What are your ZAP and OS numbers showing today. I purchased 2 units, reimaged with the sandisk app, and wifi is now working, however, I can not play any yahoo stations once I login. I do get an error that says “Can’t play the station at this time” Did you experience any issues like this? Like I said WIFI is on and connecting, just cant stream any stations.
Just tried my Surpluscomputers.com Connect that has been recovered to have wi-fi, tried Genres –> Urban –> Hip Hop, and it’s streaming fine.
I think I’ve seen what you’re experiencing on some stations. Have you tried several? Perhaps you’re trying a station that used to be a Plus station?
I don’t know if the difference in our IDs is relevant, but my Yahoo ID has been in existence for a while, and it’s an upgraded level (free from Verizon DSL).
I just tried again, and it loaded up and works! I left it connected to wifi for a couple hours after loading some music onto it, and now it works. Glad I stayed up until 12:30 lastnight messing with it :o) Perhaps after the Firmaware update it needs some updates. Zing is updating regularly, so to all that are considering the purchase. You will not find a 4 GB mp3/video player with a 2.2 screen and an added bonus of wifi radio for 35 bucks. Do it!
I tried my Connect last night and I was able to stream a couple of stations, but with major buffering issues, which I’ve never experienced before. Signal strength indicator showed I had a good signal. Someone else in this forum reported buffering issues, too. If this keeps up, I’ll have to consider Internet Radio to be a no-op for me.
@jj2me wrote:
(snip)
(Note to others: Sansa Recovery takes a long time, maybe 20 minutes, as it downloads the firmware from SanDisk.)
Thanks, I was just about to post a question about this. I just got another Connect and ran the Recovery tool. It’s been a while since I’ve run it … is there any indication that progress is being made, other than the “Recovering / Please wait …” display on the Connect?
Message Edited by PromisedPlanet on 04-17-2009 11:11 AM
Erk, never mind. I found I had to re-run the Recovery tool to get it to actually work.
I bought one of these WiFi-disabled Connects last night. Same story - white box that said “no WiFi”; no manual or CD; ZAP 1.2.0.58335r; OS 1.2.0.58335.
I’m thinking about running the recovery program to get the WiFi features but I’m a bit nervous since I can’t really get back to my current version if things go wrong. I might be more inclined to take the plunge if I knew more about benefits and risks.
Can you use the WiFi for anything else but “internet radio”? If not, is internet radio all that? Can you still sign up for it? Is it free?
Also, can anyone vouch for the stability of the units after running the recovery program? Is it just like the disabled version only with the WiFi features restored?
I’m pretty satisfied with the unit as-is and I’d hate to screw it up.
@fartsmeller wrote:
I bought one of these WiFi-disabled Connects last night. Same story - white box that said “no WiFi”; no manual or CD; ZAP 1.2.0.58335r; OS 1.2.0.58335.
I’m thinking about running the recovery program to get the WiFi features but I’m a bit nervous since I can’t really get back to my current version if things go wrong. I might be more inclined to take the plunge if I knew more about benefits and risks.
Can you use the WiFi for anything else but “internet radio”? If not, is internet radio all that? Can you still sign up for it? Is it free?
Also, can anyone vouch for the stability of the units after running the recovery program? Is it just like the disabled version only with the WiFi features restored?
I’m pretty satisfied with the unit as-is and I’d hate to screw it up.
I’ve never heard of anyone actually “bricking” their Sansa when doing a firmware update. If something goes wrong, you’ll probably just have the same firmware installed that you do now.
The Internet Radio is actually Launchcast streams, formerly owned by Yahoo and now by CBS Radio:
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/music/launchcast/transition/faqs.html
It’s free, you just need a Yahoo account. I like Launchcast a lot … they play a really good selection of artists, and have a lot of variety … rock, rap, comedy, show tunes, music from different decades, etc.
Over the WiFi, you’ll also be able to view your Flickr photo collection, and 50 Flickr “Today’s Most Interesting” photos.
The new firmware is just as stable as the firmware you currently have installed, and doesn’t remove any features, it only adds the WiFi features.
Message Edited by PromisedPlanet on 05-08-2009 03:26 PM
Thanks for the info. I already have a Yahoo account and the wife uses Flickr so I think I’ll go for it.
Cool, let us know how it works out for you.
Even without the WiFi, the Connect is already a great device. At $35, it’s the best value out there, IMO.
To PromisedPlanet: wow! the recovery process was very easy and only took about 10 minutes.
