Sony NW-MS11 Network Walkman (02/23/2002)

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Review: I really like this player. The only real complaint I have is that the battery life is short and I have had a hard time getting it to charge properly

Review: When I first got this, I was excited... I love to run with music and thought the lightweight design and large memory would be perfect. Boy was I wrong. Everytime I charge the battery, it never, never, never!!! charges. I would sometimes get up in the morning for a run, having charged the battery overnight just to find that it was part way charged. Very frustating and customer service was NO help. I also did not like their music downloading software.

Review: this was one of the mp3 playuers that i bot. i thnk tHats aGood deAl and not ttttoooooooo bad at money wise. greaat product though bvut does not have PLayback cpability!!!!!!!?!!!!!! SoRRYYY. why do it not plays all of the songs freom like Phil collins and ones from the radios. And so expensive at the least. Well, better then sennheiser. H

Review: All i have heard about this player is that the ATTRAC format it uses and how slow the transfers are. Well, I'll give you the truth. 1st-this player is tiny, slim, and great looking, sound quality is great also 2nd-transfers take about 45 seconds per song. The software is also easy to install and run. Take it from me, im only 15 years old and i have had NO problems with this player. I fit about 4 hours and 15 minutes of music on it. The backlight screen is so easy to read, especially in the dark. It's also very easy to use because of the buttons. If you are trying to figure out what MP3 player to buy, i would say this should be at the top of your list, along with the new RioSport. So please dont pay attention to the bad reviews, they all are out of proportion and untrue. GREAT MP3 PLAYER.

Review: The device sounds great, is very light weight and has a nice backlit display. Downloading songs is cumbersome and time consuming and the battery constantly needs charging. The real problem comes if you try to use the player while performing any athletic activity. I tried to use it while jogging and the device quit working after 3 months. Although still under warranty, Sony refused to fix it and customer service was rude and inconsiderate. They told me that I mis-used the product and that they would not repair it. Now, the unit is still light weight and attractive but it makes no sound at all.

Review: We bought a total of 4 of them. All of them never charged up to the full battery capacity. We followed the directions perfectly, but the last bar on the battery icon never got filled. We promptly returned them (One person kept theirs cause she said she wont use it that often anyway and she liked how it looked.) I'm really torn because i love the way it looks. But if the product doesnt work right from the box, and the people at the official Sony store have no awareness or support for the product, it's really discouraging for me to even try and buy another one. Aesthetically, I want it. Reliability, I'm afraid will fall far short. After reading the rest of these posts, it sounds like the unit is very suseptible to water damage and Sony will not repair it.

Review: I have got this tiny and nice looking MP3 player and I was very happy when I opened its box. Later on, after uploading some songs to it, I have figured out that I spent my $324 on NOTHING! The sound isn't that much and the features aren't enough. Also, There isn't enough storage space in a 128 MB memory slot. I have just liked its look!

Review: Loved it for my workouts, especially at the start. Great sound. Enough room, but was a little disappointed I could not get 128 stick for it. Here are the problems that I have had. Case keeps opening involuntarily. I have already lost one battery and they aren't cheap. My original charger broke, not at my doing. The original battery will not stay charged, IE. no matter how long I charge it, I NEVER get 10 hours of play, not even close. Very frustrating. Money was the last thing on my mind at the initial purchase. I bought it for convenience. However, I would stay away from this one and try something else. I am waiting for the iRiver 256 to come out and it even has an FM tuner.

