SanDisk is known for making relatively cheap MP3 Players which offer good value. Their players usually have decent sound quality, but are not known for excellent sound quality.

Until know that is. Reviewers are raving about the sound quality of the SanDisk Sansa Clip. On anythingbutipod the Sansa Clip review by Grahm Skee notes: “Sansas have not been known for good sound quality. However, over the last few new releases they have been getting progressively better with the Clip being the best sounding Sansa to date- even treading onto audiophile territory”.
Some of this audio quality is possibly due to a chip, specifically the SOC (system on chip), which ABI were looking for when they disassembled the Sansa Clip.

The SanDisk Sansa Clip is an ultra compact MP3 player. At 2.2 inches by 1.4 inches by 0.5 inch (56 by 36 by 13mm) without the removable belt clip, the Sansa Clip is bigger than the iPod Shuffle. It has a small rectangular, 1-inch (25mm) screen, and is available in 1, 2 and 4GB capacities. The 2GB version is available in a selection of colors: red, pink, and blue. Both the 1GB and 2GB version are also available in black, and the newer 4GB version in silver only. This small player features a built-in microphone for voice recordings (in WAV format), an FM tuner, recording from FM and Rhapsody support. It supports MP3, protected and unprotected WMA, and Audible files. With such a small screen, photo and video are not supported.

Sometime ago I mentioned the Creative Zen V Plus (see Get them while you can) as a previous generation good MP3 player at a decent price.

Another “good deal” is the popular but underrated SanDisk Sansa e200 series of MP3 Players. SanDisk media players are usually quite competitively priced, and this one can be found at bargain prices. SanDisk also still sells it from their website. The Sansa View, possibly intended as a replacement, is larger and heavier than the Sansa e200 series.

The e200 series is available in capacities from 2GB to 8GB. The rather confusing model numbers indicate the capacity: e250 is 2GB, e260 is 4GB, e270 is 6GB and the e280 is 8GB. The Sansa e280 was the first 8GB flash player available. The best values are probably for the 4GB and higher models. The e200s have microSD expansion card slots, so they can be expanded by up to 2GB. It is about the size of the second generation iPod Nano, but thicker. It is small enough to fit easily into just about any pocket.

One thing I like about this player is that it supports MSC (Mass Storage Class) and well as MTP (Media Transfer Protocol – Windows Only) USB modes. MTP mode requires using Windows Media Player or the Rhapsody software, but in MSC mode the player appears as a drive on your computer and you can just copy music files to it. This also means that it can be used with Mac and Linux PCs. The player has an FM Radio, which you can record from, voice recording and video playback – although at only 15 fps. All videos have to be converted by the SanDisk Media Converter to play on the 1.8 inch, 220 by 176 pixel resolution screen.

This is one of the few MP3 Players available today which has a user-replaceable battery. Instead of having to crack open the player and void the warranty, there are 4 screws on the back to remove the back plate and reveal the battery compartment.

Of course one of the advantages of buying a player like this over two years after it has been released is that most of the bugs have been ironed out with firmware updates.

Acronyms aren’t exclusive to technology, but technology seems to generate them at an alarming rate.

One of the first acronyms I was exposed to in my IT (Information Technology) career was COBOL - COmmon Business Orientated Language. It didn’t take long for me to get bored with programming in COBOL. Many years and a few programming languages later, I could still pick up the language again in a couple of days, it is one of those things you can’t forget, no matter how much you try. Little did I know then that I would eventually be developing in Visual Basic - BASIC being an acronym for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, which explains why many BASIC compilers are named with the word BASIC in Capitals, for example BCX BASIC, QuickBASIC and PowerBASIC.

The latest version of Visual Basic is included in Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard.

Another industry which seems to generate acronyms is the mobile phone industry. The mobile phone technology which the Apple iPhone uses is GSM, which stands for Global System for Mobile communications. There are about 2 billion GSM mobile subscribers worldwide. GSM phones use SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards. The other mobile phone technology with a large base in the United States, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), makes use of an ESN (Electronic Serial Number) instead of a SIM Card. CDMA has over 400 million mobile subscribers worldwide.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to acronyms in programming and mobile phones.

If you do a search for “MP4 Player” on Pricegrabber.com, the search results return the iPod Touch, the iPod Classic, the Zune second generation, and many other devices we would call MP3 players. This is not a mistake, as searches for “MP4 player” on other sites turn up the same thing. So what gives?

