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Much as I like how the iPod looks, I find it has too much reliance on Apple’s own software. With this in mind I looked for an alternative MP3 player that could do the job but which still looked the business.
Enter the Sansa Fuze. The Fuze is Sandisk’s latest entry into the MP3 market, being somewhere in between their two other MP3 ranges. It’s a tiny machine, just 3.1 x 1.9 x 0.3in, but it has the looks and style to match it’s nearest iPod rival, the Nano.
While it has a built in memory (2, 4 or 8gb) the Fuze can also accept Micro SD and SDHC cards, which currently go up to 32GB, giving even the full iPods a run for their money in terms of storage. The files on the card are accepted as if they were in the standard memory so there is no differentiation between them and the built in memory itself.
The player happily accepts Microsoft’s Media Player and syncs to the most recent versions automatically via the USB lead. Album Art, details and even ratings can be copied across. It also supports Audible, Napster and iTunes as well as protected files from other internet download sites. It can be used to drag and drop files for XP, Vista or a recent Mac OS.
The list of things that the Fuze can do is impressive for such a small player;
Playback
MP3, Wav, protected files, ogg (free files found on the internet), Audiobook and Podcast files and Audible are all provided for and files are organised in a similar way to the iPod with sorting by album, artist, Songs, Genre, Recently Added, Top Rated, Playlist, Podcasts, Audiobook and Recordings.
While playing, the wheel can adjust the volume and the central button chooses between views, with album art, a groovy equaliser display or standard progress bar.
Music can also be rated on the fly, so if you really love a track then you can rate it highly, allowing you to choose all your highly rated tracks again as a playlist later.
Recording
Besides playing files, the Fuze can also record. The recordings are in WAV format and the microphone seems to be very good at picking up clear recordings, even from across a room (good for student lectures or business meetings). These can be accessed later on.
FM Radio
An FM radio is built in with a digital tuner to locate stations. These can be bookmarked so you can find your favourites quickly. What is more impressive is that the Fuze allows you to record the radio and store in WAV format. You can then export this to your computer or listen again on the MP3 player.
Video
Though video is supported, it has to be MP4 and a converter is provided as part of the software. It has it’s own menu which is laid out in a similar way to the music menu. Video is very clear, but on such a tiny screen it doesn’t really seem worth it.
Pictures
Pictures have to be in a certain format, again this can be done through the conversion software with a quick drag and drop for your files. The software converts and automatically puts pictures on to the Fuze. Once on the player you can view them individually or with a slideshow. This can be done while you play your MP3s.
Settings
The settings menu allows you to change the Music Equalisation, add songs to your ‘golist’ (a sort of on-the-go playlist) and change other standard options of the features listed above. The latest firmware will also allow you to add chapters to Audiobooks and keep the backlight on for longer if you wish.
Summary
The Sansa Fuze is a beautifully designed MP3 player with tons of features and a good (18-24 hour) battery life. Only the video and picture format issues let it down slightly.
It’s been designed with the iPod generation in mind but without the reliance on iTunes or the price tag (£46 for the 2GB, £53 for the 4GB and £63 for the 8GB on Amazon.co.uk). When you consider that an 8GB MicroSDHC is only £15 then even the 2GB is a good purchase.
9/10
Enter the Sansa Fuze. The Fuze is Sandisk’s latest entry into the MP3 market, being somewhere in between their two other MP3 ranges. It’s a tiny machine, just 3.1 x 1.9 x 0.3in, but it has the looks and style to match it’s nearest iPod rival, the Nano.
While it has a built in memory (2, 4 or 8gb) the Fuze can also accept Micro SD and SDHC cards, which currently go up to 32GB, giving even the full iPods a run for their money in terms of storage. The files on the card are accepted as if they were in the standard memory so there is no differentiation between them and the built in memory itself.
The player happily accepts Microsoft’s Media Player and syncs to the most recent versions automatically via the USB lead. Album Art, details and even ratings can be copied across. It also supports Audible, Napster and iTunes as well as protected files from other internet download sites. It can be used to drag and drop files for XP, Vista or a recent Mac OS.
