http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/ Engadget Comments for Video: Hands-on Sony's NWZ-A829 Walkman with Bluetooth http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 7:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 7:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 9:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 11:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 7:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 11:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Thomas]]>Apr 1st 2008 7:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 7:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Thomas]]>Apr 1st 2008 7:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
I miss the days of SonicStage and ATRAC though, that program is so easy to use.

I'm not a MP3-player guy, it's all useless.
Why do you need to buy a device that play's music and Video if you've got a Mobile Phone that does the same.
I've got a SonyEricsson K850; I listen my music through my bluetooth headset (Sony DR-BT21g), For video I have my PSP. Way easier and cheaper than having 2 devices in your pocket.

I'd compare this MP3-player with the SonyErisson W960.
(http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_w960-2008.php)

Sony is indeed better off promoting his Walkman phones and PSP.]]>Apr 1st 2008 7:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 8:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 7:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Sorry Engadget, but the sound alone outclasses all of these offerings. You got caught in the fact the Sony makes you pay for the "pro" version and let the review go to waste. The build qaulity is outstanding. The UI is extremely intuitive. Again, the sound quality is astounding. Video is not simply "the moment of truth". I have yet to find a player that has phenomenal video qaulity.]]>Apr 1st 2008 8:17AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
And the UI is not "extremely intuitive." Just saying "intuitive" is a stretch.

Thomas]]>Apr 1st 2008 8:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 8:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Thomas]]>Apr 1st 2008 8:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
and another thing i fail to understand is what is this player being compared to? iTouch ? it would be more fair to compare it with the nano, and then i would like to knw what Thomas thinks about this player.

hows the video quality compared to the nano.. the price performance ratio..


and man..... calling it no better than sandisk..... thats unforgivable !!]]>Apr 1st 2008 3:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
bluetooth compression just kills the sound quality !!]]>Apr 1st 2008 3:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
I downloaded Media Manager for Walkman v1.1 when it came out for my NWZ-A818. I can honestly say that I thought this software was complete and utter JUNK. Vista detected it as a MTP device, so I just dragged shit into the photos/music/video (converted with Nero) folders and was on my way.

I don't know what the whole fuss about SonicStage was. Was it just because of the (somewhat) restrictive DRM? I found that SonicStage was super easy to use, and the ATRAC3plus format sounded great, even at lower bitrates.

I agree with you Mr. Ricker, Sony should have done more bundles with BT headphones . Of the current lineup only the NWZ-A828K has them bundled.

I own the NW-S706F (4GB ATRAC capable) and the NWZ-A818 (8GB Windows Media capable) players, both of which utilize the same WM-Port that the NWZ-A829 uses. I bought their bluetooth adapter and connected it to their hi-end DR-BT50.. The audio with that is leaps and bounds better some other bluetooth headsets I've tried.


I'm going to go pick one of these NWZ-A829s up and I'm going to get the DR-BT21's while I'm at it. It'll be a good pair of bluetooth headset that'll be much more portable than my other ones, with some sacrifice in sound.


Now it'll be interesting how Sony will market this (if at all). At least Sony America doesn't -- Their walkmans are more commercialized in Asia and in Europe. They make great devices but can never seem to market it correctly. But then again they're not a marketing company :cough:apple:cough: lol]]>Apr 1st 2008 8:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
With regard comfortable headphones I can vouch for the collapsable Sony DR-BT21G's, which as it happens, I'm wearing right now. The built-in mic is also pretty nifty.

]]>Apr 1st 2008 8:28AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 8:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 8:56AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 2:43PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 8:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 12:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
The iPod's shoulda had Bluetooth long ago. It's a battery hog though so I kinda understand why they haven't added it. Also, sync'ing was a major P.I.A. in the beginning (stupid profile crap). ]]>Apr 1st 2008 9:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 11:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 11:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
How was the Windows Media Player functionality for syncing? I use playlists almost exclusively, so I'd be using WMP for that; not just drag and drop through Windows.

Since you dog the Bluetooth integration, are you suggesting we save the $20 and get the A729 instead of the A829? The only difference in the 2 models is BT integration and since I'm going to use standard headphones anyway, is that a good idea?

