Sony Walkman : MP3

Sony Walkman : mp3

A basic mp3 player from Sony.
Why?
This B series audio player looks bulky when compared with other mp3 players available( esp: apple's ipod and transcend). Nevertheless, the number of features that come with this gives me the feeling to overlook the bulkiness.

1. The bass feature is impressive and delivers hig quality music even at high volume. Best for listening fusion music(Try listening to Ganesh Kumaresh's compositions)

2. Comes with an FM tuner option. Also has FM Recording option.

3. The voice recorder is also good. Handy for recording music concerts, classroom lectures. Stores the files in .wav format. Have tried recording few lectures and the clarity was pretty impressive.

4. The display is also a feature worth considering. Ipod (shuffle) doesn't have this feature.

5. Select the songs based on your mood. Songs can be searched using the tags available for songs.
This feature gives the freedom to select songs based on various parameters: year of release, singer, music director, genre etc. This feature works only if the tracks have the information encoded. This information is encoded in an MP3 song as ID3. Most of the current albums have this information.

6. Love the equalizer settings. :)

7. Forwarding the song is very handy.

8. Battery life is awesome.

But there are few things that could be improved:
1. Not suitable as a thumb drive for copying movies. I have tried copying files ranging about 1GB but failed.
This is because the firmware tries to index the content.
Note: When many files with lot of meta data(tags) are copied, the player would take some time to start. This delay is due to the indexing of tags. ;). But the delay is worth bearing as it gives the option to select songs based on the meta data.

2. The earphones jack is not convenient. Placing the player in pockets increases the chance of tearing/breaking the wire near the jack.

3. No clip to buckle to the belt. :(

4. Not too stylish when compared with ipod or transcend.

Despite all these drawbacks, this MP3 is a nice option if style doesn't matter much.

PS: This was presented to me on my birthday. Thanq friends :)

50 things students can't miss ;)

Was reading a post by Ben Jones(Director of communications at MIT 04-08).
Few points I liked from his post ( in no particular order)

1. Call someone you love back home a few times a week, even if just for a few minutes.
2. Carve out an hour every single day to be alone. (Sleeping doesn't count.)
3. In the first month of college, send a hand-written letter to someone who made college possible for you and describe your adventures thus far. It will mean a lot to him/her now, and it will mean a lot to you in ten years when he/she shows it to you.(I enjoy doing this even now :) but the frequency has dropped :( )
4. Embrace the differences between you and your classmates. Always be asking yourself, "what can I learn from this person?" More of your education will come from this than from any classroom.(This is most important)
5. Working things out between friends is best done in person, not over email. (IM does not count as "in person.") Often someone's facial expressions will tell you more than his/her words.(Indeed that's true)
6. Welcome failure into your lives. It's how we grow. What matters is not that you failed, but that you recovered. (Very true)
7. Every once in awhile, there will come an especially powerful moment when you can actually feel that an experience has changed who you are. Embrace these, even if they are painful. (This could sometimes be the turning point of your life too.... )
8. If you need to get a job, find something that you actually enjoy. Just because it's work doesn't mean it has to suck.
9. Don't always lead. It's good to follow sometimes.
10. Eat badly sometimes. It's the last time in your life when you can do this without feeling guilty about it. (Many such moments :))) )

Well, the post had 50 points(few not applicable in India but read for a laugh). Find the complete article here.