Sony NW-S205 2GB Network Walkman reviewed

After we let the cat out of the bag, it didn't take long for CNET to get their hands on Sony's latest excuse to exercise. The NW-S205, appearing only in black and housing 2GB of capacity, is their newest Network Walkman and is apparently poised to combat the Nike+iPod craze. It seems to have done quite well at accomplishing that goal, as the myriad of features and bundled accessories (Sony, is that you?) readily revealed its "athletic intentions." Although the reviewers weren't too fond of being forced to transfer files via SonicStage, there was plenty of love for the cigar-shaped DAP. The player seemed well-built for its intentions: having a water (and sweat) resistant enclosure, throwing in a comfortable armband, and including the G-Sensor (Sony's name for a pedometer) made this a viable alternative to Apple's offering. CNET was most impressed with the built-in FM tuner -- something sorely missing on the nano -- and the intelligent playlist changer that hopped lists when you broke into a run or slowed to a walk. Thanks to a $150 asking price and superb "out-of-the-box" functionality, the NW-S205 was highly regarded, and will be tempting legs everywhere to make good use of themselves in August.

[primetime @ Jul 26th 2006 2:16PM]

Sony's DAP hardware has been awesome. Contrary to what people believe, they do not force you to use their ATRAC format. Unfortunately, SonicStage is awful. I had two Sony players that I ultimately had to get rid of because of SonicStage. It got to the point where I could not transfer my own ripped files to the player let alone store bought files. Anyone using SonicStage now care to comment?

[Smeagol @ Jul 26th 2006 2:18PM]

It only has a pedometer. So, it wont be tracking your running distance anytime soon; and its not a direct competitor to the more expensive ipod/nike offering.

The thing i like about sonic stage is that it lets you rip directly to the player rather than having to rip to your harddrive first.

[Spyvie @ Jul 26th 2006 2:22PM]

The playlist changer sounds really cool.

They should come up with something like this for your car, soothing music in stop-n-go traffic, Kraftwerk for autobahn speeds and a funeral dirge for air bag deployment

[Jeffrey @ Jul 26th 2006 2:25PM]

Sure, SonicStage used to suck in version 1.5, but come on, it's up to version 4 now. I find it actually much better than most software. It really works exactly as I want to and transfer is a breeze.

[teo @ Jul 26th 2006 2:28PM]

This looks great. Just what I want, and since I'm not in the market for an a**** product EVER, this will provide me with a DAP that's much slimmer than my aging 10G Dell Jukebox.

But what is the Sony NW-E005 that is listed on Amazon? Anyone know?
http://tinyurl.com/refl8

[Kiriller @ Jul 26th 2006 2:32PM]

How big?

[George @ Jul 26th 2006 2:32PM]

I bought a VAIO Pocket player many years ago. It's far better looking and infinitely better built than most competing products, but let down by the infuriating Sonicstage software and a slightly annoying GUI.

I will NEVER buy another Sony audio device as long as Sonicstage is being forced upon us.

Shame really - I haven't yet found dap hardware that competes with it, although there are plenty of examples of better software.

Ideally I'd just like to be able to drag & drop audio files in Windows/OSX and not be forced to use an iTunes or Soncistage style app at all.

[Jeffrey @ Jul 26th 2006 2:34PM]

Actually for you, for the VAIO pocket there's the transfer utiliy that does just that: transfer the files by drag and drop, no need to use SonicStage at all...

[blackfeather @ Jul 26th 2006 2:37PM]

On the PLUS side, it's much easier to hide Christopher Walken style if you're ever in london...

[11 IS louder than 10 @ Jul 26th 2006 2:37PM]

This unit was developed with the "Christopher Walken" method of theft deterence (mentioned in a cNet article today) in mind.

[11 IS louder than 10 @ Jul 26th 2006 2:39PM]

Well, since you're a mouse-click quicker than me, I'll let you try it out first.

