SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)
by SanDisk
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List Price: Our Price: $62.95 You Save: $17.04 (21%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $32.95 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SanDisk Sansa Fuze 4 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)
Customer Review: An awesome find - great interface, great performance
Summary: 5 Stars
This little baby is a great catch! Lots of functionality - and expandable! - for a great price.
iPod has 75% of the market, so there's lots of stuff made for it...and you pay for that convenience. This sweet little machine matches the functionality, but at half the price. It's very easy to use, with a smooth scroll wheel and nice 'clicking' feel. Everything happens on the wheel, so the interface is super simple in spite of the functionality.
It feels great in your hand - smaller than a credit card, but substantial enough to hold and use. Others have mentioned the rubberized back, which prevents sliding. I also got a silicone case to protect it and further prevent sliding in my car. If you haven't discovered the joy of MP3 connectivity in your car, you should also check out a direct connection (if your car stereo has an aux-in jack), a tape deck converter cable, or an FM transmitter.
I really like that I am able to select music via playlist, genre, artist, album, folder, recently added, specific songs, or ratings on the Fuze. The interface to access all of these is very simple. It also has a 'go list,' which is a playlist you can create on-the-fly on the device itself. It also plays podcasts and audiobooks.
Additional sweet features: you can rate songs directly on the unit, as well as delete them from there. There is a graphic equalizer with a number of presets. It displays date and time and has a sleep timer in case you want to fall asleep to music. It automatically scans for FM stations and creates presets for them. You can set up slide shows with background music. You can bookmark videos and audio books, too.
I haven't used the photo, video, or FM radio, so can't comment on those. I tested the voice recording functionality and it seemed pretty straightforward, although I haven't really used it yet. You can also record the radio on the unit.
One thing to understand is that the real power of your media library is in the library software you use on your computer. This is where you'll manage all the tags (author, title, album, genre, etc.) that the player will use to organize your files, as well as create playlists and subscribe to podcasts. Windows Media Player was a little handicapped for me, and after some research I determined that Media Monkey would be the most complete solution for my needs. It does have its drawbacks, though -- especially that it doesn't recognize my wife's and my Fuzes as different devices, so my only option for autosync is to put the same playlists on both of them, or sync manually. But that's Media Monkey's problem, not Sansa's. My point is just that the player is dependent upon your library software to really deliver the value. Plan to invest your time on the software, not the player.
Sansa's Fuze does have drawbacks of its own. I would prefer that it use mini-USB for the PC connection, rather than the proprietary connector. The power switch on the side is hard to get at if you have a case on the player. It doesn't come with a wall charger or car charger. (However, those can be had very cheaply online. You'll also probably want to buy a carrying case for it.) I worry about the wheel wearing out after lots of use. My dad bought my mom one, and the wheel already feels a bit loose because he thought you had to push it down while turning it. :) That's about all the negatives I've found in it. Overall it is a very solid unit, and a steal of a deal at this price!
Customer Review: VERY nice player for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned the silver 8GB version of this player for almost 6 months. The real clincher for me was the fact that it supported two of the most popular open formats (FLAC and OGG) and you have a choice of connection modes, MTP, MSC or Autodetect, so it is quite Linux friendly as well. With a good number of equalizer presets as well as the ability to customize presets for it, you can't ask for much more as the sound is generally great even if you leave the equalizer at it's default settings. For Windows users, the video function should be great, but if you are a Linux user like myself, formatting video for the device is possible but also quite difficult without the use of Sandisk's own conversion software (which only runs under Windows, and will not function correctly in Wine on Linux). But the list of features (voice recording, FM radio, equalizer, photo viewer, audiobook support and file browser) more than make up for it, as the screen is so small I only use it for audio anyway. My son was so impressed with mine that I bought this black 4GB version for him and he is extremely happy with it as well. One of the only real downsides is also one of it's best features, and that is that it accepts Micro SD/SDHC cards so you can expand your storage capacity if need be. But, if you do use a memory card, just know that the time it takes to refresh your media after unplugging the device is significantly longer. The only other thing I can fault this player with is that it is a total scratch magnet. If you order one (especially if it is dark blue or black) I would advise you to also order a decent clear plastic case to hold it as well, as they are quite cheap enough to be had and can be found in a few different places here on Amazon. Other than it's very few weaknesses, I think you'd have a tough time finding a better audio player for the price, considering it's cross platform capability. The only tough thing for me right now is patiently waiting for 32GB Micro SDHC cards to hit the market so I can turn this tiny marvel into a 40GB player and rip more of my audio to FlAC, as the file sizes are a good bit larger than that of a moderate bitrate MP3 or OGG file.
