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Posts with tag sansa

SanDisk's Sansa Clip upgrades to 8GB, stays tiny

by Samuel Axon, posted Nov 11th 2008 at 8:00AM


Going jogging for more than a hundred consecutive hours? Then the old models of SanDisk's teensy-tiny Sansa Clip audio player won't satisfy you, but this week a new variant hits with a capacious 8GB of storage -- a plenty-fair amount for the $99 price, and downright triumphant for a clip-on. That kind of storage wouldn't make sense in a Shuffle-like device with no display for song browsing, of course, but it's welcome in the Clip 'cause it actually has such a screen (it's OLED, if you were wondering). Like the other Clip models, it's got 15 hours of battery life, though, so it still won't make it with you on your daily jog from Boston to Pittsburgh. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading SanDisk's Sansa Clip upgrades to 8GB, stays tiny

Sansa Fuze updated to support Ogg and FLAC

by Nilay Patel, posted Oct 4th 2008 at 5:18PM


SanDisk just released a firmware update for the Sansa Fuze -- pretty minor, except it adds in support for FLAC and Ogg, which should make fans of jam bands and lossless music encoding extremely happy. Nothing much else of note here apart from some UI tweaks and bug fixes, but Fuze owners will be appreciative, we're sure.

[Via DAPreview]

Rockbox 3.0 firmware breathes the life back into your MP3 player

by Stephanie Patterson, posted Sep 25th 2008 at 4:31PM


Well it took three years, but Rockbox 3.0 has finally made it on the scene, with a major overhaul in the sound decoding department and support for several new players. This open source firmware replacement is chock full of tasty new features, including codec support for over 15 formats like FLAC and Ogg, 5-band parametric EQ, MPEG video, multilingual interface, Doom and a pile of other games, not to mention freedom from iTunes. Oh yeah, and it can talk to you via a spoken interface -- which comes in handy for not driving off bridges and what not. iPod, iriver, Sansa, iAudio, Gigabeat and Archos models are all supported, though Archos didn't get many of the major 3.0 improvements like expanded codecs.

[Via Ostatic; thanks Eric L]

SanDisk acquires MusicGremlin, slips it in front pocket

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 10th 2008 at 8:00AM


Quite a bit of time has elapsed since we last saw fit to mention MusicGremlin on these pages, but the long-lost outfit has found itself relevant again thanks to SanDisk. Announced today, the latter firm has acquired the former, and we're told that the acquisition will (expectedly) fall under the Sansa audio / video business unit. According to Daniel Schreiber, general manager and senior VP of the aforesaid unit, MusicGremlin's "digital distribution platform and capabilities will provide SanDisk with adaptive and innovative technology that will play a key role in the development of future Sansa products for consumers," though he didn't elaborate much beyond that. To be frank, we have some serious respect for the Sansa line as-is, so we're quite interested to see what impact (if any) this will eventually have on the crew we've come to know so well.

How would you change SanDisk's Sansa Fuze?

by Darren Murph, posted May 16th 2008 at 6:30PM Featured Story


Just like that obscure Burt Bacharach album, some DAPs just need a little time to grow on you. Now that SanDisk's comparatively inexpensive Sansa Fuze has been out and about for a couple of months, we're imploring you dear readers to cast out your opinions on the minuscule device. Are you satisfied with the interface? Have you been disappointed by the sound quality? Was this thing just one feature away from being perfect? 'Tis a shame SanDisk didn't phone you up before mashing the green button and sending these on their way, but here's your shot to tell all who will listen what could be done better in revision two.

SanDisk Sansa Fuze hands-on

by Ryan Block, posted Mar 23rd 2008 at 3:07PM Featured Story


So we've had a SanDisk Sansa Fuze hanging around the office for a few days and already we can tell you that fans of the Sansa line will find it a welcome addition to the line. The interface feels pretty snappy and it's got some of the geeky things you're after (FM radio, microSDHC), a solid 1.9-inch display, and a price $70 cheaper than the nano at the 8GB level. Plus, we know it sounds old school, but we're really into the tactile click wheel, and the Fuze has the best one we've used in a long time. Check out the photos below, including a couple side by sides with a you-know-what.

