Getting music and other content onto the player is an easy process; it works with a variety of jukeboxes (such as Windows Media Player or Rhapsody), or you can use the fabulously light Sony Content Transfer app, which allows for drag and drop from your hard drive or from the iTunes interface. And we're happy to report that the E-Series continues to be Mac-compatible, though Content Transfer is limited to Windows (Mac users can simply use Finder to drag and drop files).
The E-Series Walkman includes a decent smattering of features, which are slightly different than those offered by the Nano--it's a matter of personal preference which you find more suitable. The E-Series supports MP3, secure WMA, unprotected AAC, and LPCM (lossless) audio. The device also plays photos (JPEG) and video (MPEG-4, H.264/AVC, and WMV), though the latter often requires conversion for the screen, a 262K color TFT number with a 240x320 resolution (QVGA). The player supports videos purchased and rented from Amazon Video On Demand, as well. When you get sick of digital, you can tune into the integrated FM radio, which offers an autoscan function and 30 preset slots. Notably absent from this Walkman is any support for podcasts. Also, Sony removed the Rhapsody DNA, which is a bit of a bummer if you ask us.
Performance of the E-Series Walkman is nearly excellent across the board. Music sounds exceptionally clean, clear, and balanced, with a nice presence on the low-end, warm, rich mids, and detailed highs. Sony includes a variety of sound-enhancement options, including four presets and two, five-band custom EQs, so if the flat setting doesn't do it for you, you should have no problem tweaking the sound to your liking. We recommend swapping in your favorite pair of headphones, as the stock earbuds sound just OK and may not be comfortable for everyone.
Videos and photos look bright and crisp on the small screen, and viewing angles are good, though the screen is susceptible to glare. The one disappointment is that the rated battery life for the second-gen E-Series has decreased notably and for no discernible reason. Rather than 45 hours for audio and 8 for video, this player is rated for 30 and 4 hours, respectively. Those aren't bad numbers, but they're also not nearly as impressive as before--we hope CNET Labs will beat them in testing (check back soon for those results).
