Customer Reviews
I wish I could get a refund!!!! 
2008-03-31
I bought this item, the Sony NW-S203F Music Player , sight unseen, for my wife as a belated Valentines Day gift. I did not realize it at the time that it is not simply an MP3 player. You must use Sony's proprietary music program to load it, and this entails loading your choices on a CD, and then ripping the CD into the 'Sonic Stage' program, and finally loading them into the player. The player does not recognize the MP3 format, so you must go through this idiot drill each time you want to update the contents. Never mind that it must be charged through its USB cable, and it suffers a short battery life. I thought it would be a welcome addition to my wife's walking routine, but she used it once, and on my desk it sits! It's not very intuitive to use, either. I really would like a refund on this piece of sub-standard detritus, but the seller sold it in good faith, and unfortunately, it functions as it was designed. I hope that other people can see this review, and plan their purchases accordingly. Sorry about the long rant, but it does not sit well with me.........Sincerely, Ray Franks
Good 
2008-03-23
I like the shape, the function, but this wont work under window vista, still haven't it to work, but i still love it. works for me.
overall very good 2008-03-02
PROS: light, compact, sport style headphones, easy to operate...
CONS: i wish screen would flip automatically when you flip player
Great Product !! 2008-01-30
This product excelled as my music device for the gym, expecially being water resistant as i sweat alot.
Volume , software, Fm radio, nothing was a problem, worked great.
Problem was it died about after a years use. I did use it regularly but i think the memory got corrupted, it could have been me just ejecting it when the comp was still accessing i duno, but i was peeved.
Also virtually no support acessory wise. If ur arm band is busted or old and nasty, no way to replace it with ease, or in a timely fashion. Have to call sony and pay mula. lame
But all in all i was satisfied. would have bought again cept for the allure of the new ipods lol. I have gen 3 nano now .. and its considerably bulkier and heavier.
Recap Gym use Sony wins
Home, starbucks, casual use, nano~.
Great for the price 2008-01-28
I love the player. Great hardware design with lots of features and customizations. I got it for $17 and all I really wanted was the FM radio function. I knew the sonic stage software would be a pain, and it is. But it's usable. Once you load your exercise music, you don't have to use the software again for a couple months. The battery will give you 3 hours of playback with just 3 minutes of charging. This means that you can have full playback in only 45 minutes of charging. This sold me on the player, since I wouldn't have to be buying batteries all the time. If the battery is dead, I can plug it in for 3 minutes and it will last for any workout I'm going to do.
Here is the problem. Every so often when it gets squeezed or shaken with something metal(Haven't figured out what causes it . . . Yet) It will reset itself. If you are listening to radio, it will just start playing the first MP3 in the list and when you go back to FM it starts you at the station of the lowest number. For less than $20 I'm willing to accept this bug. But if I paid full price, I would be very upset at this.
Pros:
1. 3 Hours battery charge in only 3 minutes
2. Water Resistant
3. Easy to operate without looking at it.
Cons:
1. The software
2. What's with this soft reset bug in my player.
3. Sport features not available with the FM radio.
I'm not thrilled 
2008-01-28
Designed with an active lifestyle in mind, the 1GB NW-S203F is the perfect companion on your workouts. The unique, cylindrically shaped MP3 player is packed with features including a calorie counter, pedometer, stopwatch and a built-in FM tuner with programmable presets. Create playlists for your levels of exercise activity and the Music Pacer will switch playlists based on your pace - whether walking or running. The Music Pacer function can be turned on or off at any time. Finally, with the Shuffle Shake feature, easily turn on the shuffle feature simply by shaking the player three times. The NW-S203F touts a durable aluminum construction that is also water-resistant.
Burned 
2008-01-15
Let's dive right into it... The person who designed the hardware of this music player deserves an award. I use music players exclusively for working out. This is the first player that seems designed specifically for that purpose. The waterproofing and the pedometer are a God-send. I had lost 3 players before this to rust and short-circuit. The waterproofing is pretty important to me. The pedometer is simply useful. I keep track of how far I've gone and even cue the music to stop after a certain distance. Very cool. I can take or leave the tempo matching. (it is kind of insulting, I can't run fast enough to get the high tempo songs. :P)
Great, that was the pluses. Here is the reason I hate this player: the software. Notice how I kept writing "music player?" That is because this device doesn't actually play mp3s. It converts mp3 into a proprietary format. These files appear to be 2 or 3 times bigger than mp3s, judging by the number of songs need to fill the player up. (100 to a generic 1 gig mp3 player's 400 songs) Essentially, you need to use the Sony software to get the player to work at all. The software, in a word, sucks. I use Windows Media Player to manage my music. It excels in allowing me to sort media by upwards of fifty variables, such as "date last played," "rating," and so on. The Sony software has five. Also, it is difficult to create a handpicked playlist, while the player is attached, because the software transfers every selection as you make it!! If the person who created the hardware deserves an award, the software designer deserves to be shot. Thank you!!
Issues with software- format to fix it 2008-01-05
This item came preloaded with music which made it incompatible with it's own software. The fix for this is the formatting procedure outlined in the manual. After we figured this out, we were in love with this MP3 Player. It has so many great functions perfect for working out. You can even make your music fit your pace. It's a real winner. The arm band is perfectly comfortable. The player is easy to use with the manual instructions. I recommend reading the manual in it's entirety before trying to do too much with the player. And be sure to format the player before trying to load music with the software. It will save you some disappointmentand headaches.
Function is flawless. Great player. 2008-01-02
I purchased this item online for 65 bucks. I wanted something to use while I worked out. The sound is clear and the unit works as indicated. The only thing i found that could be improved is the armband. The unit slides into a plastic sheath and then clicks in. To release it and take it out is a pain though. You have to dig your finger underneath the sheath and manipulate a little plastic piece that holds the unit in place which is not easy to do. Other than that, downloading is easy, the controls are easy, and i would recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable mp3/fm tuner.
Don't Disappointed 2007-12-23
The NW-S203F is a very good music player with good sound quality and very comfortable to wear when exercising. I really feel it was a very good buy and would recommend it.
