That last update really revived my Z1060, it now flies through songs and all apps open snappily, where it struggled before. It is now a great music player and mini tablet. I don't recall seeing the equalizer settings available in the Play Music app before?? It has to be said we all sort of adapt...

Updated quickly, in less than the estimated 5 minutes, Sony's Music Player opens normally, I can switch between songs with less drama, they're a mixture of flac, m4a and mp3s. In fact other apps open quicker. Sound seems the same, really good.   Thank you Sony! Never thought I'd write that...

There may be a way of connecting a memory card via USB... Apparently there is a way to connect a microphone via an OTG cable to some android devices (which also requires a special app); this very same cable might allow one to connect a memory card reader? Of course there's more uncertainty given...

Quote:   There's an official and free upgrade to Android 4.0.4. Be warned that the stock music app is finicky, in my experience particularly with lossless, but when it plays it sounds amazing... Can't comment much on Android vs iOS other than the latter feels old to me, but that's just me...

"There has been no replacement for the Z series and there never will" er... That's the F... Would they be crazy enough to kill the walkman? Well, it's Sony! it would be a shame, I wouldn't have a way of sneering at sneering Apple fans...   As to the original question, I originally wanted an...

Quote:   I asked a couple of friends to listen to my Z with XBA-4 headphones... They both listen to iPods, they are both into audio for their work... They both said it was no contest, iPods sound plain bad in comparison...   The iPod's bound to be more compatible - it's the Microsoft...

I just compared a couple of tracks on my 11" MBA and my Sony NWZ-1060 (Fujiya Miyagi Sixteen shades of blue, Radiohead Staircase, m4a AAC); same tracks, same ATH-M50 headphones. No hiss from the either, more clarity and spacing from the Sony, the MBA sounds all right, the Sony very good.  ...

Quote: I have this combo, it's great... Rocking Air's Surfing on a rocket... . To be honest it's kinda hard not listen to the Z with the XBA-4... It's a different sound, immersive, addictive... I have an utilitarian soul, it's difficult to accept having different headphones, however good...

I used the USB charger that came with my Xperia Mini Pro... Didn't explode, charged fast... You might try another USB port on your computer, not all ports are made equal... That charger looks like a nice option though... And you can listen to your music while the Z charges, if that helps...  

I haven't listened to this model but it's going to be "fine"; if you can get a hold of an older A series in your neck of the woods that might work out better sound wise. I got an NWZ-A844 for about $76 USD (in Mexico) just to give you an idea. The box was all beat up but the player is great...

Strangely enough the stock player has gotten much better at playing FLAC... Maybe ICS needed to "get used" to the format??

Your welcome! Check out this thread, someone posted many links for the firmware, they seem to be region dependent... http://www.head-fi.org/t/584479/new-sony-walkman-z-series-mini-review/2850   I'm listening to flac files with the XBA-4 (Blonde Redhead)... It's really amazing... Get yourself...

I have the 32 GB version, NWZ-Z1060; the sound is great, I'm using them with XBA-4 and ATH-M50. These players just got a downloadable firmware update to ICS which lets them play FLAC natively. Strangely enough (or not, it's a Sony after all) the stock media player has a bit of trouble opening...

Finally listening to Flac on my Z... Sounds glorious... The stock player get sluggish and crashes at the start... But when it works oh man!  

Quote:   Thanks for this, worked great!