The Sansa-Rhapsody connection

The iPod has its iTunes. The Zune will have its Marketplace. Starting today, the SanDisk Sansa e200 has its own custom-built music ecosystem: Rhapsody 4.

Minutes ago, RealNetworks announced the availability of Rhapsody 4, the follow-up to the popular Rhapsody 3 music jukebox software and service. A cleaner interface and convenient new features aside, Rhapsody 4 is now the home base for a tweaked version of the Sansa e200, known to the folks at Real as the "Sansa Rhapsody" player (and officially as the Sansa e200R).

So what exactly does this mean? Has Rhapsody morphed into a closed system just like iTunes? Is the revved-up e200R locked into a marriage with Rhapsody? Short answers are no and no, and because of these answers (and more), I think this is one music ecosystem that consumers should pay attention to.

Just a couple of weeks back, SanDisk and Real jointly announced their partnership, which revolves around a technology platform (and marketing initiative) dubbed Rhapsody DNA. In a nutshell, the DNA is the underlying software that optimizes the relationship between the e200R and Rhapsody. As we have witnessed with the iPod/iTunes relationship, the chief benefit of this direct link is that the hardware and software can work seamlessly with one another without anything getting in the way. And that anything is PlaysForSure.

Though Microsoft has stated that it will continue to support PlaysForSure (PFS), it's more focused on supporting its Zune ecosystem. It's also never been an easy task for hardware and software producers such as Samsung or Real to get Microsoft's aid in fixing PFS hiccups, which has included inconsistent experience of transferring subscription tracks to devices or even getting them recognized at all in a jukebox such as Virgin Digital, Napster, or Rhapsody. "We can't get them to fix the bugs," says Anu Kirk, Real's director of product management for music.

This is the problem inherent with supporting such a wide array of devices for a wide array of music services with a middleman technology platform (Microsoft); both Real and Microsoft have recognized the need for what I call a "seamless and idiotproof" experience. In fact Real had been mulling a move away from PlaysForSure since as far back as 18 months, way before the Zune was on anybody's radar. Now that Real has control over its DNA, bugs can be addressed in real time, not as one music service executive once referred to as "Microsoft time." In addition, Real's Kirk explained (and demonstrated for me) that no PlaysForSure means more room for innovation.

Multiple music ecosystems = format battle royale?
So Real is matched up with a partner that has quickly become number two in U.S. MP3 players sales (about 14 percent) behind Apple, and with a player has been commended for its long feature list, its size, and its good battery life. Outside of Rhapsody branding, the e200R has the same physical look and feel as the e200, as well as the same capacities (up to 8GB) and prices. Even the firmware looks similar with some major exceptions:

• The e200R plays back purchased AAC files (192Kbps RAX) and subscription files as 160Kbps AAC. In addition, you can use the e200R with PlaysForSure, so you're not limiting the hardware to a specific service. Just make sure to put the player in PlaysForSure mode when transferring. What I really admire about this is, unlike in the Zune system, my existing purchased WMA collection will still work on this player--it's a dual-DRM player. The regular e200 (still available) plays back only WMA files. Though many users (including me) have had success with the e200 and Rhapsody, it seems the better deal here is the Rhapsody version of the player, as it gives you the same baseline features plus some nice extras related to Rhapsody (see below).
   
• You'll notice the main menu includes Rhapsody Channels--within Rhapsody 4 (which has a dramatically cleaner and lighter interface), one of the tabs is Rhapsody Channels, which is a renaming of the Radio section. You can actually drag and drop a channel (such as Pop) onto the player and populate it with a playlist. On the player itself, the feature is very radiolike--you can skip forward to the next song, but you can't repeat or skip backwards. If you like a song, you can add it to your library; if you hate it, don't do anything, as it can't be played again. If you really hate it, you can actually "ban" it from your personalized Rhapsody experience using the built-in rating controls. Next time you sync, this channel will automatically update with new content. This is a clever way of randomizing music (a la Urge's superplaylists) but also cutting out the fat.
   


Rhapsody 4 and Sansa e200R: speaking each other's language?
• Blazing transfer times. According to Real's Kirk, software-to-player transfer speeds for subscription music are "faster than anything else out there." Though we haven't verified the claims in our own tests yet, Real's been able to optimize transfer times that are "two times as fast as PlaysForSure."
   
• Embedded artist info. One of Rhapsody's strengths as a music source is its deep and relevant editorial database. The e200R now features bits of artist information accessible as a song is playing.
   
• The e200R will come preloaded with 500 "channel tracks" in 13 different genres. These tracks will be available for two months or 1,000 plays and can be added to your library if you subscribe to Rhapsody To Go ($14.99 per month).
   
• On the e200R interface, you will see a tiny green dot that tells you that your subscription tracks are licensed and refreshed. A yellow dot says you have 10 days, and, well, you know what a red dot means. In addition, Rhapsody will actually refresh your 30-day license each time you sync.
   
• SanDisk is probably the first player in a series of Rhapsody DNA-supported players. Look for more players (Creative? iRiver? Samsung?) to either get involved or link up with another music service.
   
• Rhapsody 4 itself looks like a real winner. The aesthetically pleasing and uniform tab-based interface (think opposite of Urge) and new drag-and-drop functionality will open many eyes. Though it doesn't sell videos and it hasn't jumped on the album art-centric boat (like iTunes and WMP11), it does downloads and streaming very well. With more than 2.5 million tracks at 99 cents (192Kbps vs. iTunes' 128Kbps), the ability to buy tracks at a 10 percent discount while a subscriber, and a critically acclaimed streaming radio network, the service ranks as one of my favorite subscription services. Many of my problems with Rhapsody To Go centered around PlaysForSure device issues.
   
• Rhapsody for iPod users. Rhapsody is still the only non-iTunes service whose DRM tracks will play on an iPod. In an attempt to grab disenfranchised iPod/iTunes users, Rhapsody will actually scan your iTunes library, create the same playlists and smart playlists, and attempt to populate them with the same songs found in the Rhapsody library.
   

I have been playing around with the Rhapsody 4 beta plus an e200R sample, and so far the experience is refreshing. In my brief time within this ecosystem, I got the things that matter most: a great selection of music, device reliability, some innovative features, and most importantly, I get all this without being tied down to Rhapsody. Rhapsody is still missing integrated video and photo support for the Sansa (use Sansa Media Converter), and of course you're limited to the Sansa's 8GB (or 10GB with expansion) capacities, but this is a good start to an ecosystem that will butt heads with Apple and Microsoft.