Well, the Archos 5 is more than twice the size of the Fuze (and three times the price, and much huger capacity)–a whole different class of gadget. Have you tried the Sony and Samsung players that are Fuze (or Nano) sized?
This thread is going in the wrong direction. Let’s not mention the products of Sandisk’s competitors here. After all, this is a Sandisk company website.
@black_rectangle wrote:
Well, the Archos 5 is more than twice the size of the Fuze (and three times the price, and much huger capacity)–a whole different class of gadget. Have you tried the Sony and Samsung players that are Fuze (or Nano) sized?
Blah,Blah,Blah…
Short of banning me, no one, I repeat no one is going to tell me what I am going to say. So get off your high horse already…
@jk98 wrote:
This thread is going in the wrong direction. Let’s not mention the products of Sandisk’s competitors here. After all, this is a Sandisk company website.
Blah, Blah, Blah.
Short of banning me… No one is going to tell me what I am going to say in any thread… Deal with it…
@jk98 wrote:
This thread is going in the wrong direction. Let’s not mention the products of Sandisk’s competitors here. After all, this is a Sandisk company website.
I agree that it is getting off-topic, but there is nothing wrong about constructively discussing a competitor’s product here. Many people even have competitor’s products proudly displayed in their ‘sig’.
Where it crosses the line is and breaks the Forum’s Rules & Guidelines is when:
- No advertising of competitor products or services is allowed.
which I don’t see here.
@jk98 wrote:
This thread is going in the wrong direction. Let’s not mention the products of Sandisk’s competitors here. After all, this is a Sandisk company website.
I agree that it is getting off-topic, but there is nothing wrong about constructively discussing a competitor’s product here. Many people even have competitor’s products proudly displayed in their ‘sig’.
Where it crosses the line is and breaks the Forum’s Rules & Guidelines is when:
- No advertising of competitor products or services is allowed.
which I don’t see here.
I agree with JK98 and Tapeworm. it may be allowed to talk about other products but if sandisk reads about these it could be quite painfull. But since sandisk does NOT read their forums and it’s not a rule it’s okay to talk about other products but try not to say somethings better than the other because it really matters what it’s meant to do.
Message Edited by sansafinder on 09-13-2009 02:36 PM
I disagree with JK98. I would be interested in a serious comparison between the Fuze and similar (in form factor, capabilities and capacity) products.
The only A-B comparison I’ve been able to make is between Fuze and iPod Nano, and the Fuze wins that competition on sound quality, price and features. But there are a lot of other contenders, and I would be curious to hear from people who have tried them. And if something is better, there’s absolutely no reason not to say so.
If SanDisk couldn’t handle that appearing on this website, it shouldn’t be in a business as competitive as consumer electronics.
And frankly, if SanDisk were to censor such a post, I would stop posting here. There’s always Anything but iPod.
@black_rectangle wrote:
I disagree with JK98. I would be interested in a serious comparison between the Fuze and similar (in form factor, capabilities and capacity) products.
The only A-B comparison I’ve been able to make is between Fuze and iPod Nano, and the Fuze wins that competition on sound quality, price and features. But there are a lot of other contenders, and I would be curious to hear from people who have tried them. And if something is better, there’s absolutely no reason not to say so.
If SanDisk couldn’t handle that appearing on this website, it shouldn’t be in a business as competitive as consumer electronics.
And frankly, if SanDisk were to censor such a post, I would stop posting here. There’s always Anything but iPod.
Agreed 100% on all points…
@fuze_owner_gb wrote:
@black_rectangle wrote:
I disagree with JK98. I would be interested in a serious comparison between the Fuze and similar (in form factor, capabilities and capacity) products.
The only A-B comparison I’ve been able to make is between Fuze and iPod Nano, and the Fuze wins that competition on sound quality, price and features. But there are a lot of other contenders, and I would be curious to hear from people who have tried them. And if something is better, there’s absolutely no reason not to say so.
If SanDisk couldn’t handle that appearing on this website, it shouldn’t be in a business as competitive as consumer electronics.
And frankly, if SanDisk were to censor such a post, I would stop posting here. There’s always Anything but iPod.
Agreed 100% on all points…
Fascinating…
Well, I found something that suits my needs better than the Fuze, but I still feel the Fuze is quite competitive in the market. Its only failings, IMO, are the EQ and the trouble people have with video and the SMC. I am not following the video4fuze program’s progress that some of our members here are working on, because I no longer have a Fuze…but I wish them success.
Competition and comparisons are healthy in the marketplace. Just think how bad Apple would be if there wasn’t any competition…
Marvin, would that be your Samsung Q2 or your Sony S545?
@black_rectangle wrote:
Marvin, would that be your Samsung Q2 or your Sony S545?
