Sony Walkman E-340 Series 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) Reviews
Sony Walkman E-340 Series 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) Reviews
Other products by Sony Ratting 4.0 Out of 5.0 Special Offer Total New 9 Total Use 2
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Enjoy your favorite music and videos wherever you go with the full-featured E Series Walkman video MP3 player. Boasting long-lasting battery life, the slim and compact E340 Walkman player delivers up to 30 hours of music or up to 4 hours of video playback on a single charge. In addition to supporting multiple audio codecs and video formats, you can listen to your favorite FM programming via the built-in FM tuner. Plus, a user-friendly interface makes navigating through your music, pictures and videos a breeze.
Technical Details
- 8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs- Up to 30 hours of audio or 4 hours of video on a single charge
- 2-inch, 262,144-color LCD with 240 x 320 QVGA pixel resolution
- Supports MP3, WMA (DRM), AAC, and Linear PCM audio formats; AVC, MPEG-4, and WMV (DRM) video formats; JPEG image files
- One-year limited warranty
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By FashionGoddess (Detroit, MI)
I purchased this Sony Walkman after searching endlessly for an IPOD. I did not really want to spend the amount of money the IPODs were going for and did not feel I needed all the extras the IPODs offered. Some of the features such as video shooting on the IPODS is useless to me, because this feature is on my cell phone, so I didn't feel it was necessary to spend the extra funds on a music device that offered features I did not feel I would use. I am very practical and I just want to listen to good music and clearity, crisp sound. The Sony Walkman E-340 Series provided me with exactly that, amazing clear sound and the ability to upload my music from my PC onto my device. It also comes with radio capability, which I was looking for as well. Some of the other features, such as the video & photo features I have not tried yet (for uploading videos onto the device not recording as with some of the IPODS), but these were not the features that brought me to purchase the devise either, as I stated above, it was the simplicity of the device itself. I may find it useful at some point, but for now I am enjoying what I purchased the device for, to listen to music! The device is user friendly and I purchased it in black which looks very sleek! It is lightweight and easily fits in any small purse or pocket. I purchased the 6 piece set and it came with an arm band that you can use when working out, and a protective rubber cover (although could only use about 3 peices out of the set?). I am even able to use my Garmin AC/DC adapter with it, as one did not come with it. The device did come with some nice headphones, however. The organizing of your music may not be as A+ as with the more expensive IPOD brands, but I knew this from reading one or two of the reviews before I purchased the device, so this was not an issue for me, i just click the back button on the device, which takes you to the home menu, scroll to the center using the arrow in the center of the device, then click on the music note icon in the center,and I m able to locate a song or artist from my music library. I am enjoying this device as it was well worth the price I paid for it!
By E. Peck (Orlando, FL)
Explanation below - quick summary for those that don't want to read.
Pros:
Low Price
Good Sound
MicroUSB connector
Cons:
screen issues
terrible video format choice
limited video conversion support
video conversion makes videos smaller than screen
cheap plastic body with awkward shape
flat, difficult to use buttons
poor software support
On a recent trip I lost my Sony 4 GB Walkman Video MP3 Player with FM Tuner (Red) which was the best mp3 player I've ever owned. Great sound, the video feature was cool, the radio was nice, it was pretty much all way ahead of what was available in the corresponding nano at the time - and for less. It was very compact, smooth and came with good headphones. I'm extremely ticked at myself for losing it.
I got home and ordered what looked to be the latest iteration of what I had. Unfortunately this E-344 isn't close to the same level of quality. The case is larger, all made of plastic and toy-ish feeling and the ends are shaped at weird angles that make it much more difficult to slip into a pocket. The new button layout seems to be an attempt to look like the ipod wheel, but it's impossible to tell what button is in use by touch. The old raised buttons were great on a dark flight. Now I've got to pull this thing out and look at it. The buttons are also very cheap feeling and very loud. They make a loud clicking noise when pressed.
For some reason Sony changed the video format. It used to be similar to what would play on the ps3. WinFF had walkman presets that worked great. They've switched it on this player to a proprietary Windows format not supported by ffmpeg, or probably any free tools for that matter as the new format requires a royalty for software that creates it.
