From Komonews.com

By Good Housekeeping 

This report will be music to your ears, because we're talking about MP3 players.

The editors at Good Housekeeping came up with a neat idea. They decided to look at portable music players that are good for people who like to listen to music as they try to run or walk.

And guess what? They found you don't have to buy an iPod! The iPod Nano did very well in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute's tests, but now it has a lot of competition that cost a lot less.

Here are some inexpensive alternatives you may want to give a listen to.

"We evaluated 19, flash-based mp3 players for ease of use, performance, durability, as well as their appearance. In our tests, two MP3 players really stood out," said tester Rachel Rothman.

The Sandisk Sansa Clip, 1GB ($40) was one of the institute's budget picks.

"it was one of the few devices that performed extremely well after the durability testing. You can do voice recording, and it also has a handy clip in the back to clip on to you while you're working out," said Rothman.

Philips GoGear Spark, 2GB ($50) won over testers with its simple setup and easy functions.

"Well, I really liked that it was small, but not too small that I couldn't see the display clearly. And its also very easy to navigate," one tester said.

So if you like to walk and listen to music, Good Housekeeping says look for flash memory players. They don't use rotating hard disks, which can get damaged if they get jostled.

Testers also liked the iRiver Spinn for its cool features, including a touch screen and bluetooth. The 4-gigabyte model costs $170. They also gave a thumbs-up to the Microsoft Zune for its customization and full-color video. At 4 gigabytes, the Zune costs $100.

There is a new firmware for the Fuze out now.

There is also a revision 2 of the Fuze existing - so before you attempt a manual flash, be sure which revision you got, as there is a separate firmware version for each of them!

 Here are the tips from the http://forums.sandisk.com

Follow the instructions below to verify the hardware revision of your Fuze before proceeding. 

 • Turn on your Fuze
• Select Settings from the main menu
• Select System Settings
• Select Info 
• Verify the Version #

Revision 1 = 1.XX.XX (example: 1.01.15)
Revision 2 = 2.XX.XX (example: 2.01.16)

 

If your Sansa Fuze is a Revision 1 please proceed to the Revision 1 download and installation instructions.

If your Sansa Fuze is a Revision 2 please proceed to the Revision 2 download and installation instructions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me start off by saying that majority of people will be able to update his/her firmware through the Sansa Firmware Updater. There is even a how-to video that explains the process. If for any reason the aforementioned steps do not work for you, then please feel free to continue by trying the more "computer savy" steps, described below.

 

SanDisk has just released the 01.01.22 and 02.01.17 firmware revisions for the Sansa Fuze. Download links and the release notes are available below.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Windows Users can Connect the device in any Mode and follow the instructions below.

Mac and Linux users can connect their Fuze in MSC or Auto Detect mode and follow the instructions below.

MSC mode instructions:

• Turn on the Fuze
• Navigate to "Settings" on the menu of the device itself 
• Next select "System Settings"
• Next, navigate to "USB Mode" and select "MSC"
  
  

Sansa Fuze Firmware 01.01.22 download and installation instructions

For Sansa Firmware Updater - Click here to download 
All Regions - Click here to download

All languages are now in one firmware version. After firmware update you will need to select your Language and Region preference.

• Ensure your battery is > 50% full.
• Extract the .zip file into a folder on your computer.
• Once extracted, drag the file to the root directory of your Sansa Fuze.
• Disconnect the Sansa Fuze and let it begin the firmware update.
• Once it finally finishes doing its update, it will turn itself off.
• Turn the Fuze on Select your language and region preference
• Once its back to the main menu, head to "Settings" > "System Settings" > "Info", and verify the "Version" is now 01.01.22"x".

Sansa Fuze Firmware 02.01.17 download and installation instructions

For Sansa Firmware Updater - Click here to download 
All Regions - Click here to download

All languages are now in one firmware version. After firmware update you will need to select your Language and Region preference.

