Feature

Sansa Connect

Sandisk and Yahoo have teamed up to produce a potential iPod killer which can download your music, link to your messenger account to see what tracks your friends are playing, and listen to internet radio.
 
The partnership pairs SanDisk’s new wireless MP3 player with both free and subscription-based services from Yahoo!, allowing consumers to stay constantly connected to their music, photos and friends via WiFi, with no PC required.

The flash-based Sansa Connect MP3 player boasts several Yahoo! features that can be accessed with the simple click of a button and an open WiFi connection. Owners with a Yahoo! ID can listen to LAUNCHcast Internet radio, browse Flickr sets and photos, and see what their Yahoo! Messenger friends and other Sansa Connect owners nearby are listening to. Sansa Connect users with a Yahoo! Music Unlimited To Go subscription are also able to discover and download music, as well as listen to or download tracks their friends are listening to or have recommended.

When the Sansa Connect is not connected to a WiFi network, the player behaves like a traditional Flash MP3 player and can be connected to a PC. Users can play music and view photos stored either on the player or on an optional microSD card.

“The Sansa Connect is a new breed of music player,” said Daniel Schreiber, senior vice president and general manager for SanDisk’s Audio Video Business Unit. “It untethers consumers from their computers, and allows them to get new music and share their recommendations anytime, anywhere—over an open wireless Internet network.”

“The Sansa Connect utilizes a powerful combination of Yahoo! and Yahoo! Music services to both broaden and unshackle the music discovery experience,” said Ian Rogers, general manager for Yahoo! Music. “The Sansa Connect not only keeps consumers connected to their world of music, photos and friends, but also opens them up to new music experiences in a way that is greatly enhanced by its WiFi capabilities.”

The 4-gigabyte (GB)3 Sansa Connect features a sleek, attractive profile with large 2.2-inch TFT color screen, a microSD slot for music and photo capacity expansion, and an internal speaker.