Price : $44.95 @ Buy.com
Review:
Like the bygone days
of the horse-drawn carriage, the era of the MP3 player has quickly faded into
the past. Today, the smartphone is the portable music device of choice for most
of us and the iPod is now just a footnote in Apple's history, outlived by the
iPhone and iPad.
The MP3 player isn't
dead, though. There is still one habitat left for these technological
buffaloes: the gym. Yes, as cool as your smartphone may be, there's no app that
is going to prevent it from smelling like an old sock if you keep it in your
gym bag. You need something light, small, useful, and cheap enough that you
won't cry uncontrollably if it gets trampled on. Luckily, SanDisk has you
covered.
SanDisk's Sansa Clip
players have long topped CNET's lists of affordable and gym-worthy MP3 players.
The latest spin on the Clip formula is called the Clip Zip. Like 2009's Sansa
Clip+, the Clip Zip has a starting price of $49 for 4GB or $69 for an 8GB model.
This time around, though, SanDisk is offering the device in seven different
colors (red, blue, black, orange, white, gray, and purple) and has upgraded to
a larger, full-color screen.
Design
Don't let the new
name or extra colors fool you, the Clip Zip's design isn't a far cry from the
Sansa Clip+, or even the original Sansa Clip. There's a four-way navigation pad
on the front with a separate back button floating above it. On the sides you'll
find a volume rocker switch, Micro-USB port, headphone jack, and a microSDHC
card slot that can support up to 32GB of additional memory.
The back, naturally,
features an integrated clip that helps attach the device to your clothing and
leaves your hands free for working out, or generally kicking butt. The clip is
a bit longer than the iPod Nano's, though the all-plastic design isn't as resilient.
Features
No, the Clip Zip
isn't going to play Angry Birds or update your Facebook status, but it does an
exceptionally good job of distracting your brain with music. In fact, you'll
have a hard time finding an MP3 player that works with more music formats,
especially in this price range. SanDisk even came around to our suggestion of
adding AAC compatibility, rounding out its support for MP3, WMA, DRM-WMA, FLAC,
Ogg Vorbis, and Audible files. The company's even optimized this little thing
for the Rhapsody and Napster music subscription services.
An FM radio is
included, along with the expected array of auto-preset detection and FM radio
recording. A separate main menu section for audiobooks is included, provided
that you have any loaded on the device. Podcasts are lumped into this section
as well, which isn't necessarily intuitive, but sure beats searching for your
favorite podcasts within your music library.
SanDisk also
includes a basic voice recorder. The audio quality is suitable for memos or a
hastily thrown-together grocery list, but probably not our first choice for
dictating our memoirs.
Performance
The Sansa Clip Zip
has no business sounding this good. Don't ask me how SanDisk did it. You would
expect an MP3 player at this price to sound only slightly better than hot
gravel in your ear.
That said, in the
grand scheme of things, the Clip Zip isn't the best-sounding device out there.
These things are subjective, of course, but don't go in expecting it to sound
like a Sony X-Series Walkman. There are a few EQ presets, along with some manual
EQ adjustments, but the default flat setting is about on par for quality with
what you'd hear from most Android smartphones, with a little extra headroom for
the maximum volume.
The Clip Zip's rated
battery life holds to the 15-hour mark set by the Clip+, in spite of the
larger, color screen. That's a good week of casual use before a recharge is
needed. SanDisk's decision to go with a Micro-USB port instead of the mini
ports used on previous models means that you can probably use your phone's
charger to juice this up.
Final
thoughts
The Sansa Clip Zip
further solidifies SanDisk's reputation for delivering low-cost, feature-packed
MP3 players. The addition of AAC music support now means that even fans of
Apple's iTunes store can plug the Clip Zip into a Mac or PC and transfer over
their DRM-free tunes. So if you're looking for a way to enjoy your music
without risking your precious smartphone, the Sansa Clip Zip is one of the best
values around.
The good: The SanDisk
Sansa Clip Zip is an audio Swiss Army Knife that plays most audio
formats, works with audiobook and subscription music services, can be used as a
voice recorder, and tunes in to FM radio--all for under $50.
The bad: You get what you pay for in terms of
construction quality.
The bottom line: SanDisk's tongue-twister of an
MP3 player is a stupefying value and its practical clip-on design is perfect
for the gym.
