SanDisk is launching the new SlotMusic player.
For those who haven’t seen it yet, there’s a review on the anythingbutipod website. The player is very solid-looking, metal cased, with no display. The device is designed to play µSD cards with the simplest of navigation: forward and reverse buttons, volume, and a play / pause button.
The device runs on a single AAA battery.
At a retail price around $20, it’s a cool basic, bulletproof device. Hopefully, we’ll see it soon in the Sansa Store?
Bob 
Does it support the SDHC cards or just SD? Might not be bad in situations where a LCD screen could get damaged & you don’t need the frills (album art, Artist, Album & such). Just a basic player. Wonder what order it plays the music on the card in, alphbetical by Artist?
$20 is definitely a good price on a basic, stripped-down model. Perfect for youngsters who aren’t yet responsible enough to take care of a nicer one with a LCD screen, or a dis-abled person who would have a hard time navigating the little buttons.
Does it support the SDHC cards or just SD? Might not be bad in situations where a LCD screen could get damaged & you don’t need the frills (album art, Artist, Album & such). Just a basic player. Wonder what order it plays the music on the card in, alphbetical by Artist?
$20 is definitely a good price on a basic, stripped-down model. Perfect for youngsters who aren’t yet responsible enough to take care of a nicer one with a LCD screen, or a dis-abled person who would have a hard time navigating the little buttons.
The one shown in the video on the SlotMusic site looks pretty cool. Wonder if they’ll have different colors/patterns to choose from? That would make it a lot easier shopping for siblings.
From what I’ve seen thus far, the SlotMusic cards are preloaded 1GB SanDisk µSD cards. No word as yet if the player will read µSDHC. The reviewer on ABI found the sound of the Clip to be superior- but ultimate fidelity isn’t the primary aim of the new device.
It sure looks simple and solid enough. At the barest of minimums, I spy the microswitches and µSD platter assembly for device repair. Being able to pop a card in the machine and play a few files is handy too.
Bob 
I’ve read a few reviews on this and most of them seem to suggest that it can indeed utilize SDHC cards. One I believe specifically stated “up to 16 gb”. If that is true, I wonder if that’s because of a hardware limitation, or simply because companies do not yet manufacture anything beyond that capacity. Not sure who would want 16gb of music on a screenless player, though.
I’m not sure if songs are sorted alphabetically or not, but my guess is they’ll play the way they are sorted on the card when you transfer your music over. Organizing music this way could provide kind of a pseudo-shuffle, as long as one takes the effort to mix up the songs before transferring.
This really is a nice player. With a price that low, I’d pick one up for “just-in-case”.
I can also see this player being useful and popular with people who go to the gym, not having to worry about sweat and it getting banged around or dropped and with runners/joggers. A screen is not needed in these situations. You just want to plug in the earbuds and go. No muss; no fuss.
Obviously the sound quality is not going to be near what it is in the other players. 1.) There’s no way anyone is going to sell the same sound quality in a $20 unit as compared to a $100 + machine, and 2.) The absense of a EQ to ‘color’ or boost the sound to your liking is not there. But, these limitations are OK and are not going to be missed in certain situations and by some people. Sometimes all they are looking for is a basic, no-frills player for not much money. If it gets lost, stolen or broken, it’s not that big a loss.
The 1GB ‘SlotMusic’ cards with the pre-loaded music is actually not a bad deal. I already have a few of the albums available and some of them are 2-disc albums. These are priced the same as all of them, $14.99. You’re going to pay that for a new CD in Target or Walmart anyway. True, there is no CD, jewel case or liner notes with artist and track information, but this may be added as files on the cards in the future (the liner notes and album art, not the jewel case).
Obviously, 1GB is nore than is needed for 1 album (or even a double-set), so there is additional space for people to add some more of their own music files. But, if they will also read the SDHC cards, that’s huge! I can see having one of these for "hazardous-duty’ use where you don’t want to risk losing or damaging your nice e280 or Fuze (backpacking, hiking, running, the gym, etc.) Being able to instantly transfer a good portion of your music library to this device and take it with you at a moments notice is very convenient.
Now you just have to remember to carry a spare battery with you.
Tapeworm,
I agree! The new player is quite useful as a basic bulletproof device, no fuss, and simple battery replacement. I wonder when the Sansa Store will have them?
The price on the music is agreeable too, and it can be played on your e200 or Fuze with equal ease.
Bob :smileyvery-happy:
Well, according to slotmonsta in this post on the new SlotMusic forum here, the newest Sansa toy will support the SDHC cards (currently 16GB).
You can also order oneof the new players here, although it it took some navigating around to get to it. It’s not included on the normal Sansa store site. Maybe just because it’s new, they don’t have all the links set up yet. I did notice that the promo code ‘Rhap1’ (at the top of this forum’s pages) did not subtract 15% off when I simulated/pretended to order it.
