08/24, 10:40am
SanDisk intros tiny, Mac-ready Sansa Clip Zip
After two years' silence in the category, SanDisk returned to mini MP3 players in earnest with the Sansa Clip Zip. It stands as the first clippable Sansa with a real color screen and aims to challenge the iPod shuffle by providing the features of a full player, but at the price and size of Apple's least expensive player. Although it has just a 1.1-inch LCD, it gives an 83 percent improvement over the earlier, lower-resolution two-tone OLEDs and can display album art.
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09/11, 1:35pm
Early take on Apple's sixth-generation iPod nano
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled his company’s new iPod Nano, some Apple lovers cringed. The device that was once so useful, they complained, has become a glorified iPod shuffle. But they might not necessarily have had reason to fear; in fact, the truth might just be the opposite.
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08/31, 8:55am
SanDisk Sansa Fuse Plus gets new UI, many formats
After a long silence, SanDisk today finally updated its core MP3 players with the Sansa Fuze+. The MP3 player is first a reworking of SanDisk's interface and drops the iPod-like jogwheel for a capacitive touch directional pad. Its software interface is also new and brings a simpler if Zune-inspired "film strip" interface that puts major categories at top and provides either quick access from the top level or a launch into a deeper level.
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08/18, 7:10pm
SanDisk Sansa Fuze Plus leaks out
SanDisk is finally upgrading its core MP3 player line, a leak this evening showed. The Sansa Fuze+ should replace the 2.5 year old original with a fresher design that uses capacitive touch buttons and a color OLED display. It would address some longstanding complaints with support for AAC and H.264, although Engadget's spec notes SanDisk is keeping the largely unused slotRadio format an option for its microSDHC slot.
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08/06, 10:45am
Analyst sees new two new MacBook Air models
Apple is planning a huge ramp in production for a new MacBook Air that could suggest a much more mainstream design, BMO analyst Keith Bachman said today. An investigation into the supply chain suggested that two models are enroute in September that would ship in numbers far larger than for the existing Air. The researcher didn't yet have specs but believed the volume was a sign it would cost significantly less than the $1,499 Apple asks today.
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03/20, 12:45pm
SanDisk may have new drive, media players
SanDisk's homepage has begun teasing "something big" launching this Tuesday. The company hasn't provided any direct hints but leads off its teaser with "memory full" and shows what appears to be an anthropomorphized drive or media player. No leaks have appeared lately to supply extra hints.
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12/01, 8:40am
Zii Trinity serves as reference Android phone
Creative entered the phone arena for the first time today by launching its Zii Trinity platform. Like the Zii Egg, the Trinity is a reference design rather than a full product and gives those building hardware or software a full-touchscreen Android (or Creative's own Plaszma) smartphone to work from. It supports quad-band GSM/EDGE as well as tri-band, 7.2Mbps 3G over HSPA but still carries the ZMS-05 chip that provides 1080p video decoding and hardware accelerated OpenGL ES 3D.
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09/20, 7:05pm
Sansa Clip Plus reviewed
Nowhere is it harder to make a good portable media player than in the ultra-small, wearable field; even Apple decided it would rather go without a screen than try to fit the usual controls into something that clips on your belt. SanDisk has long thought differently and has carved out a niche for itself with the Sansa Clip, but we want to know in our full reviewif its Clip+ sequel can topple the iPod shuffle.
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08/31, 8:50am
SanDisk Sansa Clip Plus
SanDisk launched its first new media player in over a year today with the Sansa Clip+. The major revision to its iPod shuffle competitor fits a microSDHC card slot and can use this either to expand the built-in storage or to play the company's preloaded slotMusic or slotRadio cards. It's also finally Mac-compatible and lets those users drag-and-drop music from Mac OS X Panther or later.
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03/20, 5:25pm
SanDisk slotRadio player
The Sansa slotRadio MP3 player from SanDisk that was first introduced at CES has been given an official release date on Friday, with the company announcing it will make the $100 player available then. Buyers will get a microSD card with the player preloaded with 1,000 popular songs from every common genre on the Billboard charts. While these files will be DRM-protected and only play on the Sansa slotRadio, users can plug in their own tracks on separate microSD cards.
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03/04, 6:00pm
Sansa Tap trademark found
Sandisk has recently trademarked the Sansa Tap name, suggesting the company is working on a touchscreen MP3 player, according to a DAPReview report on Monday. While there is no other information to go on regarding the nature of the possible device, the existence of competition making touch-based devices, the name, and a perceived consensus on high demand for the players points to Sansa Tap as likely referring to touchscreen displays.
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11/11, 9:10am
SanDisk Sansa Clip 8GB
SanDisk raised the stakes in its competition against the iPod shuffle and Creative ZEN Stone with a new, 8GB version of the Sansa Clip. The capacity gives it storage for up to 2,000 songs and doubles the capacity of Creative's best ultra-small models and quadruple that of Apple's. It continues to hold the same four-line OLED display that lets it have full control over music while still rendering it small enough to attach to a belt or clothes through its namesake hook.
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11/10, 1:00pm
ChangeWave Apple Holiday
Apple's recent MacBook lineup and the iPhone may make it one of the better-positioned companies to survive a likely steep drop in spending during the holidays, according to new data from ChangeWave. The analyst firm says that a full third of all studied US notebook buyers, or 33 percent, plan to buy some form of Apple notebook during the season or within the next 90 days from the start of November. The number represents a slight boost from 29 percent in September and puts Apple's demand on par with Dell; HP continues to significantly trail behind at just 22 percent.
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09/25, 3:50pm
SanDisk 16GB microSDHC
SanDisk today quietly confirmed the imminent launch of new capacities to its microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (M2) lines. Both are doubling in capacity to 16GB and are targeted at cellphones and portable players that can use the format as their only or primary source of storage. The update gives the T-Mobile G1 as much potential storage as the iPhone and Nokia N96, while SanDisk's own Sansa View can hold as much as 48GB with the microSDHC option. Certain newer still cameras also support the format.
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06/10, 11:05am
SanDisk Buys MusicGremlin
SanDisk today said it has bought out MusicGremlin for an undisclosed amount. The deal is meant to give the Sansa player manufacturer access to the smaller company's still rare direct-download subscription service, which allows members to download an unlimited number of songs each month to the player itself via Wi-Fi rather than first transferring them to a PC. The features will have a "key role" in future Sansa devices, according to SanDisk's Sansa Senior VP Daniel Schreiber.
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03/19, 6:30pm
SanDisk Sansa Fuze Review
While many portable media players have been directly compared against one or more of Apple's iPods, few of the larger names in the industry have sought to take on Apple in a direct way. SanDisk has largely been one of these competitors until March, which has seen the company release one of its most direct challenges to the iPod to date and one of the first most obvious challengers to the third-generation iPod nano. Click ahead for the full Sansa Fuze review, which suggests that Apple may have some reason for worry, especially in regards to price.
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03/13, 10:30am
Sansa Fuze Hands-on
The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is at our offices and already being prepared for a full test. In the meantime, we've already collected first impressions of the player and can already say that the current iPod nano (and Zune 4/8) may have some genuine competition. The Fuze is perhaps the most direct spin-off of the Apple design we've seen to date, but it improves on the formula: the 1.9-inch screen is only slightly smaller than the 2-inch iPod but translates to a considerably narrower design which is easy to hold. The scroll wheel is essentially the same as for the larger View and is more precise than the smaller iPod's, if not quite as efficient at scrolling quickly through a long track list.
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03/11, 8:15am
SanDisk Sansa Fuze
SanDisk this morning quickly ended leaks by releasing the Sansa Fuze, the company's particular take on the same small, widescreen player formula as the third-generation iPod nano. Much shorter than the Sansa View, the Fuze has a small 1.9-inch screen but still includes a full jog wheel and the newer music and video playback features, effectively replacing the outgoing E200 series. In contrast to most devices in the category, however, it also sports a microSDHC slot: users can add as much as 8GB or more to the storage of their existing player if they run out of space or want a permanently rotating collection of music.
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03/10, 9:50am
Sansa Fuze on Amazon
More details have surfaced about SanDisk's upcoming Sansa Fuze music player, according to an Amazon leak. The listing confirms the Fuze's role as a direct iPod nano rival with a 1.9-inch screen, music and video playback on 4GB of storage, and a jog wheel for navigation. Unlike the Apple player or rivals like the Zune 4, the Fuze would add a microSDHC slot for as much as 8GB or more of additional storage. It would also bring an FM radio and voice capture through a microphone.
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03/04, 12:05pm
SanDisk Sansa Fuze Leak
SanDisk is gearing up a new music player that would straddle the line between the basic Sansa Clip and the larger View, a leaked flyer for an accessory kit shows. The Sansa Fuze would sit almost exactly between its two sister devices in size and would share the same iPod-like jogwheel while offering a screen roughly as large as or larger than that of the third-generation iPod nano. Few details are revealed in the leak, though it becomes clear SanDisk will offer the player in blue and other colors as well as include the same on-screen interface, complete with photo and video support.
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02/20, 1:05pm
Creative ZEN Share Tip
Creative will finally join companies such as Apple and Microsoft in offering a wireless music player, say some reported insiders privy to the details. Purportedly named the ZEN Share, the device will use Wi-Fi for its network connection. Most details are unavailable, though the name directly points to a sharing ability likely based on that of the Zune. The Microsoft player allows users of similar players to share tracks over a peer-to-peer wireless network and wraps songs in a temporary copy protection system to prevent trading of copyrighted tracks.
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01/07, 4:50pm
Clip 4GB and View 32GB
SanDisk today upgraded its Sansa jukeboxes, escalating the fight between flash-based music players. The Sansa Clip (shown at right) now doubles in storage to 4GB but also receives a stylized mirror finish; the effect not only brings the player upscale but creates a stealthy effect for the built-in LCD screen. The View in turn becomes SanDisk's most capacious-ever music player: at 32GB, it eclipses the iPod nano and touch and pulls even with the just-announced 32GB Creative ZEN in storage. More can be added through a microSDHC card slot.
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12/07, 8:15pm
USA TODAY buyers guide
With an abundance of MP3 players that have come out over the course of the year, buying the right player as a gift can be tricky. USA TODAY's Kim Komando has assembled a list of this year's most wanted multimedia players, with offerings from Apple, SanDisk, Microsoft and Archos. First on the list is Apple's iPod touch, with its large, bright touchscreen and up to 16GB of storage. WiFi allows users to browse the internet and purchase music – something that the others either don't do, or require additional subscriptions or components in order to have that functionality. Komando laments the lack of access to subscription-based music services. The Touch sells for $300 for the 8GB model, and $400 for the 16GB model.
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