Bottom line: If you're on the fence, IMO, just get it. I think it will suffice for even most audiophiles as well as the average consumer with it's format diversity, number of features and sound quality. All in all, great player all the way around.
EDIT 9/26/09: I corrected my review to reflect the fact that there is also an "Autodetect" mode on the device, so your computer and/or music management software can choose which method it wants to use to connect to the device. I also failed to mention that the device records from the FM radio as well as voice recording. And not that I use either format, but it also supports MP3, WAV, WMA, and some forms of protected WMA, as well as Audible format for audiobooks. And for those who may actually use such things, it also makes use of Sandisk's own slotRadio and slotMusic cards as well as standard Micro SD/SDHC cards. Also failed to mention that you do have some control over gain levels as well as the equalizer. Almost too many features to keep track of for such a small player. :)
Customer Review: Sansa Fuse Does Not Disappoint
Summary: 5 Stars
The SanDisk Sansa Fuse 4GB MP3 player I received one month ago is a very impressive little unit. I'm very pleased with my decision to purchase this unit after careful on-line research. I was amazed at the features when balanced against its low price. This player has excellent sound quality. I often use it to play through our main stereo system in the living room and cannot tell much difference between it and the CD player. There is plenty of volume when connected to various headphones, powered speakers, or my FM transmitter. The foam covered ear buds that come with the player are also of excellent sound quality and stay tightly in place in the ear, as opposed to most others that are just uncoated plastic and don't rest tightly against the ear canal or fall out of the ear easily. The unit feels weighty and quality made. The cloth cover that comes with the player keeps it clean and protected. I use this more than the plastic skin I purchased later. The operation of the unit is a breeze. It's a simple matter to toggle through the main menus between Photos, Videos, Music, the FM Radio, the voice recorder, and the system settings with the spin of the dial. This unit works perfectly with Windows Media Player for placing your music library onto the unit and managing the automatic titling of your CDs and placement of the album art into the correct folders within the unit. I have most of my files on the external 4GB Micro card purchased separately to allow the placement of larger video files onto the internal storage. I've converted several video recordings from DVD to AVI files and then, using the Sansa Media Converter, converting them to the format this unit can play. The Sansa Media Converter software needs to be downloaded from the SanDisk website and does not come with the unit. The conversion software also works to load the videos it's converted automatically with your Sansa Fuze connected to your computer. I find that the videos play best if they are kept to 30 minute segments. Longer videos cause the audio and video to go slightly out of sync. The quality of video is somewhat jerky but very sharp and clear, great for video that has low action such as sitcoms and news. I am satisfied with the quality of the video. There is an adjustment for brightness. Any JPEG photo can be placed into the Photo folder. The unit displays photos at 220 x 176 pixels so I find it helpful to reduce the photos down to 220 x 176 pixels to fit more photos onto the unit and properly fill the screen. The photos appear very clear and sharp on screen at this size. The voice recorder picks up and records sound at amazing clarity and fidelity. Also the FM radio works very well and pulls channels in clearly from 30+ miles. This unit allows you to record from the FM tuner. The recordings are in the form of wav files. The battery life is also very impressive. I've yet to run it down. Overall, it lives up to its high internet ratings. I would highly recommend this player to anyone.
Customer Review: Amazing device, way better than iPod
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently bought this Sansa Fuze 4gb (Black) model off of Amazon.com, and I love it! It was only about fifty dollars (although the price keeps going up and down.) You could buy 4 of these for the price of 1 iPod Nano or Classic or Touch or whatever the crap they have out now.
First off, this is an amazing product and Sansa and SanDisk are really good brands.