The only thing the Fuze conclusively has over either of them is the card slot. If I was to go to Best Buy, 8GB Fuze, $99.99…Q2 8GB, $99.99…the 8GB S544 is $109.99( I have the 16GB though…the 16GB Q2 and S545 are around $130 at Best Buy. There are places you can find any of them cheaper…Fuze and Q2 online can be had for as low as $60 occasionally, but not always…whereas my S545 was cheaper in a store than it was online.
Both of them have 2.4 inch screens, as opposed to the Fuze’s 1.9…both have more power output…Q2 is king here, S545 between Q2 and Sansa. Both have vastly superior EQ/sound enhancement options available, which means I can be happy with any of my headphones with either one…which was not the case with the Sansas.
The one area where you in particular, Black-Rectangle, would have an issue, is that the Sony is 
MTP. But as fuze-owner GB has pointed out, with properly optimized software, it seems to work just fine. It includes a content transfer software (CTS) on the player itself, which you can install on your PC, and the format the device to clear the space up. And what does it do? You take whatever you want to add to the player, and drag and drop it onto the CTS icon, and it loads it onto the player. You can do regular drag and drop with Explorer, but there’s no need to. Using the CTS just plain works. And no need to fuss around with ReplayGain…the S545 has “Dynamic Normalizer” which boosts quieter tracks to match louder ones. It does this without any noticeable distortion.
The Q2 is user-selectable, MTP/MSC…the only deal breaker with it, for many people, would be the touchpad controls. If you can come to terms with them, it’s a sweet player.
Another thing…battery life. Rated battery life is always given assuming moderate volume, no EQ, 128kbps mp3 files. So here’s the breakdown…Q2-50 hours. S545-42 hours. Fuze-24 hours. Clearly, bitrate, codec, EQ usage, etc, can all take a toll on these ratings, but my one friend who used a ton of EQ and effects on his Q2 was still getting around 25 hours of life, while driving full-size headphones.
Obviously, everyone’s individual preferences must be factored in…that’s why I said, “for my needs”. Maybe these players might not suit someone else as well as me, and that’s fine…it’s still a free country, right? 
Great reviews, Marvin.
I think Sandisk would be well-served in reading your comments. They were far more insightful and thought provoking than your normal…‘Add this feature to the Fuze or I’ll never buy another Sandisk product’.
That is a very good critique of the three players. It’s more informative to me than the CNET review. The best part is the middle when you write that Samsung has MTP/MSC mode and Sony only has MTP, and how it works on the Sony.
@fuze_owner_gb wrote:
Great reviews, Marvin.
I think Sandisk would be well-served in reading your comments. They were far more insightful and thought provoking than your normal…‘Add this feature to the Fuze or I’ll never buy another Sandisk product’.
@mags1230 wrote:
That is a very good critique of the three players. It’s more informative to me than the CNET review. The best part is the middle when you write that Samsung has MTP/MSC mode and Sony only has MTP, and how it works on the Sony.
Thanks guys. That’s what I hoped for, that it would be an informative post, and I did not want it to come across as Fuze-bashing.
I do think that SanDisk’s Fuze sales are going to be cannibalized by the Clip+…but there is a simple solution…as has been pointed out here by many, there needs to be a higher-capacity Fuze. That will differentiate it somewhat from the Clip+, and bring in some buyers that want higher-capacity flash players. There was a 32GB View…it’s time for a 32GB Fuze. 
@marvin_martian wrote:
@black_rectangle wrote:
Marvin, would that be your Samsung Q2 or your Sony S545?
The only thing the Fuze conclusively has over either of them is the card slot. If I was to go to Best Buy, 8GB Fuze, $99.99…Q2 8GB, $99.99…the 8GB S544 is $109.99( I have the 16GB though…the 16GB Q2 and S545 are around $130 at Best Buy. There are places you can find any of them cheaper…Fuze and Q2 online can be had for as low as $60 occasionally, but not always…whereas my S545 was cheaper in a store than it was online.
Both of them have 2.4 inch screens, as opposed to the Fuze’s 1.9…both have more power output…Q2 is king here, S545 between Q2 and Sansa. Both have vastly superior EQ/sound enhancement options available, which means I can be happy with any of my headphones with either one…which was not the case with the Sansas.
The one area where you in particular, Black-Rectangle, would have an issue, is that the Sony is
The Q2 is user-selectable, MTP/MSC…the only deal breaker with it, for many people, would be the touchpad controls. If you can come to terms with them, it’s a sweet player.
Another thing…battery life. Rated battery life is always given assuming moderate volume, no EQ, 128kbps mp3 files. So here’s the breakdown…Q2-50 hours. S545-42 hours. Fuze-24 hours. Clearly, bitrate, codec, EQ usage, etc, can all take a toll on these ratings, but my one friend who used a ton of EQ and effects on his Q2 was still getting around 25 hours of life, while driving full-size headphones.
