The Sony Walkman NWZ-S616F video MP3 player is among the company's first to work without Sony's proprietary and cumbersome Connect music store and SonicStage software management system. Yes, the company has seen the light, and as of fall 2007, all of the Sony's portable players operate on an "open standard," meaning that the company's MP3 players are now as versatile as they are powerful.

The NWZ-S616F is compatible with security-enhanced Windows Media Audio, supports most subscription music services, is certified for Windows Vista and sports PlaysForSure verification. This Walkman even plays unprotected files from iTunes, and managing your catalog and transferring files is now a simple drag-and-drop procedure. In fact, just about the only thing the NWZ-S616F isn't approved to work with is a Macintosh (old habits die hard).

This 4GB player won't set the world on fire, but it does offer all of the standard features that you'd expect from an MP3 player in this price range. The 1.8-inch screen has surprisingly high resolution for viewing photos, but while the NWZ-S616F does play video, watching more than a minute's worth on such a small screen makes our eyes burn.

Music management is straightforward. The "intelligent shuffle" mode shuffles all tracks, or you can pick "time machine shuffle" to mix things up within a specific time span. Buttons are small and require nimble fingers but aren't as touch-sensitive as other media players, so you're less likely to accidentally change the function or turn the player off in your pocket.

Do yourself a favor and turn the beep volume off straight away; it's easily accessible via the setting. Otherwise, every time you try to navigate the player and hit a button, a clanging sound will ring in your ears. Once that has been disabled, it's fairly easy to scroll through photos and song information without interrupting playback.

Sound quality is pretty decent and the battery life superior to that of many other multimedia models out there. It comes with standard earbuds, but your listening experience will be greatly enhanced by the purchase of an advanced pair of noise-canceling headphones or earbuds. All in all, though, this is a workhorse of a music player at a reasonable price.


Pros: Small, easy to navigate, good display resolution, works with multiple music formats, FM Tuner
Cons: Small buttons, no recording capability

Warranty
90 days, labor; 1 year, parts