The walkman comes with software that will convert video files and transfer them to the mp3 player. I can't find any documentation on what kind of files it will take, so I've been just trying different stuff out. So far, only .avi files seem to work. It's using DivX to do that, something a lot of people don't have on their computers. I'm not sure what people who aren't running windows can do. This is a incredibly poor choice for a video format.
On top of that, while the screen is larger than my old walkman, when the videos get formatted they are put into a size that doesn't use the full screen. The videos are actually boxed with black bars above and below. On a 2 inch screen. That's absolutely ridiculous. Why should buying a newer version of a device mean moving backward?
When the device is connected to the PC, it has a white circle that is shown with some messages about status. I plugged it in when I got it to charge it up and sync over my music. Now that white circle is burned into the display and I can see it when watching videos. Along with the outline of some of the words that appear below it. This is after having it for 2 days. I am struggling with going through the hassle of returning it or just letting it ride. If you are a perfectionist about this stuff, this is something to consider.
If I want playlists, and I do, I have to use Windows Media Player. It's interface for working with the walkman is awful. Playlists can't be made on the device. You have to make them on the pc, add them to the 'sync tab' and then sync them over. When making playlists, it isn't possible to view what music is already on the walkman. If that's not poor design I don't know what is. I can get what I want but the effort involved is completely out of line with how it ought to be.
So I've listed all my gripes, here are the good parts.
The sound is not bad. It's pretty good and the player has a great price. So when it's all said and done, at the gym or on the road I can listen to my music and it will sound all right.
The biggest thing Sony did right was switching to micro usb for the connection to the device. All mp3 players should do this. I can connect with cables I already have. I don't have to worry about losing the one magical sony cable or what it will cost to replace it. I always have some around for my phone, portable hard drives, etc. When I'm on traveling I don't have to worry about a bunch of power adapters - I can charge my phone, mp3 player, etc. from my laptop with a standard cable. That's nice. So if I could get back my old walkman with this new usb connector it would be the best mp3 player of all time.
But as this thing is, I couldn't really recommend this to anyone. You can do better without spending too much more.
By EtherealCereal (Michigan)
I bought this MP3 player because of Sony's reputation for delivering high quality sound. I have had a the same problems with the video as a few other people, but two of my issues come not from the player (which sounds great), but from the extras included.
1. The headphones/earbuds- MY BIGGEST ISSUE: One would think, given how long the Walkman has been around (and how popular it is has been) that not only would Sony include a pair of quality sounding earbuds (my Phillips Magnavox earbuds sound superior to these), but would also think to include a pair of earbuds with an L-jack, instead of a straight jack. I posessed many pairs of earbuds from Radio Shack back in the 1980's, and the downfall of the straight headphone jack is that it would almost ALWAYS lead to a short in the wiring from excessive movement, especially if you have to wait a few weeks to buy the armband, and have it stowed in the pocket of you jacket, pants, shorts, or otherwise.
2. The Sony Walkman interface-Incredibly difficult to use, especially when syncing videos to your Walkman. You need the exact video conversion rate for this to work properly. you're better off using WMP.
I have not had any problems with syncing songs or creating playlists, so I am very happy with the sound quality of the Walkman itself, and with the storage capacity. I do wish however, that they would have been more thoughtful of the consumer when choosing the extras to include with this player. Some people leading a more active lifestyle would undoubtedly be grateful.
By Nancela (Bethel, CT United States)
It has taken me many years to break down and get a Walkman. This product is perfect for me since I have very few 'device' skills. Simple to use with clear instructions and not a lot of complex uses. It works well for downloading all my favorite music (which is the only thing I really wanted it for!)I highly recommend it for the "newby" to computer devices. Also the price is just right!
By Erik McNeal
I had a 1st gen iPod for four years and when it finally died on me, I got this Sony and it works great and not hurting the wallet either.
Using Windows Media Player syncing took a bit of a learning curve but its easy after that.
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