Sony Walkman NWZ-S544 PMP

The latest Sony Walkman player to hit the streets is the NWZ-S544 PMP. As usual Sony has incorporated a rather funky touch into the device, but looks aren’t everything as we’ve clearly seen with so many other devices over time. So how did this one fare? This is what I think.

Form Factor
The S544 comes with a 2.4-inch TFT LCD that sports a 240 x 320 pixel resolution. No different than your average mobile handset. The display isn’t scratch resistant, I found out the hard way. After a few days of putting and pulling it from my pockets and bag the screen and plastic like body seemed visible with wear and tear. Although the build quality was a bit of an issue in this sense, the design itself is quite attractive. Its slim lines and simple navigation system make it easy to use and carry around. Of course you’ll have to find some as sleek and sexy to carry it around in if you want to keep it scratch-free.

On one side are the volume control buttons followed by a switch for opting to use headphones or the built-in Digital Linear Phase Speaker System that feature Virtual Bass and Linear Phase Correction. In lay terms they’re just a bunch of fancy words to explain you can play music though the loudspeakers that have good tone quality but aren’t overly loud but loud enough to bug the heck out of anyone communing with you. Just below those is the screen lock slider. The S544 uses a proprietary adapter for USB/Charging. It’s located at the bottom near the 3.5mm earphone socket and the built-in microphone. The bundled Sony earphones are great but if you do have a better set, use them.

It’s a great looking player that comes in an interesting range of colors. For those of you who want to make sure that the player remains in pristine condition, I suggest using a mobile phone scratch guard for the display.

Features and Performance
Interface
Sony’s proprietary UI has always worked well with their PMPs. I particularly like the quick access menu that’s available with all the features that allow you to access all necessary settings required for each function. With the simple five way nav-pad and ‘Option’ and ‘Back’ buttons it’s easy to navigate and maneuver through. The Search function is also quite helpful for locating specific music easily. Not having an accelerometer to automatically switch orientation for landscape images or videos means you have to worry about a couple of extra button presses sometimes, but that’s ok.

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