Hype Check: Sansa Connect

Tom Samiljan — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:32:00 EST

Filed under: Audio/Video, Editor's Picks, Hype Check, iPod, Music, Reviews

Two weeks ago we wrote about Sandisk's Sansa Connect, an innovative new portable digital audio player with built-in Wi-Fi. As promised, here's our hands-on review - does it live up to the hype?

What it is: Designed for use with the Yahoo! Music Unlimited online subscription service, the Sansa Connect is an iPod-mini-sized portable digital audio player with built-in Wi-Fi, so you can download tunes directly into the device - no PC needed -- from any Wi-Fi hotspot in the world. The device also lets you view your Flickr photo collection wirelessly and send song recommendations to other friends on the Yahoo! Messenger service.

Why it's different: Yes, you can transfer music to the Connect the traditional way - using Windows Media Player and a USB cord connected to your PC - but it's the option to download tunes via Wi-Fi right to your device that screams "gee-whiz." That said, in wireless mode, the Sansa Connect doesn't let you search for specific songs or albums and then download them (for that option, you'll have to plug the device to your computer via USB). Instead, you choose music based on Yahoo!'s automatically-generated picks, which are categorized by a variety of genres from "Christian Rock" and "Alternative Rock" to "Jazz" and chart-toppers. It also has access to live Internet radio in the form of Launchcast, which is essentially an automated playlist service, also organized by genres such as "Alternative Rock" and "Disco," among many others.

Don't the Zune and Music Gremlin players also offer Wi-Fi functionality? Yes, they do. Unlike the Connect, the Music Gremlin player lets you wirelessly search for the music you want and download it, but the player and user interface leave something to be desired in terms of looks and user-friendliness. The Zune, on the other hand, has less wireless functionality -- Microsoft's much-ballyhooed device only lets you use its Wi-Fi capability to swap tunes with other Zune-owners around you.

What it costs: $250 for the player, plus $12 per month for Yahoo! Music Unlimited, which gives you "for rent" subscription download access to more than two million songs. Embedded with digital rights management licenses, the songs keep playing as long as you keep paying the monthly fee (stop paying and the licenses expire).

What we like: Picking tunes based on automatically-generated lists is an addictive blast that's similar to sorting through an excellent jukebox - not necessarily the most efficient or customized way to get the tracks you want, but an excellent musical discovery experience nonetheless. Also, you can create new playlists on the fly based on any song you may be listening to. In terms of ease-of-use, the jog-dial and cartoonish graphical interface are among the most responsive and logically-designed we've seen for a player that's not an iPod.

What we don't like: If you're looking for a specific song or album, you'll have to go on your PC, search for it there, and transfer it manually, since Wi-Fi downloads are based solely on Yahoo!'s automatically-generated picks. Battery life when using Wi-Fi is atrociously short (about six hours). Alas, the Connect doesn't work with Macs (yet). Lastly, the generic-black plastic Connect body won't win any beauty contests.

Does it live up to the hype? For the most part, we think it does. As long as you've got a musical sense of adventure and don't mind picking from a tune-list that is basically fed to you, you'll really enjoy the convenience of downloading songs with just one button-push. (If not, the Connect is an excellent would-be iPod killer that functions pretty much like any other audio player when connected via USB, for those who really like to customize their libraries.) Also, we love the Connect's ability to access and watch photo collections wirelessly via Flickr, which beats filling up the player with picture files (we'd rather save the built-in 4GB memory for music).That said, the Wi-Fi features are only as good as your Wi-Fi connection, so if you've got cordless phones, microwaves, and the like interfering with your wireless network, you may get some cut-outs in downloading, streaming radio, and picture-viewing.

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Hype Check: Sansa Connect originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hype Check: Verizon VCAST Mobile TV

Tom Samiljan — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Audio/Video, Cell Phones, Advice, Hype Check, TV, Reviews

Welcome to the first in a series of posts in which we give much-anticipated new gadgets or services a test drive and tell you whether or not they live up to the hype. Today, we set our crticial eyes on Verizon Wireless's VCAST Mobile TV.

What it is: VCAST Mobile TV provides live and continuous TV broadcasts right to your cell phone.

What's on TV: Right now, participating networks include NBC, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Bravo, Fox, and ESPN. Broadcasts themselves are made-for-mobile feeds that include shows such as CSI, Jericho, 24, The Colbert Report, Law and Order, The Office, and The Simpsons, as well as NCAA baseball, Arena Football, the Summer X Games, and several soaps (Guiding Light, anyone?).

Why it's different: Yes, live TV has been available on cell phones for the past three years from services such as MobiTV, but anyone who's tried out that service knows that its video can be grainy and jumpy (due to slow and over-taxed cell-phone networks). VCAST Mobile TV is uses a new cell-phone chip that picks up TV signals over the airwaves, specifically UHF (for those of you old enough to remember). The result is higher-quality video and the ability to change channels relatively quickly.

Where you can get it: Right now, the service is available in about 22 cities around the country, including Orlando, Dallas, Boston, Seattle, and Las Vegas, but Verizon plans to launch in several other cities in the coming weeks. (We were able to get reception in New York City, where service has not been officially launched).

The phones: Right now, only two phones accept the live TV service. The LG VX9400 is distinctive for its screen that swivels 45-degrees into a widescreen/landscape mode, making the phone look like a "T" (the manufacturer is calling it a "swing bar design"). The more conventional-looking Samsung SCH-u620 is a slider phone with a smaller screen. Both phones have retractable antennas that improve reception.

Price: The service costs $15 a month on top of whatever plan you already have, but if you want the rest of VCAST's offerings (downloadable videos, music, games, and more), you'll pay $25 a month. The LG VX9400 is $199 (after a rebate) with a two-year contract, while the Samsung SCH-u620 is $149 (after a rebate) with a two-year contract.

What we like: We were impressed with the clear and smooth, full-motion-video--absolutely no freeze-ups or lost-picture typical of MobiTV-style cell phone video. The grid-like program guide looks just like the one from the cable company, making changing channels and picking shows a breeze. Also, you can take calls and text messages while watching TV.

What we don't like: Changing channels takes about three seconds--not quite regular TV speed, but almost fast enough to bring back the pre-Tivo glory days of channel surfing. Sometimes, though, with only a half-dozen or so channels, there just wasn't anything on TV we wanted to watch. And though some shows--Today, Late Night with Conan O'Brien--are broadcast at the same time as on regular TV, others, 24 and The Simpsons, were a week old. Unfortunately, taking a call while watching TV means missing out on your TV show (just like back in the day!)

Is it all that? For the most part, Verizon VCAST Mobile TV delivers on its promise: Video quality is high, controls are responsive, and the launch line-up is respectable. And it's perfectly handy for watching programming you might want to watch live--Today, sports--on, say, the morning or evening bus commute. But considering we live in an age of Tivo, DVRs, and downloadable TV from iTunes and others, the appeal of live TV--on your cell phone, home TV, or otherwise--just isn't what it used to be.

When cell phones can save the live TV they're picking up--Tivo-style--then we might be over the moon about VCAST Mobile TV, but right now we can only recommend this service to sports fans and news hounds.

Hype Check: Verizon VCAST Mobile TV originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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