[New Sansa Connect MP3 player from SanDisk is Wi-Fi enabled and will be available in late March.]

Las Vegas -- SanDisk Corporation announced the Sansa Connect, a Wi-Fi enabled MP3 player that lets consumers enjoy and recommend music from almost anywhere. The Sansa Connect un-tethers consumers from their PCs allowing them to connect to music and online photos through any open wireless “hot spot” Internet connection.

Available on retail shelves in the United States in late March, the new Sansa Connect will boast innovative Internet capabilities designed to keep music aficionados connected to a wide range of new music via subscription services and streaming Internet radio1 with no PC required. Designed to work with premium Internet services, the flash-based MP3 player will also contain community features for recommending music and photos with the simple click of a button and a “live” Wi-Fi connection.

The Sansa Connect provides superior sound playback (equivalent to SanDisk’s award-winning Sansa e200 line) and will come equipped with a microSD card slot. The expansion slot adds additional storage capacity as well as portability of music to other devices.

The Sansa Connect feature set includes:

* Wi-Fi “Connect” – access or purchase content from select service sites whenever there’s an open wireless Internet connection; no PC hookup required

* Music and photo playback

* Community connections via the Internet1

* A microSD™ expansion slot for additional memory capacity

* Internal speaker to enjoy music with friends

* Sleek, thin design with large, 2.2” TFT color screen for easy viewing

* Simple to use, backlit controls for fast device interface navigation

* Lithium-Ion battery

* Multi-pin universal connector for “Made for Sansa” accessory upgrades, battery charging and USB 2.0 connectivity

The Sansa Connect is 2.05 in. wide x 3.58 in. long x 0.63 in. high.

The 4-gigabyte (GB)2 Sansa Connect will be distributed to store shelves in the United States in late March with a suggested retail price of $249.99. The device will be available in Canada in the latter part of 2007.

In keeping with SanDisk’s mantra of offering the consumer choice, the Sansa Connect player is designed to work seamlessly with a wide range of popular music formats such as MP3 and Windows Media Audio (WMA) in both unprotected and protected files. The player utilizes an open (non-proprietary) digital rights management system that will allow users to purchase songs or access subscription download services from specific premium internet sites. It will support Microsoft PlaysForSure subscription music and is designed to work with Microsoft Vista™ when it ships.

SanDisk teamed with ZING (ZING.net), a new mobile entertainment technology and services company, to develop the product. ZING’s Mobile Entertainment Engine provides technology, software and services for building next generation digital media players and experiences. Portable music players based on ZING technology are distinguished by their ability to connect, download, manage and exchange entertainment content directly from the player through Wi-Fi or other wireless protocols, without requiring a PC for functionality. The ZING platform also supports mobile wireless player implementations of leading music and entertainment services, live digital broadcasts, Internet radio, and Internet community applications.

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