Digital Trends

SanDisk Sansa Connect (4GB)

June 11th, 2007 | by Jason Tomczak

Setup and Use

Setting up the Sansa Connect is very easy. Before loading it with music, charge the Sansa Connect using the included AC-to-USB wall adapter or by using the USB charging/syncing cable plugged directly into your computer's USB port.

To take advantage of the Sansa Connect's capabilities, you'll need to install the Yahoo! Music interface. On a 2GHz laptop with 2GB RAM, the setup took about 9 minutes. Surprisingly, the setup process required a reboot of Windows XP to complete the software installation. With reboot and final configs, the total setup time was just under 15 minutes.

Once the software is set up and you're logged into your Yahoo! account, plug the Sansa Connect into your computer's USB port. Windows XP (and Vista) should instantly recognize the MP3 player. Within a couple seconds, the Yahoo! Music software will show the Sansa Connect as an available device to transfer music to (using simple drag & drop).

Using the Yahoo! Music program is also quite easy. I was able to login and begin previewing music from some of my favorite singers in less than a minute. Twenty minutes later, I had three full albums downloaded while simultaneously previewing additional songs for potential download. I'm personally an iTunes fan, but I'll gladly give credit where it's due; and the Yahoo! Music store is a great way to enjoy music.

I noticed that songs sounded much better once downloaded and played on the Sansa Connect compare to when they were previewed online. This is likely due to streaming audio files being rendered at lower bit rates than the corresponding files available for download/purchase.

As mentioned above, the Sansa Connect does not play video like iPods do. It doesn't have a built-in FM tuner like the TrekStor Vibez does, nor does it include a built-in mic for recording audio notes. 

WiFi Network Requirements

The Sansa Connect requires a WiFi network in order to connect to the Yahoo! Music service for Internet radio and Flickr for online photo browsing. You can select a password protected network (ideal) or an unsecure network to make your connection. What you won't be able to do is connect to Yahoo! or take advantage of any other WiFi features using an 802.11n network. For now, the Sansa Connect is limited to 802.11b/g networks.

Stopping by Starbucks or staying at a hotel? You may experience a wee little trouble connecting to their WiFi networks, especially if they use a localized 'welcome' or 'login' page on the network. The Sansa Connect can hurdle some (but not all) of these walls.

Unfortunately, even though the Sansa Connect has built-in WiFi, it cannot connect directly with your WiFi enabled computer. To transfer songs, photos, etc., you'll need to use the proprietary USB adapter included with the Sansa Connect. 

Connecting to Secure Networks

Connecting to password protected wireless networks is very easy. On the Sansa Connect, go to the Settings menu, then select WiFi, WiFi Status, Options, then Choose Network. Select a password protected network, then use the easy alpha-numeric scroll to enter the password. Entering the password is very reminiscent of entering your name for the high score of a video game. Once the password is entered correctly, the Sansa Connect will display a "connected" icon and the connection will be active. As an aside, your network will most likely need to be set to DHCP. As of this writing, the Sansa Connect cannot be assigned a dedicated IP address. It'll either assign an IP address of its own by DHCP or it won't connect to said WiFi network. This is something that SanDisk will eventually have to fix with a firmware update. 

Showing the WiFi Signal Strength

Connecting to Secure Networks

Connecting to password protected wireless networks is very easy. On the Sansa Connect, go to the Settings menu, then select WiFi, WiFi Status, Options, then Choose Network. Select a password protected network, then use the easy alpha-numeric scroll to enter the password. Entering the password is very reminiscent of entering your name for the high score of a video game. Once the password is entered correctly, the Sansa Connect will display a "connected" icon and the connection will be active. As an aside, your network will most likely need to be set to DHCP. As of this writing, the Sansa Connect cannot be assigned a dedicated IP address. It'll either assign an IP address of its own by DHCP or it won't connect to said WiFi network. This is something that SanDisk will eventually have to fix with a firmware update.