2GB W Series Walkman MP3 Player

Perfect

Pros: everything

Cons: sony music pass stinks

I purchaced this Walkman the day before a half marathon not wanting to tote my iPod touch for the 2 hour run. Great purchase. Works flawlessly. If your not much of an athlete its easy to get away with an iPod and the cords but if you want to enjoy your music and not think about it this seems to be the way to go. Also works well with iTunes and was easy to export workout tunes to the Sony in just a few mins. I was excited about the free 100 downloads from Sony music pass that came along with my purchase but found out that it really stinks. Buy this if you are a intense athlete who enjoys music and save yourself some time with Sony music pass until there is an update.

not for women

Pros: uploads easily

Cons: short charge life, does not fit

My husband bought this for me, as my $13 Omnitech headphone/MP3, which I LOVED was almost dead. The Sony buds will not go in my ears, the curled wire pops them out and they fall off my head constantly. (My husband and son fit them perfectly) Also, my Omnitech charge lasted about 10 hours, and the Sony dies at 5 exactly. $13 vs $70 does not make me happy, either.

Needs a bit more work...

Pros: Great sound, no cords

Cons: Won't stay in ears

I bought these for my gym workouts, no running, just no or low impact stuff. The earpieces don't stay in my ears, even though I'm not making any sudden movements. I have tried all the earpieces that came with it, but it doesn't matter. Other than that, I love the music quality, no cords, and the controls. Just wish they stayed in place!

good not great

Pros: no wires, good sound, stays in ears

Cons: balance uneven after several months

The balance of the head phones becomes uneven after a while. I purchased one and Sony replaced it. I have the second set for about a year and the balance is off again. The right side is slightly louder than left. Minor to some but it bothers me. I will try another set because they are really good when working properly.

Ran with it... and loved it!

Pros: Easy to use

Got to demo this when Sony visited my running club in Miami last night. Absolutely loved this product. Easy to change songs and volume... unlike my iPhone where I have to flip around my arm band or remove the phone from it. And there aren't any headphone cords getting in the way. I'm already planning to buy one for my mom to celebrate her first 5K and one for my husband for his birthday.

Great one-of-a-kind MP3 player!

Pros: waterproof, easy to use, great sound, lightweight, great interface, compatability

Cons: no forward/rewind

This mp3 player is an example of near-perfect execution of design and convenience in a player that meets the needs of athletes/active people. By definition of its purpose, it's wireless-ness is just great freedom. It makes music so convenient, less cumbersome, and thus so much more enjoyable when your real purpose and effort should be your running/training/sport.. Of course this all depends on comfort as well - which Sony has clearly spent time on sculpting. Sure, there will be some people with funky ears or people who just can't figure out how best to slide them in their ears (kind of like the people who awkwardly put on clothes 'cause they never took the time to learn how.. yea, it ain't that hard). So, exactly.. it's easy if you just pull your ear lobe OUT, push IN on the earbud, and WALLA..! if its loose, replace with the mediums.. or larges.. that simple. Everything else in its design is a piece of cake and straightforward, really hard for Sony to messup.. so button layout, weight, sound quality, etc.. is all great for its intended use. I run and they dont wobble or move around. Theyre so light, I almost forget they're around my neck afterwards. They work on MACs and PCs.

SONY has made a HUGE improvement!

Pros: Super Lightweight! Water Resistant, Quality audio, Ease of use

Cons: No Fast Forward or Rewind feature

I have been a faithful customer of the Wireless Walkman since the original one released a few years back. I searched for a way to waterproof the original, even going so far as to open it up and spray the internal computer chips with rubberizing liquid (which worked). SONY later released the updated version (252) which was water-resistant and it was a huge improvement however it had an achilies heel. It was HUGE. Running hard or moving your head would cause the player to shift around or bounce which would be very annoying. They seemed to have solved that problem in the newest release (262) and have vastly reduced the overall size and weight of the player. This in my opinion is one of the best mp3 players any runner can own and because SONY makes it so fairly priced anyone can buy one. I only bought the 2GB model each time I purchased one and have never filled it because I can always just plug it inot my commputer and add/remove music easily without the need for iTunes. Just drag and drop, charge and go! SONY you guys are awesome. Keep up the good work! Only recommendation is FF and REWIND option in future releases!

Reviewer Images: (click to see full-size image)

The best!!!!!