I now have all the WiFi features and got connected to my wireless network. (Note to self: pick a shorter passphrase next time).
I’m very impressed with the internet radio content - very nice. My daughter is too. I can barely pry the thing from her grasp.
Next is Flickr login and re-synching of my music.
Thanks for your encouragement.
Glad it worked out well for you. I recently got a 16GB microSDHC card and now I can carry my entire music collection on my Connect. I’ve also got a bunch of movies on an 8GB microSDHC card, which I carry in the Connect’s case so I can swap it in if I feel like watching a movie. Between that and the Launchcast streams, which let me discover music I haven’t heard before, the Connect’s pretty ideal.
I purchased as micro sd card and it dies not work. Now I can not get the card out of the connect. Does anyone know how to get it to pop out?
@cliff wrote:
I purchased as micro sd card and it dies not work. Now I can not get the card out of the connect. Does anyone know how to get it to pop out?
Removal is no different than with any other device: the trailing edge of an inserted μSD card is about flush with the case. To remove the μSD card, you have to push it in a bit, then it’ll pop back out past flush. If your fingernail isn’t working, maybe try a small screwdriver to push in the μSD card. Once the card is out further than the case, you just pull it out.
If you’re successful at removing the card, don’t give up on it (unless there’s something physically wrong with it that made it so hard to remove). My μSD cards don’t always “take.” You can tell when it takes: the display says something like “a μSD card has been inserted” and maybe also says something about refreshing the database (I don’t remember). When the μSD card doesn’t take, I have to pop it out and re-insert, making sure I push it in deep before I release and it goes back to flush with the case.
Hopefully you didn’t force it in backwards … 
If your PC recognizes the microSD card, in a USB adapter, as a removable disk (where you can look at and modify its contents with Windows Explorer), it should also work in your Connect.
And oh yeah … let me give all credit for finding the $35 Connect on eBay to jj2me!
Message Edited by PromisedPlanet on 05-09-2009 04:46 PM
@promisedplanet wrote:
And oh yeah … let me give all credit for finding the $35 Connect on eBay to jj2me!
Thanks, but it was MechMan, the first poster in this thread, who is the brains. He first clued us into these “No Wi-fi” Connects, and took the gamble to reflash his with wi-fi-enabling firmware, and reported the success to us. (I just did some followup shopping.)
So with a Sansa Connect + free Yahoo account, you guys can receive LAUNCHcast stations via wifi? There are over 200 stations. Can you get them all, or is there only a handful of stations that are available. If you can only receive some LAUNCHcast stations, is there a way to add them all somehow?
Yahoo used to provide a “Launchcast Plus” subscription for like $3.99/month that gave more stations, no ads, and unlimited skips. You can’t skip songs on the Connect with regular Launchcast (CBS Radio). I’ve never heard an ad, though they may exist. I’m not aware of anything equivalent to Launchcast Plus, now.
There aren’t as many stations on the Connect as on the Launchcast web page. I haven’t counted them all but they’re arranged in genres like this (and some stations belong to more than one genre; for example, all the stations in the Latin genre are also in the World Zone genre):
Pop: 13
Rock: 33
Dance/Electronic: 4
Urban: 18
Country: 9
Latin: 5
Oldies: 7
Indie/Folk: 7
Christian: 4
Jazz/Blues: 6
World Zone: 19
More Genres: 10 (mostly stations from other genres, though there is a good Comedy station)
If there’s a particular station you’re interested in, let me know and I can tell you if it’s on the Connect.
@jj2me wrote:
@promisedplanet wrote:
And oh yeah … let me give all credit for finding the $35 Connect on eBay to jj2me!
Thanks, but it was MechMan, the first poster in this thread, who is the brains. He first clued us into these “No Wi-fi” Connects, and took the gamble to reflash his with wi-fi-enabling firmware, and reported the success to us. (I just did some followup shopping.)
Thanks to MechMan for the hook-up, thanks to jj2me for the encouragement …
What seemed unique with Launchcast was Class Reunion which plays songs only from a particular year. Since there is only a subset of stations, I do not expect it to be available for the Connect.
By the way, what is the battery life on the Connect with and without wi-fi usage? Is there much of a difference? I am guessing that the Connect does not work while recharging, so having a low battery life could be a hassle.
One last thing, if Yahoo discontinues this limited Launchcast streaming for Connect users, are there any alternatives (free or otherwise) for the wi-fi usage? For instance, is there another site with streaming music available, or can you play music on computers within your own network?
Thanks.
Message Edited by Epp on 05-10-2009 11:54 AM
