Sony NW-S203F (1GB)

Features
The flagship offering of the NW-S203F is its built-in pedometer. Unlike the iPod Nike solution which requires an extra Bluetooth module and impact counter, Sony presents its version in a slim 96.5mm solution. Since it uses the motion-detecting G-sensor rather than an impact counter, it is necessary to input height, weight and stride distance (walking and running) into the player first. Do note that only one profile is stored at anytime, so it will be a hassle to share.

	The MP3 All-Blacks

The pedometer allows targets to be set. Calories, duration and distance goals can be controlled singularly, though not in combination. Unlike treadmills, it will also not take into account inclines or slopes.

For running with tunes, it is also necessary to add songs to the two preset playlists via the bundled SonicStage software. Otherwise, the user can also create extra playlists and designate any of them as a reference for running or walking.

That's good since high-energy songs can be listed in the running list, while slower ones can be added in the walking version. But one bad thing is we could not bookmark songs for either of the playlists from the player itself.

The NW-S203F's Music Pacer feature will automatically switch playlists based on your running pace. However, it's always preceded by a voice announcing the switchover which, incidentally, cannot be switched off. This can be grating when a runner is on his last legs and will probably be alternating his pace with increasing frequency. The irritated runner, however, can always treat it as an incentive to keep up his pace. Else, he can always disable the Music Pacer feature.

	Slim enough?

Though infrequent gym rats may appreciate the pedometer and stopwatch functions, seasoned runners we talked to seem to want more. For instance, there isn't a way to upload data into a computer for analysis, nor is there an A2DP Bluetooth profile for wireless earphones. Everyone hates tangled earphone wires. A marathoner also asked whether she could view maps on the MP3 player, so she wouldn't get lost. Seems there's just no pleasing some runners.

Other than MP3 player functionality, the NW-S203F has an FM radio receiver. There's also a search feature to troll for tunes on the NW-S203F based on artist, albums and titles. For music tweakers, selection will be scarce. Sony includes only heavy, jazz, pop and a five-band custom equalizer. The quick charge function which yields 3 hours of playback time with a 3 minute charge is also featured.

The new SonicStage software performs CD ripping to six different formats; ATRAC, ATRAC Advanced Lossless, WAVE, MP3, WMA and AAC. As well as acting as music management, there is also an Artist Link feature which was first introduced in the NW-A series. However, the NW-S203F does not support it, so songs cannot be tagged with Artist Link meta tags and transferred into the player.

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