Pros: Great sound, light, drag drop songs

Cons: Nothing

I have a lot of ipods, all kinds! I still love my iPods but for exercise and practicity this one is the best! My sister is an athlete so has been a few years she has used this and always told me how she enjoys it. I never really care until this 4 July I got the special price by email and decided to give a try and I'm very glad I did. Unfortunately I didn't listen to my sister years ago. Now she is even ready to upgrade hers for this new one a little bit smaller. BUY IT, YOU WILL LOVE IT!

Does not stay on

Pros: lightweight, wireless, clear sound

Cons: does nor stay in place

Bought this for my husband and he absolutely does not like it. He used it once and it did not stay in his ear so put it aside and bought regular headphones. I tried it and it did the same. Wasted my money.

Earbuds need design help

Pros: Great in theory, no cords, very compact

Cons: Earbuds do not stay in place!

I bought these for running. I love the simplicity and size. They are suprisingly easy to operate. However, the earbuds keep falling out!! I have tried all three earbud sizes provided and cannot keep these in my ears for more than a few minutes at a time. As much as I like the idea, they are nearly unbearable to run with, as I am constantly adjusting the earbuds. Hopefully Sony can figure this out.

Mine didn't work.

Pros: Stylish, convenient - good for workouts.

Cons: Didn't work, had to return.

It's nice that Sony addressed the moisture issue as my NWZ-202 failed for that reason. I was excited about this one, but it was faulty. It wouldn't hold a charge. I tried several times and charged it for many hours. It would play for a bit, then die. I returned it, but still haven't received my refund. I would still like to try it out - I'll probably get another (I asked Sony for a replacement but they said it was back ordered and they couldn't send me one).

Great product

Pros: Easy to upload songs and play, very comfy. Great sound

Cons: Takes a couple of hours to charge when dead

This is a great product. Perfect for jogging. Stays in my ears and very comfy. Comes with a year warranty too. My hubby takes it to work and my brother always borrowes it. Very easy to put music on it. Takes a couple of hours to charge but so what!

Works for the Warranty Duration

Pros: Great form and function

Cons: Breaks down in about a year

I've gone through two versions of these over the past two and a half years. Each of them stopped working a couple months after the one year parts warranty period ended. For each one, I loaded music onto the player about once every three months, and used for roughly 4-5 hours each week. It's great for what it is, which is why I bought this second one. If you're okay with replacing these each 1 year and 2 months, you should get this. I am a bit ready to try something else. The problem I've had in both is that the sound in the right ear just pretty much blew out. Don't cheap out, Sony. This is a product that deserves better.

This device strikes a note with athletes

Pros: Cordless, lightweight, fits very snug in the ear

Cons: A bit bulky, no bluetooth

Considered getting an iPod Touch, but with my Nexus with me all the time it's hard to justify carrying another device just for music. Using a smartphone or iPod Touch was inconvenient for going to the gym. The iPod Nano/Shuffle were small enough, but still require corded earphones, which again, becomes inconvenient and clumsy at the gym. A wireless wearable solution was ultimately what I was looking for, and Sony filled my needs quite nicely. Not sure if the shape of of the ear makes a difference, but I am happy to say I have not experienced what other reviewers have experienced, the ear pieces fit into my ear very nicely, very snug, doesn't have a tendency to want to fall out at all. 2GB is more than enough for my needs. After all 80 or so songs I've downloaded onto the device I still have over 1GB left. Audio quality is very good, very comparable to what I hear on my Klipsch computer speakers, very balanced. Audiophiles may be more critical of its quality, but for a layman like myself I am more than happy. At the loudest setting the sound does not distort. Very good value for the dollars that was spent.

Love them for gym, but developed issue

Pros: Great for the gym or out running

Cons: Over time the USB connector has loosened

Got the previous model 18 months ago for the gym and to use while running. Hate trying to move around with headphone cords getting in the way - this product solves that issue nicely. Used the larger in-ear bud that came with it, and have had NO issues with the headphones falling out, no matter how active I am. Even use these to listen to audio books without issue (although can be difficult to load the books onto the player if there are a bunch of CDs). Only issue is the small USB connector inside the MP3 player has either gotten looser, or has recessed so that to get a connection to my computer I have to physically push it in....as soon as I let go, the connection is lost. Gets annoying having to hold the cable in place (requires a pretty hard push) since I change the music every other week or so.

GREAT IDEA POOR QUALITY

Pros: SWEAT PROOF, NO WIRES

Cons: POOR DESIGN, PHONES DID NOT FIT SECURELY

THESE ARE A GREAT CONCEPT BUT MORE THOUGHT SHOULD BE PUT INTO THE DESIGN. MY UNIT STOPPED CHARGING AFTER ABOUT 2 MONTHS AND SONY HAS BEEN HARD TO WORK WITH TO GET REPAIRS OR REPLACEMENT.

