SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip (blue, 4GB)

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SanDisk Sansa Clip Zip

Like the bygone days of the horse-drawn carriage, the era of the MP3 player has quickly faded into the past. Today, the smartphone is the portable music device of choice for most of us and the iPod is now just a footnote in Apple's history, outlived by the iPhone and iPad.

The MP3 player isn't dead, though. There is still one habitat left for these technological buffaloes: the gym. Yes, as cool as your smartphone may be, there's no app that is going to prevent it from smelling like an old sock if you keep it in your gym bag. You need something light, small, useful, and cheap enough that you won't cry uncontrollably if it gets trampled on. Luckily, SanDisk has you covered.

SanDisk's Sansa Clip players have long topped CNET's lists of affordable and gym-worthy MP3 players. The latest spin on the Clip formula is called the Clip Zip. Like 2009's Sansa Clip+, the Clip Zip has a starting price of $49 for 4GB or $69 for an 8GB model. This time around, though, SanDisk is offering the device in seven different colors (red, blue, black, orange, white, gray, and purple) and has upgraded to a larger, full-color screen.

Design
Don't let the new name or extra colors fool you, the Clip Zip's design isn't a far cry from the Sansa Clip+, or even the original Sansa Clip. There's a four-way navigation pad on the front with a separate back button floating above it. On the sides you'll find a volume rocker switch, Micro-USB port, headphone jack, and a microSDHC card slot that can support up to 32GB of additional memory.

The back, naturally, features an integrated clip that helps attach the device to your clothing and leaves your hands free for working out, or generally kicking butt. The clip is a bit longer than the iPod Nano's, though the all-plastic design isn't as resilient.

Really, the headline feature here is the 1.1-inch LCD color screen, which does a much better job of displaying information than the smaller, more limited screens of previous models. There are no options for viewing photos or videos, but album art is supported (though a little grainy looking).

Features
No, the Clip Zip isn't going to play Angry Birds or update your Facebook status, but it does an exceptionally good job of distracting your brain with music. In fact, you'll have a hard time finding an MP3 player that works with more music formats, especially in this price range. SanDisk even came around to our suggestion of adding AAC compatibility, rounding out its support for MP3, WMA, DRM-WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and Audible files. The company's even optimized this little thing for the Rhapsody and Napster music subscription services.

An FM radio is included, along with the expected array of auto-preset detection and FM radio recording. You can't do the radio pausing trick of the iPod Nano, but at half the price, who's complaining?

A separate main menu section for audiobooks is included, provided that you have any loaded on the device. Podcasts are lumped into this section as well, which isn't necessarily intuitive, but sure beats searching for your favorite podcasts within your music library.

SanDisk also includes a basic voice recorder. The audio quality is suitable for memos or a hastily thrown-together grocery list, but probably not our first choice for dictating our memoirs.

Finally, as a gesture to all you fitness fanatics, a basic stopwatch has been thrown in.

Performance
The Sansa Clip Zip has no business sounding this good. Don't ask me how SanDisk did it. You would expect an MP3 player at this price to sound only slightly better than hot gravel in your ear.

That said, in the grand scheme of things, the Clip Zip isn't the best-sounding device out there. These things are subjective, of course, but don't go in expecting it to sound like a Sony X-Series Walkman. There are a few EQ presets, along with some manual EQ adjustments, but the default flat setting is about on par for quality with what you'd hear from most Android smartphones, with a little extra headroom for the maximum volume.

Chances are, though, you're not going to buy a $49 MP3 player to hold it up to audiophile scrutiny. If all you want are some sounds to shove in your ears to distract you from the monotony of flailing around on a treadmill, the Clip Zip delivers beyond our expectations.

We're also happy to see that the Clip Zip's rated battery life holds to the 15-hour mark set by the Clip+, in spite of the larger, color screen. That's a good week of casual use before a recharge is needed. SanDisk's decision to go with a Micro-USB port instead of the mini ports used on previous models means that you can probably use your phone's charger to juice this up. Little details like this can really cut down on cable clutter and lighten your load when traveling.

Final thoughts
The Sansa Clip Zip further solidifies SanDisk's reputation for delivering low-cost, feature-packed MP3 players. The addition of AAC music support now means that even fans of Apple's iTunes store can plug the Clip Zip into a Mac or PC and transfer over their DRM-free tunes. So if you're looking for a way to enjoy your music without risking your precious smartphone, the Sansa Clip Zip is one of the best values around.

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