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.
I mentioned AAA vs AA due to size constraints. While I would prefer AA, Sandisk is currently making some AAA players(Slotmusic, Slotradio TO GO) but without a display, and has made some with a display in the past. AFAIK, they have never made a AA battery based player.
A player based on an easily swappable(not soldered in) 18650 lithium ion battery would be cool. That battery has around two and a half times the power of a AA nimh battery but is only slightly larger. They retail for under $5 each, and a charger that charges one or two at a time retails for under $10. This might be easier for Sandisk to design around than A AA, since it is 3.7 volts, which is what the Fuze, Clip, etc. use. It would be interesting to see a player that has 80+ hours of battery life and large flash memory storage(32 GB built in, and expandable to 64 or 96 GB) that still fits comfortably in a shirt pocket. I also want it to have 30+ mw/channel output into 32 ohms(and also provide decent output into 80 ohms) so that it can adequately power most full sized headphones without an additional headphone amp. It would be nice if the player also has a real line out.
Since the days of the first transister radios, fitting in a typical shirt pocket has been an important standard for portability.
Message Edited by JK98 on 09-01-2009 12:59 PM
