Will sandisk ever make the sansa fuze again?

While it is an old product, with the rockbox firmware, it works great, and I would really like to buy an additional one, or if possible, just the front panel since the center button is failing on my device.

A dedicated mp3 player is a far better experience than using a smartphone, especially since it is easy to control the device by simply pushing the buttons through the pocket, and there is no fiddling with overpriced headphne cable remote controls.

I hope Sandisk makes a player slightly taller, slightly wider, and slightly thicker than the Fuze with circuitry that is in the Clip Zip, except that it has a much larger screen than the Clip Zip, and 50+ hours of battery life. I hope it has the same control layout as the Clip Zip, and the same processor. it would be even better if it would have two card slots. If its firmware is the same as the Clip Zip with just a few minor modifications(to allow for the larger screen, longer battery life, and perhaps a second card slot). Hopefully such a player could sell for  $99. 

I hope it also has a micro usb connector, and a true line out separate from the headphone jack.

There are used Fuzes on eBay. if you think you can resolder the center panel you can probably find an affordable non-working Fuze. But the Fuze was not made to be repaired and reportedly some connections are very delicate.

For me the only things wrong with the Fuze were the proprietary connector–microSB would have been better–and the weakness of the headphone jack.  I have two busted Fuzes at the moment–one with headphone jack problems and another in which the microSD card gets loose, causing it to Refresh if the wheel rolls by a certain spot–so I can use it as a 4GB player, nothing more. 

I recently got a used Fuze on eBay–working fine so far but not the greatest battery life. Age does affect those batteries.

I’ve always thought the Fuze sounded better than the Clip+, which I got to replace the Fuze.  They apparently have the same processor but there’s more amplifier power in the Fuze and I hear a difference; Clip+ sounds narrower, vocals pushed forward a little. I don’t know if the Zip improved on the Clip+ sound.

I wouldn’t count on any new, larger player being introduced. Phones are taking over. And for the video aspect of the Fuze, phones are far better. Unless of course you want to have any battery power at the end of a long day…

JK98, two microSDs would overwhelm the database limitations of the original firmware. Sometimes one does.

And line-out…most people don’t even know what that is, and SanDisk would risk people blowing out their headphones or their ears (that is, lawsuits) by plugging into the wrong outlet. Best you could hope for would be switchable output…and who knows what line-out output would do to battery life. Just saying, don’t count on that.

C’mon, BR! Can’t ya just let us dream?

I find it very interesting that on eBay the Fuze listings carry considerably highrer prices than the Fuze+.  When I had to buy a replacement Fuze, I was used to paying well under $50.  I’m in the market again after a couple of years (headphone jack issues of course) and finding selling prices have exploded upward.

The last three Fuze models to sell there went for (including shipping cost) $73.48, $99.00, and $105.84.  Let me emphasize, these are actual sales, not asking prices.

By comparison, the three most recent Fuze+ saless were $31, $49.99, and $32.00.

Perhaps there would be a market for a Fuze Legacy…the older Fuze reborn.

The wheel on the original Fuze occasionally starts sticking, which is very annoying. The buttons on the Clip Zip work just fine.  The Clip Zip is great with rockbox except for the short battery life. 

I like the form factor of the Clip Sport. I with it was just a Clip zip with a larger battery and larger screen.

Perhaps sandisk could reintroduce the Clip Zip circuitry, but in a player with a larger battery and larger screen(the form factor of the Clip Sport) for their next player. That would be really great with Rockbox.