[spil @ Jul 26th 2006 2:43PM]

11 IS louder than 10, that cNet article has been around since atleast monday, because that's when I read that article when TUAW told me about it.

Spyvie, that'd be great!!!

[George @ Jul 26th 2006 2:43PM]

Jeffrey,
You're correct - the transfer software *should* allow that, but it has never worked correctly for me and many others with the Pocket.

The device is rarely recognised by the software, and the transfer speed when it does work is awful.

Sony has released many patches and fixes for both the transfer util and Sonicstage - many of these have caused problems for Pocket owners with the device not being recognised correctly.

Anyway, I'm going off topic... but thank you for pointing out the availablity of the transfer util. I'd completely forgotten about it.

[primetime @ Jul 26th 2006 2:49PM]

I stopped using SonicStage around version 3.5 or so and that was one of the problems. I had a Vaio Pocket for large storage and a NW-E507 for smaller. These players are about 3 years apart and ship with version 1.5 and 3.0 and the program (at least at the time) did not auto update. You specifally had to download and update it yourself but the compatibility depended on version you were starting off of. I could not simply download the latest version and have it work with both players. I had to start with 1.5 and add specific versions to get it to work. After my pc crashed (I backed up all my songs), I reimported as expected but the DRM just took over. Some files ripped from cd could be transfered but some could not. No store files would transfer. After that, I switched to iTunes. I really hope 4.0 is the all in one backward compatible solution because the players are some of the coolest designs available.

[Paddy C @ Jul 26th 2006 2:52PM]

Do any of Sony's players work with Macs yet?

[Wtf @ Jul 26th 2006 3:09PM]

some lonely chick (or guy) thought one day hey i wish my vibrator played music. I think ill go make one!

[AndrewNeo @ Jul 26th 2006 3:24PM]

If you don't like SonicStage and use Winamp, then I found this SourceForge project that might help: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=163878 I don't know if it works or anything, just searching and thought I'd point it out.

[spil @ Jul 26th 2006 3:28PM]

Paddy C, why would you want a Sony player on your Mac?
The only thing sony players are good for are paper-weights. [/ macfanboy]

I've never actually tried a sony player but I do think the ones with the screen where when you turn it off it looks like it doesnt have a screen. Those are pretty awesome.

[pete @ Jul 26th 2006 3:57PM]

After the rootkit fiasco, nobody should ever trust another piece of Sony software.
Ever.

[blink @ Jul 26th 2006 4:11PM]

Maybe my girlfriend will buy me this to get me off my lazy ass and work out with her. But then I'd spend the whole time, listening to her, instead of the player.

[Knut Melv�r @ Jul 26th 2006 4:51PM]

I'm looking forward to the lightsaber-mod. Then I can listen to the Imperial March while cutting through some rush-traffic :p

[Paco @ Jul 26th 2006 5:37PM]

Ok...G-Sensor. Shaped like a "cigar" (remember Monica Lewinsky?)....Are you shure its a walkman?

[Jeffrey M Foster @ Jul 26th 2006 5:44PM]

FM? "Sorely Missing"?

who the hell uses FM?

Bah!

[Zizone @ Jul 26th 2006 7:06PM]

is engadget biased all the time? not just for Sony but for most of all

[Sp1n @ Jul 26th 2006 8:20PM]

"I stopped using SonicStage around version 3.5"

shows your knowledge of sony products....

yall never even tried sonicstage(at least the latest one 4.0) and you say shit about it? ahhhh...again even though the product IS better(by functions) yall still sit on apple`s stick....awsome!!!

anyways, keep on hating, paperweight lovers:P

[Kukawaki @ Jul 26th 2006 8:29PM]

Damn you Sony for not advertising!! I Have been using a NW-E503 for some time now and they have this wonderfull program for it called Mp3FileMenager that installs on the device and allows you to transfer files without SoncStage and from any computer you plug it into!! Joystiq, consider this a tip and write about it!!

[Kukawaki @ Jul 26th 2006 8:32PM]

Oops!! Not Joystiq, i ment Engadget... Blast!

