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The Short Form

Price $250 / sandisk.com / 408-801-1000

Snapshot

Despite cutting-edge Wi-Fi for wireless streaming from the Web, a lack of reliable public hot spots may make the Sansa Connect more of a curiosity than a breakthrough.

Plus

•Streams Internet music wirelessly from your home Wi-Fi network or a public hotspot •Instant downloads of currently-streaming songs •Downloaded songs can be rented via monthly subscription or purchased outright •Built-in speaker

Minus

•Internet radio stations limited to Yahoo LAUNCHcast •Wireless songs available for download only when a station is streaming it •Battery charge runs out twice as fast when Wi-Fi link is active

Key Features

•Plays music and displays photos •Streams Yahoo Music's Launchcast stations •4 gigabytes internal memory; microSD slot for expanded storage •2.2-inch TFT color screen •Inputs/Outputs: proprietary port for USB or power adapter, embedded Wi-Fi, earphone •3.6 x 2 x 0.6 in; 2.7 oz

I disconnected the Sansa from its charger (awkward to dislodge when you leave the abutting earphones plugged in) and sat down on my living room couch ready for it to find my own Wi-Fi network or a neighbor's. Upon booting up, it found several networks, but mine, being the strongest, topped the list. I went straight to Internet radio in the Sansa's menu, at which point I was prompted to use the rubberized scroll wheel to enter my Yahoo ID and password one character at a time by scrolling through the alphabet. That's a bit of pain, but it's necessary only on the Sansa's inaugural run. Once connected, I browsed a list of stations specializing predominantly in rock, urban, pop, and country music, but less popular genres are included as well. All the stations are part of Yahoo Music's LAUNCHcast service, which is both good and bad: There's a nice selection, but if you were hoping to listen to public radio from San Francisco or another more esoteric favorite that's not part of the service, forget it. I chose a Yahoo smooth jazz station, and the artist, Boney James, started soothing my soul. I liked what I heard so I pressed the Zing button to download the tune. Nice.

One thing you cannot do wirelessly, however, is sync or drop and drag your MP3 or WMA files from your PC into the Connect's memory. Although this would have been a great convenience and a good use for the player's Wi-Fi connection, that remains a standard USB-tethered operation. Wi-Fi is available only for streaming or downloading from the Internet.

PERFORMANCE The Windows Media Audio format used by Yahoo is pegged at 128 kilobits per second for streaming radio and 192 kbps for downloads, which are the same rates you'd get if you were logged on at your computer. Thus, if you decide to download a tune, the Sansa Connect doesn't simply capture what's being streamed. Your request is put into a queue for a download that occurs later in the background or when you stop streaming but still have Wi-Fi access. Those bit rates, incidentally are on the high side of what's typical for streaming and downloading, and I had no problem with the music quality.