Sony NWZ-A826K

The basics

The Sony NWZ-A826K is 4GB media player supporting MP3, AAC, PCM, WMA, H.264 and MPEG-4 files. It has 2.4-inch, 320x240-pixel screen and Bluetooth pairing. Measures 94x50x9mm and weighs 58g.

The good

The last time anyone sent news by cable was around the time of the Suez Crisis, so why are we still using outdated wire-based technology to enjoy our digital tunes? Sony snips the sonic apron strings with a bang up-to-date Bluetooth Walkman that can stream music to car stereos, hi-fis or the wireless headphones supplied. Sound quality is beautifully bass-heavy and lively, and you can also pair the headphones with a mobile to pick up calls. The nav-pad operation is easy, and the Sony’s aluminium shell is tough enough to take some knocks.

The bad

The headphones’ 11-hour battery life can’t rival the monstrous day and a half of audio playback from the A826 itself – and they’re actually heavier (65g) than the player itself. The headphones can occasionally cut out, especially when streaming from the bottom of a bag.

The bottom line

Whether blocking out a noisy bus journey or showing a razor-sharp vid on the train, the lack of headphone cables makes the A826K one of the smoothest commuters around – and that’s before you factor in the top sound quality and socket-shunning battery life.