Sony D-NE700S Silver ATRAC/MP3 CD Walkman

Firstly the battery life is amazing. You really will get a superb number of hours out of the player - although I am not convinced it goes that long with the supplied rechargable battteries, the figure is probably with alkaline batteries which you don't need to use. Even so the battery life is a major positive and gives the D-NE700S a massive advantage over other players.

Secondly the remote control is simple to use and isn't an eyesore like some others I have seen - it is slim yet strong. However, without a good knowledge of the layout of the controller it would be very difficult for those with poor eyesight to really see the controls. The buttons do not stand out from the main body of the remote meaning they can occasionally be difficult to find, although I still rate it as very easy to operate after the controls have been learnt. Additionally the beauty of the controller is that you can really access everything to do with the player from it, meaning you can safely store the main player in a bag/pocket and operate all menus using the remote. Again this takes some practice and is not really useful for those who aren't interested or competent with the technology.

I personally don't like the sonicstage software - although simple in interface it does seem to slow you down in comparison to other burning software, and conversion to ATRAC formats does take some time (almost a minute per song - at least 2 hours for a full disc). ATRAC is a plus but often I find it easy just to quickly burn an mp3 cd - and add a folder for a new artist in windows xp using drag and drop when I get new music using a cdrw. But even if you don't use the ATRAC, the battery life still makes MP3 a great alternative even if you do need to use more than one cd.

In summary you know you are getting quality with sony, and this is quality. Unlike with some players this player's minor pittfalls can be easily negotiated and are no reason to hesitate buying it. It really does give you everything you need - bookmarks to your favourite tracks (easier than wading through 300 songs) aswell as reassuring build quality. CD MP3 is the best alternative for those who really don't want to shell out for IPOD or the like, and this sony player is one of the best available.

The sound quality is excellent with nice rich bass, although it could generally do with being a little louder apparently that's bad for the ears so i suppose i will thank Sony in my later years when I don't require a hearing trumpet to listen to The Archers.

The player has many features to play with through a dissappointingly unintuitive menu system (I am ashamed to say I had to read the manual!) but performing the usual functions is very straight forward and can be performed either using the remote or the buttons on the unit itself. The remote is fairly small and light but still annoying if you are wearing a t-shirt and therefore have nowhere to clip it as it pulls the earphones out. The same problem applies to every other player with a remote though so i guess you just have to put up with it or buy new head phones.

The battery life is excellent, I have charged the included pair once since receiving the player and used it everyday since on my way to and from work and the battery indicator still shows three quarter full. Futhermore a full charge took less than an hour.

I have no problem reccommending this player to anyone interested in a mid/high quality discman with MP3 capability (i have yet to test the atrac function but from what i've read it's not worth the bother)