Dang, that would be sweet to get for 17 bucks!
There are also tech specs, although not many.
Hmmm . . . you think slotmonsta is our Lil_Monsta's alter-ego on the other forum?
Well, according to slotmonsta in this post on the new SlotMusic forum here, the newest Sansa toy will support the SDHC cards (currently 16GB).
You can also order one of the new players here, although it it took some navigating around to get to it. It’s not included on the normal Sansa store site. Maybe just because it’s new, they don’t have all the links set up yet. I did notice that the promo code ‘Rhap1’ (at the top of this forum’s pages) did not subtract 15% off when I simulated/pretended to order it.
Dang, that would be sweet to get for 17 bucks!
There are also tech specs, although not many. It seems a lot like the Express (no screen, small size), but no on-board memory (Express = 1 or 2GB) and the AAA battery. Plus although it may get dinged up, the metal casing should make it a bit more durable. Perfect for the poster a week or so ago whose daughter had cerebal palsy and treated hers “like a hockey puck”!
Hmmm . . . you think slotmonsta is our Lil_Monsta's alter-ego on the other forum? :smileyvery-happy:
EDIT: In checking out the review (complete with pictures) over the ABI forum, I notice the casing is not metal (as previously thought), but a molded plastic shell. Kinda looks like a taco shell.
“Yo Quiero Sansa!” :smileyvery-happy:
Message Edited by Tapeworm on 10-23-2008 07:29 PM
Many are comparing the Slotmusic player to a one gig Clip. The one gig Clip is around $35. The Clip has a display, FM radio, a voice recorder, and other features. The Clip is also said to have better sound quality than the Slotmusic player. How about a premium edition of the Slotmusic player with a display(and perhaps FM radio as well?), and sound quality of the Clip, that runs on one AAA battery. Imo such a player would be extremely popular if it is priced under $40, and especially if priced under $30.
I see the Sansa store now has the link enabled for the SlotMusic player, making it much easier to find and buy. 
WOW!!! I’ve been looking for something like this for quite a while now. I saw this http://www.emtec-international.com/en/produit.php?categorie=AVNOM&gamme=LECTEURS%20MP3&ss_gamme=C205 which looked promising, but good luck. Does not export to USA from Europe.
Maybe SanDisk will refine their current model for a more “mature” audience.
If and when that happens, count me in.
Mike
P.S.
The web page states capacity: unlimited, but the manual states up to 2GB.
My brother in law was born and raised in Jolly Olde England. I saw this thing a few months ago, and he was going to have one of his relatives ship me one until I saw the capacity conflict. Maybe I will ask him to go ahead just to see if it supports micro sdhc cards with an sd adapter.
I’ll keep you guys posted.
Mike
UPDATE - no longer available, but… there are others!
Message Edited by mstubie on 11-05-2008 07:38 PM
There are a few mp3 players with a card slot and no display. Sandisk makes one called the Shaker. Most of these probably have poor sound quality and short battery life(perhaps under 10 hours?) There are AAA battery based models with a display but no card slot that get 16-19 hours on one AAA(the Sandisk m250, other older Sandisk models, and some models by other makers). Most have just a gig or two of storage. One or two have 4 gigs. I haven’t seen any AAA battery players with high quality sound, long battery life, a display and a card slot.
Message Edited by JK98 on 11-02-2008 03:18 PM
My Best Buy just got them in. I’ll pick one up sometime this week.
[url]http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9068581&type=product&id=1218018718515[/url]
Message Edited by Malik on 10-31-2008 06:33 AM
Within an hour or so of seeing reviews of the SlotMusic Player online I ran to BestBuy to get mine. Someone knew I don’t enjoy waiting for my player to re-charge. And they realized I didn’t need a voice recorder or a radio. And how they guessed the EQ settings I like is beyond me. If they had designed it just for me they would have made it default to minimum volume at startup and it would “shuffle” my music. I’m hoping that SanDisk has good success with this approach, then they’ll expand the line to add a model that uses SD memory and has a display … without sacrificing the convenience and quality of the SlotMusic concept. This player is a welcome addition to my Sansa collection, which now includes an Express, an m240 and an m250.
I bought one of these to play podcasts. I am disappointed with it, as navigation is not easy on it. There is no way to go back or forward a folder at a time. It is just one file at a time. Imo Sandisk made a big mistake not including a display on it. Why couldn’t they put a basic display on it like the m250 has? Okay, it would need to be priced a bit higher, but it would be worth it. Does the m250 rev2 have better sound quality that the Slotmusic player? Sound quality on this is disappointing for music. I bought it for voice podcasts, but is too hard to navigate on this. I wanted a new AAA battery based player and didn’t buy the Slotmusic player for the $20 price. I have a Fuze and Clip as well. Sandisk, please give us some AAA based players with a basic text display and sound quality equal to the Clip. The Slotmusic player is also large and heavy compared to the Clip and compared to my old one gig AAA battery based player.
