Tech: Sansa Clip

The flash-based MP3 market has exploded in the past few years. Nowadays you can get everything from a high-faluting $350 iPod Touch (an iPhone minus the phone, sporting Wifi, 32 gigs of memory, and a sleek interface) to a $20 1 GB bargain player from your local drug store. I was in the market for a small MP3 player for working out, and came out the store with the Sansa Clip:



The Clip was $50 at Best Buy for the 4GB model, probably more memory than you need for a gym bag player. It is stacked with features - FM radio, voice recorder with integrated mic, and even the ability to play Ogg Vorbis and FLAC files (with a firmware update). The sound quality is great for such a tiny player - with the execrable stock earbuds, you could still feel punchy bass and decent highs. Use a good ~$100 headphone set, and the Clip will satisfy most audiophiles.

The one category where the Clip loses handily to Apple is in design. The unit has a chunky plastic feel that's just no match for the iPod Shuffle's teeny-tiny, brushed metal form factor. Still, a standard mini-USB port and a removable pocket clip means that this player could easily serve as a main MP3 player for someone with a smallish music collection. And at $50 (the same price as the 1GB Shuffle, which has no screen at all), it's not a bad deal at all.