The list of things that the Fuze can do is impressive for such a small player;
Playback
MP3, Wav, protected files, ogg (free files found on the internet), Audiobook and Podcast files and Audible are all provided for and files are organised in a similar way to the iPod with sorting by album, artist, Songs, Genre, Recently Added, Top Rated, Playlist, Podcasts, Audiobook and Recordings.
While playing, the wheel can adjust the volume and the central button chooses between views, with album art, a groovy equaliser display or standard progress bar.
Music can also be rated on the fly, so if you really love a track then you can rate it highly, allowing you to choose all your highly rated tracks again as a playlist later.
Recording
Besides playing files, the Fuze can also record. The recordings are in WAV format and the microphone seems to be very good at picking up clear recordings, even from across a room (good for student lectures or business meetings). These can be accessed later on.
FM Radio
An FM radio is built in with a digital tuner to locate stations. These can be bookmarked so you can find your favourites quickly. What is more impressive is that the Fuze allows you to record the radio and store in WAV format. You can then export this to your computer or listen again on the MP3 player.
Video
Though video is supported, it has to be MP4 and a converter is provided as part of the software. It has it’s own menu which is laid out in a similar way to the music menu. Video is very clear, but on such a tiny screen it doesn’t really seem worth it.
Pictures
Pictures have to be in a certain format, again this can be done through the conversion software with a quick drag and drop for your files. The software converts and automatically puts pictures on to the Fuze. Once on the player you can view them individually or with a slideshow. This can be done while you play your MP3s.
Settings
The settings menu allows you to change the Music Equalisation, add songs to your ‘golist’ (a sort of on-the-go playlist) and change other standard options of the features listed above. The latest firmware will also allow you to add chapters to Audiobooks and keep the backlight on for longer if you wish.
Summary
The Sansa Fuze is a beautifully designed MP3 player with tons of features and a good (18-24 hour) battery life. Only the video and picture format issues let it down slightly.
It’s been designed with the iPod generation in mind but without the reliance on iTunes or the price tag (£46 for the 2GB, £53 for the 4GB and £63 for the 8GB on Amazon.co.uk). When you consider that an 8GB MicroSDHC is only £15 then even the 2GB is a good purchase.
9/10
Sounds good, but i think i will stick with my i pod - just because i do not really use mp3 players much, am waiting for an i trip to turn up in the post which will mean i finally use my i pod more then when i am on holiday lol
Much as I like how the iPod looks, I find it has too much reliance on Apple’s own software. With this in mind I looked for an alternative MP3 player that could do the job but which still looked the business.
Enter the Sansa Fuze. The Fuze is Sandisk’s latest entry into the MP3 market, being somewhere in between their two other MP3 ranges. It’s a tiny machine, just 3.1 x 1.9 x 0.3in, but it has the looks and style to match it’s nearest iPod rival, the Nano.
While it has a built in memory (2, 4 or 8gb) the Fuze can also accept Micro SD and SDHC cards, which currently go up to 32GB, giving even the full iPods a run for their money in terms of storage. The files on the card are accepted as if they were in the standard memory so there is no differentiation between them and the built in memory itself.
The player happily accepts Microsoft’s Media Player and syncs to the most recent versions automatically via the USB lead. Album Art, details and even ratings can be copied across. It also supports Audible, Napster and iTunes as well as protected files from other internet download sites. It can be used to drag and drop files for XP, Vista or a recent Mac OS.
The list of things that the Fuze can do is impressive for such a small player;
Playback
MP3, Wav, protected files, ogg (free files found on the internet), Audiobook and Podcast files and Audible are all provided for and files are organised in a similar way to the iPod with sorting by album, artist, Songs, Genre, Recently Added, Top Rated, Playlist, Podcasts, Audiobook and Recordings.
While playing, the wheel can adjust the volume and the central button chooses between views, with album art, a groovy equaliser display or standard progress bar.
Music can also be rated on the fly, so if you really love a track then you can rate it highly, allowing you to choose all your highly rated tracks again as a playlist later.
Recording
Besides playing files, the Fuze can also record. The recordings are in WAV format and the microphone seems to be very good at picking up clear recordings, even from across a room (good for student lectures or business meetings). These can be accessed later on.
FM Radio
An FM radio is built in with a digital tuner to locate stations. These can be bookmarked so you can find your favourites quickly. What is more impressive is that the Fuze allows you to record the radio and store in WAV format. You can then export this to your computer or listen again on the MP3 player.
