Digital Home Thoughts: SanDisk Sansa slotMusic Player

"Earlier this year SanDisk introduced a new format to deliver music called slotMusic. This is simply a 1GB microSD card with DRM-free digital files on it. This format is backed by some of the major record labels such as EMI, Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner. To go along with this new format SanDisk has introduced the slotMusic player. This memory-less and screen-less player relies solely on microSD for music playback. The idea is that non-tech savvy users will be able to swap out their purchased slot music albums. I don’t believe that slotMusic will revolutionize the music industry, but may do well in certain niche markets. Aside from the new music format, the player itself is an interesting story."

Given that there are similar flash based MP3 players with 1 GB of storage for around the same price, the market seems pretty limited. This looks more like an MP3 player designed for people without a computer. But if you are into hacking hardware, check out the article. From the hardware side, it actually looks pretty well made so there might be some interesting DIY projects based on this in the future.