This device is very easy to use, and anyone can figure it out. If you want to put videos on it, you have to make sure you have the Sansa Media Converter, which you can download from their website, and then its really easy to put anything on the device. I got the black model and it looks so sleek and really cool. One thing for those of you have fingerprint issues...they show up quite well on the black model. If you don't like to see fingerprints (I just use a cloth and wipe it off every day) then I suggest getting a different color. My brother got one in blue and you cannot see any fingerprints.
It seems very well put together, and after a while you get used to the "mechanical" click wheel feel on this thing. I honestly perfer it over the wheel that iPods use...because on this you can tell where you are going. Its fun to use to!!!
I had owned a 2gb Sansa Clip for the longest time, but just recently I ran out of space. I wanted to get something that had more space and something that had a bigger screen and something that could play videos and audio books and had recordable radio and a voice recorder. I was looking around for a while mainly at Zunes and iPods, but they were very expensive and I didn't want to use iTunes, and I didnt really like the layout of the Zunes. One of the biggest reasons that I went with the Sansa Fuze was the expandable memory.
I got an 8gb micro sd card for it, and it works PERFECTLY with it. I love how I can continue to expand my storage. It was also VERY cheap but has all the features and more that an iPod does. iPods are just BARELY including FM Radio on their devices, these things have had it for a while.
It plays videos really nicely on it, and the screen is really nice. I have had no problems with it connecting to my computer or charging or putting anything on it. Its super portable and I can take it anywhere.
The sound quality on this is also amazing. You can create your own custom EQ which I really enjoy.
One thing I haven't been able to figure out is to have the album cover of the music you are listening to appear full screen on the screen (or if this device even has this function.)
This device works seamlesly with Windows Media Player as well. I plug in the device, click on the Sync tab, and I can choose wether I want to drag the songs onto the device or the micro sd card! It shows you the available space left too.
Great device!!!!!
I recommend this to anyone looking for a great mp3 player.
Customer Review: I love this player
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a phone with mp3 player and it can take up to a 2Gb card. I filled that up quickly and also had lots of trouble trying to load music from Windows Media. Eventually I got the music on there, but it is hard to remove songs to add more. I saw this player and with its expandable slot, I thought I would take a chance. I bought it on black Friday for $50 and am SO glad I did. The device has just the right size and weight. I hooked it up to my computer via the USB cable and without having to install anything it recognized it right away as a drive. I was able to drag and drop my mp3's from the storage drive to the player without having to use Windows Media. It was very fast and I filled up the 4GB and a good part of my 2GB card in no time at all. Be aware, though, that if you purchased downloaded music from sites, they include DRM so you can't drag and drop those. You will have to load those by syncing in Windows Media. Not a problem since that was how I loaded stuff to my phone.
The sound is great. If you can find a manual, you might want to read it instead of figuring things out by scrolling through menus like I did. I couldn't figure out how to increase the volume until I accidentally hit the wheel while a song was playing. That was how I figured out how to scroll through menus etc. I felt like a complete technical idiot. Now I just love the wheel. It has such a great tactile feel.
I was 98% satisfied with the device before I figured out how to shuffle and that put me at 100%. One of the things I like better about this device vs. my phone is you are able to select an Artist and play all songs by that artist. Or you can select a particular album and play that. I don't use playlists because I haven't really figured out how to set them up. Right now I use either Shuffle, play an album, or play all songs by an artist.
Among the many things that are better on this device than my phone mp3 player....songs I loaded through WMP onto my phone always seemed to have slight audio artifacts, little skips etc. They were very slight but I noticed them. Here, I have more volume options and still as loud as I get it I am not hearing any audio artifacts on my songs. That could have been something caused by the WMP sync process that is not evident when using drag and drop. Or that could have just been the KRZR phone, who knows?
My recommendation...buy this player and an 8GD micro SD card and go to town! PS/ I've only used the included earphones and have no problem with them. Maybe someday I'll spend the extra money for better earphones but for now I'm fine with the ones that came with it. My husband has a cheap Coby player and he likes to use my headphones when I'm not using them because he thinks these are awesome compared to the Coby.