Video
Though video is supported, it has to be MP4 and a converter is provided as part of the software. It has it’s own menu which is laid out in a similar way to the music menu. Video is very clear, but on such a tiny screen it doesn’t really seem worth it.
Pictures
Pictures have to be in a certain format, again this can be done through the conversion software with a quick drag and drop for your files. The software converts and automatically puts pictures on to the Fuze. Once on the player you can view them individually or with a slideshow. This can be done while you play your MP3s.
Settings
The settings menu allows you to change the Music Equalisation, add songs to your ‘golist’ (a sort of on-the-go playlist) and change other standard options of the features listed above. The latest firmware will also allow you to add chapters to Audiobooks and keep the backlight on for longer if you wish.
Summary
The Sansa Fuze is a beautifully designed MP3 player with tons of features and a good (18-24 hour) battery life. Only the video and picture format issues let it down slightly.
It’s been designed with the iPod generation in mind but without the reliance on iTunes or the price tag (£46 for the 2GB, £53 for the 4GB and £63 for the 8GB on Amazon.co.uk). When you consider that an 8GB MicroSDHC is only £15 then even the 2GB is a good purchase.
9/10
Enter the Sansa Fuze. The Fuze is Sandisk’s latest entry into the MP3 market, being somewhere in between their two other MP3 ranges. It’s a tiny machine, just 3.1 x 1.9 x 0.3in, but it has the looks and style to match it’s nearest iPod rival, the Nano.
While it has a built in memory (2, 4 or 8gb) the Fuze can also accept Micro SD and SDHC cards, which currently go up to 32GB, giving even the full iPods a run for their money in terms of storage. The files on the card are accepted as if they were in the standard memory so there is no differentiation between them and the built in memory itself.
The player happily accepts Microsoft’s Media Player and syncs to the most recent versions automatically via the USB lead. Album Art, details and even ratings can be copied across. It also supports Audible, Napster and iTunes as well as protected files from other internet download sites. It can be used to drag and drop files for XP, Vista or a recent Mac OS.
The list of things that the Fuze can do is impressive for such a small player;
Playback
MP3, Wav, protected files, ogg (free files found on the internet), Audiobook and Podcast files and Audible are all provided for and files are organised in a similar way to the iPod with sorting by album, artist, Songs, Genre, Recently Added, Top Rated, Playlist, Podcasts, Audiobook and Recordings.
While playing, the wheel can adjust the volume and the central button chooses between views, with album art, a groovy equaliser display or standard progress bar.
Music can also be rated on the fly, so if you really love a track then you can rate it highly, allowing you to choose all your highly rated tracks again as a playlist later.
Recording
Besides playing files, the Fuze can also record. The recordings are in WAV format and the microphone seems to be very good at picking up clear recordings, even from across a room (good for student lectures or business meetings). These can be accessed later on.
FM Radio
An FM radio is built in with a digital tuner to locate stations. These can be bookmarked so you can find your favourites quickly. What is more impressive is that the Fuze allows you to record the radio and store in WAV format. You can then export this to your computer or listen again on the MP3 player.
Video
Though video is supported, it has to be MP4 and a converter is provided as part of the software. It has it’s own menu which is laid out in a similar way to the music menu. Video is very clear, but on such a tiny screen it doesn’t really seem worth it.
Pictures
Pictures have to be in a certain format, again this can be done through the conversion software with a quick drag and drop for your files. The software converts and automatically puts pictures on to the Fuze. Once on the player you can view them individually or with a slideshow. This can be done while you play your MP3s.
Settings
The settings menu allows you to change the Music Equalisation, add songs to your ‘golist’ (a sort of on-the-go playlist) and change other standard options of the features listed above. The latest firmware will also allow you to add chapters to Audiobooks and keep the backlight on for longer if you wish.
Summary
The Sansa Fuze is a beautifully designed MP3 player with tons of features and a good (18-24 hour) battery life. Only the video and picture format issues let it down slightly.
It’s been designed with the iPod generation in mind but without the reliance on iTunes or the price tag (£46 for the 2GB, £53 for the 4GB and £63 for the 8GB on Amazon.co.uk). When you consider that an 8GB MicroSDHC is only £15 then even the 2GB is a good purchase.
9/10