Thinking about buying

Hey guys! I am considering buying a Sansa Fuze+ 16 GB model and a 32 GB Speed Class 10 SD card. However, I have noticed multiple people (including the firmware update sticky) say that the player can be slow or even unrepsonsive with a larger library and with larger SD cards. I currently have 20 GB of .ogg music, and would like to add more, so this worries me. I have a few questions:

  1. Is the slowness with large libraries a problem with -some- people, or is everybody having it?

  2. For the people that have this problem: What speed class is your SD card? If it is 2 or 4, that could possibly be the issue.

  3. I use Linux, will the device show up as a 48GB media player, or will it show up as a 16 GB player with a 32 GB sd card? (when I plug it in with USB).

  4. Does the player automatically integrate the SD card into the library, or does it show up as a seperate menu section?

  5. Anyone noticed any speed or performance problems using .ogg music?

  6. Beside the aforementioned slowness with large libraries, how does the interface perform (and look)? I couldn’t find much information about it online. Does it have categories like most played, genre, artist, etc?

  7. Can I easily make playlists with the player, or do I have to use my computer?

  8. How durable is it? Does it hold up well to a few drops, etc? How badly does it show scratches/finger prints?

  9. Finally, assuming they are still around, can anyone “in the know” say whether or not SanDisk is working on fixing the problems with performance? Any kind of ETA would be helpful. (If i’m only going to have the problems for a few months, then I would probably buy it anyways and just be easy on it till a firmware upgrade is released).

That is all I can think of right now. I’ll be looking forward to the answers.

Thanks,

Chris Carpenter

The speed of the card doesn’t matter when playing music. It might matter for some video. A faster card will load faster when loaded in a pc card slot. There are still a number of issues with the Fuze+ firmware. It is uncertain when these will all be worked out. The issues mostly have to do with unintended navigation. There is a way to lock the touch controls, however then one can’t easily pause or restart the player without removing it from a pocket, unlocking the controls, pausing or restarting it, then relocking the controls. A real PITA. The highest rated players with a touchpad or touchscreen also have a few tactile buttons so a few basic controls (such a play/pause) can be used while the touch controls are locked.

The Fuze+, Fuze, and Clip+ integrate card contents with main memory when browsing by tags(artist, album, song, etc.) The only real advantage the Fuze+ has over the Fuze or Clip+  is that the Fuze+ is much better for video. If you don’t plan to use video, then get a Fuze or Clip+ rather than the Fuze+.

The Fuze is a wonderful player.  I’ll clarify that: both Fuzes are wonderful players, the “classic” smaller round-control device will spoil you, as the interface is atomic fast in use.  The new Fuze+ is a nice machine, but it is still amidst refinement.

I’ll elaborate for you.

Let’s start with the Fuze.  I had my doubts at first, favoring the hybrid e200 series v2 devices.  These are a Fuze, hidden inside the original e200 shell.  The e200 is a battleship, metal-backed, the Boeing B52 of Sansas, without a doubt.  The Fuze was introduced just after the Sansa Clip, the smallest Sansa to date.  For those preferring a device with a larger display, and even docking capability, the Fuze is the choice.

Many radical changes took place over 18 months, including FLAC and OGG capability, video bookmarking, podcast management, and improved video performance.  In the background, performance with protected media, such as Rhapsody and Audible, was enhanced as well, making the Fuze quite versatile.

As a reference point, the e200’s development ceased with the original Fuze firmware build, making it an ideal benchmark against which to compare the Fuze’s performance.  I must mention this at this point, as I’m an optimist.  If the Fuze+ follows the original Fuze in terms of development improvements, we’re in for a good show.

The original Fuze is a great machine.  There is a hybrid out there today, the Clip+ , which is esentially a miniaturized Fuze, also with microSD capabilities, trading the color display for a smaller monochrome OLED display, and of course, a smaller battery in that wee domino-sized device.

The new Fuze+ is a completely new design, with a completely redesigned user interface, and a new touch-pad control instead of the familiar “wobble wheel” control.  The bigger display is sharp and bright, and battery performance is better.

The Fuze+ has had two firmware revisions in short order, as quirks have been worked out.  SanDisk has been busy with this new machine. 

In a nutshell, perhaps I should center on the main points.  The Fuze is faster on startup, as it remembers whether media has been added or changed prior to starting up.  The Fuze+ , currently, checks the internal memory and microSD card on power-up, which takes a moment.  The wobble wheel (rotate to scroll, or press one of the four sides to navigate) of the Fuze is a wonderful, solid control.  The new Fuze+ uses a capacitive touch pad (like a notebook PC) as its primary control, and so far, it’s quite sensitive.

Both devices sound very good.  It’s still very early in the new machine’s (released) development, and I’m sure that there will be many enhancements.  I have been building a list of bugs and ideas, always fun with a new device, especially such a novel one as the Fuze+ really is.  I really like it, and I’m confident you will too.

With a large capacity card like the 32GB one, if you want to fly with a proven machine, you can’t go wrong with the original Fuze, and the new Fuze+ has wonderful potential.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy: