The Fuze+

“No, of course it doesn’t really matter. It just seems… unimaginative, I guess”

 I want the player to be imaginative. I don’t care that much about the name, athough it might be weird having an mp3 player named Susan. :slight_smile:

I guess I shouldn’t be that negative about this until I read some user reviews of this and how well the touch interface works, although most touch interfaces aren’t that conducive for use when one is  active, such  as while walking or running. I guess those who are into video might like this especially if the price is low and it plays video well. I would like a player with a decent sized low powr monochrome screen that is on all the time while the player is on(perhaps e-ink?), as I have no desire for videos or photos on my player.

Imo Sandisk should have left the Fuze successor  with tactile buttons, and also have a View+ with a 3.3" or larger touchscreen and a full sized SDXC card slot. Let’s see if there will be a View+.

With a micro USB connection, the same cable used for the SlotRadio device can be shared.  Personally, I like the mini USB type as in the Clip+.  Power consumption with the new display, running video, is my main concern.  Battery capacity is more critical when running video in the device; this is where a larger battery would really shine.

I’m spoiled, running with the iM413 Altec-Lansing dock.  Video is fun on the wee Fuze when docked, as the screen is horizontal.  With USB connection only, one must run a pigtail to the auxiliary connection, and the Sansa isn’t running on “shore power”.

The jury is still out on the bigger SDXC format, though.  Those who have a collection on the microSD cards will appreciate compatibilty with the new player, I would think.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

A full sized SDXC card slot will also take SDHC cards, which also includes micro SDHC cards in  adapters.

I guess Sandisk is too obsessed with shaving a few mm off the thickness than to give long battery life(50+ hours)

or a full sized SDXC card slot.

Micro SDHC cards are good for wowing the technologically illeterate(they are amazed when I tell then a fingernail sized card can hold 8,000 songs or 8 million typed pages. They are so easy to drop or misplace though due to their small size. The tiny size of the Clip+ isn’t always a benefit, as many people have washed clothing with a Clip or Clip+ in the pocket. Smaller isn’t always better, especially when things get too small.

JK98 wrote:

 

The tiny size of the Clip+ isn’t always a benefit, as many people have washed clothing with a Clip or Clip+ in the pocket.

Ah, but it comes out so nice and clean, and typically starts right up (after drying out).

:wink:

Oh, and as to the “Tap” name:  SanDisk earlier abandoned its trademark application for the U.S. federal registration of that trademark, for whatever that’s worth

“Capacitive touch control”?

I take it that means the end of being able to pause/play, adjust the volume, or change track by touch while it’s in my pocket?

Tactile controls that I can use by touch were one of the main reasons why I bought a Fuze rather than a touch screen player.

Touch sensitive controls may look good, but the usability is terrible compared with normal buttons. I think I’ll be looking for another player that doesn’t put form over function when my current Fuze dies.

A touch screen, using the same surface as you are viewing, is quite popular in the mobile telephone market.  Just watch someone navigate about using an iPod Touch, or if they have a transciever in that little box, an iPhone.

It’s quite interesting, as you can’t do anything without eyeballing that wee screen first.  Tactile buttons are superior in my book.  Definitely safer if you are moving about.

The same goes for a “track pad” type control, they involve a lot of fiddling about.

Bob  :wink:

@neutron_bob wrote:

A touch screen, using the same surface as you are viewing, is quite popular in the mobile telephone market.  Just watch someone navigate about using an iPod Touch, or if they have a transciever in that little box, an iPhone.

 

It’s quite interesting, as you can’t do anything without eyeballing that wee screen first.  Tactile buttons are superior in my book.  Definitely safer if you are moving about.

 

The same goes for a “track pad” type control, they involve a lot of fiddling about.

 

Bob  :wink:

The whole “touch-screen” nonsense is just a fad. Here today, gone tomorrow. I’m not sure what will replace it, but rest assured something will, even if it’s back to buttons. Probably “voice-only” commands.

Remember the track-ball contraptions about 20 years ago for PC’s that were going to replace the mouse? Well, they’re gone and the mouse is still here.

" The whole “touch-screen” nonsense is just a fad."

Perhaps on an audio player, but on a video player with a 4" screen, having a touchscreen might mean having the player not much larger than the size of the screen.

An audio only player could have a screen larger than the screen on the Clip+, and could use r-ink or some other low power monochrome screen so the screen can be on all the time when the player is on.

The nicest solution to this I once saw was a 3rd party accessory for the original iPod design, the Nyko iTop Button Relocator --a physical row of buttons that attached to the top of the iPod (that even were texturally distinct).  That way, you could use the front of the player when it was out of your pocket, but the top row of buttons when it was in.  Unfortunately, its use stopped with the 4th gen. of players.