[Kukawaki @ Jul 26th 2006 9:05PM]

Right... my first one did not go through...
You don't have to use SonicStage, Sony provides a prog called Mp3FileMenager that installs unto the NetWalkman and allows you to transfer files without SS and on any comp you plug it into...

[Ryan @ Jul 26th 2006 9:54PM]

Hilarious, i had never even heard of sony players before this and after reading those comments i know why I havent and probably will never hear of them again. Sounds like a blast struggling with that software. Meanwhile I will be using my mac productively.

[primetime4 @ Jul 26th 2006 10:07PM]

Sp1n, did you even read the rest of the comments? I used SonicStage 1.5 through 3.5 and had issues. Was I supposed to stick around until 4.0? When I abandoned it the word on the street was that there would be no more updates. But you read that and still say that I did not give it a chance? You must be an illiterate moron. Ask your mom to read the whole thing to you.

[shrinkydinx @ Jul 26th 2006 11:10PM]

"I will NEVER buy another Sony audio device as long as Sonicstage is being forced upon us."

same here. worst program in the history of computers.

[Kukawaki @ Jul 26th 2006 11:38PM]

Sonic Stage is no longer a must!!

Damnit!!

[Rory @ Jul 27th 2006 5:53AM]

I use Sonicstage CP 4 with my PSP, and I find it one of the most easiest music managing pieces of software to use, and I have encountered no bugs in this version at all, so things may be starting to look up for Sony in terms of MP3 players. I also love the look of this new player, much nicer looking than ANY iPod I would say.

[WizarDru @ Jul 27th 2006 8:10AM]

I'm just wondering if there are TWO Sonicstages...the one I used recently and the really good one that several people here are talking about. Because the Sonicstage I used was a crime against humanity.

When lending God of War to a friend, I noticed (for the first time) that you get a free download of the soundtrack from Sony. Great! But you have to use Sonicstage. OK, I thought. I installed it. Then I had to authorize the music. And again. And AGAIN. Music that was FREE, and I had to keep authorizing it. Music FROM SONY that SonicStage couldn't recognize, at first. And it didn't authorize the whole album, oh no...it required three run-throughs to authorize different tracks. For a FREE soundtrack. From Sony. For a game FROM SONY.

The performance of the application was terrible and when I burned the soundtrack to CD...SonicStage couldn't recognize the CD it had just created. Never mind that it was buggy, crashed frequently and would also drag my PC to a screeching halt.

I had found lots of irritating quirks in iTunes...but SonicStage made me appreciate how bad a music program can actually BE.

[ChuChu @ Jul 27th 2006 9:08AM]

FM radio is not "sorely missing" from the Nano. I do_not_want_FM_radio on any DAP I use. FM is garbage. The only "radio" I would even bother listening to is sattelite. For me an FM tuner just adds extra size/weight/cost and I will never use it. I didn't want it on my walkman's, I didn't want it on my discman's, so why the hell would I suddenly want it on my DAPs?

[boyd flemming @ Jul 27th 2006 1:52PM]

who the hell would buy that vibrator lightsaber looking thing? do they have children design this stuff with legos? does anyone oversee the release of products at sony anymore?

[dm717 @ Jul 27th 2006 2:47PM]

Yawn.

[Dave in MI @ Jul 27th 2006 5:21PM]

I use FM at the club. The TV's are tuned to FM channels. No FM, no audio.

[Sp1n @ Jul 27th 2006 10:26PM]

to primetime4

I NEVER had any problems with my sonicstage...

what kind of problems have you been experiencing?

[Mr. Bill @ Sep 29th 2006 3:37PM]

Sonicstage is kinda tricky to figure out at first, but its not all that bad; I use it sometimes because things actually seem to sound better than iTunes or wmp. (Now I'm totally qcd based)

Its important to remember that Sonicstage is a nonpoint unless you want to use sony ATRAC 3 instead of the non proprietary formats.