MP3 Players

As interesting as it may be listening to the conversation of the person next to you on the bus, playing your own music may pass the time a bit faster. If you ever find yourself with a spare moment, perhaps on the subway or waiting at the doctor’s office, SanDisk has a product for you. The new Sansa Fuze MP3 player is a simple and cost conscious product. It allows you to take your pictures, music, videos and audiobooks with you in one convenient vessel. Starting at $79.99, the Sansa Fuze MP3 is an economic alternative to the iPod and offers functions such as an FM radio, voice recorder and a microSD card slot for simple transfer and exchange of information.

The Sansa Fuze also offers a variety of color options and is available in gigabyte capacities of 2, 4 or 8. It is a great product to take to the gym or on road trips and won’t burn a hole through your wallet. The Sansa Fuze is compatible with Windows XP or Windows Vista and also works with Mac and Linux operating under MSC mode. The Sansa Fuze starts in price at $79.99 for the 2 GB. www.sandisk.com/sansafuze.

Do you remember the “mix tape?” It is a compilation of songs for the one you love for those of you who do not know what a tape is. Well, the tape actually limited the amount of songs you could share with your sweetheart. Why would you allow technology to limit your expression of love? SanDisk Corporation has developed the tiny Sansa Clip now with a 4GB capacity! Therefore, you can prove your love is limitless for this Valentines Day!

The OLED screen on the matchbox-sized Sansa Clip will allow your Valentine to choose the songs they want to listen to out of the 1,000 songs you can load on this machine. The built-in microphone will also allow you to record some love notes in your own voice, or something else really special. You will only spend about $79 (MSRP) for this 4GB Sansa Clip, and if you're lucky — you might find an external speaker system so you can enjoy the Clip too. Read more

A 16GB media player for your pocket! Now available from SanDisk is the Sansa View — a video MP3 player with a robust battery, large screen, all in a sleek package. The price for the 16GB player is $199 MSRP, and an 8GB player for $149. There is also a card slot (of course) and you can expand this little PMP (portable media player) up to 24GB!

This player has an integrated microphone for voice recording, or recording other times in your life. To put all of this memory space into perspective for you … the 8GB Sansa View can hold 2000 MP3’s, or 12 two-hour movies, or 4000 JPEG’s. Average files sizes on these numbers of course. Read more

Thought the Walkman was dead? Think again. Sony just announced two new Walkman players to the consumer electronics market. In a move to compete with Apple, their latest Walkman players not only support audio, but now have added video and photos into the mix.

Also announced, they will be doing away with their CONNECT Music Services (not before March 2008) and will now feature an Open Digital Music Environment- meaning they are compatible with Windows Media Audio (WMA), as well as AAC and MP3 music formats. Read more

SanDisk must have minor children working for them in R&D (Research & Development) — because they have one cool product on their hands. Well … now in the hands of kids! The sansa Shaker MP3 Player is really the perfect MP3 Player for all because of its built in speaker.

SanDisk has done a great job developing products for all people, and this product does exactly what it is supposed to … perfectly. On the exterior of the packaging it says, “Ages 8 and up!” So of course my brilliant four year old can handle the task of product reviewer.

Immediately after opening the package, and placing the battery (one AAA) inside, I handed the sansa player over to the little hands. No instruction from me, and within three minutes the pre-loaded children’s songs were playing. “Daddy, Daddy, check this out! It plays music!” Read more

Creative’s new ZEN Stone is a tiny 1GB MP3 player priced at only $39.99 and will be available by May 14. It features a smooth contoured design and it’s so light you might not believe it's an MP3 player.The ZEN Stone comes in six rockin’ colors; black, white, red, blue, pink and green.

Just drag and drop up to 250 songs to the Creative ZEN Stone. Choose "Play" or "Random" and listen to up to 10 hours of your favorite songs from a single charge of the built-in battery. You can also skip between folders containing favorite artists or playlists. The Creative ZEN Stone is so simple to use that it does not even need a screen; just skip through tracks or albums while you are on the go, or simply play all the songs randomly in the shuffle mode. Read more

The world’s only waterproof and shockproof MP3 player, the  Freestyle Audio Sport MP3 Player, is designed for an active lifestyle, no matter the activity, intensity or destination. Whether you're surfing, training for a marathon, relaxing in the spa or washing your car – the Sport MP3 Player is durable enough to withstand most environmental conditions and enable you to enjoy your music anywhere. Read more

Sometimes when folks are trying to run you out of town on a rail the best thing you can do is start leading the parade. The guy from Cupertino (hint that’s Steve) made a bold move in that direction with his Manifesto posted on the Apple web site. He turned to the crowd and said…”Wait a minute folks my lowly little anywhere music player/music site isn’t the problem. The devils in your own back yard made me do it.”

He’s right…and he’s wrong. The entertainment industry is right…and they’re wrong. The entertainment consumer is right…and he/she is wrong. It all boils down to DRM (digital rights management) and CA (conditional access) of content. By deftly deflecting the issue from Apple’s phenomenal iPod/iTunes success to the requirements the music industry laid down that enabled the company to garner more than 60% of the mobile music player market his posting may force the industry to finally work together for the…consumer. Read more

The SanDisk Sansa MP3 player with a built-in FM tuner is the perfect gift or personal purchase to let you tote your favorite tunes with you all summer. This miniscule musical marvel will allow you to hear your favorite music skip-free - even during vigorous exercise -- and can play for up to 15 hours continuously on a single AAA battery. Unlike many MP3 players, the SanDisk allows you to record meeting notes or classes for students entering college. The built-in FM tuner has 20 presets that let you to switch to radio when you need a change of pace. Retail Price: $144.99 Available at Office Depot stores and www.officedepot.com