Based on an article entitled “Chinese MP4 player” in Wikipedia, and research on some other websites, there seem to be two definitions of MP4 Player:

The first, the broader definition referred to above, refers to an MP4 Player as the successor to the MP3 Player. The MP4 comes from the capability of these players to play MPEG-4 video. In addition to playing videos, MP4 players may have extra features such as video games, FM radio, voice recording and even video recording. These devices are also more commonly known as Personal Video Players (PVP), Portable Media Players (PMP) or Digital Media Player (DMP).

The second definition refers to Portable Media Players made in China. The Dane-Elec Meizu 8GB Portable Media Player is a good example of an MP4 Player. Other (not so good) examples are the numerous cheap knockoffs of iPods made in China, and referred to as “MP4 Players”.

Frankly, I prefer the term Portable Media Player, simply because it is descriptive, and does not include a number which can (and will) be incremented. Yes, there are already “MP5 Players” and “MP6 Players“, and the occasional “MP7 player“. I gave up Googling these after finding the MP7 Player…

Earlier this year I wrote about the Sandisk Sansa Connect in “Wireless Music” . I must admit to being quite tempted to get one of these little MP3 Players, especially after reading that the firmware had been updated and video playback capability had been added – the 2.2 inch 320 x 240 resolution screen is definitely good enough for video. Video playback support as well as subscription music from Yahoo Music on a high-quality device with a microSD slot which supports both microSD (up to 2GB) and microSDHC (4GB and higher) cards is a good deal.

Then I read that Yahoo was selling it’s music subscription service to Rhapsody, and that the wireless features of the device (with the exception of the LaunchCast internet radio) would probably no longer be supported from July 2008. That could explain some of the good price breaks on the Sansa Connect. If this happens it would be just another media player.

The Sansa Connect did however win the Best of CES award in the MP3 player category in 2007 when it was announced, so this is still a good media player. If you are deciding whether or not to buy this media player, then the possible loss of the ability to update subscription music wirelessly with the Yahoo Music To Go service should be taken into consideration and also determine the amount you would be prepared to pay for a disconnected Sansa Connect.

Hiya Ibiza Rhapsody! I was going to write about a product overcoming a strange sounding name, but decided to focus instead on some of the more unique aspects of the Haier ibiza Rhapsody 30GB Portable Media Player. This is the first Media Player from Haier, who are better known for their dishwashers, refrigerators, microwaves and other home appliances. The styling is reminiscent of an iPod classic with some Zune 30 thrown in. It has similar dimensions to the iPod Classic and a 2.5 inch screen. It also has a Zune-like touchpad. Yet it is rather costly in comparison.

This is not just any Media player. Like the SanDisk Sansa Connect, this is a wireless-enabled Media Player, but this one is linked to the Rhapsody music store. However, no computer is required to set up and use this player, just a subscription to the Rhapsody Music Service. Fortunately it comes with a 30 day trial subscription.

Among the multiple features of this device: Podcasts can be updated wirelessly. You can also access video on the go through AOL Video. It supports stereo Bluetooth, which not many players do. As well as an FM Radio with RDS, you can listen to Rhapsody Channels – the equivalent of customized internet radio channels.

The Ibiza Rhapsody comes in several capacities and colors, There is a 4GB and an 8GB Flash Player, or a 30GB hard drive based player. The colors: black, blue, silver, white and pink – that’s the 30Gb version, the 4GB and 8GB have variants of these.

This is a great player for discovering music, but obviously needs Wi-Fi access and a $15 per month Rhapsody Music subscription to get the most out of it.

You’ve seen Wow Wee products even if you don’t know it. That’s the company that’s into robotics. They make the Roboquad, a four-legged spider-like robot that can follow objects, dance and turn when faced with an obstacle. They also make the Alive Elvis, which sings and dances and moves an Elvis Presley-like mouth authentically in a truly spooky manner. Then there’s the Roboraptor, the Robosapien, the Dragonfly…

But these are not exactly the kind of cuddly robots you might want to give to a kid who loves his soft toys. That’s why I was thrilled to find out the company will be introducing a new line this summer, which I had the chance to pet at CES.

These cutie-pie creatures are all animal babies — big heads and fluffy bodies. But when you stroke their heads or necks, they start cooing and looking up at you with adoring eyes. They also open and close their mouths while making mewling sounds and moving their heads around like affectionate cats.

