Writing this message in hopes that it gets read by Sansa people at SanDisk.
I just picked up a Sansa Clip today, and I am really impressed!
For the last five months, I have been searching for an inexpensive portable media player that officially supports Ogg Vorbis and maybe even FLAC media. I have searching online and watching the Xiph.org Wiki, waiting to find a common, off-the-shelf solution for under $50. My plan is to load it with podcasts, audio books, and maybe a little music, to listen to in my car and at the gym. The Sansa Clip really met those expectations.
I really like the simplicity and the elegance of the features. This is the first OLED display device that I have owned, and I have been looking forward to having one since I visited Seoul many years ago and saw them everywhere. I like how the Sansa clip does not require a unique power cord, how it comes with a portable USB cable, and it is compact and seems durable. The FM and FM recoding is a great bonus. The best part is the seperatation of the files, so I can put podcasts and music in different directories. Further, the device reads the file tags on Vorbis and FLAC so I can play by genre. That’s hot! This is a really well designed device.
I am a Linux user - I have no access to Microsoft operating systems. I greatly appreciate how the support forum has an official guide for upgrading within Linux. When I saw this, before buying the device, it sold me on buying. In fact I bought two today, so I can give another to my friend who also uses Linux. After seeing the device in action, I will be sure to be buying many more, too. With the 2.x firmware pre-installed, I was able to plug in the device - once I set it in MTS mode - and it just worked!
I have a couple of suggestions, regarding the support. First, I strongly suggest that the Ogg Vorbis and FLAC support be printed on the box. I would have never purchased this device based on the box’s statement, “Supports MP3 and WMA file formats.” Luckily, the SanDisk Sansa website does clearly state this support for both the Clip and Fuze. On the box, there is plenty of extra space, why not set the Sansa series apart from all the other MP3 players by letting customers know about Vorbis and FLAC?!
Also, it would be great if there was additional focus on Linux support. It is disappointing that MTP mode is not supported, when popular Linux programs such as Amarok and Songbird are supporting MTP devices. I did not buy the device for this purpose, so it is only in hindsight that I even consider it. Hope it might roll out in a future firmware release, though!
You can be sure that I will be recommending the Sansa Clip and Fuze models to others I know who are also seeking portable device playback for their Ogg Vorbis and FLAC audio libraries. It would be great if SanDisk recognized Linux customers by stating, on both the website and the box, their support for the Linux operating system. It would make people more comfortable purchasing your product. Regardless, I know I will be satisfied with this device and will be using it for a long time, even as faster Internet speeds allows more FLAC content online. Thanks very much for your support of these open formats.