Review: <b>SONY's Manhattan Project</b> To SONY, work on the NW-MS9 and NW-MS11 had the same significance as America's Manhattan Project. The arena of consumer electronics is truly nothing short of war. Companies from all over the world fight to survive and expand their influence. The man who owns the deadliest of weapons is very likely to succeed. SONY has always been considered to be at the forefront of the electronics industry because it outsells competing companies in almost every field. Early on, when MP3 players were seen to be the next generation audio devices of choice, SONY realized that it needed to continue its sales edge in the portable audio industry that it had originally created back in 1979. SONY has unanimously defeated all competition in the portable CD player category every single year since the Walkman's conception. (About 9 out of 10 CD players purchased have the SONY logo). And so, the company's engineers set out to make a device that looked and performed better than the rest. The result was the NW-MS7 which was considered to be the best in the world in 1999. However, complaints arose about the built-in cell, its meager 4-hour life, and purple casing. SONY then released the 64MB Memory Stick NW-MS9 a year later. This sold even better than the first, but the competition noticed that 128MB would attract more consumers. In response, SONY released the metallic NW-MS11 on April 2, 2001, thereby establishing itself as the most poised contender capturing 35% of all MP3 player sales. <b>Introduction to the MagicGate Memory Stick media</b> Many people are unaware of SONY's proprietary media, the Memory Stick. It is similar to compact flash cards used in other devices to store digital images and digital music files, but it is half as large and has a better appearance. Its compatibility with other SONY devices makes the MagicGate Memory Stick a very versatile, but unfortunately costly medium. Note: The MagicGate Memory Stick (white) and regular Memory Stick (purple) are not the same. While the former can be used in SONY audio players and digital cameras, the purple Memory Sticks are restricted for use in cameras only. SONY's new model, the NW-MS11, is identical to last year's NW-MS9. Thankfully, the storage has been upgraded to a 128MB MagicGate Memory Stick capable of storing 4 hours of secure digital music. MagicGate Memory Sticks have pre-installed software on them that protects the copyright of songs; therefore the device conforms to the SDMI (Secure Digital Music Initiative) specifications. It allows for an accelerated transfer of music as opposed to the Minidisc. Minidisc requires a person to record a song by playing the entire song. It would take 2 hours to record 2 hours of music on a Minidisc (1X). However, with Memory Stick, it would be possible to record 2 hours of music in about 3.75 minutes (32X). <b>NW-MS11: The Player Itself</b> (The NW-MS11 is not an MP3 player; the user must convert MP3 files to ATRAC3 through the use of the supplied OpenMG software). (The NW-MS9's countenance has not been changed. It was so beautiful that SONY decided to recycle the look. This is the most visually appealing portable audio device on the market (due in part to the proven scientific attraction of the SONY logo); sure to catch the eye of anyone walking past). The unit is silver in color due to its magnesium composite shell. This adds a level of sophistication and appearance not found in any other high-end audio player on the market. It is the world's first MP3 player to incorporate ultra-lightweight magnesium metal within a ceramic mantle. Liquefied at 1100 degrees Fahrenheit, the performance alloy is injected into precision engineered molds within a timeframe of less than 30 milliseconds. Sealing the metal in a protective ceramic mantle requires a turbine that rotates at 60,000 rpm in order to disperse ceramic polymer nanoparticles. In other words, the unit will last forever - even in the harshest conditions from blazing heat to abusive handling. Playback on the NW-MS11 is truly skip-free because there are no moving parts. This gives it an edge over CD players and Minidisc players that are equipped with skip prevention. It is impossible for CD players and Minidisc players to be entirely skip-free because they have a spinning disk as media. For more information on the ease of use, durability, portability, and battery life of the NW-MS11, please see the respective sections below. <b>Included Accessories</b> The NW-MS11 comes with a 128MB memory stick, OpenMG version 2.2, USB cable, removable 10-hour NiMH rechargeable battery, charger, and ear-bud stereo headphones. For information on the 128MB MagicGate Memory Stick, please see the above section entitled <b>Introduction to MagicGate Memory Stick media</b>. OpenMG is a software program sponsored by SONY. It allows you to import downloaded music into the program and send it directly to your Memory Stick Walkman. The transfer 32X rate is extremely fast and allows the user to write 2 hours of digital music to the player in 3.75 minutes. Also, OpenMG functions as a digital jukebox, web browser, and CD player. ATRAC3 codec is supported?this allows the user to save CD audio tracks to the computer?s hard drive. The Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable included with the NW-MS11 is the cable used to connect the PC to the player in order for music transfer. It is extremely durable. The removable cell (battery) is a wonderful innovation over the year 2000 model (NW-MS7) because it allows the user to infinitely augment the unit's playback time (10 hours) with the purchase of more. That way, when the cell is out of energy, it can be replaced with another. SONY engineers classify it under gum-stick style because it is the same shape and size as a stick of gum. This adds to the overall appearance and sophistication of the audio player (I regard those two qualities to be very important in a product). Also, rechargeable cells are much more economical than those that are not rechargeable. (The scientifically correct term for an individual battery is a "cell". "Battery" literally means set or series; therefore a battery is a set of two cells NOT one). The charger quickly recharges the cell of the NW-MS11. The estimated charge time is around seven hours. The ear-bud stereo headphones (MDR-E838) included with this MP3 player are state-of-the-art. Separately, they would retail for around $30. Since they contain a 16-millimeter driver rather than the more conventional 30-millimeter, they are more comfortable and produce more accurate treble tones. The only downside of a smaller driver is less bass and low frequency sound output. Still, the sound range of the MDR-E838 is 10-22,000Hz - an all inclusive audible range. Many people prefer ear-bud headphones to conventional headphones because they are lighter, more portable, and less noticeable (in situations in which a person may not be allowed to listen to music). <b>Ease of Use </b> As soon as you pick this unit up, you will notice that the controls and buttons are placed both ergonomically and logically. The NW-MS11 is certainly the easiest MP3 player to use; you will be able to operate it smoothly with your eyes closed. Instead of using conventional buttons, the NW-MS11 has a seesaw button located on the right side of the unit. This button allows the user to begin play, skip to the next track, repeat the current track, or pause play with the touch of a switch. No more feeling around for the right button in the dark or even having to look at the player to operate. This feature is exclusive to SONY's product and gives the NW-MS11 an edge over every player on the market. (In the picture provided above, you will see the switch in the upper left corner of the device). Also the display of the NW-MS11 is backlit by an attractive blue light. This allows you to see the screen, what song is playing, battery life, etc. in total darkness. The OpenMG software interface may seem a little complex for novices to SONY?s software, but there is a tutorial that will guide the user along and accustom them to its use. Personally, I find it to be very easy to operate. <b>Durability</b> The indestructible NM-MS11 will certainly last you a lifetime. It is coated in a very expensive magnesium composite that is scratchproof and as durable as steel. I have dropped the player on several occasions, but there is not a mark on it to tell, and it still works perfectly. <b>Portability</b> The unit was ingeniously designed to fit perfectly in most hands with its ergonomic shape. Its dimensions are 36 x 81.4 x 14.1mm, and it weighs only 2.4 grams even with the battery inserted. Both the size and weight factors give the NW-MS11 a perfect portability score. <b>Battery Life</b> As mentioned previously, the battery life of the NW-MS11 is around 10 hours. The extremely diminutive size of the NW-MS11 is the main reason for this low playback time because a cell's longevity is directly proportional to its size and weight. I would not have given the NW-MS11 a perfect battery life score, but the Epinions criteria for a perfect score is 10 hours or more. Since it meets the specified requirement, I must give it a perfect score. However, there is a problem with the battery life indicators on some models. The notches on the screen deplete quickly and do not really represent how much power remains in the cell. If this occurs, the user should remove the cell then turn the battery so that the upper side is facing down. This is a very minor issue present in only the NW-MS11s shipped in April 2001.