• Ensure your battery is > 50% full.
• Extract the .zip file into a folder on your computer.
• Once extracted, drag the file to the root directory of your Sansa Fuze.
• Disconnect the Sansa Fuze and let it begin the firmware update.
• Once it finally finishes doing its update, it will turn itself off.
• Turn the Fuze on Select your language and region preference
• Once its back to the main menu, head to "Settings" > "System Settings" > "Info", and verify the "Version" is now 02.01.17"x".

Sansa Fuze Firmware 01.01.22 and 02.01.17 Release Notes

This firmware has several new feature updates as well as many key enhancements and bug fixes, as listed below. Upon completion of the firmware upgrade, the device will turn off.  Power on the device to complete the upgrade process.  If the device does not initiate or complete, press & hold the Power switch for 10 seconds to reset the device and then release and press again to restart.

 New features
• Sleep Timer – accessed via Settings > System Settings > Sleep

Enhancements
• Accelerating Scroll wheel speed during navigation
• File cursor position saved for last played file of each Audiobook
• GoList expanded to 200 tracks
• Add entire Artist or Album to GoList with press and hold during navigation
• Support Disc Number ID3 Tags for Sorting Multi Disc collections
 
Bugs Fixed  
• Play Previous disappears after power cycle
• Podcast sort order inverted
• Sometimes Fuze does not respond to Power Off switch
• Unexpected refresh database
• Files placed in Podcasts or Audiobooks folder on external card will not show up in device’s user interface
• Standard line out level is not used in Dock mode
• Device hangs on PC connection with Photo slideshow paused
• Incorrect translations in German language
• Album art does not show up after transferring using Napster application
• Cannot transfer Audible files to external card. Audible manager freezes upon selecting external card to transfer.
• Backlight setting of 5 seconds causes device to hang upon going into backlight saving mode
• MP3 128kbps VBR and CBR files skipping / popping during playback with backlight off
• Certain MP3 128kbps 44KHz CBR files play very slow
• Other miscellaneous fixes

Known Issues
• It takes a long time (2+ min) to delete song if device has lots of content
• There is a pause (less than 1 second) when selecting “Play All” – transition not smooth
• Rating info is lost following database refresh on songs loaded in microSD
• With Rhapsody channels content, press and hold to add Artist to GoList may not work.  Work around is navigate to Album level to add entire albums from one Artist.

You gotta love Gordon Kelly over at trustedreviews.com and his review and comparison of the iPod shuffle and the Sansa Clip.

 This wasn't announced during the Let's Rock / Let's Whimper event late night, but Apple has quietly updated the iPod shuffle... 

 So what has exactly happened? Well, if you go to the Apple Store you'll see 'NEW' in capital letters stamped all over them but it really should just say 'Respray'. 

Yup, while rivals such as the Sansa Clip and ZEN Stone Plus sport screens and feature such revolutionary ideas as song selection and sequential play, not to mention double the capacity (4x in the case of the Clip) for less money Apple has decided what they were lacking was more colours.

Consequently you can get the same screen-less, FM tuner-less, voice recording-less, sequential play-less, 1GB and 'flagship' 2GB players now in blue, green, pink and - in an Apple store only exclusive - (PRODUCT) red. Wow. Prices remain £32 and £45 respectively and with the new 8GB iPod nano starting at £109 the company really does need to rethink its budget player offering... 

In related news, fiscally sharp TR readers have pointed out to us a very interesting observation: while iPod price cuts were widely heralded by Steve Jobs last night their translation into pounds has been even more callous than ever. The main offender is the 32GB iPod touch which having previously cost £279 in its first iteration now costs £289 in its second. The US price: $399 (£227) and excuse me, but aren't flash memory prices meant to be in free-fall? 

Apple, you've had better shows... 

Update: The ever wise LostSwede has also noted the new 32GB iPod touch at £227 ($399) is only £8 more expensive than a 16GB iPod touch in the UK. Cheers Apple... 

 See his complete post here.