume slider is located on the upper-right spine, while the clear plastic Artist Link button is situated on the opposite side. Sony gets innovative with Artist Link, which finds songs or artists related to the current song.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 4 reviews
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