First- I want to thank everyone who left comments regarding my Sony coverage. I've decided that I will continue to cover Sony because I think it's an important topic wrt Japan and because I worked at Sony for almost 4 years (in the ecommerce group) that I have a unique perspective into the company. I still have friends who work there, but their numbers are quickly dwindling. Every month I'm getting an email from a Sony friend who is announcing that they are leaving the company.
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On November 10th, I linked to a review of the new Sony Connect software that came with the new Sony Network Walkman players. The short story is that the software does not work.
I've steadily been getting 2-3 comments per day regarding this issue. All of the comments are similar in nature.
I'm now the 3rd result for a google search for "Sony Connect Player" and lots of folks are coming to my site to register their complaints. I want to take a moment to showcase some of the comments because they are the "canaries in the coal mine," i.e. there will be many, many other irate customers who don't google for "Sony Connect Player" and come across my blog and comment.
I do know that some Sony employees read my blog, but sadly they can't do anything about the decision that the executives make.
Gen Kanai weblog: Sony Connect Player 1.0 review
The software however is an absolute joke. The biggest joke of all time. I could probably write something better.
SORT IT OUT SONY.
Posted by: Gareth Coker on November 16, 2005 07:31 PM
Bought the NWA 3000 like the rest at the weekend. Tried to phone sony, line not working. Emailed them 5 times before got a response. Shock horror they can't help. Super Sony!!!
Posted by: simon costello on November 16, 2005 10:23 PM
I'm having exactly the same problems...ripping CDs takes forever and then Connect Player just hangs after each one. After closing down it will not relaunch until the PC has been rebooted. I love the NW-A3000 but the software is a joke!
Posted by: David O'Brien on November 17, 2005 11:29 PM
I am really disappointed with this. The player itself is fantastic, but what use is it if I can't get any music on it?
Posted by: R.Gunn on November 18, 2005 05:21 AM
What a shame. Sony really wanted to compete with the Ipod, but this isnt gonna get anywhere near close until they get professionals to write the software to go with it. How could they release it like that?
Posted by: BILL ODDIE on November 19, 2005 12:39 AM
Trainwreck is probably the most appropriate description. v1.0, simply put, does not work. I'm planning to return my NW-A1000 to the Sony Store in Canada where it was purchased. From my perspective, if the software that supports the hardware (and, in fact, is required in order to utilize the hardware), is defective, then the entire unit is defective.
Return all units and maybe Sony will pay attention.
Posted by: Eric on November 19, 2005 12:10 PM
Im in the same boat as most of you guys. bought the player last week. Great player, and managed to get 4-5 albums on there on the first night , and since then......nothing. Its been a nightmare!
Posted by: Darren Elliott on November 20, 2005 03:27 AM
You can,t scroll in the libary. You can,t see whats in your own libary. You can,t see the progess of the track you are transfering. You can hardly do anything with this awful software
Posted by: David Bevan on November 20, 2005 08:25 PM
Connect is the most useless piece of software I have ever seen because it just doesn't work. I can point out a host of major bugs.
Posted by: Stuart Frost on November 20, 2005 09:16 PM
Love the player, but like Darren the software now crashes my pc everytime I run it.This is both the Connect software and the SonicStage. Cannot even begin to tell you how annoying this is. Can't figure out any other way to transfer music, so it looks like its going back to the shop. Should have stuck with my trusty minidisc!
Posted by: Tasha on November 20, 2005 11:42 PM
I bought the AS3000 for my daughter's birthday. Love the player to bits - best i've seen but it is SOOOOOO let down by the rubbish CONNECT software. I can't believe a household name like Sony has let such utter rubbish software out. It just doesn't work.
Posted by: Paul on November 21, 2005 12:14 AM
This is going to be sent back to the supplier shortly if i have no further luck. What a shame.
Posted by: Bill Oddie on November 21, 2005 05:37 AM
Tried installing / uninstalling three times, AND I tried the 'patch'. Something seriously wrong somewhere! What a joke.
I've just sent it back to the shop and ordered a new ipod. At least that software works.
Posted by: mark moody on November 21, 2005 06:54 AM
I have uninstalled and reinstalled about 5 times, downloaded the upgrade both automatically when installing and manually, still no dice! SONY SORT THIS OUT
Posted by: Sege on November 21, 2005 08:51 AM
Welcome to the club sege. This is enough to make me boycot Sony for life. I see there are plenty of ex users out there who now do the same. I just think it's such a pity.
Posted by: bill oddie on November 21, 2005 08:58 AM
If they don't make the connect Player less CPU intensive - no-one is going to use it. Not everyone has high-end PCs. Basically - people with 128MB of RAM will not be able to use this player.
Posted by: Gareth Coker on November 21, 2005 10:32 AM
I wonder if Sony reads postings like this? I am a product manager for a SW company and what Sony is shipping as relase SW is tragic.
Posted by: John Griffiths on November 21, 2005 07:55 PM
A call to Sony customer service was the last straw. They obviously know there is a problem, as according to the person I spoke to 'Everybody who calls is calling about the same thing.' The only advice was.......Take is back to where is was purchased for a refund. Am doing exactly that!
Posted by: Tasha on November 21, 2005 10:30 PM
Someone really ought to get fired for the software cock up.
Posted by: Gareth Coker on November 21, 2005 11:34 PM
On the plus side, the Connect Player 1.0 CD makes a superb frisbee.
Every cloud, silver lining and all that.
Posted by: Darren Elliott on November 22, 2005 02:12 AM
Probably nothing more can be said that hasn't already. The 1.0 software is just awful. I cannot believe myself when I hear myself say I'd rather have iTunes.
Sony should be embarrassed to release software that completely ruins this wicked hardware.
Posted by: Sk0rch on November 22, 2005 07:41 PM
If Sony founder Akio Morita were alive today, he would be utterly aghast at what has happened to the company that he founded.
The problems with this effort, which should have been a critical lynchpin in the effort to take on the iPod and iTunes, are so numerous as to be worthy of at least a few MBA business cases. With Apple owning 60-70% of the mp3 player market, essentially taking market share from Sony, and after horrendous reviews of Sony's previous music management software (SonicStage), Sony's latest software should have been at least as good as iTunes if not better. How else could Sony have competed?
The fact that the software is unusable is unthinkable.
I find it hard to make an appropriate comparison but perhaps if GM or Ford was to have created a car to compete with the Camry or Accord, and that new car did not run - that's about as close as I could come.
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