Review: Removable memory stick, classy design, good looks, SONY sound quality and small size. All great features. CONSUMER BEWARE! The SONY NW-MS11 is not an mp3 player. It plays ATRAC3 format, which consequently is the same format as Sony's MD players. If you are willing to spend $299.00 on a sony product, do yourself a favor and just purchase a Sony NET MD MZ-N1 for $45.00 more. The battery lasts 100 hours longer and you can store up to 5 hours of music. DO YOUR RESEARCH! If you want an mp3 player, then look elsewhere and DO NOT BUY A SONY. If you want an MD player, then Sony is the ticket. Take it from me, the proud owner of an obsolete, yet aesthetic, fake mp3, wannabe MD player.

Review: Having been a proponent of Sony, I thought it would be worth it to spend $300 on the network walkman. Boy, was I wrong! While software, the user interface, and battery life were concerns, they were all soon forgotton when the unit quit working. Even though the unit was under warranty, the Sony repair center reported that they would not fix the walkman because of moisture found in the unit. If there was moisture in the unit, it was caused by regular use and not by neglect. Was it the hot summer, air conditioning, or using the walkman while working out? I don't know. I do know that further attempts to correct the problem with the Sony customer service department only frustrated me further and still have me angry. So, to sum up. Value: $100 per month of use. I can't imagine a worse value in the MP-3 market.

Review: If you think this is a "must to have" then you must not like yor money in your pocket! There are more suitable units prices the same or cheaper. Come guy speak the trust not trash!

Review: This is not an MP3 player. In order to listen to music, you need to use Sonys ridiculous "check-in, check-out" software that converts your MP3s to Sonys proprietary ATRAC audio. This is SLOW, a waste of space and not consumer friendly. Once again, sony makes great hardware, but not friendly to the user at all. If you want a REAL MP3 player, check out the offerings from Creative, RioVolt or Apple (or anybody else frankly). Don't be deceived by Sonys gimmicks. And don't support a company that requires the user to jump through flaming hoops just to "comply" with Sonys desire to eliminate MP3 from the earth.

