X

Photos: Sony NWZ-A810

The Sony NWZ-A810 offers a fantastic display, a sleek design and interface, and a stellar rated battery life--plus, it's one of the few players that sounds great right out of the box. Users looking for the whole package (sans radio) will be pleased.

CNET Reviews staff
32593873-2-440-FT.jpg
1 of 8 CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze
The latest Walkman to cross the review desk is the NWZ-A810, a video-friendly flash player available in 2GB ($119.95), 4GB ($149.95), and 8GB ($199.95) flavors. This device is pretty slick. It has a high-quality, metallic build with the main body decked out in the brushed color of your choosing--black, pink, white, or silver.
32593873-2-440-SD.jpg
2 of 8 CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze
A chromelike strip surrounds the edge of the device, and accenting of the same style surrounds the buttons and makes up the logos on the front. A dedicated volume rocker--always a nice touch--sits on the right edge of the player.
32593873-2-440-BK.jpg
3 of 8 CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze
The overall look is more elegant than flashy. One thing we're not too keen on is the placement of the hold switch on the back of the player. It's not very ergonomic or easy to get to.
32593873-2-440-BT.jpg
4 of 8 CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze
Sony's choice to get rid of SonicStage is a major boon, as you can now use all the new Walkmans with WMA jukeboxes, such as Windows Media Player (WMP) and Rhapsody. Now if only the company would get rid of the proprietary dock connection for mini USB.
5 of 8 CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze
The most eye-catching feature is the excellent, 2-inch QVGA display (320x240)--it's bright and crisp and can be used in landscape orientation for viewing photos and videos. Photos and videos look very good on the bright color screen, with nice detail and excellent color saturation.
32593873-2-440-PALM.jpg
6 of 8 CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze
Somewhat surprisingly, this Sony Walkman doesn't have some key features we expect at this price point. Namely, there's no FM tuner or voice recorder--no memory expansion, either.
32593873-2-440-BUTTON.jpg
7 of 8 CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze
Sony has learned its lesson about emphasizing form over function and the NWZ-A810 is as easy to use as it is pleasant to look at. The main menu screen is well-organized, with icons that highlight and magnify as you scroll through them, and the playback screen displays album art and a wealth of information.
32593873-2-440-POCKET.jpg
8 of 8 CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze
Still, the NWZ-A810 has several desirable extras, not the least of which is a pair of MDR-EX082 headphones in the package, making this one of the few players that sounds great right out of the box. Just put it in your pocket and go!

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos