The mail gnomes were feeling kind today, so they brought around a box filled with Sandisk's newest media players. Both have 4 GB of storage and are small enough that they will almost certainly be lost in the huge pile of crap I call a desk before the end of the day. But before they get bulldozed into the endless gadget pile, here are some quick first impressions.
4 GB Sansa Clip $79
Even though it's slightly bigger, the clip is obviously going to draw comparisons to the iPod shuffle, but lucky for Sandisk, it's often going to win. The 4 GBs of storage and the inclusion of a snazzy LED screen more than make up for the extra millimeters of bulk. The clip feels sturdy and the click wheel is easy to operate even when you can't see it. I'm a big fan of the mirrored screen, even though it's a magnet for fingerprints. It's incredibly light, which will make it perfect if I ever decide to go outside and walk around rather than sitting here passing judgment on electronic gizmos.
4 GB Sansa Fuze $100
I'm glad that the black player came through and not the pink, red, or blue one. It's totally personal preference, but I think it looks a lot classier. The screen looks great and the players feels extremely solid and durable. The rubberized backing makes it easy to hold and the click wheel gives nice tactile feedback. There is one drawback that immediately jumps out, though and it's the proprietary sync cable, which points and laughs at my collection of literally dozens of regular old USB cables. The price is nice, though and the player is small enough to fit in the fifth pocket of my jeans. The micro SD card slot is a nice touch, too considering that there's about 100 GB of music on my computer and choosing 4 gigs worth can be a pain.
Once I've had the chance to really spend time with these guys I'll post full reviews, but until then enjoy another glamor shot taken in our photo studio/outdoor stairwell where everybody goes to smoke.