SanDisk intros Made for Sansa

You're doing your damnedest to position your MP3 players as the top alternative to the iPod, so what do you do? Well, if you're SanDisk you counter Apple's "Made for iPod" licensed accessories program with your very own "Made for Sansa" licensed accessories program, right? SanDisk is launching the program with about 40 different products, including speaker docks, travel cases, headphones, armbands, FM auto transmitters, chargers and cables, from many of the same companies (Altec Lansing, DLO, Griffin, HandStands, Macally, Maximo Products, and Speck Products) who are already making iPod accessories. It's a smart move on SanDisk's part -- the massive ecosystem of accessories is one way that the iPod maintains its dominance over the market -- and presumably they aren't asking for a licensing fee of 10% of the wholesale cost of each accessory like Apple does with the Made for iPod program.

[Otter @ Sep 3rd 2006 1:26PM]

Go Sansa!!

[SMG @ Sep 3rd 2006 2:12PM]

I'm just wondering when sandisk is going to come out with a ipod video competitor. They have one for the nano, the shuffle. . . I want a hard disk version!

[strider_mt2k @ Sep 3rd 2006 2:35PM]

I love my Sansa player.
It's got great sound, was inexpensive, and I didn't have to fork over another 50 bucks just to listen to FM radio or make a voice recording.
Oh, and no DRM BS either.

Let the lines be drawn.

Go Sansa.

[Tom W @ Sep 3rd 2006 2:40PM]

SMG,
I doubt SanDisk will ever have a hard disk player. The reason they got into mp3 players is because they are already in the flash memory business.

Personally, I'm hoping for a 60GB flash memory player. Mass production always brings down manufacturing costs and I'm sure mass production of flash memory is in full-swing by now. We just have to wait for competition to bring down what I'm sure is a huge profit margin for flash memory manufacturers.

[JJK CT @ Sep 3rd 2006 2:59PM]

I have no PMP, and the sheer amount of choices I see here on engadget paralysis's me. Those Sensa players that can be expanded with additional flash memory are the first I've been interested in.

[3rdsun @ Sep 3rd 2006 3:10PM]

that is great news for us sansa owners. just got mine an was wondering how to charge without hooking up to the pc. I see Griffin has a charger made for sansa. I think other mp3 manufactures should seek out these companies for acessories. I wondre if Creative will be in on the do

[miznig @ Sep 3rd 2006 3:20PM]

great. these players have become very popular due to the low price and decent capacity.

the firmware is a little buggy and still needs work but I guess it'll be fixed if the player gains more popularity.

[Sasha S. @ Sep 3rd 2006 3:24PM]

Boring logo for boring accessories for boring player! Go, Sensa Go!!! (in the direction of a 2 for $5 bin).

[dave95 @ Sep 3rd 2006 3:48PM]

At least make the logo look different from (Made For iPod) SanDisk, so you don't look like an iSheep, following suit.

BTW: Can you see the other clones following suit?

Made For Creative
Made For Archos
Made For Samsung
Made For Iriver....

[Lee Gibson @ Sep 3rd 2006 4:07PM]

*snort* Good luck with that.

[Tom W @ Sep 3rd 2006 4:09PM]

3rdsun,
I found this:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4662217

[bryan Q. Ebstyne @ Sep 3rd 2006 4:10PM]

Hey Tom W,

You are waiting for the 60 GB flash player? Enjoy the wait!

Point: what makes you think you will want a flash player in 24 months?

I'm thinking that a 1 TB hard drive HD video player will sound pretty cool in 2008.

Cheers!

B

[Tom W @ Sep 3rd 2006 4:19PM]

Bryan Q. Ebstyne,
Well here's a 64GB USB thumb drive:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/03/29/buslinks-64gb-usb-2-0-flash-drive-pro-2-series/

I don't see why someone can't build an mp3 player around that. The price is a little crazy, but I think that's due to greed, not manufacturing costs.

[ran @ Sep 3rd 2006 4:24PM]

I would personally buy a 6-8gb flash video player if it played divx/xvid, h264 and was widescreen. Unlike music, there's no need to carry a large quantity of video because the vast majority of the stuff I watch would be deleted after I finished.

[Tom W @ Sep 3rd 2006 4:26PM]

Bryan Q. Ebstyne,
Here's another one:

http://www.kanguru.com/flashdrive_max.html

[Zo @ Sep 3rd 2006 5:20PM]

Excellent, now go hookup with Harmon Industries so we can have better native in car MP3 hookup other than the iPod at half the price -- then we would be talking

[Brody @ Sep 3rd 2006 11:14PM]

"Can you see the other clones following suit?"

I think so, it's a pitty that they don't get together and do a "Made for everything, except iPod". Unity is all they can use to topple Apples monopoly (yes it is a monopoly, stop denying it fanboys).

[bufbarnaby @ Sep 4th 2006 2:25AM]

Smart company...look at their stock price soar. Hope they keep taking market share.

[phillip @ Sep 4th 2006 6:45AM]

what i would like to see is someone come out with an adaptor for ipod stuff to everything else. so you can use the car stuff with your player. oh well.

[davidr521 @ Sep 4th 2006 1:23PM]

Tom W,

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4662217 says that it's for any MP3 player, yet under the "Compatibility" section, what does it say?

Apple Ipod.

Ridiculous. I love my Sansa.

D (not a cr*apple fanboy)

[Gadget Extremest @ Sep 5th 2006 11:26PM]

"At least make the logo look different from (Made For iPod) SanDisk, so you don't look like an iSheep, following suit.

BTW: Can you see the other clones following suit?

Made For Creative
Made For Archos
Made For Samsung
Made For Iriver...."



This is why we need a standard connection, protocol, and interface for all MP3 players. You should be able to buy an MP3 Player accessory and have it work with any MP3 player.