SanDisk Challenges Apple with Sansa View

Business is brutal in California. The Milpitas-based SanDisk makes no bones about going for the throat of its goliath, Cupertino-based competitor with the Sansa View.

SanDisk really has it in for Apple. Just weeks after the release of its Sansa Clip MP3 player aimed squared at Apple’s iPod Shuffle, SanDisk has released the Sansa View, a bigger player with its sights on the iPod Nano.

While the new player won’t quite be able to match Apple’s ultra-svelte 6.6mm-thick form factor, it comes close at 8.8mm and exceed’s Apple’s player on other levels.  A 2.4-inch 320 x 240 resolution screen provides video playback at 30 fps, and memory capacity will be 8GB for $149.99 or 16GB for $199.99. Apple offers a smaller 2-inch screen and only offers capacity to 8GB, which costs as much as SanDisk’s 16GB model at $199.

The Sansa View also comes with other features brought over from its older e200 line, including a built-in microphone, FM tuner and microSD slot that allows it to expand capacity up to an additional 8GB. SanDisk claims the internal lithium-ion battery should be good for 35 hours of audio or seven hours of video.

Buyers in North America can expect the Sansa View in early fall.