Gallery: SanDisk Sansa Fuze hands-on

SanDisk's Sansa Fuze gets more details, shipping date

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Mar 11th 2008 at 8:49AM


Remember that Sansa Fuze from yesterday? Well, we've gotten some sweet PR on it with a few more details we didn't hear about yesterday. The device will come in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB configurations, feature playback of MP3, WAV, Audible, WMA, MPEG-4, and JPEG files, and will be compatible with subscription services like Rhapsody To Go, Napster, and eMusic. As we mentioned in the previous post, the 4GB model will be available in black, red, pink, or blue, while the 2GB version only comes in black, and the 8GB is only available in silver. The models are priced at $79.99, $99.99, and $129.99, and will be available sometime in April.

SanDisk's Sansa Fuze gets official, priced

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 10th 2008 at 2:15AM


Check it -- HandStands isn't just making kit for items not yet conceived. Oh no, SanDisk's Sansa Fuze is indeed more than a figment of someone's clever imagination. Judging by a product listing at Amazon, this media player is set to ship "within one to three months" and features a 1.9-inch display, FM tuner, built-in microphone for voice recording, a battery good for 24 hours (audio) / 5 hours (video) and a microSD / microSDHC expansion slot for good measure. As of now, we know that the 4GB unit in red, pink or black will sell for $99.99, but there's no word on whether more (or less, for that matter) capacious / colorful models will eventually emerge.

[Via DAPreview, thanks Nick]

SanDisk Sansa Fuze leaked?

by Ryan Block, posted Mar 4th 2008 at 12:11PM


Accessory maker HandStands appears to have a Sansa Fuze 3-in-1 accessory kit -- but SanDisk doesn't yet have a Sansa Fuze, you feeling us? We don't know much more than that at this point, but from what we can see it's either a big mix-up, a not-half-bad photoshop, or a forthcoming player that looks to take on the iPod nano. Full-size ad version after the break.

[Thanks, Josh]

Continue reading SanDisk Sansa Fuze leaked?

Hands-on with SanDisk Sansa View

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 7th 2008 at 10:44PM


We already saw the Sansa View get unboxed, but there's just something special about catching a gadget up under the hot, hot lights here in Vegas. Pictured below is a gaggle of shots of the aforementioned media player, but you'll have to settle for images of the 16GB iteration. 'Course, the folks at the booth swore up and down that the just-announced (and curiously absent) 32-gigger looks exactly the same, so yeah, you shouldn't be missing out on anything.

SanDisk releases a 32GB Sansa View, 4GB Sansa Clip

by Ryan Block, posted Jan 7th 2008 at 1:57PM


We can't say we're exactly surprised to see the 32GB Sansa View at this point, but SanDisk's also bumped the Clip up to 4GB as well -- which is pretty sweet, considering it's staying at the same $79 pricetag. Unlike the rest of the line, the new Clip only comes in silver, but it's polished to a mirror finish, so you can get your floss on tiny-style. The 32GB View won't be surfacing until February, at which point it'll command $349 of your attention -- and not much else, since it looks exactly the same as the previous versions. If you're still curious, it lurks for you after the break.

Continue reading SanDisk releases a 32GB Sansa View, 4GB Sansa Clip

SanDisk prepping a 32GB Sansa View?

by Nilay Patel, posted Oct 23rd 2007 at 7:12PM


The Sansa View might have just hit, but it looks like SanDisk's already looking ahead -- the specs link on the View page lists 8, 16, and 32GB capacities with a top-end price of $330. Of course, there's no indication when this bad boy might come out, but those of you who had just gotten comfortable waiting for the right View probably don't mind waiting a little longer.

