[brlug-general] MP3 Pay sites, etc.

[Tim Fournet]

Today I picked up the Sansa Connect from Sandisk. So far, I'm totally 
impressed with this device. It runs embedded Linux with an interface 
written in Mono. The really neat thing about it is its built-in wifi 
connectivity. It does what the Zune is missing - it streams music off 
the internet. Currently it only streams from Yahoo Music, not sure if 
there are plans for any other services. Also it has 4 gigs of internal 
memory and a micro-SD slot. If you subscribe to Yahoo's Unlimited 
service - a flat fee per month - you can tell the device to download the 
songs and albums you hear while streaming. When there's no wifi signal, 
you can play the music that's stored on the device. It also can view 
pictures from flickr and you can trade recommendations with your Yahoo 
Instant Messenger friends.

The sound quality sounds great so far, and so far I haven't been able to 
put much of a dent in the battery after a couple of hours (it was 
charging before that).

This thing definitely gives the iPod and everything else I've seen a run 
for its money.