The folks at SanDisk came by the Wired offices today to drop off their new Connect Wi-Fi MP3 player, and so we did the sensible thing: unboxed it ever so carefully, noting every nuance and detail of the device. Then we busted out our camera and went a little nuts. Hit the jump to see all the pics of sordid Sansa pr0n. 
So the big surprise was that SanDisk partnered with Yahoo Music and Flickr to deliver Internet radio, Wi-Fi downloads and Flickr photo access using technology from mobile entertainment company ZING. LAUNCHcast Internet radio and Flickr access on the Connect are free, but like all good things, the coolest feature (the subscription-based Yahoo Music Unlimited service) costs $15 a month.
The service on the Connect works the same way as the Yahoo Music Unlimited service works on PCs. After signing up, you can download songs or albums directly to the Connect at any Wi-Fi hotspot from artists you hear on LAUNCHcast radio, songs on the top of the Yahoo Music charts or from music Yahoo recommends based on your ratings. The songs are yours to fill the player’s 4-gig flash drive with as long as you pay the subscription fees.
Eric Bone, director of audio/video product marketing at SanDisk, also told me that songs downloaded to the Connect player would automatically be downloaded on your PC through the Yahoo Music Unlimiteed software the next time you log in – though I haven’t actually verified this yet.
Since the service uses your Yahoo account, you can also sign in to Yahoo Messenger and see what your friends are listening to. Unlike the Zune, your friends don’t need to be in same room or even city with you to swap songs. Though you can also share with strangers nearby if you’re into that, songs you recommend to your Yahoo Messenger friends (who are also Yahoo Music Unlimited subscribers) are automatically downloaded for their Connects from the service.
The Flickr service doesn’t let you upload photos, but you can look at your own Flickr stream as well as a random collection of “Today’s Best Photos” from other Flickr users.
As far as looks go, the Connect is pretty slick and has a tactile scroll wheel (like old iPods) with buttons underneath the wheel. The glowing blue ring around the scroll wheel featured on other Sansa players is back, but there are also two softkeys above the wheel and dedicated volume controls on the left side of the player. The 2.2-inch screen is plenty big and incredibly crisp, making perusing through Flickr photos very easy.
It’s also surprisingly light, probably due to it’s slightly cheapish-feeling, plastic casing. Other caveats right off the bat: lack of Wi-Fi synching with a PC for non-subscription music (USB? We know this thing has Wi-Fi) and the inability to browse or search for specific music in the Yahoo Music library. This means if you remember a song you want and you’re at a Wi-Fi hotspot, you won’t be able to find and download it unless you happen to hear it on LAUNCHcast or it’s among the Yahoo top songs that day.
Stay tuned for a full on review later on this week. —Carlos Bergfeld
