Yahoo Music has recently tied with SanDisk on the release of a WiFi-enabled, portable media player, an effort that also involves Mountain View, CA-based Zing Systems, Inc.
Earlier this year at CES, SanDisk announced the wireless player, dubbed the Sansa Connect, though the Yahoo tie-in just surfaced over the weekend. The player is optimized to work with the Yahoo Music Unlimited subscription service, as well as the Yahoo-powered, Launchcast streaming radio offering. Other supported applications include Yahoo Messenger and photo storage and sharing destination Flickr. “It’s with great pride I announce the release of the SanDisk Sansa Connect, the new WiFi-enabled portable MP3 player set to free you from the USB cable chaining you to your PC,” blogged Ian Rogers of Yahoo Music this morning. “For me personally, the SanDisk Connect has put me in a completely different mode of portable music listening and discovery.”
The device, which carries a price tag of $250, is already being positioned on a number of retailers, including Circuit City. In addition to the device price tag, consumers will be required to grab a $12 monthly subscription to Yahoo Music Unlimited. Once the subscription is created, users will be able to access the Yahoo tracks while on-the-go, though they will not own the downloads. That differs from the successful iPod strategy, a structure that focuses on track ownership and represents a current consumer sweet spot. For SanDisk, the initiative is part of a larger strategy that involves leading iTunes Store competitors. Several months ago, SanDisk tied with RealNetworks and Best Buy to offer the Sansa e200R Rhapsody player, also optimized for portable subscription access though lacking wireless accessibility. Both efforts offer an iPod alternative, though analysts question whether the prevailing Apple portability model requires a retreaded approach.