Review: Never buy an mp3 player from sony. The MG software is really bad. The actual product is good, but the software is not. The software forces a conversion to sonys protected format which allows for a 3 check in 3 check out songs at a time. Look at other mp3 players. You'll be disapointed in this.

Review: One word... Amazing! This tiny player, and let me emphasize TINY player, is truly astounding. First off, the player is almost the size of a lighter! The pictures of it are actually bigger than the actual size. Size is a huge issue with being portable. No other player can compare to this little guy. Not only is the player small but the sound quality is remarkable. The sound of songs are beautiful and not what you would expect for such a small unit. Lastly, the software may seem confusing in the beginning, but if you take the time and effort to read the manual you'll find out that the software is actally really easy to use. I'm in high school and I can transfer songs to my NW-MS11 easily!!! Little effort or thinking required!!! Its not hard at all, you just need to do some reading. Transfering from your computer to the mp3 player is a bit time consuming, however the quality of the sound makes up for the time it takes to transfer. The 300 dollars you will have to pay for this player is completely worth it. No other player is as small with such great features as the NWMS11. Reviewers are always biased and therefore, take it from me... this is one mp3 player you must own.

Review: A great player are you nuts! Sony has just dropped the price of the money waster unit. The defects in the battery area and water damage issue has has never been settled. Juat say no to sony! Until they fix their support div!

Review: Sony's proprietary encryption technology slows down transfers considerably. Which is why I won't buy one. Period.

Review: I took a recommendation from a friend at Sony to buy this.. a friend no more! In addition to being a total waste of money, it uses so much copy protection, that even my ripped audio often times wouldnt take. STAY AWAY FROM SONY MP3 Players.

Review: This tecnically cannot be classified as an mp3 player since it uses a proprietary storage method - typical Sony. I have come to the conclusion that both the hardware and the included software suck. The design is sleek and very cool, but data transfer to the device is slow, since you have to convert formats. It is overpriced also. The device costs $299 for a music player with only 128 MB included memory. For that same price you can buy an iPod with a 5 GB Hard Drive and store much more audio IN MP3 FORMAT. It works on Windows, and comes with Musicmatch Jukebox 7 Pro. Mac users can use it to store files, their contact lists and calendars, with the mac version. It also has a sleek design.

Review: I own a NW-MS9 with a 128mb magicgate stick for almost 2 years. I listen to it every single day. Sound and design are terrific. Not being offensive, but I think all other brand's MP3 player are ugly. They tried to make a cool design but it turned out the opposite way. I don't have any problem with the software since I only change songs about twice a month. Now I'm looking forward to Sony's next MP3 player.

Review: If I were an designer or engineer at Sony's MP3 player division, I would quit. They make truly magnificent hardware that are heralded in international design community, and are highly usable. Then they go and completely destroy it with the most aggravating software known to man. The funniest part is that their 'copyright-compliant' software really doesnt prevent the user from doing anything but enjoying their purchase.

Review: as with the editor's review, i also found that sony's proprietary software makes transfer of mp3 files almost impossible at times...stay away from SONY. There are plenty of better candidates.

Review: Almost all the positive reviews are from Sony marketing. NO ONE wants to have to re rip all their music jsut to play on this one mp3 player. Avoid it. To play your music, you must first rip it in the Sony mp3 program. Regardless of whether it is ripped already. look at the new Rio products, as they play mp3s as is. If you need a Sony mp3 player, get one of teh clie models with mp3 capabilities, as you can upload raw mp3 fiels to the Memory Stick. nd they cost as much.

Review: Sony's Draconian copy protection schemes irritates and is more trouble than it's worth. Stick to anything else.