Is there anything you DID like about the player? I don't care about the included headphones - I've got a better pair that I bought awhile back.]]>Apr 1st 2008 10:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 2nd 2008 1:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Wireless headphones and the touch screen sounds cool but i can't really careless about the video features...Watching video clip in a 2.4" screen...Whats the point!]]>Apr 4th 2008 2:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
And can you confirm if Sony kept the instant-on feature like its earlier players? You could play a song, turn the player off and then turn it back on a day later and the player would come out of sleep mode and instantly turn on.

]]>Apr 1st 2008 10:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 3:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Thomas]]>Apr 2nd 2008 11:54AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 11:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
With removable battery and flash, this would be enticing. I can't say bluetooth is what I want in a device like this. Otherwise, the bundling of good headphones is what I'd like to see more of.]]>Apr 1st 2008 11:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 12:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Winamp works well with this player. Or you can just drag/drop files with Windows Explorer. One surprise feature is that it has folder play. So if you're music isn't tagged, you can browse/play music by folders instead.

And I agree with one of the commenters.. the Walkman Media Manager is junk. After I installed it, the software kept crashing. And after every crash, it would lose all my RSS subscriptions and the music database would corrupt. And charging extra for video conversion is lame. I just use Super for conversions instead.

Sony has the potential to capture at least some of the digital audio player market in the US. But I have a feeling they are going to drop the ball like they always do.. very little or no accessories, no OEM partnerships, zero advertising or promotion, discontinue product line due to low sales numbers. And then come back 5 years later with a new product line, repeat path to failure. :(]]>Apr 1st 2008 12:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
The downside is having to worry about the battery (in my phone and in the headphones) and also, the headphones aren't as "packable" because they take up more space than wound up ear buds.]]>Apr 1st 2008 1:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
By they way, I totally agree that Media Manager is total crap. I really hope they gave us the option to choose between not only MTP and drag&drop, but also Sonic Stage. The latest version of Sonic Stage is very stable and easier to use then Media Manager. Also, the Japanese got Image Converter 3 on their bundled CDs to convert video, why can't us?]]>Apr 1st 2008 1:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 1:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 1st 2008 1:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
I'm really interested in this line of Sony MP3 players (and the previous NWZ-A810 line, as well). How much space does a video of x length fill up? Ignoring the obvious drawbacks to watching anything of extended length on a 2" screen, could you put a whole 2 hour movie (perhaps via Any Video Converter) onto one of these? Would it take up .5 GB? 3GB? 8GB? I don't have any idea of how much space something like that would take up as an MPEG4 file.

Any thoughts as to the pros and cons of this series compared to the iriver clix series?

TIA]]>Apr 1st 2008 4:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 2nd 2008 1:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/Apr 2nd 2008 7:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Oh, and how does it sound?]]>Apr 1st 2008 7:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
The sound quality is great, at least for me. The little details of the song was clear even at low volume.]]>Apr 2nd 2008 12:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Thanks! ]]>Apr 2nd 2008 12:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
When I'm "mobile" I would prefer the wireless bit but when I'm at home or at my seat in office I would prefer to attach a normal wire from my music player to my BT-headset and the headset can fall back to normal operation.

This way I don't need to compromise on sound-quality/battery-life or portability. This would be my dream-come-true for A2DP headsets.

Please Please Please someone bring out one such headset!

Currently i use The Creative ep630 and the SE HBH970 and I *hate* carrying around 2 headphones/sets but I'm forced to as the SE headset runs out of battery life after 3-4 hours of operation and not to mention the audio quality sucks because of the BT-compression!]]>Apr 2nd 2008 2:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/01/video-hands-on-sonys-nwz-a829-walkman-with-bluetooth/
Oh, and try checking your BT quality settings (RTFM!). I think you'll find that this player is capable of more than you've given it credit for. How many players let you apply EQ and some other F/X settings over BT? Right ... none. Give these Sony folks credit where credit is due.]]>Apr 2nd 2008 1:46AM