[Via DAPreview, thanks Vizion]

Update: Looks like it could be false alarm. Pretty much every player on SanDisk's site is showing sizes up to 32GB, even the device we know damn well don't havethat much storage, like the mysterious new 8, 16, and 32GB TakeTV, e200 series, etc. Thanks, Clay!

SanDisk's Sansa View gets unboxed

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 23rd 2007 at 4:42AM


Barely a month after getting reintroduced, the 16GB SanDisk Sansa View has been acquired, unboxed and lovingly photographed for your viewing pleasure. No real surprises here (well, aside from the Best Buy logos scattered about), but inside you'll apparently find a stash of paperwork, the player itself, a USB cable, earbuds and an Installation CD. For a closer look at what's waiting within, be sure and hit the read link.

[Thanks, Randall B.]

SanDisk Sansa TakeTV (and Fanfare) hands-on: TakeTWO

by Ryan Block, posted Oct 22nd 2007 at 8:34PM Featured Story


Ok, our new TakeTV arrived, and this time it works perfectly. (The first one we got was a pre-production unit with a bum remote.) Here are a few more things we noticed about the TakeTV and its accompanying Fanfare video download service:
  • The TakeTV interface still has a very unpolished, raw look and feel to it. It's also just the bare essentials, with only a few options for video settings (just aspect ratio, NTSC / PAL, and which video type you prefer: letterbox, pan and scan, fill, etc.).
  • On the upshot, being flash-based and light weight, the system boots near instantly and videos take just a couple of seconds to load.
  • It properly recognized our XviD and DivX files, but didn't like AVC1 encoded movies, and surprisingly enough, didn't like our standard encoded MPEG-4 Handbrake-ripped DVD. (It's supposed to play back MPEG-4 files, maybe we did something funny, who knows.)
  • On the other hand Fanfare looks very slick, but the interface -- done in Flash -- is way too busy, making it sometimes difficult to tell what's going on. It's definitely in need of some simplification and polish.
  • Downloaded DRMed videos are, surprisingly enough, in XviD. But they're wrapped SanDisk's proprietary TrustedFlash rights protection. Files are .smbt.
  • Downloaded videos are about 350MB per 30 minutes. That's 1.6Mbps (200KBps); given that high a bitrate you'd think these videos would look friggin' great, but the sad fact is they look more like 600-800Kbps, tops, so don't be too disappointed when your Fanfare downloads don't look all that amazing.
So our day one thoughts on TakeTV + Fanfare? Well, $99 or $150 for a device that plays all our favorite video formats is kind of a no brainer, especially considering the cost of entry for a lot of other devices in the same category is significantly higher (the $300 / $400 Apple TV comes to mind). We're not sure this whole system is ready for prime time just yet -- but neither is SanDisk, which is why Fanfare is launching in "beta". Maybe with the right hardware and software tweaks this could be a very compelling cheap-or-free download service paired with a very easy to use hardware solution, but for right now we think there are quite a few kinks to iron out.

Gallery: SanDisk Sansa TakeTV (and Fanfare) hands-on, take two

SanDisk Sansa TakeTV hands-on

by Ryan Block, posted Oct 22nd 2007 at 4:20PM


Well, after about a day and a half of anticipation, we've got a TakeTV of our own to fool around with. First thing that struck us: this ain't your mom's USB flash drive -- unless your mom carries around a Zachmorrisphone, because the TakeTV is big. (But it's not really intended for taking out of the house and using on the daily, so it's not like that's really any big deal.) The remote is thin and blister-buttoned (meh) but the play button is unusually, satisfyingly large. The video dock the TakeTV plugs into doesn't have any rubber grips though, so the thick cable is liable to push it around (or over). Other than that, we haven't much else to say since our unit (which was possibly pre-release hardware) is having some trouble getting up and running. Check back soon, we'll let you know how Fanfare and the rest works out.

Gallery: SanDisk Sansa TakeTV hands-on

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