I purchased a Sony (NW-MS7) for my kids (really) for Christmas, and ended up returning it and purchasing a Nike (manufactured by RIO). The Sony I returned was ONLY compatible with Win98 (computer manufacturer pre-installed at that), and I am currently using Win2K as my OS. So my first bit of advice is to look to manufacturers that offer players with software that is compatible with your present and future computer needs. Second, the Sony did not store .mp3 files on the player. Sony has developed their own file compression scheme, ATRAC3, and files must be converted from .mp3 (or .wav) to be stored and played back on the player. Proprietary electronic storage is not my idea of offering flexibility, and I really don’t care to find out who wins any .mp3/ATRAC3 wars, so this was a checkmark in the negative column as well. (I believe there are reasons why Sony went this route and sound quality may be one of them, but while conjecture, it may be for copyright protection of music as the number of copies of a particular song appeared to limited. I was not able to try it out, as I couldn’t load the software and I may be 100% wrong on the last.) Some players offer a better method for securing the player to your person while performing exercise. The Nike, while it was larger than the Sony, came supplied with a belt hook, as well as wrist/arm band straps, and a detachable intermediate control module/cord for those times that you don’t need to search for songs. Another point is battery life. Some players offer rechargeable batteries, while others use standard storage batteries. The battery life of the rechargeable units between charges is only on the order 2 or so hours. The Nike, using AA batteries had a life of 12 or so hours. And then there’s price. The Sony was about $100.00 more than the Nike, and others are still cheaper.
My opinion, for what it’s worth.
