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The Sony NWZ-A820 Walkman series is a subtle evolution of the NWZ-A810 series we enjoyed in 2007. This year, Sony is treating us with a larger screen, built-in Bluetooth, and a more assertive design, offered in 8GB ($270) and 16GB ($320).
Design
Given Sony's track record with curvy, rounded designs, the Sony NWZ-A820 is refreshingly square. Measuring 2 inches by 3.75 inches by 0.4 inch, it has a metallic body and a 2.4-inch screen. The NWZ-A820 is a little larger than its predecessor, but it maintains a slim, pocketable profile. The circular four-way navigation pad found on last year's Sony NWZ-A810 has turned into a more solid-feeling square on the A820, flanked by two small option and menu buttons. All other buttons are confined to the right side of the player, including a rocker switch for volume control, a Bluetooth activation button, and a hold switch. The bottom of the A820 Walkman features a headphone output and proprietary USB connection.
Features
The Sony NWZ-A820 is stocked with features, including music, photo, and video playback, and built-in Bluetooth audio streaming. On the audio end of things, Sony is continuing its support for MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, and DRM-protected subscription music files. In typical Sony style, the restrained design of the music playback screen betrays the awe-inspiring music enhancement technology working behind the scenes, such as a 5-band EQ, Clear Bass, Clear Stereo, DSEE high-frequency restoration, and dynamic normalization.
With its 2.4-inch QVGA LCD and excellent video battery life, the Sony NWZ-A820 is the most video-worthy Walkman we've seen. Sony offers limited video format compatibility, however, including MPEG-4 and H.264 sized at a strict 320x240 ratio. Fortunately, the popularity of the iPod and video podcasts has made the QVGA MPEG-4 file format one of the most abundant on the Web.
The Sony NWZ-A820 is a solid player with plenty to brag about, but the exclusion of features such as an FM radio, voice recording, and memory expansion, is worth keeping in mind as you compare the Walkman with its competition.
