SanDisk slotRadio To Go Player - Health & Fitness

If you're on a budget and don't want the hassle of buying, downloading or managing your workout music, the SanDisk slotRadio To Go Player might be a good choice for you. This small player comes preloaded with an amazing 1,000 songs from artists ranging from David Bowie to Eminem. There are 7 playlists for all types of workouts and, with the click of a button, you can skip songs or change playlists on the fly. There's no shirt clip or armband, which makes it difficult to carry around while you're exercising but, at $59.99, it's a great choice for exercisers on a budget who want something simple.

If music is a regular part of your workouts, you know how much work it is to keep your player updated with new music and new playlists. The SanDisk slotRadio offers another alternative for exercisers tired of listening to the same old music, but who want to avoid the hassle of finding, downloading and organizing new songs.

This all-inclusive music player gives you the best of both worlds - a player pre-loaded with 1,000 hit songs and nothing to subscribe to, download or manage. The songs are loaded in the included slotRadio card, which fits into the bottom of the player. It also comes with earbuds, although they're quite large, so you may need a backup pair if these don't fit.

The Player

The player is small and compact enough to fit in your pocket and is a snap to use right out of the box. Simply slide open the cover, put in the AAA battery, plug in the included headphones and press play. With the press of a button, you can skip a song or change to a new playlist, although you can't rewind or rearrange the sequence of the songs. One major oversight is the lack of some type of holder - a clip for your clothes or an armband, for example. When I used it, I ended up holding it in my hand, which can quickly become a problem during workouts.

The Music

While the packaging and website provide a partial list of the artists included, you can't view a full list of the artists or songs. What that means is that pressing play brings a surprise with every song, since you don't know what might come next. It might be Britney Spears, Pink, The Fray or even Earth, Wind and Fire.

If you're a control freak, this may not appeal to you, but I found it surprisingly refreshing. There were tons of great songs I never would've listened to otherwise and it made my workouts a little more interesting.

Some of the artists include Angels and Airwaves, Basement Jaxx, Bowling for Soup, Britney Spears, CeCe Peniston, Chemical Brothers, Daughtry, David Bowie, Dirty Vegas, Fatboy Slim, Fergie, Lady Gaga, Smash Mouth and more.

Much like a radio station (but without the commercials), songs play automatically, with no announcement of the song or the artist. The main drawback was that there were some songs I liked so much, I wanted to check out the entire album - impossible to do without knowing who it was.

The Playlists

Whether you're lifting weights, running outside or stretching, you can find a style of music that fits your workout mood from the 7 included playlists:

• Warm up
• Cardio
• Roadwork
• Power
• Yoga
• Cooldown
• Spa

Overall, the To Go player is simplicity itself and a great choice for technophobic gym-goers who don't want to fool with computers, playlists or downloads. At $59.99, it's an economical choice and like a modern-day CD player, you can buy new slotRadio cards with different genres such as rock, country or R&B. Oddly, the slotRadio cards cost almost as much as the player (they're $49.99) but, with 1,000 songs to listen to, it'll be awhile before you'll need new music.