Initial Thoughts: There’s no doubt that it’s one of the smallest MP3 players in the market, after the MobiBLU offering, of course. Something that really intrigued us is the ergonomically friendliness of the Bean and the fruitful color choices. The battery life, especially Sony’s Quick Battery Charge, are much-desired features that we wished other manufacturers supported. At the moment, we believe only flash players are capable of supporting battery life and the quick charge features due to limited battery consumption requirements. Hopefully, Sony will come up with something just as productive as the Quick Battery Charge for hard drive based players as well. The built-in USB adapter is a nice feature unless the USB port is at the back of the system. Then it won’t be nearly as appreciative as it is right now.

The support for various audio formats is also welcoming, though it’s unclear whether Sony supports DRM WMA at the moment or not. If not, it could really be a drawback considering that many online music retailers prefer to use DRM protected files whenever possible. The sleek LCD display and the rest of the features are also convivial, thereby leaving only the performance in question. We are noticing that more and more players aren’t lagging in features or attractiveness, so basing a decision solely on these factors will leave you dissatisfied with your purchase. As we get the Bean in our lab, we’ll continue with an in-depth look of the player with an overall performance recommendation. Meanwhile, we must also mention that the price of the 1GB Bean (NW-E307) is actually pretty affordable considering the minuteness behind it. If ultimate portability is what you seek, welcome to the world of diminutive and fashionable MP3 players.

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