Forget the dog I was planning to get in the next couple of years. I’m going to load up on rechargeable batteries for my kid’s pet fix.

Once when I was younger, I went to Xanadu, the house of the future in the Wisconsin Dells with my grandmother. Shaped like an above-ground version of the house where the Teletubbies live — all round and curvy — it included a geodesic greenhouse, porthole windows, computers (Commodores, mind you) to control the temperature of your bath water, an electronic hearth with a TV and sound system, shag carpeting, and a meditation room. I’m personally surprised we’re not all living in these heavenly homes.

I was reminded of Xanadu when I toured NextGen Home Experience during CES. The idea was to show off the latest in consumer electronics and connected home technologies in a “real” atmosphere.

But what really amazed me was the bed. Leggett & Platt have some nice beds — they can undulate like a snake in the winter. But that’s nothing compared to what they concocted for NextGen’s Starry Night Bed.

Let me count the ways:

One, vibration sensor and load cell technologies to measure how much you toss and turn, and how often you get out of bed during the night. According to a company press release, the same vibration sensor technology detects and monitors rhythmic breathing patterns that indicate relaxation. It compares these movements to a 30-day baseline measure of the sleeper and then provides tips to improve sleep quality.

Two, using some kind of liquid-based technology, the mattress can be set to pre-heat or pre-cool both sides separately. If you’ve ever slept with somebody who suffers from hot flashes, you’ll recognize this as a total selling point.

Three, the bed includes a surround sound system along with an LCD-based projector that can show movies on your bedroom wall. You can also surf wirelessly from bed controls to settle those late-night arguments about obscure facts that only Wikipedia can answer. There’s a built-in iPod docking station for recharging your device. And it includes 1.5 terabytes of disc storage to maintain your music and video collection.

Four, the bed actually detects snoring with a vibration-detection system and automatically moves the bed into a position that will help open nasal passages to reduce mild to moderate snoring. When the snoring stops, the bed returns to its original position.

This deluxe night-mobile is projected to be available in the first half of 2009 and to retail between $20,000 and $50,000, depending on your configuration. Sound expensive? Compared to getting apnea surgery, hormone treatment or a divorce, I think it sounds like a true bargain.

Am I the last person to notice that PriceGrabber is using its comparison shopping site to help us sort through presidential candidates? (Somehow, the brain in my clicking finger was telling me that the Election 08 button on the top menu bar would simply lead me to options for business suits and haircuts…) Anyway, what a cool idea!

Once you go to the Election 2008 home, you can filter through the candidates by their stance on pressing issues. Choose a subject such as the economy, and a drop-down list will appear. Click the category to filter on — national debt/deficit, taxes and fiscal policies, free trade and so on, and in each, select or unselect the choice you want to know about. Curious about who wants to reduce spending? Click to remove the check on all the other choices, push the “Filter Candidates!” button and the contenders appear.

A Candidate Match function lets you choose how you stand on particular issues and will show you who which candidates you best agree with — and to what extent.

Those of you who are part of the Peace and Freedom, Libertarian, Green or other party won’t find your candidates here yet. But who knows what’ll show up after the primaries are done.

In the meantime, check this feature out. It made me reconsider who I plan to vote for come Super Tuesday…

Sony has officially announced VoIP (voice over IP) for the Sony PlayStation Portable. Unfortunately owners of the original Sony PSP “1001″ model like myself are excluded, as this will only work with the new updated Slim PSP model. Somehow visions come to mind of holding the 6.7 inch by 2.8 inch PSP awkwardly to your ear, like the first generation Nokia nGage. Of course VoIP will most likely require a headset with a microphone.

Although the updated Slim (aka Slim and Lite) PSP has several enhancements which improve the gaming experience it is not a “must have” upgrade.

The Sony PSP is already a multifunction device, with the ability to play videos and music as well as browse the internet. It is rather large to use as an MP3 Player, even though the Memory Stick Pro Duo media is currently available in capacities up to 8GB. I’ve watched a couple of video clips on my PSP, and the screen is excellent. Of course, having the Sony Media Manager to copy the video files in the right format to the right directory on the Memory stick (with the right filename) helps. Mostly though, I play games on it. Slow load times aside, this is where the PSP excels - and I’ve played with a number of different handheld gaming consoles, each with its own unique qualities.