I listen to MP3 audio books...

Pros: No floppy wires, Plenty of room for books, Downloading is easy,Price is OK

Cons: No fast forward or reverse, No reliable bookmarking, Ear buds a little painful.

I listen to mp3 books while I do housework and gardening. I hate headphone wires, they get caught on everything and rip the player out of your pocket or ears. I needed a either a player built into the headset or bluetooth headphones. Bluetooth is more expensive and drains the battery faster so I went for built into the headset. Audio books come in "parts" that are about an hour long. If you run out of battery in the middle of a part on the Walkman, the book will come back on at the beginning of the section and you have to listen to as much as an hour of book that you've already heard. If there was ff or replay, you could scroll back or forward to find your spot. No such luck with the Walkman. Sometimes I get distracted and wish I could replay the last few minutes that I missed, but with the Walkman, I'd have to go back to the beginning of the section to do that so I don't. The earbuds are not ear shaped. Even the smallest buds make my ears ache after an hour or so. The battery life is pretty good, it charges quickly and even 2 G is plenty of room for a couple of books at a time. Downloading from my computer (library books mostly) is easy. If Sony fixed a few rather easy issues, a whole new market would open up. After all, boomers are hitting retirement, more of us will listen to books while we walk, or potter around the house then listen to tunes while we lift weights or run.

My new running partner!

Pros: No wires and water resistant.

Cons: None

I bought this at the Expo while picking up my 1/2 marathon race packet. After buying 3 sets of earbuds for my iPod while training I was growing frustrated. I put this on and ran the race without having to adjust them once! The sound quality is good and they were very comfortable. I actually forgot I had them on. Not having any wires to mess with is great too. I am extremely happy with this purchase.

Second time is a charm

Pros: lightweight...no wires

Cons: none so far

The first one I recieved the connector was loose and wouldn't stay hooked-up to my computer. After a call to Sony support, they sent me a fed ex return label..shipped off that one about 5 days later got a new one and works great stays in place and sounds good

Add Bluetooth!!!

If this had bluetooth functionality it will be the ULTIMATE MP3 player!

Excellent player for active people (runners)

Pros: Light weight, waterproof, charged fast

Cons: Does not have FM support

I have used two version of the Sony Walkman and I can honestly say it is the best MP3 for people who exercise often. I am a triathlete a received the product to test it (received two) and loved it from day one. Quality: as with other Sony products, this is a high quality product with excellent sound. Performance: the Sony Walkman is waterproof and that makes a big difference for people who might sweat a lot or for people who might leave in a place where it rains often. Even though I live in Arizona where it doesn't rain much, my wife has gone through 2 ipod nanos that have been damage due to water exposure. I have ran with my Walkmans for the past 5 months and they are still working perfectly. I have even gotten in the shower with them after running... Easy to use: Something else I look for is a product that is easy to use, to transfer music you can use the Windows Media Player, iTunes, the included application, or just simply drag and drop using the Windows Explorer. Fast changing: this is perhaps my favorite feature. The Sony Walkman is charged extremely fast (3-5 minutes for 90 minutes of play). For those of you who do not like running without music and are as forgetful to charge it as I am, this is would be the best feature. I cannot count how many times I had to run without music because my previous MP3 player was out of charge by the time I was ready to start my run. With this one, I can just charge it for a couple of minutes and be "good to go" Comfortable: Something else very important, no cables running down your shirt (this is annoying for me). The Sony Walkman is also very light so it doesn't bother me when I run. I strongly recommend this product.

i love this product

Pros: grat for those who moves around alot

Cons: need to charcge for a few hrs

all and i love my walkman .i have had mine for two years and it would off still been working if i haddent droped it and steped on it. i exesize alot .it has lasted the longest of inny of the walkmans and ipods that i have had .it has been very reliable for me .i just wish i can find another onbe in my area.

Great for Running

Pros: Perfect Fit. Great sound. Battery life.

Cons: None.

The MP3 player fits perfectly fine. I have run under the rain with no problem and even the sound of it is better than the sound of my iphone. Also, the battery life is outstanding and once I wear it I do not feel it until I finish running. Just great!

It's probably nice

Pros: Nice design

Cons: No Mac Support

How can a company as big as Sony not support the Mac platform for a music device? This makes no sense at all. I will probably send them back.