Review: I believe that this is still the smallest and lightest *removable-media* player on the market. My NW-MS9 (the earlier version, with a 64 MB Memory Stick) has proven itself reliable in one and a half years of daily use. The sound quality delivered by Sony's proprietary ATRAC-3 (MiniDisc) compression scheme is not much different than that delivered by the industry-standard MP3 scheme. Of course, it is always best to start with uncompressed audio(WAV files extracted from CDs). Converting already-compressed music from one "lossy" format (e.g. MP3) to another (e.g. ATRAC-3) will only result in further degredation. I use the most economical bit-rate, getting 2 hours of music on a 64 MB Memory Stick or 4 hours on 128 MB. Since most people are listening with cheap earbud headphones and in noisy environments, there's no need for perfect sound. The OpenMG JukeBox software works very well in Windows 2000 and Windows XP; I have experienced four crashes in 18 months. Of course, the reliability of any audio processing software declines if your computer's operating system is out-of-date, if your hardware is slow or limited, or if you are running many background tasks. OpenMG JukeBox has certain convenience features that are just now becoming available elsewhere, such as the ability to generate random playlists (ideal when you can't decide what music to download to your player) and the ability to sort tracks by frequency of use. The only drawbacks to this product are its (still) high price, its proprietary rechargeable battery (you must carry the charger with you when travelling), and the limited capacity of its storage medium. Today's Memory Sticks go up to 128 MB only, and though larger sizes are planned, there is no guarantee that older devices will be compatible with them. The manual for my NW-MS9 implies that my player can address no more than 128 MB of memory, for example. The Memory Stick is otherwise ideal, since you can use it in any current Sony VAIO portable computer (no need to carry a USB cable) and in most Sony digital cameras. Few other lines of portable computers can boast a built-in slot for MM, SD, CompactFlash, or SmartMedia cards.

Review: People some of the so called owners of this player. Have NOT owned it long enough to understand that this poor defective protect WILL BREAK DOWN within 2 year if not sooner.

Review: After owning a number of sony products, why in the world do they continue to produce this type of junk. The software is not bad, but the unit ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR What ever you do buy anothr brand! stay away from this! if you like your money.

Review: This player was beyond excrutiating. It was utterly useless. It is my 6th hour trying to get this little player to work and I am about to go back to the Wiz and return it. Its so terrible that it doesn't even deserve a 1 in eacho of the product ratings... it needs negative numbers. The software is its downfall. I'm getting the Samsung Yepp one... looks better

Review: You have to wonder, when reviews on a product contrast so much, if the negatives are written by dissatisfied consumers and the positives by Sony Marketing looking to keep things even. This looks like a cool product, but sounds terrible. One reviewer wrote this is his first mp3 player and he was up and running in HOURS?! I don't want a product that I can get working in hours!!! I want it running minutes!!!! Sony makes great products, but in many of them - they just try too hard. Wake up guys - here is a sale you missed out on. I will buy something less expensive, more reliable and easier to use - oh yea - and support is always nice post-sales. Thanks to all for your honesty. Saved me hundred$

Review: Nice little unit this nice quality robust etc but the software leaves a lot to be desired. I am not against the copyright protection though I do expect the software to work reliably. this did not (Win ME)apart from crashing the system once or twice it would not work reliably with the device, refusing to upload or occasionally download. This software will provide many frustrating hours at your PC. ended up returning mine.

Review: A very fine mp3 player if you have money to throw around. If you're picky about sound quality, keep in mind that music may only be stored in 60/108/133 bitrates. The software is awkward and at times a chore to use. And file management is a nightmare. That's the only aspect that actually bothers me about this product. Otherwise, it's quite a cool toy.

Review: Bob get real son, wait until you need repairs!!!!!!!!! then you be screaming HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Review: Why would any right minded person buy this unit? Its loaded with number of problem, water getting into the unit, ware not woking right etc............. Save money and your life! Buy another brand player!

Review: I got the NW-MS11 about 2 weeks ago and I have to say that I am very impressed. The design is very slick and the quality is unmatched. But there are some quarks with the player. I don't know if its my computer or the unit itself, but there is a slight stattic sound during a change in song. And there is the price, a litttle steep for an mp3 player. Otherwise it would be a great pick for any music lover.(email me if you love bob!)

Review: Very pricey and not very durable... doesnt take regular memory sticks...and do i need to say something about software ...its worst i've ever seen with an mp3 player

Review: Can anyone say.... water damage! If you work hard for your money, don`t buy this unit, or any other sony unit. Why, because sony will not cover the cost of repair....... Sony get your act together!

Review: SOny is it that sony continues to sell this playe? There are so many problem with water getting in it. don`t waste your money!

Review: Love the product, but priced way too much! Sound quality is excellent and the software is user friendly.

Review: Sony handy players have always been knen to break the first year! Then sony says " sorry there is water in the unit "not our problem" Play it safe don`t even look at this player. Buy one that makers backsup its buyers not sony bullcrap!