I like being able to control my player through fingerplay alone, when on the go (hiking, etc.).  Unfortunately, screen control is all the rage.  Having both, with a row of control buttons on the top or side of the player, could be a nifty solution.  Unfortunately, it would add to the cost, and so likely would not be done …

A touch-sensitive layer over the display is not cheap.  Individual button controls are better, and quite inexpensive to produce, especially if the button “capsules” are engineered to drop into position and align properly during case assembly.  It’s all in the “jig”.

New and different are handy selling points, but this can be overwhelmed with bad press, or feedback.  I have grown quite fond of SanDisk’s final products, as the controls make or break the device, as we use them every day.  The miniscule iPod Shuffle is a case in point, as one has to master skills akin to getting a Ham license just to navigate the little thing.

Touch-pads are interesting, but problematic in use.  A flush pad with tangible “clicks” is an improvement, just like the HP netbook pads have.

The “wobble wheel” of the Fuze is a unique specimen, with great feel and ease of use.  I am nervous about any major changes to something that’s proved so utilitarian and reliable.

Now, a big Fuze optimized for video would be sublime.  Oh, and by optimized, having a big battery is part of the package in my book.  Video processing and display are power hungry functions.  A touch screen is quite acceptable for that.  Come to thinkof it, a color OLED display would also be cool.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

The Fuze+ doesn’t impress me at all.  I would much rather use a Clip+ or Fuze than the Fuze+. I am sorry to see this as a replacement to the Fuze. Imo it should have been a View replacement.

 Folks, if you like the buttons on your Fuze, I suggest that you buy a spare Fuze before they become hard to find. I hope Sandisk will come out with some new players with tactile buttons, a scroll wheel, and a built in clip(or else packaged with a case that has a clip on the back).

It’s really more a revised View than a Fuze. And it implies a revamp of the Sansa Media Converter goes with it.

@black_rectangle wrote:

It’s really more a revised View than a Fuze. And it implies a revamp of the Sansa Media Converter goes with it.

True enough…but you can’t blame them for not bringing back that View name again, can you? :wink:

@marvin_martian wrote:

 


@black_rectangle wrote:

It’s really more a revised View than a Fuze. And it implies a revamp of the Sansa Media Converter goes with it.


True enough…but you can’t blame them for not bringing back that View name again, can you? :wink:

 

Was that View . . . or Pepe Le Pew?

I’ve seen some people call it a real stinker! :stuck_out_tongue:

You can check out the demo videos via the main SanDisk page (click on the icon).  Looks like the navigation is very smooth.

It will take me a little while to get used to the huge font used in the GUI top line, but it does look cool.

Bob  :stuck_out_tongue:

I’d say try it before you judge whether the navigation is better or worse than scrolling on a wheel. The navigation is very similar to an iPod Touch, which is pretty easy.

It does retain one of the worst bits of the Fuze, unfortunately - it still requires mad scrolling to get through a very long list. Even with 16GB, I rely on genres to avoid the artist list. It’d be even worse with 16GB plus a 16GB flash card. On my Touch, I can go directly to a letter and skip most of the scrolling. That feature first showed up with the Creative Zen M (as far as I know), and its really nice.

I would hope it doesn’t retain the Fuze’s lenghty refresh. With 32GB of MP3 music, that’d probably take about fifteen minutes.

32GB in such a small device for ~$150 (16GB + 16gb microSDHC) would be fantastic, though!

The refresh on the Fuze is a weird thing. Before I took my 16GB card out of my V1 Fuze, I had the internal memory and the card full, and in the Sansa firmware, it only took three minutes and a couple seconds to refresh. I know someone with a V2 that says his refreshes take 25 minutes!  I think a lot of it comes down to people’s tags.

I must say, part of the external design didn’t excite me initially–the touchpad especially doesn’t seem especially classy looking to me, in the photos.  And I’m not sure what’s up with a micro-USB port, when mini-USB is the standard–now, just a need for another cable around?

Having said that, watching the Fuze+ in operation in the promo vid, I couldn’t help but say, Wow!, and feel impressed.

I must say, part of the external design of the Fuze+ didn’t excite me initially–the touchpad especially didn’t look especially classy to me, in the photos.  And I’m not sure what’s up with a micro-USB port, when mini-USB is the standard and especially with a full-size player–now, just a need for another cable around?  (Or, did I get that wrong?)

Having said that, watching the Fuze+ in operation in the promo vid, I couldn’t help but say, Wow!, and be impressed.

“And I’m not sure what’s up with a micro-USB port, when mini-USB is the standard and especially with a full-size player–now, just a need for another cable around? (Or, did I get that wrong?)”

Theoretically speaking, micro usb is superior to mini usb, as with long term pluging and unplugging, mini usb is more likely to wear out the jack before the plug on the cable is worn out, while with micro usb most of the wear is on the plug, and the plug will typically wear out well before the jack. Notice I said theoretically speaking, as we are dealing with a player with a built in battery, so even if mini usb was used, it is likely the battery will wear out well before the usb jack.

I think many countries now require cell phones to use a micro usb connector. I would have preferred a mini usb connector on the Fuze+.