Sansa Clip+ Offers Big Sound & Tons of Features in a Tiny, Stylish Package

@jk98 wrote:

For nimh rechargeables the power rstio for leading edge AA/AAA batteries is 2.9( 1000 mah AAA, 2900 mah AA).

 

For alkalines the ratio is around 2.5. The AA is smaller in power per volume, as the AAA has more overhead per unit of power for packaging.

 

 OK… I haven’t been following the AAA market recently… last I saw there were only 650mah.

 It’s more than just a smaller battery has more packaging overhead.  AFAIK AA’s are the most optimized because they sell the most of them.  NIMH D batteries are over 6x the volume of AA’s but only 3.3x the capacity at 10 AH (Duracells)

 

“It probably is what they meant. I’m just pointing out that inserting thousands of songs in seconds isn’t the same as listening to them (the wording they used) as soon as you’re done inserting if you have to wait a few minutes for the refresh.”

I haven’t tried a Slotradio card, however I imagine that there would be no wait for a database refresh. I would love to see the option to disable tag browsing in the Clip+ and Fuze, so that cards can be swapped without any delays to refresh the database. I hope we will see this in the next firmware update. The ability to disable tag browsing would also make Slotmusic cards more desirable, as one could remove a Slotradio card then go right to listening to a regular card without any delay.

Will Sandisk have 400 or 500 song Slotradio cards that sell for $20 or less? One web page I saw hinted at the possibility of 500 song cards. I doubt I would spend $40 or $50 for a 1,000 song card, but might buy one or more 400 or 500 song cards if they are priced at $20 or less.

@jk98 wrote:

I would love to see the option to disable tag browsing in the Clip+ and Fuze, so that cards can be swapped without any delays to refresh the database.

Excellent idea!

Would be interesting to see if SanDisk would add the feature to allow the user to de-evolve the player back to a folder-based player …

You would lose folder browsing too then. It actually uses the database for that, it’s not actual storage-level folder browsing.

@7o9 wrote:
You would lose folder browsing too then. It actually uses the database for that, it’s not actual storage-level folder browsing.

 Well, yeah, fix that part too.

 

"You would lose folder browsing too then. It actually uses the database for that, it’s not actual storage-level folder browsing. "

If that is true, then it really ■■■■■. Why isn’t it storage-level folder browsing? Unfortunately I think you may be right about this though, as I was using my Fuze last night in folder mode, and two files in a folder on the player were in reverse order from the way they appeared in the folder on the pc. I still can’t understand why. I will watch for this.

Message Edited by JK98 on 09-02-2009 01:45 PM

@jk98 wrote:

"You would lose folder browsing too then. It actually uses the database for that, it’s not actual storage-level folder browsing. "

 

If that is true, then it really ■■■■■. Why isn’t it storage-level folder browsing? Unfortunately I think you may be right about this though, as I was using my Fuze last night in folder mode, and two files in a folder on the player were in reverse order from the way they appeared in the folder on the pc. I still can’t understand why. I will watch for this.

Is the idea here that the database loading algorithm might load the files by creation/modification date, causing the files to not be displayed in alphabetical order by filename?

 

Maybe it is storage-level folder browsing, and the firmware simply sorts by some other file attribute than filename (why, I don’t know).

The files that were switched in order had names that were the same until the 20th charachter. Windows dealt with this properly, but the Fuze had them in the wrong order. I guess the Fuze doesn’t look at the full filename, or even the first 20 charachters.

I’m in the market for a MP3 player to take to the gym, so I would also like a FM turner on it. The sansa clip+ was recommended.

When you download music, do you put it on a sd card first?, opposed to my a windows library?  What about other free download music sites… can they be used as well?

This forum did not speak highly of the accessories for the sansa clip+. What accessories are available for the Sansa Clip+?

Is the Sansa Clip+ a better purchase than the Ipod Shuffle? How comparable are the two?

Any type of tutorial video would be helpful.

Thank you.

@dvreeser wrote:

I’m in the market for a MP3 player to take to the gym, so I would also like a FM turner on it. The sansa clip+ was recommended.

When you download music, do you put it on a sd card first?, opposed to my a windows library?  What about other free download music sites… can they be used as well?

 

This forum did not speak highly of the accessories for the sansa clip+. What accessories are available for the Sansa Clip+?

Is the Sansa Clip+ a better purchase than the Ipod Shuffle? How comparable are the two?

Any type of tutorial video would be helpful.

 

Thank you.

 

The card is not SD, it is microSD.  You can load music on the card with a separate card reader, or while it is in the player.  The player also has internal memory (models from 2 to 8 GB) and does not require a card.

I don’t have a shuffle, but AFAIK the main similarity is the size.  The clip+ has FM, recording,   a DISPLAY , some control over what songs you listen to, and the memory slot.   

You can download music to the Clip+ from whatever source you have, including free music sites.  The Clip+ will accept unprotected music as well as DRM’ed music.  You can download directly to the Clip+ if it is connected to your computer, or first to your computer and then to the Clip+ (I think most people do it the second way, so that they have a copy of the music on their computer, in case something goes wrong with the music on the Clip).

Accessories:  that’s easy, there are none yet.  The Clip+ has a built in clip, and so can be clipped to your shirt, your pants pocket, your dog’s collar, etc.  You also can purchase a generic velcro armband and clip it to that.  A few companies made cases for the original Clip (one silicone, one leather, one neoprene rubber) and I think it likely that someone will do so for the Clip+ in the next few months (the Clip+ only recently came out).  Generic-y AC chargers (plus from the likes of Belkin, Griffin, DLO, Macally, etc.) can be used with the Clip+, available all over, as long as they are 5V (the norm for AC USB chargers); likewise, generic car chargers are readily available.  Finally, you can use a patch cable (available all over) to go from the headphone jack of the Clip+ to the input jack of speakers.

The newest Shuffle is great if you want the smallest of players (it’s the size of many headphone in-line volume controls) and don’t care about a display, fm radio, recording ability, or memory expandability (all of which the Clip+ has).  The Clip+ also will let you use a Rhapsody “all-you-can-eat” music subsciption, and Audible audiobooks.  For me, the Clip+ is a nice cross of small and usability (more so than the Shuffle–I want a screen for navigation and informational purposes).  And no special software is needed for the Clip±-you simply can drag and drop music to it.  (By the way, it also is less expensive than the Shuffle, for more memory.)

Thank you;excellent information.one more thing,for the clip+,what style of ear buds come with it?can you chose

different ones? does scan disk have a picture of them on there site?

The Clip+ comes with earbuds that sit in the outside of the ear but don’t enter.  I think I’ve read that they are fine enough to start with, but, quite candidly, I’ve never used them, given the availability of very nice earphones of various types at attractive prices nowadays–I think that this investment is very worthwhile.  The earphones that come with the Clip are standard–there is no choice as to type/style.  But, as noted above, easily replaced by you with earphones of your choice.

An image: Amazon.com

The supplied earbuds with the Sansa are pretty decent, compared against many readily available types.  I find that they have a warm balance with pleasant bass, compared against many other “off the shelf” types.  Many users never use them, opting instead to use a favorite pair with their Clip.

Managing your music, audio books, and podcasts is simple with the Sansa.  You can simply “drag and drop” the audio files to the connected device, or use any one of many available applications, Windows Media Player being the most readily available, to keep track of your music.

Many users use applications like Media Monkey or Winamp to handle the task, or services like Napster or Rhapsody to transfer subscription music.  The Clip is happy with all of these.  Which one you will use, or even a combination of all the above, is up to you; one isn’t limited to a sole application to enjoy the Sansa.

µsansa