I was doing some research on MP3 players other than iPods because I wanted to see what else was out there. I wanted something with at least 8GB flash memory that was a video and audio player. I’m a huge fan of Sony products and decided to pick up the Sony Walkman nwz-a728blk.

Here are some of the features of this media player:

  • 8GB Built-in Memory
  • High Quality Video Playback at 30 frames per second
  • Battery Life: Up to 36 hours audio and up to 9.5 hours of video playback
  • 2.4-inch QVGA LCD screen: 320×240 display
  • Portrait and landscape picture and video modes

This unit contains 8GB of flash memory (7.5 available) and sports a 2.4? LCD display. Sony claims that the unit can handle up to 36 hours of playback on a single charge which I can’t confirm because I haven’t played it for that long without charging it yet.

The software that the unit comes with is not as good and easy to use as iTunes but it does the trick. Once you get all of your files on to the unit, you will see that the button layout functions may be different then what you’re used to. There are seven buttons; up, down, left, right, play/pause/enter, back/home and option/power off. The home screen features nine options; Shuffle, Search, Rhapsody Channels, Photo, Music, Video, Settings, Playlists and Now Playing.

The button placement looks nice and the buttons feel solid. Aesthetically the unit is beautiful like with most Sony products.

The interface may not be as pretty as coverflow but it’s effective and looks nice. Only about half of my album cover art got transferred over from my computer. The music sounds great on this unit. More then ever I was able to make out more words on some songs while listening to them on this player.

Video mode works well. If the video file is MP4 then you’ll probably be able to view it on this unit. You can choose either vertical or horizontal layout while enjoying your favorite movie or TV show. I prefer horizontal because you get a bigger picture.

The earbuds that come with the unit are high-end. There are three types of included attachments for you to use depending on your ear size.

Overall I would say that this is an impressive unit from Sony and I’m happy with the purchase for around $150. This is a decent alternative to iPod but the Walkman line will need some work if they really want to compete with Apple.

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