SanDisk has just announcemented the Clip, a addition to their Sansa MP3 player line. The Sansa Clip + includes a microSD card slot, a clip to attach to clothing, FM Radio, and is available in 2-8GB capacities and 3 colors. It’s priced from $39.99 – $69.99. Full press release with more details after the jump.
Milpitas, Calif., August 31, 2009 – SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced the Sansa® Clip+ MP3 player. The new Sansa Clip+ MP3 player comes equipped with a new microSD™ memory card slot that enables consumers to listen to thousands of additional songs effortlessly.
microSD Card Compatibility Offers Major Music Enjoyment:
As the successor to the best selling full-featured sub-$100 MP3 player in America, the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player is fully compatible with SanDisk slotRadio™ and slotMusic™ cards, as well as any microSD card pre-loaded with music. By sliding any of these cards into the new Sansa Clip+ memory card slot, music lovers can instantly listen to premium songs and handcrafted playlists without consuming any of the device’s onboard memory.
· slotRadio cards: SanDisk slotRadio cards (starting at $39.99 MSRP, U.S. only) give consumers immediate access to some of their favorite styles of music, including Rock, Country, Oldies and Hip Hop/R&B. Most slotRadio cards contain 1,000 songs** featuring chart topping artists from the Billboard® charts.
· slotMusic cards: Consumers can also insert a SanDisk slotMusic card into their Sansa Clip+ MP3 player’s microSD card slot to plug-and-play the latest albums (on microSD card) from today’s hottest artists, as well as greatest hits’ compilations from past decades (cards start at $14.99 MSRP, U.S. only). slotMusic cards make music portable and can also be used in mobile phones with a microSD card slot that can play MP3 files, computers with a microSD USB reader or an SD card adapter, and even some car stereos with a microSD USB reader or SD card adapter.
· Custom-loaded microSD cards: Consumers have the option of inserting a microSD card loaded with their own music library to listen to —up to 4,000 additional songs1 per 16GB card—which again adds interoperability with other devices, including mobile phones that are microSD card compatible.
Tailor made for budget and time-conscious music fans looking for the best MP3 player for the money, the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player offers outstanding sound quality; long-lasting rechargeable battery; bright, easy-to-read screen, and compact wearable design.
“We made a great product — the Sansa Clip — even better,” said Eric Bone, vice president, retail product marketing, SanDisk. “This small player packs big features, including a new microSD memory card slot that gives music lovers the ability to listen to thousands of additional songs in seconds. It’s the perfect player for travelers, busy moms, fitness buffs or anyone looking to enjoy music without the hassle of loading songs from their computer or updating playlists.”
The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player is expected to be available at sandisk.com and bestbuy.com on Aug. 31, and at other retailers nationwide on Sept. 13. The device will be available in Canada and Europe in time for the holiday season. The music player comes in a variety of capacities, including 2-gigabytes* (GB) of onboard memory for up to 500 songs1 for $39.99 (MSRP), 4GB which holds up to 1,000 songs1 for $49.99, and 8GB, which has an up to 2,000-song1 capacity for just $69.99.
Consumers can show off their style by choosing the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player in red, blue or black. (Capacity and associated colors vary.)
Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player Features:
· Superior sound – one of the best sounding MP3 players on the market
· microSD expansion slot which is compatible with slotRadio and slotMusic cards and any standard microSD card
· A wearable clip for hands-free portability and effortless enjoyment of digital music on the go
· Large(1”), bright (OLED) screen with a simple user interface that makes it easy to choose playlists or songs sorted by title, artist, album, genre
· FM tuner with 40 presets for listening to sports, tuning in at the gym or your favorite music station
· Built-in microphone to record thoughts while on the go
· Equalizer mode to fine tune the listening experience
· Rechargeable, lithium ion battery with up to 15 hours of life2 – one of the most competitive battery performances for an MP3 player of its size on the market today
· Solid state flash memory for skip-free playback of music
· Support for many music download and subscription services including Rhapsody®, Napster, eMusic and others
· Designed to work seamlessly with a wide range of music formats, such as MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis and Audible files (for audio books), in both unprotected and protected files
The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player is the first Windows 7 certified MP3 player (along with the Sansa® Fuze™, Sansa® View, and Sansa® Clip portable media players). This compatibility simplifies the user experience and offers a smooth transition to the forthcoming operating system.
The Sansa Clip+ MP3 player updates SanDisk’s Sansa audio/video product family, which includes the popular full-sized Sansa Fuze MP3 player, SanDisk slotRadio™ player, SanDisk slotMusic™ player and the companion SanDisk slotRadio and slotMusic cards.
For more information on SanDisk products, visit: www.sandisk.com
About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation is the global leader in flash memory cards, from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk’s product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.
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* 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes. Some capacity not available for data storage.
** slotRadio cards contain songs pre-programmed in music playlists for unlimited playback with slotRadio compatible devices only. Visit slotRadio.org for slotRadio compatible devices. Much like radio, these songs are played in sequence and cannot be rewound or rearranged, yet in slotRadio, individual songs can be skipped as often as you want. Song and playlist files cannot be copied or viewed (for example on a PC). slotRadio content is subject to change. Titles feature songs from Billboard and other music charts.
1 Approximation based on 3.5 minute songs at 128 kbps. Approximations: results will vary based on file size, resolution, compression, bit rate, content, host device, pre-loaded files and other factors. See www.sandisk.com
2 Based on continuous playback at 128kbps MP3; actual life and performance may vary depending upon usage and settings; battery not replaceable.
SanDisk’s product and executive images can be downloaded from
http://www.sandisk.com/corporate/media.asp SanDisk’s web site/home page address: http://www.sandisk.com
SanDisk, the SanDisk logo and Sansa are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Sansa Fuze and slotRadio mark and logo are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation. slotMusic mark and logo are licensed by SLOTmedia Group LLC. microSD mark and logo are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. Rhapsody is a trademark of Real Networks, Inc. Other brand names mentioned herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective holder (s).
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including expectations for new product introductions, applications, markets, and customers that are based on our current expectations and involve numerous risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate include among others: market demand for our products may grow more slowly than our expectations or there may be a slower adoption rate for these products in new markets that we are targeting, these products may not perform as expected, these products may not be available when expected or at the prices expected, and the other risks detailed from time-to-time in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to update the information contained in this press release.
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It seems a little odd to me that this just references a microSD slot (vs. microSDHC). For the user who wants a small player with the highest available capacity, microSDHC would seem a no-brainer–and while the dedicated geeks out there may research this and be sure, the average Joe is more likely to just take the word of the Best Buy sales rep who may or may not have all the answers. Or just pick up two things that seem to go together and get frustrated if they don’t.
Since I’d like to get a player like this (preferably 2 GB w/ a Class 6 16 GB card), I emailed SanDisk about it today. I’ll let you know what their response is once I have it.
Well, for anyone else who was wondering, good news! SanDisk confirmed that this player does support microSDHC, at least up to 16 GB. Whether they’ve tested it higher or not is still unclear.
And CNet thought this player was distinctly better than its predecessor: http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/sandisk-sansa-clip-2gb/4505-6490_7-33770011.html
Since my current player freezes up sometimes, I probably will get one of these.
@Q They are supposed to be sending me one to review if you want to wait to hear another verdict…