March 20 - 5:25pm EDT   The Sansa slotRadio MP3 player from SanDisk that was first introduced at CES has been given an official release date on Friday, with the company announcing it will make the $100 player available then. Buyers will get a microSD card with the player preloaded with 1,000 popular songs from every common genre on the Billboard charts. While these files will be DRM-protected and only play on the Sansa slotRadio, users can plug in their own tracks on separate microSD cards. [full story]

March 4 - 6:00pm EST   Sandisk has recently trademarked the Sansa Tap name, suggesting the company is working on a touchscreen MP3 player, according to a DAPReview report on Monday. While there is no other information to go on regarding the nature of the possible device, the existence of competition making touch-based devices, the name, and a perceived consensus on high demand for the players points to Sansa Tap as likely referring to touchscreen displays. [full story]

November 11 - 9:10am EST   SanDisk raised the stakes in its competition against the iPod shuffle and Creative ZEN Stone with a new, 8GB version of the Sansa Clip. The capacity gives it storage for up to 2,000 songs and doubles the capacity of Creative's best ultra-small models and quadruple that of Apple's. It continues to hold the same four-line OLED display that lets it have full control over music while still rendering it small enough to attach to a belt or clothes through its namesake hook. [full story]

November 10 - 1:00pm EST   Apple's recent MacBook lineup and the iPhone may make it one of the better-positioned companies to survive a likely steep drop in spending during the holidays, according to new data from ChangeWave. The analyst firm says that a full third of all studied US notebook buyers, or 33 percent, plan to buy some form of Apple notebook during the season or within the next 90 days from the start of November. The number represents a slight boost from 29 percent in September and puts Apple's demand on par with Dell; HP continues to significantly trail behind at just 22 percent. [full story]

September 25 - 3:50pm EDT   SanDisk today quietly confirmed the imminent launch of new capacities to its microSDHC and Memory Stick Micro (M2) lines. Both are doubling in capacity to 16GB and are targeted at cellphones and portable players that can use the format as their only or primary source of storage. The update gives the T-Mobile G1 as much potential storage as the iPhone and Nokia N96, while SanDisk's own Sansa View can hold as much as 48GB with the microSDHC option. Certain newer still cameras also support the format. [full story]

June 10 - 11:05am EDT   SanDisk today said it has bought out MusicGremlin for an undisclosed amount. The deal is meant to give the Sansa player manufacturer access to the smaller company's still rare direct-download subscription service, which allows members to download an unlimited number of songs each month to the player itself via Wi-Fi rather than first transferring them to a PC. The features will have a "key role" in future Sansa devices, according to SanDisk's Sansa Senior VP Daniel Schreiber. [full story]

March 19 - 6:30pm EDT   While many portable media players have been directly compared against one or more of Apple's iPods, few of the larger names in the industry have sought to take on Apple in a direct way. SanDisk has largely been one of these competitors until March, which has seen the company release one of its most direct challenges to the iPod to date and one of the first most obvious challengers to the third-generation iPod nano. Click ahead for the full Sansa Fuze review, which suggests that Apple may have some reason for worry, especially in regards to price. [full story]

March 13 - 10:30am EDT   The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is at our offices and already being prepared for a full test. In the meantime, we've already collected first impressions of the player and can already say that the current iPod nano (and Zune 4/8) may have some genuine competition. The Fuze is perhaps the most direct spin-off of the Apple design we've seen to date, but it improves on the formula: the 1.9-inch screen is only slightly smaller than the 2-inch iPod but translates to a considerably narrower design which is easy to hold. The scroll wheel is essentially the same as for the larger View and is more precise than the smaller iPod's, if not quite as efficient at scrolling quickly through ... [full story]

March 11 - 8:15am EDT   SanDisk this morning quickly ended leaks by releasing the Sansa Fuze, the company's particular take on the same small, widescreen player formula as the third-generation iPod nano. Much shorter than the Sansa View, the Fuze has a small 1.9-inch screen but still includes a full jog wheel and the newer music and video playback features, effectively replacing the outgoing E200 series. In contrast to most devices in the category, however, it also sports a microSDHC slot: users can add as much as 8GB or more to the storage of their existing player if they run out of space or want a permanently rotating collection of music. [full story]

March 10 - 9:50am EDT   More details have surfaced about SanDisk's upcoming Sansa Fuze music player, according to an Amazon leak. The listing confirms the Fuze's role as a direct iPod nano rival with a 1.9-inch screen, music and video playback on 4GB of storage, and a jog wheel for navigation. Unlike the Apple player or rivals like the Zune 4, the Fuze would add a microSDHC slot for as much as 8GB or more of additional storage. It would also bring an FM radio and voice capture through a microphone. [full story]

March 4 - 12:05pm EST   SanDisk is gearing up a new music player that would straddle the line between the basic Sansa Clip and the larger View, a leaked flyer for an accessory kit shows. The Sansa Fuze would sit almost exactly between its two sister devices in size and would share the same iPod-like jogwheel while offering a screen roughly as large as or larger than that of the third-generation iPod nano. Few details are revealed in the leak, though it becomes clear SanDisk will offer the player in blue and other colors as well as include the same on-screen interface, complete with photo and video support. [full story]

February 20 - 1:05pm EST   Creative will finally join companies such as Apple and Microsoft in offering a wireless music player, say some reported insiders privy to the details. Purportedly named the ZEN Share, the device will use Wi-Fi for its network connection. Most details are unavailable, though the name directly points to a sharing ability likely based on that of the Zune. The Microsoft player allows users of similar players to share tracks over a peer-to-peer wireless network and wraps songs in a temporary copy protection system to prevent trading of copyrighted tracks. [full story]

January 7 - 4:50pm EST   SanDisk today upgraded its Sansa jukeboxes, escalating the fight between flash-based music players. The Sansa Clip (shown at right) now doubles in storage to 4GB but also receives a stylized mirror finish; the effect not only brings the player upscale but creates a stealthy effect for the built-in LCD screen. The View in turn becomes SanDisk's most capacious-ever music player: at 32GB, it eclipses the iPod nano and touch and pulls even with the just-announced 32GB Creative ZEN in storage. More can be added through a microSDHC card slot. [full story]

December 7 - 8:15pm EST   With an abundance of MP3 players that have come out over the course of the year, buying the right player as a gift can be tricky. USA TODAY's Kim Komando has assembled a list of this year's most wanted multimedia players, with offerings from Apple, SanDisk, Microsoft and Archos. First on the list is Apple's iPod touch, with its large, bright touchscreen and up to 16GB of storage. WiFi allows users to browse the internet and purchase music – something that the others either don't do, or require additional subscriptions or components in order to have that functionality. Komando laments the lack of access to subscription-based music services. The Touch sells for $300 for ... [full story]