The MZ-NF610 Net MD Walkman recorder provides unrivaled versatility, offering not only MD playback, but a special tuner for listening to AM-FM radio as well as TV and weather-band programming right from the remote control. The unit's SonicStage Jukebox software stores and manages digital music files, custom playlists, and music transfers, and bookmarking lets you program favorite songs in real time during playback. The MZ-NF610 offers high-speed transfer from a PC via a direct USB connection (up to 32x speed in LP4 mode) and can record more than five hours of music on one 80-minute minidisc (using LP4 mode). It also uses Sony's skip-free G-Protection technology, which eliminates or reduces skipping during many active uses. The MZ-NF610 is compatible with the RealOne music player and the pressplay.com online music subscription service. It plays back ATRAC3 files and supports multiple Internet audio formats, including MP3, WMA, and WAV.

The Easy Skip group-folder function helps organize songs into albums or groups. Once the songs are transferred to the MZ-NF610, it's easy to skip from group to group. Besides the bundled SonicStage software and SonicStage simple burner application, the MZ-NF610 includes MoodLogic software, which goes beyond typical jukebox applications, letting you compile music by mood or tempo rather than simply by artists and song titles.

MoodLogic corrects file information by identifying and retitling mislabeled tracks during ID3 tag cleaning. It also has a feature called Music Marker, which lets you "tag" music during playback. Once the device is reconnected to a PC, MoodLogic retrieves the marks, connects you to the Musiclub Web site, and provides information about the song and artist and links to download new tracks, purchase CDs, or discover similar artists. The unit provides up to 56 hours of continuous playback on one AA battery and comes with a rechargeable battery.

Here's how you can use the included Sonic Stage Software to manage your music files: