Sony Walkman NWZ-S540 Series (S544 / S545)

Sony's mid-level MP3 player competes with the iPod nano, and while it is superior for video or photo viewing, the interface doesn't hold a candle to Apple's tried and tested iPod menu system. If you're a multimedia enthusiast and don't mind the lack of...

Sounds fantastic; simple to operate; rugged construction

Fewer features than some rivals; no Mac support

Its quality and battery life balance the S544's lack of extra features

Sony's 8GB Walkman NWZ-S544 is a good MP3 player, but it's not a big improvement over the cheaper NWZ-E443.

The Sony NWZ-S544 doesn't quite impress as much as the NWZ-S639F it succeeds, the NWZ-E443 sounds almost as good while costing less and there are better sounding, better featured players out there. But accept its shortcomings and the S544 is still a...

Easy to use ; support for multiple audio codecs ; photos and videos look great on the big, bright screen ; audio quality is superb ; rated battery life is impressive ; unit features external speakers and an alarm clock function ; FM tuner and voice...

No longer offers noise cancellation ; weakened podcast support ; no SenseMe Channels or on-the-go playlists ; getting video onto the device can be a hassle

The Sony S-Series Walkman is a solid entry-level MP3 player thanks to its easy-to-use design, excellent performance and fair smattering of features. But those who are looking to upgrade from the previous generation will not be impressed

Straightforward to use ; Supports multiple audio codecs ; Photos and videos look great on the big, bright screen ; Superb sound quality ; Impressive rated battery life ; External speakers ; Alarm clock function ; FM tuner and voice recorder work...

Getting video onto the device can be a hassle ; No noise cancellation ; Weakened podcast support ; No SenseMe Channels or on-the-go playlists

Unfortunately, said breath has emerged as a disappointed sigh. Although the second-generation S-series Walkman models still offer top-notch audio and excellent battery life, Sony has hobbled the players by crippling their feature set. This appears to...

The playback quality of the music and movies that we tested was very good and at its core the S544 is a decent PMP. Unfortunately it falls down in a number of areas including the Content Transfer software, limited format support, the lack of...

Its quality and battery life balance the S544's lack of extra features

Slim and light design, good audio quality, built-in loudspeakers, excellent battery life

Interface design could be livelier, front buttons aren't very distinct, volume keys should have been more prominent, poor loudspeaker position

If you want a small media player with built in stereo speakers, then the S544 is a pretty self-recommending choice. It does everything you would expect a modern Walkman to do and the speakers make a better fist of things than you might expect. But...