Review: avoid this product at all costs, unless you feel like trying to outwit an awful software interface for the rest of your life! while the walkman itself is a very stylish and easy-to-use marvel, the software you must use to transfer music from pc to player is enough to make me shelve this product for good, unless sony will reimburse my money. there is only one way to get musin into the player from your pc: you must use the OpenMG software that ships with the player. OpenMG is slow, prone to crashes, and is a very rude program to the rest of your system. its results are often unpredictable. as digital music recording and playlist management software goes, OpenMG is by far the worst i have ever seen. editing track information is slow and tedious, as it forces endless mousing to reach each input field for each track. so you'd like to take mp3 files you've already ripped & play them on your new nw-ms11? not so fast! as far as i can see, the only mechanism to get music into the player hardware is to convert music into the atrac format first. i was never able to successfully transfer converted mp3 files. in fact, i was never able to convert mp3 files at all! the only music i was able to transfer into the player was music that i ripped straight from cd to atrac using OpenMG. nb: all my mp3 files are recorded at 128+ kbps using a musicmatch player, and nearly all are from cds i have purchased and still own; the remaining mp3 files are from music made freely available over the internet. the fact that my vast mp3 catalog can not be transferred to the player is frustrating in the extreme. oh, and another thing... OpenMG limits you to three quality levels: 132/105/66 kbps. the 132 kbps is about as good as over-the-air fm in sound quality; the others are, well, poor by comparison. for noisy listening environments like airplanes, though, they are probably okay. still, this excessive limitation to oddball bitrates is not good at all. one other remarkable flaw of the OpenMG software is the almost comically useless help system. i could find no answers or suggestions to help solve the transfer problems and playlist management problems i encountered over and over again. i could not find the slightest bit of useful technical information about either the player software or the player hardware. so not only is the program a disaster, its documentation is utterly worthless. the OpenMG player software is designed to ensure security of music media, and this is perhaps the only thing it does well. it limits the number of times you can "check out" (copy) a digital music file from your pc to a digital music player (the walkman, a mini-disc player, etc). it's not hard to understand that sony, one of the largest media companies, would have as its primary interest the safeguarding and controlled distribution of digital media files. that said, it seems to me they did this too well, at the cost of implementing other features of the OpenMG software so poorly as to motivate this review. hardware: A software: F ..and since the software is the sole gateway through which the player becomes useful, my grade for this is F. sony should be ashamed to damage their otherwise stellar product line (including the nw-ms11 walman) with such garbage as the OpenMG software. apple i-pod, here i come!

Review: Small size is great, Can put between 80 mins of music to almost 4 hrs depending on how you transfer the files. Has great sound. Only con is the battery and memory is spendy.

Review: If you're expecting CD-quality sound from this device, you're expectations will fall short of the Network Walkman's (NW)capabilites. The NW converts WAV and MP3 files to Sony's proprietary ATRAC3 file format. Even when files are converted to ATRAC3 at the highest bit rate (132 kbps) allowed by Sony's music management software (which comes with the NW), the sound is slightly inferior to that of a CD recording. Other than the sound quality, the NW is a bit pricey and is not the most feature-laden MP3 player on the market. Also, the NW only comes with a 128 MB memory stick, which is enough memory to record a little over 2 hours of music at 132kbps. On a positive note, the NW is incredibly small and lightweight and transferring music from the computer via the USB port is relatively fast and easy. Overall, the Network Walkman is a big disappointment if only because I thought the sound quality would be much better.

Review: The NW-MS 11 has decent sonic quality. It can effectively power all but a few inefficient headphones. (I use the pricey Etymotic ER-4P - the best sealed headphone for any mobile player.) The NW-MS 11 has the ability to swap out rechargeable Ni-MH batteries while on the move. Each stick provides 8-10 hours of play. Music can be easily exchanged through my notebook computer while sitting in an airplane. 128-meg memory sticks can be quickly switched out while on the move. (256-meg memory sticks should be available soon.) Sony’s OpenMG software is easy to use, but lacks some features (like volume adjustment). The player and memory sticks are expensive, but the unit’s size is almost nothing. This is the best MP3 player for mobility. If you want a MP3 player to be your sound system (a real sad thought), pick another product.

Review: Just got my first mp3 player a few hours ago, and I am already up and running. Very small, extremly compact and lightweight, an incredible piece of technology. Software works great, sound is superb. What am I going to do with my two MD and CD walkman now? The Network Walkman is truly the evolution. Wish those memory sticks were not so pricey!

Review: hey millsman, wait until you need service and sony says " its water damage"DOH Sony and their afte care GOD HELP US ALL!

Review: One of the biggest selection criteria for me was the player had to have no moving parts. With this in mind, the field narrows a lot. Sony's product holds a reasonable amount music for its tiny size and the sound quality is fantastic. One complaint ... the OpenMG rules on checking songs in and out are cumbersome.