News Sandisk targets iPod with Sansa MP3 players

[The_Pope]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2006/01...isk_sansa_mp3/

Before anyone gets clever and points out the apparent scratches on the screen in the photo on the left, bear in mind that this was not only a substantially molested demo model, but the flash photography highlighted minute smudges that weren't visible with the naked eye, and did not detract from viewing the lurvely big TFT screen whatsoever.

[ch424]

Looks pretty cool, but you missed one of the most important things: What's the UI like? Is that round thing in the middle a button or a scrollwheel or just dead plastic?

ch424

[Hybr1d]

Sweet. But apple have got me and a lot of other people by the jaffas (so to speak) as I could have a better featured, less restrictive, less scratchable, cheaper mp3 player; but I'd still opt for the iPod as it is second to none in the looks departmeant in mine and many others opinions.

I had a 4gbh nano but took it back and got a 19" TFT and a 512mb Creative Zen Nano, I have a hideous but functional 40gb player but it is too big and prone to damage and only used for LOOOONG car journeys or sittin @ home.

[pillow]

for 300 you could get an ipod video. that is plus or minus 24 more gigs. so i say some might buy it, but ipod will be on top.

[Shadowed_fury]

I'm just waiting for a new capable 15gig player.
My Rio Karma is still at the top of its game, player/storage wise.

Until I can get something £150~, 15gb-20gb, Colour screen etc I won't be changing mine anytime soon.

[Hans Voralberg]

The problem with all Ipod wannabe is software support to go along side. Who cares about FM or miniSD, would the average Joe know how to use, i doubt it. ITunes is just too good to be beaten, and it doesnt work with anything other than Ipod, sadly.

[scq]

Everybody's been trying to produce an "iPod killer" ever since Apple made it PC compadible. Nobody's really succeeded. Comapnies keep adding features, making them cheaper and cheaper, yet Apple's iPod really hasn't changed too much since its introduction in 2001.

Could it be because Apple has a great looking piece of hardware (a designed look, not an engineered look).

Could it be because Apple keeps it simple and iPod has a great user interface?

Could it be because of the seamless integration with iTunes and iTunes Music Store?

Could it be because Apple makes very good use of product placements and advertising?

Not sure. Sure seems like no other company out there has caught on. I wonder what's keeping them back from hiring a few marketing specialists and industrial designers...

[speedfreek]

I dont like ipods, I just dont, mostly because of itunes, the mp3 player that you can drag and drop, on and off, through win explorer would be much more useful to me. Players that have to be accessed through a special program are usless to me, I like the flashdrive/mp3 player idea because its so much simpler to load and remove files from.

[pillow]

other companies are probably using marketing specialist and designers. to beat the ipod you have to make a new ipod, and as you said before you, apple really has it down with itunes, simple interface... but you forgot soemthing. the touchpad wheel thingy. i have used my friends mp3 players, zen micros, dell's one, and others, but the touchpad is the easiest to use and you dont have to look for other buttons on the side beacuse the ipod has them all in one place. i think to be able to beat the ipod, you have to achive all off this plus more. then apple will mostlikely sue or take that company to court.

Originally Posted by speedfreek

I dont like ipods, I just dont, mostly because of itunes, the mp3 player that you can drag and drop, on and off, through win explorer would be much more useful to me. Players that have to be accessed through a special program are usless to me, I like the flashdrive/mp3 player idea because its so much simpler to load and remove files from.

one word: itunes.
why dont you like it. it is much easier then the method you describe. all your music in one place, that is easily searchable. why dont you like itunes? its easy to use. You might be able to do the win explorer thing with the ipod, but im not sure, by putting the music into the right folder on the ipod. but still itunes why dont you like it? most computers have it.

[Hamish]

Originally Posted by speedfreek

I dont like ipods, I just dont, mostly because of itunes, the mp3 player that you can drag and drop, on and off, through win explorer would be much more useful to me. Players that have to be accessed through a special program are usless to me, I like the flashdrive/mp3 player idea because its so much simpler to load and remove files from.

qft, wouldnt buy a player that wasnt usb mass storage compatible now

[scq]

Originally Posted by speedfreek

I dont like ipods, I just dont, mostly because of itunes, the mp3 player that you can drag and drop, on and off, through win explorer would be much more useful to me. Players that have to be accessed through a special program are usless to me, I like the flashdrive/mp3 player idea because its so much simpler to load and remove files from.

Perhaps. But once you have a lot of music (in the thousands), folders just don't cut it. For the consumer's sake, Apple should offer more support for other programs, and not just iTunes. I personally think iTunes is the best, but I'm sure a lot of people perfer others.

It's just much easier to be able to organize, play, search etc. your music, rather than swap around folders. Perhaps iTunes isn't for you. Drag and drop is certainly a much better way for smaller capacity players. Having to go through iTunes to get music on your iPod shuffle is just silly, but I wouldn't want to fill a 30/60GB iPod by dragging and dropping alone.

[Cthippo]

I can't comment on the hardware, but I can give you two good reasons not to like iTunes:

WinXP and DRM

I loathe XP, but you have to have it to use iTunes. Fine, I can do without iTunes, any by extention I don't really need an iPod (Not that I really needed one anyway). I know that there are third party apps tomove music back and forth, but stull, there should have been reverse compatibility from the word "go:.

The DRM arguement is more philisophical, but it comes down to "I paid for it, don't tell me what I can do with it". I occasionally buy music from Walmart.com (yes, I know I'm going to hell for it) and I've found that the easiest way to endrun the whole DRM BS is to burn the song to a CD and then copy from the CD back to the computer. The reason this is necessary is that my music lives on a fileserver and gets played from various machines on the network depending on which room I'm in. Appearently this is a viollation of their license, but I'm still waiting to hear a rational reason why it should be.