Obviously, everyone’s individual preferences must be factored in…that’s why I said, “for my needs”. Maybe these players might not suit someone else as well as me, and that’s fine…it’s still a free country, right?
So I just decided to give the video capability of the Sony a try. I downloaded 9 roughly 5 minute video podcasts from CNET, dragged and droped them onto the CTS, and in only a couple of minutes, they were all loaded onto the S545. All were m4v format, with AAC audio:dizzy_face: ( I forgot to mention before…Q2 supports all the same codecs as the Fuze, mp3, wma, FLAC, Ogg…Sony supports mp3, wma, WAV, and unprotected AAC) I tried them out, and I was able to choose horizontal or vertical orientation, and the clarity of the screen was a delight, as I was able to see that the lovely Natali Del Conte’s lips were exactly in sync with the sound of her voice…of course, she sounded better with the headphones than on the speakers.
Hey everyone - i am the op (sorry i haven’t been back on but have had a blue screen of death issue with computer and it’s now just fixed!) seems like this thread has caused a bit of a stir. I still haven’t opened my fuze as I am still not sure what to do (money is tight so buying both is a luxury I cando without!) whoever said that the clip is great due to the size - that is mypoint exactly. I do not need to watch video or to look at pics I just want my wonderful clip back as i only needed it for a couple of hours at a time max.
What is stopping me calling sansa again for a replacement is the whole whoo ha over customer support which to be honest was really lame. For the basic user, what was so good about the clip was the simplicity - when you try to throw tons of features in a smaller and smaller player, the build and everything has to be GREAT for it work optimally - for me htis was why the clip was great -enough functionality, but not so much for stuff to go wrong with.
If I find the energy to call sandisk do you think that they would swap me the fuze for either the old clip, or, for all my phonecalls and hassle a clip+?
If you call them and tell them you never wanted a Fuze, and that you wanted a smaller player with a built in clip, then perhaps they might be willing to send you a Clip+ if no Clips are available. If you are so unhappy with the Fuze, then I suggest contacting them. The worst they can say is that there are no Clips available, and that they need the 'refurbished"(ie. opened and returned etc.) Clip+ units to send to those who return a Clip+. The person who decided to send you a Fuze probably thought he was doing you a favor, since the Fuze sold for more than the Clip. He should have asked you if a Fuze would be okay before just sending it though.
Just called them and had yet another brick wall experience. It’s getting “escalated again” was their mistake and i now need to send the fuze back and go through the whole process again so yet another month without mp3 player - argh!!! Oh and i don’t have the option to keep the fuze now. I have vented in an email - not holding out much hope!!
Reading it back it sounds awfully foot stamping and childish (and very badly written!) but I just had to VENT!!! I just want my clip back!!!
Dear Sir
I have just been on the phone regarding recieving a SanDisk fuze as a replacement for a clip player and I am not happy. I would like this to be passed on to management level ASAP as there is (surprise surprise) no complaints address on your website. I know that htis is probably a futile request but I am not a happy customer.
I have been less than impressed by the communication and service from customer support over this whole incident. Below is all the communication I have received about this, and here is a list of my problems. I would like this to be rectified.
-
The communication over this whole event has been terrible - I have constantly had to phone and chase the return, I did not have any communication to say things had been recieved.
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When I called about whether my player was being sent to me, as it had been well over 10 days from return and I still did not have my player, your service agent could not help me - they had “escalated” the matter.
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I did not receive the promised escalation email within 2 working days as promised.
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I reciever very unexpectedly a sansa fuze with no email sayng that it was on its way as promised. Remember, I returned a sansa clip.
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I call about this matter and am then told that it was a mistake and i am now obligated to send it back which is fine I just want a clip or an equivalent replacement . BUT I am again told that the matter will be escalated and i will receive an email with details of the return. This is not giving me much confidence after the last escalation.
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Not only can the customer service agent not tell me when my player will be sent to me, but i have to go through this whole process again when it was NOT my fault AND i am being made to send the fuze back before i get a new clip sent.
NOT impressed.
I had been without an mp3 player for over a month when i got the fuze, now i am facing ANOTHER month without a replacement clip whilst this gets processed and it’s YOUR mistake!!!
- I now get an email updating of the incident status and I notice that you ALLEGEDLY sent an email on 9 sept saying my replacement was in transit. I did not recieve this email and so was very surprised when I saw that my replacement (the fuze) had arrived.
I am sick of all this hassle and do not have the time or the energy to purse this. I just want a replacement player ASAP. I enquired whether for all my bother I could get a Clip + instead as I got sent the fuze, but the fuze was sent IN ERROR and now it’s up to me to fix it and send it back to you without my player. A goodwill gesture might have been to let me keep the thing or to upgrade my replacement - I am sure that not everyone would have called to let you know.
I think that customer service has been an absolute disaster and am a highly dissatisfied - but HONEST customer.
Yours
A Kay
