I've recently bought this item and the battery life is far less than I expected. Having contacted Sony I was told batteries cannot be replaced in this model:( I'm going to run my own checks over the next few months. If you are near a Sony Centre (shop), I'd advise going in and asking if they could help. I was given a customer number and told to swap my player for a replacement. I've spent three weeks getting my albums loaded so I can't do that! Too much hassle setting it all up again from scratch.