CES 2009 – Sandisk Slot Radio
www.thetechstop.net I’ve produced no secret of the reality that I don’t like DRM. It just appears so counter to the digital lifestyle. If you Get a piece of digital entertainment, be it a piece of music, a movie or a video game, you need to be able to do something with it that is in line with the law. So when I heard that Sandisk was coming out with a line of Sansa players that would play DRM’d memory cards, I was far more than a tiny skeptical. It seemed to be a backward step for a manufacturer that has produced some excellent players that are special from iPods in their celebration of their “non-DRM’ness.” Even so, when the idea was explained to me… and when I realized that they would give me 1000 songs on a memory card, I began to warm to the notion!
the only problem is they don’t offer hard rock….or stuff like led zep? metallica…..acdc….van halen….they limit ….
I agree with 808gamerhawaii, the concept is cool….but I DO NOT like the fact that there’s no? way of skipping through the songs. It’s played IN SEQUENCE!!! No repeat or nothing. Other than that, it’s cool.
the idea is pretty cool, just literally plug and play, but i dont like that i dont kno the songs? on the card, if i knew just some of the songs on the card was going to be i would probably get it
itowedin,
Interesting point… but I would think that a concept like “Slot Radio” is very much the ANTI-Billboard model. Sure there will probably be some hits from the industry’s most popular/profitable artists, but the vast majority of the 1000 songs are? going to be from artists you’ve never heard before / genres you’ve never considered.
.
Peace,
Fr. Robert
Further, I would think that someone without time / apptitude? to research musical artists, would want to be turned on to something new. I get the feeling that licensing is being traded as a vested interest to companies losing money to the download community. I get a sneaky huntch there are some major lables behind this “idea”.
This device makes the assumption that just because someone is not internet savvy, or? has a hectic lifestyle that their musical tastes are Billboard oriented. It’s enforcing the already redundant mindset of hear the same 11 songs at work all day, hear the same 11 at a club, then spending your downtime downloading the same 11 songs to your ipod. We need to encourage versatility to get away from the huge corporate formulas that kill music. That’s what’s great about the internet.
The cards are just Micro-SD cards. The artists are big known (sony records, Warner Music Group,? etc…) You can get the player alone for 20 bucks at walmart, or at least htats what i payed for mine at walmart.
I would just like to say/ask a few things
I’m guessing the card is 8gigs? or is it 16
the cards aren’t locked are they (can we put them into a card reader, and add/delete? media?
is there any sort of interface, or is it just a few buttons to navigate the player?
how can sandisk manage to sell 1000 songs for only 40 bucks? are they all Indy artists, or are they actual artists
Does the $99 starting price include a 1000 song card?
usb plug? (firmware updates etc.)
I like sansa’s idea of making easy-to-use devices,? they really know how to “plug&play”
Also remember that you”re getting? 1,000 pieces of music for less than $40. AND if you buy the Slot Music album you get NON-DRM, HIGHER-BITRATE music for less than the equivilant download.
It’s not meant to eliminate downloaded music, nor is it meant to replace FM radio, but it definitely IS a different model than what we currently have… and me… I like competing models of business… that tends to be good for us critical consumers.
speedsk8r010,
Thanks for your comment, I understand your puzzlement, because it’s the same thing that I thought when I first heard about the concept… A few things…
It DOES have an FM radio… though I don’t think you’ll be using it much.
EACH card comes pre-loaded with 1,000 songs rom several different genres.The idea is that you listen to a Slot Radio card, hear something you like, then? buy the Slot Music album. It’s a convienence thing.
So.. its pre-loaded with songs that never? change? or does it somehow connect to a radio with different stations..
I dont get why you would use this over a radio -.-
There are many who will look at Slot Radio / Music and say “this is stupid, why would I want to go BACK to physical media” (hey… I used to be one? of those people) but the bottom line is that this gives you another legitimate choice in buying your media… and who can argue against choice?
.
Peace,
Fr. Robert
cpucrash0,
Slot Music is like buying a CD, you get a single album. Slot Radio is like buying a RADIO STATION. You get 1000 songs on the card.
There are a few advantages: First, slot music has NO DRM. That means no crappy “fair play” or WMA protection: you buy it, you use it anyway you want. Second, you don’t need to be internet savy (or even connected). Third, Slot Radio comes with such an assortment of music, that you can hear a sampling of many types of music.?
But do you get to Choose what songs you want on the? card? Sounds good but I don’t think it will catch on though because with fast internet speeds now it just takes about 1 min or 2 and I can download a full album and you don’t have to drive to the store.
johnnytturbo,
Yeah…? I think that’s what made me a believer in the marketing strategy. Normally I would shy away from ANYTHING DRM… but if they want to give ma 1000 songs for less than $0.04 each, I think I can live with it!
$39.99? for 1000 songs…That’s unbelievable pricing.
nice?