Message Edited by JK98 on 12-29-2008 10:20 AM
JK98:
It’s an “entry-level” player, for people that don’t have one, to enable them to play the SlotMusic cards on something other than their phone. It was/is not meant for more “tech-savvy” or otherwise discriminating users. It doesn’t have a display because that would have added to the price and the complexity. It uses folder\file navigation because that is fairly simple to implement and use, even without a display. Think of it like an old CD player where you played one album at a time. Although I will admit that some CD players have shuffle, but again, that might have pushed the price up above their target.
Anyway, it was/is not meant to compete with a Clip or a Fuze; it was/is a “first step” into the world of digital audio, to be followed by a Clip, or Fuze or whatever. A tricycle of sorts to be followed by a bicycle, motorcycle, sports car, etc.
I have one. I bought it for the “collectability” factor, or however you want to put it. My primary players are a Zune 120 and a Clip 8GB. I don’t expect the SMP to come anywhere close to either of those, but it is quite adequate for what it was designed for.
Sorry to sound like a rant, I just don’t think many people “get” it, and are disappointed because they expect the SMP to be more than it was intended to be.
FWIW, I do think they could cross the SMP with the Clip and get a good AAA- or AA-powered, uSD-slot-equipped, great-sounding player.
A “It uses folder\file navigation because that is fairly simple to implement and use, even without a display. Think of it like an old CD player where you played one album at a time.”
A CD player has a basic alphanumeric display though, so you navigate through the CD easily enough. The lack of a display makes the player much more complex to use, not easier. A CD player also has much better sound quality. A better analogy would be to a casette player. Very hard to find the music you want on the media, and much lower sound quality than a CD(even 256 kbps mp3 files don’t sound so good on the Slotmusic player) I want a AA or AAA battery based player with a card slot that is a replacement for a CD player. I already have a Clip and a Fuze, but those don’t use an easily replaceable battery. Most of my old portable CD players also had both AM and FM radio. I would like a slotmusic player to have both AM and FM radio and a basic alphanumeric display.
“I have one. I bought it for the “collectability” factor,”
It might well become that if it is the only mp3 player that Sandisk makes without a display.
"
Sorry to sound like a rant, I just don’t think many people “get” it, and are disappointed because they expect the SMP to be more than it was intended to be.
"
I thought it was intended to be a CD player replacement. Something that people who are computer phobic would buy. Some people I know are still using a casette player or CD player since they don’t want anything that connects to a pc. Those who use a CD player would not want the Slotmusic player due to the lack of a display, lack of a radio, and much lower sound quality.
"
FWIW, I do think they could cross the SMP with the Clip and get a good AAA- or AA-powered, uSD-slot-equipped, great-sounding player."
That is what I want, although I really want a player that has a basic low power consumption alphanumeric display that is always on while the player is playing like the m250 player, but also having sound quality equal to the Clip, both AM and FM radio, using a AA or AAA battery, and having a card slot.
“A CD player has a basic alphanumeric display though, so you navigate through the CD easily enough.”
Well, yes, but all you get is the track number. I’m not referring to some of the players that do have disc info or lyrics, just the plain old Sony Discman.
“The lack of a display makes the player much more complex to use, not easier.”
I’ll just have to respectfully disagree with you on that. I can operate a CD player without ever looking at the display. The same thing goes for my Fuze and Clip.
“I would like a slotmusic player to have both AM and FM radio and a basic alphanumeric display”.
I don’t think that’s gonna happen. The SMP just isn’t intended for that.
“It might well become that if it is the only mp3 player that Sandisk makes without a display.”
Nope, you’re forgetting the Shaker. It’s understandable, many people would like to.
“That is what I want, although I really want a player that has a basic low power consumption alphanumeric display that is always on while the player is playing like the m250 player, but also having sound quality equal to the Clip, both AM and FM radio, using a AA or AAA battery, and having a card slot.”
Sounds like a great player…maybe Sandisk is listening. It’s fine to want something better, but futile to expect the SMP to be anything more than what it was intended to be. It’s a average sounding player for new digital music users to use as a stepping stone to something better.
I tried to look at it as if I were a digital music virgin. If the SMP had a display or radio, it would be more expensive, and be less attractive to me in terms of not wanting to waste too much money if I decided I didn’t like the concept. If I liked it, I would then look to the Fuze, or Clip if it had a slot, and not be afraid of spending the money on it. If I were a cell-phone-only user of SM, I would appreciate a simple way to play my cards without my phone, and would probably want to graduate to a better player, assuming my phone didn’t live up to my expectations.
FWIW, I hope Sandisk makes your dream player some day.
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