Sony NW-E305 Walkman Bean 512 MB MP3 Player White

This is the greatest little MP3 player!!! The sound is great (good bass), the size is very convenient and everybody who see it, wants one. It fits in a pocket, has an armband option or a key ring option, even little speakers as an option. I've taken it on so many trips. There is a caution though, even though the software is good for Windows Plus or better, you can not download from the web unless you have Windows XP.

Nice piece of hardware... Everything I was looking for, retractable USB, rechargable battery... Sounds pretty simple and if they kept it that way it would have been real nice... But it looks like Sony was trying to impose their standards through hardware... The software is ugly and painfully slow.. My biggest complaint is that you can't just drag and drop MP3, WAV or WMA files on to the device using windows explorer... Well, you can but you can't play them... Anything you want to listen to has to go through the Sonic stage software to be converted to OMG format, which is very slow as well as unnecessary (in my opinion).. So you can't just go up to any computer, plug it in copy files and listen to them... Looks like I just bought an expensive thumb drive...

I bought one of these. Absolutely loved it. And then I dropped it and knocked it against the side of my hand. And the electronics went bonkers. And I couldn't turn it on/off, change the tuner, adjust the volume, etc. But I loved my little bean. The sound is crystal clear and the radio reception is superb. It's easy to handle and easy to recharge and who could ask for more? So I bought another one. Loved it too. And it's worked well for several months until yesterday. I dropped it. The electronics went bonkers. I can't turn it on/off, change the tuner, adjust the volume ... get the picture? It's just too fragile. I won't buy another one. Too bad.

I decided to update this review after only having used my player 2x, and having for only three days. First off, I see why all the complaints of the software. The software used to transfer your music is a program that puts the music in a format only recognized by Sony players and gives them a extension that is unable to be converted by any media player that I researched. So if you spent hours upon hours of ripping your CD's to the player, you think, great, the music is put in a seperate folder so if I decide to upgrade my player to something besides the Sony, I can drag and drop them for easy transfer. WRONG! Once they are converted over to Sony's proprietry Garbage software, they become use-less unless you want another Sony player, and for the price there are many other brands I researched that are better and cheaper EX. Samsung, Sandisk...I thought this would be a good starter player, it only cost me thirty five bucks with shipping, but I should have taken my money are threw it in the garbage, just like I did the Sony Bean MP3 player when all the buttons froze, and I couldnt get anything up on the screen but the word Selection. What a piece of Junk. Never again Sony. They might make some good products, but MP3 Players isnt one of them. I didnt even feel like returning it since it would have cost me more money to ship it back,and then wait for another to arrive, what to have that one break again. DONT BUY THIS PLAYER. Even if you are just going to put a few songs on it, go with something 10bucks more such as Samsung or Sandisk. At least you wont have a expensive paperweight.

I received this player as a Christmas present from my girlfriend and was immediately impressed by the size and unique design. Despite some of the more negative reviews posted here, I have to say that I think that this is fine player for the size and price. I had no need for an iPod-like device since I really only use an MP3 player at the gym.Yes, the software that it comes with is a bit bloated and clunky, however there is a simpler program that can be downloaded directly from Sony's website that does not require the use of SonicStage at all. The program allows you to simply drag-and-drop your music files right into a window that in turn quickly converts them for use on this player. I still, however, use SonicStage just because it lets me customize the organization of files on the player itself a little better. Yes, it's not the greatest software but I personally don't think that it's worth rating this player lowly over.As far as sound quality goes, the headphones that come with the device leave a bit to be desired but do you really buy an MP3 player because of the headphones it comes with? I doubt it. The sound quality on my own set of earphones is spectacular (even when I choose to convert my files to 103kbps ATRAC3 format to squeeze a little extra time out of the 512MB of storage).The shape and size is perfectly ergonomic and fits in my hand quite comfortably. The layout of the jog switch and the design of the hold/unlock switch (which also serves as a cover to an internal, spring-loaded USB dongle) makes it easy to adjust volume and track position while running.I don't use iTunes so it's not an issue for me. Personally, I am not a fan of the iPod or iTunes or anything produced by Apple. Not because I'm a PC vs. Mac guy, but that I'm very disgusted with Apple's marketing tactics and lack of customer appreciation (namely their having the gall to continue selling an overpriced MP3 player with known defects [i.e. the power interruption/sync interruption fatal flaw]), but I digress.The main drawbacks I find with this unit (and that prevent me from giving it 5 stars) are the following:1. No belt-clip style carrying cases currently available. The only carrying case for this device is an armband case sold directly through SonyStyle.com exclusively. I personally am not a fan of armband cases. I have chosen to use a generic micro-pager RipOffs case to clip on my shorts while at the gym.2. SonicStage software is clunky but once you get the hang of it it's certainly not worth glossing over this sweet player.Actually, that's all I can think of for now. Hope this helps.

Purchased for a gift, fast shipping, and product new. VERY GOOD!Already had one...