SanDisk beats Apple to Wi-Fi player

SanDisk has released the Sansa Connect, a rival to Apple's iPod nano. The Connect features a WiFi receiver an, unlike Microsoft's Zune, is able to do far more than share limited-play files with other owners. The Connect can stream internet radio as well as download new songs and photos. The Wall Street Journal, however, writes that this functionality is still limited: users can only download through a WiFi hotspot, not other Connect owners, and new songs must come from Yahoo's music store, which has three million fewer tracks than the iTunes Store. Likewise, no videos are available to Sansa Connect owners, and direct service for the device is subscription-only.

There are workarounds, however, such as users purchasing tracks from a PC to load via Yahoo's Music Jukebox Software. Tracks acquired outside of Yahoo are loadable in the same manner, and owners are able to send or receive song recommendations through Yahoo Messenger provided they have a store subscription.

Finally, the Connect is described by the Journal as considerably wider and thicker than the nano, with a limited 4GB of default memory that is expandable via microSD card (sold separately). A more important issue may be battery life, since continuous WiFi usage (however unlikely) can cut playing time from 12 hours down to six.

Filed under: iPod, industry