Sansa Connect Wi-Fi MP3 Player: Looks Hot

SanDisk is making a big splash today with its latest MP3 player, the 4GB flash-based Sansa Connect, and it's easy to see why. Armed with Wi-Fi, over-the-air music downloads and Internet radio capabilities, the Connect is (on paper, at least) the sexiest wireless music player I've seen to date.

In the past 12 months or so, we've seen a couple of big Wi-Fi music players hit the market: Microsoft's Zune and the MusicGremlin (full disclosure: my better half works at MusicGremlin, but I'll do my best to keep my objective hat on). Both players have their plusses and minuses. For instance, the Zune has a gorgeous three-inch screen, a 30GB hard drive and a video player, but it's Wi-Fi abilities are limited—namely, you can't browse for and buy songs wirelessly. The 8GB flash-based MusicGremlin lets you download tunes over the air, and you can share recommendations with your buddies, but the player itself is somewhat bulky, and you can't play videos or listen to streaming music (unless you count the built-in FM radio—a feature that's getting a bit long in the tooth).

Which brings me to the Sansa Connect. The player has the smallest memory capacity of the three at just 4GB, although you can expand that with the microSD memory expansion slot, and its 2.2-inch display is considerably smaller than the Zune's sharp three-inch screen. However, the Connect's most promising feature is its cozy integration with Yahoo! Music (again, full disclosure: Yahoo! Music is, of course, a Yahoo! property just like Yahoo! Tech), which means you can wirelessly browse for and buy music (or just download at will if you have an unlimited subscription), tap into Internet radio via LaunchCast, and see the songs that fellow Connect users are listening to. Naturally, standard MP3s and WMA files are supported, along with WMA DRM files (which means songs from most music subscription services should work, although you'll have to sync them via USB). I'm also eager to try the Sansa's tactile scroll wheel, another potential advantage over the MusicGremlin and the Zune (both of which have five-way controllers). Unfortunately, the Connect doesn't play videos as does the Zune, although you can wirelessly browse Flickr photo sets.

Sounds pretty cool, but the Connect's $250 price tag could be a sticking point. You can pick up the 30GB Zune for about $210 online, while the 8GB MusicGremlin is going for about $190, so $250 for a mere 4GB player may seem steep. Of course, the proof's in the pudding, so I'm reserving final judgments until I get this baby in-house.

Related:
Sansa Connect press release