Page 1: Intro, Packaging, Sansa slotRadio Player
Intro
While there are plenty of portable music players on the market (some more known than others), not everyone can easily locate and find music they might enjoy without paying a bunch of money to just test it out. SanDisk has the solution with their slotRadio initiative. The only problem is that it contains DRM and even though you purchase the media, you can't get to the individual songs. Still, we'll see if the combination is worthwhile or not.
Packaging
The retail packaging for the slotRadio player is a blister case. These are always annoying to get into so be careful or you may cut yourself opening it.
One thing that always gets some style points is how the product is packaged inside the container. SanDisk put some thought into the first impression model by giving a good look when you open up the box. The top section contains the Sansa player and earbuds.
The next layer contains a micro USB cable along with a USB AC adapter. Also included is a manual and a coupon for another slotRadio card purchase. There is a silicone case for protecting the unit as well, though, it is pretty sturdy by itself. Not shown is the slotRadio mix media.
Here is the real meat of the bundle. The player, slotRadio media, and the earbuds round out the package. The player itself looks very simple and that is the way it is presented.
The slotRadio media is just a microSD card with the added DRM (SD means SecureDigital, after all). We are not fond of any product that contains DRM, but since this was sent, we are reviewing it just the same. SanDisk makes other media called slotMusic that is pro-consumer without DRM on it.
Sansa slotRadio Player
The player itself is pretty basic. It has only two buttons on the face and a big color LCD screen on the front. Remember that this device is going for the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) mentality. The buttons are not touch sensitive buttons, but are actual hardware press buttons so you'll need to use some force to use them. Since they are hardware buttons, they can be used with gloves (a huge problem for capacitive touch screens).
This is a SanDisk creation. The back of the unit contains a very sturdy clip to use when working out or just doing daily activities. The side shown contains a single button that performs skipping to the next piece of music, pausing, and playing. You hold the button in to pause while a quick press will skip to the next track. Playing is a simple click after pausing.
The button of the unit contains the stereo jack (3.5mm for standard issue headphones) as well as the micro-USB charging port. The unit also acts as a USB mass storage device when you connect it to the computer, but the slotRadio cards are mostly useless with the DRM that they are encumbered with. The other side shown contains the volume controls. Plus is for increased volume and minus is for decreased volume.
The top contains the hardware switch for changing radio modes (Off/FM/slotRadio) as well as the slotRadio card slot. Like all microSD slots, this clicks into place and locks. Pressing it will release it again.
While there are plenty of portable music players on the market (some more known than others), not everyone can easily locate and find music they might enjoy without paying a bunch of money to just test it out. SanDisk has the solution with their slotRadio initiative. The only problem is that it contains DRM and even though you purchase the media, you can't get to the individual songs. Still, we'll see if the combination is worthwhile or not.
Packaging
The retail packaging for the slotRadio player is a blister case. These are always annoying to get into so be careful or you may cut yourself opening it.
One thing that always gets some style points is how the product is packaged inside the container. SanDisk put some thought into the first impression model by giving a good look when you open up the box. The top section contains the Sansa player and earbuds.
The next layer contains a micro USB cable along with a USB AC adapter. Also included is a manual and a coupon for another slotRadio card purchase. There is a silicone case for protecting the unit as well, though, it is pretty sturdy by itself. Not shown is the slotRadio mix media.
Here is the real meat of the bundle. The player, slotRadio media, and the earbuds round out the package. The player itself looks very simple and that is the way it is presented.
The slotRadio media is just a microSD card with the added DRM (SD means SecureDigital, after all). We are not fond of any product that contains DRM, but since this was sent, we are reviewing it just the same. SanDisk makes other media called slotMusic that is pro-consumer without DRM on it.
Sansa slotRadio Player
The player itself is pretty basic. It has only two buttons on the face and a big color LCD screen on the front. Remember that this device is going for the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) mentality. The buttons are not touch sensitive buttons, but are actual hardware press buttons so you'll need to use some force to use them. Since they are hardware buttons, they can be used with gloves (a huge problem for capacitive touch screens).
This is a SanDisk creation. The back of the unit contains a very sturdy clip to use when working out or just doing daily activities. The side shown contains a single button that performs skipping to the next piece of music, pausing, and playing. You hold the button in to pause while a quick press will skip to the next track. Playing is a simple click after pausing.
The button of the unit contains the stereo jack (3.5mm for standard issue headphones) as well as the micro-USB charging port. The unit also acts as a USB mass storage device when you connect it to the computer, but the slotRadio cards are mostly useless with the DRM that they are encumbered with. The other side shown contains the volume controls. Plus is for increased volume and minus is for decreased volume.
The top contains the hardware switch for changing radio modes (Off/FM/slotRadio) as well as the slotRadio card slot. Like all microSD slots, this clicks into place and locks. Pressing it will release it again.