If I were going to buy a player I would rather have one I could dump the CF card from my digital camera to in the field rather than a basically single-use system.

[Hamish]

Originally Posted by scq

but I wouldn't want to fill a 30/60GB iPod by dragging and dropping alone.

perhaps you can enlighten me on how its easier to use itunes compared to:
1. click folder titled 'music'
2. ctrl+c
3. click removable disk titled 'mp3 player'
4. ctrl+v

[Firehed]

Originally Posted by Hamish

perhaps you can enlighten me on how its easier to use itunes compared to:
1. click folder titled 'music'
2. ctrl+c
3. click removable disk titled 'mp3 player'
4. ctrl+v

Oraganization. When you have a fifty gig library of several thousand tunes (and I do), your method gets quite messy if you care about finding anything. I'm totally OCD so if it's not artist/album/disc/track, I go nuts. Not all drag'n'drop players allow for that. Especially for when you're playing stuff from the computer.

Featurewise, it's great. Ease-of-use, we'll see. Pricewise, competitive. But it's still not bright white with an apple on the back, nor is it's name synonimous with "MP3 player" to 95% of the population. It'll lose some sales for the last of those.

As to the DRM - EVERY music download software has that. Importing music doesn't DRM it. Don't buy, no DRM, problem solved. Worked fine for me. I haven't bought anything over iTunes.

[pillow]

Originally Posted by Hamish

perhaps you can enlighten me on how its easier to use itunes compared to:
1. click folder titled 'music'
2. ctrl+c
3. click removable disk titled 'mp3 player'
4. ctrl+v

itunes is still easier.
1)plug in ipod, itunes opens automatically where all your music is organized by track, artist, album, date, or others you can choose from
2)copy and drag music to ipod.
OR
1)Plug in itunes and Itunes opens and can automatically transfer music to your ipod that is not on your ipod already.
simple.

[LoneArchon]

Originally Posted by Firehed

Oraganization. When you have a fifty gig library of several thousand tunes (and I do), your method gets quite messy if you care about finding anything. I'm totally OCD so if it's not artist/album/disc/track, I go nuts. Not all drag'n'drop players allow for that. Especially for when you're playing stuff from the computer.

Featurewise, it's great. Ease-of-use, we'll see. Pricewise, competitive. But it's still not bright white with an apple on the back, nor is it's name synonimous with "MP3 player" to 95% of the population. It'll lose some sales for the last of those.

As to the DRM - EVERY music download software has that. Importing music doesn't DRM it. Don't buy, no DRM, problem solved. Worked fine for me. I haven't bought anything over iTunes.

My 40gig creative zen xtra I have I just copy my entire music directory to it via explore and it sorts it buy the MP3 tag info and not by folders it is in so as long as your music had the correct tag i see drag and drop is just as easy if not easier. The sandisk player look very close to the nano i wonder if the player has the same craking screen issue. They guy i work woth broke 2 screens and is now left with a 2gb shuffle

[scq]

Originally Posted by Firehed

Oraganization. When you have a fifty gig library of several thousand tunes (and I do), your method gets quite messy if you care about finding anything. I'm totally OCD so if it's not artist/album/disc/track, I go nuts. Not all drag'n'drop players allow for that. Especially for when you're playing stuff from the computer.

Featurewise, it's great. Ease-of-use, we'll see. Pricewise, competitive. But it's still not bright white with an apple on the back, nor is it's name synonimous with "MP3 player" to 95% of the population. It'll lose some sales for the last of those.

As to the DRM - EVERY music download software has that. Importing music doesn't DRM it. Don't buy, no DRM, problem solved. Worked fine for me. I haven't bought anything over iTunes.

Ditto. Despite my messiness, I'm completely anal when it comes to organizing my music. I have no idea why. It's just great to be able to find that specific song in an instant. I even go to crazy lengths to keep most of my ID3 tags correct and neat.

[Wolfe]

Originally Posted by pillow

one word: itunes.

One word: Winamp.

Better music orginization, does video too, Shoutcast audio and video streams, TONS of skins, More options.

I personally have used iTunes, and i think it's terrible.

[Malfoleo]

Originally Posted by Firehed

Oraganization. When you have a fifty gig library of several thousand tunes (and I do), your method gets quite messy if you care about finding anything. I'm totally OCD so if it's not artist/album/disc/track, I go nuts. Not all drag'n'drop players allow for that. Especially for when you're playing stuff from the computer.

OK, here, I'm going to do everything you just stated using only windows, without any extra resources used, or installing any extra programs:

Lets start with my current collection as it stands:

- 10 gigs of music
- 57 total pre-organized CD "collections" (this is as easy as selecting "rip to folder")
- 1925 total songs (with each and every single one encoded with ID3 tags)

Now, say I want to organize my random collection of songs (the one's that are not part of a CD "folder", obviously as they're already organized), all's that I have to do is click on one of the title organization bars along the top of the window, which can automatically organize my songs by any of the following:


Then, the only thing I need to do to place my organized music onto my music player, is highlight, click, and drag.



One thing I've never gotten though: why is it that people feel the need to have an awesome way to change songs while listening to their own personal music collection? I mean, if you've selected these songs to be the one's you listen to all day, why are you using the interface so much to skip past certain ones?

When I don't want to listen to a song, I delete it off my player, and put a better one on!

[scq]

There's no arguing. Some perfer folders, some perfer programs. We all organize (or disorganize) differently. I personally like iTunes, and I totally understand why someone could hate it.