Flash memory maker SanDisk Corp. announced three new digital media devices Monday, including a video player with a four-inch widescreen display.
SanDisk launched its first challenge to Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod last year with the Sansa, an MP3 player closely connected to RealNetworks Inc.'s Rhapsody music service. Microsoft Corp. joined the fray in time for the holidays with its Zune player and music service.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Monday, SanDisk unveiled the Sansa View, a video and music player it expects to start selling this quarter for $299.
The gadget has 8 gigabytes of memory — tiny compared to Apple's heftiest 80-gig iPod — with space for an additional memory card. It works with recent versions of Windows Media Player, and can download music from various services, including Rhapsody and Yahoo Inc.'s Yahoo Music.
The entire gadget, including speakers and a replaceable battery, is less than an inch thick.
Milpitas, Calif.-based SanDisk also said it will start selling two new music players in March, the Sansa Connect and the lightweight Sansa Express.
The Connect can use a Wi-Fi connection to access music services on the Web — including streaming radio — instead of relying on transfers from a PC. The 4-gigabyte model, which will retail for $249.99, also allows the user to connect to the Web to seek out and share music recommendations.
The Sansa Express is a 1-gigabyte music player reminiscent of Apple's first chewing-gum-pack-sized Shuffle. It connects to a PC using USB 2, and stores 1 gigabyte worth of songs. But the $59.99 device also boasts an FM tuner and FM recording, and a voice recorder with a built-in microphone.
Shares of SanDisk rose $1, or 2.3 percent, to close at $44.30 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.