Sony NWZ-E353

Sony Walkman E Series (NWZ-E353)

At $69.99 (direct), the new Sony E Series Walkman (NWZ-E353) MP3 player is very reasonably priced. Not only do you get 4GB of storage, a 2-inch screen, and photo and video support, but for far less than the new Apple iPod nano ($149; 8GB, 2.5 stars), which has a smaller 1.54-inch screen and offers no video support at all. Sony could have stopped there and had a modest-but-cheap product on its hands, and that's what the company did. The Archos 3cam vision ($99; 8GB, 3.5 stars) has a video recorder and Samsung's YP-R0 ($99.99; 8GB, 3.5 stars) has a better user interface and earphones than your average budget player, but the E Series is no-frills device. It's works well, but is a bit boring when compared with other low-price players. Sony's E Series NWZ-E353 comes in blue, black, or red; our test unit was a deep, polished red with a matte black plastic rear panel. Unlike most of the new MP3 players which have moved on to touch screens or touch-sensitive surfaces, the 4GB NWZ-E353, which measures 3.7 by 1.75 by 0.4 (HWD), features physical buttons. Its 2-inch, 320-by-240-pixel display occupies the top half of the front panel; below it are an an array of controls.