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.

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.

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.

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.

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]

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]

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.

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.

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!

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.]

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.

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.

That SanDisk Sansa TakeTV we saw over the weekend? Well, it's officially announced: the USBTV is now the TakeTV, and will take advantage of a new video platform called Fanfare. The details:

Sansa TakeTV

• 4GB and 8GB sizes, $100 and $150 respectively
• Supports DivX (including Home Theater profile), XVID, and MPEG-4
• Up to 720 x 576 resolution
• On sale immediately
• Intended for use in downloading shows from one's computer to the TakeTV (which is then physically moved to the TV)

Fanfare online video service

• Launching with content from CBS, Jaman, Showtime, Smithsonian Networks, The Weather Channel and TV Guide Broadband, including shows such as CSI, Survivor China, Dexter, and Sleeper Cell
• Video downloads will be both ad-supported (free) and paid (not sure how much yet), depending on the wishes of the content creators
• Fanfare video will also be playable on Sansa portable media devices
• Yes, it's DRMed, and yes, it's proprietary: TrustedFlash, developed by SanDisk
• Launching in beta today, officially launching in 2008
  

Vanilla USB flash drives are so passé, so for those who want a little more flavor more from their generic sticks of memory, might we point you to the SanDisk Sansa TakeTV, apparently freshly leaked by way of buy.com? (It also briefly appeared on PC Mag's site and SanDisk's forums among other sites.) Sure, the TakeTV an 8GB flash drive, but it's also intended to plug into a USB dock with TV outs (and remote), which is capable of reading and decoding the DivX, XviD, and MPEG-4 video files up to 720 x 576 and 7Mbps for playback on your TV. All the old school simplicity of home sneakernet combined with the one-stop-shop convenience of a USB flash drive. Unfortunately buy.com won't tell us when it's out or how much it'll cost, so no one gets to take home TakeTV just yet.

Update: This whole thing sound familiar? It might, SanDisk announced its USBTV initiative at CES this year, so it looks like this is the first resulting product. Thanks to everyone who pointed this out.

[Thanks, Matt]

Not that covering this industry is ever exactly boring, but when key players like SanDisk spokesperson Carm Lyman offer to put something valuable on the line -- in this case, her flowing locks -- in preparation for the holiday sales figures, well, we can't help but get drawn in. The last time we saw two high profile figures engaged in an entertaining wager Microsoft's J Alllard had to sport N'Gai Croal-esque dreadlocks, and now Lyman is matching ZDnet columnist David Berlind's pledge to go bald if Zune is able to overtake Sansa in domestic sales. Berlind originally made the proposal in response to a Robbie Bach claim that Microsoft would snatch the coveted number two position from SanDisk after the upcoming holiday season, which would require a daunting 7% improvement in market share and leapfrogging over Creative. So far Bach hasn't responded to the challenge -- he has until October 31st -- which makes us think that he isn't really all that confident in his assertion, or perhaps just preoccupied with more, um, important matters.