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IRL: oStylus Dot, Sansa Clip+ and SanDisk's Extreme Pro 128GB CompactFlash Card
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. This week's IRL is a quirky mix of vintage and modern, with Billy getting comfy with a new iPad stylus and Jason clinging to the Sansa Clip+ player he's owned since 2009. Rounding things out, Darren's decided to put all his digital media in one proverbial basket: a 128GB CompactFlash card.
IRL: Nexus One, Sansa Clip Zip, DeLorme PN-60 and the HP TouchPad
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. Welcome back to IRL, a new column where we dissect, defend and gripe about the gadgets we're using in real life. This week, Dante gets a firesale TouchPad, Dana ditches her Shuffle for a Sansa Clip Zip, Tim's on a boat with the DeLorme PN-60 and Darren explains why, exactly, he's still clinging to his Nexus One.
SanDisk launches $50 Sansa Clip Zip MP3 player, makes for a cheap workout date
If you've been working out with help from tunes on your Sansa Clip MP3 player or Sansa Clip+, chances are you've gotten a bit trimmer -- and you're not the only one. SanDisk's launched a thinner and upgraded version of its song slinger, the Sansa Clip Zip MP3 player. The newest incarnation plays all standard major music formats, comes in red, blue, black, orange, white, grey and purple, and has 4GB or 8GB worth of storage with room for more via microSD. It's launching in Europe next month, but is currently available in both the US and Canada for $50 and $70 depending upon how many jams you want it to hold. Thanks to its massive 1.1-inch display, the Clip claims 15 hours of battery life, which should be just enough time to keep up with your daily workouts, right? Jog on over to the full PR after the break.
SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ review
SanDisk's original Sansa Fuze may have had a solid run -- it's been a particular favorite among those looking for a good, inexpensive player that doesn't skimp on features or audio quality -- but there's no question that it was long overdue for an update, and SanDisk recently came through on that front with the completely revised Sansa Fuze+. Boasting a considerably sleeker design, the Fuze+ replaces the Fuze's venerable tactile click wheel with a capacitive touch panel (but not a touchscreen), and it hangs onto many of the features that made the original Fuze stand out, including a microSD card slot, FM radio, and support for a wide range of formats (including FLAC and AAC). Are all the changes for the better? Read on for our full review. %Gallery-103839%
SanDisk debuts newly designed Sansa Fuze+ PMPs
SanDisk's finally updated its Fuze PMP with the Sansa Fuze+. The newly designed device boasts a 2.4-inch LCD, with three capacities -- 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB -- to choose from. It also comes in red, white, purple, blue and black in the latter two models, while the 16GB only comes in black. Other than that, it's pretty low on features: the Fuze+ (you'll be happy to know) features full compatibility with slotRadio (and all microSDHC cards), supports all the major file formats, and a new barebones user interface. The Fuze+ lineup is available today, and the 4GB will cost you $79, the 8GB model will run $89, while the 16GB is priced at $119. Full press release follows below.
Sansa Fuze+ leaks out with slotRadio support, 24 hours of battery life
And here we thought SanDisk had up and buried its once-thriving Sansa PMP line. After all -- it was this company's CEO that said "you can't out-iPod the iPod." For whatever reason, it looks as if the memory mainstay is about to try its hand once more in the saturated media player market, with a Sansa Fuze+ rumored for release in the near term. As you can clearly see above, there won't be anything too special about the Fuze+, though the 2.4-inch QVGA display, capacitive touch controls and inbuilt FM tuner are certainly appreciated. It'll ship in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB flavors, supporting the usual file formats (AAC, MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, Audible, MPEG4, H.264, WMV, etc.) and offering a rechargeable battery good for 24 hours on the audio side and 5 hours on the video side. USB 2.0 support is thrown in, as is the absolutely riveting confirmation that it'll be "ready for slotRadio and slotMusic memory cards." Knowing that, we aren't so sure if our minds can take the wait till September 12th, but we'll do our best.
SanDisk CEO concedes: "You can't out-iPod the iPod"
It's a truth that many open-minded observers have known for awhile now: Apple rules the roost in the portable media player market, and everyone else is just trying to keep up. Sorry, but it's true. So true, in fact, that SanDisk's own CEO has finally come forward to admit it, recently stating in a Fortune interview that "you can't out-iPod the iPod." And believe us, such a statement probably wasn't easy for Mr. Eli Harari to make. Remember, this is the same fellow that spent boatloads of dough on an "iDon't" anti-iPod campaign back in 2006. 'Course, SanDisk is still a (very distant) second place in the sector, and its flash memory is used in all manners of PMP devices. Still, it's a huge relief to finally hear the mastermind behind slotMusic confess that he doesn't actually believe such gimmicks will put it on a fast track to first place. Then again, crazier things have happened.[Image courtesy of dnorton]
SanDisk working on "Sansa Tap" trademark
It could come to nothing, but the enterprising crew at DAPReview just dug up a SanDisk trademark filing for a player called the "Sansa Tap." The mark hasn't been granted yet, but it's been a while since we've seen a new Sansa -- and no, the thoroughly ridiculous SlotMusic Player doesn't count. We'll see how it goes -- we'd love SanDisk to blow our minds with some crazy MusicGremlin-powered touchscreen player, but something tells us the company might be a little distracted with other problems right now.[Via DAPReview]
SanDisk slotRadio player comes with jam-packed card: like NOW, but infinitely worse
Oh, heaven help us all. Just when we thought SanDisk had taken a hint and stopped promoting its slotMusic initiative entirely, in flies this. Quite honestly, we weren't aware that it could get any worse, but this friends, is worse. The Sansa slotRadio player includes a fairly intriguing 1.5-inch OLED display, a useful FM tuner and a slotRadio card with 1,000 hits that were "handpicked from the Billboard charts." Oh, and we hope you dig 'em (all of 'em), because there's no way to remove or alter them. For real. The device itself is expected to ship to three or four suckers early this year for $99.99, and additional 1,000 song, genre-specific slotRadio cards will be offered up separately at $39.99 apiece. And we thought the NOW That's What I Call Music! theme was a train wreck -- way to show 'em what a real disaster looks like, SanDisk.[Via OLED-Display]
SanDisk's Sansa Clip upgrades to 8GB, stays tiny
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.
Sansa Fuze updated to support Ogg and FLAC
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
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
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?
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
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-19018%
SanDisk's Sansa Fuze gets more details, shipping date
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
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?
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]
Hands-on with SanDisk Sansa View
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. %Gallery-12969%
SanDisk releases a 32GB Sansa View, 4GB Sansa Clip
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.
