- Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 7 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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4.5 stars
"My preferred upgrade from the iPod Nano 3G"
Pros: Expandable via SDHC; regular firmware updates add functionality; FLAC and Vorbis support; supports podcasts and Audible/Overdrive audiobooks; good price; helpful and fanatical community; improved HS/SW UI from e200 series; good form factor
Cons: video requires conversion; screen too small for extended viewing (on my older eyes); scroll wheel less responsive than iPod Clickwheel; slow refresh when SD card installed; 4000 song limit for shuffle; no replaceable battery
Summary: I have a Sansa e260R, which I liked overall but was frustrated by some of its quirks. The Fuze addresses most of them..
Size: comparable to the Nano 3G. A bit heavier than the Nano, but substantially lighter than the Sansa e260. I like the form factor.
Controls: I'm comfortable with the Nano controls, so the Fuze's similar navigation is welcome. Differences are in many ways an improvement: hold the wheel left/right to fast forward or reverse. The Home button lets you get quickly to the main screen. I can still move more quickly to the areas I want via the Nano, but the Fuze interface is growing on me. I like that the headphone jack has been moved to the bottom of the device, but am less happy that the microphone was moved from the top to the left side, below the card slot.
Features: the Fuze touts features the iPods lack, most prominently the FM tuner/recorder and voice recorder. I confess I don't use either features that often, but when I need it, I'm glad I'm prepared. The microphone on the Fuze is less well positioned than on the e200 but it serves. Where the Fuze shines for me is format support: MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, Audible, Overdrive audiobooks. The FLAC lossless support and Audible formats 4 and AAX are particularly welcome. The audio quality? Fantastic.
Expandability: A draw of the Fuze is its support for MicroSDHC cards. As chip prices fall, the player can be greatly expanded at minimal cost. I have the 8Gb model, and bought an 8Gb chip for under $20. This gave me a 16Gb player for half the cost of the Nano 4G. As prices of 16Gb and 32Gb chips fall further, the benefits of the card slot increase. The downside is twofold. The player has a 4000 track database limit (to be corrected in an upcoming firmware update), and the player takes a long time to refresh after connecting to a PC if a card is inserted. The iPod does not have this issue at all...but the iPod is not expandable.
Other pro/con features: You can delete files directly on the Fuze, which is nice, but flawed. Like the much more expensive and powerful iPod Touch, you can delete files directly on the Fuze; unlike the Touch, though, deleting takes several seconds, and (more importantly) there is no indication on screen what file you're deleting. These can be addressed in firmware updates, and may well; Sandisk has been terrific about providing frequent and substantive firmware updates.
Another iPod feature I'd love to see on the Fuze is a "new" flag for podcasts I haven't yet listened to (the little blue dot), and more detailed information in the cast list about each episode: episode ID, air date, etc. It's a small thing, but I've found it very helpful when managing podcasts on the iPod.
Like the iPod Nano 3G and 4G, the Fuze can play video, though you have to use the supplied Sansa Media Converter to make the video compatible. I'd bought the Nano 3G because of its video support, but quickly found the screen size too small to view longer video comfortably. Some don't mind the screen size, but I've found the iPod Touch to be the smallest comfortable size for video...and the Sony PSP even better. But if your eyes don't mind it, the Fuze video is sharp and bright and watchable; it's by far the best video player for the price.
Apple seems be pushing its iPods as gaming machines, even the Nano. Frankly, while it makes sense on the impressive iPod Touch, the Nano is not a good game machine. The Fuze does not have games on it. I consider this a plus. It's a superior audio player and recorder; I consider things like video and games to be a distraction from its greatest strength. But reasonable minds may differ.
It's easy to complain about the Fuze for a couple of reasons. First, Sansa is very responsive; a number of enhancements have come directly from user feedback, so it pays to speak up. Second, for such an inexpensive device, it offers features that blur the line separating it from higher-end products. What's notable is not that it does this or that less well than the iPod Touch, but rather that it can do it at all, and for a small fraction of the price.
I recommend the Fuze without reservation.
Where to buy
SanDisk Sansa Fuze (4GB, blue):
$58.99 - $84.99
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$84.99 | Yes |
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$59.99 | Yes |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$58.99 | Yes |
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